Phightin' Phils Phorum

Phillies Win Game 5, Pedro Pitches Game 6

Tack on runs win games. Anyone that knows me knows is sick of hearing me say it, but when a team takes a lead, especially against a team like the Yankees, they need to increase their lead or they will lose in the late innings. The Phillies did so with their backs against the wall.

Chase Utley tied the record for homeruns in the World Series and did it in one less game than Reggie Jackson. While the game got interesting in the eighth and ninth innings, Ryan Madson was able to close the door for Cliff Lee who was brilliant again.

Pedro Martinez will now pitch game 6 in New York and try to force a game 7. As Jimmy Rollins said, nothing is over. Cliff Lee said he is ready to pitch in game 7 and will do whatever Charlie Manuel wants him to do. He said he does not get sore and will be ready to go. A far cry from the whining of Cole Hamels wanting the season to be over.

If the series makes it to game 7, I would start Hamels with a choke chain, then use Lee in relief hoping to get to the late inning relievers. Game 6 is Wednesday night. Keep your phaith Phillies fans, we are not done yet!

Phillies Let Game 3 Slip Away, Hamels Does Not Seem To Care

 The Philadelphia Phillies let game 3 of the World Series slip away as Cole Hamels pitched poorly again and wasted a 2 homerun game by Jayson Werth. Trailing 3-0 Alex Rodriguez hit a 2 run homerun that was originally called a double until overturned by instant replay. As I have always been against instant replay this solidifies my stance. Upon review of the replay in the MTR Media room, the video was inconclusive. While the ball hit a camera above the fence, the camera was over the fence above the field and the ball was dropping quickly. 

Meanwhile Cole Hamels found his subpar outing humorous. In an interview after the game Hamels, laughed, said he could not wait for the season to be over and that it was draining, and that Alex Rodriguez was such a good player. He was like a deer in headlights out there and does not seem to care that he is in the World Series. I mean seriously, he wants the season to be over? I understand he has had a rough time out there but his team is in the World Series. 28 teams are sitting home wishing they were in his shoes. If I was Charlie Manuel and this series goes 7 games, J.A. Happ would be my starter.

The Yankees are too good of a team to allow them to have won this game. They did the right thing tacking on runs and the Phillies were unable to catch up. Now the Phillies MUST win games 4 and 5 and hope that they can win another game at Yankees Stadium. Things don't look great my friends!

Phillies Win Game One of the World Series!

Baseball is a game of streaks and a game of firsts. The Philadelphia Phillies had both going in game one of the 2009 World Series. As far as streaks go, the last 6 teams to win the first game of the World Series have won the series. As have 11 of the last 12 teams to win game one. 

 Then there were plenty of firsts. Chase Utley became the first left handed hitter to hit two homeruns against a left hander pitcher in the World Series since Babe Ruth in 1928. Cliff Lee became the first pitcher in baseball history to win an opening day game and game one of the World Series against the same team. Lee won the first game at New Yankees Stadium and now the first World Series game. Then my favorite first which will be a trivia question forever. Who was the first team to win a World Series game at New Yankees Stadium. THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES!!!.

In addition to the above, Chase Utley joined Lenny Dykstra (game 4 in 1993) and Ryan Howard (game 4 2008) to be only Phillies players to hit 2 homeruns in the same World Series game. He holds the major league record for reaching base in 26 consecutive games. Could he get to 30?

Cliff Lee was awesome. The bats were alive. While C.C. Sabathia's line looked good, the Phillies batters worked him all night. On short rest, the Phillies should be able to get to him early like they did in game 2 of last years NLDS. Maybe Reggie Jackson will pipe down about who the varsity team is!

Game 2 is tomorrow night at 7:57pm. Try to get some sleep!

Phillies Return To The World Series

Phillies win!!!  And for the second consecutive year, they will return to the World Series!

The chance to pull off the most amazing feat in baseball is upon us:  The repeat!  Can the Phillies become the new Big Red Machine?  We will see.

The 10-4 win over the Dodgers tonight had a multitude of highlights.  Here are just a few:

- Jayson Werth smashed not one, but two home runs!  Those homers accounted for 4 RBI.  Oh, and he hit a single too, just for good measure.

- Shane Victorino, who has been sick with a nasty cold all week, had 3 RBI in the game including a 2-run homer and a double.

- The Phillies bullpen which has been through the ringer this year, came through again this post-season with 4 2/3 innings of 1-run ball.  Chad Durbin was spectacular!  Chan Ho Park had 1 good inning but got into trouble in the next inning; Ryan Madson bailed him out.  And Brad Lidge pitched the 9th; it was a non-save situation but he got the job done.

- The Phillies batters finally figured out Vincente Padilla; 6 runs were charged to Padilla on 4 hits and 2 walks.

- With this win, the Phillies have scored 55 runs in 9 post-season games.  Nice.

- Even better, the Phillies are now the first National League team ever to record 16 wins in 20 post-season games.  The only AL team to do it is the Yankees and it is likely that the Phils will face the Yankees in the World Series; they are up 3 games to 1 over the Angels so far.

The not so great news from this clinching game was Cole Hamels, who still cannot seem to remember how to pitch.  Hamels lasted only 4 1/3 innings, allowing 3 solo home runs to the Dodgers.  Two of those homers came after Hamels had 2 strikes on the batter which is the really disturbing part.  With 2 strikes, why is tossing cookies right down the middle of the plate?  Hamels clearly cannot be counted on this year; it will be very interesting to see what Charlie Manuel does with the rotation for the World Series.

But I do not feel like thinking about that right now…it is time to celebrate!  Put on your party hat and have a drink!  The Phillies are going back to the World Series!!!

Unbelievable 9th Inning Comeback

Down 4-5 in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, the Phillies were down to their last out and their last 2 strikes when Jimmy Rollins stepped to the plate with 2 runners on.  Win, and the Phillies would have a huge 3-1 games advantage.  Lose, and the series would be tied 2-2.  What took place next was not only improbable, but it absolutely stunned the Dodgers.

Things looked good when the game started and Ryan Howard nailed a 2-run shot in the 1st inning.  But the bats went quiet as ex-Phillies Randy Wolf bore down and kept the Dodgers in the game.  Joe Blanton started for the Phillies and got roughed up a bit in the middle innings.  By the end of the 6th, Blanton had allowed the 2-run lead slip away into a 2-4 deficit.

The bullpen took over in the 7th and held the Dodgers to those four runs.  Chan Ho Park, Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre and Brad Lidge got the job done.  However, the offense still seemed sleepy after that 11-0 rout the previous day, so a comeback was looking unlikely.

But then Matt Stairs stepped the plate with one out in the 9th and everyone began hoping for the same miracle that occurred in Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS: Stairs nailed a 2-run homer in the 8th inning of that 2008 game to give the Phillies the lead.  Could this be a repeat performance?

Well, not quite.  Facing the very same pitcher he got that hit off in 2008, Jonathan Broxton, Stairs felt confident.  Broxton may not have felt quite as confident as he threw Stairs four straight balls.  Eric Bruntlett was put in as a pinch runner.  Broxton then proceeded to hit Carlos Ruiz with a pitch.
 

Greg Dobbs lined out for the 2nd out and things were looking good for the Dodgers.  J-Roll stepped to the plate with one final out remaining and 2 runners on base.  With a 1-1 count, Rollins whacked a line drive into the hole in right-center field.  Bruntlett and Ruiz tore up the base path, scoring 2 runs to win the game for the Phillies.  Phillies fans screamed in celebration while Dodgers fans squirmed in agony.

As amazing and uplifting as this win was for the Phillies, on the other side of the spectrum it was equally as painful and gut-wrenching for the Dodgers.  This was a killer blow, putting the Phillies at a 3-1 advantage; they now need only one more win in 3 possible tries to lock up a second consecutive trip to the World Series with a chance to repeat.

This win also shows why the Phillies are the defending World Champions.  They believe they will win, they support one another and they never give up until the final out is recorded.  To be able to witness this is the greatest joy of any fans life.  Repeat or no repeat, Phillies fans should be proud of their team!  What a year this has been…and it is not over yet.

Here is the Photo Album from the game…Go Phillies!!!

Photos by Jenn

The Team That Wouldn't Die!

"The Team That Wouldn't Die" was the title of the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies highlights film. The 2009 team may have to use the same title. With the Los Angeles Dodgers in seemingly complete control, the Fightin' Phils put a rally together against closer Jonathon Broxton and with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Jimmy Rollins hit a game winner to the right center field wall knocking in pinch runner Eric Bruntlett and Carlos Ruiz! Brad Lidge looked like the pitcher of old and earned his first win of the season. It was the team's second bottom of the ninth inning win with two outs in the post season this year. What a comeback!

In a a twist of fate that only baseball can provide, Jimmy Rollins hit was the first two out game winning hit in in the playoffs since Kirk Gibson for the Dodgers in 1988. I guess Scott Franske should have said, I can't believe what I just saw!"

The Phillies go up 3 games to 1 and are now 1 win away from another trip to the World Series! What a game! What a team! Enjoy this victory Phillies fans! This Phillies team is the one we have been dreaming about our whole lives.

Be sure to check back later for Jenn's pictures from the game.

Dodgers Freeze In Chilly Philly

 

The Phillies bats came alive tonight early in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Dodgers in an 11-0 win.   In the first inning, it appeared the Phils were taking batting practice off a rusty Hiroki Kuroda, who had not pitched in a while due to injury.  Ryan Howard drove in 2 runs with a triple and Jayson Werth followed with a 2-run homer to center.  That hit by Howard broke yet another record for the slugger; Howard became the 1st player ever to drive in runs in 7 straight post-season games within the same year.

The Phils tacked on 2 more runs in the 2nd with doubles from Carlos Ruiz and Jimmy Rollins plus an RBI ground out from Howard.  Ruiz has been the unsung hero this post-season.  Hitting in the 8-hole, Ruiz has come up with clutch hits in nearly every game.  Ruiz is 9 for 21 so far with 7 RBI; 2 of those hits and 1 RBI came in tonight’s game.  This team has been riding the Chooch Train all October.

The overall offensive highlights included 2 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs.  11 hits and 7 walks combined for 11 runs.  Every Phillie in the line-up except Raul Ibanez, who was struggling a bit, had at least one hit.  It was a total team effort.

Chase Utley bounced back after a shaky defensive performance in the first 2 games.  He appeared to be back to normal in the field and continued to produce at the plate.  Utley’s 1st inning single helped kick off a big inning for the team; he had another hit and a walk as well.

The impressive offensive output tonight was matched by superb pitching from Cliff Lee.  Lee tossed an 8 inning, 3 hit shut-out and even had a single at the plate.  This man could do no wrong and the excited crowd cheered him on all night long.  Hate to repeat myself but, thank-you Cleveland!  Chad Durbin pitched the 9th despite the opportunity for a Lee complete game as it was more important to preserve Lee’s arm for future games.  Durbin sent the Dodgers down in order.

With the 11-0 win tonight, the Phillies go up 2 games to 1 in the series.  Joe Blanton will pitch tomorrow at 8:07pm in chilly Philly against a familiar face, Randy Wolf.  I will be there in full winter gear and, assuming my hands do not freeze and fall off, I should be back with photos!  Go Phillies!

Ruiz photo by Jenn

A Tough Loss

The Phillies took a tough loss today against the Dodgers to tie this NLCS series 1 game each.  Pedro Martinez was brilliant through 7 innings where he allowed only 2 hits and no runs.  You could not have asked for more out of him.  But Martinez was pulled before the 8th inning in favor of a pinch-hitter and that proved to be a costly move as the bullpen could not hold down the 1-0 lead.

The pen has been the Achilles heel of this team all year.  Yesterday, they pulled through; today, they did not.  Manager Charlie Manuel went through five pitchers in the 8th inning and they combined to blow the lead.  Chan Ho Park, who was amazing yesterday, started the inning and gave up two base hits with no outs.  But it looked like he may escape the jam when Russell Martin hit an easy double play ball to third.  No such luck…

In a rare and truly scary move, Chase Utley, for the second night in a row, overthrew first base which allowed the tying run to score and left 2 men on with 1 out.  Last night, the slow feed from Jimmy Rollins and off-balance throw appeared to blame.  But tonight, Utley just plain blew it.  He rushed the throw when he had plenty of time and killed any chance Park had of getting out of the inning unscathed.

Utley is human, of course.  And you cannot blame the loss on him when the only scoring the Phillies did all game was a solo homer by Ryan Howard.  But it was a terrible waste of a great performance by Martinez and an even bigger waste of the opportunity to go up 2-0 in what will be a very tough series for this team. 

JA Happ allowed the winning run to score for the Dodgers when he walked Andre Ethier with the bases loaded.  The run was charged to Park.  Chad Durbin got them out of the inning, but in the 9th, they offense went down 1-2-3.  And to add insult to injury, Utley made the last out of the game by flying out to Ethier in right.  I am betting that right now, Utley needs a hug; or maybe a big bowl of ice cream.  Stiff drink anyone?  Ugh.

This loss was depressing on a number of levels.  But the good news is that we now have 3 games in Philly, starting on Sunday night.  With any luck, and some sort of miracle in the bullpen, the Phillies can use the home field to get themselves back on track.

Photo by Jenn

Happy Bunny by Jim Benton

 

Phillies Take Game 1

The Phillies hopped on board the Chooch Train last night and rode it to a win over the Dodgers; Carlos Ruiz smashed a 3-run homer in the 5th inning to give the Phillies a lead that they would never relinquish.  Raul Ibanez hit a 3-run shot of his own in the 8th to pad that lead.  That Ibanez guy is not too shabby either.

It was not all sunshine and roses though for the Phillies.  Cole Hamels looked like the pitcher of old for 4 innings but then, after Chooch’s 3-run shot and Ryan Howard’s 2 RBI in the 5th blasted the Phillies to that big 5-1 lead, Hamels began to unravel.   The Cardinal Sin in baseball – to give the other team a boost after you just put a hurting on them. 

Hamels allowed a lead-off double, a single and then appeared to have a double play ball hit to Jimmy Rollins.  The ball got stuck in his glove so the feed to Chase Utley was late and Utley overthrew to first in his haste.  But Hamels still had a 3 run lead and 2 outs.  Instead of focusing on that, he showed up his teammate by throwing his hands up in disgust at Utley, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head.  Cardinal Sin #2 – showing up your teammate.  Hamels could not concentrate after that and gave away a 2-run homer to Manny Ramirez.

The Phillies got the win, but the gestures and attitude of Hamels is disgusting.  How many times have his teammates bailed him out of bad situations?  And this is the thanks they get?  No double play is ever a sure thing.  Besides, if Hamels had not put two men on base, he would not have been in that situation to begin with.  Utley was not pitching, as near as one can tell; Hamels was.  Hamels should be ashamed for the lack of respect he showed his team.

Ok, let us not dwell…we did win the game :O)  The most pleasant surprise of the night was Chan Ho Park, who in his first relief appearance since 9/16/09 after an injury, came back looking sharp as ever.  He pitched a scoreless, hitless inning and had a lot of movement on his pitches.  Welcome back Chan Ho!

Six relievers were used in all and everyone did their job, except Ryan Madson who had a 4 hit, 2 run 8th inning.  Madson has not looked good this post-season at all and it is beginning to be a real concern.  Luckily, he had a 4 run lead and Brad Lidge was able to close out the game in the 9th with the 2 run lead he was left with.  Lidge seems to have his confidence back, which is good to see, but Madson appears to be going to opposite direction.  He did get Ramirez out to end the 8th, but how reliable is Madson going to be from now forward?

And how about that bad umpiring…again.  The Dodgers decided to pinch run for Jim Thome in the 6th inning, but Randy Wolf was not ready; he did not have his spikes on.  The umpire actually let the Dodgers get away with a delay of several minutes while Wolf changed his shoes in the clubhouse!  JA Happ stood on the mound pacing, waiting for the game to resume.  Sorry ump – BAD call.  You cannot let the other team’s pitcher stiffen up while you wait for someone to change shoes.  If they are not ready to go, too bad for them.  Game on.

Game 2 will kick off this afternoon at 4:07pm with former Dodger, Pedro Martinez facing former Phillie, Vincente Padilla.  This should be another good one!  Go Phillies!!!!

Photo by Jenn

Comeback Win Sends Phillies To NLCS

For the second year in a row, the Phillies will face the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.  The Phils beat the Rockies tonight with a 9th inning, 3-run comeback to win the NLDS series 3 games to 1.  It was another nail biter; many fans were calling for the oxygen tank, and not because of the Rocky mountain air.

Early on, this was a pitcher’s duel with Cliff Lee allowing only 1 run though 7 innings.  2 solo homers by Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth were the only scoring for the Phillies at that point.  But Lee ran into trouble in the 8th when he walked Dexter Fowler on 3 straight strikes that were called balls; the Pitch Tracker showed the pitches were in the zone and missed by the ump.  Nothing new; he missed calls all night long. 

But that walk led to big trouble.  Todd Helton hit what should have been a double play ball and Jimmy Rollins dropped the feed from Chase Utley, putting 2 runners on with 1 out.  Ryan Madson came in and blew the inning wide open for the Rockies.  2 hits later and the Rockies were going into the 9th, at home, with a 4-2 lead.  By the way, that was Madson’s second blown save of this series.

In the 9th, Rollins singled and Utley walked to give Ryan Howard 2 runners in scoring position with 2 outs.  The Phillies had not had a single hit in the game with runners in scoring position at that point.  In fact, they even left the bases loaded twice in the game with 1 out and failed to score.  But this team just never gives up and Howard nailed a double to tie the game up.  Werth singled to score Howard and, with hearts pounding, the Phillies took the 5-4 lead into the bottom of the inning.

Scott Eyre, seemingly ok after twisting his ankle yesterday, got the 1st 2 outs, but also put 2 men on base.  So, Brad Lidge got the call for the final out and faced Troy Tulowitzki, the same batter he got to pop out to end yesterday’s game.  Lidge struck him out to win the game and send the Phillies back to the NLCS!

Also worth noting, Ben Francisco replaced Raul Ibanez in left late in the game as a defensive substitution.  Ibanez dropped a ball earlier in the game and Charlie Manuel was taking no chances.  The move paid off as Francisco made an amazing, diving catch in the 8th that saved 2 runs from scoring.

And now the champagne will flow as the Phillies celebrate their first 2009 post-season series victory.  And with any luck, 2 more such celebrations shall follow.  Go Phillies!

Photo by Jenn