Results tagged ‘ John Mayberry Jr. ’
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
Fish Drown Phillies in Series Loss
The Phillies dropped two out of three games against the Marlins this weekend, with the ugliest of the 3 games coming in a 5-1 loss today. Joe Blanton pitched 6 innings, giving up 5 runs, including two home runs, one of which came off the bat of the opposing pitcher. Blanton has now allowed 24 runs in his last 4 games.
For the Marlins, Carlos Zambrano had a good day, including a bunt base-hit and a home run. The Phillies offense did a great job helping him out with only 6 hits in the game and 8 runners left on base. 3 of those 6 hits belonged to Juan Pierre. Zambrano has certainly improved since leaving the Cubs, but the Phillies made him look like All-Star material.
Offensively, this game was so boring, a 20-something year old guy sitting next to me fell asleep in the 4th inning. I am not kidding. His friends were laughing about it and poking him but even that did not wake him. He finally woke when it started to rain.
So since I have nothing much nice to say today after a very disappointing loss, I have decided instead to hand out some awards. The winner of the “I Plastered Myself Against The Outfield Wall, But It Was A Home Run Anyway” award goes to Juan Pierre:
And Placido Polanco wins the award for the “Silliest Face Of The Day” on a play at third:
The “Oops, I Did It Again” award was a tie between Blanton (for 5 runs or more in his last 4 games) and Hector Luna:
The “At Least The Bullpen Didn’t Totally Suck Award” goes to the bullpen:
The “I Came All This Way And Did Not Even Get To See My Son Play” award goes to former Major Leaguer, John Mayberry Sr. and Mrs. Mayberry:
And finally, the “Nothing Wrong With A Little Man-Love” award goes to Jimmy Rollins and Greg Dobbs:
The Phillies begin a 4-game series with the Dodgers tomorrow and hopefully, Vance Worley will be off the DL and pitching.
By the way, my condolences to Jose Contreras who is done for the year with a complete tear of the flexor pronator tendon in his right elbow…again. At 40 years of age, it looks like this may be the end of his career :O( That had to be devastating news for him, poor guy. I wish him the best of luck.
And in other news, Chase Utley is finally headed to Clearwater to push forward with his recovery. No clue when he will be back, but do not hold your breath.
Instead, enjoy my Photo Album from the game today. Unlike the game, the album does not suck. ;o)
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Career Day for Wigginton Leads to Phillies Win
After a rough day on Sunday with a loss to the Cardinals and Roy Halladay pulled early due to shoulder soreness, the Phillies needed a serious lift. Seeing Carlos Ruiz scratched from today’s line-up with a sore hamstring was also not the good news this team was looking for.
But with Cole Hamels on the mound, you had to think the Phillies had a shot against the Mets. Hamels delivered again with 4 runs allowed in 8 innings. Technically Hamels’ worst outing of the season, this would have been a great day for most other pitchers.
Still, 4 runs has been no small challenge for this Phillies team and their up and down offense. But one guy came through in the clutch; Ty Wigginton. With a career high 6 RBI in the game, including a 3-run homer and a double, Wigginton put the team on his back and carried them to a victory. Wiggy was also walked twice and went 3-for-3 overall, putting him on base in all 5 at-bats.
John Mayberry Jr. also had a multi-hit day with a single and a 2-run homer. Wiggy and Mayberry combined for all 8 of the Phillies runs in the 8-4 win.
Going forward, the starting rotation still has some question marks. Halladay will be examined when the team returns to Philly later this week. And Vance Worley, although still on the DL, appears to be making progress.
Joe Blanton is another question mark as he has allowed 13 runs in his last 2 starts. If he can bounce back Tuesday night against the Mets, that would be a big relief for everyone concerned about the starting pitching right now. Game time is 7:10pm.
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Photoshopping by Jenn Zambri Photography
The Base Path Ball and Chain
In recent days, the Phillies seem to keep finding new ways to lose. After a 6-game winning streak, the offense went back to sleep and the team has lost 3 in a row. A 2-1 loss to the Nationals Monday night was the worst of the bunch.
While Kyle Kendrick started out shaky, filling in for the injured Vance Worley, he did settle in and keep the Phillies in the game. Kendrick allowed only 2 runs over 7 innings, which is more than was probably expected of him.
But again, the offense let Kendrick down and did so in every way they could have imagined. At the start of the year, no one was hitting. Now, they are hitting but not scoring. It actually appears as if Phillies hitters get on base and then are somehow magically chained down to the base path via an evil, invisible force. Because they just cannot seem to get as far as home plate.
Last night, they left 10 men on base and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. All by himself, Hunter Pence left 7 men on base, including a ground out with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the 3rd.
Even Carlos Ruiz, who has been the hottest hitter this year, left 5 men on base. But the hitting alone was not the only issue. The Phillies managed to make several base running blunders to add to the chaos.
In the 6th, with no out and runners on 2nd and third, the Phillies again failed to score. Placido Polanco froze at third on a fly ball to center and did not tag up. Then in the 9th, John Mayberry Jr. also got chained to 3rd base and failed to score twice, once on what should have been a sac fly and then again on a wild pitch. He did finally score on a sac fly after that, but then Mike Fontenot found himself super-glued to second and did not advance to 3rd on the play.
With the base path ball and chain in place, the Phillies were “bound” to lose. Bound, tied and chained; in the world’s oldest profession, that may sound like fun to some of you. But in the world of baseball, it is not fun at all. And even worse, we are not getting paid to watch this crap!
Random Updates
- Pitcher Vance Worley has sought out a second opinion on his sore elbow, which appears to have a bone fragment floating around in it. No word yet on whether he will opt to have surgery.
- Congratulations to Jimmy and Johari Rollins! Johari gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday night. She is their first child :O)
- And if you can stomach it, Game 2 with the Nationals starts at 7:05pm tonight.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
An UnbeLEEvable Let Down
So this is what I get for being optimistic…a clunker from Cliff Lee. Ugh. The Phillies lost the 3-game series to the Red Sox today with a 5-1 loss. Lee still does not have a win on the season, although the previous losses were not his fault.
The offense kept letting Lee down. Today, it was Lee’s turn :O( The first batter he faced smacked a home run to center, which was not a good omen. Through 7 innings, Lee surrendered 5 runs, all of which came in the first 3 innings. Lee found his groove after that, but it was too late.
The offense simply stunk again. Lee created the most excitement at the plate with a double in the 3rd. But while there was plenty of action at second base, the Phillies could not seem to find home plate.
Hunter Pence had two hits in the game and missed what may have been a third hit except that it was lined sharply to first. I do not know why the Red Sox were belly aching about having less defense with David Ortiz at first base due to National League rules, because Big Papi snagged every ball that came his way. He was quite annoying.
But Big Papi also had a little fun with rookie Freddy Galvis when they met at first base. Galvis had one hit in the game and played amazing defense, like usual. And now, he has been officially baptized in the majors as Ortiz appeared to razz him a bit. Although the look on Galvis’ face in the photo to the far right below says about all you need to know about how this game went…
But do you want to know what the real problem with the Phillies offense is? For starters, Jimmy Rollins has been quietly having an awful year. He is batting .229. Shane Victorino is not far off with a .253 average. Essentially, all of the regular starters (meaning, those not on the DL) are underperforming while the “bench” guys or secondary starters are doing most of the damage.
Oh, and the other issue. A photo is worth a thousand words (see photo to the right)…need I say more?
In the “good news” column, Jake Diekman appears to be back on track after one bad outing. He was really sharp as he struck out the side in the 8th inning.
The Phillies squeaked out one run in the bottom of the 8th, but left the bases loaded…again. They seem to be allergic to home plate. Benadryl, anyone? Ah-chooo!
And just in time, when the offense has begun to stink again, here come the Nationals…Game 1 is Monday night at 7:05pm.
Here is the full Photo Album from today’s game.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Blanton Bombs Against Red Sox
Now that Phillies fans have all gotten used to seeing Joe Blanton in top form, I suppose he was due to throw a clunker. Blanton had only given up 2 home runs all year, but last night, he gave up 4 in just one game against the Red Sox.
By the middle of the 4th inning, the score was 5-1 and Blanton had also already made two huge fielding errors in the game. Clearly, this was not his night. So when Pete Orr was on deck in the bottom of the 4th to hit for Blanton, I thought, great idea! Let’s get some more runs and let the pen have a shot at shutting down the Sox.
Imagine my dismay when, after Freddy Galvis smacked a 2-run homer, Orr was called back to the dugout and Blanton went out to hit! Really? Those 2 runs meant Blanton would suddenly snap out of his funk? I think not…
And sadly, I was correct. I get that manager Charlie Manuel did want to rely on what has been an unreliable bullpen. But if there was ever a time to give them a shot to redeem themselves, this was it. Blanton looked awful out there and the insanity continued in the 5th inning.
Only after allowing 3 more hits, including a 2-run homer, was Blanton finally pulled from the game, having recorded only 1 out in the inning. Buried in a 7-4 hole, the bullpen did actually get the job done after that, not allowing another run to score. But by that time, the damage was done and the Phillies scored only one more run.
The offense had changes, but luck did not go their way. Carlos Ruiz, the teams hottest hitter, was robbed of what should have been a 2-run double in the 7th by Ryan Sweeney, who suddenly grew wings, flew through the air and snagged Ruiz’s hit out of the air. It was an amazing play.
In the 9th, Ruiz was robbed again as he smoked a ball…unfortunately, it went right to the shortstop and was caught. The ball was hit so hard that Hunter Pence had no chance to get back to first and was doubled up. Bad luck, indeed…
Later, Shane Victorino popped out on the first pitch he saw with the bases loaded in the 8th. And that was the end of the threat as the Phillies went on to lose by a score of 7-5.
There were some bright spots, like Galvis’ homer, making it 2 games in a row with a bomb. And John Mayberry Jr. reached base all 5 times he stepped to the plate for the first time in his career. Hector Luna also had a great night with 3 hits and an RBI.
But mostly, the good news is that the Phillies never gave up, even when it looked like the game was out of reach. This is something that we have all been waiting for this season…a little extra fight even when they are down.
They have another shot at the Sox today. If they win, the Phils will take the series. Cliff Lee is pitching and I will return with photos! Game time is 1:35pm.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Friday Night Smackdown: Philadelphia 2, Boston 0
Both the Red Sox and the Celtics were in town Friday night, which is something that does not happen very often. Also a rare occurrence, both home teams came out on top…the Phillies beat the Sox, 6-4 and the 76ers took down the Celtics, 92-83 in playoff action. The stars aligned in Philly for what was a special night.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had a great view of the game from the Hall of Fame club section as he served his one day suspension for a heated argument with umpire Bob Davidson on Tuesday. Davidson was also suspended one game, even though he is the one who instigated the entire incident. I felt like he should have gotten more…but hey, MLB suspending an umpire publically? That is also something you do not see every day so we’ll take it.
An even bigger story last night was closer Jonathan Papelbon, who was looking forward to facing his old team. He had many reason to be fired up, including the fact that after last season, the Red Sox did not even bother to offer him a contract. But whether or not Papelbon was going to get a shot at revenge would depend on the rest of the team…
Cole Hamels did his part, winning 6 straight starts in games in which he earned a decision for the first time in his career. He allowed 3 runs over 7 innings last night while striking out 9 batters.
Meanwhile, the Carlos Ruiz ridiculous hit parade continued with 2 more hits, 2 more RBI, another stolen base and a run scored in the game. Hunter Pence is reaping the rewards of Chooch’s success; batting in front of Ruiz, Pence is getting better pitches to hit. Pence homered in the game and had 2 hits total. Freddy Galvis and John Mayberry Jr. each also had a hit and an RBI.
Chad Qualls came out of the pen for the 8th and right away cut the Phillies lead to 5-4 as he gave up a homer. Luckily, the Galvis home run in the bottom of the inning gave Papelbon some breathing room in the 9th.
Then, as if it was scripted, Papelbon got his wish; a 2-run lead and a save situation in the 9th against his former team. And just like a storybook ending, Papelbon got the save. But as he noted after the game, he will got gloat until the Phillies win the 3-game series.
Game 2 starts a little late tonight at 7:15pm as Pat Burrell will retire before the game on a 1-day contract with the Phillies. If you had not heard, a group of comedians (www.birdtext.com) recently made a video spoof which pokes fun at Burrell’s reputation with the ladies. According to the model who stars in the video, Burrell saw the video and liked it so much, he invited them all to tonight’s game and even requested the tee-shirts they are selling to promote the video. You can hear her interview on the Preston and Steve show here or at www.birdtext.com .
You have to see this….it is hysterical:
So remember, don’t let your mom, wife, sister, girlfriend or whoever get “Burrelled” tonight ;o)
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Polanco’s 2000th Hit Helps Phillies Win
The Phillies Monday night 5-1 win over the Astros was full of hopeful signs. A little at a time, things are getting better for this team, which is currently still in last place in the NL East.
Starting pitcher Joe Blanton had another great outing, making us all wonder where this guy has been all these years. He has transformed from Average Joe to “I have an ERA under 3.00” Joe. Over 7 innings, Blanton allowed only 1 run on 6 hits and a walk.
Things got shaky in the top of the 8th when he allowed that one run via a solo homer and then gave up a single. Manager Charlie Manuel, not wanting to ruin and otherwise great start, pulled Blanton and let the pen take over. Blanton was visibly surprised at the move, but ultimately, it was for the best.
In the meantime, the Phillies offense showed signs of life. Carlos Ruiz and John Mayberry Jr. remain hot at the plate, each collecting 2 hits on the night. Rookie Freddy Galvis is finally catching on and had 3 hits plus 2 RBI.
But the best moment of the night came in the bottom of the 8th when Placido Polanco added his 2000th career hit in grand fashion. The 2-run homer was probably the best situation he could have imagined for this milestone. Congrats to Polly on this historic accomplishment!
And perhaps the back end of the Phillies bullpen is also getting into the swing of things. Antonio Bastardo, Chad Qualls and Jonathan Papelbon combined to close out the 8th and 9th innings and secure the win. Bastardo even provided his team with some comic relief as he hopped off the mound with enthusiasm thinking the inning was over when there were actually only 2 outs. Bastardo grinned as his teammates poked fun at him while he sauntered back to the mound.
It is nice to see this team finally having some fun out there. Winning certainly helps, but if they can keep their spirits up as well, that may go a long way towards digging their season out of the basement.
Game 2 with the Astros starts early today at 1:05pm.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
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