Tickets! Get Yer Tickets Here!

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

One year ago, on an Opening Day far, far away in Washington D.C., 40,000 Phillies fans descended upon Nationals Park to the chagrin of the 1,290* Curly W fanatics in attendance. (*Approximately)

To quote Nats beat writer Mark Zuckerman:

In other words: If you want to avoid a similar scene next year, start organizing your Opening Day 2011 ticket purchasing groups ASAP.

There was a treat in store for those who chose not to plan ahead as of Thursday morning:

Just two hours before the first pitch, tickets for the Nationals/Braves Opening Day game were being sold for under a dollar. Maybe it was the weather or maybe Jayson Werth just doesn't do it for the women in Washington? But after hearing about how excited Nats fans were to "be able to go to Opening Day" for the past year, I would have guessed their tickets would sold out months ago, not going for pennies a couple of hours before first pitch.

I guess Phillies fans aren’t so bad for business, after all.

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Jamie Moyer Joins ESPN as "Baseball Tonight" Analyst

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

There comes a moment in every ballplayer's life when the game simply tells them there aren’t going to be any more games. I’m not so sure Jamie Moyer believes this day has come for him, but ESPN announced that the 48-Year-Old Ageless Wonder will join the Baseball Tonight team of analysts. Oh yeah – he still hasn’t retired.

It seemed almost seemed too good to be true last year when Moyer pitched a two-hit shutout of the Padres in just an hour and 58 minutes. He had the city in the palm of his hands after his infamous at-bat versus the Johan Santana. Then on July 20, 2010, he injured his elbow in what would wind up being his last game. The fans were heartbroken. The 2010 season was shaping up to be Jamie’s year, but unfortunately it ended with the game finally telling him it was time to hang it up and go out on top after 24 years in the majors. He underwent Tommy John surgery during the offseason, and tried to rehab, but didn'tt bounce back despite his determination to make it back to the mound.

If you had asked me this morning what role I saw in Jamie Moyer’s future, I would have told you I could picture him as a bullpen or pitching coach one day. I was surprised anyone was able to convince him to trade his stirrup socks for a suit and tie, but I couldn’t be happier knowing that Jamie Moyer and John Kruk will be the last two faces I see on television every night for the next six months. Pin It Now!

Amaro, Jr. & the Amazing Technicolor Smugcoat

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

Ruben Amaro, Jr. probably wasn’t terribly surprised when he signed a four-year contract extension with the Phillies, but when he subtly seduced the Lees back to Philadelphia, the hometown hero’s Smug Level™ was at an all-time high.

A feature on Ruben in Philadelphia Magazine highlighted much of what we already knew about the ninja GM. He gets what he wants, he doesn’t really care what you think about him and he’s not going to sugarcoat anything.

On bringing Cliff Lee back to the Phillies:

“That reaction from Jayson was funny,” says Amaro in his office in February, again flashing that smile. “He was pissed off. He had just signed with Washington. He said to me, ‘You dumbass. You could’ve had both of us.’ And I said, ‘You’re the dumbass. You could have taken our arbitration offer.’”

Roy Halladay’s reaction to signing the city’s second favorite staff ace?

“Ruben, I just want to win,” the pitcher told Amaro. “I don’t care what you give the guy.”

And how does the mother of smug justify his constant intense yet indifferent demeanor?

“Ruben’s played baseball in Venezuela, where you get batteries and beer cans thrown at you. Listening to some guy on the radio scream ‘You’re a moron!’ 25 times in a sentence isn’t really a big deal.”

Normally I try err on the side of Halladay and be the gracious type, but Amaro hit the nail on the head with his snarky reply to Werth. I guess hindsight really is 20/20. Pin It Now!

Breaking Down the Bench

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

The Phillies sent another batch of players back to the minor league system this weekend. Among them were Mike Zagurski, Scott Mathieson, Josh Barfield, Tuffy Gosewisch and Dane Sardinha.

With Zagurski and Mathieson headed for Lehigh Valley, the Phillies bullpen appears to be almost set. With Lidge starting the season on the disabled list, there is presumably one spot left to fill. The eight remaining relievers are Kyle Kendrick, JC Romero, Danys Baez, Antonio Bastardo, Jose Contreras, Ryan Madson, Michael Stutes and David Herndon.

Stutes was optioned to the minors earlier last week, but was called back up after the news of Lidge’s newest injury. Stutes’ Grapefruit League ERA is 0.90 in 10 innings pitched, Herndon’s is 4.09 over 11 innings pitched. It seems likely that Stutes will make the opening day roster with Herndon possibly being optioned to Lehigh Valley.

Optioning Josh Barfield was probably the most interesting move of the weekend. With one less player in the running for the last three roster spots, the field is narrowed down to Luis Castillo, Delwyn Young, Pete Orr and Michael Martinez.

It seems unlikely that Phillies would move on without Castillo. Despite his age and propensity to injury, the three-time Gold Glove-winning second baseman is a veteran that (on paper) wins the job over the other candidates any day of the week.

Assuming Castillo makes the cut, Martinez, Young and Orr are left to compete for the last slot, although rumblings in the press show all signs pointing to Martinez.

The biggest advantage for Martinez is that he is a Rule 5 Draft player, meaning if the Phillies cut him from the roster at any point during the season, he would not be optioned to the farm system, but sent back to the Nationals. Both Young and Orr could head to Lehigh Valley without repercussions. Martinez has played some good defense in the infield, which alleviates some of the burden off of Wilson Valdez being the lone infield utility player, and he adds some more badly needed depth to the outfield (which apparently Valdez can play, too!).

There would be room for two on the roster if the Phillies were planning on carrying just 11 pitchers. The likelihood of that happening, though, is slim. Lefty specialist Antonio Bastardo appears to be a lock for the bullpen this season, and the team showed a lot of confidence in Stutes by bringing him back (while optioning others) after Lidge was placed on the disabled list. And let’s face it, folks: Kendrick and Baez are just plain old here to stay.

All of that being said, here is my prediction for Charlie Manuel’s Opening Day roster:

1. Roy Halladay
2. Cliff Lee
3. Roy Oswalt
4. Cole Hamels
5. Joe Blanton
6. Kyle Kendrick
7. JC Romero
8. Danys Baez
9. Antonio Bastardo
10. Michael Stutes
11. Ryan Madson
12. Jose Contreras
13. Ryan Howard
14. Luis Castillo
15. Jimmy Rollins
16. Placido Polanco
17. Raul Ibanez
18. Shane Victorino
19. Ben Francisco
20. Carlos Ruiz
21. Brian Schneider
22. Wilson Valdez
23. Ross Gload
24. John Mayberry, Jr.
25. Michael Martinez Pin It Now!

Everybody Hurts

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

The Phillies regular season begins in less than one week, and eyebrows are being raised at the number of injuries the team has already sustained this spring.

Chase Utley is the organization’s biggest concern, as evidenced by the decision to sign Luis Castillo to a conditional contract. It was announced Thursday that Utley will begin the season on the disabled list after struggling to rehab his knee. No suprise there but the four-time Silver Slugger leaves a substantial hole in the lineup, and a noticeable defensive gap on the field. If surgery is in his future, it would be his third in four years.

Ruben Amaro, Jr. confirmed that Brad Lidge will begin the season on the disabled list as well. Another repeat D-Lister, Lidge underwent elbow surgery in November 2009 and sat out much of the first half last season. He was sidelined for two weeks with bicep tendinitis this spring, and word of his new shoulder pain has the club worried. Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras are Lidge’s more obvious successors, but Charlie Manuel prefers not to name a closer just yet.

Placido Polanco has been plagued with elbow troubles ever since Tim Hudson hit him with a pitch last April. He played through the pain for most of 2010 and had surgery in the off-season to remove bone chips and repair his exterior tendon. On March 15, Polanco exited a game early with a hyperextended left elbow. He made his return to the lineup on Friday, but is still experiencing soreness. He will rest on Saturday and is expected to play the rest of the way, but it remains to be seen if this is going to be a persistent setback. 

Domonic Brown is working his way back from surgery to remove the fractured part of the hamate bone in his right hand. Brown was named Baseball America’s No. 4 prospect for 2011 and was being looked at to fill Jayson Werth’s vacation spot in right field. If he does not experience any setbacks in his recovery, he should be swinging a bat again at full power within a few weeks, but the Phillies are working overtime trying to find the best fit for his position. Ben Francisco, John Mayberry, Jr. and Ross Gload are the top contenders for the job.

Roy Oswalt and Jose Contreras thankfully appear to be fine after their recent mishaps. Oswalt was struck behind the ear by a line drive off Manny Ramirez’s bat Wednesday, and Contreras returned to action Friday after suffering from a corneal abrasion earlier in the week.

The good news is that the season has yet to begin, so hopefully the more severe injuries can be dealt with sooner rather than later. The bad news is the Phillies have the oldest team in baseball (even without Jamie Moyer on the roster), and many of the players will be battling the ailments that come with aging for the remainder of the season and their careers. If the squad can prepare for the worst ahead of time, they have a chance at not letting their shiny and new pitching rotation go to waste.

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Lidge to Start Season on Disabled List

It was announced Friday that Brad Lidge will join Chase Utley on the disabled list to kick off the 2011 season. Lidge made his return to the big club Wednesday after being out with soreness in his bicep tendons. He gave up one run on two hits (one a home run) and left the bases loaded in two-thirds of an inning.

Now Lidge is feeling a new soreness in the back part of his shoulder, and rather than take their chances, Ruben Amaro, Jr. & Co. made the decision to hold him back until he's completely healthy.

Said Amaro:

“It’s likely, it makes sense. He’s likely not going to start the season healthy. We’re going to be cautious with him. Again, it’s about the long haul more than the short term. We have to get him healthy.”

Lidge will see team physicial Michael Ciccotti in Clearwater on Saturday and have an MRI done on Saturday once the team arrives back in Philadelphia.

Currently the team has two somewhat obvious choices to fill in for Lidge as he rests up: Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras. Both have closed for the Phillies in recent history. Pin It Now!

Hamels Struggles, Phils Fall to Twins

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

Cole Hamels was roughed up in his last long outing of the spring Thursday.

Hamels took the loss as the Phillies lost to the Twins 7-3 in Clearwater.

All eyes continued to be focused on Luis Castillo, who again went 0-4 with two strikeouts. Castillo is competing for a chance to be the team’s starting second baseman while Chase Utley opens the season on the disabled list.

Hamels took a beating, giving up six runs on nine hits (including five extra base hits, two homers), in 6 2/3 innings pitched. The silver lining is that he struck out seven batters, but as Jayson Stark points out, “16 Ks in 14 IP in last 3 starts. The bad news: 16 runs & 23 hits.” Hamels has an ERA of 6.75 in the Grapefruit League this year.

Closer Brad Lidge pitched in his first big league game since he was diagnosed with soreness in his right bicep tendon last week, and allowed a solo home run to the Twins’ Dustin Martin. Lidge pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowed one run on two hits, and walked two, leaving the bases loaded for Mike Zagurski, who struck out the lone batter he faced to end the top of the ninth.

Driving in the only runs of the game for the Phillies were Dane Sardina (1) and Delwyn Young (2). Ross Gload ended his day going 2-3 before Ben Francisco took over right field duties for the remainder of the game. Gload is currently the heavy favorite to platoon in right when the season gets underway.

Placisdo Polanco is expected to return to the lineup Friday.

After the game, Charlie Manuel expressed some of his frustration with the challenge laid out before him to fill the remaining roster spots.

“We’re missing two big run producers right in the middle of our lineup and I don’t see nobody out there of the guys we’ve got. We’ve got guys who have to step up and prove they’re better big-league players than they have been.”

Joe Blanton faces the Braves tomorrow at Bright House Field in Clearwater. The game will be broadcast live on MLB.tv and ESPN. Pin It Now!