Reasons Why the 2011 Phillies Could (But Won’t) Fail: Part 3 – Lineup Decline

This is the third and final look at some of the possible reasons why the Phillies might not win the National League East in 2011.  I’ve taken a look at each of the reasons and explained why it won’t actually keep the Phillies from being division champions yet again.

 

The lineup is in decline.

According to some analysts, the Phillies lineup was already in a state of decline.  By subtracting Chase Utley and Jayson Werth, the problem will only get worse, and the Phillies offense will have trouble scoring runs.

Heading into 2010, this would have been a ridiculous statement.  From 2007-2009, the Phillies were largely carried by their offense and were consistently one of the top scoring teams in the National League. 

Last season saw a bit of a shift, as the team became more pitching oriented.  It wasn’t that the Phillies offense was bad last year, as they were second in the NL in runs scored.  Rather, it was their inconsistency that was the problem. 

They could easily score 10 runs in one game and get shut out in the next.  They scored fewer than three runs over 60 times.  Particularly maddening was a stretch in May when they were repeatedly shut out and couldn’t seem to produce any offense whatsoever.

Those struggles continued in the playoffs, as their hitters were mostly quiet against the Giants in the NLCS. 

Side note: People seem to think that it was the Giants’ starting pitching that shut down the Phillies.  In reality, aside from Game 3 against Matt Cain, the Phillies did fairly well against the Giants starters.  It was their failure to do much of anything against the Giants relief pitching that was their downfall.

Without Utley and Werth, is there any hope for the Phillies to rebound?  Or will their offense be a weak spot that will keep them from winning the division?

There is some speculation that the lessened offensive production was due to an aging lineup.  There is some logic behind this thinking.  With all of their regular hitters being over the age of 30, it is possible that their best years are behind them, and they are undergoing a slow decline.

Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez may indeed be suffering from the effects of age.  Rollins missed nearly half of 2010 with a calf injury, and he never seemed to get untracked at the plate.   After a red-hot start to the 2009 season, Raul Ibanez suffered an abdominal injury midway through the year, and his performance dropped off significantly.  He had a poor second half of 2009, and an even worse first half of 2010.

At ages 32 and 38 respectively, is there any hope for either Rollins or Ibanez to return to the form that made them top offensive players in the past?  Or are they both destined to be below-average offensive players for the remainder of their careers?

I think we’ll see them rebound.  Their struggles seemed to be more due to injury than any sort of overall decline.  Before he was injured, Rollins had gotten off to a fast start.  As the season progressed, Ibanez’s numbers picked up considerably.  While neither player may match their performances from a few seasons ago, there is hope that if healthy, they can at least perform closer to their career norms.

Of course, health is never guaranteed—especially in older players.  Ibanez is a notoriously hard worker, however, without a history of injuries.  In addition, Rollins seems to have accepted that he will need to make adjustments in his workout routine and claims his offseason training will keep him healthy all season.

It will also probably help that Rollins has been moved out of the leadoff position.  Despite his great speed, Rollins never seemed to get on base enough to be a premier leadoff hitter. 

On the other hand, Rollins’ ability to drive in runners has always been somewhat underrated.  With Chase Utley missing the beginning of the season, Rollins will bat third and will hopefully be able to continue to drive in runs from that spot.

As far as the rest of the lineup goes, while it might not seem as intimidating as it did a few years ago, there is still a good amount of talent present.  Placido Polanco is a steady hitter who typically hits for a high batting average (although he is another player getting older and has some injury issues).  Carlos Ruiz has improved his hitting every season, and while he may not repeat his .302 average from last season, he is still a threat at the bottom of the lineup.

Shane Victorino is another player who could improve on his 2010 performance.  Coming into the season, he was expected to bat either sixth or seventh in the lineup, and as a result I think he tried to become more of a power hitter. 

Unfortunately, due to injuries, he ended up near the top of the lineup in most games.  And while he did have a career high with 18 home runs, his on-base percentage dropped to a career-low .327.

He is expected to be the primary leadoff hitter in 2011, and supposedly, he has refocused himself towards that role.  If he can get on base consistently, his speed will be a tremendous asset.

It would be great if all of those players met expectations, but the biggest key to the Phillies offense will be Ryan Howard.  Since his rookie season in 2005, Howard has been the best power hitter in baseball—at times, he has absolutely carried the Phillies offense.

Howard’s home run total dropped drastically last year.  While most players would consider 31 home runs to be a good year, it was by far the lowest full season total of Howard’s career. 

There were a few causes for this: 

For much of the season, he seemed to be putting more emphasis on making contact rather than driving the ball.  This led to an improved batting average but fewer home runs.

The more significant cause of the drop off was the ankle injury he suffered in July.  He missed several weeks, and after returning, he didn’t seem to be generating his usual power with his swing.  This was especially conspicuous, considering how well he typically hits in September.

Some argue that his decreased numbers last year were a sign that he is declining as a hitter.  This seems a bit ridiculous to me.  At age 31, he should still be in the prime of his career.  If not for the injury, I believe he would have hit over 40 home runs.

It might be foolish to expect all of those players to have rebound years, but as I pointed out, they all suffered from disappointing 2010 seasons.  I’m merely expecting them to return to their career averages.

Assuming that these players do bounce back, then that will help minimize the effects of losing Utley and Werth.  It may be a stretch to think that the Phillies will once again be one of the top offensive teams in the league, but I don’t expect their lineup to become a weakness, either.

And remember, this team is now based around pitching.  They don’t have to be the best offensive club in order to win anymore.  As long as they aren’t getting shut out in every game, the starting pitching should be able to carry them to a lot of wins.

So there you have it.  Despite a few possible reasons why it could possibly not happen, I have full confidence that the Phillies will once again be the NL East champs.

Oddly, I just discovered this article on ESPN.com which runs in contrast to my analysis.  Of course, after reading this, I feel better than ever about my prediction.

Enjoy the season!

Originally published on my blog: Stranger in a Strange Land

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Philadelphia Phillies: Not-So-Fab Five Are Notoriously Slow Starters

The 2011 MLB season is back and so are ‘Dem Phightin Phils’. Philadelphia’s finest are ready to make yet another push toward—what will be—their fifth straight appearance in the postseason. But along the way there will be some inevitable bumps in the road that the Phillies will have to endure, and it begins with five players who are notoriously slow starters.

Dealing with slow starting players is as synonymous with baseball as hot dogs and peanuts, and for the Phillies, it always seems to be the same players year in and year out.

Let’s take a look at Philly’s sluggish sluggers, and plodding pitchers and maybe even try to shed some light, on this ever annoying plight.

Caveat: This slide was completed prior to the Phillies 7-3 win Sunday led by Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco. As you read further you’ll see why I am writing this.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard and the First Phillie of the Week

The first three games of the season are now in the books, and the Phillies—thanks to three fine pitching performances, a terrific Opening Day comeback victory and other timely hitting this weekend—are 3-0 for the first time since Abe Lincoln manned the White House.

Okay, that was a slight exaggeration (Grant Administration?), but to Phillies Nation, the regular season could not have come soon enough or started much better.

What follows is the first of a (planned) weekly series wherein this columnist will feature his Phillie of the Week, evaluating games from the preceding Monday thru Sunday. In this case, there is only the three-game sweep of the Astros to evaluate, but there were still plenty of heroes to recognize.

Here are my Lucky Seven Phillies of the Week, with No. 1, of course, being the Phillie of the Week. Budgetary constraints make it impossible, for now, to make a contribution to a worthy cause in his name, although if any of you would like to do so in my stead, please contact me.

Placido Polanco (.417 BA) and Wilson Valdez (.364) just missed my Lucky Seven.

7) Roy Halladay – Doc took the ball and had his usual terrific command of those nasty pitches he throws. He pitched well enough to tally one in the win column, but his offense did not wake up until after he vacated the hill.

Halladay fanned six, while yielding five hits, no walks and a single run in six innings. His ERA is a tiny 1.50.

6) Ben Francisco – The man who replaced Jayson Werth in rightfield and as the No. 5 hitter behind Ryan Howard, had a stellar week. His series was not perfect, as he misjudged a tricky fly ball in the opener for a two-base error.

But after that one miscue, he played a solid rightfield, including a catch up against the fence on Sunday that earned him a warm ovation. At the plate, Francisco is now batting .462 (six for 13) with a homer, four RBI and five runs scored. Jayson Who?

5) Jimmy Rollins – With his usual double play partner Chase Utley sidelined, Rollins started the year in the No. 3 hole, and had a terrific series. J-Roll hit a cool .500 (six for 12), scored four runs, and stole a base. The nifty shortstop also drew two walks on Sunday. That’s a great sign for Phils fans.

4) Roy Oswalt – Following Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, and pitching in front of Cole Hamels, is not an easy task. Oswalt also had to do it against his former team. Not a problem, as Little Roy pitched six strong innings (yielding two earned runs on five hits, one walk and a hit batsman) in the 7-3 victory. Oswalt fanned six Astros.

3) John Mayberry, Jr. – Mayberry only had one hit this series (in three at-bats) but it was momentous. Mayberry lined a pinch-hit single to center off imploding reliever Brandon Lyon in the bottom of the ninth to cap a three-run rally. It was a walkoff RBI and the biggest hit of the young season.

2) Cliff Lee – The return of Cliff Lee before his once-and-present adoring fans in Game Two was an event every bit as memorable as Opening Day.

Mr. Lee did not disappoint whatsoever. He worked seven mostly dominating innings, giving up three runs on just four hits. Lee struck out 11 Astros without a walk, but did hit a batter on an offspeed pitch that grazed Chris Johnson’s foot.

Lee may have been awarded the No. 1 spot if it were not for that other Lee (Carlos) who belted a triple, a homer and all three runs batted in.

1) Ryan Howard – When you’re the biggest, most powerful hitter on a World Series favorite, one suspects that you are used to a disproportionate share of the spotlight and scrutiny. And with the departure of Werth and the injury to Utley, there has been even more attention paid to the Big Piece.

Howard has responded with a torrid start: Seven for 13 (.538 average) with three runs, a homer, a double and six RBI. Howard’s on-base percentage is a scintillating .500, and his slugging average stands at .846; his OPS is a gaudy 1.346.

Yes, it’s only been three games, but the three games have been quite remarkable.

GOLD NOTES

Roy Oswalt walked Michael Bourn with two outs in the top of the fifth. That stuff happens, and Oswalt, (only one walk against six strikeouts) exhibited impressive control.

Except when compared to Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, who did not issue any free passes. Collectively, the three starters fanned 23 and walked one in 19 innings. Your turn, Cole!

According to Todd Zolecki, of MLB.com, the Phillies opened the season with a three-game sweep at home for the first time since 1899. How is that possible? And yes, that was during the William McKinley Administration.

In case you were wondering, the Phils finished 94-59 that year, but they finished one game behind the Boston Beaneaters and eight back of the pennant-winning Brooklyn Superbas.

I will guarantee you that the Phils will not finish behind either of those juggernauts in 2011.

 

For more information on Matt Goldberg’s new books, as well as writing, speaking and interview requests, please e-mail: matt@tipofthegoldberg.com or contact him via his Bleacher Report homepage. 

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Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Things We Learned from Opening Weekend

I had the pleasure and privilege of attending all three games this weekend for the Phillies. The atmosphere was absolutely electric. The weather did not stop more than 45,000 “phanatical” fans from showing up at each game and proving once again that the stigma of the Philadelphia fans that booed Santa more than 50 years ago is indeed history.

I have written previously about how picking against the Phillies has become the sexy thing to do with the national and even local media. Whether it was the injuries, personnel decisions or the Braves being the best team ever built, the most anticipated season in the entire 121-year history of Phillies baseball lost much of its luster leading up to Opening Day.

A few of my colleagues and myself have tried to keep to keep things positive and remind everyone that we still are indeed the team to beat. Philadelphia, we are finally the Yankees (without selling our souls to the devil). Enjoy the moment. Still, many fans had their reservations and needed these three games as insurance that this team that Ruben Amaro has built can be as good on the field as it looks on paper.

I understand that these three games were against the lowly Astros and it has only been three games, but here are 10 things we have learned about the Phillies thus far, besides them being undefeated!

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Philadelphia Phillies: Will They Depend on the Bullpen More Than They Thought?

Ever since the Phillies signed Cliff Lee back in December, fans immediately began to come up with nicknames: “R2C2,” “The Phab Phour,” “The Four Aces,” you name it.

As fans reflected on this signing more, many began to wonder whether it was worth utilizing the bullpen often, aside from the closer (Brad Lidge) and the setup men (Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras).

Originally, the question leaned towards the answer “no.”

But after seeing the Phillies’ first two games this season, could that answer change to yes?

On Opening Day, Roy Halladay was dominant as ever, pitching through six innings and striking out six, giving up only one run on five hits. His pitch count, however, was high—through those six innings, he had thrown 101 pitches.

For those of you that don’t understand pitch count, think about this: Brett Myers, the opposing Astros‘ Opening Day starter, pitched just 85 pitches through seven innings of work. That’s impressive.

Although Halladay claims this was due to batters fouling off many of his pitches, he says that he’s confident that it was just a one-day thing and that he would have liked to pitch further into the game, though he understands the thinking behind pulling him after six innings.

After Halladay left the game, J.C. Romero, David Herndon, Ryan Madson and Danys Baez (who picked up the win) each contributed their pitching. The Phillies won 5-4 after a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, which was summed up by a walk-off single by John Mayberry, Jr.

In Game 2—Cliff Lee’s 2011 Philadelphia debut—Lee was more dominant than Halladay was the day before, striking out 11 batters in seven innings of work. He allowed three runs—all hit by Carlos Lee—but those runs were allowed on just four hits.

After Lee left, Baez pitched in the eighth and Jose Contreras closed the game, though the 9-4 win was not a save situation for Contreras. Lee picked up the win, and opposing starter Wandy Rodriguez took the loss.

Although Lee was less dependent on the bullpen, neither Halladay nor Lee pitched more than seven innings. Many fans, however, assumed that they would consistently pitched for eight innings or more in almost, if not all of their starts.

Could this assumption be proved false?

If Halladay, Lee, Roy Oswalt (who starts against Bud Norris today to sum up the series) and Cole Hamels are unable to live up to this expectation of going deep in games, will the bullpen matter more than the fans originally thought?

Currently, their seven bullpen pitchers are Danys Baez, Antonio Bastardo, Jose Contreras, David Herndon, Kyle Kendrick, Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero. Herndon, a rookie last year, is on the roster due to starting closer Brad Lidge’s shoulder injury, which landed him on the 15-day DL. It is currently unknown as to when Lidge is expected to return from the injury.

While the Phillies’ pitching rotation is one to be reckoned with right now, they could be more dependent on the bullpen then many fans thought. Of course, if the offense can provide comfortable run support, as they did in Cliff Lee’s start last night, then pitchers can be lifted earlier in games.

But if situations are more like they were last year, where the offense often failed to produce runs (like in Halladay’s Opening Day start this year), the Phillies could be more reliant on the bullpen after all.

What do you think? Please share your thoughts.

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The Philadelphia Phillies Offense Answers Tough Questions Early in the Season

Having assembled this amazing pitching staff with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton, the only remaining question for the Phillies is whether or not they could they muster any offense. The simple answer is yes.

After the unbelievable Opening Day ninth-inning comeback rally on Friday, the Phils offense picked up on Saturday where they left off.

The Phillies got off to a quick start with two runs in the first inning. Between the fourth and fifth innings, they scored five more runs. The highlights were a Raul Ibanez double, a two-run Shane Victorino bloop single and a Ben Francisco double, just to name a few.

The real encouraging factor was not just the runs, but the way they scored the runs.  It was a combination of good base running, patience at the plate, small ball and timely hitting. This is the Phillies’ offense everyone has been waiting to see.

Of course, we all loved the home run days and there will still be some of those. But in the past, the Phillies offense really seemed to rely on the big hits with little to no focus on manufacturing runs. With Chase Utley hurt and Jayson Werth gone, the big concern going into 2011 was the lack of power on a team that has issues playing small ball.

And while two games is a very small sample size, it does look like the offense has finally figured out how to go one base at a time to score runs. With the incredible pitching they have, if the offense can keep up this pace and be consistent, the 2011 Phillies will be a very scary team.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Daily Fun Fact for the Astros Series Finale

If the Philadelphia Phillies‘ first game of the 2011 was a microcosm of how we expect the 2011 season to play out—shut-down starting pitching, clumsy bullpen and just enough offense to win the day—then the second game of the season was a true demonstration of this team’s potential.  

Cliff Lee, making his second first start for the Phillies, made only one mistake all night, a two-run home run to fellow former AL Central rival Carlos Lee. Otherwise, he was impeccable, striking out 11 and walking none in seven innings.

In case Phillies’ fans have not heard, this year’s pitching staff is going to be something special, and through two games the Phillies’ staff has already done something pretty special in its own right

 

And it leads to today’s Philadelphia Phillies Daily Fun Fact

 

After Lee shut down the Astros to the tune of 11 strikeouts and no walks, the Phillies’ bullpen kept the party going, striking out two more and walking none.  

Add this to their performance on Friday, during which Roy Halladay struck out six and walked none before giving way to the bullpen, which struck out two more and walked one, and the Phillies have now struck out a preposterous 21 batters while walking only one, for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of (grabbing calculator, doing math) 21-to-1.

For the record, since 1901 only the rarest major league baseball team has finished a season with a strikeout-to-walk ratio over 3-to-1.  

The Arizona Diamondbacks did it in 2002, when they rode Curt Schilling (9.58-to-1) and Randy Johnson (4.70-to-1) to a 3.10-to-1 ratio.

The Los Angeles Dodgers did it in 1966, featuring outstanding performances from Sandy Koufax (4.12-to-1), Don Sutton (4.02-to-1) and Don Drysdale (3.93-to-1). Those guys, of course, are all in the Hall of Fame.

And there was the 2006 Minnesota Twins with their team ratio of 3.27-to-1. 

Of the many measures we will be using to place the 2011 Phillies’ rotation in historical context, this will certainly be one.  

The Phillies chances of catching the ’06 Twins, the ’02 Diamondbacks or the ’66 Dodgers are pretty good, though. Our rudimentary search reveals only a handful of other teams since 1901 with team strikeout-to-walk ratios over 2.80-to-1: the 1994 Montreal Expos, the 2001 Diamondbacks, the 2002 New York Yankees (2.82), the 2003 New York Yankees (2.98) and your 2010 Philadelphia Phillies (2.84).

But wait, there is more.

Since 1901, only 15 major league teams have featured three or more starting pitchers who qualified for the ERA title and finished with a strikeout-to-walk ratio better than 3-to-1.  The two most recent teams to pull this off were the 2010 Minnesota Twins and… wait for it…the 2010 Philadelphia Phillies.

Now for some history: Of these 15 teams, only one featured four such pitchers. It was the aforementioned 2003 New York Yankees, with Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, David Wells and Mike Mussina.

(The key to historic strikeout-to-walk ratio is clearly Jose Contreras, who made his major league debut with the 2003 Yankees, pitched for the Phillies in 2010 and is now a member of the 2011 Phillies’ staff.)

As for the Phillies’ chances of joining the ’03 Yankees, you have got to like them. To a team that already had three pitchers qualify for the ERA title and have strikeout-to-walk ratios over 3-to-1, the Phillies have added Cliff Lee, one of the greatest strikeout-to-walk ratio guys of all time.

Is this season really only two games old?

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Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros BoxPlus: More Singles and 2-Out RBI

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

Phillies 9, Astros 4

Game 2 of the Phillies’ young season saw a bit more of an offensive attack to back ace No. 2, Cliff Lee. 

The Phillies started early with three consecutive singles (Polanco, Rollins, Howard) which scored one run. With one out and a “productive out RBI situation” staring him in the face, Ben Francisco couldn’t put the ball in play and struck out. 

With the first of many two-out RBI situations at hand, Raul Ibanez was able to hit an opposite field double, scoring Rollins from second. Howard was not able to make it home from first, however, and would be stranded there when Carlos Ruiz flied out to left.

In the fourth, Angel Sanchez led off with the first Astros hit of the night and was quickly tripled home by Carlos Lee. It was the first of Carlos Lee’s four RBI, which accounted for all of Houston’s scoring.

Francisco and Shane Victorino collided on the triple and Victorino would later leave the game with what seems to be a very minor injury (he would single in two runs prior to leaving the game). Lee was stranded at third when Cliff Lee struck out Bill Hall and got Chris Johnson to ground weakly back to the mound.

The Phillies quickly got that run back plus one more in the home half of the fourth. After Ibanez worked a walk in a nice at-bat and Ruiz was hit by a pitch, Wilson Valdez quickly struck out. 

Cliff Lee then laid down a very nice bunt, moving Ibanez and Ruiz to second and third.  Shane Victorino stepped in with two outs in an RBI situation and singled on a soft fly to right field that was just out of the reach of right-fielder Hunter Pence. Both Ibanez and Ruiz scored.

The game was broken open in the fifth when Howard singled, Francisco doubled and Ibanez singled in succession. Ibanez was able to advance to second on a groundout by Ruiz and score on a single by Valdez, bringing the run count for the inning to three.

In the sixth, Angel Sanchez singled again off Lee. He was able to score two batters later when Carlos Lee homered to left-center. 

Lee would go on to finish the seventh and had a fairly impressive line with 11 strikeouts, 4 hits and 3 runs. All four hits were by two players, Angel Sanchez and Carlos Lee. It’s worth noting that Sanchez is filling in for the injured Clint Barmes and is 4-for-8 against Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay, two of baseball’s best pitchers.

The Phillies were able to manufacture another run in the seventh when Ibanez walked again and Ruiz doubled him home.

Danys Baez was victimized by a Placido Polanco throwing error that should have ended the top of the eighth. The Astros would go on to squeak out a run from it.

The Phillies got one more two-out run when Francisco singled home Polanco from second.  Prior to Francisco’s at-bat, Jimmy Rollins smoked a line drive right into the gut of relief pitcher Fulchino, who was able to briefly recover and throw Rollins out. I was there and it looked painful.

Jose Contreras came in for the ninth in a non-save situation. He gave up two hits, no runs and garnered two strike outs to end the game.

The Phillies really “nickel and dimed” the Astros tonight, scoring in six of their eight at bats. They had quite a few two-out RBI, which are the toughest RBI to get. They had a total of 14 hits (11 singles and 3 doubles). 

After going 0-4 in the opener, Ibanez was able to go 2-for-3 with 2 walks and a double, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI. Also 0-for-4 yesterday, Polanco went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Howard and Francisco were both 2-for-5. Every starter (except Cliff Lee) had at least one hit.

For most of the Astros, Cliff Lee was just too much to handle. Carlos Lee and Angel Sanchez seemed unfazed by Lee’s stuff, though. The Astros totaled eight hits for the game, but five were by Sanchez and Lee. Michael Bourne struck out three times and never saw the bases. Wandy Rodriguez finished four innings and has a 15.75 ERA to start the year.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Daily Fun Fact for Cliff Lee’s First Start

The Philadelphia Phillies are 1-0 after a by-the-skin-of-their-teeth win over the Houston Astros yesterday. Tonight, in what is sure to be a chilly one in the City of Brotherly Love, the Phillies send offseason reacquisition Cliff Lee to the mound for the first time since the 2009 World Series against the New York Yankees.

If the city was abuzz yesterday in anticipation for Roy Halladay’s Opening Day start, Philadelphia is positively ready to explode with excitement at seeing Lee on the mound again—a proposition that seemed simply impossible just a few short months ago.

The city came to love Halladay during his 2010 National League Cy Young campaign—a year in which he threw a perfect game during the regular season and a no-hitter in the postseason. But this is also the city that was lukewarm towards Halladay initially, because his arrival was juxtaposed against the departure of Lee.

As we look back on the season Lee spent away from the Phils—which he began with the lowly Seattle Mariners before joining the Texas Rangers and riding them all the way back to the World Series—we note something that is, at first blush, interesting. But upon further investigation, it is revealed to be historic.

And it is today’s Philadelphia Phillies Daily Fun Fact:

In 2010, Cliff Lee pitched 212.1 innings for Seattle and Texas. In those 212.1 innings, he walked a shockingly low 18 batters while allowing 16 home runs. What’s more, two of his bases on balls were intentional passes, which means he allowed the same number of unintentional walks as he did home runs.

Since 1901, only five pitchers have managed to pitch 200 or more innings, allow fewer than 20 unintentional walks and 20 home runs: Babe Adams (1920), Red Lucas (1933), Bob Tewksbury (1993), Greg Maddux (1997) and Lee.

And of those five pitchers, Lee was the only one to not give up more walks than home runs.

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Philadelphia Phillies Prove They’ll Need More Than Just Starting Pitching

The Phillies opened the 2011 season Friday with a dramatic come-from-behind win against the Houston Astros, thanks to a walk-off single by pinch-hitter John Mayberry Jr.

The Phillies’ offense in the first eight innings was eerily reminiscent to the stagnant offensive output in 2010, but in the bottom of the ninth, the Phightin’ Phils were reborn. The Phillies can only hope that this comeback, fueled by small ball, will ignite the their bats for the games to come.

After an offseason of uncertainty, injury and speculation, what can we take from Opening Day? 

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