Results tagged ‘ Mets ’
Phillies Open Second Half With a Win Over the Mets
Although the day began with the Phillies placing Placido Polanco on the DL, it ended well. Polanco, battling back pain, should be back around July 20.
All of the recent injuries have given many young players big opportunities. Michael Martinez started at third again and John Mayberry Jr. started in center and had a huge day at the plate. In the 7-2 win over the Mets, Mayberry accounted for five of those runs with a single and a bases-clearing double.
Having struggled in his last trip to the majors earlier this year, it looks like Mayberry has finally made the adjustments he needed in order to get his swing straight. If Mayberry keeps up this pace, the Phillies may not to need any further for a powerful right-handed bat.
Vance Worley also had a nice day on the mound. He allowed only one run through 5.1 innings. The only issue was that Worley walked four batters and had a high pitch count early. He still has some work to do, but so far, Worley is fitting right in to this rotation.
When Worley was called back up today, Ryan Madson joined him as well, coming off the DL after dealing with a bruised hand. The two roster spots were cleared by Polanco’s DL trip and Scott Mathieson was sent down.
Madson pitched the seventh inning and it appears that he has not skipped a beat. His command was good and he had zip on his fastball. Michael Stutes, on the other hand, looked rusty after the All-Star break and he gave up a homer in the eighth.
One other item of note today was the performance of Raul Ibanez. His bat is suddenly on fire and as a result, he was named the National League Player of the Week. The week before the All-Star game, Ibanez hit .310 with three homers and 13 RBI. He hit another home run tonight and also singled. Congrats to RAUUUUUUL!
Game 2 with the Mets is Saturday afternoon at 4:10pm. Cole Hamels will pitch with Kyle Kendrick on Sunday. The top two aces, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, are getting a break after pitching almost two innings each in the All-Star game on Tuesday.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Chase Utley Begins To Settle In
After coming off the DL on Monday, Chase Utley is now beginning to get into a rhythm at the plate. He helped the Phillies to a 5-2 win over the Mets on Saturday night using his bat, his legs and his defense.
Utley had two hits, one RBI, a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base in the game. He did a little bit of everything, even making some great plays on defense. The bum right knee was really put to the test and it passed with flying colors.
This was especially great news for Cole Hamels who has suffered, along with the other starters, from a lack of run support. When he exited the game after pitching seven innings, Hamels and the Phillies were down by a 2-1 score. But Utley and Jimmy Rollins led a comeback in the eighth inning where three runs scored. Rollins singled, stole a base and Utley drove him in. Then Ryan Howard smacked a two-run double, putting the Phillies ahead 4-2.
The lead gave Hamels the opportunity to collect a win. And although Hamels struggled early, allowing a career-high five stolen bases, he settled down and allowed only two runs. The Phillies then had to depend on the bullpen to preserve the win.
Jose Contreras tossed a scoreless eighth inning in his second appearance since returning from the DL. And Ryan Madson took the ninth. This year, he has been a closing machine. Madson collected his 11th save in 11 opportunities to send the Phillies to bed with a 5-2 win.
The Phillies have taken the first two games in the series and will go for the sweep Sunday afternoon at 1:10pm. Vance Worley will get his fourth start of the year.
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Comedy of Errors Turns Into a Win For the Phillies
It was not pretty, but the Phillies pulled out at 6-4 win over the Mets on Friday night. The Phillies committed three errors and the Mets had two.
The real circus act occurred between Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. With two outs in the fifth inning, a pop-up to short center turned into a small disaster. Utley was over-aggressive and crossed past his side of second base, slamming into Rollins and the ball dropped between the two of them after a little juggling.
Then in the seventh inning, it appeared a throw-over was put on by the bench. Michael Stutes turned and threw to second, but no one was covering. Either Rollins or Utley missed the call. That blooper cost the Phils another run.
Meanwhile, Roy Oswalt saw his pitch count rise as the Phillies error’s extended his day. He went six innings, allowing one earned and one unearned run. He also hit an RBI-single in an attempt to keep pace with the hitting of Cliff Lee in the previous game.
The game was tied 3-3 by the eighth inning, but the Phillies bounced back against the Mets closer, Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth. Historically, the Phillies have had no success against Rodriguez, never scoring a run against him. But in a non-save situation, they finally got to K-Rod.
Five singles and a sac fly later, the Phillies jumped to a 6-3 lead. Domonic Brown and Placido Polanco both hit key RBI-singles that inning. Brown went two-for-two after coming into the game in the eighth, although one hit was a gift from Mets first baseman who missed the easy grounder. And Rollins collected three RBI in the game.
John Mayberry Jr. continues to impress as well. He had a hit, a walk, a stolen base and scored two runs. And his defense in center while standing in for the injured Shane Victorino has been outstanding. Mayberry’s long strides make difficult balls look easy to get to.
So although the game was a real adventure, a win makes all the mistakes fade away.
Cole Hamels will pitch tomorrow in game two with the Mets which starts at 7:10pm.
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Cliff Lee Helps Himself to a Win
Just a short 12 hours after a stunning 19-inning victory, the Phillies won again, making it two wins in one day. The 10-4 victory today gave the Phils a 3-1 series win over the Reds.
The Phillies hoped that starting pitcher Cliff Lee could go deep into the game as nearly the entire bullpen was worked hard in the previous game. Lee did not disappoint, going eight innings. He did allow four runs on 10 hits and a walk, but he kept his team in the game in more ways than one.
Lee himself accounted for two of the Phillies 13 hits and he drove in three runs, two on a double and one more later on a single. There have been a number of role reversals in the past two days. Lee was the big slugger today and infielder Wilson Valdez was the winning pitcher in the game before.
Not so backwards was a three-run homer by Raul Ibanez in the third inning. Chase Utley also hit his first home run of the year today. Utley has now doubled and homered since coming off the DL on Monday and all is right with the world again.
Utley did appear to twist his right ankle / leg on a play today, which was a bit scary. However, he kept playing and it looks like we all have to wait until tomorrow to see if Utley bounces back okay.
As for the rest of the offense, some of the younger players are starting to hit, which is a good sign. The Reds starter Homer Bailey only lasted five innings and then rookie Daryl Thompson took over, making his major league debut. However, Domonic Brown and Michael Martinez each had a hit off Bailey, so it was not like they were just abusing the rookie. They hit a solid, veteran pitcher as well.
If the younger guys can keep stringing hits together like this, things may soon look-up for the Phillies offense.
And if injured players keep returning, like Jose Contreras did today, that is another big positive. Contreras pitched a scoreless ninth inning today and looks like he is ready to pick up where he left off, although Ryan Madson will remain the closer. And David Herndon was sent back to Triple-A to make room on the roster.
The Phillies will embark on a 9-game road trip next. They play the Mets in New York Friday night at 7:10pm; Roy Oswalt will pitch.
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
All Pitching, No Offense In 14 Inning Loss
On paper, Cliff Lee had a good night against the Mets on Sunday. He went seven innings, allowing just one run. But he did walk two batters, which is not usual for Lee, and gave up eight hits.
A tough first inning where Lee had to throw 34 pitches to get out of it probably cut his day a bit short. But it did not matter too much as neither offense felt like playing.
Chris Young was very good for the Mets and allowed just two hits to the Phillies. His wind-up is similar to that of ex-Phillie, J.A. Happ, as he hides the ball behind his leg before releasing, which probably keeps the hitter guessing.
While the offense was sleepy, the defense had a few nice plays. It seems that Pete Orr, filling in at second base, has a penchant for going airborne:
The outfielders looked good too, unless they were at the plate, of course. No one looked good on offense:
In fact, Raul Ibanez is still mired in a huge slump and is now 0-34. He had chances to break out and propel the team to a win but he struck out in the seventh with two runners on. And in the eighth, Ibanez had the bases loaded with two outs in a tie game and he hit a weak ground ball to end the inning.
The Phillies left the bases loaded earlier in the game, too. Brian Schneider struck out on a check swing in the seventh, which was a late call from the 3rd base ump and prompted Charlie Manuel to get himself tossed out of the game.
Eventually, Kyle Kendrick gave up the winning run in the 14th inning, handing the Mets a 2-1 win.
But there were still a few special moments during the game. People began to get word of Osama bin Laden’s demise via smartphone and chants of “USA! USA!” rang throughout the ballpark before even the players knew what had happened.
It was a touching moment where all fans, Phillies and Mets together, could celebrate something together. So the next time someone rags on Philly fans and goes on about some 40-year old Santa Claus crap, show them this video. These fans far outnumber the select few morons who simply cannot conduct themselves in a proper manner in public.
So a loss for the Phillies was still a win for America. I am more than okay with that.
FYI - Here is the full Photo Album from the game.
***Important Blog FYI: The entire MLBlogs community is going to be switched to a WordPress format beginning on Friday, May 6. The transition may last through Monday night, May 9. All MLBlogs writers will be unable to post and you will be unable to access any MLBlogs during this transition. So do not panic if this and other blogs suddenly disappear during that weekend…we will be back :O)***
Go Phillies!
Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Doc Dominates The Mets
The Phillies offense cooled off today after a 10-run barrage on Friday night. But no worries, Roy “Doc” Halladay was on the mound and ready to operate.
Halladay pitched a complete game for the 60th time in his career. In the 2-1 win over the Mets, Halladay allowed seven hits, one walk and one earned run. The win is the fourth for Halladay this season and also marked a new franchise record for the most wins in April. The Phils went 18-8 this month.
Yesterday, Placido Polanco set a new Phillies record for the most hits in April with 39. Today, he extended that number to 41 and also had a sac fly in the seventh, giving the Phillies the 2-1 lead in the game.
The first run was scored on a John Mayberry Jr. homer to left in the same inning. Those were the only two runs scored, but it was all the Phillies needed. Mayberry was in the game in place of the struggling Raul Ibanez and had two hits total in the game.
Tomorrow, the Phillies hope to start May off with a 3-game sweep of the Mets. Cliff Lee will face Chris Young, who is working his way back from both and injury and a bout of the flu. In his first start back, Young allowed three runs in less than five innings.
Lee is coming off a sub-par start in Arizona where he allowed four runs. Lee generally does not falter two game in a row.
If you have a ticket to the game, remember it has been changed to an 8pm start (thanks, ESPN….you suck). I will be there and hope to post photos sometime Monday afternoon.
***Important Blog FYI: The entire MLBlogs community is going to be switched to a WordPress format beginning on Friday, May 6. The transition may last through Monday night, May 9. All MLBlogs writers will be unable to post and you will be unable to access any MLBlogs during this transition. So do not panic if this and other blogs suddenly disappear during that weekend…we will be back :O)***
Go Phillies!
Photoshopping by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Worley Wins While Howard Homers
After Joe Blanton was sent to the DL yesterday, Vance Worley was called up to fill in against the Mets. Worley definitely proved that he has what it takes to pitch in the majors.
And the Phillies certainly challenged him in the first inning. Both Placido Polanco and Jimmy Rollins committed rare errors in the first to extend the inning. But Worley did not get rattled and eventually coaxed a double play ball to end the inning.
That inning increased Worley’s pitch count, but he still managed to go six innings while allowing only two hits. Despite four walks, Worley shut-out the Mets and got his first major league win of the year. Worley also singled in the game, which was his first major league hit.
However, most of the fireworks at the plate were provided by Ryan Howard who is now tied for 2nd with Del Ennis for Phillies all-time home runs. Howard’s 259 home runs are second only to Mike Schmidt who ended his career with 548.
It took Howard two homers to match the record tonight. The first shot went into the second deck in right field for 2-RBI. The second was a grand slam in the sixth inning, which is the 10th slam of Howard’s career.
Howard came up again in the seventh with the bases loaded, but back-to-back slams were just not meant to be. Sadly, he struck out.
But Ben Francisco helped out in the game as well with two hits and two RBI in the game. And Rollins had another two-hit game, officially announcing his emergence from an early season slump. Raul Ibanez, on the other hand, has not had a hit in 30 consecutive at-bats.
Another record was set tonight as well. Polanco recorded his 39th hit in the month of April, setting a new Phillies team record. Chase Utley held the previous record with 38 hits in April of 2008. And Polly is not done yet…still one more game to go in April.
The bullpen, including newcomer Michael Stutes, held down most of the Phillies huge lead and they went on to win by a score of 10-3. Game two is Saturday at 1:10pm and Roy Halladay will pitch.
***Important Blog FYI: The entire MLBlogs community is going to be switched to a WordPress format beginning on Friday, May 6. The transition may last through Monday night, May 9. All MLBlogs writers will be unable to post and you will be unable to access any MLBlogs during this transition. So do not panic if this and other blogs suddenly disappear during that weekend…we will be back :O)***
Go Phillies!
Player photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Offense Shows Signs Of Life In Final Game of Road Trip
The Phillies were finally able to salvage a win out of the 3-game series with the Diamondbacks today. Cole Hamels allowed three runs on four hits and a walk in the 8-4 victory.
But the real news was the offense, which finally showed signs of life after scoring only 17 runs in the first six games of this road trip.
Not surprisingly, Placido Polanco continued his hot streak, going 4-for-4 in the game today and scoring three times. Polly has been the only player unaffected by this hitting slump.
Jimmy Rollins had his first multi-hit game since April 12th with an RBI-double and a 2-run homer. Shane Victorino also had two hits and both he and Ryan Howard homered in the game as well.
But while most starters were productive, Wilson Valdez still looks like he has no clue at all at the plate, swinging at anything within nearly a 10-mile radius. Raul Ibanez did not start and was 0-1 in a pinch hitting appearance. In his place, John Mayberry Jr. had one hit and two walks.
The Phils got off to a fast start, putting up three runs in the first inning. But then catcher Carlos Ruiz suddenly disappeared and Brian Schneider was brought in to catch in the bottom half of the first inning. Later, it was reported that Ruiz had lower back discomfort.
So are the Phillies playing some weird, made-up game? We can call it Pass The Problem. Roy Oswalt maybe passed on his back pain to Ruiz? And maybe Brad Lidge passed on his arm/shoulder/elbow pain to Jose Contreras? Whatever it is, it need to stop!
As for Oswalt, he left the team today to head home to Mississippi where a tornado landed close to his home. Last year, Oswalt’s parents had their home destroyed by a tornado. So now, he is understandably concerned about his wife and kids who are near the disaster zone. Hopefully, his family is fine. There is no additional word yet on the situation.
There has also not been any news about whether Ruiz is seriously hurt or not. I will keep you posted.
As for the rest of the team, they have a day off tomorrow before beginning the home stand against the Mets on Friday night at 7:05pm.
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Great Home Stand Ends With Series Win Over Mets
The Phillies beat the Mets today by a score of 11-0 to win the series two games to one. Roy Halladay was his usual, spectacular self as he shut down the opposition. Halladay went seven innings without allowing a run on six hits and his first walk issued for the season.
The offense went back to work, pounding Mets pitching mercilessly. Every Phillies starter had a hit, including Halladay. Wilson Valdez led the team with four hits and three RBI. Placido Polanco had three RBI on two hits and Raul Ibanez smacked his first homer of the year, a two-run shot in the seventh.
The Phillies finish their first home stand of the year with a 5-1 record, scoring 43 runs in the process. Overall, the start of 2011 has been a great success for the Phillies. Here are some of the most encouraging signs:
The Offense: Those 43 runs in six games are a very big deal for a team whose offensive potential looked grim to some in the absence of both Chase Utley and Jayson Werth, who is now with the Nationals.
The runs have not been the only good news. The way they scored those runs is also impressive. Normally known as a home-run led offense, the Phillies have learned how to run the bases and play small ball, going station to station with a more patient approach at the plate.
The homers are still there, but have not played as prominent a role as they have in years past. In other words, the Phillies can score runs without the big bangs.
Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins Off To A Good Start: Normally a slow-starter in April, Ryan Howard’s big bat has made an early entrance in 2011.
Over all six games, Howard has collected 12 hits, including three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI. On Wednesday night against the Mets, Howard went four for four at the plate. He is now batting .480.
If the All-Star first baseman can keep up this pace, he is going to strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers all year long.
As for Rollins, he had a very rough 2010 that was plagued with injuries. But he is off to a good start in 2011, which is also a contract year for him.
Batting .375 in the three-hole so far, Rollins may be back to the J-Roll of old.
Wilson Valdez Is Up To The Task: When Chase Utley reported major knee injuries this spring training, the fan base let out a collective sigh of disappointment. The perennial All-Star is one of leaders on this team and probably their best overall hitter.
But Wilson Valdez, coming off a season where he got a lot of playing time due to injuries, is ready to fill the void.
Hitting .429 through six games and five starts, Valdez tried to imitate Ryan Howard on Thursday afternoon, going four for four with three RBI. With nine hits and five RBI in his five starts, Valdez has more than adequately filled the Utley void.
And his defense is probably a slight upgrade over Utley. Valdez has a cannon for an arm and now, his bat is on fire too.
Starting Pitching: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt all gave solid performances this week, as expected. Halladay has pitched twice and was even better in his second start.
As for Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton, their first starts did not go quite as well. But three out of five is not bad.
However, no one should panic about either Hamels or Blanton. Hamels is a notoriously slow starter. Clearly, the California kid does not like chilly weather. His lifetime ERA in April is 4.45. In 2010, Hamels posted a 5.28 ERA in April.
Blanton has similar issues. So both pitchers should get better as the season progresses.
But these five guys are going to be something very special.
The Bullpen: Once thought to be the Achilles heel of this Phillies team, the bullpen has really stepped up their game this year.
Danys Baez has been great after being a total nightmare in 2010. Youngster Antonio Bastardo has matured and also looks very sharp. And J.C. Romero appears to have made the necessary adjustments to his game that were needed after he had issues in 2010 following elbow surgery.
With Brad Lidge gone and probably not returning until after the All-Star break, there are concerns about the back end of the pen, too. But both Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras are on the ball so far. Contreras collected his first save on Wednesday night and neither pitcher has allowed a run yet.
The pen is ready for the season!
Werth Who? : Ben Francisco is quickly making Phillies fans forget all about Jayson Werth and his exorbitant $129 million pay check with the Nationals.
Batting .320, Francisco has eight hits, five RBI and two home runs so far. He might have a few more bombs if not for the cold, windy conditions in Philly right now. Francisco has hit the ball very, very hard in nearly every at-bat.
His defense has been good as well. Giving himself up for the team, Francisco smashed into the right field wall, back first on Sunday to catch a very long fly ball. He hit it so hard, part of the out of town scoreboard was knocked loose.
Francisco’s effort and right-handed power are exactly what the Phillies need in their starting right fielder.
The Phillies are off on their first road trip of the season. They take on the Braves in Atlanta tomorrow with Cliff Lee pitching. Game time is 7:35pm.
Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Offense Bails Out Blanton To Beat Mets
Early in tonight’s game, it looked like the Phillies had the Mets by the throat. Ryan Howard was on fire. By the fourth inning, Howard had two doubles and a home run. Even pitcher Joe Blanton smacked a 2-RBI single in the third inning.
But as Howard set the field on fire, Blanton began to cool off on the mound. After the Phillies supplied him with a 7-0 lead, Blanton allowed a two-run homer in the fourth. In the fifth, the wheels all fell off as his pitches began to sail up and into the happy zone for the Mets. Four runs later, Blanton was finally pulled. A fifth run scored before the inning was over, which was charged to Blanton and tied the game 7-7.
I feel like I may have said this close to 100 times in the last several years but, if Joe Blanton starts giving up runs in the fifth inning, take him out! If you look at Blanton’s stats from 2010 as an example, batters go from hitting .184 off him in the fourth inning to .305 in the fifth. And it gets worse from there.
But this is a pattern with him that you do not really need stats to tell you. It is pretty obvious. Trouble for Blanton almost always starts in the fifth or sixth. He began elevating his pitches at the start of the fifth tonight and that should have been like a siren going off for the Phils manager.
Charlie Manuel struggles with pulling Blanton because he hopes he can get through five to qualify for the win. But Manuel needs to start getting tougher with him or come up with a solution. You simply cannot allow a pitcher to blow a seven run lead. When you see the tidal wave coming, get out of the way!
Luckily for the Phillies, the offense kept on picking away at the Mets. Ben Francisco hit his second home run of the year. And on three hits, Placido Polanco collected three RBI. One of those RBI’s put the Phillies back in the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Also helping out during the game, Pete Orr, who started at second, went two for three at the plate. Howard ended his night going 4 for 4 with 2 RBI.
The bullpen held down the new lead for the Phillies. Both J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson pitched scoreless innings, turning the game over to the new closer, Jose Contreras. Getting the job done, Contreras got his first save of the year in a 10-7 win.
The final game of the series is tomorrow afternoon at 3:05pm. Roy Halladay will try to pitch the Phillies to series win over the Mets.
Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
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