Philadelphia Phillies: Recapping the New York Mets Series

I'll just ignore the 11-0 shellacking today.  Halladay pitched extremely well.

I have to show the Mets some love, though. 

They've been in the doldrums the past couple of years and, who knows, they may end up being in the doldrums once again when the season concludes.

But, for the first time in a while, the Mets played with passion. 

Let's look at game two of the series.  In years past, a 7-0 deficit was impossible to overcome; they would've waved the white flag.

Although the Phillies won the game 10-7, I came away impressed.

Whether it was the managerial change or cutting Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez, something is fueling the fire.

Making the playoffs is still going to be a tough task, but at least there's some life being shown.

Four Aces Doesn't Always Win the Hand

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 05: Starting pitcher Cole Hamels #35 of the Philadelphia Phillies walks from the mound after being pulled from the game by manager Charlie Manuel in the third inning during the game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park

During yesterday's edition of Philadelphia's Daily News Live, there was a poll on Cole Hamels.

On Tuesday night, Hamels struggled and was booed heavily for his efforts.  He went just two and two-thirds innings, allowed six runs on seven hits, and walked two.

He didn't really get hit hard, but six runs are still six runs.

Back to the poll; there were two choices.  Essentially, choice A was that the fans shouldn't have booed, and choice B was that he should've been booed.

Forty-seven percent of Philadelphians voted for choice B. 

Are you kidding me, Philadelphia? Really?!?!  You can't expect perfect starts from the four aces every single game. 

Hamels is a pitcher who improves as the season goes along.  I noticed that he didn't have his 95-96 MPH velocity that he had by the end of last year.  He was in the low-90's.   

He struggled with his location, but, to conclude, it's just one start.

Patience, Philly, patience.   

Blanton Hot and Cold

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SAN FRANCISCO - OCTOBER 20: Joe Blanton #56 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts in the fifth inning of Game Four of the NLCS against the San Francisco Giants during the 2010 MLB Playoffs at AT&T Park on October 20, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Ph

For the first three innings during game two of the series, Blanton looked solid. 

He nipped the corners with his two-seam sinking fastball.  His curveball had solid tilt, and he fooled Mets hitters with his changeup.

Then things started to unravel quickly in the fifth inning. 

With the Phillies up 7-2 entering the frame, Blanton started getting rocked.  A single here, a double there—when the inning concluded, the Mets had tied the score at seven. 

He didn't locate his fastball, and his velocity dipped from 90 MPH in the first inning to 87 MPH in the fifth.  His curveball started to hang.

It was a bad start, but the Phillies' offense eventually took the lead back and won the game 10-7.

Like Hamels, Blanton is another pitcher who pitches better as the season progresses.

Antonio Bastardo

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NEW YORK - JUNE 15: Antonio Bastardo #58 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees on June 15, 2010 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

As the season goes along, I'm curious as to how the Phillies are going to handle Antonio Bastardo out of the pen.

Back to game two.  Blanton left the game in the fifth with one out and the bases loaded.

Bastardo came in and allowed just one run—throwing a scoreless sixth inning as well. 

He located his fastball, and threw his signature slider well.  Bastardo doesn't exactly have the greatest statistics during his career. 

Walks have been his downfall, but he threw 17 of his 20 pitches for strikes.

J.C. Romero hasn't exactly been stellar the last couple of years, so if Bastardo can continue to pitch well, it gives the Phillies another lefty option to consider.

The Big Bear Continues to Roar

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 01: Batter Ryan Howard #6 of the Philadelphia Phillies against the Houston Astros during opening day at Citizens Bank Park on April 1, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Howard's been known to be hot for long stretches of time, but it also works the other way around.

The Big Bear has never gotten off to a start like this. 

There have been 294 total cycles in MLB history. 

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there have been 8,830 instances since the expansion era in 1961 in which a batter has fallen a triple shy of the cycle.  This occurs approximately once in every 12 games played. 

Howard fell a triple shy of the cycle twice this week.

Ben Francisco Continues to Mash

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WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 29: Ben Francisco #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a home run in the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 29, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Besides Ryan Howard, no one is hitting the ball harder than Ben Francisco.

If it was summertime, Francisco would already have four home runs instead of two.

In game one of the series, Francisco hit two stingers to deep left.  The wind knocked down both balls, and Jerry Hairston Jr. made both plays at the warning track.

Francisco finally got some justice by drilling a no-doubt bomb to left in game two.

All in all, he's off to a fantastic start.