Results tagged ‘ Jimmy Rollins ’
Phillies Stumble Into All-Star Break With Little Hope to Save Their Season
The Phillies were swept by the Braves today in a depressing 4-3 loss. There was not even a little comic relief, as in Saturday’s loss when Hunter Pence bowled over 3rd base coach Juan Samuel while rounding the bases towards home. That bit had everyone except Samuel laughing to the point of tears.
The only laughs today came before the game started:
After that, absolutely nothing was funny. Even the presentation of All-Star jersey’s to Carlos Ruiz, Jonathan Papelbon and Cole Hamels was somehow lacking in enthusiasm.
And then fans learned that Shane Victorino was pulled from the line-up at the last moment, prompting rumors of a possible trade or injury. But what actually happened, according to Charlie Manuel, was that Shane was feeling “down” and had “a lot on his mind…” And so, Charlie took him out in favor of Jason Pridie.
That turned out to be the only good move of the day. Pridie hit a 2-run homer and a double, which accounted for all 3 Phillies runs in the game.
Vance Worley battled through 6 innings, allowing 3 runs, which was a nice improvement over his last start where he have up 6 runs in 4 innings. But despite the quality start, not much was going the way of the Phillies.
There were some nice defensive plays:
But the offense was lackluster, despite having both Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the line-up. The top 4 in the line-up went 1-for-16 collectively, although Jimmy Rollins did go 3-for-3 in pop-fly outs. I am not sure that is a stat to be proud of, but at least he is consistent (note my sarcasm, in case you missed it).
Ultimately, Raul Valdes gave up a solo homer to who else, but Brian McCann, giving the Braves a 1-run lead that the Phillies failed to overcome.
So the Braves had a nice visit to Philly, complete with attempts to steal young Phillies fans. Here is ex-Phil Chad Durbin and Dan Uggla before the game playing nice with one of the kids chosen for the traditional Sunday Starting 9:
Actually, it was very sweet. But Durbin was always that kind of guy; his presence is still missed on this ballclub.
So the Phillies go into the All-Star break in the midst of a complete disaster. They have won only 1 of their last 12 games and sit in dead last in the NL East, 14 games out of first. Get ready fans; I am afraid change is coming, and not the good kind.
For a pleasant distraction, check out my Photo Album from the game; just pretend they win and the photos look even better!
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Happy Cliff Lee Win Day!
Yes, it is the 4th of July. But more importantly for the Phillies, it is Cliff Lee Win Day! Appropriately, fireworks and celebration will be seen all over the land!
It only took 3+ months and 83 games, but Lee finally won a game. Hey, you know what Lee’s favorite holiday is? That’s right! Independence / Cliff Lee Win Day!
Over 8 innings against the Mets, Lee allowed just 2 runs, one of which was a solo homer. He struck out 9 batters and only walked 1. THIS is the Cliff Lee we have all been missing. Finally, he is back!
This day was also the first win for Chase Utley. 7 games ago, Utley played his first game of the year after a long rehab of his shoddy knee(s). In that game, he hit a home run in his first at-bat and then Carlos Ruiz did the same right after. Oddly enough, that combination set off a 6-game losing streak.
But tonight, Utley and Ruiz went back-to-back again, apparently spinning the universe back into the correct direction and producing a Phillies win. The earth is back on its axis and gravity is once again in proper alignment. Whew!
That home run combo gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead which they added onto in the final two innings. Jimmy Rollins no-hit streak ended and he drove in 2 runs. And Ty Wigginton added 2 more RBI with a home run in the 9th.
So both Utley and Lee get their first wins of the year with a 9-2 final score. After the game, Lee had bear hugs for Chooch and was later greeted with a chilly Gatorade bath.
Could this be the big win the Phillies needed to get back on track? We can only hope so. Certainly, we can at least see that this team is still capable of winning.
Game 3 with the Mets starts tomorrow at 7:10pm. Cole Hamels will have to face R.A. Dickey; the knuckleballer has been on fire this season. But in the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy the fireworks in honor of Cliff Lee Win Day! Whoo hooo!
Oh, and Happy 4th of July, too! :O)
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Lee & fireworks photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
The Phillies Are Halfway to Nowhere
After being swept by the Marlins today, the Phillies are 10.5 games back in the division with a 36-45 record. It is their worst effort through 81 games since 1997.
It is the halfway point of the season; time to count the bodies and see exactly how big the hole is that the Phillies are digging. Let’s begin with Jim Thome. He was traded to the Orioles in exchange for 2 prospects: Class A catcher Gabriel Lino and right-hander Kyle Simon, both of whom will report to Class A Lakewood. So the Phillies did not even get a player who could help out right now.
If the Phillies were actually contending, Thome might still be here. But it is the best move for Thome, who will actually get some playing time in the American League. I wish him the best.
And how about Cliff Lee…when Phillies beat reporter Todd Zolecki asked pitching coach Rich Dubee about Lee’s struggles, Dubee basically pleaded the 5th. The response given multiple times was, “I’m not going into it.” Lee appears healthy, no mechanical issues were mentioned. That leads one to believe that Lee, winless in 13 starts, has thrown in the towel. I hope that is not the case, but Lee has not seemed right in a long time now.
And the bodies continue to mount. Jimmy Rollins’ hot streak is over; he is hitless in his last 11 at-bats. Placido Polanco is 2 for his last 15. Antonio Bastardo has allowed 6 runs in his last 4 2/3 innings in relief.
The next head on the block might actually be Cole Hamels. Just announced as an All-Star this year along with Carlos Ruiz and Jonathan Papelbon, it is rumored that the Phillies are shopping Hamels to other teams. If team management feels Hamels will walk once he hits free agency and this 2012 team is down for the count, Hamels may be gone soon.
That would be a terrible shame, but if the Phillies do not pick themselves up and start winning, Hamels will not be the only casualty.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
How the Phillies Spell Relief: P-I-R-A-T-E-S
After a dreadful Sunday during which the Phillies lost two games to the Rays in spectacularly bad fashion, this team needed a break. And that break came in the form of the Pittsburgh Pirates. How do you spell relief? P-I-R-A-T-E-S!
The 8-3 win was a welcome sight, even if it did come at the expense of what appeared to be a little league team. Thankfully though, the Bucos took the pounding like men and no tears were shed.
The first inning set the tone as the Pirates fielders tossed the baseball all over the place, as if they were blindfolded at a child’s birthday party while trying to whack a piñata. The ball bounced all around, smacking dirt, bases and the infield walls. Still, no candy prizes fell from the sky. Instead, the Pirates were given 3 errors in the inning, which lead to a 4-0 lead for the Phillies.
The party continued for the Phillies offense, which exploded for 4 more runs. Jimmy Rollins nailed a home run to right that nearly made it to the second deck of seats. Carlos Ruiz continued his All-Star campaign, going 3-for-5 and 3 other Phils had a multi-hit night. This was apparently the precursor to the post-game fireworks that were planned.
On the downside, the Phillies are still struggling with runners in scoring position. They loaded the bases with no outs in the 7th and only managed one run, which resulted from a walk to Ty Wigginton. The next 3 batters all struck out.
Starting the game, Joe Blanton pitched pretty well. He went 7 innings, allowing 3 runs, 2 of which were earned. But still, in the 8th inning, after the offense failed to add on in the 7th, you could feel the doubt in the air as the bullpen took over. Could a 5 run lead really not be sufficient here?
It was enough on this day. But in the past, that has very often not been the case for this team. And this fact still leaves Phillies fans anxious about what might happen in a similar situation the next time.
The Pirates are a bad team that the Phillies should really beat up on over the next 3 games. If they can manage to do that, there may be hope for this team yet.
Speaking of hope, it looks like Chase Utley should be back with the team on Wednesday. He is playing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley tonight. I will temper my enthusiasm until I see it for myself…
In the meantime, game 2 with the Pirates begins tonight at 7:05pm.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Thome Sets Another Record in Phillies Walk-Off Win
In their 1st visit back to Philadelphia since losing the 2008 World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays once again brought the rain with them. Friday night’s Phillies – Rays game was rained out and will be played as part of a doubleheader on Sunday. The originally scheduled 1:35pm game will start instead at 1:05pm and the make-up game will begin at 6:35pm.
For today’s game, Kyle Kendrick started as originally planned, with Cliff Lee being pushed back to Sunday. After Lee had fully warmed up Friday night, they did not want to take any chances by having him go today.
Kendrick did not have a great day, getting speeches while on the mound from teammates Carlos Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins and then pitching coach Rich Dubee. It seemed like a lot of work just to get Kendrick through what turned out to be only 4 innings. He walked 3 and allowed 3 runs.
But the offense gave the pitching a boost with big home runs from Rollins and Juan Pierre. For Pierre, it was his first homer since August of last year and his first 3-run homer since 2004. Pierre is not typically a long-ball hitter and as a result, there were huge smiles all around the Phillies bench when he hit that one. Pierre got to play Superman, if only for just one day.
For the bullpen, Raul Valdes did a commendable job picking up the slack for Kendrick. Fresh back from the minors, Valdes pitched 2 very solid innings. Antonio Bastardo had a little trouble in the 8th where he loaded the bases but did pitch out of it after allowing only one run.
The 6-4 lead carried the Phillies into the 9th with a save opportunity for Jonathan Papelbon. It was not exactly smooth sailing. In fact, he blew his first save of season, giving up 2 runs and really putting the Phillies in a very bad position with a doubleheader scheduled the next day. This could not have been worse timing, except…
In the bottom of the 9th, a future Hall of Famer was lying in wait to bail Papelbon out. Jim Thome stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 9th and absolutely crushed a ball to deep left field. And just like that, BOOM! The Phillies won it in walk-off style.
It was Thome’s 13th career walk-off homer, which is a major league record. He is also the all-time leader in Interleague play home runs. And Thome is now tied with Sammy Sosa for 7th place in career homers with 609.
On Sunday, Cole Hamels will pitch the first game and Lee will pitch the second one. I will be at both games and shall return with photos.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Dear Phillies, Please Stop Toying With Our Emotions
After two big wins over the Rockies on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Phillies failed to sweep the series with a loss on Thursday. And the Rockies are a team they very well should have swept.
The first two victories gave fans hope that this struggling team might finally be getting their act together. They played well and showed a winning attitude. But last night’s disaster saw those hopes dashed and frustration set it once again.
It is not that they lost the game. This is baseball; losses happen. The issue is how they lost the game.
Let us begin by looking at the opposing pitcher, Jeff Francis. This guy had a minor league deal with the Reds this year, who finally released him. The Rockies picked him up and Francis had a 12.46 ERA in 2 starts for them coming into this game. This is a guy that the Phillies should have absolutely pounded.
Instead, they left 7 men on base and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Worse than that, the Phillies continue to fail to score runners from 3rd with less than 2 outs. In the 2nd inning, Jimmy Rollins, who homered to start the game, popped out with 1 out and a man on third. J-Roll had 2 pop-outs and a ground ball double play to go with his solo homer in this game.
Then in the 8th, the Phillies squandered a lead-off double by Ty Wigginton. Hunter Pence struck out swinging at a crap pitch…again. Carlos Ruiz flied out and Shane Victorino popped out to end the inning. Both Pence and Victorino walked back to the dugout to a chorus of boo’s from the frustrated fans who are tired of watching the same mistakes over and over and over…
As for the pitching, Vance Worley and his bone-chip plagued elbow were a bit shaky. But he kept the team in the game and walked off the mound to a 2-1 score with the Phillies trailing. Still, he did all he could.
But the bullpen failed once again. Chad Qualls had a bad inning but escaped without allowing a run thanks to a good defensive play by Ruiz at home plate. Still, Qualls heard the boo’s too as his season has been much worse than you would expect from a veteran bullpen guy.
The problem there is that the rest of the pen is mostly rookies who are clearly not ready for the bigs. Between Jake Diekman and Michael Schwimer, the Rockies padded their lead to a 4-1 score.
Down by 3 runs in the 9th, there would be no comeback on this day as the Phillies went down in order. Yes, right back to the old 2012 ways we have become so accustomed to this season.
A 3-game series with the Rays begins tonight and fans can only pray for a miracle. Cliff Lee will try, once again, to get his first win of the season. Game time is 7:05pm.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies: Finding Ways to Lose
For those hoping that 2 wins in Minnesota may have been the fuel the Phillies needed to get back to winning, these last 2 games against the Blue Jays offered nothing but disappointment. A 3-0 shut-out loss on Friday followed by a 6-5 extra-innings disaster today said it all. This team sucks.
The Phillies offense could not muster a single run on Friday, even after the starting pitcher was removed from the game due to injury in the 1st inning. And that wasted a good performance from starter Vance Worley, who is valiantly pitching with bone chips in his elbow.
Then today, starter Cliff Lee could do little, again, to help himself to a win. The offense woke up a little and scored 5 runs for him with the biggest jolt being a 3-run bomb from John Mayberry Jr. With a 5-2 lead in the 8th, Lee began to fall apart again as if his own personal dark cloud was lurking above.
Lee walked the first batter and then gave up a single which turned into a huge disaster. Jimmy Rollins, not one of our Triple-A fill-ins, committed a very costly error. Rollins tried to get the runner going to 2nd and threw the ball away. The ball went so far that both runners were able to score, essentially turning a single into a home run.
When your regular’s start playing down to the level of your replacement players, things are going terribly wrong.
Lee was pulled from the game after giving up another hit, which wound up coming around to score once Chad Qualls came in to pitch. Lee’s final line was 5 earned runs over 7+ innings. Ouch.
In the 10th inning of the 5-5 tie game, Joe Savery was sent to the mound for the Phillies. Yes, another rookie put into a situation that he should never be in. Where was Antonio Bastardo? He is young too, but he has more experience than Savery and usually performs well when starting a clean inning. Oh, that’s right….he punched himself in the face and cannot play right now. O….M…G….
As you may already know, Savery gave up the winning run. It was the 8th time this year the Phillies lost in a walk-off situation. And this loss now guarantees a losing road trip for the Phillies.
They have a chance to salvage one game in this series tomorrow with (gulp!) Kyle Kendrick on the mound. Game time is 1:07pm.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Thome’s Hot Bat Helps Phillies to a Win
The Phillies finally won a game last night, although by the skin of their teeth. The 9-8 victory over the Twins broke up a 3 game losing streak in a month where wins have been hard to come by.
The return of Jim Thome from the DL seems to have sparked an offensive explosion. After hitting at a rate of .100 before he went on the DL, Thome now has 10 hits in his last 5 games serving as the DH against the American League. Thome has also hit 2 home runs in that span, the longest of which was a whopping 466 feet last night. The slugger has officially returned!
A bunch of Phillies had big offensive days as well. Juan Pierre, Hunter Pence and Carlos Ruiz all had 3 hist. And John Mayberry Jr. racked up 4 RBI on 2 hits, including a 3-run homer in the 1st inning.
That first inning was a bit unusual though. The Twins starter, P.J. Walters wound up leaving the game with 4 runs allowed without even recording a single out. It was later reported that he was experiencing shoulder pain.
So the Phillies caught a break and racked up 6 runs in one inning, adding 3 more later. But they still showed the same problems they have been dealing with all year. For example, they Phillies loaded the bases with NO outs in the 9th and once again, failed to score. They could not even muster a sac fly. That is just not going to win them ballgames.
And what has become another disturbing trend is the starting pitching. Cole Hamels, probably the Phillies’ best pitcher not on the DL right now, has really fallen apart lately. Against the Twins, with that huge 6-run lead after the top of the 1st inning, Hamels got knocked around, allowing 7 runs over 6+ innings. Antonio Bastardo allowed one more, all of which turned a 6-run lead into only a 1-run lead.
Luckily, Jonathan Papelbon nailed down the win, having to record 4 outs in order to do so. But I am sure he was just glad to be able to pitch in a save situation, which there have been very few of lately.
Despite all the drama, there were a few great defensive moments thanks to Michael Martinez who also just came off the DL after breaking his foot in spring training. He made the last out of the game by catching a pop-up that was over his head and about to drop in the middle of nowhere. And earlier in the game, he dove to snag a ball hit hard up the middle and in the same motion, made an amazing glove toss to Jimmy Rollins at second.
The return of Martinez is a welcome site now that Freddy Galvis is on the DL with a back fracture (ouch!). Mikey-Mart is about the same offensively as Galvis and his defense, while not quite as spectacular, is still very solid. So welcome back, Mikey!
Although it may be a long shot, the Phillies ‘could’ – maybe – possibly – win this series with a victory tonight. Joe Blanton is pitching and he has given up a minimum of 5 runs in each of his last 5 games. Let us hope that trend ends tonight. Game time is 8:10pm.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Lose 5th Straight in Horror Movie Style
You know how when you are watching a scary movie you sometimes get really uncomfortable and have to cover your eyes? Watching the 2012 Phillies has been a lot like that. This is not your average B-movie either. It is a full-fledged, $175 million dollar blockbuster horror show.
The terror continued last night in a dreadful 6-5 defeat against the Dodgers for the Phillies’ 5th straight loss. This mostly powerless offense actually had 3 home runs in the game and they still lost anyway. It does not get much more frightening than this.
Bloodcurdling screams could be heard from fans in the stands when Kyle Kendrick blew a 4-2 lead in the 6th inning. Kendrick continued his Jekyll and Hyde routine, going 5.2 innings with 5 runs allowed. When Kendrick steps on the mound, you never know if you might get good Kyle or evil Kyle. And just when you think good Kyle might prevail, a masked man yielding a hatchet emerges from the darkness and…
Oh, sorry, I forgot I was watching a baseball game for a minute and not a “Friday the 13th” marathon.
Although, the horror show theme did keep creeping up rather consistently throughout the game. In the 5th inning, we watching Freddy Galvis solemnly walk to the dugout in the middle of his at-bat. He is now on the DL with a back strain, probably the result of an amazing, leaping and slightly backwards catch he made earlier in the game.
Then in the 6th, as Kendrick was blowing the lead, he added to the terror by walking a run home.
In the 8th, Hunter Pence grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The final horror came in the 9th as Jim Thome stood at home plate and watched strike 3 go by. Then Brian Schneider popped out to end the game.
Charlie Manuel said it best during a post-game interview. “Everything about our team is kind of whacked up,” Manuel said afterward. No kidding.
The Phillies have one more shot against the Dodgers this afternoon to attempt to avoid total and utter humiliation. Cole Hamels is pitching, but even that no longer inspires confidence. The Phillies are now going to be on their 3rd string 2nd baseman and have half a minor league team playing in the majors. The offense is terrible and the light at the end of tunnel is growing dimmer after each loss.
Come to think of it, maybe watching a horror movie instead is not such a bad idea at this point. At least we know that is make-believe. The Phillies are far too real right now.
Game time is 1:05pm today if you really feel the need to watch the disaster continue to unfold.
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Photoshopping by Jenn Zambri Photography
Lee Still Winless in 9 Starts
If April showers bring May flowers, then what does June bring? The only thing I know for sure is that for Cliff Lee, June has not yet brought him a win. That is 9 starts, a 2.92 ERA and a 0-3 record. Yikes.
And it is not that Lee has not deserved a win; the Phillies offense has simply not scored for him. In Lee’s 9 starts, the Phillies have scored a total of 16 runs while he was the pitcher of record. In 5 of those 9 starts, the Phillies scored only 1 run or NO runs while Lee was pitching.
In last night’s 2-1 loss to the Dodgers, it started out looking like perhaps this was Lee’s night. Jimmy Rollins led off with a double, Juan Pierre moved him to third with a sac fly and then Hunter Pence finally got a hit with a runner in scoring position. This sort of start HAD to be sign, right? Wrong.
After those first three batters and one run, that was it for the offense. The bats went right back to sleep and never woke up. In fact, after the 1st inning, only 1 Phillie even made it past first base for the rest of the game.
Lee is a great pitcher; but even he needs more than a 1 run cushion to get a win. The lack of offense blew up in his face in the 8th inning. With 2 outs and 2 men on base, Lee finally threw a bad pitch which turned into a 2-run double for the Dodgers who took the lead. It was pitch #122.
Had the Phillies scored more than 1 run in this game, it is possible Lee would not even have been out there for the 8th as his pitch count was rising. With the exception of that one pitch, Lee was fantastic all night long. And as in most of his other starts, he should have gotten a win here.
Game 3 with the Dodgers starts at 7:05pm tonight; Kyle Kendrick will pitch.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
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