J-Roll vs. the Fans, Part 2?

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

In 2008, he sparked controversy by calling the fans front runners. In 2011, Jimmy Rollins comments on how quiet the crowd was at Game 2 of the NLDS and Twitter is in an uproar.

After Sunday night’s 5-4 Game 2 loss, Rollins tweeted, “Not the result we wanted but that's the way it is!! Now we just gotta handle biz on the road! Also fans were waaay to quiet tonight (sic).” With more than 100 retweets and hundreds of fans (and otherwise) sharing their two cents with the Phillies shortstop.

Reactions varied from defensive (@M_C__McKenna tweets “@JimmyRollins11 don't ever say "us" fans weren't loud enough #thatspunk good luck with the fans in oaklyn or mets fans next yr when u leave”) to supportive (@rachie919 tweets “@JimmyRollins11 digging the positive attitude..Think positive & positive things will happen! #redoctober”).

Rollins wasn't just heating up Twitter with his rheotoric. Before he powered up his iPhone to do the talking, John Clark reported, "Jimmy Rollins said after the game 'You could hear a pin drop out there. Fans were a little uptight. It was not a good atmosphere.'"

Jimmy followed up Monday evening by tweeting “So I'm hearing that the media said I blamed the loss on the fans last night??!! Smh if you believe what they said... U should know better!”

I admit when I woke up Monday morning and read through both Jimmy’s and commentary from various members of the media, I was angry. How dare they try to blame the loss on the fans! What do they want them to cheer about when their team blows a four-run lead and only hits in three out of nine innings -- held scoreless for the last seven innings of the game?

To his credit, Rollins is on fire so far this postseason having gone 5-for-8 scoring five of the Phillies’ 15 total runs in the first two games of the series, so perhaps he’s the best candidate to “talk the talk” since he is in fact walking the walk.

For some people, though, his hitting doesn’t make the loss any easier of a pill to swallow.

But amid the interpretation and possibly misinterpretation of Jimmy’s words over the past 24 hours, it begs the question of what role the fans really have at the game.

Are they really the “10th man on the field” as the commercials boast? For the past five years, Citizens Bank Park has been known to house the toughest fans in baseball. Analysts and players alike will tell you how rough it is playing in that park when the fans are not on your side -- and that goes for the visiting team and the Phillies.

But what happens when the gas tank runs dry? Maybe the game is boring or slow or just flat out bad. So bad that the fans can’t even be bothered to boo -- something they’re known for especially in South Philly. Sure, these players are getting paid millions upon millions of dollars to do their job (as envious of a job as it may be), but how easy is it to turn it up a notch when a ballpark that’s packed with the most fans ever in attendance is so quiet you can hear a pin drop? I mean, they don’t hand those rally towels out at the door for nothing.

Perhaps it works both ways. The fans are quiet because the team isn’t giving them something to cheer about in that moment. The players are just going through the motions because the fans aren’t giving them anything to feed off of. Just like the Phillies fans can get under the opposition's skin (Jamie Moyer vs. Johan Santana, anyone?) the visiting club can get to the fans. The same fans that have been seemingly spoiled yet almost justifiably cautious in letting too many of their emotions get in the way of reality after being disappointed day after day, week after week, season after season for the 25 years prior to 2008 and once the fans are out of it, the Phillies can get sucked into a vicious cycle that churns for nine straight innings, maybe even nine straight days, making it harder and harder to break out of a funk.

The point, however, is that the Phillies don’t have nine days -- they have two. The Cardinals are bringing the momentum of Sunday’s win back with them to Busch Stadium and the Philly faithful aren’t going to be in St. Louis to be that 10th man for the Phillies.

So let the team hear you when they get home, because they’re going to need you in the NL Championship Series or even Game 5 of the NLDS. Cheer for every at bat; get in the pitcher’s head; get in the dugout’s head and make them feel like they have something to play for. Something more than a ring.

They wouldn’t even have this opportunity if it weren’t for you filling the stands every single night giving Ruben Amaro, Jr. the financial flexibility he has to bring in star players like a Cliff Lee or a Hunter Pence to give the team the edge. Prove it wasn’t all for naught.

Let’s face it -- this isn’t Tampa. You aren’t part of an average 9,400-person crowd every night. You’re one of 45,000-plus waving those rally towels above your head.

Make them proud. Be heard, Philadelphia.

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2011 Key Moment: The Power of Pence

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

All this week Philthy Stuff will be looking back on some of the key moments in one of the best Phillies regular seasons ever.

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In what has become tradition across Major League Baseball, the Phillies were part of the mad scramble that is the July 31sttrade deadline and for the third year in a row walked away with the top billed player of the summer. First it was Roy Halladay, then Roy Oswalt, and in 2011, the Fightins added some offensive pop with Hunter Pence.

With Domonic Brown’s declining performance and a roster full of seasoned, yet sporadically slumping sluggers, the Phils knew they had to make a move to give them an edge on their competition. Prior to Pence’s debut with the club on July 30, the Phillies had a 66-39 record (.628 win percentage). They led the National League East by five games, still hadn’t been swept in the three-game series and were averaging just above four runs per game.

Excluding the team’s historic post-clinch eight-game skid, the Phils posted a 35-13 record (.729 win percentage) when Pence had an at-bat in a Phillies uniform. They averaged just above five runs per game, clinched first place in their division, reached 100 wins for the third time in club history and still have a chance to have the best record in team history with a “W” on Wednesday against the Braves.

Coincidence?

Sure, the numbers look good, but it’s what the presence of Pence has done for those around him in the lineup. For example, prior to July 30, Ryan Howard was batting .246/.337/.459 (BA/OBP/SLG) in 104 games with 20 home runs and 78 RBI. Since, he is batting .269/.368/.563 in 46 games with 13 dingers and 37 RBI. The team as a whole was batting .249/.322/.388 prior to his arrival and .259/.324/.406 since.

Of course there are always players, even entire teams, that have a tendency to turn it on closer to the end of the season, but Pence’s own stats don’t lie. Entering play Tuesday Pence was batting .320/.387/550 with 10 homers, 31 RBIs, 33 runs and 12 doubles in just 200 at bats since joining the Phillies. All it takes is one person to add a spark to a clubhouse and incite a little friendly competition. Who wants the new guy to show up perennial All-Stars and hometown favorites?

Just like the playful rivalry between the Five Aces (I have no problem throwing Vance Worley in with the rest of them after his outstanding performance this year), the position players can and should be inspired by one another to be better. Looking back, the turning point in the Phillies season for me wasn’t necessarily the return of Chase Utley, or when they turned it on against the Cubs in June and never looked back, but I feel as though it would have been much easier for the team to fizzle towards the end of the season without a stand-out player like Pence keeping the squad on its toes and seemingly having fun.

Let's eat!

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Mayberry Seeks Mermaid – Inquire Within

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

Perhaps all the rain the Phillies have seen lately has John Mayberry, Jr. wondering what it would be like to actually live under the sea.

Mayberry has his sights set on Antoinette Nikprelaj, who played the part of a mermaid in the latest “Pirates of the Caribbean” installment, and his CAA (Creative Arts Agency) representative has been trying to make the actress part of his world, according to the New York Post.

In an e-mail from Mayberry’s CAA representative to Nikprelaj’s agency:

"I imagine you’re familiar with CAA and some of our clients, as we work with Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay, Buster Posey and Andre Ethier among others. 

"I hate to even be sending you this e-mail, and I’m quite embarrassed to say the least, but we have a young client on the Philadelphia Phillies who asked us if we knew any agents at Innovative Artists and could connect him to Antoinette Nikprelaj.

"I know you’re not a dating or set-up service, but John Mayberry Jr. (Phillies OF) would love to meet Antoinette or invite her to a baseball game sometime. Would this be possible?"

He added, “Here’s a bio of John to give you some more info on him (he’s a great guy, down-to-earth, humble, Stanford-educated, etc.) Thanks for considering this as you know how this business is and servicing clients.”

If Nikprelaj isn’t impressed with his college transcript, or if her, uh, husband takes issue with her dating someone else, maybe Daryl Hannah still has that mermaid outfit laying around (bonus: she’s single!).

Teammate Hunter Pence is taking a different approach for finding Mayberry a date:

Unconventional? Perhaps. But if the mermaid thing doesn’t work out for him at least there are plenty of fish in the proverbial Twitter sea. Although, he may not be taking Vance Worley up on his suggestion to join the social media world until things blow over.

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Marlins Wash Out Phillies, Oswalt

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

After shuffling the weekend’s schedule around twice in preparation for Hurricane Irene, the Phils and the Fish kicked off a two-day (perhaps even one-day) series as the Marlins came out on top with a score of 6-5 Friday night.

Righty Roy Oswalt, in his fourth game since returning from his second stint on the disabled list this year, went 5 2/3 innings allowing 12 hits, six runs (five earned) and one walk while striking out two. 

The biggest hit of all came off the bat of John Buck, a grand slam in the sixth inning, which wound up providing just enough for the Marlins.

Former Phillie Greg Dobbs had a banner night for the Fish, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. In nine games against the Phillies in 2011, Dobbs is 6-for-19 (.316) with two RBIs.

The Phils tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth, when Ryan Howard hit a three-run home run, his 27th of the season, bringing the Phightins within two runs. Raul Ibanez and Michael Martinez teamed up with Cliff Lee (who pinch ran for Ibanez as he is still resting with a sore groin) to bring home a run in the bottom of the ninth, but it was all for naught as Shane Victorino (0-for-5) and Placido Polanco (1-for-4) failed to bring it home for the win.

Some notes:

• Wilson Valdez hit his first home run of the season in the bottom of the third, tying the game 1-1.
• David Herndon, Michael Stutes and Ryan Madson combined for three-plus scoreless innings and five strikeouts in relief.
• The Phillies lost back-to-back games for just the sixth time all season.

Roy Halladay is expected to take the mound for Saturday’s game, which is scheduled to start at 1:05 p.m. As a reminder for those headed to the ballpark, this will be Sunday’s game being played at its rescheduled time. Tickets will be honored only with the date Aug. 28 printed on them. Saturday night’s game has been rescheduled for September 15 with a time TBD.

If the game is played, Charlie Manuel plans to send Hamels out on Monday and Lee on Tuesday against Cincinnati. 

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Contreras Out for Season, Phils Evaluate Future of Pen

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

Sometime between news breaking of Cole Hamels being placed on the disabled list and the many East Coasters experiencing their first earthquake, it was announced that Phillies relief pitcher Jose Contreras would have season ending elbow surgery.

Contreras, who pitched in 67 games in 2010, had appeared just 17 times for the Phillies this season, with five saves, 13 strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA in 14 innings pitched. He was placed on the disabled list twice in 2011 for a flexor pronator strain in his throwing elbow. The righty was active on the roster for less than 60 days.

Although the Phillies have been without the Big Truck for the majority of the season, the question of the bullpen lineup looms as the team continues to march their way towards the playoffs.

The Phillies bullpen currently plays host to Antonio Bastardo, David Herndon, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Michael Schwimer, Mike Stutes and on-again, off-again spot starter Kyle Kendrick. Drew Carpenter, Justin De Fratus, Scott Mathieson, Drew Naylor, Juan Perez and Mike Zagurski are also on the 40-man roster wrapping up their season with Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Vance Worley should also likely move to the bullpen once the playoffs begin to provide some long relief alongside Kendrick. Joe Blanton hopes to return to the team (and bullpen) in September as well but his status remains uncertain to say the least.

The Phightins' current crop of relief pitchers boast a combined ERA of 2.98 in 92 innings pitched. Philadelphia’s bullpen overall season’s ERA is tenth in baseball at 3.45. Of all 30 MLB teams, the Phillies pen has been called on the least, having pitched in just 111 games. They have pitched the fewest innings in the National League at 313 2/3 -- third fewest in the Majors.

Bastardo, Lidge, Madson and Kendrick all have experience pitching in the postseason, and others have been on the expanded roster to be able to watch the biggest games of the year from either the dugout our bullpen, but for the vast majority of Phillies pitchers, most will get their first taste of October baseball in just a few short weeks.

In 2011, the Phillies have used a total of four closers, each one having picked up the slack for another’s ailments and injuries. Contreras and Madson began the season competing for the closer’s role due to Lidge recovering from shoulder troubles. Once Contreras was placed on the disabled list in late April, Madson assumed the position. Madson has an ERA of 3.25 in 44 1/3 innings pitched and has converted all but two saves in 25 opportunities.

Bastardo took over the closing duties when Madson spent a brief time on the disabled list himself for a bruised right hand. There have been times throughout the 2011 season in which Bastardo has been virtually unhittable. Having pitched 48 2/3 innings, Bastardo boasts a miniscule 1.48 ERA and has converted eight of nine save opportunities. To put into perspective how key he has been to the Phillies bullpen this year, Bastardo has appeared in 52 games so far in 2011 -- in 2010 he pitched in 25 games with a 4.34 ERA.

Lidge returned from injury on July 22 and has been weaning his way back just a little bit at a time. He has appeared in 11 games and has one save in eight innings pitched with a 2.25 ERA. He is still fine-tuning his control, as he has walked seven batters, but has not allowed any triples or home runs, and just two doubles. Although he is the epitome of why statistical analysts are hesitant to make hypotheses based off of small sample sizes, the Phillies are more than likely not going to be looking at Lidge to carry the team in the postseason as they had in the past as Madson and Bastardo have proven how capable they are to shut down the opposition when needed.

The bullpen could be almost as crowded as the dugout come September when the rosters expand, but if history is any indicator (as it usually is), the Phillies will have approximately six to seven relief pitchers per playoff series roster. With Madson, Lidge, Bastardo, Kendrick and Worley all a likely shoe in, Mike Stutes may be the wildcard should Charlie Manuel decide to bring Blanton along for the ride.

Stutes has appeared in 44 games for the Phillies this season with a 3.33 ERA over 46 innings pitched. Posting an ERA of 2.45 in 29 1/3 pitched with 30 strikeouts between April 25 and July 8, he has an ERA of 4.86 since July 8 in 16 2/3 innings. Opponents are batting .242 against him as compared to .170 just over a month ago. (Note: these figures do not include his stats from Tuesday’s game, in which he allowed three runs on four hits over two innings.)

Perhaps if Contreras had remained healthy this season, the coaching staff wouldn’t have to wonder how Stutes -- a rookie -- would fair in a postseason environment when he has already started a backwards slide nearing the end of the season. Perhaps it's just a little fatigue, but when the Phillies could have as many as 56 games remaining until the World Series winner has been decided, now may be the only chance Stutes has to let things slide a bit. If he isn’t back to his A-game soon, the Phightins may be forced to go another route come Oct. 16 when the MLB Divisional Series kicks off that hopefully does not backfire.

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Gosewisch Reaches Elite 8 in MiLB.com's Moniker Madness

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

Minor League Baseball’s fifth annual Moniker Madness has reached the quarterfinals and Reading’s Tuffy Gosewisch is still alive.

Lehigh Valley’s Tagg Bozied entered as a 16 seed and didn't make it out of the first round of voting, but Phillies fans still have a chance to make a push for some brotherly love in the final rounds.

Seeded seventh in the Natty Nattress Bracket, Gosewisch -- the lowest seed remaining -- has surpassed Drew Smyly, Helpi Reyes and Zelous Wheeler in the voting and is currently up against No. 1 seed Beamer Weems of the Padres double-A affiliate, the San Antonio Missions.

Voting for the quarterfinals ends on Thursday so cast your ballots while there’s time. Voting also enters you for a chance to win prizes from Minor League Baseball, just as MiLB.com shop gift cards and free MiLB.tv subscriptions.

Click here to join Team Tuffy and cast your vote!

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Phils Sweep Away Rockies

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

The Phillies (71-39) beat the Rockies (51-60) for their sixth straight win as they completed a sweep in the Mile High City.

Roy Halladay (14-4) picked up his NL-best 14th win of the season despite allowing four earned runs over seven innings. Antonio Bastardo allowed one run in relief -- a home run off the bat of Todd Helton, his seventeenth career long ball against the Phils.

Then surprisingly Brad Lidge pitched the only 1-2-3 inning of the day for the Phightins as he secured his one 100th save as a Phillie in his home town of Denver. It was his first save of the 2011 season. 

Normal closer Ryan Madson was reportedly unavailable to pitch because his wife is having a baby.

As Halladay struggled, the Phightins bats once again came alive. Every Phillies starter -- including Doc -- had a hit. Ryan Howard had another big offensive day going 2-for-4 with a walk and four RBIs -- two of which came on his first home run off a left-handed pitcher this season when he tagged Rex Brothers in the sixth inning.

Howard was also responsible for the two Phillies errors in the game. In the bottom of the first, Dexter Fowler reached on a fielding error by the Big Piece. In the same play, Ryan tried again to get Fowler out at first but committed a throwing error by lobbing the ball over the 6-foot-6 Halladay, allowing a run to score.

Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence picked up an RBI each. Pence has a hit in each of his five games as a Phillie.

The Phillies head to San Francisco for a four-game series beginning Thursday. According to Scott Mathieson’s Facebook page, he is on his way to San Francisco as well. The rotation is expected to be Cliff Lee, Vance Worley (now on Twitter!), Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. The righty has been on the disabled list since June 24 with back problems.

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