Brad is "Ready to Go"

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The Phillies announced this morning that Brad Lidge has been reactivated on the roster, sending Antonio Bastardo to the AAA Iron Pigs.

Lidge made his final rehab appearance at AA Reading on Tuesday throwing two scoreless innings, striking out four on 34 pitches (22 for strikes) and said he was "ready to go." Tuesday was the last of six consecutive outings without giving up a run.

"Lights Out Lidge" may make his first appearance for the Phillies in 2010 this weekend in the highly anticipated series against the Mets.

In other rehab news, there is some speculation that Joe Blanton could be back in the rotation by Monday. Pin It Now!

Game Recap: 04.28.10 Phillies 7 Giants 6

AP/Eric Rigsby

The Phillies had one job to do today: win.

It may only be April, but the Fightins knew they couldn’t come home to Citizens Bank Park with anything less than a big, fat, pinstriped “W,” especially with the red-hot Mets coming to town, and they avoided their first sweep of the season with the most topsy-turvy victory they could possibly muster.

Going into today’s game the Phillies were 3-5 on this road trip having batted a sub par .234 with just four home runs between them (three of which were of the Jayson Werth variety). Surely going up against Tim Lincecum for the series finale wasn’t going to result in the offensive boom the team had been missing as of late.

Lincecum (4-0, 1.02 ERA) vs. Hamels (2-2, 5.28 ERA) turned out to be the pitchers dual everyone had hoped for – at least for the first five innings.
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Game Review 04.27.10 - Giants 6 Phillies 2

In the spirit of what I like to call "west coast road trip syndrome," (aka "it's 1 AM and I just want to go to bed so here's your stupid game recap") I bring you this:

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2010_04_27_phimlb_sfnmlb_1

Go ahead and click it. You'll be glad you did.

Tomorrow: Hamels (2-2, 5.11 ERA) takes on Freaky McFreakerson (4-0, 1.00 ERA) at 3:45 PM ET. Be there.

Or just come read the recap around dinner time. Pin It Now!

Game Recap: 04.26.10 Giants 5 Phillies 1

Look, it's 1 AM and I have to be at work in seven hours for a 12-hour shift, so I'm going to keep this short.

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

• Victorino - 3/5
• Polanco - 1/4, 1BB
• Utley - 0/2, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HBP (first of the year)
• Howard - 0/3, 1BB
• Werth - 0/2, 2 BB, 2 SO
• Francisco - 0/4
• Valdez - 0/3, 2 SO
• Ruiz - 0/3, 1BB

Halladay (L, 4-1):

• 7 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• ERA 1.80
• 104 pitches - 72 strikes

Sanchez (W, 2-1):

• 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 K
• ERA 1.85
• 107 pitches - 62 strikes

You're a smart group. You can figure it out from this, right?

Moyer (2-1, 5.00 ERA) vs Wellemeyer (0-3, 8.16 ERA) tomorrow at 10:15 PM ET. Pin It Now!

Game Review: 04.24.10

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

It was the most improbable of wins. With J.A. Happ on the disabled list the Philadelphia Phillies put Nelson Figueroa on the mound to make his first start since his October 4^th complete game vs. the Astros (which was done in a Mets uniform). Figgy knows how lucky he is to be playing professional baseball right now, especially for the Phillies, after being put on waivers by the Mets on opening day, but I doubt he thought he would be starting a game for the Fightins any time soon.

And let’s face it, we didn’t see it coming either.

In a 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks, Nelson pitched a solid 5 innings giving up 5 hits, 2 runs on a home run to Kelly Johnson, walked 2, and struck out 4. Durbin, Contreras (W, 1-1, 1.59 ERA), and Madson (S, 4, 6.75 ERA) carried out the rest of the game with near perfect precision putting up a combined 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, and 8 K.

The real heroes of the night, though, were Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez. Werth went 2-4 with 2 RBI each on a solo home run. Raul followed suit with a solo blast of his own (his first of the year) and finished the night similarly at 2-4 and 1 RBI.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Don’t let a few long balls fool you, though. The offensive dry-spell that has cast a cloud over the rest of the Phillies lineup was still ever-present on Saturday evening. Victorino, Utley, Polanco, and Howard each went 0-4; Polly being the only one of the bunch to avoid a strikeout. Juan Castro went 1-2 before being taken out of the game in the 7^th with a mild left hamstring strain and was replaced by Valdez who went 0-2.

The Phillies wrap the series in Arizona tomorrow at 4:10 PM ET with Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 7.24 ERA) taking the mound against Rodrigo Lopez (1-0, 3.50 ERA) before heading off to San Fransisco. Pin It Now!

Game Review: 04.23.10

Friday night’s game started the way the fans hoped it would: Cole Hamels threw a quick 1-2-3 first inning on 9 pitches, the Phillies scored first that started with a double by Hamels with the RBI driven in by a Victorino triple in the third, and in the fourth, Jayson Werth scored a non-inside the park home run on a sort-of error by the outfielder for catching but not catching a fly ball before dropping it or bobbling it or not transferring it correctly or whatever it was he did. Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch overstayed his welcome on the field trying to wrap his head around the scoring decision and was eventually ejected by crew chief Dale “it is what it is” Scott.
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Its Not You, Its Me

“For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been.’” – John Greenleaf Whittier

Some say it should take half the amount of time you were with someone to get over them. Others say it should take about six months per every two years you were together.

Either way, we should have been over Cliff Lee by Valentine’s Day.

Let’s start but looking at the chain of events that ultimately led to me writing this today:

• May 14, 1977 – Harry Leroy Halladay III was born
• August 30, 1978 – Clifton Phifer Lee was born
• 1995 – Halladay drafted by the Toronto Blue Days
• 1997 – Lee drafted by the Florida Marlins (but did not sign)
• 1998 – Lee drafted by the Baltimore Orioles (but still did not sign)
• September 20, 1998 – Halladay makes his major league debut vs. Tampa Bay (5 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 93 Pitches [54 strikes], W 7-5)
• 2000 – Lee drafted by the Montreal Expos (he was just holding out for a contender, apparently)
• September 15, 2002 – Lee makes his major league debut with Cleveland vs. Twins (5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO, 82 Pitches [82 strikes], L 0-5)
• 2003 – Halladay wins the AL Cy Young Award
• 2004 – Halladay placed on DL twice with shoulder problems
• July 8^th, 2005 – Halladay suffers broken leg from a line drive and sits out remainder of season
• 2007 – Lee began the season on the DL with a groin sprain (ouch)
• 2008 – Lee wins the AL Cy Young Award (Halladay finished second in the voting)
• June 12, 2009 – Halladay placed on 15-day DL (pulled groin)
• July 29, 2009 – Lee is traded to the Philadelphia Phillies
• July 31, 2009 – Lee makes his debut with the Phillies vs. Giants (9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, 109 Pitches [76 strikes], W 5-1)
• December 15, 2009 – Lee is traded to the Seattle Mariners
• December 16, 2009 – Halladay is traded to the Philadelphia Phillies
• 2010 – Lee began the season on the DL with an abdominal injury
• April 5, 2010 – Halladay makes his debut with the Phillies vs. Nationals (7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO, 88 Pitches [59 strikes], W 11-1)
• April 30, 2010 – Lee scheduled to make his first start of the season

(I figured since we all like to compare the two phenoms to one another so much it was only appropriate to construct a list like that.)

In the past week I have seen more graphics comparing Cliff Lee to Roy Halladay than I have when the blockbuster trades initially happened, which seems absurd to me considering Lee hasn’t even pitched yet in 2010. Further, Halladay has only pitched four games for the Phillies and Lee only pitched 12 (postseason excluded). If anyone is going to be comparing anything it should be their career stats (I can feel Andrea cringing right now) before they ever walked thru the doors (turnstiles?) of Citizens Bank Park.

Before coming to Philadelphia, Cliff Lee had started 178 games over 8 ½ years for the Cleveland Indians and posted a W-L record of 83-48. He averaged 6.1 innings per start, and 9.2 H, 1 HR, 2.6 BB, and 6.7 K per 9 innings with a 4.01 ERA.

Back in Toronto, Roy Halladay was busy starting 287 games over 12 seasons hustling his way to a 148-76 W-L record. He averaged 7.1 innings per start, 7 H, 0.6 HR, 1.6 BB, and 5.2 K per 9 innings with a 3.43 ERA.

Right off the bat (pun intended) we can see that even though Cliff Lee has only started two-thirds as many games as Doc, Roy has him beat on every single stat. But let’s face it – unless something truly drastic happens and one (or both) of these guys have a year (or two, or three) that are so bad as to drag their overall results down, Cliffy Poo will always be second to Halladay.

I suppose I can hop on the “look how weird it is that Doc and Lee have identical numbers” train, now, even though I’ll have you know I hate having any part in it. Through their first three games with the Phillies, both Halladay and Lee were both 3-0 with 24 innings pitched and had 1.13 ERAs. Through their first four games in pinstripes, both were 4-0 with 33 innings pitched and 0.82 ERAs. I’ll admit it’s pretty cool, kind of freaky, and totally coincidental.

I could harp on how much better Halladay is than Lee (because when you look at the big picture, it isn’t just “marginally better” its “a whole hell of a lot better”), or that I agree with Amaro’s logic that in order to get Lee we had to give up a lot, and in order to get Doc we had to give up more, so to get back what we lost we had to give up someone big and that someone was Lee. I could go on about how I don’t think Lee would have taken a discount to stick around in Philly after this year and how I think Ruben is absolutely correct in reasoning that the organization needs to think long-term and not get wrapped up in the “do whatever it takes to win yesterday” mentality that a lot of players and fans focus on. I could point out that in the short time since Lee has left Philly he has landed himself on the DL and gotten into (and out of) a 5-game suspension situation for head hunting (badly).

But I won’t.

Instead I want to compare the career stats of Clifton Phifer Lee to your Philadelphia Phillies starting (and temporary starting) rotation. A little housekeeping first: I’m going to go ahead and include Figgy in there since he is taking the hill on Saturday, but try not to let his figure distract you too much. Also, bear in mind that Happ and Kendrick both have very few starts so their numbers are still pretty heavily influenced with every game they play. I also did not include Moyer’s start against the Braves on 4/22.

Now, I’ll admit, Lee’s numbers are (obviously) pretty damn good. How else does the kid win a Cy Young Award and cause such havoc on a city when he skips town after less than six months? I mostly want you all to keep in mind that the plan the whole time was to acquire Halladay and we were incredibly lucky to have a Plan B with so much promise. What I want you to notice is how when compared to the rest of the 2010 “rotation” he is clearly better than average, but never better than Halladay or Hamels (who a good portion of fans claim should have been traded to Seattle in lieu of Lee). With that being said, here’s what I’ve been staring at for the past two days:

Career Stats

Averages Per Start

Averages Per Nine Innings

Now I know this is a lot to look at, especially if you don’t have a round-the-clock female hard-on for spreadsheets like I do, but let’s work through it together.

First of all, I think W-L records are crap, so I’m not going to discuss it even though I’ve included it on the graphic for you to make of it what you will. There are too many variables that are not left up to the pitcher to reasonable use this stat to compare pitchers to one another. Don’t worry; if you disagree I’ll have a whole post dedicated specifically to the bullshittery of the W-L record soon.

ERA: As much as I’d like to throw Happ’s out for having only started 30 games in his career, it’s kind of hard to overlook a 3.06 no matter how new you are to the show. There is no surprise here though that Halladay follows closely behind with 3.39 and Hamels with 3.67. Lee would be batting cleanup with a 3.97 career ERA.

One of the more surprising figures I looked at closely was what I call the “inning eater stat.” I’m sure there is some sabermetricky name for this like IPCGSO+++ or something, but I’m not that dedicated to look it up (or test it and create it… maybe one day). But I was intrigued by the average innings pitched per start, percentage of complete games vs. starts, and percentage of shut outs to complete games. To be perfectly honest I think these plus ERA should count way more than W-L record (but as I mentioned before, that’s a conversation for another day). Just take a look at this condensed figure real quick and let it sink in for a second:

Super Duper Innings Eater Stat (official name TBD)

Who would have thought by looking at just about every other number to judge a pitcher by that the most innings pitched per start list would go this way: Figueroa, Halladay, Happ, Moyer, Hamels, Blanton, Lee, and Kendrick. Sure Halladay and Kendrick aren’t too surprising where they rank, but Lee is second to last. That means that technically, no matter how much you want to argue about it, with Lee in the rotation the bullpen would be working harder. (I don’t need to make spreadsheets to explain to you all why the bullpen does not need to be working any harder than it already is this year.) Sure he tosses a complete game almost 7% of the time (third best on this list) but realistically that averages out to about 2 games a year. It doesn’t matter that he pitched two complete games for the Phillies in his short time here – he put up better than average numbers during that stretch and would be bound to “fall off” eventually. Ring any bells? *Ahem* Raul Ibanez? (OK, ok, easy kids, it’s a joke, and a bad one at that).

The Phillies have Harry Leroy Halladay III who goes the distance 17.5% of the time. That’s 5.67 – hell, let’s round up – that’s almost 6 games a year which is a huge deal even if it may not look like a lot when you consider the season is a 162 game marathon. Combined (minus Lee) the Phillies starting and temporarily starting pitchers are on pace to throw a full nine innings roughly every 13 games. They will go about 6 and two-thirds innings on average which sets the bullpen up perfectly to be used the way a ‘pen is meant to be used – reliever, setup man, closer. Of course just as we can “expect” a complete game every 13th day, we can also reasonable expect things to go awry once in a while, but it’s important to have innings eaters like the Phillies statistically have to keep the ‘pen rested and ready for those emergency situations.

We could look at hits, strike outs, and walks per nine innings, or averages per starts, but the numbers are going to keep lining up the same way. The truth of the matter is that Lee was only here for an incredibly brief period of time, and while we can sit here all day and debate his role in “leading us to the playoffs” and “what would have been the best 1-2-3 punch in baseball,” it doesn’t bring him back. We can hope that he has a mediocre year, or maybe even sub-par after coming off his injuries (don’t forget his foot surgery in the off-season in addition to the abdominal strain that’s kept him sidelined thus far) and maybe it’ll be enough for the free agency market to dry up just enough for the Phillies to snatch him back up for a bargain – but let’s be real. To be perfectly honest there really was no statistical reason to get rid of Lee. It really did come down to money, prospects, and the fulfillment of the prophecy of Roy – but that’s no reason to become discouraged.

It used to be that players could not wait to get as far away from the Phillies as possible – now they have Cy Young Award winners just walking through a rotating door and clamoring for those red pinstripes. There were no “special” players in 2008 leading the team to the World Series championship the city had been pining for for decades. There was no intricate, virtual game of chess being played like there has been ever since trying to get that third pennant. The Phillies didn’t need Cliff Lee to get them a ring two years ago and the organization clearly felt they didn’t need him to get one in 2010, either. At the end of the day, Cliff Lee was a love affair, a fling, the guy you get to take you out on dates until the boy you’ve had a crush on asks you to the prom. So instead of mourning the great Loss of Lee every time Kendrick or Moyer start to show signs of distress, or when Happ lands himself on the DL, just remember that it’s a team that wins championships, not just one player. Let’s all remember that at the end of the day Lee was very vague about his intentions to remain in Philadelphia once he was eligible for free agency and Halladay was literally so hurt to not be a Phillie that he couldn’t even bear to watch the 2009 World Series.

Besides, no one ever wrote a blog called “I want to go to the zoo with Cliff Lee.” Pin It Now!

Game Review: 04.21.10

After three straight (heartbreaking) losses, the Phillies looked to Doc Halladay to pull them out of their slump. He didn’t waste any time retiring the first Brave of the game on a slow roller to first after just one pitch (cuttered).

In his fourth start for the Fightins he pitched his second complete game and first shut out of 2010 bringing his record to 4-0 and his ERA down to a national league leading 0.82 having passed Mike Pelfry (0.86) and Tim Lincecum (0.90). Harry Leroy rounded out the night with 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, and 7 SO on 113 pitches (71 for strikes, 23 for cutters).
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Ode to Ryan Madson

I was going to write a post about Madson fucking up another game for the Phillies, but I decided to write a limerick instead. (Warning: Val is much better at this than I am.)

Put the purse down and pitch, you pansy. (Via @PhoulBallz)

There once was a Phillie named Ryan
Who left Philadelphia cryin’
He had only three Braves
to whiff for a save
Goddamnit, I think I want Lidge back.

Sad fans after a Madson blown save Du'Jour in 2009

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Game Recap: 04.17.10

Jamie, Jamie, Jamie.

Where do we begin? The game started off the way no fan ever wants to see a game start: Jamie Moyer giving up five earned runs before the offense-heavy Phillies even had a chance to bat.

Say what you will about his age or that Ruben Amaro shouldn’t have signed a 45-year-old to a 2-year contract, or that he should be in the bullpen if the organization insists on keeping him on the roster, but Jamie Moyer is hardly to blame for the Phillies third loss of the 2010 season.

Ricky Nolasco nearly pitched a complete game shutout, totally silencing the Phillies’ normally boisterous offense with the exception of Jayson Werth’s 9th inning 2-out solo home run to make it a 5-1 Marlins win. The Phillies only posed a threat once in the bottom of the 6th with a single by Brian Schneider, and walks to Victorino and Utley to load the bases with Howard coming up to bat. The Big Piece came up short and dribbled a second pitch grounder to first to end the inning.

Nolasco’s line was a beauty in only his fourth complete game of his career. In nine innings he allowed five hits (Victorino, Utley, Werth, Castro, Schneider), walked three, struck out four, and gave up one run in the 11th hour on Jayson Werth’s homer. I mentioned a few times previously that the offense just isn’t going to be there every night to get someone across the plate each inning.

I can’t say that this is a typical showing from Nolasco and it certainly isn’t usual for the Phillies bats to be so quiet, especially after the hot start they got off to. But every fan knows that once in a while two anomalies will meet halfway and results in a game like the one played in Philadelphia tonight. Utley can’t hit two home runs a night every night, Polanco can’t bat over .400 forever, and Howard… well Howard has delivered all of once with the bases loaded this year.

But what about Moyer? Aside from the batting practice session he threw in the first inning he pitched an absolute gem. In the midst of a 25-pitch, 5-run first inning Moyer relied heavily on his sinker and cutter, did not throw a single fastball and topped out at 82 MPH. By the game’s end he threw 89 pitches in 6 innings (58 for strikes), walked one, and struck out seven – three of which came from striking out the side in the 5th inning.

There isn’t much to analyze here tonight, folks. Sometimes bats go quiet. Sometimes the Phillies offense can dig their pitchers out of jams. Sometimes Moyer throws great games and just has one 5-run inning hiccup (ok, so that’s happened, uh, every time so far). But I don’t see it as anything to get worked up over. Once Blanton comes back (which should be by the first week of May), Kendrick will more than likely slink back to the bullpen and Moyer will continue to have a short leash on him. I may have gone out of my way to write a plea to KK after his most recent miserable outing to get his head on straight but I by no means have lost my confidence in him. I’m sure if the organization loses faith in Moyer and sends him packing to the ‘pen that Kendrick will be a reasonable replacement until they find a more permanent solution.

Why the Phillies haven’t figured out a permanent solution to their pitching woes already, though, is beyond me. If Roy Halladay was itching to put on red pinstripes and Cliff Lee was miffed to have been shipped off prematurely, surely there are other pitchers than want a shot at winning the Phillies second World Series title in three years. How many times can we say we’ve had Cy Young award winners just going through a revolving door as frequently as they have been recently? And now with J.A. Happ’s looming ailment, Charlie and Ruben have some decisions to make.

The Phillies wrap up the series against the Marlins tomorrow at 1:35 with Hamels (2-0) vs. Robertson (1-0). Pin It Now!

Game Recap: 04.16.10

Originally posted by Chicks Dig the Long Ball.

I'll be honest - I don't have anything insightful to say about tonight's game other than the following:

• Gee, I sure wish we could clone Roy Halladay a few times so we never had to use any other pitcher ever again (8 IP, 100 pitches, 70 strikes)
• Boy, that Chase Utley sure can hit
• Placido Effing Polanco
• Don't starting worrying about Herndon - I shouldn't have to explain why.
• Not that I want Lidge back anytime soon but I'm ready for Ry Dog to get back to being the set-up man
• The first base umpire was clearly not trying to get everyone home and out of the rain especially in the 9th inning
• My new life goal is to get on the Bongo Cam

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Dear Kyle: A Formal Request

April 15, 2010

Mr. Kyle Rodney Kendrick
c/o The Philadelphia Phillies
1 Citizens Park Way
Philadelphia, PA 19148

Dear Mr. Kendrick:

I am writing in regards to your recent performance as the temporary number three starting pitcher of the Philadelphia Phillies. As you are certainly aware you are currently sporting an abysmal 17.47 ERA and a 0-0 record because you have yet to qualify for a decision due to you only pitching a total of 5.2 innings over two games.

You may not have ever been our ace, a Cole Hamels of yore or a Roy Halladay of today, but you’re not new to the mound at Citizens Bank Park. In 2007 you started 20 games for the Phillies and ended with a 10-4 record and a 3.87 ERA. You even finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting. In 2008 you started 30 games and finished 11-9 with a 5.49 ERA. The team called on you again in 2009 and allowed you to compete for the fifth starter role for 2010. You have been depended on before and delivered and rarely disappointed.

That is until now.

Just like Cole Hamel’s 2-0 start to the season is a prime example of why a win-loss record is one of the most useless statistics in baseball, your spring training line is equally futile:



It was reported that you were following around Doc like a “puppy dog,” trying to beat him to the ballpark most mornings for workouts.  You even grew out a reddish beard adding to the intensity of the budding bromance.  It was all very cute and it seemed to be working.  The only thing standing in your way of the 2010 starting lineup was Jamie Moyer – the spot was his to lose, not yours to win.  You certainly played your heart out in Clearwater and when it was announced that you would be heading to the bullpen it was assumed that should Moyer become unreliable, you would be at the ready to take his spot.  In a lucky break (although Joe would look at it differently) you still wound up as part of the phantastic-phive when Blanton hit the DL with an oblique strain.  I was practically giddy when it was announced you would be starting a game I was going to be attending in DC for the Phils because I wanted to see mini-Doc (resident? intern?) in action.  It wasn’t long before you started to struggle on the mound and make your stellar spring training stats totally forgettable:



The Phillies went on to notch their only loss of the year that night. Granted we’re only 8 games into the season but for a team that has the best record in all of baseball a week and a half after Opening Day that one loss sticks out like a sore thumb.

Tonight was more than just a repeat of last Thursday, it was an implosion of epic proportions. In case you forgot, here’s the line:



Yes, you read that right: 32.40 ERA and just 1.2 innings pitched. Obviously no club in their right mind would ever leave a pitcher in to see if they could actually give up 32 runs in nine innings but you have to admit – this is a little ridiculous. Again, I know this is only your second start of the season and these things sometimes happen even to the best pitchers in baseball, but it doesn’t make us miss Blanton any less, that’s for sure.

I’ll tell you the same thing I told Colbert. You can’t always depend on the offense to bail you out – even this lineup will fizzle once in a while and that’s something that can’t be helped. Baseball is a streaky sport and it’s expected to see ups and downs over the course of a season, but the start you’ve made leaves us nervous for what the future holds. We still have a few weeks before Joe B is ready to take over again and quite frankly the Phillies don’t have any other options if you keep this up. You don’t seem to be having emotional meltdowns like 2009 Hamels and you have the best mentor anyone could ever hope for in Roy Halladay so I’m still optimistic that this is going to be a quick fix – but it’s going to have to be quick. There are just too many question marks when it comes to the pitching staff that can’t always be answered by two touchdowns a night.

I just want you to look at the difference a few weeks have made and try to figure out how to get back to your spring training form, or at least split the difference. Even though we all know spring training means nothing when it comes to the real deal I can’t help but see just how far off the beaten path you’ve gone:



I believe in you and I believe you can straighten out before it becomes too late for you to rebound from. There is no telling when you’ll be needed again and I can only hope that you’ll become the gem you’ve been for Philly in the past when you’ve been needed in a pinch.

Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Michelle O’Malley for the people of Philadelphia Pin It Now!

Dear Cole: A Formal Request

April 12, 2010

Mr. Colbert Michael Hamels
c/o The Philadelphia Phillies
1 Citizens Park Way
Philadelphia, PA 19148

Dear Mr. Hamels:

I am writing in regards to your recent performance as number two starting pitcher of the Philadelphia Phillies. As you are certainly aware you are currently 2-0 with a second-rate 5.06 ERA. Considering your tenure as a professional baseball player I assume you are familiar with the criticism of W-L records accurately depicting a pitcher’s reliability to lead one’s team to a victory. Based on this assumption it would be safe to say that you realize your record means nothing to the city of Philadelphia right now.

In 2008 you were named both NLCS and World Series MVP. You were our ace ending the season with a record of 14-10 and a 3.09 ERA. You made hitters fear you and fans of every other team envy the Phillies for having you in their arsenal. Philadelphia will forever remember 2008 as a magical year, something that was meant to be, and you will always be part of that story when those of us who lived to see it tell our grandchildren about that glorious run at the title 50 years from now.

I won’t dwell on your off-season behavior because it’s neither here nor there. The Phillies fell short in 2009 and as much as I would like to blame it all on you I am smarter than that to know that wasn’t the case. The 2009 season certainly would have had a brighter sheen to it had you performed the way you expected to but we all know the problems lied in the bullpen and more specifically in Brad Lidge. Your 2009 record was 10-11 with a mediocre 4.32 ERA. You went on to lose both of your post-season starts and let your emotions get the best of you on the mound. By the end of the season you had figured out that yes, it would indeed be impossible to replicate the year you had in 2008 and you started to settle finally, but it didn’t last long and you became visibly rattled almost immediately after your first sub-par outing. You left the fans holding their breath with every pitch you threw and rarely gave us cause to exhale. We all hoped that you would spend the off-season focused and reflective and come to spring training ready to prove everyone wrong and you almost had us fooled – almost.

Rich Dubee said you looked the best you had ever looked coming into spring training. You spoke about spending more time training and conditioning and less time touring the late-night talk show circuit. But when the regular season began the fans were on the edge of their seats – and not because they were witnessing you pitch a gem.

The Phillies were riding high on their 11-1 win over the Nationals on MLB Opening Day in front of 41,290 fans (mostly their own) in the nation’s capital. The fans were anticipating what you had seemed to promise us going into the regular season and it wasn’t long before we were clenching our fists and biting our tongues just like last year. Our all-star lineup gave you a two run cushion in the first – whether they were carrying over their success from the previous game or just trying to give you breathing room early on remains to be seen. It didn’t take you very long to settle into your 2009 mid-season form giving up a home run to Desmond and allowing a single to Willingham bringing Zim home – all of a sudden the lead was erased and the people in the stands were left muttering “not this again.” If it wasn’t for such high-caliber offense backing you up (and yes, even your own hitting proved more effective than your pitching that day) you would not have been so lucky as to somehow end up with the “W.” I’m not going to read you back the box score verbatim because that doesn’t change anything and truth be told you didn’t technically throw all that bad of a game, but it wasn’t what we wanted to see from you fresh out of the gate. When you are given a head start and eliminate any good it did in the blink of an eye it’s enough to make the fans leave the ballpark giving you the stink-eye and trying to figure out if this is what they’re in for all season long.

This brings me today’s game. I regretfully could not watch my beloved Phillies take to their home field for the first time in 2010 and had to turn the radio broadcast off (the only thing I was looking forward to all day) by the fourth inning because you were just making it too painful. I could handle giving up a Willingham home run in the first, in fact I almost expected it, but when the runs kept piling on I couldn’t bear to listen anymore. Somehow, thanks to the offense yet again, you managed to sneak away with another “W.”

I can’t say you deserve either of those wins. I can’t say I’m confident in you when you take the mound for the Phillies again on Sunday. I can’t say I want to see what happens when you have to pitch against a team that isn’t the Nationals or the completely defeated 0-7 Astros. I can’t say I look at you and see one of the best pitchers in the National League anymore. To be honest, I personally don’t respect you as our number two or even number three starting pitcher and quite frankly I think the city of Philadelphia deserves better. I shouldn’t feel that way about the man who led us to a World Series victory just a year and a half ago especially just two games into your season. But Roy Halladay cannot pitch 162 games a year. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco and Jayson Werth cannot score 7, 8, 9 runs every time you pitch just in case you let your focus slip for a nano-second and find yourself mid-meltdown before the Phanatic can even do one complete belly roll. We don’t expect you to be a 2009 Cliff Lee. We don’t expect you to be Mr. 0.56 ERA Roy Halladay. You are Cole Hamels and we expect you to pitch like someone who used to be our ace – no one ever said a team could only have one.

We may call you Princess Cole, we may joke about you carrying a puppy in a backpack, but to be honest it’s only to keep the matter at hand off our minds – you’ve wandered off the beaten path, Cole, and we need you to find your way back.

Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Michelle O’Malley for the people of Philadelphia Pin It Now!

You Suck, Roy Halladay!

Roy Halladay has now pitched two regular games for the Phillies and I cannot be more disappointed.

In his debut at the season opener on Monday, Roy threw 7 innings, gave up 6 hits and 1 earned run, walked two, and struck out 9. In the same despicable outing he tossed 88 pitches and only 67% for strikes. What I would like to know is why he did not throw 9 innings, why anyone got a hit, let alone a run, and why he couldn’t have struck out at least 10. I mean, what kind of year do the Phillies expect to have with such subpar pitching?

Today’s game was even worse. He threw a complete game on 111 pitches (only 75% for strikes), gave up 7 hits and no earned runs, walked no one and struck out eight. Oh, and don’t forget the error that was charged to him.

I just don’t get it. I thought this guy was supposed to be good. How hard is it to throw a perfect game already when you’re name is Roy freaking Halladay? And where does he think he gets off throwing a complete game near-shut out and only whiffing 8 batters? I mean, come on!

I for one will not stand for it. Until the Doc pitches at least a no-no I will be boycotting the remainder of his starts.

That’ll show him. Pin It Now!

Don't Count Raul Out Yet

Imagine showing up to work every morning and having your performance appraisal plastered all over the walls in every hallway and as you walk to your cubical you overhear people in the other departments whispering about the contents of the evaluation.

It seems pretty farfetched that something like that would ever happen at your job, right?

Now imagine being Raul Ibanez and every time you walk to the plate you see your less than stellar figures splashed all over the ballpark.

Sure he’s not the only player in baseball to have to see his stats every single time his name in mentioned either at the ballpark or otherwise but when you think about it in terms of your run of the mill office job, it can, for lack of better terms, really suck to have yourself shoved down your own throat at every turn.

That being said, let’s talk about Raul’s numbers and why I disagree that it’s time to start thinking about benching him just four games into the 2010 season.

When Raul Ibanez signed on with the Phillies for the 2009 season he (literally) came out swinging. In the first half of the year before making his first every appearance at the All-Star Game at the tender age of 37 Ibanez had 22 home runs, 60 RBIs, a .309 batting average and slugging percentage of .649. Not to get too sabermetricky on you but his OPS was an impressive 1.015 heading into the mid-summer classic, as well. In plain English, his hits were frequent and effective. During this time the Phillies record was 48-38 (and don’t forget about the 5-game win streak they had going into the break).

Immediately after the All-Star break Ibanez was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a groin injury that he never quite seemed to bounce back from. In the second half of the season Raul hit 12 home runs, had 33 RBIs and was hitting just .232 with a slugging percentage of .448. Like everything else, his OPS also took a noticeable tumble to .774. During this stretch the Phillies actually enjoyed a slightly better record at 45-31 and, in case anyone forgot, played all the way up until the 11th hour missing the last game of the 2009 by just four runs.

So what does any of this have to do with anything Raul is doing (or not doing) in 2010?

Raul had a rough spring training. He started the 2010 season off going just 1-11 with a .091 batting average. If you’ve bought into the hype you’ve probably called for him to take a seat for a game or maybe even take a trip to Lehigh Valley to get himself back on track. If you think there is even a chance of either of those things happening, though, I have two words for you: Charlie Manuel. If Hamels was never sent down to AAA to get a handle on his emotions last year and the organization continues to give Moyer just one more chance to live out his dreams, Raul is going to keep on playing until someone comes up with a REALLY good reason for him not to.

Let’s all keep something in mind – it is only the FOURTH game of the season. And tonight Raul went 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs and a walk pretty much shutting EVERYONE up. Is his streak of bad luck over? Or is this actually the real Raul Ibanez and Philadelphia just picked him up right when he got?

Let’s review:

Lifetime, Raul has averaged 23 home runs and 95 RBIs per 162 games played. His BA averages .284, slugging percentage averages .479, and OPS is .825. When you look at his 2009 numbers combined he actually had a pretty – I’ll say it again – AVERAGE year all things considered: 34 HRs (which was rare for him, I’ll admit), .272 BA, .552 SLG and .899 OPS. Clearly his slugging percentage and OPS were beefed up a bit above average because of the number of home runs he hit but his batting average really wasn’t all that far off. Even his walks were right on par (55 in 2009 with a 162 game average of 54). The reason Raul’s abilities stood out so much and why we have tee-shirts printed up with “RAUUUUL” on the back is because he had such an imbalanced split.

Believe it or not, lifetime Raul has a pretty even split both before and after the All-Star Game. Pre-ASG Raul is batting .282, after he is .287 and his slugging percentage and OPS follow suit. Even from 2006-2008 when his stats took an upswing after the break it was very slight. Would we all be saying the same thing about Ibanez and his struggles had he not had two very distinct streaks in 2009? If he showed up in Philly doing the same thing he had been doing all along in Seattle and Kansas City the fans probably would not have even blinked an eye at him and saw him as just another left fielder.

Because he came out of the gates with such a fury the city took notice of him and when he stopped performing like a superstar they noticed him even more. Unfortunately he’s taking a little longer than the rest of the bunch to warm up again in 2010 and that’s leaving a lot of people skeptical.

Obviously it’s frustrating to go to work every day (or every at bat) and stare at sub-par stats that are yours and yours alone – all those zeros can become very intimidating very fast. Working in the sales industry I can tell you it’s easy to let bad numbers affect you but once you’re in a groove it’s pretty easy to ride high on a good streak, too. I’ve had days (months, years) that just weren’t going my way and no matter how bad you want to sell to that next customer there is something in that desperation that prevents you from doing what you need to do. Once you snap out of it though be it just through a stroke of incredible luck or you figure out what you were doing all along (which is usually just a matter of overanalyzing and trying too hard) it can turn everything around.

I’m hoping that tonight’s game against the Astros is enough to turn Raul around so that he can put the past behind him and focus on the task at hand. He has one mission – to not be “the hole” in the Phillies lineup (which, frankly, there really isn’t). Today alone raised his batting average to .267 and we’ll know tomorrow night if he’s really on his way to stabilizing himself for the long run. The Phillies are obviously capable of moving on without him should they choose with Mayberry in the wings and Domonic Brown on deck after that, but for now Charlie will stand by him faithfully, as he always stands by his players, until he is left with no other options. Pin It Now!

Phield Trip! Thousands of Phillies fans invade Nationals Park

Originally published by Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports Blog.

Busloads of Phillies fans, some organized by Phillytailgate.com the blog Phillies Nation, made a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. on Monday. The phaithful wanted not only to see Roy Halladay's(notes) debut, but also to watch the Phils begin their quest to become the first NL team in 66 years to reach a third straight World Series. Michelle O'Malley, a Phillies fan transplated to southeastern Virginia, joined the group — comprised mostly of strangers — that tried to transform Nationals Park into a home away from home. 

WASHINGTON — Notice the two Nationals fans? Yeah that's all I could find, too.

The Phillies could have opened the 2010 season in San Diego and their fans still would have found a way to pack the stadium just to witness Roy Halladay's first official start for Philadelphia.

A "Phield Trip" to Washington, D.C. was easier — and it worked out just fine. 

If giving high fives to a thousand strangers to make them seem like your closest friends wasn't enough to set the tone for the day, once we got into the park there was an energy I certainly had never felt before — especially as a visitor to another club's stadium. 

The atmosphere was nothing short of electric — it almost felt like a home game. Fans were on their feet for practically every at-bat. Jimmy Rollins lays off the first pitch? A standing ovation. Chase Utley walks three times? Three standing ovations. Halladay gets a hit? Another ovation. Placido Polanco hits a grand slam giving him a career-high six RBIs in one game? The crowd goes ballistic.

Phillies fans (perhaps 25,000 or 30,000 of them) were witnessing something special, and not just Halladay's big debut — which went as smooth as butter after he settled in. 

* * * 

Hours earlier, about 1,500 Phillies fans had departed Citizens Bank Park in 27 charter buses. About the same time, I was beginning my drive north on I-95 from Virginia Beach, Va. Thousands more made their own way to Nationals Park.

The streets of D.C. near the ballpark soon were a sea of Phillies red — and even a few Nationals fans showed up. The Navy Yard lot filled up with one of the most familiar and comforting sounds a Philadelphia native can hear — music of a Mummers string band.

Phillies fans marched up N Street, finding a way to kick off the 2010 season with the only thing that was missing for Philly at the end of 2009 — a parade. 

The area near the park became so congested that security opened the gates early, at 9:30, attempting to keep the entrance lines manageable. Considering that President Obama was set to toss out the first pitch in 3 1/2 hours, Nationals security and the Secret Service should pat themselves on the back. It could have been a much worse situation.

* * *

 As the Phillies piled up runs, the crowd started to taper off (mostly Nationals fans that had little faith in their rally caps). But Nationals Park was still over half-full in the late innings, with mostly Phillies fans hanging around.

All-Star outfielders Raul Ibañez, Shane Victorino & Jayson Werth seemed to get a kick out of the fans' enthusiasm and rewarded a section by waving or tipping their cap on more than one occasion. Little things like that get people to spend half of their day in a car (or a bus, or a train, or a plane) just to go to a baseball game. 

* * *

Once the game ended, we expected the usual D.C. rush-hour traffic to be awaiting us outside, but we weren't expecting this:

It was like watching another parade, and it reminded me of why I took time off work, made the three-hour drive into the city, suffered the sunburn, battled the limited view around a foul pole and made the 4 1/2-hour return crawl to southeastern Virginia. These fans keep me going.

It's easy to love a team like the Phillies — they are no doubt a group of very classy guys, have fantastic characters and that they're among the best at what they do sure doesn't hurt. But Phillies fans are a subculture all of their own.

By the end of the ninth inning, I had a whole new family — one that shared my obsession enthusiasm for doing crazy things such as traveling 200 miles to watch a baseball game with a bunch of people they had never met before.

Phillies fans have every reason to believe there will be a parade into Citizens Bank Park this fall — and they can talk to you about it intelligently and at length (as the phenomenon known as "The Phield" has recently shown).

* * * 

There is no more looking back on 2009. This year's focus is clear: the Phillies have unfinished business and the fans are going to be at their side every step of the way —  even if that means planning a road trip to San Diego if they have to.

In fact, I already am. Pin It Now!