Results tagged ‘ Rockies ’
Mile High Sweep for the Phillies
Balls were flying all over Coors Field today. Luckily for the Phillies, more balls bounced their way then they did for the Rockies.
Pitching in his hometown, Roy Halladay looked a little tired today. But as usual, he battled through and pitched a solid game. Over seven innings, Halladay surrendered four earned runs on eight hits and a walk.
Halladay also had a hit in the game and later scored from third base on a wild pitch. Phillies fans held their collective breath as Halladay slide awkwardly between the catcher’s legs and was safe. Seeing your star pitcher slide is never a joyous moment, but Halladay did just fine.
Ryan Howard took advantage of the thin Denver air again with a double, a homer and four RBI. He did not have the best start to the game though. Howard struck out with no outs and the bases loaded in the first inning. In the latter half of the inning, he bungled an easy ground ball and then threw the ball away for the second error in one play.
But Howard’s bat made up for the first inning. Chase Utley got in on the action as well with two hits, scoring twice. Hunter Pence now has a five game hitting streak as a Phillie and added a sac fly RBI as well.
With an 8-6 lead going into the ninth inning, the Phillies sent another Denver local to the mound, Brad Lidge. It was his first save attempt since coming off the DL and more importantly, it was a shot at 100 career saves as a Phillie. With Ryan Madson absent because his wife was in labor, Lidge was the guy. And although Lidge likely will not close many games anymore, he got the job done tonight.
This win completes back-to-back 3-game sweeps of the Rockies and Pirates, which is great timing as the Phillies will face the defending World Champs next.
The return of Roy Oswalt from the DL (yet to be made official) sets up the rotation like this against the Giants: Cliff Lee on Thursday, Vance Worley on Friday, Cole Hamels on Saturday and Oswalt on Sunday.
Game time on Thursday is 10:15pm – welcome to another late-night West Coast series.
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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*
Winning: It Just Keeps Happening
The Phillies 5-0 win over the Rockies Tuesday night marked their 5th straight win. They also became the first team in baseball to reach 70 wins and continue to hold the best record in the game. As a Phillies fan, life is good.
And the wins keep coming in unexpected ways. Monday night was a late inning rally and extra inning victory. Tuesday night, the Phillies watched their spot starter, Kyle Kendrick, absolutely baffle the Rockies hitters.
The word “baffle” is usually not used in the same sentence as the name “Kendrick,” unless it is Kendrick who looks confused, not the opposition. Kendrick has been an up and down pitcher throughout his career in Philly. It is that inconsistency that is partly the reason he has not earned a solid spot in the rotation. The other part is, of course, the rest of the Phillies starting pitchers, who are outstanding.
But in this game, Kendrick looked like he could keep pace with the likes of Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Over eight innings, Kendrick allowed only four hits as he shut-out the Rockies. Kendrick will go back to his home in the bullpen as a long-man once Roy Oswalt returns, but the value of a guy like Kendrick cannot be overlooked.
While Kendrick has pitched well, he has also benefitted from good run support. Ryan Howard smacked two solo homers tonight. Hunter Pence went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Brian Schneider drove in another run on a sac fly.
Back-up catcher Schneider is another example of how important it is to have a solid bench and players who are versatile. He is not setting the world on fire with his bat by any means, but he calls a good game behind the plate and contributes on offense where he can.
The Phillies have a shot at sweeping this series tomorrow afternoon before what is sure to be a difficult series against the Giants. Six straight wins would be very nice momentum going into San Francisco.
Game time Wednesday is 3:10pm; Roy Halladay will pitch in his hometown of Denver.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Mayberry Saves the Day in Win Over Rockies
In his previous three starts, the Phillies had scored a grand total of just six runs for pitcher Cole Hamels. Tonight against the Rockies, the story was very much the same.
Hamels gave up a 2-run homer in the second inning, but nothing at all after that. He even worked his way out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the fifth. Hamels did all he could to keep his team in the game.
But once again, the offense offered Hamels little help. And they were facing a pitcher, Jhoulys Chacin, who had not won a single game in his previous seven starts. Still, the Phillies bats made Chacin look like a Cy Young award winner.
The Phillies managed to squeak out a run in the seventh on a Raul Ibanez double that scored Hunter Pence who ran the bases very well. Pence also struck out in the eighth inning with two men on base. But such was the theme of the night for the offense….at least through eighth innings.
In the ninth inning, something different happened. The Phils could not hit Chacin, but the Rockies closer Huston Street was another story. After a Carlos Ruiz double, John Mayberry Jr. was sent into to pinch hit. Mayberry, who has not played much lately, made up for lost time with a huge, game-tying 2-run homer.
With a 3-3 score, Antonio Bastardo held the Rockies down to send the game to extra innings for the second Phillies game in a row. Shane Victorino capitalized on the opportunity with a solo homer in the 10th to put the Phillies ahead, 4-3.
Ryan Madson earned the save in the 10th and Mayberry walked away a hero in this one. Just when it looked like hope was lost for the struggling Phillies offense, Mayberry put them back in the hunt for the win.
Speaking of hunters, Mr. Pence has played in 3 Phillies games and so far, they have all been wins. He must be wondering if he died and went to baseball heaven. To answer his question: Yes…welcome to Philly (aka: Baseball Heaven)!
Game two with the Rockies is Tuesday night at 8:40pm; Kyle Kendrick will pitch. It will likely be Kendrick’s last start as Roy Oswalt should be back from the DL very soon after two recent rehab starts.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Ibanez Powers Phillies to 3-Game Sweep of Pirates
The Phillies completed a sweep of the Pirates this afternoon in 10 innings by a score of 6-5. The newest member of the Phillies, Hunter Pence, had a hand in the 10th inning rally after a rough start where he misread a ball in the outfield. Here is a quick look at the day for Pence:
The ball he missed came in the first inning, but pitcher Vance Worley bounced back quickly. It was not until the fifth and sixth innings where Worley ran into trouble.
While it was not his best outing, Worley still went six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. He made one bad pitch in the sixth to Lyle Overbay who slammed a 2-run homer.
But the Phillies kept plugging away at the Pirates with a few timely hits and nice defense:
Jimmy Rollins went 2-for-4 with two RBI to continue his recent hot streak. But Raul Ibanez was the one player who came up big all game long. After a solo homer in the first inning, Ibanez hit a massive 2-run homer in the eighth when the Phillies were still trailing. That hit tied the game and kept hope alive for the Phillies.
As a quick side note, it appears that I may be Raul’s good luck charm. If you look at the chart below of this entire home stand, you will see that Ibanez hit .500 with three homers and nine RBI in games that I attended. When I was not there, he hit only .174, no homers, 2 RBI:
Ok, so maybe it is just a weird coincidence. On the other hand, Raul may want to hurry up and buy me a plane ticket to Denver ;o)
Back to the game: After Ibanez tied things up, the Phillies had to rely on the bullpen to keep it that way. Brad Lidge had already allowed the fifth run in the seventh, but then four other guys combined to hold down the Pirates. The photo below shows Juan Perez, David Herndon and Lidge:
Ryan Madson and Antonio Bastardo also pitched one scoreless inning each. Then in the 10th inning, Pence doubled to put the Phillies in position for the win. All they needed was one more big hit from Ibanez who delivered with the game winning double to score Pence.
The walk-off win capped a three hit, four RBI game for Ibanez who ended the month of July on a hot streak, batting .284 with 25 RBI.
A very tough road trip is up next for the Phillies, starting in Denver against the Rockies. They will also face the Giants in a 4-game series and the Dodgers for three games.
It all begins Monday night at 8:40pm; Cole Hamels will pitch.
And here is the full Photo Album from Sunday’s game. Enjoy!
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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*
Giambi Picks Apart Weakened Phillies Team as Injuries Continue to Pile Up
People on the internet have been freaking out about Saturday being the end of the world. For the Phillies, it may actually be true.
The first casualties of the week are Joe Blanton and Shane Victorino. Blanton was on the DL in April and the beginning of May with right elbow soreness. Upon his return, Blanton said the elbow was still sore, but he could pitch.
My first issue with this is why did the Phillies allow him to go on when he was still sore? Second, why did Blanton hide how bad the elbow obviously was? I can maybe answer the second question. Blanton saw his job in jeopardy with how well Vance Worley pitched in his absence and felt that he need to come back soon. That is my guess.
Blanton bailed on the Phillies 20 minutes before Thursday night’s game, saying it was too painful to go on. He then spoke to reporters at Comcast Sportsnet and admitted he came back from the DL too early and that maybe he should have been “more honest” about his condition.
As a result of Blanton’s last minute bail, Kyle Kendrick was forced to start the game with no preparation at all. He gave up five runs, including two of Jason Giambi’s homers. Danyz Baez gave up the third. Shocking, I know (insert your own sarcastic comment here). The Phillies lost the game, 7-1.
All seven Rockies runs were scored thanks to the three home runs by Jason Giambi, which led me to these thoughts:
You Might Be A Steroid User If:
- You have grey hair and you hit three home runs in one game
- Your batting average was .115 before hitting three home runs in one game
- Your name is “Jason Giambi”
- Your batting average was .115 yesterday and your name is used in the same sentence as “Babe Ruth.”
Yes, Giambi is now one of only four players over the age of 40 to ever hit three home runs in a game. The others are Babe Ruth, Stan Musial and Reggie Jackson. While this is an impressive feat, I think that Kendrick and Baez pitching may have had a little to do with it.
So Blanton is headed to the DL and now, so is Shane Victorino. An MRI revealed that Victorino has a second degree hamstring strain. He will be the 12th Phillie on the DL this year. The Phillies will announce later who will replace each player.
Hold on to your seats, Phillies fans. This ride is about to get bumpier.
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Hamels Ends Phillies Losing Streak
After losing four games in a row, the Phillies needed someone to stop the bleeding. Cole Hamels, with help from his defense and second baseman Wilson Valdez, was able to get the Phillies a 2-1 win over the Rockies on Wednesday night.
Hamels tossed eight innings of one-run ball, allowing only five hits. In short, he was spectacular. His five wins this season tie Roy Halladay and his 2.92 ERA is second, also behind Halladay.
The defense played well behind him, with John Mayberry Jr. getting a key out in the first inning. On a single hit to right field, Mayberry threw out Alfredo Amezaga going to third base. The next batter hit a fly ball to center so, Amezaga would have tagged up and scored had been safe at third.
And although the Phillies offense continues to struggle, Wilson Valdez came up big on a number of occasions. He went 2 for 3 in the game with an RBI-single in the fifth. In the eighth, Valdez singled again. Shane Victorino bunted him over to second and then Valdez advanced to third on a wild pitch. He then scored the go-ahead run on a Jimmy Rollins sac fly.
It was nice to see Victorino in a game, however, he is still having issues running and is scheduled for an MRI on Thursday.
As for the unlikely hero, Valdez, he is hitting .400 with runners in scoring position and .667 with the bases loaded. Both of those stats lead the team. It is hard to expect much more out of a guy who has filled in for Chase Utley all year. Valdez has been amazing.
The second and final game with the Rockies is tonight at 7:05pm. Joe Blanton 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*
Phillies Win Despite Sloppy Seconds
The Phillies had a single make-up game against the Rockies today in Colorado before heading home. The first 6 innings of the game were a disaster with careless plays and missed scoring opportunities. Until the 7th inning, you had to think there was no way the Phils were going to win this game. But this is baseball…never say never.
Here is a quick recap of the sloppy seconds that dominated the game through 6 innings:
- The 2nd place Phillies made their 2nd trip this year to Colorado today.
- In the 2nd inning, a sloppy error by the 2nd baseman, Chase Utley, led to 2 unearned runs and 2 earned runs.
- The 2nd run of the game for the Phillies was scored on a sloppy slide from pitcher Joe Blanton.
- After 1 run scored in the 5th inning, Jimmy Rollins had the bases loaded with 1 out. He grounded into a sloppy and hugely disappointing double play to end the inning without scoring a 2nd run.
- Catcher Brian Schneider had a runner easily picked off at 2nd base in the 6th inning but Rollins dropped the ball.
The 6th inning got worse as the first base umpire called a runner safe that was out. Then a ball hit up the middle for what should have been an easy double play was deflected off the glove of pitcher Antonio Bastardo. Instead of getting out of the inning, another run scored.
Earlier in the 6th, Mike Sweeney was hit in the hand while checking his swing and let out a painful scream. The bases were loaded so a run scored, but Sweeney looked hurt. Everyone is hoping he will be alright. Feel free to join my Facebook group, I Want A Hug From Mike Sweeney, and show your support :O)
But down 7-3 going into the 7th, someone flipped a light switch on. The Phillies managed to climb back into the game with a double by Placido Polanco, an Utley single and a 2-run homer from Ryan Howard. Not to be outdone, Jayson Werth followed with a solo homer to tie the game at 7-7. A single by Ben Francisco then gave the Phillies the 8-7 lead.
But the Phillies were not done yet in the 7th. With 2 outs and the bases loaded, Utley made up for his 2nd inning error with a GRAND SLAM! Wow. Phillies led at that point, 12-7 after scoring 9 runs in the 7th.
While a 5-run lead is nice, the Rockies were not done yet either…they scored 3 runs off Chad Durbin in the bottom of the 7th. So entering the 9th with a score of 12-10, Brad Lidge came in for the save attempt. And here comes the “sloppy” again…the first batter hit an easy ground ball to first but Howard dropped it! That dropped ball turned into an unearned run, cutting the lead to one run.
Lidge gave up a single next and one out later, walked Todd Helton. Phillies fans started getting nauseous. But Lidge worked out of the mess; he struck out Clint Barmes and the next batter hit a ball to Polanco at third. Polly made a tough play and stepped on third for the force out to end the game. And……exhale…..whew! This was a huge win for the Phils!
Since the bullpen was pretty much used up tonight, I hope the Phillies are prepared to bring up a few pitchers from the minors before tomorrow’s game against the Brewers. The only September call-up so far has been catcher Paul Hoover. Game time tomorrow is 7:05pm and Cole Hamels will pitch.
#1 Phillies Fan
Autotrader.com is running a contest to find the #1 Phillies Fan. I am constantly teased about being an obsessive Phillies fan and all my friends complain they never see me during baseball season. So, I decided to enter the contest. If you agree that I am a huge Phan, please feel free to VOTE for me :O) Your support is appreciated!
Nyjer Morgan: Poster Child For Anger Management
Nyjer Morgan of the Washington Nationals has issues. On August 21st, Morgan was accused of purposely throwing a ball at a fan in Philadelphia after being heckled. The fan was hit in the head and did not see the throw coming. MLB suspended Morgan for 7 games, which he is currently appealing.
As if that were not bad enough, on Wednesday night, Morgan charged the mound with his fist in the air after a pitch from the Marlins Chris Volstad sailed behind him. Morgan swung and the benches cleared. Worse than that, Morgan showboated after the brawl ended as he walked off the field, proud of his bad behavior. Check out the video:
http://www.viddler.com/simple_on_site/7c70cdee
Morgan’s behavior this year has been reprehensible. Even his own manager has benched him for prior bad behavior. He does not deserve to wear a major league uniform; here’s hoping MLB takes appropriate action.
Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
Oswalt Leads Phillies To Series Win
After scoring 8 runs yesterday, the question remained as to whether or not the Phillies could repeat the offensive performance. Jimmy Rollins started off the game with a home run, which was a good sign. In the 2nd, Shane Victorino led off that inning with a home run as well. But facing a good Dodgers pitcher in Clayton Kershaw, the Phils offense still had some issues.
Luckily, Roy Oswalt was on the mound for the Phillies to keep the game in hand. Although he was very wild, walking 6 batters, Oswalt got through 6 1/3 innings allowing only 1 hit and no runs. Oswalt also struck out 6 batters and collected his 10th win of the year.
The Phillies did not score off Kershaw after the 2 homers and went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. However, they did take a few more runs from the Dodgers bullpen. Chase Utley doubled Rollins home in the 7th; Utley had 3 doubled in the game off 3 different pitchers which he has never done before. This is a great sign from Utley who has been very rusty since coming off the DL.
There was a comedic moment in the 9th inning that led to a few more runs. Rookie Domonic Brown was put in as a pinch hitter and hit a ground rule double to left. But Brown either thought the ball was foul or failed to realize it was a ground rule double as he ran back towards first base. Ryan Howard and the rest of the team in the dugout broke up in laughter at the young players’ expense. Brown finally went back to 2nd and wound up scoring on a Rollins single. Utley’s 3rd double then scored Rollins.
The Phillies went on to win by a score of 5-1 and won the Dodgers series 2 game to 1. They will now travel to Denver for a single make-up game against the Rockies tomorrow before returning home. Tomorrow’s game time is 7:10pm and Joe Blanton will pitch.
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
Dis-ASTROS-ous Series Ends In A Sweep
Did the Phillies forget to pay their electric bill this month? Because they are suffering from a serious and prolonged power outage. When sluggers Ryan Howard and Chase Utley finally came off the DL in mid-late August, everyone was relieved to finally see the Phillies line-up back in order. But the relief was short lived as the team has been on a downward spiral ever since.
And now, the Phillies have lost ground in the NL East race, falling 3 games behind the Braves and missing key opportunities to catch up. This 4-game sweep at the hands of the Astros may come back to haunt them in September.
Howard has only 3 hits in his last 10 games and has struck out 20 times. In 16 at-bats for the Astros series, Howard got only 1 hit. Utley has had only 7 hits in his last 34 at-bats since coming off the DL. Other key players during the Astros 4-game series did not hit either; Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco had just 3 hits each. They have consistently failed to hit with runners in scoring position too, with the worst offender being Jayson Werth.
So was the firing of hitting coach Milt Thompson in July really necessary? Apparently not, because they are still not hitting. Right now, the Phillies batters could not hit the side of a barn.
They have lost their fire and their intensity. That was no more evident than today in the 5th inning when Werth tried to tag and score on a shallow fly to right. Not only did Werth not even bother to slide, he never even touched the plate. Werth should have slid hard and tried to take out the catcher to get that run. Instead, he gave up and basically accepted defeat.
Kyle Kendrick looked half asleep on the mound too. Ever since JA Happ was shipped to the Astros, Kendrick had relaxed more and more each start, to the point where he is just not present on the mound. Maybe he figures there is no one left to take his job so why bother kicking it up a notch? Kendrick has allowed 15 runs in his last 4 starts, with 4 of those runs coming in 6 innings tonight.
However, the real offenders this series were the Phillies hitters who got absolutely nothing done. Except maybe for getting picked off on the base paths multiple times, failing to gets bunts down and not bothering to slide in order to score. The way they have played is disgraceful.
If the Phillies take this sort of attitude and performance into San Diego tomorrow, they are going to be crushed. They have 3 games with the Padres, 3 with the Dodgers and then a make-up in Denver against the now hot Rockies. Cross your fingers. Game time tomorrow is 10:05pm.
Player photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
Home Runs Propel Phillies Past D-Backs
It has been a while since Phillies fans have been treated to a home run barrage. Tonight, the Phillies embraced the long ball, knocking three 2-run homers out of the ballpark; once each in the 5th, 6th and 7th innings. Jayson Werth got the first one, which had to be a big relief for him. Werth has not hit a homer in over a month, since June 23rd. Ryan Howard and Cody Ransom collected the other two bombs.
Cole Hamels had a bit of a rough outing, so the homers were a welcome sight. In the 1st inning with two outs, Hamels allowed a single, hit a batter and walked two more, which walked a run home. In 5 innings, Hamels walked 4 batters, hit two batters and allowed 3 runs. So while he was not at his best, he did still keep the team in the game.
David Herndon pitched one inning in relief and had some trouble as well. With one run already across, it looked like Herndon had a ground ball double play to end the inning. Placido Polanco fielded the ball, tagged the runner and tossed to first. But the runner going to second was called safe, despite insistence from both Polanco and manager Charlie Manuel that he did indeed tag the runner. The ump did not see it and another run scored.
But the home runs kept coming and the Phillies took the lead right back. Then in the 7th, Shane Victorino caught what appeared to be a routine fly ball but was wincing in pain before the ball even arrived. He called the trainer over and was taken out of the game. The report is that Victorino has a left oblique strain. Oblique strains are tricky so if he lands on the DL, it would not be shocking.
What is shocking is that the Phillies cannot seem to catch a break with all the injuries. Yesterday, Jimmy Rollins got hurt when he fouled a ball off his foot. He seems to be feeling better, but may still miss another game or two. Now Victorino; plus Chase Utley is still recovering from his thumb injury and at one point, the Phils had seven players on the DL all at once.
The injuries are getting old; but the current win streak, despite the injuries, is certainly not getting old. After sweeping the Rockies in 4 games, they beat the D-Backs tonight by a score of 9-5 for their 6th straight win. The rookie Herndon picked up his first major league win. In addition, the Braves lost tonight so the Phillies gain a game on them. The Phils are now 3.5 games out of first.
There are two more games with the D-Backs left before the Phillies hit the road again. As for Victorino, we should know more tomorrow. If he lands on the DL, the Phils will probably call up either Domonic Brown or John Mayberry to take his spot. I know everyone will be rooting for Brown, but Mayberry may get the nod because he has already been in the majors and they may not want to start the clock on Brown’s options just yet. But my vote is that Victorino is okay…here’s hoping.
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*
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