Top Five Reasons a Phillies-Padres Matchup Would Not Go to the NL Champs

With the playoffs around the corner, potential matchups are being examined. The regular season is winding down and the hunt is heating up. For the Padres and Phillies, two playoff hopefuls, there is a chance the two will face each other in the postseason.

Whether the Phillies and Padres win the wild card or their divisions, there is a good chance they’ll face each other, making for an intriguing matchup.

On one side is the young, up-and-coming San Diego Padres, stacked with solid young pitching. On the other side is the Philadelphia Phillies, a seasoned team that is defending a National League title.

There have been a lot of good things going on in San Diego this year, and they could be the team to dismantle the defending NL champs in a potential playoff series between the two. Here are five reasons why the Padres can knock the Phillies out of playoff contention.

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Eight Philadelphia Phillies Stats We Wouldn’t Have Believed Two Months Ago

Only July 21st of this year, the Philadelphia Phillies lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis. The loss was the sixth in seven games for the Phils, and dropped the team to just two games over .500 and 7.0 games behind the Braves in the NL East.

The season looked to be all but over for the Phils, who weren’t playing particularly well in any facet of the game.

Now, on September 9th, less than two months later, the Phillies have the best record in the National League.

Here is a look at some stats from during that period that we just wouldn’t have believed on that July night when we thought our season was over.

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Philadelphia Phillies’ Toughness: What Makes Them the Best Team in the NL

81-60. That is the best record in the National League to date and it is currently boasted by the 2008 and 2009 National League Champions and 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies.

What is it that led the Phillies to back-to-back NL championships and has now led them to the National League’s best overall record with only 21 games left in the season? The answer is sheer toughness.

This Phillies baseball team is driven by a sense of toughness that crumbles your average team. The Phillies have had numerous players take trips to the disabled list this season and at this late point in the season, when they should have been out of the equation, they are currently on top.

That is toughness; having the mental and physical toughness to endure the myriad of injuries without allowing them to defeat the team. How many franchises could endure DL stints by three different starting pitchers, its starting catcher, starting first baseman, starting second baseman, starting shortstop, starting third basemen, starting center fielder, its setup man, its closer, several other bench players and bullpen arms, and still be in first place atop its division and league this late in the season? 

I don’t know exactly how many teams could, but I do know that the list is short and that the Phillies are certainly atop it, if not the sole name on it.

Not only are the Phillies tough enough to endure the rash of injuries that have befallen them. They are also tough enough to endure the pressure of being a target every night. They have represented the NL in the World Series two years in a row and they clearly have a bulls eye on their back because of it. Even with every NL team gunning for them, they stay right in the mix of things.

This is clearly a team that knows how to win in the face of adversity. That’s why late in the year teams like Atlanta, San Diego, and St. Louis are falling apart. That is why teams like the Mets in 2009, who had high expectations but got bit by the injury bug, fall off the map. This Phillies team has a clear attitude that they are supposed to win no matter what. This attitude clearly makes them the best NL team and perhaps, the best team in baseball.

I think Charlie Manuel said it best, the night that the Phillies took sole position of first place this past Tuesday. “It’s always good to be in first place. That’s the only way to live.” 

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Is Ryan Howard One of the Greatest Run Producers in Baseball History?

One of the reasons, if not the reason, I got into baseball writing was to challenge conventional wisdom. Challenging conventional wisdom is what we learned from Bill James and from Billy Beane, and it is the reason we tend to speak unfavorably of Joe Morgan.

Since moving to Philadelphia, one bit of local conventional wisdom I have been quick to challenge has been the notion that Ryan Howard is one of the greatest run producers of all time. This hasn’t made me incredibly popular amongst my local readers and fellow writers (Jamie Ambler?), but it is a notion to which I have never warmed.

Are You Saying Ryan Howard isn’t a Good RBI Guy?

There can be no doubt in that during the last five baseball seasons, Ryan Howard has established himself as one of the premier RBI men in Major League Baseball. Howard has led the National League in RBI in three of the last four seasons and the only reason he didn’t lead the league in 2007 was because Matt Holliday won the RBI crown in a season-ending tiebreaker game with San Diego.

(By the way, counting one-game playoffs to be regular season games: There’s a rule worth revisiting.)

How unique is Howard’s performance over this period? Consider the following:

Since the advent of the American League in 1901, only six players in Major League Baseball have led their league in RBI’s three years in a row: Ty Cobb (1907-1909), Babe Ruth (1919-1921), Rogers Hornsby (1920-1922), Joe Medwick (1936-1938), George Foster (1976-1978), and Cecil Fielder (1990-1992).

If not for the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres finishing the 2007 season tied for second place in the NL West, Howard would have become the first player since 1901 to lead his league four years in a row; consider also that Howard only played 144 games in 2007, and you have to say “wow.”

So How Can You Say He Isn’t a Great Run Producer?

Nevertheless, given the potency of the Philadelphia Phillies lineup over that period and the general discrediting of the RBI as an indicator of value, however, I have been quick to discredit any sort of significance that has been placed upon Howard and his RBI totals.

After all, from a statistical perspective, Howard is not the best hitter in the National League; indeed, he is not really even the best hitting first baseman in the NL, and he may not even be in the top five.

And so my theory went thus: If you were to plug Albert Pujols or Adrian Gonzalez into the Phillies‘ lineup, not only would they easily lead the NL in RBI, but they may even set the National League record for RBI in a season.

This is not an unsupportable conclusion to reach, for Howard’s RBI have not been a one man show.

In 2006, when Howard first led the NL in runs driven in, Chase Utley led the league in runs with 132, and Jimmy Rollins didn’t finish too far behind with 127.

In 2007, Howard did not lead the NL but finished with an astounding 136 ribs nonetheless, and that season, J-Roll led the NL in runs scored with 139 while Utley and Aaron Rowand each scored over 100 runs.

In 2008, when Howard once again led the NL, the Phils had three guys score 100 runs, and when he did it again in 2009, they had four guys score 100 runs.

Doesn’t it seem like Pujols, Gonzalez, or any other elite hitter would be able to easily pace the National League in this category if they had the luxury of hitting behind Rollins, Utley, and company?

Good Point. Maybe Ryan Howard Isn’t Actually a Great Run Producer.

But then a funny thing happened: the 2010 season came along and challenged everything we know to be true.

Remember when we used to think that the Phillies had an “American League-style” offense? Not any more we don’t. We have become a team that plays a ton of one-run nail-biters.

Remember when we used to think that the Phillies were the type of team that won games with an elite offense in spite of their pitching? In 2010, our pitching has become our strong suit, and it is our offense that makes us want to look away.

As an aside, this is no reason for panic and no knock on this team. In fact, I believe that an argument could be that the 2010 team, with a simply dominant front three of Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt, is more well-equipped to win the playoffs than either the 2008 team or the 2009 team. But I digress.

Where was I? Right. The 2010 Phillies offense has been terrible.

And it isn’t really their fault; The 2010 Phillies have suffered injuries to every major offensive contributor other than Jayson Werth, who himself has had mysterious issues at the plate. If this team had been healthy, who knows what we would have looked like on offense.

Which brings me back to Ryan Howard, and my point.

Finally.

Hitting behind scrubs and subs this season, with an incredibly inconsistent and unspectacular lineup, and himself having suffered injuries and hitting slumps, Howard has nevertheless collected 95 RBI this season.

Which, somehow, puts him fourth in the National League and only five RBI behind league leader Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies. Somehow, in an injury-plagued and slump-marred season, Howard has only three fewer ribs than Pujols and four fewer than Joey Votto, both of whom are having significantly better overall seasons, and whom most watchers expect to be vying for the NL MVP.

Unlike previous seasons, you can’t discredit this one. You can’t point to Utley and Rollins and say that anyone would produce runs behind those guys. You can’t point to the Phillies offense and say it is designed to score runs. You can’t even really credit the Phils’ ballpark.

When all is said and done, the point is becoming undeniable: Ryan Howard is one of the greatest run producers of all time.

How conventional.

 

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

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Philadelphia Phillies: Jimmy Rollins’ Injuries Likely Related to Lax Training

Jimmy Rollins is either the most unlucky guy on the planet, or he doesn’t do nearly enough work during the offseason and throughout the regular season. Muscle pulls can, of course, be freak things, but three times in one year leads me to believe he simply doesn’t train hard enough.

When the muscle is worked properly, it gets stronger—obviously. You don’t need a medical degree to understand how that might work. It also doesn’t take a genius to understand that not only does training make it stronger, but it makes the muscle more resilient.

More resilient means fewer tweaks, strains, pulls and a much lower chance of a tear. So the fact that Rollins has now tweaked/strained/pulled a muscle in his leg three times in one season can most likely be traced back to laziness in the weight room.

No one is that unlucky. There has to be an explanation for it.

Jimmy has a reputation as a hard worker and a tough player which has led to a lot of games played and few missed. So the fact that he’s now been injured three times in 2010 would lead me to believe his training has dipped.

The fact that “dehydration” was listed as a cause of the injury doesn’t help. Is there anything easier to avoid? Just drink some water. He’s sitting on the bench for how long while the Phillies are batting and there’s no possible way he’s just too busy to have a cup of water.

If he’s truly being that lazy this season, he could probably have someone get it and bring it to him on the bench, so there’s no excuse for that to ever be an issue.

Basketball players, soccer players and maybe even hockey players might be able to use that as an excuse because they’re constantly going and truly might not have time to get enough water, but baseball players should never have that kind of trouble.

The bottom line is that Rollins has to step up and start doing the things expected of him. That means getting in the weight room, drinking some water and doing whatever else he must do in order to stay on the field and actually help his team, because right now Wilson Valdez is just a more reliable option at shortstop.

Yeah, Wilson Valdez. How about that?

Or, maybe my assumption is all wrong, and all Jimmy needs is a rabbit’s foot, a horseshoe and a four-leaf clover.

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Jimmy Rollins Is Injured While Cole Hamels and The Phils Dismantle The Fish

How do the Phillies follow up their reclaiming of first place in the NL East? With a game that was almost too much fun to watch. The first inning brought two quick scores by the Phillies, as the Phils jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

The party came to a halt however, when Jimmy Rollins left the game with a, then, undisclosed injury in the third inning. The Phillies are now calling it “tightness in the hamstring.”

Rollins didn’t look quite right running to second base on his two-out double in the third. His approach to second base came with a peculiar arrival, as he chooses not to slide, despite the ball arriving in a close play.

Rollins looked upset as he exited the game. Jimmy Rollins is the anchor to this team, and they seem to play better with him in the lineup.

Rollins missed 59 games this season, and the Phillies seemed to drag along during that period. Since then, into September, the Phillies have been rolling. They have found themselves in first place, winning eight of their last ten games.

Tonight was a beautiful follow up to the commandeering of first place. Cole Hamels didn’t allow a single run in seven innings of work, seemingly, furthering the presence of Philadelphia’s ‘big three’ on the National League. 

Matt Gelb, of the Philly.com, reports on the luck the Phillies are commonly known to live on:

 

“Luck, as in Jimmy Rollins just keeping a line drive fair inside the third-base line in the third inning Wednesday. Luck, as in the ball bouncing off the fencing of the stands that jut out, meaning Marlins leftfielder Logan Morrison could reach the ball quicker. Luck, as in Rollins looking up and seeing he had to bust it just a little harder.”

Gelb also reported on the hands down skill that the high powered offense is know for also.

“Ryan Howard drove in six runs – one short of his career high – including three on an opposite-field blast in the fourth that left little doubt in the game’s result. The team’s newest lead-off hitter, Shane Victorino, was on base three times and scored each time. Chase Utley added two more RBIs to his torrid September.”

But the perfect night comes with the anxiety of losing the team catalyst in the thick of a pennant race.

The bullpen gave up six runs in the eighth inning, but did enough to hold up the eventual win. The Phillies came away with the 10-6 victory over the Florida Marlins.

The Braves held up their end, winning 9-3 over the Pittsburgh Pirates, keeping the Phillies lead at .5 games ahead of those pesky Braves.

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Mommas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Sports Writers

When you do stand-up comedy you’re supposed to start with your second best stuff and finish with your finest stuff.

That eliminates anything to do with my boobs.

My husband says that eliminates any chance I have of doing stand-up.

Thanks, honey.

So the challenge is how to start this blog with something almost as funny as how I’ll end it based on a premise that’s pertinent to baseball.

That narrows it down to my nose. The problem is it’s hard to show you via Bleacher Report that my honker takes the shape of a Phillies “P” when I’m cleaning it out with a Kleenex.

Like my husband says, “I’ll make sure they carve Almost funny on your tombstone.”

Let’s face it, most bloggers could give this up at any time. So what is it that drives us to attempt to capture the attention of those who peruse Bleacher Report?

You could ask one of the Bob’s: Warja or Cunningham—they’re the heavy hitters. I’m about a buck soaking wet. I couldn’t keep up with them with a subscription to Elias Sports Bureau and a five pound thesaurus.

Check out Matt Goldberg. He’s posted for a only few weeks yet he’s collected medals faster than Michael Phelps and earned a slot in the prestigious ranks of Featured Columnists like Vincent Heck, Asher Chancey, and Jamie Ambler…

 

… not to mention Gary Suess. How can I be envious of a guy named after the greatest poet of all time? I feel like I should give him a hug. Not on a rug or near a bug—just hug him like I hold a mug.

There are even a few babes running up the ranks. Like Judy Davidson. She’s been dishing out Phillies’ fodder for over a year and attracts triple digit reads with every post.

And who’s this new Baseball Bunny? I’ll bet she’s pretty. Rats! I’ll have to increase the blur on my Avatar.

Now for those of you unfamiliar with Bleacher Report (code word B/R) I should tell you why fanatics like those listed above and I joined a site that creates obsessive-compulsive insane maniacs.

It’s the quest for an elusive intangible called the “read.”

And once you post a blog, there are features you subscribe to that control the way you’re informed of your “read” dominance via email:

First, they let you know your article has been published. Since you’re the one who wrote it that’s a rather dubious honor, but none-the-less it gives my heart a twitter just to know they’ve acknowledged me.

 

Hey, I’m married—I’m desperate for attention.

 

Then they’ll tell you when your article has been edited. This means someone other than you or the loved ones you’ve coerced via Facebook have clicked on your lame link even if they didn’t read it. Your vitals freeze as you wait for editor comments to rise from the page like a Phoenix.

Maybe I got a compliment!

B/R will also tell you when someone has commented on your article—even if you’re the one who did. Sometimes I comment on my own blog just to fill my inbox with stuff other than the spam I subscribe to that makes me look like I have friends.

And they’ll send you a notice when someone has contacted you via internal B/R email. This is super secret stuff. It makes you feel like a spy; like they’re sharing classified material with you.

I’ve only been contacted internally by mistake.

Finally the ultimate email: You’ve received an award! Woo hoo! If only I had a chest to pin it on! I hope it doesn’t clash with my shoes! You’ll admire how cool it looks to have a sparkling medal by your name and imagine smiling for a camera somewhere where they actually give a crap.

After you collect your first few “reads,” you’ll notice how addictive it is to watch your “read” count jump. This is when you Google a 12-step program for blog abuse.

Your eyes bulge when you discover your article posted on the main Phillies page and then you check constantly to see if you made the page for the whole MLB. You’ll deprive yourself of food and water, sustaining life on “reads,” and start telling your child to sit and your dog to get ready for school.

This is your brain; this is your brain on B/R.

You’ll create a little icon at the top of your browser so instantly you’re viewing your profile to cherish how fast your “reads” have increased. And you’ll dream that someday your count will reach infinity and beyond!

But when someone’s watching you’ll try to act cool. Instead of clicking on the B/R icon that flashes you every moment like a free porn site, you’ll log casually into email as if there are so many fascinating people contacting you that checking every half hour is essential to avoid missing that dinner invitation with, oh, let’s say Mitch Williams.

Then there’s the possibility that someone thinks enough of your stuff to broadcast it. Anybody at anytime could re-post your blog and you wouldn’t know. The first time you witness your article’s read count skyrocketing, you’ll get suspicious—somehow, some way, your article is appearing on another website. But where?! Ahhh!! Someone has re-posted my blog and I don’t know who!!

Your mind races with a way too high opinion of yourself: I’ll bet my post is on ESPN or MLB.com or even on the Phillies home page!! I’ll bet the powers-that-be have reserved a spot for me right next to Todd Zolecki!

At this very moment I’ll bet I’m being read by Charlie Manuel!!

But your hopes are thrashed when you read an email notification from B/R: they’re in a partnership to highlight some articles on Philly.com so if you check right now, you could see your article posted for the next 20 minutes.

I feel like a Sham Wow.

But hey, that’s good, right? Philly.com publishes the Inquirer and the Daily News. Wow, my writing was published for the whole City of Brotherly Love to see. I’ll bet someone even said, “She sucks.”

I love this place.

At one point I was so obsessed with my pursuit of “reads,” I started wishing B/R would email me every single time I got one. Then that wasn’t enough. I wished they’d come tell me—send a messenger to wherever I was to say, “Yo, you got another!”

Of course the messenger was always a handsome young man with blue eyes, a dashing wink, and an enthusiastic thumbs-up who’d go home with me if he could but respects that I’m married.

(He’s secretly into MILFs.)

Then I wished B/R could read people’s minds. Instead of waiting for one of the rare moments I receive an actual posted comment, it could bug each subscriber’s computer with telepathic equipment to relay not only what they typed but what was said and more importantly, what they thought.

And they’d deliver the message via instantaneous brainwaves: He joined Bleacher Report just to tell you you’re cool.

I knew it!

My husband says he now knows why people are medicated.

That doesn’t deter me from petitioning the White House to get Cliff Lee back. He could stay with me. I have a room with only one large keyhole and I can promise it won’t hurt a bit.

Maybe I’ve said too much. That’s what happens when you get older. I’ll admit age hasn’t been kind—over the years, only my nose has gotten pointier.

Well, I’d love to write more, but I have to figure out why my laundry isn’t drying. Does anyone have an energy saver dryer? You know how they work? They’re like me when I’m tired—they go through the motions but never truly get hot.

For once my husband and I agree on something.

See you at the ballpark.

 

 

Copyright 2010 Flattish Poe All rights reserved.

Catch life one-liner at a time on Twitter.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Manuel Powered: The Phillies New Lineup Is Just Crazy Enough to Work

Legend has it that Billy Martin, the oft-hired and fired coach of the New York Yankees, would occasionally arrange batting orders by picking names out of a hat in an effort to break out of hitting slumps.

Such a radical tactic would never be tolerated by today’s big-money players, (imagine A-Rod strolling into the clubhouse only to find out he is hitting out of the nine-hole), in fact most of today’s managers will stubbornly stand pat and send out the same lineup day after day as their season goes down the drain.

Luckily for the Phillies, Charlie Manuel isn’t like most managers. Never known as someone to stick to conventions, Manuel rolled the dice with a new lineup for the night-cap of Monday’s doubleheader, and so far its looking like a move that could pay big dividends for Philadelphia.

Since his debut during the 2001 season, when Jimmy Rollins has been in the lineup, he has hit lead-off. He doesn’t hit for a ton of power, he runs well and steals a ton of bases—everything you want from the top of your order. Except, there is one little problem: He doesn’t know how to get on base.

For the season, Rollins is getting on base at only a .328 clip, and has seen his average dip into the low .240s. As important as J-Roll is to the Phillies’ World Series aspirations, its almost impossible to win in October with a lead-off hitter that reaches base less than a third of the time.

So Chaz took a chance and moved Rollins to the fifth spot, inserting Shane Victorino into the lead-off slot.

In the two games since, the Phillies have scored 15 runs. In those two games, the Flyin’ Hawaiian is 5-for-10 with three runs and three steals hitting lead-off. Rollins has been just as solid hitting fifth, going 3-for-7 with two runs scored and two driven in.

Two games is hardly an adequate sample size, but the switch could have a strong psychological impact on both players if the move becomes permanent. 

For Rollins, he can finally become the player he always wanted to be. He no longer has to worry about working counts, bleeding walks, and hitting the ball on the ground (things he was never very good at anyway). Instead, he can focus on being a playmaker—driving in runs, taking extra bases, swiping bags—anything that causes havoc on the diamond.

Victorino, on the other hand, finally gets to feel like part of the order. Stuck in the seven-hole most of the season, Shane was slowly morphing into a sourpuss, a far cry from his free-wheeling style that had made him a fan favorite in Philly.

Granted, with an OBP similar to J-Roll’s, Victorino is far from the ideal lead-off hitter. However, in the two games since moving to lead-off, his approach at the plate has been noticeably different, working the count and hitting line-drives as opposed to constantly swinging for the fences like he did from the bottom of the order.

As far as I’m concerned, Manuel can do whatever he wants with the lineup as long as Polanco, Utley, and Howard stay in the 2-3-4 spots. Utley and Howard are too talented to be put anywhere else, and Polanco was put on the earth to bat second for a National League team.

Other than that, the rest of the starters seem fairly interchangeable, and it’s certainly possible Charlie has a few more tricks up his sleeve.

But for now, Rollins seems happy, Victorino seems happy, the team is scoring runs again as they have taken back control of the National League East.

Now let’s just hope this means we won’t see names being picked out of a hat any time soon.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: Reviewing The Season With 22 Games Left

Overcoming adversity is nothing new to the Philadelphia Phillies, but how the Phillies react to these conditions is what sets them apart from other teams in the league.

In 2007 they overcame a seven game deficit with 17 games to go, the first team in MLB history to do so. In 2008 it was three and a half games back with 16 to play. Both teams ended up playing in the post season, with a World Series title coming home in 2008.

This year it has been injuries instead of games in the won lost column that made things a little bit uncomfortable at times this season. In the off season leading into the 2010 campaign, the Phillies and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said goodbye to pitchers Brett Myers, Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, Lee and Martinez were added in mid season 2009 to bolster the second march to the World Series in as many years.

Also on the way out were infielders Miguel Cairo and Pedro Feliz. Some of the bigger names that were brought in were Roy Halladay, Jose Contreras, and Gold Glove winning infielder Polanco, who has said in the past how much he enjoyed his first tour of duty in Philadelphia.

He never wanted to leave, which seems to be a common feeling with players that have played in the Philadelphia organization.

The Phillies went 12-10 in April with some of the highlights being Polanco‘s grand slam on Opening Day with seven innings out of Halliday in an 11-1 win over Washington, Ryan Howard passing Greg Luzinski for fifth place on the Phillies all time home run list with his 223rd on April 7th.

 

On April 9th the Phils took sole possession of first place, and scored 41 runs in the first five games. April also saw the beginning of the calf problems that would haunt Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies for the next few months. Chase Utley homered in four consecutive games in April, and after a loss to the Giants later in the month the Phillies dropped out of first place for the first time in 135 regular season games going back to May 29, 2009.

May saw the Phillies return to the top of the division but also saw the death of a legend, on May 6th Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts passed away, Roberts was still a presence in the Phillies clubhouse among the current pitchers and a patch with his retired number would be worn for the rest of the season.

The Phillies opened interleague play in Boston and were one hit by Daiskue Matsuaka, with the only hit being a Juan Castro single. The Phillies were accused of stealing signs from the bullpen, Carlos Ruiz injured his knee, and the Phillies went 30 innings without scoring a run. None of this seemed to matter when Roy Halladay pitched only the 20th perfect game in MLB history.

And on May 30th the Phillies dropped out of first place, they also finished to month going 68 innings without a home run. Players on the disabled list in May were Lidge, Joe Blanton, Jimmy Rollins and Brian Schneider.

A 13-13 record in June seems sounds uneventful, but there were some interesting match ups and situations in June. Brad Lidge blew his first save of the season, the second round of interleague play saw a Phillies Yankees rematch with the Phillies taking the series two games to one and Jamie Moyer collected his 265th career victory.

There was also the road trip that was played at home, the Toronto Blue Jays were scheduled to host the Phillies but the series was played in Philadelphia because of a political summit that was scheduled in Toronto the same week. The Blue Jays batted last and the designated hitter rule was in effect for the first time ever in a NL ballpark during the regular season. June also saw Utley, Rollins, Polanco, Ruiz, and Chad Durbin on the DL.

July started out with Charlie Manuel serving a one game suspension following an incident with umpire C.B. Bucknor. On July 7th the Phillies were six games behind Atlanta, and took a 4 game winning streak into the All Star break. After the break the Phillies gave the almost lights out Ubaldo Jimenez his second loss of the season, in a 10-2 victory. On July 27th Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins were both injured, clearing the way for Domonic Brown’s promotion to the majors, Brown went 2-3 with two runs scored and two RBI in his debut.

Roy Oswalt was added to strengthen the rotation, in a trade that sent J.A. Happ to the Astros. July was a busy month for disabled list activities, Ryan Madsen and Ruiz were taken off the DL, Moyer and Victorino were sent to the DL. The Phillies finished the month 15-13.

August saw Ryan Howard headed to the 15 day disabled list on the 3rd of the month, with Victorino and Utley coming off the list. John Mayberry Jr. made his return to the bigs in Howards place. The Phillies also got their first look at National’s phenom Stephen Strasburg on August 21st, Srasburg left the game early and headed off to Tommy John surgery.

 

Mike Sweeny who was signed on August 4th to take Howard’s spot while he recovered hit his first homer as a Phillie. The squad finished the month 18-10.

September call-ups saw the arrivals of Paul Hoover and Greg Dobbs and Nate Robertson with his 57-77 career record, as well as the recalls of Mayberry and Vance Worley. Moyer was placed on the 60 day disabled list and Ross Gload was activated off the DL. With all the injuries throughout the season the Phillies appear to be in a healthy position right now and seem to be hitting their stride at the right time.

The schedule the rest of the way out will basically let the Phillies dictate their own destiny this season. The rest of the season is played against NL East teams with three versus Atlanta at home September 20-22, and the final three games of the season in early October in Atlanta. While the race could come down to the final three games the Phillies will have an opportunity to close it out earlier.

While other teams have had injury problems this year, most notably the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, two teams that were expected to make a run at the title this season, both are basically out of the race, while the Phillies, faced with the same situations reacted to differently and it seems to be paying off. The biggest luxury that the Phillies had was the depth of the farm system, it’s a nice problem to have when you can bring a player like Domonic Brown to the bigs and not have to make a trade that depletes the farm system.

Right now the Phillies hold the future in the palms of their hands and the future looks bright.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

The Sports Mac: The Daily Fives For September 8th, 2010

Top 5 Stories From Yesterday

 

1. The Phillies retake the lead in the NL East for the first time since May 30, after defeating the Marlins 8-7, while the Braves lose their second straight to Pittsburgh 5-0.

2. San Diego wins its second game and maintains its one-game lead in the NL West after beating the Dodgers 2-1, while the Giants keep pace with a 6-3 win in Arizona.

3. Trevor Hoffman becomes the first pitcher in MLB history to record 600 saves in a career, finishing off Milwaukee’s 4-2 win over St. Louis.

4. There are reports that the Heisman Trophy Trust will vacate the 2005 award, and strip Reggie Bush of the title, but there has been no official decision made yet.

5. Boise State remains at No. 3 in the new AP poll, but they do pick up seven more first-place votes than the previous week.

Top 5 Games From Yesterday

 

1. Phillies 8, Marlins 7: A Placido Polanco RBI single in the eighth inning propelled Philadelphia to the win, and back into first place in the NL East.

2. Rockies 4, Reds 3: Miguel Olivo had the game-winning double in the bottom of the sixth as Colorado hung on for the win to keep pace in the NL West.

3. Padres 2, Dodgers 1: San Diego got its runs early, and a great performance from Mat Latos to hold onto its slim lead in the NL West.

4. Blue Jays 8, Rangers 5: Toronto jumped out to a big lead, but had to hang on after Texas scored two in the ninth, and had the tying run at the plate before securing the win.

5. Mariners 7, Athletics 5: Seattle was cruising before Oakland scored three in the ninth, and had the bases loaded before David Aardsma came in to seal the win for the Mariners.

 

Top Five Performances From Yesterday

 

1. Vernon Wells, Blue Jays CF: 3-for-3 with two HRs and two RBI in TOR’s 8-5 win over TEX.

2. Mat Latos, Padres SP: one run on four hits with 10 K’s over seven IP, and the victory in SD’s 2-1 win over LAD.

3. Raul Ibanez, Phillies LF: 3-for-4 with a HR and three RBI in PHI’s 8-7 win over FLA.

4. Michael Bourn, Astros CF: 3-for-4 with three RBI in HOU’s 7-3 win over CHC.

5. Carl Crawford, Rays LF: 4-for-4 with two RBI in TB’s 14-5 win over BOS.

 

Five Performances That Weren’t So Good From Yesterday

 

1. Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox SP: eight runs on eight hits over 4.2 IP in BOS’ 14-5 loss to TB.

2. Brian Bannister, Royals SP: seven runs on eight hits in 2.2 IP in KC’s 10-3 loss to MIN.

3. Carlos Silva, Cubs SP: six runs on nine hits in 5 IP in CHC’s 7-3 loss to HOU.

4. Andre Ethier, Dodgers RF: 0-for-4 with three K’s in LAD’s 2-1 loss to SD.

5. Francisco Rodriguez, Angels RP: four runs on hits hits, facing four batters in LAA’s 6-1 loss to CLE.

 

Top Five Events To Follow Today

 

1. MLB: Marlins (70-68) at Phillies (80-60), 7:00 PM: Philadelphia tries to hold onto its small half-game lead in the NL East; (Miller (FLA) vs. Hamels (PHI))

2. MLB: Rangers (75-63) at Blue Jays (72-66), 7:00 PM: Struggling Texas tries to right the ship as its tough road trip continues; (Holland (TEX) vs. Rzepczynski (TOR))

3. MLB: Rays (84-54) at Red Sox (77-62), 7:00 PM, ESPN: Tampa Bay tries to gain on the Yankees in the AL East; (Garza (TB) vs. Wakefield (BOS))

4. MLB: Reds (79-59) at Rockies (74-64), 8:30 PM: Colorado looks for its sixth straight win against the NL Central leaders; (Arroyo (CIN) vs. Cook (COL))

5. MLB: Dodgers (69-70) at Padres (78-59), 10:00 PM, ESPN: San Diego now looks for its third win in a row against the fading Dodgers; (Billingsley (LAD) vs. Luebke (SD))

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