Bleacher Report - Articles by Jon McLaughlin

Why Ryan Howard Will Be MVP

Jon McLaughlin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:26:00 -0400

Ryan Howard has had what could be considered one of the best offensive career starts ever seen.

In only 566 games as a Philadelphia Phillie, Howard has racked up a whopping 175 home runs, 494 RBI, and a .533 slugging percentage. Most importantly though is Howard's production in the late months of the season.

In his short career, he has 42 dingers in the months of September and October with 106 RBI. This only slightly bests his August numbers of 33 HRs and 100 RBI.

Clearly Howard is turning into a clutch player down the stretch for the Philadelphia Phillies, and he has homered his way into talks now for the NL MVP. Fortunately for him it might be easier than he thinks to win the award for the second time.

Most of his critics argue that he is only hitting .249 on the season and that his defense is less than desirable even at this point in his career. But can we discount the fact that he has single handedly put this team on his back and carried them to what appears to be a playoff berth?

Howard is currently hitting .348 in the month of September with nine homers and 27 RBI. Not bad in 69 at bats.

His rivals for the MVP award might have much better overall numbers, but they are struggling to stay in contention if not out of it already.

Albert Pujols is having a stellar year, hitting .349 for the season with 34 home runs and 106 RBI. How can we dismiss the fact though that his team is a mere five games over .500 and out of the playoff hunt, sitting 14.5 games back.

Carlos Delgado is having a monster end to the season as well. Hitting .361 in the month of September with seven homers and 17 RBI, he has managed to come up big in some clutch situations for the Mets as they continue to fight for a playoff spot.

David Wright is another name that looms in the MVP race. Hitting .297 on the season, Wright has a respectable 32 home runs and 118 RBI, but will probably fall short once again because his numbers aren't as glaring as Delgado's at this point in the season.

So why will Howard win the MVP?

Ryan Howard should and will win the MVP for the following reasons:

1. Howard leads the league in home runs by eight and by the end of the week could break 50.

2. Howard's 141 RBI is 23 higher than any of the MVP contenders.

3. Despite Howard's poor batting average, he has managed to turn it on when his team needed it and has been hitting .282 since July 1.

4. Howard has picked up his entire offense and carried them towards what appears to be an NL East title, contingent on the outcome of the last six games of the season.

5. Finally, Howard continues to be a team player despite the fact that the foolish Philadelphia ownership refuses to acknowledge the lasting potential of this offensive phenom. Howard has continued to play the good guy while Philadelphia execs have yet to extend his contract.

Philadelphia Phillies Spiraling—Who's To Blame?

Jon McLaughlin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:24:00 -0400

The Philadelphia Phillies entered the 2008 season as the team to beat in the National League East, and right now that's just what they've become—a team to beat up on.

After a pitiful showing at the end of June against the American League teams, the Phils hoped to bounce back from their 3-9 interleague stint and looked forward to getting back to playing National League teams.

Last week they amazed us with a strong showing in Atlanta, sweeping the Braves in convincing fashion. Friday night continued to run as they took the first game from the Mets in their four game series.

Once again, things have turned.

The Phils have lost four straight after last night's shutout loss to the Cardinals. That game marked the third time the Phils had been shutout in their own building this season. Losing ground in the standings to both the Marlins and the Mets, the Phils now cling to a 1.5 game lead in the NL East over both Florida and New York.

So what is the problem in the City of Brotherly Love?

On June 1, the Phils had a commanding lead in the NL East with a record of 33-25. Eight games over .500 and looking dominant over divisional rivals. A little over a month later, they stand at 48-43, only five games over .500, and watch their control of the division slowly slip away.

Is it lack of control by the manager?

Charlie Manuel seems to have been unable to control, not only Brett Myers' pitching, but also his mouth, as he spouted off about not being committed to starting after being sent to the minors.

Manuel seems to have lost something with the players as well this season, as the team seems to be in la-la land most of the time and are not truly having fun the way they should as they play the game.

And who can forget the hypocritical move he made this week by packing it in against the Mets on Monday and pulling his All-Star second basemen in the sixth while down by eight. Unfortunately the Phils came one run short of tying that game maybe Manuel should bench himself for giving up, just as he did with his MVP earlier this season.

Is it the players?

No one thought that Chase Utley would be able to maintain the numbers that he was posting at the beginning of the season all year. After a long hitless streak, he seems to have worked out whatever ailed him in June and looks to be back to form in July.

The rest of the team seems to be quietly deteriorating:

Pat Burrell's numbers have slowly started to drop off as the season progresses. At the end of April, Pat stood with 25 RBI and has only 29 in the two-plus months since.
Jimmy Rollins seems to be stuck on the idea of being the MVP and not focusing on what got him there. While his steals are remaining steady, his average and power numbers are down from last season—he has only 29 RBI thus far.
Ryan Howard seems to be the all or nothing player for the Phils. His average is up from earlier in the season, and his on base percentage is climbing back. However, he is on pace to destroy the strikeout record—as of a week before the All-Star break, he has struck out 124 times. Howard appears to either strikeout or score runs—there's no middle ground.

Is it the GM?

Phillies fan love to point fingers at the General Manager in these types of situations, especially this close to the trade deadline, so it's not possible to let Pat Gillick off without a second look.

The Phils, in obvious need of another starter, can't obtain C.C. Sabathia, and now Rich Harden, as both get dealt to teams before the All-Star break. The race for starting pitching will only heat up as the trade deadline draws near. If Gillick doesn't do something soon, the Phils could wind up with another third or fourth starter on their team instead a solid two to back up Hamels.

There are many things that we can look to for the Phils' recent struggles. A collection of them all isn't going to win any championships and is now the struggles are threatening to stop them from winning the division.

It's time to right this ship.

The All-Star break couldn't come at a better time.

MLB: Phil's Line-up Pounds Red Sox Nation

Jon McLaughlin — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 07:58:00 -0400

I find it only fitting that I return from a short hiatus to document the invasion of Red Sox nation into Philadelphia so that it can be accounted first hand.

Last night the "Nation" invaded its latest city as the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox opened a three game set of inter-league play in Philly on Monday night.

The game featured the Phil's ace, Cole Hamels, against an obviously out of shape Bartolo Colon.

The Sox have been facing the injury bug as of late and entered the series without Big Papi, Daisuke, Curt Schilling, and Kevin Youkilis, so the idea that the Phils were facing the "real" Sox would be brought up numerous times throughout the night.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the Phil's offense put everyone's mind to rest as it took off right from the get go.

Jimmy Rollins started the game off quick with a lead off home run that quieted many of the visiting Red Sox fans who tried to out cheer the Philadelphia natives.

Three batters later, Ryan Howard hit an opposite field shot to extend the lead to 3-0 before the end of the first. The Phils would add another run in the third inning off Ryan Howard's second home run of the night.

Hamels proved to be a strong ace for the staff and didn't allow a run to the Sox' potent offense until the fifth inning when Dustin Pedroia and JD Drew went back to back bringing the score to 4-2. That would be all the Sox would muster against Hamels though, who went seven strong innings for the Phils.

Philadelphia's offense would all but put the game away in the sixth as the Phils put four more runs on the board against Mike Timlin and capped off a win in what many are calling a potential World Series Preview.

Although the Phillies probably won't face the "real" Red Sox during this home stand, as many of their stars face injuries, they are making a strong statement for their push to the playoffs. Of course they still have two games left against the Sox and then take on the Angels in the weekend series, so time will tell if this team has what it takes.

Philadelphia Phillies Weekend Recap: Phils Regain Control of NL East

Jon McLaughlin — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:49:00 -0400

After missing an entire week of baseball due to the birth of my daughter, I have made it back just in time to recap the Phils weekend series with the Marlins, as they regained, lost, and then regained again the lead in the NL East by one-half game.

Friday night, the Phils not only continued their offense streak from the week that saw them average 12 runs a game against Rockies, but also saw a ray of light from Brett Myers. After giving up three runs in the first inning to the Marlins, Myers settled down and pitched eight strong innings, striking out 11.

The Phils offense managed 10 runs against the Marlin's starter Mark Hendrickson, and two more against the 'pen. Friday moved the Phils into first by a half-game over the fish. Unfortunately, the lead would only last a day.

Saturday, Cole Hamels looked to recover from potentially his worst start of his career the earlier in the week, in which he only went four innings. The Marlins had other plans, and in five-and-two-thirds innings of work, they scored seven runs off Hamels.

The Marlins' Ricky Nolasco became the first pitcher in a week to hold the Phils offense in check, only allowing two earned runs in six-and-two-thirds. The Phils would manage only one more run, and dropped their first game in five, relinquishing the NL East lead once again.

Luckily for the Phils, Sunday would prove to be a step in the right direction. Jamie Moyer took the mound for the Phils as they honored Mike Lieberthal at Citizen's Bank Park, who became a Phillie for one more day, just long enough to retire.

Moyer, struggled early for the Phils, and by the third innings was in a 5-1 hole. The Phils managed to crawl back into the game though, with home runs by Chase Utley, who now extends the league lead to 20, and Geoff Jenkins, who hit his fifth dinger of the season.

It was in the seventh inning that Pat Burrell's two-RBI double would score the eventual game-winning runs, and secure first place once again for the Phils.

The Phils will host the Cincinnati Reds this week for four games. Ken Griffey Jr. comes in with 599 home runs as he looks to break into the 600 club, while Chase Utley leads all NL All-Star vote getters, and looks to continue his home-run lead.

Philadelphia Phillies Weekend Recap: Split Series with the Houston Astros

Jon McLaughlin — Mon, 26 May 2008 10:15:00 -0400

The Philadelphia Phillies finished off a four-game set against the Houston Astros that ended in a split of the series. After Thursdays big win to lead off the series, the Phils struggled through games two and three.

Although they managed to get solid starting pitching out of both Adam Eaton and Brett Myers, the offense couldn't muster more than three runs a game.

Friday, Eaton went deep into the game and it cost the Phillies, as he pitched eight innings, giving up two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth after earlier coughing up a fifth-inning home run to Hunter Pence.

The Phils offense managed to come within one run in the top of the ninth, but Shane Victorino flied out to end the game with runners on second and third.

Saturday's game ended in an even more disappointing fashion, as Brett Myers gave up four runs to the Astros, again only going six innings for the Phils. For the second night in a row, the Phils struggled to crack the pitching, but in the ninth inning managed to plate two runs to bring the game within one run.

Unfortunately for the Phils, the game ended with another Victorino flyout, except this time it was with only one out, but Pedro Feliz attempted to score the tying run on the flyout, and the game ended in a double play off an excellent throw by Darin Erstad.

Fortunately for the Phils, the offense showed up on Sunday. With Cole Hamels on the mound, the game appeared to be a lock as Hamels was ridding a 19-inning scoreless streak. Hamels though, didn't bring his best stuff to Houston and was rocked for six runs in four innings.

It looked like there would be no way to crack this Houston team, until the fifth inning as the Phils started an eleven-run two-inning rally, and piled on 15 total runs. The bullpen was strong, not allowing another Astro to score, thus completing the series for the Phils with a 15-6 win.

Monday, the Phils head home and face the Colorado Rockies for three games. The Rockies have placed key players on the DL as of late, including Matt Holliday.

The Phils now sit 2.5 games back in the NL East, still tied for second with Atlanta behind the surprising Florida Marlins.

Cole Hamels Is in Top Form for Phillies

Jon McLaughlin — Wed, 21 May 2008 08:02:00 -0400

Cole Hamels entered the Tuesday night game against the Washington Nationals coming off a complete game shutout last week against the Atlanta Braves. It was the first shutout and third complete game of his career.

The Phillies entered the game looking for a spark. Tthey struggled to find offense against the Nationals on Monday night and were looking to put an end to the three-game losing streak that found them dropping to third in the division.

Their 4-0 loss on Monday gave the Phils a record of 1-3 against the Nat's this season, and they needed to find a way to win against their division rival.

Hamels appeared to have the answer. For the second straight game, the Phil's ace pitched seven shutout innings, striking out 11 and only allowing four hits.

Hamels was taken out in the eighth inning, after throwing 110 pitches. He tossed 130 in his complete game last week and was likely on a count this week, so as to not wear out his arm.

In true competitive form, Jason Bergmann for the Nationals also managed to pitch seven scoreless innings, keeping the Phils off the board for 16 consecutive innings in the series.

As both teams turned the game over to the bullpen in the eighth it would be a battle of relievers. Luckily for the Phils, they won the battle.

In the top of the ninth, after a leadoff double from Pedro Feliz, Gregg Dobbs singled on a line drive to center and brought home the eventual winning run.

Brad Lidge entered in the bottom of the ninth and collected his 11th save of the season for the Phils.

Wednesday they send Jamie Moyer to the mound to try to win the series against the Nats, and climb back to the top of the division.

Philly Fans: To Boo Or Not To Boo, That Is The Question

Jon McLaughlin — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:52:00 -0400

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word fanatic as "marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion."

In the City of Brotherly Love, uncritical is not in our nature.

I live in Philadelphia and have been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. A die-hard Eagles and Phillies fan, I have been through thick and thin with these teams. I became a true sports fan off the bat of Joe Carter in 1993 and with the legs of Ronde Barber in 2003.

I believe in booing; it's in my nature. I have booed on Opening Day, I have booed in the midst of a Super Bowl run—it's what we do.

As a sports fan, I usually attempt to be as objective as possible when it comes to Philadelphia sports. Looking at all the angles to determine the right opinion is a difficult thing in a town like this one.

With the loss of the Flyers this week, Philadelphia sports are about to incur 100 combined years without a championship. It has created a bitter group of hateful fans towards anything remotely negative and, unfortunately, right now that negative is Ryan Howard.

In 2004, Philadelphia was graced with a new ball park and the hopes of a new future for its Phillies as they looked to rebuild and become a contender. They brought in names like Millwood, Wagner, and Thome. Prospects like Floyd, Madson, and Geary were brought up.

None gave the fans the answer they were looking for.

Four years later, things are a bit different. Now, Utley, Rollins, and Howard have the spotlight. Hamels, Lidge, and Romero bring us hope, yet Philadelphia has found something to boo.

They directing their attention in the right spot.

Sure, Ryan Howard is in the biggest slump of his short career, looking to break his own personal and Major League record of strikeouts in a season—which currently stands at 199. He is currently on pace to achieve 228 strikeouts this season as he sits with 64 Ks in 45 games. His average has not been over .200 since the first week of the season. Yet he has amount 10 home runs in the span which puts him on pace for 35 for the year.

Not bad for a slumping season—is it worth the $10 millions Howard is being paid this year?

How quickly fans forget the fact that Howard is the quickest player ever to reach 100 home runs and has amounted more homers in the previous two seasons than any other player—all while making the rookie maximum of $300,000 a year.

He has accomplished a feat which only two other players have in baseball history in becoming the Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive seasons. In 2006, he single-handedly carried the Phillies to their 86 wins and brought life back to the ball park with his all time Phillies home run record.

Yet, does all that give him a free pass?

Unfortunately for Howard, fans in this town have a short memory. "What have you done for me lately?" seems to be the motto of this town.

How quickly we forget that Pat Burrell practically stole $60 million from this franchise, only really starting to play now that his contract is up. Burrell has consistently been booed on Opening Day for the past four seasons. Yet for the first time I can remember talk of All-Star ballots run through the stadium every time he steps up to the plate.

How does he all of the sudden get a free pass? He has the same number of home runs as Howard and just seven more RBI.

Does that wipe away 4 years of sub-par play?

And yet we have players like Aaron Rowand who literally bled for this town for two seasons. A hard working attitude and no concern for his body made him a fan favorite throughout the Phillies push to the playoffs in 2007.

What did he get in return? A standing ovation when coming back to town as an opponent a year later.

This town is a difficult place to play any sport. A town with a short memory for some and a good memory for others. We still boo J.D. Drew when he visits town and cheer Jim Thome.

Either perform or suffer the consequences, no matter what your past record has been. Booing is a choice; in this town it's a tradition.

How fanatical this all seems...

Phillies-Blue Jays: Philadelphia, Second in NL East, Drops Soggy Game to Toronto

Jon McLaughlin — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:09:00 -0400

The Philadelphia Phillies entered Sunday's game with the Toronto Blue Jays hoping to win their first interleague series of the season. Unfortunately, the weather didn't agree with their plan, causing a few rain delays and a lot of soggy baseball.

The Phils sent Kyle Kendrick to the mound on Sunday, who has struggled in this early season and was looking for some semblance of stability entering the summer months. Kendrick only pitched one inning of Sunday's rubber match, due to a rain delay in the top of the second.

The Phils' offense managed to strike before the delay, as Ryan Howard lifted a ball over the center field wall for two early runs. After the delay, Carlos Ruiz managed to add another run in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single.

Philadelphia's Chad Durbin shut down the Jays immediately after the delay, but Toronto managed to break through in the top of the fifth. Lyle Overbay singlehandedly tied the game with a three-run home run to right, bringing the score to 3-3.

The bullpen woes continued for the Phils, as Rudy Seanez allowed three more runs in the sixth off a two-RBI double by Shannon Stewart following an intentional walk to Matt Stairs. Rod Barajas continued his stellar weekend with an RBI single to give the Jays a three-run lead.

The Phils tried to work their way back, scoring a run in the sixth via a Chase Utley RBI double, and one again in the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run from Pat Burrell.

The Phils would ultimately come up short though, and dropped the game 6-5 to the Blue Jays.

The Phillies currently sit in second place in the NL East, and next head on the road to visit divisional-rival Washington.

Phillies-Blue Jays: Rod Barajas Almost Matches Jayson Werth's Big Night

Jon McLaughlin — Sat, 17 May 2008 23:36:00 -0400

Saturday night's game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays played out much like Friday night's game. This time, it was a Blue Jay swinging for the fences instead of the Phillies' young platooner Jason Werth.

Rod Barajas came back to Philadelphia after a difficult season trying to become the Phils' starting catcher. He struggled and lost the job to Carlos Ruiz. Friday, Barajas got some payback as a member of the Jays.

After a solid first inning from Adam Eaton to start off Saturday's game, Eaton hit a batter and allowed two hits before Barajas smoked a ball over the right field fence for a grand slam and a four-run lead.

Eaton would seemingly settle in with the hopes of allowing the Phils' offense to battle back, but the home team struggled to get their offense going against A.J. Burnett.

In the fourth inning, Gregg Dobbs managed to get the Phils on the board with an RBI double off Burnett. The Phils added two more runs in the seventh and came within one run after a two RBI double from Jimmy Rollins.

After a scoreless eighth inning, Rod Barajas struck again and led off the top of the ninth with a solo shot to make it a two-run lead again. The Blue Jays tacked on another run on a Hector Luna single, and Toronto's closer, B.J. Ryan came in and shut down the Phils for the save.

The rubber match between these two teams will feature pitchers Kyle Kendrick for the Phils and Shaun Marcum for the Jays.

Phillies-Braves: Brett Myers Struggles Early and Often

Jon McLaughlin — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:10:00 -0400

Wednesday night's matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves pitted the ageless Tom Glavine against the reeling Brett Myers. Glavine was looking to obtain his first win since returning from the DL earlier this season, and Myers was still trying to obtain his starting form, as he has struggled all season to get games in the win column.

The Braves offense started up early for the second night in a row, putting a two spot on the scoreboard in the first inning, with home runs by Yunel Escobar and Chipper Jones. They tacked on another in the second when Kelly Johnson hit a home run of his own. The barrage continued in the third with a two out, two-RBI double off the bat of Brian McCann for a 5-0 lead.

Myers was finally pulled in the fifth inning after giving up three more earned runs. Myers loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, and after Brian McCann brought home one run, Ryan Madson was brought in to stop the bleeding, but allowed two more to cross the plate off a ground ball by Gregor Blanco.

The Phils finally got to Glavine in the sixth with an RBI double from Jimmy Rollins, a fielder's choice RBI from Shane Victorino, and a two-run home run off the bat of Chase Utley.

Unfortunately for the Phils though, the damage was done, and even though the bullpen held the Braves offense off the board after the fifth inning, they could only muster two more runs in the game. Ryan Howard hit a solo home run for his eighth of the year in the eighth inning, and Jimmy Rollins had an RBI single in the ninth to bring the game to 8-6.

The Phils send Cole Hamels to the mound on Thursday to try to win the series for the Phils against Chuck James.

Phillies-Braves: Werth's 4-4 Night Carries Phils

Jon McLaughlin — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:30:00 -0400

Tuesday night's game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies featured a divisional rival that poses an interesting story.

An aging Braves' team that spent a decade atop the NL East as the Phillies, Mets, and Marlins looked up hoping for a Wild Card spot have now had the tables turned on them. They are the team striving to compete for the number one spot in the division.

As the Phillies, Marlins, and Mets flourish this season, the Braves are looking for a spark to get rolling. Tuesday they continued to look for that spark, but, unfortunately for the Braves, Jason Werth showed up in rare fashion.

The Phils sent Kyle Kendrick to the mound on Tuesday to face the Braves' JoJo Reyes, looking to steady the back of the Phils' rotation. Kendirick, however, took some time to stabilize.

In the top of the first the Braves came out firing on all cylinders. After the first two batters reached base, Chipper Jones singled to center bringing home a run. Three batters later though, Jeff Francoeur hit a two-out two RBI single to right, giving the Braves a 3-0 lead after the first.

Luckily for the Phils, Kendrick would settle after the shaky start and begin to shut down the Braves' offense.

It took until the fourth inning for the Phils to put up some runs.

In the bottom of the fourth, Chase Utley led off with a single and was moved to third on a long double to center off the bat of Ryan Howard. Two batters later, Jason Werth hit a single up the middle and brought both Howard and Utley home to make it a one run game.

The Phils added two more in the fifth inning off an RBI single from Ryan Howard and another from Jason Werth. Werth would continue his stellar 4-4 night with a RBI single in the seventh that would bring home the eventual game winner.

Four of the five Phillies' runs came off the bat of Jason Werth, helping to erase a difficult play in the bottom of the ninth when Werth allowed a ball to sail over his head and bring home a run.

Luckily for Werth, Brad Lidge kept his composure after allowing the run and closed out the game for his tenth save of the season.

With the win and a loss by the Marlins, the Phils are now only 1.5 games out of first in the NL East.

Wednesday's match up features Brett Myers for the Phils and the ageless wonder, Tom Glavine, for the Braves.

Jason Werth has more than likely secured himself a spot in Wednesday's lineup with a 4-4 performance, and the Phils' Ryan Howard finally had a solid night going 2-4 with an RBI.

Adam Eaton Struggles in the Desert

Jon McLaughlin — Wed, 07 May 2008 07:52:00 -0400

Adam Eaton took the mound on Tuesday night in Arizona with the hopes of obtaining his first decision of the year.

Having previously started six games this season, Eaton had yet to get a decision despite the fact that the Phillies had won four of those starts. For the Diamondbacks, Randy Johnson looked to stop the bleeding from back-to-back losses off of crucial errors in the ninth inning.

Arizona struck first in the bottom of the first inning.

A leadoff double to Chris Young was followed two batters later by a throwing error on the part of Pedro Feliz on a ball hit by Eric Byrnes, allowing Young to reach third. With one out, Connor Jackson hit a single to center bringing home Young and putting the Diamondbacks on the board.

The Phils struck back in the third against Johnson. Eaton decided to help himself a bit and hit a leadoff double to the gap in left-center. Shane Victorino laid down a sac-bunt to move the pitcher to third, and with one out Eric Bruntlett smoked the first pitch he saw from Johnson over the left field wall for a 2-1 lead.

Although Eaton had not gotten a decision in this young season, his strength has been keeping his team in the game enough to win. Unfortunately, the D'backs didn't play up to that, and in the bottom of the fourth blew the doors open with a five-run inning.

Justin Upton lead off the inning with a walk and was moved to third on a Mark Reynolds double. Miguel Montero came to the plate next, and Eaton walked the bases loaded. Luckily, Eaton managed to get Augie Ojeda to fly out to center without allowing a run to score, but did allow the next batter, who just so happened to be the pitcher, to walk on four pitches bringing home the tying run.

Chris Young followed with a ground-out that allowed a run to score, and Stephen Drew took care of the rest with a three-run home run to cap the five-run inning, leaving the Phils in a 6-2 hole.

The Phils tried twice to get a rally going, once in the fifth after a one-out walk to Victorino, and Bruntlett doubled bringing the Flyin' Hawaiin home. Then again in the sixth as Jason Werth hit a leadoff home run to get the score to 6-4.

That would be all the Phils could muster, and for the first time this season Adam Eaton got a decision—unfortunately it was in the wrong column.

The Phils dropped to 19-15, and with a Florida win now share first place in the NL East. They send Kyle Kendrick to the mound on Wednesday night to try to bounce back from the tough loss.

Phillies Offense Explodes In Arizona

Jon McLaughlin — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:59:00 -0400

The Philadelphia Phillies set out on Monday night to take on the league-leading Arizona Diamondbacks.

The D'backs have the best record in baseball with a 21-10 record, after a tough loss on an error in the ninth to lose to the Mets. That loss is eerily similar to how the Phils managed to sneak away with a win on Sunday against the Giants.

The Phils sent the consistent Jamie Moyer to the mound, who has struggled to get run support and has limited his ability to last past the sixth inning.

Arizona, on the other hand, started 24-year-old Max Scherzer on the mound for the first time in his career.

The Phillies offense started early and kept the heat on. After a lead off double by Shane Victorino, the Phils scored a run in the first inning on a sac-fly by the struggling Ryan Howard.

The Diamondbacks got back quickly, scoring a run off an RBI triple by Stephen Drew in the bottom of the second, which tied the game at one run apiece.

Unfortunately for Scherzer, the Phils brought their bats to Arizona and they opened the game up in the top of the third.

Chase Utley doubled with one out, followed by a walk by Ryan Howard, and after Pat Burrell struck out swinging, the two-out rally began. Geoff Jenkins singled to center bringing home Utley to take the lead. Howard moved to third base on a wild pitch and was later brought home when Pedro Feliz reached on a fielding error by Stephen Drew.

Jenkins scored the teams fourth run on a single to center by Carlos Ruiz, and Jamie Moyer helped himself with a line drive double to left scoring Feliz and making the score 5-1.

That would conclude Max Scherzer's outing for the night and Arizona brought in Edgar Gonzalez to stop the bleeding.

Gonzalez managed to keep the Phils off the board for three straight innings, but in the top of the seventh the Phils got back to work. Geoff Jenkins led off with a single, and, two batters later, Ruiz singled to right as Jenkins advanced to third. Jamie Moyer laid down a sac-bunt to move Ruiz to second—the Phils second two-out rally of the night was on.

Gonzalez intentionally walked Victorino to get a better matchup with Bruntlett, but the Phils shortstop won that battle with a base clearing triple. Utley then walked, bringing up the struggling Howard, who singled on a ground ball to right to bring home Bruntlett for a 9-1 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, Chris Snyder homered off Jamie Moyer to get the score to 9-2, but the damage was all but done. Moyer left the game in the eighth and turned the game over to the bullpen to hopefully secure his second win of the season.

The Phils tacked on two more runs in the eighth and ninth. The first off a sac-fly by Greg Dobbs bringing home Feliz, and the second on another fielding error on a ball hit by So Taguchi—allowing Utley to score.

With the score 11-2, Charlie Manuel turned the game over to Clay Condrey, whose 7.45 ERA has made it difficult for him to get innings, so this was the perfect opportunity.

After three singles to lead off the bottom of the ninth and a throwing error by Jenkins, allowing Miguel Montero to score, it looked like the D'backs were about to start a rally.

Condrey managed to get it under control and only allowed one more run on a ground out by Chris Burke.

The Phils finished with an 11-4 win against the league leaders and look to take the second game on Tuesday night.

The Phils expanded their lead in the NL East with a win on Monday by 1.5 games.

Phillies Can't Repeat Extra Inning Rally

Jon McLaughlin — Sat, 03 May 2008 23:20:00 -0400

Saturday nights match up between the Phillies and the Giants looked eerily similar to Friday's game. Both starting pitchers came out firing, both offenses went yard and the game ended in the 10th inning, just the outcome was different.

Brett Myers took the mound against the Giants Matt Cain looking to continue to find his rhythm this season as doubts about his ability to return to the starting rotation loom in the distance. In the first inning, Myers got into trouble after a lead off walk to Fred Lewis. After Lewis stole second, Randy Winn came to the plate and singled, allowing Lewis to score handing over the lead to the Giants early.

Finally after allowing the bases to load, Myers struck out the final two batters to end the threat. In the first four innings, Myers only allowed the single run to the Giants offense, striking out seven in a strong start.

It took until the bottom of the fourth for the Phils to crack Matt Cain, and as if it is a regular occasion, Chase Utley went yard to put the Phils up 1-0. Utley's league leading 13th home run came after being named the NL Player of the Month for April.

The Giants answered right back in the top of the fifth inning with a one out home run off the bat of Fred Lewis, which gave the Giants the lead.

The lead wouldn't last long though as Geoff Jenkins muscled a ball against the wind over the right field wall to tie the game back up.

After seven strong innings from both starters, the game was turned over to the bullpens. With the game tied 2-2, the game entered the 10th inning for the second straight night. And for the second straight night, a Phillies reliever with a 0.00 ERA gave up a run in the 10th.

Rudy Seanez came in for the Phils, and after allowing a single on a ground ball to Randy Winn and a steal, Bengie Molina doubled scoring Winn and taking a 3-2 lead. For the second night in a row, the Phils looked to crack Brian Wilson, but came up short.

Sunday afternoon the Phils send Cole Hamels to the mound against the Giants Tim Linecum. The Phils will be looking to take the series before heading out on the road to meet the hot Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.

Phillies, Burrell Bat Remains Hot With Walk-Off Win

Jon McLaughlin — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:40:00 -0400

Friday night's series opener between the San Fransico Giants and the recently crowned 1st place Philadelphia Phillies. The series was a homecoming for last years iron man Aaron Rowand who moved to San Fransico in the off season as a free agent.

The Phillies sent Kyle Kendrick to the mound against Pat Misch in the series opener. After a pivotal series win against the Padres it would be important that the Phils build on their lead and maintain atop the NL East. The Phils struck early with a one out single by Jason Werth followed up by a 2 run home run off the bat of Chase Utley for his lead leading 12th home run of the year.

The Giants manufactured a two out run in the fourth off a double by Aaron Rowand and a RBI single by John Bowker to take the lead in the top of the fourth. The Phils answered right back when Pat Burrell walked to lead off the inning and Pedro Feliz took advantage of the wind to left and managed to hit a ball into the seats to extend the lead to 4-1.

After a few quite innings, Kendrick was began to get tired, and the Giants took advantage of his struggles. Jose Castillo started off the inning with a single to center followed up by a bunt single by Emmanuel Burriss. Kendrick was lifted for Ryan Madson to hold on to the lead. Unfortunately that would not be the case. Eugenio Velez singled on a line drive to center, which loaded the bases with no outs. After a strikeout to Fred Lewis, Ray Durham singled on a ground ball to right field and Castillo and Burriss scored. Randy Winn singled on a line drive to left, and Bengie Molina grounded out, allowing Velez to score and tie up the game.

With the game tied 4-4, Tom Gordon managed to pitch out of a bases loaded no out situation in the eighth and Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless 9th for the Phils giving them a chance to win in the bottom of the ninth.

In the top of the tenth, JC Romero came in to pitch and on the first pitch, Aaron Rowand hit a ball out of the park to center field to take the lead. Romero managed to escape the inning with no further damage but it would require a rally by the Phillies to get the win.

Brian Wilson came into the game for the Giants to get the save and after going 3-0 to Jason Werth managed to strike him out. Chase Utley singled on a line drive to right field, followed by Ryan Howard striking out and being ejected for arguing the call. Pat Burrell came to the plate with the hottest bat in the Phillies lineup and after getting a 3-0 green light and taking the count to 3-2, hit a moon shot to left field. The walk off home run won the game for the Phils with the score of 6-5.

Burrell continues to swing a hot bat, along with Chase Utley who still leads the MLB with 12 home runs.

The Phils send Brett Myers to the mound tomorrow night in hopes of getting the series win.

Ryan Howard Powers Phillies To First Place

Jon McLaughlin — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:19:00 -0400

Ryan Howard has spent the month of April in the kind of slump that all power hitters fall into from time to time.

With a .172 batting average and 38 strikeouts, Howard still managed to muscle five home runs and was thankfully carried by the smoking hot bat of Pat Burrell.

But Thursday night began a new month and hopefully a new season for Howard.

Thursday night's rubber match between the Padres and the Phillies brought an ex-Padre and an ex-Philly face to face. Adam Eaton squared off against Randy Wolf, both looking to lead their team to a series win.

For the Padres, things started off much as they did the night before. In the first, after a single by Tadahito Iguchi with one out, Adrian Gonzalez got his second homer in as many games and for the second consecutive night gave the Padres a 2-0 lead in the first.

It would take until the bottom of the third for the Phillies to make some noise.

With a lead-off double by the returning Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard came to the plate after strikeouts by Utley and Werth and bombed a double to center field, allowing Victorino to score. Burrell followed Howard's RBI double with one of his own, tying up the game.

Both Wolf and Eaton settled in nicely, and it wouldn't be until the eighth inning that the Phils would strike again.

Ryan Howard led off the inning with a towering fly ball to the right field stands, giving the Phils the lead and eventually the win.

For the first time this season, the Phils lead the NL East. And as the rest of the teams are struggling to get good pitching, the Phillies bullpen appears to be the hottest of the season so far.

Friday the Phils open their series against the visiting Giants and look to build on their newly-found lead in the division.

Jamie Moyer Can't Overcome Long Ball

Jon McLaughlin — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:00:00 -0400

Wednesday night was Jamie Moyer NL East Champs Bobble Head Night at Citizen's Bank Park as the Phillies hosted the second game of their three game set against the San Diego Padres. The Padres sent Chris Young to the mound who had been struggling this season to find any kind of rhythm and had not recorded a win since April 1st. Moyer had been solid so far this season, posting a 1-1 record, and although not pitching deep into games, is known for keeping the opposition to a minimum to allow his team to win. Wednesday's game featured another outing for Moyer that was good enough for the win, apparently, the Phils offense didn't agree.

The top of the first inning was riddled with poor defense for the Phils, as Tadahito Iguchi managed to reach on a ball hit to SS Eric Bruntlett that should have been ruled an error. Adrian Gonzalez followed up the play with a line shot to the right field stands, putting the Padres up 2-0 early. The inning also featured two errors, one by Ryan Howard on a difficult throw from Bruntlett and a dropped ball by Jason Werth in center. Luckily, Moyer was able to keep his composure and get out of the inning without any more damage.

In the bottom of the 1st, Eric Bruntlett managed to muscle a single to left with one out and Chase Utley came up and tied the game up with a moon shot of his own to tie the game at 2 and continue sole possession of the MLB home run lead with 11.

After a quiet second, Kevin Kouzmanoff led off the Padres inning his second home run of the year taking back the lead for San Diego. The Phils bats unfortunately remained quiet, making the Padres Chris Young look like a staff ace.

In the sixth Moyer continued to let the Padres offense get to him, as Josh Bard doubled to lead off the inning on a ball over Pat Burrell's head. Chris Young sac-bunted Bard to third, and Moyer gave a free pass to Brian Giles. Moyer was pulled for Chad Durbin who allowed a single by Tadahito Iguchi allowing Bard to score bringing the score to 4-2.

That would be all the Padres would need. Chris Young and the bullpen shut down the Phils offense past the first and Trevor Hoffman came in to get the save to even up the series at 1.

The teams meet again on Thursday as the Phils Adam Eaton will face the ex-Phil Randy Wolf in the rubber match.

Cole Hamels Succeeds, Greg Maddux Fails to Obtain 350th Win

Jon McLaughlin — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:35:00 -0400

Tuesday night's series opener between the Padres and the Phillies featured two kinds of pitchers.

One was a 42-year-old right-handed finesse pitcher trying to defy age in Jamie Moyeresque style and attempting to obtain his 350th win for the second time this season. The other was a 24-year-old left-handed changeup pitcher who relies on change of speeds and pitch location to strike out batters.

The question was, which offense could strike often enough to win the battle?

Fortunately for Hamels, the Phils brought just enough offense. They struck early, and after a walk to Eric Bruntlett, Ryan Howard came through with a clutch two-out hit for the RBI and the early lead.

Then again in the third, with one out, Jason Werth tripled off a ball to right field, followed by Bruntlett whose bat has been coming along lately. He managed to muscle a ground ball the opposite way, allowing Werth to score.

It wasn't until the fifth that the Padres finally managed to get on the board when, with two outs, Scott Hairston hit one out on a fly ball to left field. This brought the score to 2-1.

Maddux pitched well, holding the Philllies (who are averaging seven runs a game in the early season) to two runs.

But the seventh inning became too much for Maddux, both physically and emotionally. After allowing a one-out single to Carlos Ruiz, Cole Hamels managed to muscle a hit, allowing Ruiz to reach third.

Maddux was obviously upset allowing a hit to the opposing pitcher, and was pulled from the game for Cla Meredith. The Phils managed to tack on another run with a sac-fly by Jason Werth, extending the lead to 3-1.

The eighth proved to be the end of Hamels' night. After a leadoff double to Hairston, and a close play at third by Chase Utley that allowed Hairston to move to third, and a walk to Tony Clark, Hamels was taken out of the game and replaced with JC Romero.

Romero walked Brian Giles, loading the bases, and was immediately yanked for Tom Gordon. Gordon managed to invoke a ground ball from Tadahito Iguchi, but only managed one out from the play that allowed a run to score.

Gordon got Kevin Kouzmanoff to ground out as well, ending the inning and the Padres' rally.

The Phils had a rally of their own, tacking on four runs in the bottom of the eighth to pad the lead for the bullpen. After a leadoff double by Utley, two batters later Burrell was intentionally walked. And after a fly out by Shane Victorino, the two-out rally began.

Pedro Feliz hit a ground ball through the hole to right, allowing Utley to score and move Taguchi (who came in to run for Burrell) to third. Feliz advanced to second on the throw home to try to get Utley.

Carlos Ruiz doubled to right-center and both Taguchi and Feliz came home, immediately followed by Gregg Dobbs. Dobbs hit a double of his own, bringing home Ruiz and extending the lead to 7-2.

The Padres managed to get two back in the top of the ninth off a two-run home run by Scott Hairston. Still, Ryan Madson held on to keep the lead and secure the Phils' first winning April in five years.

As those of you who read my blog know, I am tracking our beloved manager's record throughout the season to determine just how many games Uncle Charlie blows for us. He is currently 0-2.

Charlie, though, will get this win tonight for sticking with the hot bat in Jason Werth and for his offensive substitutions that seem to continue to work out.

Keep up the good work, Charlie. Maybe we shouldn't get you fired after all.

Pat Burrell Benefitting While Jamie Moyer Struggles In Positions

Jon McLaughlin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:56:23 -0400

The Philadelphia Phillies 2008 is seemingly off on the right foot. At the end of the first month they appear to be at above 500 or better, their offense is leading the league in home runs, in what is usually the coldest month of the season, and their bench has stepped up big with players like Jason Werth and Eric Bruntlett in the absence of their most recent MVP and starting center fielder. There are still a few concerns though that need to be looked at and while play out sooner or later over the next month or so.

Ryan Howard struggles, Pat Burrell reaps benefits.Ryan Howard, arguably the most dangerous hitter in baseball has begun his season well below the .200 mark and with only 5 home runs in the month of April. Although most likely this is only an early season slump, it's obvious that at this point Howard is struggling mechanically and just swinging at bad pitches. Leading the league in strikeouts with 37 on the 28th of April puts him on a pace for 215 strikeouts for the season. Although if he pulls out of his slump, he might just as well hit 50 homers. Pat Burrell on the other hand is having a stellar April. Leading the National League in RBIs, only two behind fellow teammate Chase Utley for home runs with 8, and posting a .467 batting average gives him the best April of his career and potentially of any Philly. The question is, how much are these two players connected. Pat has for the past two years, obviously seen better pitches than Ryan as the National league pitchers become more and more concerned at pitching to him. This year he is sitting quietly in the 5th spot in the lineup and sucking up the RBIs that Ryan Howard would usually be getting. In 2007, Howard had 13 RBIS and 3 home runs in April/March, while Burrell had only 1 home run and 9 RBIs, well below this season. Burrell didn't peak last year until July and August when he accrued 47 of his 97 RBIs for the year, while Howard's 13 in April/March were his lowest total of the year.Looking at the numbers, as we always do in baseball, when Howard gets out of his slump, Pat's hot bat will cool.

Moyer has difficulty being playing second fiddle to Hamels.Cole has emerged as the staff ace over the last two years. With the inconsistency of Brett Myers as a starter and the lack of depth through the rest of the rotation, Jamie Moyer has been called on to be the veteran among a young group of pitchers. It appears though, that Moyer may be affected by his spot in the rotation. Moyer has landed the 3rd spot in the rotation this year, which because of a bad decision by management, Hamels was the number two guy and this puts back-to-back lefties in the rotation. Not only back-to-back lefties, but back-to-back left handed changeup pitchers. Last year, Hamels was pitching in the number one spot and like this year, settled in nicely as he appears to be this season. Moyer however has been struggling, posting a respectable 4.05 ERA, but has only managed to pitch 5 1/3 innings per game. Also, while Hamels has only given up 27 hits and struck out 30, Moyer has given up with only 11 strikeouts. This year, every team that has faced Cole Hamels the ace changeup pitcher for the Phillies has subsequently faced Moyer the following night. Same team, same pitching side, same style pitcher. The management has recently made the change of moving Adam Eaton up from the 5th spot in the rotation to the 4th. It might just serve them well to bring him up one further or at least move Myers down a spot and show some respect to the true ace of this staff.
As always, time will tell...

Pirates-Phillies: Brett Myers Struggles Again, Paul Maholm Stops Sweep

Jon McLaughlin — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:13:00 -0400

Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies provided the opportunity for the Phils first three game sweep of the season. Brett Myers took the mound hoping to find some sort of rhythm this season, his opponent, Paul Maholm, was looking to build on his last outing which provided his first win of the season. The Phillies headed into Sunday with a three game win streak and were pushing hard to climb to the top of the NL East standings before heading home to face the Padres on Tuesday.

Myers and Maholm both started the day strong. Despite Myers giving up a lead off home run to Nate Mclouth, he was able to settle in nicely through the first three innings. In the fourth, Myers managed to get the first batters out, but after allowing a single to Adam LaRoche and a wild pitch in the next at bat allowing him to reach second, Jose Bautista singled to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead. In the fifth, Myers walked Maholm to lead off the inning, and Nate McLouth struck again, hitting a two run shot over the wall in right field. Myers appeared to be struggling once again.

Maholm on the other hand had the Phils number holding the Phils without a hit until the 5th. Pat Burrell doubled off Maholm with one out and two batters later Eric Bruntlett singled on a line drive to center allowing Burrell to score.

Charlie Manuel finally lifted iBrett Myers in the top of the sixth and Rudy Seanez was brought in to keep the Pirates at bay. Adam Larouche led off the sixth with a single and Jose Bautista followed with a single allowing Larouche to reach third. One batter later, Luis Rivas grounded into a double play allowing Larouche to score bringing the score to 5-1.

Maholm would go on to shut down the Phils for the remainder of the day, allowing only the two hits, with only two strikeouts and four walks in a complete game win. The Pirates managed to avoid a sweep and potentially find a gem in their rotation on the day when veteran pitcher Matt Morris was released.

The Phils head home and after a day off on Monday open a series with the Padres and a six game home stand. Sitting in third in the NL East at 14-12, the Phillies have to find an answer to their rotation as Myers continues to struggle with both his velocity and his control.

Howard Back In Lineup, Offense Beats Up Morris

Jon McLaughlin — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:07:00 -0400

For the first time in two games Ryan Howard was in the Phillies starting lineup Saturday night against the Pirates. Kyle Kendrick took the mound against the cross state rivals opposing Matt Morris who, like Kendrick, has struggled this season. Both starters were looking to try to turn their seasons in a positive direction.

Things looked to be starting off well for Morris, getting Jason Werth and Gregg Dobbs in order. Chase Utley came to the plate and hit a line drive single to right, bringing Ryan Howard to the plate.

Howard had taken the last two games off to try to clear his head in hopes of getting out of his early slump in which his is hitting below .200. Howard did appear as a pinch hitter in both games.

After fouling off three consecutive pitches by Morris, Howard hit a bomb of a home run right over the center field wall for his fifth of the season making the score 2-0. Pat Burrell singled on a line drive to Jason Bay, and Geoff Jenkins knocked him in on what was scored a error on Xavier Nady when Jenkins hit a ball over Nady's head that bounced out of his glove. Chris Coste was up next and after three pitches was hit by Morris to give the Phils 1st and 2nd with two outs. Eric Bruntlett singled on a ground ball to center field bringing in Jenkins and moving Coste to 2nd, and in what seemed to be a never ending nightmare for Matt Morris, Kyle Kendrick reached base when SS Brian Bixler booted a ball into center field brining in Coste. Finally, after allowing six runs to score, Jason Werth flied out to end the inning.

It didn't take long for the Phils to tack on another run, when in the top of the 2nd inning, Chase Utley singled, Ryan Howard walked, and two batters later Eric Bruntlett singled to left to bring home Utley.

The Pirates finally made some noise in the third after Kendrick hit Brian Bixler with a pitch. Two batters later, Nate Mclouth hit a line drive center field to bring home Bixler, and Freddy Sanchez doubled to right bringing home Mclouth.

The Pirates pen appeared to have been keeping the Phils offense in check until the sixth inning. Brian Bixler recorded his second error of the game of a hit by Eric Bruntlett and after back-to-back doubles by Jason Werth and Pedro Feliz, the Phils tacked on two more runs to their lead.

The Pirates got one back in the seventh as Doug Mientkiewicz singled to center, Ronny Paulino attempted to move over Mientkiewicz and hit a slow dribbler that was fielded by Kendrick, but because of the rushed play, was thrown away. Mientkiewicz advanced to third on the error and was brought home on a ground out by Bixler.

Kendrick pitched into the eighth inning, but after giving up a leadoff home run to Nate Mclouth and allowing a single to Freddy Sanchez, Kendrick was pulled for Rudy Seanez who managed to get out of the inning without allowing any more runs. Ryan Madson came in for the Phils in the ninth and was able to close it out for an 8-4 win for the Phils

The Phils send ace Brett Myers to the mound on Sunday hoping to get their first three game sweep of the season.

Phils "Coste" Past Pirates

Jon McLaughlin — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:50:00 -0400

The Phillies opened their last of three series in their three city road trip on Friday night against state rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Adam Eaton took the mound hoping to build off his unexpected good start to the 2008 season against the Pirates Zack Duke. The Phils poured the runs on early and often.

In the first, Jason Werth and Chase Utley managed back-to-back walks before Chris Coste doubled a ball off of Duke left field bringing in both runners. In the third Jason Werth hit his fifth home run of the season to right-center field. Pat Burrell doubled to left field and was knocked in by Coste who hit a single to center-field for his third RBI of the night. The Phils tacked on two more runs in the fourth after Eric Bruntlett led off the inning with a single. Brad Harman came to the plate and got his first hit, and RBI of his major league career with a double to left field. Harman would score his first run of his career two batters later thanks to a single by Jason Werth.

The bottom of the fourth was when things started to get sticky of Eaton. The Phils starter managed to get Freddy Sanchez swinging to start off the inning, but followed it up with a long ball to Jason Bay. Ryan Doumit doubled to right and Xavier Nady hit a double of his own to knock in Doumit. Two batters later, Paul Mientkiewicz doubled to right field and Nady came in to score cutting the Phils lead in half. After a walk to Brian Bixler, Chad Durbin was brought in to replace Eaton and managed to get out of the inning without further damage.

In the bottom of the fifth, Durbin managed to get the first two batters out, before serving up a walk to Jason Bay. Ryan Doumit hit his second double of the game giving the Pirates 2nd and 3rd with two outs. Nady came to the plate and sliced a ground ball to left field and both Doumit and Nady came in to score.

Durbin managed to keep the Pirates off the board in the sixth, which became important because of the Pirates bullpens ability to shut down the Phils offense after the fourth inning. Tom Gordon pitched a near flawless 7th, followed up by another fantastic outing by JC Romero in the 8th, and the Phils Brad Lidge came in in the ninth and closed the game out with strikeouts to both Nate Mclouth and Jason Bay.

The Phils send Kyle Kendrick to the mound on Saturday night who look to build on their 13-11 record and end this road trip strong.

Long Ball Can't Carry Phils Past Brewers

Jon McLaughlin — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:49:00 -0400

Wednesday nights match up between the Phillies and the Brewers featured Cole Hamels against Milwaukee's Dave Bush. Hamels struggled early in the game giving up 3 runs in the first. Hamels allowed a leadoff double to Rickie Weeks, an RBI single to Gabe Kapler, followed by a home run courtesy of Prince Fielder.

The Phils chipped away though with a third inning home run by Chase Utley, who has an extra base hit in nine straight games. Then in the 5th inning, Gregg Dobbs stroked a ball to right field after Hamels led off the inning with a single. The Phils tacked one more on with a home run by Pat Burrell in the sixth.

Things were smooth sailing for the Phils, as Hamels pitched into the eighth, but got into trouble after a lead off double to Ryan Braun followed up by Prince Fielder's second home run of the night.

The Phillies again had trouble playing small ball as they left 13 men on base and scored all of their runs of homers for the second time this week.

Derrick Turnbow came into the game in the ninth and despite allowing So Taguchi to reach on a walk and advance to third on a throwing error, closed out the game after getting Jason Werth to strike out and Pedro Feliz to ground out.

The Phils close out their short set with the Brewers on Thursday night and send Jaimie Moyer to the mound.

Burrell Blasts Phils Past Rockies, Over 500

Jon McLaughlin — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:42:00 -0400

The Philadelphia Phillies looked to win their first series of the season against the Colorado Rockies Tuesday night. Although it was just a two-game series, the Phils had a chance to move over the .500 mark while keeping their momentum going into Milwaukee.

The game featured Brett Myers against Jeff Francis in what continues to be a inter-conference rivalry since last year's Wild Card Playoff series.

Chase Utley continued to deliver early. In the third inning he smacked a two-run double to center field to get the Phillies on the board early.

The Rockies struck back right away when Todd Helton and Matt Holiday got back-to-back doubles off Brett Myers.

But in the fourth, Jeff Francis helped the Phillies tack on to their lead by walking in a run, giving Philadelphia a 3-1 lead.

The lead didn't last long, though, as Myers started to struggle against the Rockies lineup, giving up a lead-off triple to Brad Hawpe. Jeff Baker singled to bring in Hawpe. Two batters later, Jeff Francis bunted over Baker to move him into scoring position. Willy Tavares came to the plate and doubled to center field bringing in Baker and tying the game 3-3.

The Rockies took the lead in the fifth off a Matt Holliday home run, and the Phillies' Jason Werth tied it back up with a homer of his own.

Then, in the bottom of the seventh, things blew up on Brett Myers after a walk to Matt Holliday. Garrett Atkins homered on a line drive to left field, giving the Rockies the lead again.

In the top of the eighth, Pedro Feliz doubled to left field and was knocked in by pinch hitter Gregg Dobbs bringing the Phils within one.

In the top of the ninth, the Rockies brought in Manny Corpas to close out the game. The Phils had yet to score a run off Corpas in his short career, but were up to the challenge of changing that stat.

So Taguchi led off the inning with a single past Todd Helton. Chase Utley came to the plate two batters later and hit a line drive to center field; Taguchi moved to third base and Utley got to second on the throw. Corpas intentionally walked Ryan Howard to load the bases to try and force the double play.

Pat Burrell came to the plate with the hottest bat on the team and potentially in the league. With the count 2-2, Burrell hit a bomb to left-center field, but because the Rockies were shading towards right field, Willy Tavares couldn't get there in time. The ball fell in for a base clearing double.

The Phils took the lead 8-6, and in the bottom of the ninth Brad Lidge came in for the save.

The Phillies moved over the .500 mark for the first time this season and now head to Milwaukee to face the Brewers in a two-game set.

Chase Utley Continues Streak, Phils Win

Jon McLaughlin — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:53:00 -0400

Chase Utley took his four-game, five-home run streak into Colorado on Monday night, building off the important win in the final game against the Mets on Sunday.

The Phillies were also looking to get some other offense going since so far this season they have been thriving off the long ball. They went into Monday's game against the Rockies with a league-leading 31 home runs.

Monday night's matchup featured the Rockies' Mike Redman against the Phils' Kyle Kendrick.

Kendrick has been struggling a bit this season. Being a contact pitcher requires getting good defense from the rest of the team, and the Phils have been struggling in the field, more so since the lost of Jimmy Rollins.

Kendrick allowed the Rockies to get on the board early. In the second, the Rockies scored off of a three-run homer by Yorvit Torrealba.

The Phils' struggle to score runs looked to continue until the fourth inning, when Ryan Howard reached on a single and Pat Burrell crushed a ball for his seventh home run of the season.

It didn't take long though for the Rockies to add to their lead. Kendrick allowed a two-run homer by Garrett Atkins, bringing the game to 5-2.

The Phillies came right back in the top of the sixth when Jason Werth managed an inside-the-park home run off a ball hit to center field, followed by Chase Utley's sixth home run in five games.

In the top of the eighth, with the score 5-4 and the Rockies readying their closer in the bullpen, the Phillies managed to score two runs off of non-home run plays for the first time in two games.

Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, and Pedro Feliz all reached base, bringing up Carlos Ruiz with the bases loaded and two outs. Ruiz smoked a ball down the right field line for a double, allowing Howard and T.J. Bohn (pinch runner for Burrell) to score.

With their lead going into the ninth, the Phils looked to tack on some insurance runs.

Geoff Jenkins led off the ninth with a single to right field, and Chris Coste was hit by a pitch. Jason Werth came up to the plate and hit a line drive to right field for a double, which allowed Jenkins to score.

After Utley and Howard went down, T. J. Bohn came to the plate and hit a line drive to left field allowing Coste and Werth to come in to score.

Although they had a four-run lead, Brad Lidge came in to end the game.

After striking out Troy Tulowitzki and Matt Holiday, the Phils closed out a well-fought 9-5 win.

The Phils send Brett Myers to the mound on Tuesday to face Jeff Francis.

The Phillies are at the .500 mark for the fourth time this season and will be looking to get over the hump.

Phillies-Mets: Utley Blasts Phils Past Mets, Avoid Sweep

Jon McLaughlin — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:38:00 -0400

Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN featured the "teams" to beat in the NL East, as the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets squared off in the final game of their weekend series.

The Phils sent Adam Eaton to the mound to face off against Mike Pelfry. Eaton has had a surprising start to the season, keeping opponents in check all year and providing the offense with an opportunity to win the games.

Sunday night was no different, except the Phillies brought their "secret" weapon.

Chase Utley had homered in each of the Phillies loses in the series against the Mets and it appeared that it was going to take more than one to get past their heated rivals.

It took two.

Utley hit a solo home run in the first inning to get the Phils on the board early. Pelfry seemed to keep the rest of the Phillies offense in check until the fifth inning, when Chase Utley powered a second ball into the stands with two men on to extend the lead to four for Eaton.

Unfortunately though, Eaton struggled in the sixth inning and the Mets managed to battle back to score four runs of their own and tie the game up, sending the Philly crowd running for cover.

Lucky for the fans, they only had to wait until the next inning when Pedro Feliz came into to pinch-hit for Gregg Dobbs against Pedro Feliciano. Feliz managed to get the best of the match up sending one over the wall and supplying the winning run for the Phils.

Brad Lidge came in to get the save, and although he allowed the first to batters to reach base, he managed to get out of the game on a stellar play by MVP Shortstop Jimmy Rollins replacement, Eric Bruntlett.

The Phils head to Colorado on Monday to face the Colorado Rockies.

Jose Reyes, David Wright Continue to Punish Phillies

Jon McLaughlin — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:28:00 -0400

For the second straight night the Mets bats out did the Phillies both early and late to score the second win in the weekend series. The ageless Jamie Moyer took the mound at Citizen's Bank Park against Oliver Perez on Saturday night and got into trouble early. In the first inning Jose Reyes and David Wright continued to punish the Phils and managed to score two runs early.
The Phillies bats however were ineffective against Perez until the seventh inning, but by then they were down 4 runs off the two run shot by Reyes.

The Phils managed to get a run on the board in the bottom of the seventh off a solo home run by Chase Utley. In the eighth, in what seems to be plaguing the team early in the season, the Phillies managed to get bases loaded with one out and only score one run, after Aaron Heilman came in to strike out Geoff Jenkins and Jason Werth.

Ryan Howard continues to struggle going 0-5 and tacking on 3 more strikeouts to his total for the season as he leads the league with 26. Jimmy Rollins came into pinch hit for the fourth time in his 10 game absence from the starting lineup and the effects of him missing from the lead off spot are starting to show. The Phils will try to salvage a win in this series Sunday night before they head to Colorado for a rematch of last years Wild Card Playoff series.

Phillies' Bats Come Alive Late

Jon McLaughlin — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:04:00 -0400

Adam Eaton took the mound in the opening game of the Phillies series against the Houston Astros.

Eaton had another strong outing, but pitched six innings to another no decision, giving up three runs striking out three.

The Phillies bats remained silent as they struggled to get runners in scoring position all night, and the bullpen continued to amaze as they held the game at 3-0 through the ninth in hopes of giving their offense a chance.

In the bottom of the ninth, the game changed in the Phillies’ favor.

After Shawn Chacon pitched eight strong innings keeping the Phillies offense in check, Houston brought in their closer Jose Valverde.

Unfortunately for Valverde, the Phils woke up in the ninth.

Chris Snelling came up swung at the first pitch and hit a home run to right field bringing the Phils within two. Valverde then hit Chase Utley with a pitch and then struck out Ryan Howard for the first out of the inning.

Pat Burrell came to the plate and hit a home run to the opposite field to tie the game at three.

Geoff Jenkins struck out swinging, but reached first on a passed ball by Brad Ausmus. That brought up Pedro Feliz who stroked a ball to the left field corner and Jenkins went from first to home to win the game.

This game showed that the Phils offense cannot be counted out and that the Phils bullpen might not be as bad as critics thought going into this season.

Only time will tell.

The Phils send Kyle Kendrick to the mound on Wednesday against Roy Oswalt.

Phillies: Rolling Without Jimmy Rollins

Jon McLaughlin — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 21:57:00 -0400

Cole Hamels took the mound Saturday night looking to build off his first outing of the year and hoping to get the run support needed to put it away. Likewise, the Phillies were trying to get themselves back to .500, and attempting to win their first series of the year.

Hamels came out strong and managed to allow only one hit through seven strong innings while striking out five in a 7-1 win over the Cubs.

The Phils' offense came out strong as well, striking early in the second with a two-run home run by Pedro Feliz. The Phillies tacked on three more in the fifth including a two-run shot by Ryan Howard for his third of the year.

It wasn't until Ryan Madson came on in the eighth that the Cubs managed to strike for a run, but their efforts were quickly extinguished.

It looks as though the Phillies are faring well without their MVP, shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who remains day-to-day with a sprained ankle. Despite an abysmal first game with the club, Eric Bruntlett is proving to be a solid defensive backup shortstop.

Although Bruntlett isn't getting the job done at the plate, his defensive skills are keeping the Phillies where they need to be until Rollins can rejoin the team.

The Phils send Jamie Moyer to the mound on Sunday in hopes of their first sweep of the season against Jason Marquis. Hopefully, the back-to-back changeup pitchers won't give the Cubs an edge and the Phillies can put this series away and look toward the Astros to continue their solid homestand.

Philadelphia Phillies Finally on All Cylinders.

Jon McLaughlin — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:18:00 -0400

Friday night the Phils opened a weekend series with the Chicago Cubs, pitting Brett Myers against the fiery Carlos Zambrano. Myers along with the rest of the Phillies were aiming to right the ship as both the teams and Myers last two outings have been less than favorable.

The game started off with a bang as both Derrick Lee and Aramis Ramirez hit bombs off Myers in the first putting the Phils behind early. Myers though managed to gain his composure and keep the Cubs under control allowing for the offense to catch up off a fourth inning 2 run homer run from Pat Burrell.

In the bottom of the 5th Gregg Dobbs smacked a double to left-center that was subsequently dropped by Kosuke Fukudome after a collision with left fielder Alfonso Soriano, allowing Shane Victorino to score and the Phillie to take the lead. In the top of the sixth, Soriano blasted a homer run to left field tying the game back up, but only for a short time as the Phils got two more in the bottom of the sixth take the lead for the duration.

Brett Myers had his first solid outing of the season, going 8 innings, giving up 3 ER with 5 Ks. Brad Lidge came on in the ninth and despite a poorly defensed play by Tso Taguchi, Lidge got the save to secure the win at the start of their 9 game homestand.

This was the first "complete" game by the Phillies this season and hopefully will be a solid building block for the remainder of the season. Tomorrow night the Phils send Cole Hamels to the mound against Ted Lilly with the hopes of getting back to .500 for the season.