Phillies BoxPlus: Game 1 vs. Astros; New Contributors, the Bench and Singles

Welcome to BoxPlus, where I give you just a little more than the box score does.

For the first eight innings of the 2011 season the Phillies seemed a little dead offensively and rusty defensively. 

Jimmy Rollins made me cringe in his first at-bat of the season when he swung at the first pitch and hit a weak ground out.  Ryan Howard got the Phillies first hit of the season with a line drive to right-center in the second inning.  Halladay looked good through his six innings with six strikeouts.  He was forced to throw an extra 18-plus pitches (about an inning’s worth) due to an error and a bad play by Valdez; no runs were scored as a result of those errors.  He did give up one manufactured earned run.

In the seventh, J.C. Romero failed in his designated role and allowed the sole left-handed batter he faced to single to left.  David Herndon then allowed that runner and two more to score in that inning.  The big hit was a Michael Bourne triple to center.

The home half of the seventh saw the Phillies get on the board with two runs.  Placido Polanco led off the inning with a walk.  Rollins saw some pitches and was able to single on a line drive to right.  Still with no outs, a passed ball with Howard up moved both runners up and Howard hit a sacrifice fly to deep center, scoring Polanco and moving Rollins to third.  Raul Ibanez then scored Rollins on a ground ball out to first.

Madsen had an uneventful eighth, posting two strike outs.  Baez also did a nice job in the ninth, giving up only a two-out single and, following a steal, an intentional walk.  He ended the inning when Angel Sanchez followed with a ground out.

The home half of the ninth is where all the magic happened. 

Rollins led off the inning with the first of a string of good, patient at-bats that resulted in a ground ball that split the first and second basemen for a single.  Ryan Howard exercised some patience and ran the count full before singling on a liner to center, moving Rollins to second.  Raul Ibanez (0-4, 1 RBI off a sacrifice fly) popped up for what would be the only out of the frame.  Rollins stole third with Francisco up and then Francisco sharply lined a single over the shortstops head, scoring Rollins and sending Howard to second. 

Carlos Ruiz then stepped up and nearly ended the game on a deep line drive into the left field corner that just barely went foul.  He would eventually single to left, loading the bases.  Wilson Valdez, who was filling in for the injured Chase Utley, went 2-4, garnering his second hit in the ninth after Francisco.  Valdez’s hit scored Howard to tie the game.  Pinch-hitter John Mayberry stepped in and worked the count to 2-2 before hitting the game-winning single just over the center-fielder’s outstretched glove.  The outfield was playing shallow in an attempt to stop the winning run from scoring.

For the Phillies: The bench went 2-3 and drove in the game-winning run.  The bullpen gave up three earned runs in three innings.  The Phillies were 6-7 (all singles) in the ninth inning.  Ben Francisco had the only Phillies error when he misjudged a fly ball.  Rollins, Howard and Valdez all went 2-4; Valdez had the sole extra-base hit for the Phillies with a double off of Myers.

For the Astros: Brett Myers gave up 3 hits and 2 runs in seven strong innings.  He had three walks and no strikeouts.  He also had two hits at the plate.  The Astros new closer has started the season with an 81.00 ERA.  

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2011 Philadelphia Phillies: Perhaps We’ve Been Underestimating the Little Guys?

Like many of you, I’m sure, I am still high as a kite from the Phils’ Opening Day victory over the Astros. 

Also like many of you, I’ve been a huge proponent of this team learning to hit in succession (what many refer to as “small ball”) rather than to wait for the Big Three to hit home runs. 

Last year, the team received enormous boosts from a few players who were not stars, or for that matter, even regulars.

Wilson Valdez comes to mind, but there were others, including Schneider, Sweeney, Gload and Castro. 

This year, so much has been made about Chase Utley missing…well, we don’t yet know how much of the season he’ll miss, or if he will even play at all.

Chase Utley is my favorite player since Mike Schmidt. In my opinion, he’s the best and most complete player on the team.  He embodies the ideal way that the game should be played.

Having opined thusly, I will say that Chase is still one player.  Can he be replaced by Wilson Valdez?  Let’s not get crazy.

However, Wilson Valdez is a decent player that seems to come up big in the pinch. So did quite a few of the Phillies’ “little guys” in today’s win. 

I suppose that the only way to have achieved a more perfect scenario would have been for Roy Halladay to get the win.  I’m not worried about that, though, as he will have more than his share by season’s end. 

What these guys did in the ninth inning was a true team effort. As a lineup, as individual hitters, they had confidence in one another.  Nobody tried to do too much. With only one exception, each player picked up the preceding player.

The point of this small article is that the team seemed to actually do better last year when they had these seemingly insurmountable injuries. 

Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you all that a lineup full of Valdezes would be superior to a lineup with Utley, Rollins and Howard. 

What I will say is that, as these star players get older, they need more and more of a breather to stay in top form.  These bench players (some of whom are thrust into starting roles) are capable Major Leaguers. 

It may behoove Charlie Manuel to trust his “reserves” more and get them some serious at-bats.  It was a strategy that Jim Fregosi employed with the ’93 club, and with outstanding results.

I’m not saying to platoon players.  What I am saying is that guys who are not wiping dust from their uniforms due to idle status won’t be prepared when they do need to come in to help the ballclub.

I certainly want to see Chase Utley return as soon as possible. And though Brad Lidge is about as consistent as half of an umbrella, I’d like him back—if for no other reason than to help cure our seventh inning dilemma.

This baseball team can do great things. 

It is a team that wants to win, and a team that will do well to remember the utilization of the little guys!

As always, I seek your input, even if you think I’m off my rocker.  Thanks for reading!

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2011 MLB: Philadelphia Phillies Daily Fun Fact for Opening Day

The Philadelphia Phillies opened the season today with an awe-inspiring bottom of the ninth, come-from-behind 5-4 victory, after a less than inspiring first eight innings of the season against their old nemesis, the Houston Astros.  

To make matters worse, the Phillies got shut down for most of the day, which was lost to one of their own: former Phillies pitcher Brett Myers.

Add to that the fact that former Phillie Michael Bourn drove in two runs and scored another, and it was looking like a down day for the old hometown team—until the Phillies reminded us all that this is still a pretty awesome team.

And who was that driving in the tying run?  Mr. Double Play himself: Wilson Valdez.

Not that this all means anything, because it is only opening day, and, as we have all learned, anything can happen during the course of a baseball season (just ask Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes).

Nevertheless, after the special sting that comes from debuting your once-in-a-lifetime rotation and getting shut down by a guy you got rid of to make way for that rotation, it was certainly a nice way to end the first game of the year.  Though, know this:

If the Phillies are going to play like this all season, we will all be dead by August!

Putting the exciting victory aside for a moment, something interesting and incredibly novel happened during today’s game, back when the Phillies looked like the 1962 Mets.

On his way to shutting down the Phils for most of the day, Brett Myers pitched 7.0 innings, allowing three hits, three walks, and one earned run.  But Myers did not strike out a single batter.

And so here is today’s Philadelphia Phillies Daily Fun Fact:

In all of 2010, only 10 pitchers managed to pitch seven or more innings without striking out a single batter.

Of those ten pitchers, only one managed to pitch seven or more innings without striking out a single batter and while allowing only a single run.

It was Johnny Cueto, of the Cincinnati Reds, on June 28, 2010.

And it happened against the Phillies.

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Philadelphia Phillies vs. Houston Astros Series Preview: Children of Wade Return

Finally, after several months of waiting in the cold, dreary city of Philadelphia, waiting for some signs of life and the hope that spring was just around the corner, it’s here. Sure, it may be raining outside, and the temperature is hovering just around freezing, making the conditions more suitable for a football game than a baseball game, but that doesn’t matter.

It’s here.

Sure, there were plenty of games on tap yesterday. The New York Yankees swiftly defeated the Detroit Tigers, and the division rival Atlanta Braves took care of the Washington Nationals, but to me at least, it just didn’t feel like Opening Day. 

It wouldn’t until the reigning National League Cy Young winner Roy Halladay was standing on the mound in Philadelphia, ready to throw the first pitch of the 2011 regular season for the Phillies, and now, that day is here.

In fact, this Opening Day is interesting in a couple of ways for the Phillies. Not only are we going to see all of our favorite Phils’, but we’ll be seeing a couple of familiar faces wearing Houston Astros’ uniforms as well.

Astros’ general manager Ed Wade has made some well documented trades with the Phillies, and more often than not, he’s earned the reputation of bringing some of “his” players, or players that he drafted and groomed in the Minor League system, over to Houston.

The guy opposing Halladay actually made a couple of his own Opening Day starts in a Phillies’ uniform. That man is, of course, Brett Myers.

He’ll be just one of a few Astros’ that have also donned a Phils’ uniform that we’ll see this weekend. Houston’s starting center fielder Michael Bourn was once a top prospect in the Phillies’ system, and on Sunday, despite battling an injury, former Phils’ starter JA Happ is scheduled to face the long time face of the Houston Astros, Roy Oswalt.

So with the Phillies’ regular season just about underway, let’s see if we can crack the outcome of a couple of the games this weekend. Here’s how things could shake out:

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2011 Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Back Off the Lidge, It Was Only Opening Day

The weather is getting nicer outside, and Opening Day came and went with six games that each had interesting endings.

We had studs like Mariano Rivera and Heath Bell shutting the door on their opponents, and John Axford and Ryan Franklin looking just a bit shaky.

Let’s take a look at the news we missed in the preseason edition and then dive into Opening Day.

 

Quick News

Shortly after the preseason edition of this column went live, it was announced that Neftali Feliz will be the closer for the Texas Rangers to begin the season.

The certainty that he is the closer for this team moves him into my top five closers and if you’re drafting this weekend, he’s absolutely worth taking at the right value.

The consensus is that he will be set up by Mark Lowe pitching the eighth and in deep leagues that count holds, he might be worth a look. 

The Phillies shut down Brad Lidge with shoulder pain during the final few days of spring training and they expect him to be out 3-6 weeks. Jose Contreras has been named the fill-in over younger Ryan Madson while Lidge is out.

If Lidge is on your team, hopefully you have gone out and gotten Contreras to fill that hole while Lidge is on the DL.

Previously, there was just speculation about Andrew Bailey and Brian Wilson, but now it is confirmed that both California closers will start this season on the 15-day DL. 

Wilson is eligible to come of the DL April 5 and will likely take over as soon as he gets back to full health; until then, Sergio Romo will likely fill in at the closer role. 

Bailey will also be available on the April 5, but the Athletics may take a little extra time bringing back their young closer, especially with an experienced veteran like Brian Fuentes in the bullpen able to close games.

If you need quick saves for a week, I like Romo more than Fuentes while their counterparts are out.

Finally, Frank Francisco will start the season on the DL for the Blue Jays and Jon Rauch will be the closer to start the year. Rauch is the best option in the bullpen while Francisco is gone and could regain the job if Francisco struggles in his comeback.

 

Opening Day Games 

In the first game of the day, C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander both went six innings and neither got a decision, leaving the ballgame to their respective bullpens.

Joba Chamberlain pitched a clean top of the seventh and Phil Coke could not do the same in the bottom of the inning, giving the win to Chamberlain.

The Yankees used Rafael Soriano in the eighth and earned a hold and will be a great guy in holds leagues. Mariano Rivera came in and shut the door like he does so well and got his first save of the season.

None of these sentences are particularly surprising and this will likely be consistent for the Yankees, barring any injuries.

Craig Kimbrel got the first shot in the committee in Atlanta and finished the job in a 2-0 win over the Nationals, striking out two in the process. Jonny Venters pitched the eighth and earned a hold, keeping the Nationals hitless.

If you were to draft this weekend and you wanted a Braves closer, I’m leaning harder toward Kimbrel being the better guy for the year, but I still believe it’s a committee. If the Braves go a couple weeks and Kimbrel pitches every time he’s available, then the job is his and Venters owners can go ahead and release him. 

The first blown save of the year belongs to John Axford and his awful mustache of the Brewers as the Reds scored four runs in bottom of the ninth to beat the Brewers 7-6. Takashi Saito pitched an ugly, but scoreless eighth inning and would likely get the first save chance in the bullpen if Axford were to struggle.

I believe Axford has a bit of leash but as a young guy, if he were to blow three in a row, maybe Saito gets the next chance. 

Fernando Rodney closed a two run game against the Royals in the afternoon game, despite giving up a hit and a walk. I have a hard time believing in Rodney coming into the year and the Angels are high on Jordan Walden, but want to ease him into a setup role behind Rodney.

I believe Walden will settle into the eighth inning role and possibly a chance at saves when Rodney is not available.

We got bonus baseball and a second blown save in the win by the Padres over the Cardinals, 5-3. The Padres were helped by a blown save by Ryan Franklin and a poorly timed error by Ryan Theriot.

I’m not worried about Franklin for now, but Jason Motte is the guy in the shadows in case Franklin really struggles. Heath Bell closed the door in the 11th for his first save of the year. 

And finally, as much as I was hoping to get a look at Sergio Romo, the Dodgers beat the Giants 2-1 and Jonathan Broxton got the ugly save. Broxton gave up a home run to Pat Burrell, but gave up no other hits and walked none.

Broxton looked slimmed down in appearance in comparison to last year, which may help his stamina. Hong-Chih Kuo got a hold and may be the king of the holds this year just like he was last year.

 

Written by Jim Dingeman exclusively forwww.thefantasyfix.com

Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix

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MLB Predictions 2011: Who’ll Be Left Standing in League Championship Series?

The 2011 Philadelphia Phillies have had a rough spring so far, losing closer Brad Lidge and second baseman Chase Utley for indeterminate periods.

Luis Castillo could not even lock down the starting second-base job, which will now fall to Wilson Valdez for Friday’s season opener.

Still and all, the majority of those in the baseball pundit world view Philadelphia as favorites to reach the postseason, at which point some of their deficiencies become non-issues and their greatest strength—the starting rotation to end all starting rotations—becomes an even more critical advantage. Many still view them as the best team in the National League.

The Atlanta Braves might have something to say about that.

They enter the season in much better health, with a lineup as deep as Philadelphia’s at this point and with a far superior bullpen.

Atlanta’s farm system stands ready to provide further reinforcements throughout the year. The Phillies’ blue-chip prospects are all multiple years away from being impact players at the big-league level.

Like Philadelphia, Atlanta has a strong rotation, though its strength is more in its depth than in sheer top-tier talent. Adding Dan Uggla to the offensive core of Jason Heyward, Brian McCann and Chipper Jones was an inspired stroke for GM Frank Wren.

This team has to be the favorite over the long season to win the NL East.

Can Philadelphia win the Wild Card? Sure. They have to be the favorites, in fact. But a lot could go awry: Three of the vaunted top four in the rotation are on the wrong side of 31. Lidge has been fading for a long time, injured or otherwise. Utley may be back before Memorial Day or after Labor Day.

Organizational depth offers little immediate help, and they don’t have the payroll flexibility to fill any critical need that may arise over the balance of the season via trades for bigger names.

For argument’s sake, though, let’s say the Phils reach the second week of October.

That makes the NL playoff picture relatively clear: The Braves and Phillies, as the two best and most playoff-ready squads in the NL, will meet in the NLCS.

Now, then, let’s see about the AL. This is a bit trickier, because as ruthlessly efficient as the Red Sox and Twins look this year, neither is composed with postseason success as a top priority the way Philadelphia’s is.

Both teams play in divisions at least as tough as Philly’s. Overall, it is harder to build around starting pitchers in the hitter-friendly American League than in the NL, so both Boston and Minnesota have built instead around offense and will have the inside tracks toward their division titles.

Once they get there, though, they could run into trouble.

The Oakland Athletics, lurkers in baseball’s tall weeds, have a much better run-prevention profile than either of those teams, and the upside risk in Gio Gonzalez and Brett Anderson is huge.

Though I expect the Yankees or Rays to gobble up the Wild Card, the most interesting would-be match for Boston this side of Atlanta might well be Chicago, a team newly suited to threaten the Twins but not yet ready to beat them. 

For the sake of argument, let’s put the Twins, Red Sox, Athletics and Rays in the playoffs on the junior circuit side of the bracket. Minnesota and Tampa would be a fine series, but unless Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson morphs into a co-ace alongside David Price, Minnesota will win.

Oakland can give Boston trouble, but sooner or later, the Red Sox’s bullpen and offensive advantages would be too much.

To review, then, I see Boston, Minnesota, Atlanta and Philadelphia playing for the respective pennants in each league this season. Those picks are pretty bland, but realistically, why go out on a limb?

Could the Colorado Rockies—led by Ubaldo Jimenez, Jorge de la Rosa and Jhoulys Chacin—unseat one of the teams on the NL side?

Of course.

Colorado is a sleeper in league with the White Sox, and if fully healthy, either team could sneak all the way to the World Series.

Still, if anyone out there is making their annual friendly entertainment-only wagers on which combatants reach their LCS, be smart and bet on the proven entities involved.

These teams are favorites for a reason.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Brett Myers and the 5 Most Likable Ex-Phillies

In light of Jayson Werth’s debut in Washington, it’s time to examine the five most likable ex-Philadelphia Phillies.

This is a list of active players who we could all agree that we like (and secretly root for when they’re not playing the Phils).

We may not have always liked them when they were with the Phillies. However, the fact of the matter remains, they were appreciated.

This list may not be liked by all of our readers, but it can be agreed upon that we could do much worse. Obviously, you won’t see Jayson Werth or J.D. Drew on here.

Still, sit back, enjoy the read and let us know what you think of the list we compiled.

 

1. Brett Myers (Houston Astros)

Myers is a favorite because after he was notified that he wouldn’t be back with the Phillies for the 2010 season, he told the organization, “thanks for putting up with my shit.”

He also said that when he returns to Philly to start, which he will do later today, he wants the Phightin’ Nation to boo him as loud as they can.

Nothing was ever perfect or smooth when Myers would take the mound, but his vicious nature appealed to Phillies fans everywhere.

It will be nice to see him go blow-for-blow today in Philadelphia, but I hope he gets rocked by our hitters.

 

2. Kyle Drabek (Toronto Blue Jays)

While he never made the big league team, Drabek may become known as “the one that got away.”

Part of the deal that landed Roy Halladay in Philadelphia, Drabek will always have a place in Phillies lore.

When he steps on the mound in the A.L. East to do battle with the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox, everyone in the Phightin’ Nation will hope he dominates.

I wouldn’t think twice about dealing him away for Halladay, but it would have been nice to still have him in our organization.

 

3. Pat Burrell (San Francisco Giants)

Often booed in left field, the guy who became known as the “$50 million mistake” is still appreciated for his contributions to the team when they made their run to the world title in 2008.

When he returned as a member of the Rays to collect his ring, he still received a standing ovation.

Now he plays for the hated San Francisco Giants, but that doesn’t negate what he did with the Phils. We would have liked to see him do more, but we got the most out of him when we could.

 

4. J.A. Happ (Houston Astros)

Never considered to be an elite prospect, when Happ was called to duty, he fulfilled everybody’s expectations and then some.

It was disappointing to see him go in the deal that landed Roy Oswalt, but we wouldn’t think twice about doing that trade again.

Still, Happ was consistent despite being considered an overachiever by the “experts.”

Hopefully, his lingering injury will not stop us from seeing him on Sunday.

Happ is going to have a long tenure in the MLB.

He may not ever win a Cy Young Award, but he will prove steady enough to accumulate a bounty full of starts for whomever he is pitching for.

 

5. Bobby Abreu (L.A. Angels)

It seems like forever since Abreu donned the Phillies uniform.

As a Phillie, he might be remembered most for his 2005 Home Run Derby performance, when he lifted 24 baseballs out of Comerica Park in one round.

He would eventually win the contest with a total of 41 homers.

Abreu might not have helped the Phillies take that extra step forward into the postseason, but his ability to make noise at the plate is what made him special. He is still hitting well despite his age (37), but is often forgotten among the long-list of former Phillies who have put on the best pinstripes in baseball.

J.D. Drew he is not.

—

Pete Dymeck is the owner of PhightinNation.com

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