Domonic Brown and the Philadelphia Phillies: The Future is Now

The Philadelphia Phillies have finally reached the breaking point.  The Phillies of the present will no longer be able to try to make the playoffs without a little help from the Phillies of the future.

Domonic Brown is being called up.

According to CSNPhilly’s Jim Salisbury, Shane Victorino is being placed on the disabled list after suffering an injury to his left oblique on Tuesday night, and the Phillies’ most heralded and anticipated prospect of 2010 will be join the big club.

The 22-year-old Brown has most recently been pummeling Triple-A pitching to the tune of .346/.390/.561/.951 with five homers, 21 RBI, and five stolen bases in just 107 at-bats since having been promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley this summer. 

So, the Fightin’s were able to play through Jimmy Rollins’ injuries in the first half of the season as well as Placido Polanco’s trip to the disabled list, and have been making due with Chase Utley out for all of the second half so far. The Phillies have stomached the poor play of Raul Ibanez, and the massive slump of Jayson Werth.

But now, with Victorino taking his turn on the DL, the Phils have no other choice. No amount of Greg Dobbs and Ross Gload and Brian Schneider and Wilson Valdez is going to help the team get by without their Gold Glove center fielder and de facto leadoff man.

And so the future is now.

Domonic Brown is now a major league ballplayer.

(And you can probably forget about a Jayson Werth trade.)

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

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

MLB: Even With Walking Wounded, Phillies String Together Win Streak

It seems as if injuries are the storyline of the season for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Chase Utley is still a few weeks from returning from the disabled list with his surgically repaired thumb, Jimmy Rollins was benched yesterday with a foot injury, and to top it all off, outfielder Shane Victorino was pulled in the seventh inning with a strained muscle in his left side.

Weeks ago, I preached to the Phillies collective that the describing word for the Phillies was inconsistency, and it still may be, but in this recent six game winning streak, the buzz word must be resilience.

The resilience of a roster that has not been whole in months. The resilience that had one of the best pitchers in the league, Ubaldo Jimenez, running for the showers. The team did this on the back of a pitcher who was just demoted to the minor’s days before. J.A. Happ, who hadn’t pitched in the majors since April, scrounged for a victory on Sunday just days after replacing Jamie Moyer in the starting rotation.

Moyer, who is now injured with a strained tendon in his elbow and forearm, is questioning surgery and even his career which is another injury the Phillies can add to their laundry list of walking wounded.

Yet with all of these issues, the team has managed their improbable winning streak and has even gained ground in the division, now just sitting 3 1/2 games back of division leading Atlanta Braves.

The injury bug is even transcending the Phillies current roster.

Just days ago Dan Haren, formerly of the Diamondbacks, left his first start for his new ballclub the L.A. Angels after taking a line drive off the leg. Haren was one of the key pitching names targeted by the Phillies.

Just yesterday, there were rumors surfacing involving a possible trade between the Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays. The deal was proposed to send Jayson Werth to Tampa for outfielder B.J. Upton and prospects. Just hours after the rumors, Upton left the game will an injury to his right ankle and is now listed as day-to-day.

It seems as if divine intervention is plaguing even those loosely associated with the team, yet with all of these injuries and proposed injuries, the Phillies manage to pull out wins.

The Phillies have done their best piecing together a roster that, for one reason or another, has been getting it done. Role players like Ross Gload have come up big for reasons unknown to many. Even the slumping Jayson Werth reveled in his resilience, hitting his 14th homerun of the season in the sixth inning of the teams 9-5 romping of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With the recent roster issues the Phillies have a few options to assess. As many have mentioned, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is sitting behind the eight ball with increased pressure to make a move for either a starting pitcher or another right handed bat to come off the bench and add some depth.

Upton would have been a solution to the right handed bat issues, but it would have come at the cost of the teams only other right handed producer in Werth. The Phillies have discussed publicly the option of bringing up minor league prospect Dominic Brown from Lehigh Valley. Brown wouldn’t help with the right handed bat issues, but could ease the stress on the club if they were to make a trade for one of their outfielders.

With the MLB trade deadline just three days away, the Phillies have issues to discuss. The recent injuries make their list of wants even greater, yet with a lack of minor league prospects and their depleted, injured roster, a trade may be even harder to make. What is known is that a move needs to be made the only question is by the time it gets done, will the team have enough players to remain competitive?

Side note: Brown went 2-4 last night against Durham with a triple and two RBI and is currently ranked #1 in MLB Minor League Prospect Rankings.

Complete Phillies Coverage on Eternal Mulligan or on Twitter.

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Philadelphia Phillies: The Placido Polanco Effect

So, I’m watching TV waiting for these people to get eaten by sharks when a thought crosses my mind: They can’t get eaten—they’re telling the story.

But wait. I can only see them from the neck up. Perhaps someone lost a limb.

There is hope.

There is hope for a pennant too.

That same “Throw them to the sharks” mentally is what Phillies fans are notorious for, so will they sigh with content at two straight four-game sweeps at home or will they expect the team to go in for the kill?

I’m not suggesting the Phillies will have to claw and scrape their way to the top of the division, but it sure is nice to attain something with the effort the team has extended lately.

Take Ryan Howard, for instance. He’s my vote for hardest working first baseman in America.

It’s easy to observe his greatness, especially when he’s playing opposite Jason Giambi. Ryan was sliding and diving and working so hard he looked like he was dipped in chocolate sprinkles.

Someone should lick him off.

I’m sorry, I meant clean him off.

Then there’s Placido Polanco. He’s my vote for greatest spaz at third base. And now he’s playing Chase Utley quite well at second. Polly rules the Phillie Playmate of the Week pinup in my head and excites me so that I extend to him my highest rating yet—.

Wait, my husband says I can’t say that on public access. Let’s just call the third baseman my own Steely Dan.

Jimmy Rollins is back as the renewed leadoff hitter, Shane Victorino is stealing bases so fast I had to check to see if I still had my pants, and the Jayson Werth signs are back. Whatever Greg Gross is giving out, I’m sure it’s a secret and illegal and I want some.

Now that the lineup is hitting, Ruben Amaro Jr. can turn his attention to pitchers not named Hamels or Halladay. I hate to see him scrape the bank account dry, but it’s not like he hasn’t tried some insiders.

We’ve seen Antonio Bastardo, Sergio Escalona, and I even had a dream that Brett Myers was back. But they were all gone by sunup.

Then there’s Scott Mathieson: He’s had more elbow surgeries than he has elbows. At this point why wouldn’t he just have them remove those ligaments altogether?

Then he could be like RA Dickey, throw the elusive knuckleball, and set the record for most wild pitches in an inning.

Or he could find a side job as a contortionist. Either way, he’s wowing people.

Andrew Carpenter is a name that comes and goes like Hugh Hefner’s wives.

And who the hell is Vance Worley? He was gone before I could pull up the 25-man roster that bore his name. Now he’s mentioned as a candidate for a trade. It’s like the bullpen’s in a game of hide-and-seek.

Not long ago the Phils had a guy named Dane Sardinha catching pitches from the unknown Mike Zagurski.

Did you know Zagurski is Polish for “No neck?”

I thought not.

Did you know Dane is from Hawaii and his name rhymes with Shane so he and Victorino are neighbors?

Okay, maybe not. That was judgmental of me. It’s like saying since Pamela Anderson and I both have breasts, we must be equally as buoyant.

We all know there’s no comparison. She’s like her own personal life vest. Well, unless she gets deflated. Unlike a guy, there’s nothing Viagra can do for her.

Men have all the options. They virtually pull up to the pharmaceutical air compressor when it’s honky-tonk time while girls have to wear their sex appeal around like a BabyBjörn.

Okay, maybe baby Björns are just what mine look like.

Wait, I’m completely off the subject. Where were we?

I know, things that interest me the most: sweaty men in uniform not married to me.

See, if I put it that way, my husband can’t put on a fancy hat, stand in the sun for a second, and think he has a chance without Tequila.

I tell him that’s why The Village People haven’t staged a comeback—like a Charlie Manuel pinup, I think it’s illegal.

Like me going for a swim at the Playboy mansion. I can pay my way into the public pool but a fake bunny tattoo doesn’t get me into Hugh’s place, even with my A-cup discount.

Besides childbirth has left me a little leaky—plus my stream now pulls to the right. If Pamela and I were in the pool together, I’d have to stand to her left when I have to sneeze, especially if Hugh has that blue indicator in the pool.

I’m like a peeing ventriloquist.

I’m sorry. My husband says that’s too much information.

Speaking of my beau, he’s now following my blogging progress online. He said, “Dolly Parton has 674-some thousand followers and you have 56. There are two reasons for that and both of them are holding up her blouse.”

What’s he saying—I need a strap-on chest?

Maybe I need a BigMamma Björn.

My husband says I need more help than that. Even the sharks won’t come for me.

That’s because they know I pee in the pool.

I’m done now.

See you at the ballpark.

 

Copyright 2010 Flattish Poe all rights reserved.

View this blog on my site at http://tinyurl.com/placidoeffect or catch life one-liner at a time on Twitter http://twitter.com/ABabesTake

 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: The Placido Polanco Effect

 

So, I’m watching TV waiting for these people to get eaten by sharks when a thought crosses my mind: They can’t get eaten—they’re telling the story.

But wait. I can only see them from the neck up. Perhaps someone lost a limb.

There is hope.

There is hope for a pennant too.

That same “Throw them to the sharks” mentally is what Phillies fans are notorious for, so will they sigh with content at two straight four-game sweeps at home or will they expect the team to go in for the kill?

I’m not suggesting the Phillies will have to claw and scrape their way to the top of the division but it sure is nice to attain something with the effort the team has extended lately.

Take Ryan Howard for instance. He’s my vote for hardest working first baseman in America. It’s easy to observe his greatness, especially when he’s playing opposite Jason Giambi. Ryan was sliding and diving and working so hard he looked like he was dipped in chocolate sprinkles.

Someone should lick him off.

I’m sorry, I meant clean him off.

Then there’s Placido Polanco. He’s my vote for greatest spaz at third base. And now he’s playing Chase Utley quite well at second. Polly rules the Phillie Playmate of the Week pinup in my head and excites me so that I extend to him my highest rating yet—.

Wait, my husband says I can’t say that on public access. Let’s just call the third baseman my own Steely Dan.

Jimmy Rollins is back as the renewed leadoff hitter, Shane Victorino is stealing bases so fast I had to check to see if I still had my pants, and the Jayson Werth signs are back. Whatever Greg Gross is giving out, I’m sure it’s a secret and illegal and I want some.

Now that the lineup is hitting, Ruben Amaro, Jr can turn his attention to pitchers not named Hamels or Halladay. I hate to see him scrape the bank account dry but it’s not like he hasn’t tried some insiders.

We’ve seen Antonio Bastardo, Sergio Escalona, and I even had a dream that Brett Myers was back. But they were all gone by sunup.

Then there’s Scott Mathieson: He’s had more elbow surgeries than he has elbows. At this point why wouldn’t he just have them remove those ligaments altogether. Then he could be like RA Dickey, throw the elusive knuckleball, and set the record for most wild pitches in an inning.

Or he could find a side job as a contortionist. Either way, he’s wowing people.

Andrew Carpenter is a name that comes and goes like Hugh Hefner’s wives.

And who the hell is Vance Worley? He was gone before I could pull up the 25 man roster that bore his name. Now he’s mentioned as a candidate for a trade. It’s like the bullpen’s in a game of hide and seek.

Not long ago the Phils had a guy named Dane Sardinha catching pitches from the unknown Mike Zagurski.

Did you know Zagurski is Polish for “No neck?”

I thought not.

Did you know Dane is from Hawaii and his name rhymes with Shane so he and Victorino are neighbors?

Okay, maybe not. That was judgmental of me. It’s like saying since Pamela Anderson and I both have breasts we must be equally as buoyant.

We all know there’s no comparison. She’s like her own personal life vest. Well, unless she gets deflated. Unlike a guy, there’s nothing Viagra can do for her.

Men have all the options. They virtually pull up to the pharmaceutical air compressor when it’s honky-tonk time while girls have to wear their sex appeal around like a BabyBjörn.

Okay, maybe baby Björns are just what mine look like.

Wait, I’m completely off the subject. Where were we?

I know, things that interest me the most: sweaty men in uniform not married to me.

See, if I put it that way, my husband can’t put on a fancy hat, stand in the sun for a second, and think he has a chance without Tequila. I tell him that’s why The Village People haven’t staged a comeback—like a Charlie Manuel pinup, I think it’s illegal.

Like me going for a swim at the Playboy mansion. I can pay my way into the public pool but a fake bunny tattoo doesn’t get me into Hugh’s place even with my A-cup discount.

Besides childbirth has left me a little leaky—plus my stream now pulls to the right. If Pamela and I were in the pool together I’d have to stand to her left when I have to sneeze, especially if Hugh has that blue indicator in the pool.

I’m like a peeing ventriloquist.

I’m sorry. My husband says that’s too much information.

Speaking of my beau, he’s now following my blogging progress online. He said, “Dolly Pardon has 674-some thousand followers and you have 56. There are two reasons for that and both of them are holding up her blouse.”

What’s he saying—I need a strap-on chest?

Maybe I need a BigMamma Björn.

My husband says I need more help than that. Even the sharks won’t come for me.

That’s because they know I pee in the pool.

I’m done now.

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

Silent but Deadly: Roy Halladay and 10 MLB Players Quietly On Fire

Roy Halladay is having an amazing year, and he’s been pretty special over the last month or so as well. In six starts, he has gone 3-2 with a remarkable 1.91 ERA while holding his opponents scoreless three times. This streak includes a game where his opponent took a perfect game into the ninth inning, and Halladay threw nine shutout innings without getting a win, complete game, or shutout for his efforts.

But Halladay you know about. Here is a list of 10 other players who are currently lighting the major leagues on fire, but doing so quietly.

Begin Slideshow

MLB Trade Rumors: 10 Relievers the Philadelphia Phillies Must Try For

The Philadelphia Phillies are currently riding a dramatic five-game winning streak, but you wouldn’t know it if you looked at Brad Lidge’s performances over the last couple of games.

Nursing precarious leads, Lidge has loaded the bases in each of the last two games before escaping jams to ultimately earn the save.

If the Phillies are getting to the point where they can no longer afford to allow Lidge to keep trying to get his legs under him, and if they are going to make a playoff run, they may need to add another arm or two to the bullpen.

Here is a list of 10 potentially available relievers, both closers and set-up men, who are available to the Phils as they ponder a future with Lidge in the closer role.

Begin Slideshow

Brad Lidge’s Struggles Continue with Philadelphia Phillies

Brad Lidge can turn the safest of leads these days into a full-blown nail-biter. Going for their first ever four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies, the Philadelphia Phillies built a 5-2 lead headed to the ninth.

Then they brought in Brad Lidge, and, as usual, things got interesting.

The first batter Lidge faced was Miguel Olivo, and he smacked a double to right. After retiring Melvin Mora and Brad Hawpe, things seemed to unravel for Lidge.

And what is a concerning about Lidge’s unraveling on Monday was that this was very similar to his meltdown in Cincinnati on June 29. After getting two quick outs that night, Lidge couldn’t get anyone out and served up a bomb to Joey Votto.

On Thursday, Lidge got two quick outs and then served up a 402-foot bomb to Seth Smith making the score 5-4 Phillies. While Philly fans thought the worst was over, things were just getting started.

Lidge walked Jonathan Herrera and then served up a single to Carlos Gonzalez. Then, for extra measure, Lidge uncorked a wild pitch that put runners on second and third with two outs. I couldn’t imagine what the average Philly fan was thinking at this point.

If the average Philly fan was losing his or her mind, the insane Philly fan was probably acting like Patton Oswalt in Big Fan. Lidge then intentionally walked Jason Giambi to load the bases.

Lidge somehow got of the inning when he got Ryan Spilborghs to ground back to the pitcher’s mound. So just to recap: That was one inning, three hits, two runs, two walks (one intentional), and 34 pitches.

Philly fans should be used to this by now, as Lidge has a 1.68 WHIP in 19.2 IP this season.

Having 19 hits and 13 walks is a lot of base runners for just 19 innings of work. It’s almost like the Phillies have to have a three-run lead these days in order for Lidge to be able to close things out.

It’s pretty clear that Lidge will never be the same pitcher that he was in 2008, when he went 41-for-41 in save opportunities.

But in order for the Phillies to overtake the Atlanta Braves and make a run at the Wild Card, they are going to need Lidge to be somewhat serviceable as a closer.

Any blown save could cost the Phillies a playoff spot.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @theghostofmlg

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Why Cole Hamels Deserves Your Respect…And Some Luck

The text message read: “Hollywood is starting to look like Compton.”

I got that text from a high school friend late on Friday night, April 23: the night Cole “Hollywood” Hamels gave up four home runs in a seven-batter span en route to a 7-4 loss in Arizona.

Apparently Cole didn’t realize the Home Run Derby wasn’t supposed to take place in Phoenix until July 2011.

Anyway, I agreed with the text message’s sentiment, because I, like most Phillies fans, have been pretty pissed off with Cole Hamels at times in the past couple of years.

I haven’t enjoyed hearing Cole whine about pitching in day games (’09 NLDS vs. Colorado). I haven’t enjoyed watching him repeatedly give up two-out, two-strike runs to the opposition. I haven’t enjoyed seeing him pitch like Steve Carlton for five brilliant innings only to see him look like a southpawed Adam Eaton for one, usually fatal, frame.

I haven’t been a Cole Hamels apologist and don’t mean to make excuses for him here. But after doing some statistical research over the last few days, I’ve realized that Cole doesn’t deserve a lot of the flak he’s been given by fans such as myself over the past few seasons. I was wrong.

Is Hamels nothing more than the three-week wonder he was back in October 2008? His win-loss record suggests he is. Since the start of ’08, Hamels has a very pedestrian 31-28 record in 85 starts.

But actually, Cole Hamels has been a pretty unlucky pitcher over the years, and his record could be a lot better than it is had he just a little bit of luck on his side.

Now, what exactly is luck? How can it be quantified? Those questions aren’t exactly easy to answer. So, here are some statistics, and you can make of them what you want.

 

2008: More Than Just the Playoffs

Considering the pitching clinic Cole put on in the postseason, it’s easy to forget just how good he was during the regular year.

Cole had one hell of a season, and his 14-10 win-loss record didn’t tell the whole story. Hamels led the NL in WHIP (1.08) and finished second in innings pitched (227.333), sixth in strikeouts (196), tied for fifth in ERA (3.09), and tied for fourth in quality starts (23).

Meanwhile, the Phils’ prolific offense finished 2008 tied for the second-most runs scored in the national league (799) but continually failed to support its ace. In 2008, Cole Hamels pitched 10 games in which he gave up two earned runs or less and DID NOT get a win. 10!!!

So yeah, he was 14-10. But he could have easily won at least 18 games had the Phillies’ usually reliable offense not let him down.

 

2009: Betrayed by the Bullpen

Remember how the Phillies bullpen had so much trouble closing out games last year? Of course you do, and you probably don’t want to be reminded.

Anyway, Cole was killed by the bullpen more than any other Phillies pitcher. Phillies relievers blew SEVEN potential wins for him. In other words, there were seven games that Hamels left with a lead in which he did not get a win.

So sure, Cole was a disappointment in 2009, but a record of at least 13-11 instead of 10-11 would have definitely been possible had the ‘pen had done its part.

 

2010: NO Run Support…Period

Cole struggled in April, going 2-2 with a 5.28 ERA in his five starts. But since the start of May, Cole has regained his old form.

His record is just 5-5 since the start of May, but his ERA is a fantastic 2.80. Cole is walking more hitters this year than ever before, but his strikeout rate is the highest it’s been since 2007.

He’s given up more than three earned runs just once in his last 15 starts, and he’s pitched at least seven innings in eight of his nine starts. He also has a 1.72 ERA in five July starts…but just one win to show for it.

Everyone acknowledges the fact that Phillies ace Roy Halladay has totally been victimized by a lack of run support in 2010. But guess what: Halladay is actually receiving more run support per game than Hamels (4.07 to 3.64).

 

Conclusion

Mr. Hamels, I don’t have much of a law background. But if you ever need a defense attorney, then well, I just might be your guy. Check out this chart. Hopefully, it’s a point made and a case closed.

 

Average Run Support Per Game (Number of starts in parentheses)

 Cole Hamels    Jamie Moyer    Kyle Kendrick                       

2007    5.24 (28)          5.40 (33)          6.67 (20)                                 

2008    4.72 (33)          5.24 (33)          5.93 (30)         

2009    4.67 (32)          5.05 (25)          —-

2010    3.64 (20)          4.69 (19)          6.14 (19)

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Are Philadelphia Phillies’ Recent Headlines Just a Badly Played Bluff?

Philadelphia, PA—Oh, how quickly tides and public opinion can change in just four short games.

Last week, it was all hands on deck panic with the Philadelphia Phillies, who had just dropped six of seven to the Cubs and Cardinals. Yet now, just days after the firing of hitting coach Milt Thompson, the Phillies are playing like a team possessed.

Entering tonight’s game against the Colorado Rockies, the Phillies are on a four-game winning streak and showing signs of production not seen in months. They have outscored their opponents 22-5 and chased one of the game’s best pitchers, Ubaldo Jimenez, from the mound in a morale-boosting 10-2 drubbing.

On top of all of that, the team has done it all without making the major move that many expected just days ago. The question is, will the morale-boosting offense last, or is this all just a quick fix to an even larger problem?

Every Phillies fan is optimistic that the team of players currently in the lineup will rebound and make a charge towards the playoffs, but most, if not all, understand that pitchers like Kyle Kendrick and J.A. Happ make that surge a little more then a gamble.

It is well-known the Philadelphia Phillies need help if they are going to make it to their third straight World Series. Names such as Roy Oswalt, Dan Haren, and Ted Lilly have been flying around the mouths and airwaves of Philly like they are already playing at Citizens Bank Park. Yet in recent days, we’ve seen Roy Oswalt deny any interest in the Phillies and the team’s proposed back-up plan, Dan Haren, was shipped in a four-player trade to the Los Angeles Angels.

We now have less than six days until the MLB trade deadline as, hour by hour, the potential acquisitions get smaller. Yet every time we get a hint of a move, it seems that either the Phillies are too secretive with their intentions or they hoodwink the media of their own organization incompetence.

On Thursday, when Jamie Moyer went down with a potential career-ending elbow injury, we heard quotes from Phillies GM Ruben Amaro regarding trades that “were expected to bolster our roster,” yet no hints towards player movement were ever made.

After the demotion of Kyle Kendrick to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, there was an open spot in the rotation. Then came the injury to Moyer and two spots were now open. Instead of making a move for a reliable starter and acquiring a player to assist his team, Amaro made their emergency procedure of recalling Kendrick from the minors, before he made a start, and rushing J.A. Happ back into the fold to fill in the holes this weekend.

We all know about the ‘unspoken’ ceiling for the Phillies payroll. The magic $140 million payroll that we dare not cross. This magic number is the same reason Jayson Werth will be playing elsewhere next year and the same reason that Cliff Lee is no longer in the rotation, a solution that would eliminate around 90 percent of the team’s present woes.

The next six to seven days are going to define not only the Phillies, but the legacy of GM Ruben Amaro. The Phillies are sitting at the table with fewer chips than ever and, without the monetary backing from the powers that be, it’s looking like Amaro is bluffing and every Phillies fan is learning his tell.

Complete Phillies Coverage on Eternal Mulligan or on Twitter.

 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Four MLB Teams To Watch Down the Stretch

Philadelphia Phillies

 

Phillies have had a lot of bad luck with Jimmy Rollins out twice in first half, Chase Utley out till September and just a string of other continual mishaps. Positive note is that Cole Hamels is pitching like 2008 again…..which is good as the Phillies are winning again.

 

Rumor is the Phillies are offering up OF Jayson Werth on the trade market, but no bites as of yet but surely teams have to be interested in Werth, like the Boston Red Sox. Werth carried the team into two back to back World Series in 2008 and 2009.

 

His production has definitely picked up since the All-Star break, but so far in 2010 he has a .286 batting average, with 13 home-runs, 52 RBIs and seven stolen bases.

 

Just to compare, his 2009 season totals were 36 home-runs, 99 RBIs, 91 walks and 20 stolen bases.

 

His average is better because he has hit 32 doubles, which already tops his 2009 total which was 26. Werth is on track to hit around 25—26 home-runs and steal around 14—15.

 

I had a feeling when the Phillies started to play better Werth would step it up, which is what is happening right now.

 

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

 

Is Dan Haren the answer to pitching problems? Switching from NL to AL  is not going to be easy with 7-8 record, a 4.60 era in the weak hitting NL West. Haren does have a 141 strike-outs which before the trade was on top of the NL. Haren is a three time All-Star and has averages 15 wins in his five seasons. Finally, Haren is pitching on a contending ball-club, with a solid reputation that could be just what this durable pitcher needs to get better.

 

1B Kendry Morales is a huge bat to lose, but they have proved they can win without him when their hot, it’s when they slump that his missing presence is noticed.

 

Now, the Angels bats have to stay hot when the pitching does it’s job more consistently. This team is not the base stealing pests of the past but when the bats get hot, they can win.

 

Definitely sends a message to the AL West leading Texas Rangers, the Angels are going to fight all the way.

 

Boston Red Sox

 

Injuries have run through Fenway Park like a virus, as the DL list is better than the active roster. Slowly, the players are coming back. Once Pedoria and Ellsbury return the team can start to win all the time again.

 

The question remains is there enough time to play catch-up or will the gap in the standings be to wide already?

 

Guess we willl see but GM Theo Epstein has been silent, but I would expect some kind-of move before July 31st trade deadline. That is unless the Red Sox are looking towards 2011, which I would highly doubt.

 

Chicago White Sox

 

As a player, being managed by Ozzie Guillen must be a roller coaster ride because as a fan watching and listening to Guillen is an absolute treat. Guillen never hesitates to credit opponents in defeat and his passion is contagious.

 

As of June 9th, the White Sox were waving bye-bye sitting 9.5 games back, with the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers both in front. Then all of the sudden in total Guillen-style, the team won nine of 10 games and entered the All-Star break .5 game in first-place.

 

To say it was shocking would be an understatement, but with a Manager like Gillen how could you not get emotional. Guillen is the key to this team’s energy, but going forward the team’s weakness is the bullpen.

 

Guillen says all is fine as it is and he plans to use a committee of closers down the stretch. This idea could work in the AL Central, due to the Detroit Tigers recent bad luck of injuries to Brandon Inge, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen. Also, the Twins M & M boys not at 100 percent, without Mauer and Morneau the Twins October dreams will have to wait.

 

Guillen feels no pity, as the White Sox lost ace Jake Peavy about seven weeks ago and they figured out how to win.

 

Still, the bullpen will get wiped outside the AL Central and overall the White Sox are in this position because of inter-league play and that part of the season is over. The White Sox are only one game ahead of the Twins and two in front of the Tigers making this the tightest three-team division race.

 

Now the White Sox will face all AL teams from here on out. Here is their opportunity, like it or not, to prove this was not just a mid-season surge. I am not totally sold just yet that this could be blamed on quick luck.

 

 

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