Philadelphia Phillies: Joe Blanton’s Injury Gives Vance Worley an Opportunity

Ever since Vance Worley made his starting debut as a Philadelphia Phillie on September 6th, 2010, there were a whole lot of early assumptions being made about the right-hander’s future.

The most prominent one? Hey, maybe this guy can be our fifth starter in 2011.

After the Phillies signed Cliff Lee in December, it seemed almost a near certainty that the Phillies would attempt to trade Joe Blanton to make room (roster-wise and salary-wise) for Worley.

Fast forward to a late-May showdown between the Phillies and Cincinnati Reds Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Worley will be on the mound making his third start of the season, filling in for an injured Blanton, who has been plagued by an elbow injury for a good majority of the season.

After a trip to the disabled list, Blanton returned and made two starts, but did not have the same velocity he has shown throughout his career. After routinely being able to at least touch 91 or 92, Blanton was delivering fastballs in the 85-87 MPH range in his two games against Atlanta and Florida.

Back to the disabled list for Blanton, and back to the Majors for Worley, who has been jettisoned back and forth from AAA to the Majors a couple different times already in 2011.

Blanton’s numbers have been less than impressive thus far, as he has a 5.50 ERA in six starts. But his 56.3 percent groundball percentage and high BABIP would lead you to believe he’s gotten quite unlucky on balls in play against him this season.

We’ll have to wait a while to see if Blanton gets an opportunity to right his poor and perhaps unlucky start to the season. He could out about a month, if not more, with the elbow injury.

Enter Worley, who now has a chance to grab the fifth starter’s spot and not look back. Is it possible that we have seen the last of Joe Blanton in a Phillies uniform? Well, not likely. But if Worley goes out and pitches as well as he has in his limited time early this season, how is he going to get his job back?

In his two spot starts this season, Worley went 2-0 whilst limiting the Mets and Nationals to just six hits and one run. Could that be the problem, however?

The Cincinnati offense Worley will face tonight is a heck of a lot different than the not-so-murderer’s-row featured in Washington and New York.

Worley’s .195 BABIP thus far would also lead one to believe that he has gotten the best of batted balls in play so far, and that small sample size of just 16 innings might not give us all we need to know about him.

At the very least, Worley has beaten out the much-maligned Kyle Kendrick, who doesn’t provide the strikeouts that Worley has been able to. At the very least, Worley is a better option than Kendrick because he can get the ball past hitters.

Consult Kendrick’s spot start against Colorado last week in place of the last minute scratch Blanton and you will know what we are talking about. Yes, it was a tough situation, but yes, Worley is a better option.

The good news is that Worley has done well thus far against both right-handers and left-handers, as both have struggled against him. Righties are hitting just .185 off him, while lefties are hitting just .138.

Could this just be a flash in the pan for Worley? Does that fact that hitters are just three for 31 against him in innings one through four lead anyone to believe that they can make adjustments later on in the game and/or season? Does the fact that there has been little video until now on Worley make you worry about hitters making adjustments?

Sure. All of this stuff is worrisome, at least to a degree. He’s a young guy, and often times, young guys come up, have some good luck, and then get hit around a little bit. That’s life, and that’s baseball.

But early on, Worley has been impressive. It appears that he has been able to mix in a pretty decent change-up along with his fastball, which sits in the 90-92 range.

The Phillies had little choice with this situation. Blanton was simply not ready, his cranky elbow still troubling him. Some day, he might be ready.

For now, it’s an opportunity for Philadelphia’s new favorite goggled pitcher.

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Chase Utley: Six Fun Facts from the Return of the Phillies Second Baseman

Chase Utley made his triumphant return—and season debut—on Monday with the Philadelphia Phillies, and the gratification was instant.  The Phillies’s offense came alive, hitting early and often.

After scoring two runs off of Bronson Arroyo in the first inning, the Phils chased Arroyo with a seven-run third and reminded the sellout crowd of Philadelphia faithful of an earlier time, when scoring runs was easier and a solid outing by a starting pitcher was enough to win a game.

Along the way, the suddenly explosive Phillies’ offense did some things which, when compared to recent performances, are actually quite fun.

Here’s a look at six fun facts from tonight’s game.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Raul Ibanez and the Miserable Phillies Offense

Phillies fans, we all know the drill—our veteran left fielder comes to the plate and the entire crowd bursts into a chorus of what sounds like boos.

Then the guys calling the game, especially if it is an out-of-town crew or a national broadcast, will explain: “Now, fans at home may think that the crowd is booing their left fielder, but really they’re saying ‘Ra-uuuuuuuuuul”

Of course, Phillies fans also know a thing or two about a new drill of sorts which has been taking place this season and that is the actual booing of Raul Ibanez, for as the Phillies offense has become downright dysfunctional, Ibanez has been one of the guys bearing the brunt of the criticism for the team’s woes.

Indeed, Ibanez has become an aging wonder of sorts, slowing down in the field and at the plate and establishing himself as a drag on the Phillies offense.

Or so you may think.

What has been lost—for the most part—on the Phillies faithful as the hometown team has endured its Second Annual May Swoon, has been the fact that, rather than serving as a poster child for the Phillies’ struggles, Ibanez has actually been a lone wolf—the only Philly hitting in this miserable month of May.

Consider:

Since May 1, the Phillies are hitting a would-be-hilarious-if-it-wasn’t-so-sad .229 with a .643 OPS. Jimmy Rollins is hitting .238, Ryan Howard is hitting .178 and even Placido Polanco, whose season average is still a robust .335, is only hitting .247 on the month. 

Meanwhile, Raul Ibanez is batting a no-really .324 with an .896 OPS (and, editor’s note: as I sit here writing this he just hit a home run in tonight’s series opener against the Cincinnati Reds).

It would appear that, for the time being anyway, we all need to cut ol’ Raul a break and when he comes to the plate we should return to saying “Ra-uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuul” instead of the increasingly more popular alternative.

Or am I?

Much like a House episode where Dr. House figures out what mystery illness his patient has with more than 20 minutes left in the episode, we all know that the story does not end here.

The full story here is that Ibanez has not simply heated up in the month of May. Ibanez has also had the extra added benefit of playing the majority of his May games—12 out of 19 to be exact—at Citizens Bank Park.

And here is where things start to look grim for the sage veteran.

For the season, Ibanez is hitting .302 with four home runs, 16 RBI and 16 runs. His on-base percentage is a quite good at .362 and his slugging percentage is an excellent .500.

These next few numbers are going to turn you all into five-year-old girls at a horror movie, peaking through your fingers as you shriek with fear:

On the road, in 2011, Ibanez is batting .145 with zero home runs, two RBI, four runs scored and 21 strikeouts in 74 plate appearances. His on-base percentage is a check-his-pulse .203, his slugging percentage is a time-machine-to-the-deadball-era .188 and his ridiculous OPS is .391.

The only good thing you can say about Ibanez’s road performance in 2011 is that he has grounded into only one double play, but in reality, this probably just proves that he simply is not hitting the ball at all.

At which point we are compelled to say, “Yikes.”

So, what’s the point of all this?

At the end of the day, Raul Ibanez is in a curious position—he is simultaneously performing better than anyone realizes, while also performing far worse than his numbers would indicate.

And to that, there is only one thing to say:

“Rauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuul!”

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Philadelphia Phillies Slumping Offense: What They Need Is a Good Dose of Poe

I’m excited that the baseball season is in full swing. My husband was so bored in the offseason, I had to fake a bladder infection just to get some sleep.

At first, things for the 2010 division champs looked promising: The February 15th Philadelphia Inquirer headlined the sports page with a picture of the five aces—an upgrade from the “Bought and Paid Four”.

There they sat with name plates in front (like those were necessary) and the words “Spring Training” and the familiar “P” logo splattered across the back like Christmas wrap. Smiling in Phillies red and displaying a surprisingly low level of male pattern baldness, it was a picture I pondered cropping to make a border for my bedroom.

Then again, I ponder a lot of things. Like if I change my profile picture on Facebook to a shot of my backside, does that make it Buttbook? I also wonder why I continue to buy bras—I question the necessity to house something I don’t have.

My husband says the same thing about my skull.

Hey, at least I don’t claim to use something I don’t have. After 15 years of marriage I wonder why men were given a brain at all.

My husband says I shouldn’t talk: I’ve made it this far without boobs or brains.

That’s no secret. If you’ve read this far, you already know that. I compensate by being a natural blonde. Says so right on my box of hair color. Which is why my train of thought about men housing sufficient brain tissue should be followed closely. I don’t know when this stream of logic will stop dead.

Okay, maybe “logic” is too strong a term.

Let’s call it “thready rationale”.

After an unfortunate logging accident, my husband is proof that one nut supports the irrational thought pattern of two. For instance, after losing a nad he was clocked going 92 in a 45.

This makes me question where the headquarters of rational thought actually occurs. And since this proves that guys really only need one, why not tuck all the brain tissue necessary to sustain life into the other sack and free up their skull for storing important things—like beer, cheese steaks and porn?

And if the average person uses only 10 percent of a brain, then all the smarts of a true American male could occupy the space of the average testicle. And if that’s the case—and one ball will do the job of two—what if through evolution a man’s brain occupied one side of his tool while all the testosterone he needed was produced by the other?

Hey, is that the transitive property?

Then getting flashed by a guy would tell you instantly if you were in for a great roll in the hay or a long night of Sudoku.

Funny how a kick in the groin will deem a man useless but a knock to the head only leaves a lump.

My husband says if my brain was stored in my boobs, I could name them Dumb and Dumber.

Then when I strap on my bra, I’d be putting on my thinking cap. And right away you could tell I suck at Sudoku.

That gives me an idea for a new promotion for Citizens Bank Park: Small Breasted Women Day. We’d celebrate the fact that we have any at all.

Hey, it’s better than MILF Day. That’s where I thought I’d promote my new game: Pin the Brain on Cliff Lee.

By now you’re probably thinking the same thing I am: What the hell was my point?

Oh yeah, the Phillies. Let’s recap the season (with all the words I know or less):

Roy Halladay had 29 consecutive scoreless innings. Like me, he’ll never admit to reaching 30.

While watching American Idol, my husband discovered that Jennifer Lopez is not the anatomical term for a woman’s butt.

Chase Utley played a few simulated games before his much anticipated return. I have a simulation I’d like to play with him. Wait. Guess you could call that a “stimulation.”

Ricky Bottalico and I both miss Chad Durbin and Jack Bauer. Okay, I might have made that last one up.

In honor of the royal wedding, I’m looking for a body part to name “The Duchess.”

Pete Orr-eo was sent back down. I can’t believe he won’t be the sweet vanilla frosting between my chocolate cookie infielders anymore. I feel naked.

At one point this season, Raul Ibanez was 0 for 34. My husband says he knows how he feels. He had a dry spell in April too. At least Ibanez got batting practice.

Now here we are nearing June. You know the season is well under way when the disabled list reads like my Amazon Wish List and the batters are in a scoring slump that rivals a toothless redneck.

Or my husband.

It shouldn’t be such a surprise that, in this season of the pitcher, even the Phillies have won games without an offense. Their scoring slump is a concern, but not as urgent as when the smoke detector signals that dinner is done.

I try to tell my child that “Mom is cooking” is not a valid reason to call 911.

Even so, Phillies fans are so prevalent at opponent’s ballparks that the volume of cheers for Phils’ feats mirrors the Hyundai slogan in their new ads: “It’s more than an event–it’s a movement.”

Hey, my husband yells that same thing from the potty.

And with that image in mind, he wonders why he’s scoreless.

Did I mention I applied for the MLB DreamJob? When I wasn’t considered, I made my husband review my application to see what I did wrong. He said I should be happy I wasn’t arrested. Apparently it’s inappropriate to request a live video feed of the men’s locker room as a contingency of employment.

I really thought I had a shot. When I submitted my video, I tried to stimulate what men think is the ideal telecast by a woman and pointed the camera straight at my breasts.

I wanted to see if the camera really adds ten pounds.

My husband says HD is high density, not special effects.

Well, if you’ve read this far, I commend you. I don’t even know what I’m talking about so if you do, please don’t hesitate to share it with me. Together, we’ll show the world what happens when you teach rednecks to punctuate.

See you at the ballpark.

Special thanks to my friend Jimi Mack and my dad for their contributions.

Stalk me on Twitter 

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Guys Who Could Replace Joe Blanton

The Philadelphia Phillies have the second-best record in the MLB at this point in the season, but the fifth-starter spot has been a huge question mark thus far.  Joe Blanton was named the fifth starter in the rotation after it was announced that the Phillies would have enough money to keep him around.  However, he has not performed well enough to satisfy Philly fans.  

The Phillies have experimented with other guys in the fifth-starter spot in Blanton’s stints on the disabled list this year.  Kyle Kendrick has been used and has been knocked around in the starter role.  

Vance Worley, however, has come in and had two quality starts, leading to a 2-0 record in his two starts this season.  Worley is scheduled to pitch Tuesday and Sunday this week, giving himself more chances to prove he is a legitimate starting pitcher.  

The Phillies have a few questions surrounding them such as when will they finally be healthy and can they live up to the hype? But one question that remains is who will be the fifth starter?  Here are five guys who could replace Big Joe.   

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Chase Utley’s Return and What It Means to the Philadelphia Phillies

It’s being reported that the Phillies plan on calling up franchise second baseman Chase Utley in time for Monday’s series opener against the Cincinnati Reds.  There has been speculation for a week now that Utley would return for this series, although General Manager Ruben Amaro has denied it.  However, it’s difficult to take Amaro at his word on anything as most of what he says turns out to be false, as he runs one of sports tightest lipped front offices—not sure if that’s good or bad for the fans.

What will Chase Utley bring to the table?  Will he be the Utley of old, the one who’s an offensive force and can carry a team on his back?  Will his knee hold up the remainder of the season?  What type of rest will it require to stay in the lineup through yet another long October run?

I’m a pessimist by nature and have a hard time seeing good in much (there are exceptions), but even I’m having a hard time envisioning how this is anything but fantastic news for the Phillies and their fans.  Utley is returning to the lineup at precisely the right time, when the team needed a moral booster and something positive to focus on.  

No one can, nor should, expect Utley to go out and play like the Hall of Fame-caliber second baseman we’ve seen throughout his career.  After not having played healthy, meaningful baseball at a high level for nearly an entire year (when he returned from his thumb injury last year he was not 100 percent healthy and it showed), he’s going to be rusty.  He’ll probably struggle offensively—and perhaps defensively too—for a while, until he fully tests his knee at the major league level.  

However, Utley’s return to the Phillies lineup is about more than just his own production or where he bats in the lineup.  (Although that itself is a good question also: Where does Utley bat?)  His return will take pressure off other members of the team.  Ryan Howard will no longer feel he is the only legitimate threat in the lineup.  Jimmy Rollins can stop trying to hit home runs to replace Utley’s, and go back to trying to hit home runs to show off what a 5’7″ man can really do.  Raul Ibanez and Ben Francisco can stop trying to replace both Chase Utley and Jayson Werth—and start figuring out how to keep Dominic Brown from replacing them.

There will be a lot of questions the Phillies and Utley face.  No one can be sure how his knee is going to hold up, whether or not the injury will reoccur or when and how the damage will negatively affect his play.  And with Chase Utley there’s always the possibility that he will re-aggravate the injury and refuse to acknowledge it, thereby potentially hurting the team also.  

But nothing bad can come from this move right now.  It will all be smiles in Phillies-land tomorrow, and it should be.  Win or lose against Cincinnati, and the feelings around Citizens Bank Park will be warm and cozy—unless of course something disastrous happens, although I’m not allowing myself to go there.  Charlie Manuel, for the first time all year, will be able to write Chase Utely’s name into the lineup.  He will probably bat second, between Rollins and Polanco, and the Phillies will have two star offensive players in the lineup again.  

Utley will probably play well in his first game back—adrenaline and all—but will struggle afterwards for a while until he regains his footing and form.  In any case, this is excellent news for Phillies fans.  Chase Utely should be the spark this team needs to continue on in its quest for another World Series Title.  Welcome back, Chase Utley.

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Charlie Manuel Making Big Mistakes This Past Week

Charlie Manuel, like basically all managers, will make the occasional mistake.

But when it’s obviously egregious and repeated, it should be called out.

Since Shane Victorino’s injury last week, Manuel has opted for using either Wilson Valdez or Michael Martinez to hit 2nd in the batting order. Using your worst offensive player in the lineup, outside of the pitcher, as your second hitter is flat out wrong.

Not surprisingly, they have combined for a wretched four for 25 stretch with zero walks, good for a .160 OBP.

Optimally, a team’s best hitters should occupy the first, second and fourth spots in the lineup. I hardly think anyone in their right mind would classify Valdez or Martinez as one of the Phillies‘ top three hitters.

The other significant mistake occurred in the game against the Cardinals on May 17. In the highest leverage situations of the game, Manuel decided to stick with Danys Baez against Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, followed by inserting J.C. Romero against the switch-hitting Lance Berkman, leaving their best reliever in the pen.

Perhaps he was banking on Berkman not being able to tell right from left and decide to bat left-handed against Romero.

Using Romero in the wrong spot has been a reoccurring theme. He managed to do it again today against the Rangers while trailing 1-0 entering the eighth inning.

Presumably not wanting to use three relievers in an inning, Manuel blindly hoped J.C. Romero could get by right-handed Adrian Beltre and get to lefty Mitch Moreland before substituting him for Herndon.

The plan backfired as Beltre doubled and subsequently scored.

Simply put, Romero should never face a righty. Yet, astonishingly, he’s faced almost twice as many righties than lefties this season.

A significant part of any coach or manager’s job is to put his players in the best position to succeed, optimize his rotations or lineups, and make necessary adjustments.

This week displayed Manuel’s shortcomings in these areas.

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2011 MLB Trades: Phillies May Have Some Valuable, Unlikely Trade Chips

As the trade deadline approaches, fans, GM’s and media surrounding the MLB are evaluating what teams have of value and what holes they need to fill. A quick look at the Philadelphia Phillies and you may not see many pieces of value that the team can afford to lose; however, if you look a little closer, you may see one area where the Phillies have a bit of abundance. It also happens to be one of the most sought after positions, year after year for all teams. 

What position do the Phillies have extra of? Well most people would say starting pitching — and they would be right. But it is highly unlikely the Phillies would trade any of their aces, and Joe Blanton isn’t exactly setting the world on fire with either his health or his play. Same for Kyle Kendrick, and to be truthful, the Phillies somewhat need him as he has shown dependability as a long reliever out of the ‘pen. And Vance Worley? No. They are going to need him down the road in years to come.

 So it’s not starting pitching I’m hinting at. 

 Is it relief pitching? Kind of.

 What I am referring to is the most coveted position in pitching — The Closer.

“What???” you say. “Closer” I respond. 

So far this year the Phillies have used two closers: first Jose Contreras, and after he suffered an injury, Ryan Madson. Both are filling in for the actual closer, Brad Lidge, who was injured in spring training but is slowly working his way back to health. And both replacement closers have done an incredible job; neither Madson nor Contreras have blown a save. The Phillies are in fact the only major league team to have accomplished that this season. They are 25-0 when leading going into the ninth inning. That’s impressive for any team, but extremely impressive for a team who has used two replacement closers because their real closer is on the DL.

So, that would mean the Phillies have three pitchers who have proven ability to get the toughest three outs in the game. When I tell you the market for these guys is high, I mean it. Accomplished closers typically make in the high singles/low tens of millions of dollars a year. If you’re a team like the St. Louis Cardinals and you have playoff aspirations and are losing games on the ninth inning due to the lack of an effective closer, you are likely to pay dearly to change that.

So which contending hopefuls are currently in need of a closer? Plenty of them. The above-mentioned Cardinals are one: the team is 14 for 23 in save opportunities this year. The Boston Red Sox are eight for 13 in save opportunities. Sticking with the American League, the Texas Rangers have blown eight saves this year, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have blown a whopping nine saves.

So, we’ve established the two basics tenants of any transaction, supply and demand. The Phillies have a supply and the majors have a demand. The only question is, will the Phillies part with one of their closing arms?

Madson is in a contract year, Lidge has a $1.5M buyout of a $12.5M team option and Contreras is signed thru 2012.

Besides being great in their assumed roles as fill-in-closer, Madson was a tremendous eighth inning set-up guy and Contreras has proved to be a great back of the bullpen guy for the seventh or eight. Trading either would create a void in the back of their own contending-hopeful bullpen. Even though young arms like Michael Stutes (whom I love) and Antonio Bastardo have done excellent jobs, they are still young and the Phillies might not want to trust such important roles to players that untested.

But Lidge is a different story from Madson and Contreras. He has been amazing (zero blown saves in 2008) and awful (11 in 2009) and average (2010). And the Phillies have proved to themselves and to the world that they can get by without him. Brad Lidge, I believe, is expendable. So the only question that remains is whether or not there is a market for him.

There is, or at least there should be. Just not a huge one. History has shown that pitchers with the unique ability to get the last three outs are always in demand. Would St. Louis give up some extra player like Jon Jay for a Brad Lidge? Would the Red Sox deal Mike Cameron for closer help? How about the Cincinnati Reds, who have blown five saves this season; would they part with a Chris Heisey for end of game insurance? Or can Amaro put his mask back on really pull off an amazing deal.

The important thing here is for Lidge to get off of the disabled list and make an impact prior to the deadline. The better he pitches, the higher his value would go.

Surely Lidge won’t command young talent or a starting piece of some hopeful contenders puzzle, but the Phillies could maneuver their way into a really nice, well-needed extra bat.

Quite frankly, the way Ruben Amaro deals, who knows what he could pull off in a Lidge deal.

I am really just speculating here but I don’t think it’s that far out of the realm of possibility. I am quite sure they will at least solicit and entertain offers for Lidge and I wouldn’t be surprised if they considered a Contreras deal, right circumstances not withstanding. My hopes for Madson are different; I would like to see his contract extended and for him to assume the closers role for years to come.

I would love to hear your opinions on this.

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Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard Snap Slumps, Lead Phillies to 2-0 Win over Rangers

Philadelphia Phillies fans knew that Cliff Lee would eventually get his third win—wouldn’t he?

Ryan Howard was due to bust out of a career-worst slump that saw him go hitless in 23 consecutive at-bats. Would this be the night?

And the Phillies offense was bound to get seven or more hits in a game for the first time, seemingly, since the Nixon Administration. Could all three happen in one fell swoop?

Yes, yes, and remarkably, yes.

Playing before their 160th straight sellout crowd, the National League-leading Phillies rode the superb pitching of Cliff Lee and the home-run power of first baseman Ryan Howard to notch a 2-0 inter-league victory over the visiting Texas Rangers.

For Lee, it was his first win since April 14, snapping his own career-worst (tying) skid of six consecutive starts without a win.

The unfortunate streak was more of a monument to the ineptitude of the Phillies offense than a statement on Lee’s pitching, but the 37 days without a win had to have caused a large gorilla to be perched on Lee’s back.

How is this stat for you? In his previous six starts, the Phillies had managed to score exactly one run for Lee while he was still pitching. Lee had pitched anywhere from six to seven innings in each of those starts, only giving up more than three earned runs one time.

In those six games, Lee was 0-3, and the Phils were 2-4 as a team. For the season, he entered the start against Texas with seven quality starts—three or fewer earned runs yielded while pitching at least six innings—out of nine, but only had a 2-4 record to show for his good work.

For only the second time in Lee’s last seven starts, the Phillies managed to actually scored a run for him before the sixth inning, thanks to Ryan Howard, who put an end to his own recent miseries at the plate.

Leading off the bottom of the second, the slugger drove a low-inside fastball from Lee’s ex-teammate Colby Lewis into the right field bleachers.

As it turned out, it would be the only run the smooth lefty from Arkansas would need—or receive from his teammates until John Mayberry Jr. singled in a run with two outs in the seventh.

Lee, who really started finding a beautiful rhythm in the fifth inning—when he struck out the side—made that one run look like six or seven, His biggest scare of the night may have come from the unlikely bat of Lewis.

Lewis lined a ball off of Lee’s back to start the top of the third. The ball, fortuitously, missed doing serious damage to Lee, and also caromed to an alert shortstop, Jimmy Rollins, who threw to Howard to nip the pitcher at first.

Cliff Lee, who also looks at home with a bat in his hand, did his best to try to spark his offense, singling with two outs in the fifth to send Wilson Valdez to third.

Taking advantage of an indifferent Rangers defense, Lee easily stole second base, putting two runners in scoring position for Rollins.

In a strange sequence, Valdez took home plate on a wild pitch. After a discussion, Valdez was summoned out of the dugout to return to third and Rollins was awarded first (correctly) as the pitch was ruled to have grazed the shortstop’s foot.

The crowd would have exploded if rightfielder Domonic Brown, just called up to the parent club, had delivered with a big, bases-loaded hit, but the top prospect only was able to hit a can of corn to right to end the inning.

Perhaps, the baseball gods, in some sort of Faustian bargain with Lee, had decreed that he could pitch for the team and the fans that he wanted to, but that he would never do so with any real run support.

Lee, still with only a 1-0 lead to work with, pitched out of what constituted trouble in the seventh. Lee yielded a one-out single to Mike Napoli, before getting David Murphy to fly out to left.

Fellow Arkansas Razorback Gary Gentry stepped in, and did battle with Lee, drawing a 3-2 payoff pitch. On pitch No. 100 for the game, Lee struck the centerfielder out for his ninth “K” of the contest.

The man with the No. 33 jersey would go on to fan his 10th and final batter; the start was the fifth this season in which Lee had struck out at least 10.  

Skipper Charlie Manuel gave Lee a rest after his 122-pitch, eight-inning masterpiece, and turned it over to Ryan Madson, who is looking every bit the part of an All-Star closer.

First baseman Michael Young greeted Madson with a leadoff single to right, but Placido Polanco turned a bullet by Adrian Beltre into a 5-4-3 double play.

A fly ball off the bat of Mike Napoli found John Mayberry’s glove in deep center, and with that, Cliff Lee, and all of his fans, were able to celebrate a win for the lefty ace for the first time in 37 days.

Just another pitcher’s duel in that little bandbox called Citizens Bank Park.

 

GOLD NOTES

Prior to tonight, the Phillies had not connected for more than six hits in a game in seven consecutive contests. They exploded for a total of eight against the Rangers.

Philly fans in general, and Phillies fans in particular, can get a bad rap, but there was a nice moment in the seventh where they showed their knowledge of the game and appreciation for a good effort.

With one out in the seventh, Lee slapped a slow roller to shortstop, and busted it down the line, but Wilson Andrus’ throw just beat him to the bag. Phillies fans, astutely, gave him a very warm ovation as he trotted back to the dugout.

Lee also authored his own odd moment in the top of the sixth. Ian Kinsler singled with two outs and nobody on.

Lee, pitching from a windup instead of the stretch, allowed Kinsler to waltz into second with the tying run. Lee pitched out of it, throwing one of his better pitches of the night to get Young (3-4 on the night) looking.

……

For more information on Matt Goldberg’s new books (Wordapodia, Volume One and All That Twitters is Not Goldberg), 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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Dominic Brown’s Bat Headed to Save Philadelphia Phillies?

The day a lot of fans have been waiting for has arrived.  On the day the world is supposed to end, according to some, the Phillies have announced that prized prospect Dominic Brown will be returning to the big league club to provide some offensive punch for a team that’s struggling to not only score runs but to simply get base hits.

It appears that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel and GM Ruben Amaro disagreed about calling up Brown so early, with the GM convinced more time in Triple A would do the youngster some good.  Manuel, who has a success of bringing young players, especially those with potentially prolific bats, along at a pace that makes their transition to the major leagues successful, wanted the kid up here as soon as possible.  

The stalemate between the two men ended when Amaro folded his hand and issued the call-up order to Lehigh Valley.

Dominic Brown is once again a Phillie.  Barring something strange happening or complete failure on his part it will be the last time Brown is “called up” from the minor leagues.  He should be here to stay, and Phillies fans everywhere hope he lives up to the hype.  

However, was it a good idea to call him up at this precise moment?  Yes, the Phillies recently dropped four straight and five of six.  They have loosened their grip on first place in the National League East, and their dominant pitching can only carry them so far.  

But Pennants cannot be won in April, May and June.  They can surely be lost but despite the panic surrounding their offensive (un)production they have in no way damaged their quest for a third pennant in four years.  

Promoting Dominic Brown today is a mistake.  It could have waited a week or two, when that other player toying around in the minor leagues is ready to return as well.  Brown is a fantastic talent.  He’s got all the tools to succeed in the major leagues and may very well have a superstar career.  In a couple of years he may be the face of the franchise and one of the best players in the National League, he’s that talented.  

However, bringing him up now is asking him to be savior, and that’s a lot of pressure to put on a 23-year-old.  The Phillies will say all the right things, to the media, to the players and especially to Brown himself.  

They will tell anyone who will listen that Brown will be eased in, that there is not much expected of him, and they will truly mean it and believe it themselves.  But it’s the fans and the media who will expect Brown to carry the team offensively.

He will be under extreme scrutiny and his every move will be watched by hundred of thousands. The first moment he steps in the batter’s box at Citizens Bank Park he will be greeted with a standing ovation, and the love fest will continue for a while.  

But what happens the moment he begins to struggle, as all rookies and young players do? What happens when he goes 2-for-34 and strikes out 20 times?  What about when he overthrows the cutoff man attempting to show off his arm and nail a runner at the plate and the winning run scores?  Will fans continue to give him standing ovations as the savior, or write him off as quickly as they written off Raul Ibanez and Ben Francisco?  Time will tell.

Dominic Brown should have been called up this year.  If he hadn’t have gotten hurt, he more than likely would have made the big-league club out of spring training.  However, once he was sent to the minors the best time to call him up would have been at the same time Chase Utley is activated from the disabled list.  

Between the two, Utley is the star and would have garnered the media and fans attention either way.  Brown’s return to Philly would have been a story but the BIGGER story would have been Utley, and he could have been eased into spotlight.

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