The Phillies Five Best Wins, Five Worst Losses in the First Half of 2010

The All-Star Break is a great time to reflect on your favorite team’s first half of the season: remembering the good times and the bad of the last three months.

So here they are (in my opinion): the five best wins and five worst losses for the Phillies during their first half of 2010.

Let’s start with the five worst losses and finish with the wins, and therefore, a high note. Enjoy!

Begin Slideshow

MLB Trade Rumors: Rays Dealing Carl Crawford, Phillies Trading Jayson Werth?

Baseball’s hot stove is heating up. With two weeks left until the trade deadline and Cliff Lee already dealt, the two big names left on the rumor circuit are Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth.

The two have much in common: Both are outfielders who are among the best players on their respective teams. They both play for clubs that are fully in the thick of playoff contention—Crawford’s Rays are three games up in the AL Wild Card, while Werth’s Phillies sit just 1.5 games behind the Rockies and Dodgers in the NL.

But, perhaps more importantly, both stars are going to be free agents come winter, and both figure to price themselves far out of their current teams’ budgets when they hit the open market.

That’s why they’d be traded: GMs Andrew Friedman and Ruben Amaro Jr. might decide that the returns they could get for Crawford and Werth, respectively, would be worth more than a pair of compensation picks and two more months of their production (presumably, at least—there’s no official word on how seriously the teams are considering these deals, if at all).

Of course, such deals would be monumentally stupid for both the Rays and the Phillies—they’re not rebuilding teams playing for 2013, they’re contenders chugging towards October.

When teams send their big stars away for prospects, it’s usually because the production they provide is basically meaningless for a hopeless team. The Phillies and Rays, however, are in the midst of tight pennant races—is there any other time when having stars around could possibly be more important?

But, while both deals would be mistakes, the Phillies trading Werth would be exponentially more foolish than the Rays parting ways with Crawford for one simple reason: the Phils will have a much harder time finding a replacement.

The Rays’ roster is built around versatility. B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist can man two of the three spots in the Tropicana big grass with ease. Matt Joyce would get first crack at filling the left field hole, and if he couldn’t cut it, chances are Sean Rodriguez or Gabe Kabler could.

Of course, there’s also über-prospect Desmond Jennings. The No. 6 pick on Baseball America’s preseason top prospects list fought off an early injury and is hitting .297 with 21 steals in 64 games at Triple-A Durham. Rays fans have been anxiously awaiting his call-up for months, and there seems to be little doubt that he’s ready to take the majors by storm.

But if the team decides none of those viable options are good enough, it wouldn’t be too hard to get a decent replacement via trade. At his current rate of production, Crawford is on pace to provide a full four additional wins to whatever team he plays for from now until the end of the season. To put that in perspective, consider that 18 of MLB’s 30 teams are within four games of a playoff spot.

The point is this: Crawford would command an enormous return in any deal. A ton of talent would change hands, and the Rays would certainly be able to demand a respectable, big-league-ready outfielder in addition to the expected plethora of promising prospects.

The Phillies’ depth chart is substantially more shallow. If Werth is shipped out of town, the only currently available replacements would be Ben Francisco (.659 OPS) and Ross Gload (.668).

There’s always Domonic Brown, the top prospect left in a depleted Phillies farm system. He’s mashed MiLB pitching in 2010, hitting .326/.391/.608 with 19 homers and 59 RBI in 80 games.

The problem? He’s played just 15 games above Double-A. His bat might be Major League-ready—there’s only one way to find out—but it seems like an awfully big risk for a team looking to make up ground in a close race.

The Phillies could trade for a replacement, but it wouldn’t be as easy as it would be for the Rays, because Amaro wouldn’t be able to get nearly as much in return for Werth as Friedman would for Crawford.

On May 11, Werth was on top of the world, hitting .348 with seven homers, 26 RBI, and a scintillating 1.112 OPS in just 32 games. Since then, he’s hit just .242 with only six homers, 23 RBI, and a meager .738 OPS in 52 contests. In his last 15 starts, he hit .214 with no homers, just two RBI, and a nauseating .547 OPS.

Crawford’s WAR to date is 4.8, best of any outfielder; Werth’s is 2.2, which ranks 30th. How much can the Phillies expect a trade to net them if the other 29 teams could be expected to have someone better?

A contending team selling low on one of its star players when there’s no obvious candidate to replace him? Unless there’s some strange set of circumstances that we fans can’t conceive of, any professional general manager that would even consider pulling the trigger on such a deal deserves to be fired immediately.

Given that Crawford is in the midst of a career year and there are a number of possible in-house replacements, you might consider the Phillies’ situation and decide that the Rays trading Crawford sounds reasonable by comparison, and it does. But that doesn’t make it the right thing to do.

It is imperative to remember that the Rays are a contending team. Sure, they’d be selling high on Crawford. But if his trade value is at its peak, doesn’t that also mean he matters to the Rays? Keep in mind that the Rays are rolling towards October, and would probably be among the teams trying to trade for Crawford were he playing for, say, the Indians.

That’s like dumping all your shares of a company right before an all-expense-paid stockholders’ retreat. If you wait to release your holdings, you might not earn quite as big of a profit, but doesn’t a free vacation outweigh the loss of a few bucks?

A year from now, Crawford and Werth will be suiting up in other teams’ uniforms and cashing exorbitant checks from fat-pocketed owners. But with dreams of the World Series trophy floating through both clubhouses, there’s no reason for either player to book an early ticket out of town.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

My Cliff Lee Quandary: All My Ex’s Live in Texas

I drive a Honda CRV.

It might be the first of its kind; it could be the prototype. There is nothing modern about it. The only gauge I have measures gas; mileage stacks up via flipping digits, and mechanical failures are indicated when the appropriate circle lights up red.

Some people call them idiot lights. That’s because when they glow, idiots wait a few weeks to see if they’ll go out—all by themselves.

I think Ruben Amaro Jr. has a few on. The problem is there’s one that won’t go out all by itself.

Admittedly he’s concerned about pitching. And admittedly he has what it takes to get what he wants.

That can only mean two things: Jayson Werth should keep the beard to accent his sex appeal for a trade and the love affair with Cliff Lee continues to be the quintessential story.

Where do I begin to tell the story of how great a team can be a great love story about the man they call Cliff Lee.

Another year with a World Series victory.

The way I understand it, Cliffy’s “Dear John” letter traded him to a soggy AL port so Ruben could restock a farm system with guys a lot like the ones he traded for a Cy Young winner he hoped could pitch as well as the Cy Young winner that earned him the only two wins of the last Series.

Did I get that right?

Well, anyway you say it, it broke my heart.

It was like missing a blue light sale by an aisle.

It was like watching any movie by Nicholas Sparks.

And it was like fumbling for your ID at the liquor store and hearing the clerk say, “I won’t be needing that.”

Now the media is teasing Cliffy because he got flustered when someone whispered the name of his ex World Series partner upon his arrival in Texas. That caused him to commit the faux pas of saying he was a Mariner when he was actually obligated to the Rangers.

Cliff, that’s why you never specifically speak a name when you’re in bed together.

I know I’m not alone in wanting him back, and as a devoted fan I’d like something more concrete than reports that Philly is missed by Cliff.

Even a cheesy commitment will do. Something with no legal basis like a promise ring—or a clanky oversized class ring with a tacky stretch of yarn encircling the bottom.

My point is, I don’t care how you do it, just get the job done.

I miss his behind the back defense, the way he quick pitches cocky batters, and his ability to yawn while fielding a ball.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Roy Halladay. He throws with surgical precision, he’s devoted and proven, and he tossed the perfect game. But in my book there are two perfect number thirty-fours: Cliff and Roy. Call them 34a and 34b if you like, just don’t call them by the wrong name.

Obviously with all the recent whining Ruben’s been doing about his desire for pitching, he knows this too. So when he considers improving his rotation, he should remember one thing: It takes two.

The Phillies and Cliff Lee were meant for each other.

That’s the only way to make that idiot light go out.

See you at the ballpark.

Copyright 2010 Flattish Poe all rights reserved.

Catch life one-liner at a time on Twitter http://twitter.com/ABabesTake

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

My Cliff Lee Quandary: All My Ex’s Live in Texas

I drive a Honda CRV.

It might be the first of its kind; it could be the prototype. There is nothing modern about it. The only gauge I have measures gas; mileage stacks up via flipping digits, and mechanical failures are indicated when the appropriate circle lights up red.

Some people call them idiot lights. That’s because when they glow, idiots wait a few weeks to see if they’ll go out—all by themselves.

I think Ruben Amaro Jr. has a few on. The problem is there’s one that won’t go out all by itself.

Admittedly he’s concerned about pitching. And admittedly he has what it takes to get what he wants. That can only mean two things: Jayson Werth should keep the beard to accent his sex appeal for a trade and the love affair with Cliff Lee continues to be the quintessential story.

Where do I begin

To tell the story of how great a team can be

A great love story ‘bout the man they call Cliff Lee

Another year with a World Series victory

Oh Ruben please.

The way I understand it, Cliffy’s “Dear John” letter traded him to a soggy AL port so Ruben could restock a farm system with guys a lot like the ones he traded for a Cy Young winner he hoped could pitch as well as the Cy Young winner that earned him the only two wins of the last Series.

Did I get that right?

Well, anyway you say it, it broke my heart.

It was like missing a blue light sale by an aisle.

It was like watching any movie by Nicholas Sparks.

It was like finding out Ricky Martin is gay.

And it was like fumbling for your ID at the liquor store and hearing the clerk say, “I won’t be needing that.”

Now the media is teasing Cliffy because he got flustered when someone whispered the name of his ex World Series partner upon his arrival in Texas. That caused him to commit the faux pas of saying he was a Mariner when he was actually obligated to the Rangers.

Cliff, that’s why you never specifically speak a name when you’re in bed together.

Not that I’d know anything about that—darlin’.

I know I’m not alone in wanting him back, and as a devoted fan I’d like something more concrete than reports that Philly is missed by Cliff.

Even a cheesy commitment will do. Something with no legal basis like a promise ring—or a clanky oversized class ring with a tacky stretch of yarn encircling the bottom.

Actually, all it’d take is a steak dinner and a few catchy lines. Come to think of it, if you drive your own car, have enough teeth to eat a steak, and can at least split dinner, I’m yours.

My point is, I don’t care how you do it, just get the job done.

Hold on. What were we talking about?

Oh yeah, Cliff Lee.

I miss his behind the back defense, the way he quick pitches cocky batters, and his ability to yawn while fielding a ball. Don’t get me wrong, I love Roy Halladay. He throws with surgical precision, he’s devoted and proven, and he tossed the perfect game. But in my book there are two perfect number thirty-fours: Cliff and Roy. Call them 34a and 34b if you like, just don’t call them by the wrong name.

Obviously with all the recent whining Ruben’s been doing about his desire for pitching, he knows this too. So when he considers improving his rotation, he should remember one thing: It takes two.

The Phillies and Cliff Lee were meant for each other.

That’s the only way to make that idiot light go out.

See you at the ballpark.

 

Copyright 2010 Flattish Poe all rights reserved.

Catch life one-liner at a time on Twitter  http://twitter.com/ABabesTake .

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

2010 MLB All-Star Game: Looking Back at the AL’s 13-Year Unbeaten Streak

The last time the National League beat the American League in an All-Star game was on July 9, 1996: back when Independence Day was the summer movie blockbuster and six months before a young gunslinger named Brett Favre won the Super Bowl with Green Bay.

The game was played at the Philadelphia Phillies’ Veterans Stadium, a ballpark that was leveled by dynamite six-and-a-half years ago. That night, the Philadelphia-suburb native Mike Piazza hit a home run and was the game’s MVP as the NL rolled to a 6-0 victory.

Tuesday in Anaheim, the NL will try again for it’s first victory over the AL since that time…it’s been a while. The AL has dominated since. Let’s take a look…

Begin Slideshow

Placido Polanco Aiming to Return Saturday vs. Cubs

Ever since getting hit by a pitch against the Braves at the tail-end of April, third baseman Placido Polanco has had serious trouble with his left elbow. He would be forced to miss a few games here and a few games there, but always avoided the DL until recently.

Now, with Polanco set to come off the DL, he’s talking about being on the field as early as Saturday, when the Phillies will be in the middle of a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs.

“My elbow feels good right now,” he said. “It feels better than it did the last two or three weeks when I was playing.”

That’s certainly good news for the Phillies, but the team also has to make sure Polanco isn’t rushing himself back the way Jimmy Rollins did. Rollins’ initial return from a calf injury was short-lived after he reinjured himself almost immediately.
 

Since he aggravated the injury, it’s likely it cost him more time on the DL than if he had simply waited until he was 100 percent.

With Polanco, it’s likely he won’t be 100 percent until he has surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow. At least, that’s the opinion of the Cincinnati team doctor, who told Polanco he should have the surgery “right away.”

The surgery, however, would have cost Polanco at least two months of the season — something he was unwilling to do, and something he says can be taken care of after the season.

“If it’s bothering me, without a doubt (I’ll have the surgery), because I don’t want to think about it,” he said.

So while everyone else is enjoying their All-Star break, Polanco said he will be working out Tuesday and Wednesday, then playing a game on Thursday in Class-A Clearwater, and a Friday game with the Phillies’ rookie-league team.

Finally, on Saturday, he should be back at third base and retaking his spot in the lineup behind Jimmy Rollins.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

MLB Trade Rumors: 10 Teams in Need of a Major Move at the Deadline

Now that we’ve reached the All-Star Break, the 2010 season is officially on hiatus until Thursday.

With the All-Star break, one of baseball’s most sacred traditions, comes the annual rite of July, the trade deadline deals. No less than 17 teams are currently in contention for the playoffs, which means there is a lot of wheeling and dealing to be done.

Here’s a look at 10 teams that must make a move before July 31 if they hope to make the playoffs in 2010.

Begin Slideshow

Cole Hamels Helps Phillies Complete Four-Game Sweep

For the second game in a row, the Philadelphia Phillies have pulled off a 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. With the win, Philadelphia also capped off their first four-game series sweep of the Reds since 1975.

And for the second game in a row, it came down to great pitching and a clutch base knock by Jimmy Rollins. It wasn’t quite as dramatic as an 11th inning walk-off hit, but Rollins came through in the third inning, driving in what turned out to be the winning run.

Not surprisingly, it was Carlos Ruiz coming home from third with two outs. If anyone was doubting Rollins’s impact on this lineup, they’re not anymore.

But even more important than Rollins was Cole Hamels and his rough-looking-but-effective 7.2 scoreless innings. He scattered six hits, with three strikeouts and three walks, in 112 pitches.

Hamels was around the plate all day, but wasn’t getting a lot of the calls and had to work himself out of a jam a couple times. He then gave way to Jose Contreras for the final out in the eighth inning with a man on second. Contreras walked the first man he faced, then forced a ground ball to get out of the inning.

Then in the ninth, a perfect combination of J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge finished off the game.

Romero came in to face first the first batter, left-hander Jay Bruce, and struck him out in four pitches. Charlie Manuel then made a decision that was unpopular with the sellout crowd at Citizen’s Bank Park. Manuel took Romero out to make way for Lidge, who faced two consecutive right-handed batters.

But the crowd got behind Lidge as he struck out Drew Stubbs and got Miguel Cairo to fly out on the very first pitch, ending the game and completing the four-game sweep.

Great teams win the close games, but the Phillies bats are still a cause for concern. Four hits will not get the job done on a normal day. They’ve benefited from outstanding pitching the last 21 innings as the staff held the Reds scoreless. But sooner or later, this team is going to have to win with their offense.

That’s how they’ve won in the past, and that’s how they’re going to have to win this season.

Hopefully Chase Utley and Placido Polanco can come back strong and this lineup can be complete for more than a couple weeks, and start making their annual late-season push.

But without a lot more offense than we’ve seen over the past week or so, the Phillies will struggle to stay in the middle of the pack in a competitive NL East.

But for now, it’s at least good to see the Phightin’ Phils back to their winning ways.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Why Cliff Lee Going To Texas Is Good For Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr.

Philadelphia Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. can breathe a sigh of relief.

Now that former Phillies pitcher and fan favorite Cliff Lee has been traded to the Texas Rangers, Phillies fans will no longer be scoreboard, watching every five days wondering “what if?”  

Lee’s starts will no longer be Chinese water torture for a Phillies team with three reliable starters and two train wrecks.  

Phillies fans will no longer calculate and recalculate the math it would have required to keep Lee.

After a half season of angst-inducing dominance for the Seattle Mariners, during which the Phillies and their fans have constantly wondered “what have we done?” Lee has been traded to the Texas Rangers, a team that plays in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in baseball, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

And the dividends have been immediate.

As Roy Halladay pitched nine shutout innings to keep the Phillies in a game as Reds‘ pitcher Travis Wood took a perfect game into the ninth inning, Lee was getting shelled in his Rangers debut.

And we all breathe a sigh of relief as Lee now joins the long list of good-to-great pitchers to get lit up at The Ballpark.

In an era dominated by the big four pitchers – Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martinez – we rarely spoke of Kevin Brown as an all-time great, but his numbers match up favorable to Hall of Fame caliber pitchers John Smoltz and Don Drysdale.

In 1996 with Florida, he led the NL with a remarkable 1.89 ERA and 0.944 WHIP. He won another ERA title in Los Angeles in 2000 with a 2.58, and again won the WHIP crown with a 0.991. He also led the league in wins once, home runs per at-bat a few times, K:BB ratio once, and games started three times.

For his career, Brown finished with a lovely 211-144 record, 3.28 ERA, and 127 ERA+.

In the one year Brown pitched in The Ballpark, he went 7-9 with a 4.82 ERA, 1.576 WHIP, and a league leading 218 hits allowed in only 170.0 innings pitched.

Ever heard of Chan Ho Park? Park spent the first nine years of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was an above average pitcher – 84-58 record, 3.77 ERA, well under a hit allowed per inning pitched.

Park signed a big free agent contract with Texas in 2002, and this above-average pitcher became one of the worst pitchers in baseball. In three years, Park went 22-23 with a 5.79 ERA, allowing 55 home runs and 423 hits allowed in 380.2 innings pitched.

And so it has gone with Kevin Millwood, Rick Helling, John Burkett, Darren Oliver, Vicente Padilla, and other solid-to-good-to-great pitchers who have been absolutely shelled during their time playing for the Texas Rangers at The Ballpark.

Arguably the most successful pitcher in the history of The Ballpark was Aaron Sele, who in two seasons there went 37-20 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.525 WHIP. Yikes.

Welcome to Arlington, Cliff Lee.

Looking at Lee’s 2010 game log, his performance in 2010 with the Seattle Mariners was fantastic. Lee had four complete games; five other outings of eight innings or more; and two outings in which he did not allow a single run.

Perhaps most amazingly of all, Lee allowed four or fewer earned runs in 12 of his 13 starts as a Mariner.

In his first start with the Texas Rangers on Saturday night, Lee got The Ballpark treatment. Although he did pitch a complete game and took only 95 pitches to do it, Lee got shelled to the tune of six earned runs on nine hits and three home runs while striking out only two batters.

Out of 35 batters faced, Lee induced 12 ground balls and 21 fly balls, the second highest fly ball total of his season. Orioles batters also had seven line drives off of Lee, which was the third highest total of his season.

It is not going to be easy going for the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner with the Rangers, and that is no knock on him. Fact is, it isn’t merely hard to pitch at the Ballpark in Arlington; it is nearly impossible because The Ballpark is one of the true hitters paradises in all of baseball.

Remember, this is the stadium that made Gary Matthews, Jr. a star. This is the stadium where Milton Bradley led the American League in OPS+. This is the stadium that has resurrected Vlad Guerrero’s career, and made Josh Hamilton an MVP candidate.

And this is probably the stadium that is going to chew Lee up and spit him out.

To be fair, Lee is a better pitcher than most, and if anyone can succeed in the Ballpark it would seem to be Lee. Lee doesn’t make lots of mistakes, has excellent location with his pitches, and has had some of the best home runs allowed numbers in baseball over the last three years.

If, however, we were to play devil’s advocate, this is why we might think Lee might have big problems in Texas: as between bases on balls and base hits, Lee eschews the former and takes his chances on the latter. Rather than give up a free pass, Lee would rather allow hitters to make bad contact with his pitches and get easy outs.

Even during his Cy Young campaign of 2008, while Lee was leading the league in fewest home runs and walks per nine innings pitched, he was allowing 8.6 hits per nine innings. In 2009, Lee actually led Major League Baseball in total hits allowed with 24.

Unfortunately for Lee, there is no such thing as “bad contact” at the Ballpark as Lee learned on Saturday night, and a pitcher who has a tendency towards giving up hits is in trouble.

Oh, and here’s a trouble-sign: going into last night’s game, of all the stadiums in which Lee has pitched more than one game, guess where the worst ERA of his career has been?

The Ballpark.

In fact, after last night’s performance, Lee now has a 7.33 ERA in 50.1 innings pitched there. Since he gave up six runs in nine innings last night, that means his ERA in The Ballpark actually went down during the course of last night’s game.

Rangers Ballpark in Arlington can make good pitchers look bad and can make even the best pitchers in baseball look mediocre. It is going to be a long three months for Lee.

And an easier three months for Ruben Amaro.

 

Asher B. Chancey lives in Philadelphia and is a co-founder of BaseballEvolution.com.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Carlos Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins Give Phillies Walk-Off Win Over Cincinnati Reds

It took a full eight innings for the Phillies to even get a man on base, but they needed only four hits and one run to take their third straight game from the Cincinnati Reds, all of them coming in walk-off fashion.

Rookie pitcher Travis Wood took a perfect game into the ninth, but watched it evaporate as a fresh-off-the-DL Carlos Ruiz hit a leadoff double.

And because Roy Halladay also had a shutout going with only five scattered hits allowed, Wood was pitching to avoid the loss.

He got out of the jam by stranding Ruiz at third, and a scoreless tie would send these two teams into extra innings for the third game in a row.

Brad Lidge, not surprisingly, had the bases loaded at one point in the 10th, but worked his way out of it.

The Phillies weren’t able to get anything going in their half of the 10th, but after Jose Contreras shut the Reds down in the top of the 11th, Jimmy Rollins and Ruiz went to work.

Ruiz, for the second time in the night, hit a double into the gap in left center to get things started for the Phils’ offense. Wilson Valdez drew a two-out walk and it was all set up for Rollins to become the hero.

This is the situation in which superstars are supposed to come through, and Rollins didn’t disappoint, as he hit a base knock into right field allowing Ruiz to come around from second to end the game.

It marked the third consecutive walk-off win in extra innings, the first time in franchise history that has been done.

The Phils have one more game in the series against the Reds on Sunday before the All-Star break, but hopefully the streak won’t continue and the Phils can simply take care of business in the first nine innings.

Halladay continues to show why he truly is the best pitcher in baseball, but he’s not going to be able to pitch like that every time.

The Phils still need to start getting the bats moving a whole lot sooner than the ninth inning, or they’re going to start dropping a lot of games.

With anyone other than Halladay on the mound, the Phils would have lost this game.

So while the win is great to have and was exciting to watch, they still need to realize how inept their bats truly were during regulation and make a greater effort to resolve the problems once and for all.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

« Previous Page — Next Page »