Results tagged ‘ John Mayberry Jr. ’
A New Era of Phillies Baseball Begins
Now that the dust has settled on baseball’s trade deadline, there is a lot of information to absorb and process. And for the Phillies and their fans, there are a lot of emotions involved as well. I think Ryan Howard summed it up best when he told beat writer Todd Zolecki, “Shane’s been here for a long time. Like I said, (he) was a very big part of this club. It is weird not seeing his face. It’s weird not seeing Hunter. But that’s how baseball works sometimes.”
“Weird” is an excellent description. Everyone expected major change because of this backwards Phillies season, but it is still strange to see a guy like Shane Victorino in another uniform after being such an integral part of this team for so long. He was indeed the “personality” of the team as well during their better days; loose, fun and fiery.
Shane was also open, honest and easily approachable, something many fans really appreciated. I had the great pleasure of spending time with him and his wife Melissa on several Phillies Cruise’s and can tell you they are wonderful, generous people. I wish Shane and his family all the best; they will be missed.
As for Hunter Pence, his energy will be missed. But honestly, I won’t miss his free-swinging and awkward plate approach; it totally stressed me out! But I am sure he will be a big help to the Giants; best of luck to him!
So what did the Phillies really get in return for all these moves? Well first, they dumped some salary which will help keep them under the luxury tax this year. They also got 5 new players; 2 major leaguers and 3 prospects.
The 2 major leaguers who will join the Phillies today are right-handed relief pitcher Josh Lindblom and outfielder Nate Schierholtz. Lindblom has a 3.02 ERA in 48 games this year and should be able to help out the bullpen right away. Schierholtz is a platoon player and lifetime .270 hitter. He will be a huge defensive upgrade over Pence, but an offensive downgrade.
The 3 prospects are right-handed relief pitcher Ethan Martin, catcher Tommy Joseph and right-hander Seth Rosin. Martin was the #7 prospect in the Dodgers top 20 and a former 1st round pick. He is probably a few years away from the majors.
Joseph is an interesting prospect; he was #5 in the Giants top 20 and a 2012 Futures Gamer. He is highly touted as a power-hitting run producer with a strong arm. He will likely either take over for Carlos Ruiz after the 2013 season or be used as trade bait in the off-season. Ruben Amaro Jr. has already gotten calls from other teams about him.
And finally, Rosin was #19 in the Giants top 20 with a fastball in the mid-to-upper 90’s. He has a 4.31 ERA so far this season.
These are obviously not mind-blowing pick-ups, but Amaro seems to have gotten as much as would be expected by these moves. So now we get to see if Domonic Brown and John Mayberry Jr. have what it takes to be everyday players. How these 2 guys play will determine many off-season moves for the Phillies.
In the meantime, this team still will keep on playing. Oddly enough, yesterday’s moves seem to have given the Phillies a little spark as they routed the 1st place Nationals 8-0. Now that the pressure is off and they are not expected to climb out of this huge hole, we may see some better baseball.
Mayberry looked like a new man last night with 2 hits and a walk. New Phillie Kevin Fransden played amazing defense at 3rd base and whacked a 2-run homer. And Juan Pierre had 3 hits, although that is not unusual for him.
But the most exciting play of the game was a 2-run inside-the-park homer from Jimmy Rollins. He sped around the bases so fast, he scored standing.
All of a sudden, the Phillies had everything working. Even the pitching was going well as Cliff Lee finally notched his 2nd win of the year with 7 scoreless innings. Now that is the Lee we have been missing lately.
So here are the new Phillies…for now. Wouldn’t it be nice if, just for spite, they could sweep the Nationals? Ok, maybe I am dreaming…but still hoping for better baseball ahead!
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Escape Sweep With 12-Inning Walk-Off Win
It was nice to finally see some smiles at the ballpark today as the Phillies walked-off with a 4-3 win in 12 innings over the Giants. When the game first began, things did not seem like they were going the way of the Phillies as Joe Blanton gave up a solo homer after tossing only 3 pitches.
But Blanton settled in and wound up allowing 3 runs over 8 innings. Most of the offense was supplied by John Mayberry Jr. who hit 2 solo home runs. And Chase Utley tripled a run home in the bottom of the first.
There were some nice defensive plays and some adventurous ones:
After the 8th inning though, both teams seemed to be stuck in neutral. Amazingly, the Phillies bullpen did not surrender a run after that. Antonio Bastardo, Jeremy Horst and Kyle Kendrick combined for 4 scoreless innings.
Finally in the 12 inning, the Phillies got a rally going. After a walk to Carlos Ruiz, Laynce Nix singled in his first game back off the DL. Then after a mostly quiet day at the plate, Jimmy Rollins came through with a single to score Ruiz for a walk-off win.
The Phillies were so excited, they grabbed whatever was at hand to celebrate. In this case, several water bottles would have to do.
This win was a huge relief for all. J-Roll told Jim Jackson at 1210AM after the game, “The fans have not given up on us and we aren’t giving up on ourselves.”
Here is the full Photo Album from today’s 12-inning marathon.
The Brewers come to town tomorrow! Game time is 7:05pm.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Blown Save Spoils Another Cliff Lee Start
My mother had a saying: “If not for bad luck, you would not have any luck at all.” I am sorry to say that I now need to pass that sentiment down to Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee. Can this poor guy get a break already?
Lee’s misfortunes have certainly not all been out of his own control. But it does seem like whenever he is on top of his game, the rest of the team lets him down. Did he spill the salt? Break a mirror? Walk under a ladder? Or did a black cat cross his path?
Whatever is causing the bad mojo seriously needs to stop. Lee went 8 innings against the Dodgers allowing only 2 hits and 1 run on a solo homer that probably should have been caught. And he would have kept pitching if his team had scored more than 1 run for him. But he had to be pulled for a pinch hitter.
In a game that wound up going 12 innings, the Phillies basically lost it in that first inning when John Mayberry Jr. failed to utilize his 6’6” frame to reach up and catch that home run ball which barely made it over the fence. Because the way Lee was pitching, he would have easily pitched all 9 innings and had a 1-0 win. Instead, the game went to extra innings.
And although it took them until the 10th inning, the offense finally scored some runs. The Dodgers walked the bases loaded and then Hunter Pence came through with a clutch hit for the 2nd day in a row. That singled scored 2 runs and gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead with their closer ready to come in for the bottom of the 10th.
But pitching for his 3rd consecutive day for the 1st time all year, Jonathan Papelbon could not get the job done. He gave up 2 runs allowing the Dodgers to tie the game again. This was a huge blow to the team, especially coming from a guy getting paid $50 million. This was Papelbon’s 3rd blown save of the year; all 3 occurred in the last 7 games that he had save opportunities.
Having depleted their bullpen to get this far in the game, the Phillies were left with few options. By the time the 12th rolled around, rookie Jake Diekman was forced into a second inning of work and he finally gave up a 2-run homer to hand the game to the Dodgers. Diekman is not to blame though; it was unfortunate he had to be put into that situation.
So another great performance from Lee was wasted in this 5-3 loss. The good news is that, despite this loss, the Phillies have won 2 series in a row. They have an off-day today and will return Friday to face the Giants at home.
This next home stand will probably be the determining factor on who stays and who goes before the trade deadline. The Phillies have to win both series to even have a chance. Cross your fingers…
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Get Wrecked by the Mets for 6 Straight Loses
An 11-1 loss against the Mets tonight was a complete and utter disaster on all sides for the Phillies. The pitching stunk, the offense was invisible and the defense phoned it in too.
Vance Worley had the worst start of his career, allowing 6 runs in only 4 innings. When Raul Valdes took over, he left 2 runners on base in the 6th before being pulled with 2 outs recorded. Why was he pulled? Because apparently, he was not giving up enough home runs. So the Phillies brought in Brian Sanches from our minor-league bullpen to take care of that. David Wright thanks him for the 3 RBI.
Behind the pitchers, the defense was not great either. John Mayberry Jr. missed a fly ball he should have caught. Chase Utley made a mistake on what could have been a double play ball. Instead, both runners were safe. And Placido Polanco was charged with a throwing error.
But the offense was even worse. The Phillies managed only 3 hits and went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. The only Phillies run in the game was a solo homer from Carlos Ruiz in the 2nd inning.
Folks, this is as bad as it could possibly get right now. This game was the epitome of this horrible season, now more than halfway over. We could all try chanting the insurance jingle, “Like a good agent, State Farm is there…with a 10-game winning streak! Poof!” But I have a very bad feeling that even that will not help.
Instead, you could go to blast some virtual home runs online at statefarm.com/gotobat for the chance to win two tickets to the World Series. So even if the team doesn’t win, you can get back that feeling of good baseball, even if it is just a virtual version.
I mention that because the Go To Bat charity has offered me a video interview with Ryan Howard! I will be posting that sometime next week during the All-Star break; Ryan will be in Kansas City promoting the charity and I have a few fun questions for him.
So there is a little bit of good news in the midst of a whole bunch of bad.
The Phillies will try once again to conjure a win tomorrow at 1:10pm. Start praying for a 4th of July miracle!
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Utley photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Chooch Leads Phillies to a Big Win
If someone had told me that by the end of June this season, Carlos Ruiz would be leading all of baseball in batting average, I may have checked to see if that person was running a fever. Chooch has always been a good player; but he has never been .361 with 10 home runs-good. The 10 homers, including one in last night’s 5-4 win over the Pirates, is a career high. And it is only June…
So yes, Chooch leads everyone in batting average with .361. That is better than past MVP’s Joey Votto and Josh Hamilton. Ruiz has also outhit fellow catchers and All-Star voting leaders Yadier Molina and Brian McCann. Soooooo….VOTE FOR CHOOCH! We have until Thursday to get him to the All-Star game!
But even if that fails, manager Charlie Manuel told reporters yesterday that he plans on calling Tony La Russa, the NL All-Star team manager, to plead the case for Chooch. Manuel always sticks up for his players, but especially in this case, Ruiz really deserves the honor.
Chooch put his stamp all over last night’s win. He went 3-for-4 with a homer and 2 RBI. And while catching, Ruiz saved two runs from scoring by blocking the plate and tagging out the runners.
The biggest of those plays came in the 7th inning after starter Vance Worley got into a real jam. With no outs, 2 runners on base and 1 run already across, Worley was removed and rookie Michael Schwimer took over. Schwimer coaxed a ground out and then a short fly ball to left. One the fly ball, John Mayberry Jr. made a great throw home, which Ruiz caught and tagged the runner for an inning-ending double play.
That play kept the Phillies lead intact and Chooch’s subsequent homer added to that lead. The home run he hit in the 8th turned out to be a game saver as closer Jonathan Papelbon struggled in the 9th, allowing a solo homer. But the Ruiz blast made the difference in the 5-4 win.
The Phillies have now won 2 of the first 4 games against the Pirates, which is great news; because tonight’s 7:05pm game is going to be started and finished by the Phillies bullpen. The rainout on Friday forced a juggling of the pitching staff, leaving them 1 starter short this week. So Raul Valdes will start the game and likely pitch 3 innings, passing the ball on to the rest of the pen after that.
And while you are watching the game, do not forget to VOTE FOR CHOOCH!
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Double Disaster as Phillies Lose Two Against the Rays
The Phillies managed to spend only one day out of the basement in the NL East after Saturday’s win. But Sunday’s twin killing against the Rays propelled them right back to where they apparently belong; in last place. When your two best starters are pitching and you still lose both games, things have clearly gone very, very wrong.
In the first game, Cole Hamels was practically unhittable. He did not allow a run over 7 innings and gave up only 3 hits.
Leaving the game with a 1-0 lead, the bullpen was going to have to pitch 2 clean innings. And as you probably already know, that did not happen.
I try not to say too much about how Charlie Manuel handles this team. Because frankly, what he has been given to work with is on par with a minor league team. But after Antonio Bastardo walked 2 batters in the 8th with just a 1-run lead, he should not have been allowed to continue. Bastardo was awful the day before and clearly, he still has not found proper command of his pitches. So why then is he left in to pitch to Carlos Pena?
Apparently, he was left in to clear the bases for the next pitcher as he gave up a 3-run homer to Pena. I saw that coming, as did everyone in my section screaming, “Take him out!” But Manuel puts blind faith in these guys even when it has become obvious to everyone else that the leash has gotten far too long.
Then again, look at the players Manuel has to choose from. The pickings are slim. This bullpen just sucks, so in that regard, it is still hard to blame the manager. I still don’t agree with the decision to leave Bastardo in, but I am also glad I was not the one having to make that decision.
And then in the 8th with 2 outs and the bases loaded, Manuel left Michael Martinez in to bat instead of pinch hitting. Martinez is hitting .133 and could not hit the broad side of a barn right now. After the game, Manuel told the media that neither Juan Pierre nor Mike Fontenot were hitting lefties well, so he left Martinez in. The issue with that is, Martinez is not hitting ANYONE right now.
Angry at the media for asking, Manuel suggested the reporters should tweet him with their in-game decisions saying, “You guys can float the information down there to me, being as I ain’t smart enough to get it.” Oh my…
Here are a few other random shots from the 1st game, which the Phillies went on to lose, 3-2.
In game 2, Cliff Lee basically squashed any shot he may have had at his first win of the season by allowing 5 runs over 7 innings. His last 3 starts have been awful. Where did our ace go?
Perhaps the strain of not having a win has finally stolen whatever small amount of sanity he had left? No one really knows what is going on here.
Placido Polanco tried to get this team going. He went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and a walk. John Mayberry Jr. also had a big hit and an RBI. And it was apparently “opposite day” for Hunter Pence who drew 3 walks in the game.
But the offense literally ended there. The Phillies managed only 4 hits and left 6 men on base.
And just so Lee did not feel singled out in this one, some of the rookie pitchers decided to help out with 5 walks, a wild pitch and 2 more runs for the Rays in one inning. It looks like B.J. Rosenberg’s major league career may be over before it began. He was responsible for all that damage except 1 of the walks.
Adding insult to injury, catcher Brian Schneider was leveled at home plate by Sean Rodriguez coming in to score. He left the game with a sprained ankle. Later, Pence almost took out the Rays catcher in a weird semi-collision with Jose Molina’s outstretched leg.
Schneider is now on the DL and the Phillies went down for the count in a 7-3 loss.
Here are the Photo Albums from both games: Game 1: Hamels start, Game 2: Lee start.
The Pirates come to town next for a 4-game series starting tonight at 7:05pm.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Steroid Drama Overshadows Philles Victory
There were many positives for the Phillies in last night’s 7-2 win over the Rockies. Cole Hamels returned to form and pitched extremely well. John Mayberry Jr. continued his hot streak with 2 extra base hits, including a homer. And Carlos Ruiz had 3 RBI and 2 hits, also including a homer. Even better, the Phillies finally got through a game without committing an error.
But all those positives were overshadowed by some overwhelming negatives. First, the lost of injuries for the Phillies keeps getting scarier. Laynce Nix had a setback in his recovery, possibly reinjuring the same leg. David Herndon underwent Tommy John surgery and is out for the year.
However, the biggest bomb dropped when it was announced before the game that rookie infielder Freddy Galvis would be suspended 50-games for violating the MLB drug policy. He apparently tested positive for a trace amount of clostebol, an anabolic steroid.
Between this year and last, the Phillies have gone from first to worst. They have seen their All-Star players and important role players decimated by injuries. This is simply not what this team needed to hear right now.
To say this is disappointing is an extreme understatement. Galvis was the one bright light in an otherwise dreary season for this team and now, that has been taken away as well. I suppose the good news is that he can serve the suspension now, while he is in a back brace on the DL. He probably would have missed at least 50 games anyway.
I do not pretend to know whether Galvis is innocent or guilty. Although, you would think if he was juicing he would have hit a lot better than .226 with 15 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs and 24 RBIs. We will probably never know for sure.
There are several reports in reputable medical journals that say this steroid can show up in urine in trace amounts after ingesting contaminated meat or after having “relations” with a woman who was using a particular cream for a “female condition” that contains clostebol. In other countries, cattle are injected with this drug to “beef” them up, literally.
Even chicken are sometimes injected with steroids. Studies in that area produced similar results, showing trace levels of the drug in those who consumed the meat.
So I suppose you have to be a vegetarian, Catholic priest with some mad baseball skills in order to avoid a false-positive test result?
And this is why I say we will never know for sure. There are too many variables as we have seen in previous cases where athletes tested positive after taking a tainted substance. Former Phillie J.C. Romero is a good example. He won a law suit against the company who made supplements that were laced with a banned substance which was not on the label. But even though MLB now acknowledges this issue, Romero still had to serve the suspension and will forever be judged unfairly in public opinion.
This by no means exonerates Galvis, but it does, once again, call into question the legitimacy of MLB’s drug policy. A more recent example is Ryan Braun of the Brewers, who got off on a technicality involving the “transport” of his sample.
Now that MLB has made announcement about Galvis, we know that either there was no appeal or he already lost the appeal. It is MLB policy to wait until that process is done before making the official announcement.
Regardless of what did or did not actually occur here, Galvis’ reputation is now mud. And that is a real shame for a kid with so much potential. And it is especially a shame for a fan base that has been desperately searching for a small glimmer of hope for this stumbling, last place team.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Blue Jays Make Worm Meal out of Phillies in 3-Game Sweep
The Blue Jays pecked apart the Phillies in all aspects of the game throughout a 3-game sweep. Today’s 6-2 loss was the bloodiest of the 3 as the Phillies seem to have laid down and accepted their fate.
Pitcher Kyle Kendrick started the game out by giving up back to back doubles to the Jays who took a 2-run lead in the 1st inning. The massacre continued with Kendrick allowing 5 runs total over 6.1 innings. Kendrick simply cannot repeat good pitches. At one point, he had Jose Bautista down in an 0-2 count on two very sharp pitches. But then he threw 4 straight balls and walked him. There is no consistency and both Kendrick and the Phillies paid the price.
The only offense for the Phillies was 2 solo homers; one from Jim Thome and one from John Mayberry Jr. Thome hit 4 homers during this road trip and Mayberry smashed 3. Still, the rest of the team did little to help. Of 8 hits today, 3 were Mayberry’s. And Shane Victorino had 2 hits. The excitement ends there.
Right now, the Phillies are a team with no answers. They cannot hit; they cannot pitch; and with 11 errors on this 3-6 road trip, they cannot play defense either. Yes, 11 errors in 9 games; you are not crazy, you read that right.
This has been about as much fun to watch as a 20-car pile-up on the freeway. The Phillies have crashed and burned…repeatedly.
Monday is an off-day when, perhaps, some of these players can relax and clear their heads. Tuesday they begin a 3-game series against the Rockies who are one of the few teams doing worse than the Phillies right now. So that may be a small glimmer of hope…very, very small considering how things are going. Cross your fingers…
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Kendrick 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
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