2011 Phillies Phestival: A Worthy Cause

The 2011 Phillies Phestival to benefit the ALS Association raised $893,033 this year with a record crowd of 6,800 fans on Monday night.

The Phestival included player autographs, games, prizes, grab bags and photo opportunities.

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a fatal disease of the nervous system for which there is currently no cure.

ALS is also known, especially in baseball, as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  The disease is named after the famous Yankee because he was one of the first public figures known to have died from the rare disease.  Prior to this, few people knew about the illness.

These days, ALS affects approximately five out of every 100,000 people worldwide. It is a devastating illness which gets progressively worse over time.

The Phillies have held the Phestival to benefit research for ALS for 22 straight years now, raising over $12 million total in that time.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Biggest Surprises of the Season so Far

The Philadelphia Phillies, heading into June 14, stand at 40-26.

They currently have the best record in baseball, and hold a two-and-a-half-games lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

Their wins project to 98 for the season, one more than they amassed during their MLB-best 2010 regular season run.

So, how do we uncover and rank the 10 most surprising developments from the 66 games played so far?

That’s easy. We look just a little deeper, and maybe go just a little lighter at the same time.

The Phillies started to evolve into a pitching-first team last season, and that trend has certainly continued and accelerated. Indeed, Phils fans of the last five years or so—who have enjoyed this baseball renaissance—may have known that the team would play more low-scoring contests, but were they prepared to root for a team that would now rank eighth in the league in runs scored (and closer to 13th than they are to sixth)?

On the bright side, they are tied for second in ERA, and figure to finish no worse than the top two.

So, where are the surprises? We expected Roy Halladay to challenge for another Cy Young, and he has not disappointed. We also expected Cole Hamels to be good, but this good?

And while baseball cliché No. 423 tells us that injuries are always a part of the game, did we expect this many?

Please stay tuned and view one man’s opinion of the top 10 surprises of the Phillies’ season so far—ranked in ascending order of “surprise” rather than “importance.”

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Philadelphia Phillies: Should They Let Brad Lidge Close When He Returns?

Brad Lidge of the Philadelphia Phillies will be forever remembered after recording the final out in the 2008 World Series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Many would argue that Lidge was the MVP of that season, as he went an incredible 48 for 48 in save opportunities.

At that time a three-year, $37.5 million contract, (plus 2012 club option) seemed like an intelligent move. But Lidge has undergone a myriad of surgeries on his knee and shoulder that have kept him off the field.

Lidge hasn’t thrown a single pitch in a game this season, due to a partial-tear in his throwing shoulder. Jose Contreras was initially given the job, but he suffered an elbow strain and it was time for the Mad Dog, Ryan Madson, to step up.

Madson blew his first save of the season on Thursday night and the national media is already asking if Brad Lidge should close when he returns.

Allow me to play devil’s advocate here.

Here’s a look at the pro’s and con’s of Brad Lidge returning to the closer’s role when he rejoins the Philadelphia Phillies roster.

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MLB Power Rankings: Rating Charlie Manuel and the Managers in the Major Leagues

We live in a society where we look at results.

When a team is winning the manager is considered a good leader.  When a team’s losing, well, that manager might be headed for the unemployment line. 

They get paid the big bucks to make the tough decisions.  When to tinker with the lineup, when to make a pitching change, when to pinch-hit, when to pinch-run, when to make a defensive substitution, when to intentionally walk someone, when to call for the shift, when to bunt, when to hit and run.  

It’s all part of the job.

 

Local Bucks County Boxer Dreams of Olympic Gold

Danny And His Cannon: Former Phillie Reflects On Life

 

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Philadelphia Phillies Need a Better Horse in the Stable: Heath Bell

I don’t know about most Philadelphia Phillies fans, but I am still not content with the team’s options in the closer role.

I’m not sure if it is because of the Phillies’ climbing payroll or simply because there is no one else on the market, but so far General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has decided to let his team ride on some questionable arms at the back of its pen.

We will start at the beginning.  Brad Lidge came into camp as the team’s No. 1 closer. However, after yet another shoulder problem before the start of the season, he was placed on the disabled list and has been there ever since. 

Even when he does come back, can Manager Charlie Manuel really trust him to step right in and get the job done? 

From what the recent past has shown, I don’t think he can.

Next the team turned to Jose Contreras, a starter turned reliever who made the switch roughly three years ago. Contreras did a pretty good job (5-for-5, 0 ERs) in the ninth inning before getting hurt himself. He has since returned from the injury, but now serves as the team’s set-up man.

Now, the Phils are relying on the fastball-changeup (with a ‘new’ cut-fastball) combo of Ryan Madson. Watching Madson try to close games last year in the absence of Lidge was an adventure to say the least. 

He closed out five games while blowing five others, leaving almost everybody to believe that he could never be a full-time closer at the big league level. Yet he was a perfect 14-for-14 before blowing his first save on June 9. 

Frankly, it was only a matter of time.

At the start of the season, even Amaro and pitching coach Rich Dubee didn’t think Madson was the right one for the job. Amaro was quoted as saying, “There’s no question that we think that Ryan is a great fit for us, but Ryan has not proven to us he can be a closer in the major leagues. 

Can that happen? That’s possible. Can we necessarily rely on him? I don’t think so.” 

Dubee’s words about Madson were even a little more blunt. “Ryan Madson is Ryan Madson. What did he do, take a crash course in how to close or something?” 

Those quotes don’t really exude confidence, if you ask me.

As one can see, none of these options are really the one a team wants to be putting its World Series aspirations on. Sure, Lidge had a magical run in 2008, but that is long in the past. 

Plus, if a pitcher can’t go more than two weeks without experiencing shoulder or elbow soreness then what good is he? 

Unless something short of a miracle happens, he obviously won’t be the most reliable option come the post-season, when every game is a must-win.

I don’t believe that Contreras and Madson are the answer either.  Both can be tremendous set-up men, but neither has the stuff to be a lock-down closer. 

Contreras can be rather wild at times and is known to put guys on base via walks. Madson relies too heavily on two pitches. No one since Eric Gagne has survived in the closer’s role with just a fastball and a changeup. 

Nowadays, a closer tends to need a mid-90s fastball along with a late-breaking cutter or a sharp, diving breaking-ball.

My advice to the Phillies’ management can be summed up in two words: Heath Bell. 

Bell has blown just one save in 18 chances so far this year and has struck out 22 batters in 28 innings. Furthermore, he has blown just 10 save opportunities in the last three years and six of those blow-ups came in 2009.

In that same time period, Lidge has blown 16 saves (11 in 2009) while Madson has blown 12 in just 42 opportunities. That’s only a 71 percent success rate. For his career, Madson has only recorded 35 saves while blowing 25. 

Not very impressive, if you ask me.

The Padres are quickly fading and should become sellers in a month or two. The Phils should do whatever it takes to land Bell. 

I mean they have already pretty much mortgaged the future for the present with their recent acquisitions of pitchers Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt, all of whom are over the age of 32. The core of the team in Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are all over 31 as well. 

From the looks of things, this group only has about two or three years left to make some serious runs at a title. Other than lacking a powerful right-handed batter (Thanks, Jayson Werth. Enjoy your $126M while winning 65 games a year), why not take care of your only weakness while you still have all of the other pieces in place?

Philadelphia can’t rely on its four main starters to throw complete games come the post-season, especially if some of them will be needed on short rest in a tight series. 

If the Phils don’t make a move for a stud closer before the deadline, the door may get shut on their championship hopes.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies Are First to 40 Wins

After winning three of four from the Cubs over the weekend, the Phillies became the first team in baseball to reach 40 wins.  

With a record of 40-26, they are 14 games over .500 and they sit in first place in the East. But with the Atlanta Braves hot on their heels just two games behind, it still seems like a long road ahead to make the playoffs.

And isn’t that how it should be in sports? As the Dallas Mavericks recently reminded us, the best team on paper, the team filled with superstars, the favored team going in, is not always the team that wins it all.

It’s the team that executes in crunch time, the team that guts it out till the end, the team that plays like a team that ultimately wins the big prize. 

Now while some may compare the Phillies and their ‘Four Aces’ to the Miami Heat with their ‘Big Three,’ I would make a case that the Phils actually have more in common with the Dallas Mavericks.  

Yes, they have their share of superstars, but they are a hard-working blue-collar bunch. Their work ethic, starting with Roy Halladay, is second-to-none and they do their talking on the field, not to the press or on Twitter.

The Phillies also have their Jason Terrys and J.J. Bareas, players who may be lesser known but are critical to a team’s success. Players like Wilson Valdez, Carlos Ruiz and Michael Stutes. It takes every member of a team to win it all. (Remember Matt Stairs in 2008?)

So congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki, And onward and upward for the “Fightin’ Phils.”  

After an off day yesterday, tonight they’ll take on that other team from Florida.  

It has certainly been an interesting ride so far and there is a lot of baseball left to play before we’ll see if the this Phillies team will be “taking their talents” to the playoffs.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

MLB Power Rankings: The Top 5 Teams

We are now over a third of the way through the MLB season, and there have been many surprises so far this year. First, it was the Red Sox starting off 2-10, and the Indians starting off as the best team in baseball. 

Also, many predictions had the Cardinals outright winning the NL Central, but the Brewers have surprised many.

Now, the Red Sox have heated up to grab to AL East lead, and the Indians have cooled off.

Here are the power rankings for the season so far:

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Buster Olney Reports Phillies Interested in Michael Cuddyer and Josh Willingham

Earlier today, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported the Phillies inquired about trading for the Minnesota Twins’ Michael Cuddyer and the Oakland Athletics’ Josh Willingham.

I, for one, am not really a proponent of making a trade for an outfielder and would rather just stick with Victorino and Domonic Brown as everyday outfielders, while platooning Ibanez and Francisco. Of course if they are offered a nice player for a relatively insignificant prospect, then sure, go for it.

Upon first hearing the report, my initial first instinct was I’d rather have Willingham. Both players are also free agents at the end of the year. Cuddyer began the season making $11 million, while Willingham was slated for $6 million this season. I’d assume each club, especially the Twins, would chip in a portion of the remaining salary.

Both are 32-year-old, right-handed outfielders who are below average defensively. Cuddyer has a bit more versatility with experience at first, second and third base.

Over his career, Willingham is a more patient hitter with more pop. His .257/.365/.467 line since 2009 edges out Cuddyer’s .273/.339/.462. Durability has been a problem for Willingham, as he has not played more than 140 games since 2007. Still, in 307 games since 2009, Willingham has produced 5.8 WAR compared to Cuddyer’s 4.6 in 370 games.

Lastly, as each player would be used heavily as a platoon player, their split differences must be considered. Against lefties, Willingham has posted a career .261/.380/.495. Cuddyer has been very similar versus lefties, hitting .292/.380/.490. Those are telling me Cuddyer will bring you little more consistency with singles while Willingham will give you more power. Personally, I prefer power, especially on a team that is lacking it.

However, the largest difference between the two lies between their effectiveness against righties. There will naturally come a time where they’d have to face a right-handed pitcher and Willingham’s career .818 OPS is considerably higher than Cuddyer’s .759 OPS.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Phillies’ Bullpen Performing Above Expectations in 2011

When Brad Lidge struck out Tampa Bay‘s Eric Hinske to give the Philadelphia Phillies a World Series victory in 2008, it capped off a season in which the Philadelphia bullpen performed extraordinarily well.

In fact, you could have called Lidge’s performance “perfect”. Big contributions from Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero, and Ryan Madson certainly helped the Phillies on their way to the title, as well. They were all part of a fantastic bullpen, something that a team needs these days if it wants to be successful.

Fast forward to 2011, with the Phillies’ bullpen facing many questions heading into spring training.

The questions were valid: Would the team miss Brad Lidge? Who was on the disabled list to start the year? Would the team get anything out of Antonio Bastardo?  If not, would they be able to find a lefty to perform in Bastardo’s place?

Early returns say “no” to missing Lidge and “yes” to finding an effective lefty.

Those are fortunate outcomes for the Phillies, who have been able to put up the most wins in the majors this year, with 40.

They can thank their bullpen.

Incredibly, the Phillies are 29-2 when leading after seven innings. The starters are going deep into games, and the relievers are doing their jobs. The bullpen as a whole ranks fourth in baseball with a 3.02 ERA.

Ryan Madson himself has 15 saves and has blown just one, last Thursday against the Chicago Cubs. Overall, thanks to Madson, the Phillies have the fewest blown saves in baseball, with two. Furthermore, Madson has appeared in 29 games, posted a 2.17 ERA, and struck out 32 in 29 innings while walking only nine—five of those were intentional.

There is no question that he is setting himself up for a hefty payday this off-season.

There have been two important unsung heroes in the Philadelphia bullpen this year, as well. The first is Bastardo, who has worked himself into the primary left-handed reliever role. The other is Michael Stutes, who impressed many during spring training but began the year in AAA.

Bastardo is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA and has a strong 10.8 K/9 ratio. He would like to cut down on his walks, and his .170 BABIP is likely unsustainable. However, he is striking guys out, and that’s been vital to his success.

Bastardo is also throwing his slider a lot more often than he has in previous years—it’s finally become a valuable pitch for Bastardo, who was essentially a one-pitch pitcher when he was last in the majors.

Stutes, meanwhile, came to the big club in late April when veteran reliever Jose Contreras (who has also been efficient this year) went on the disabled list.

It will be hard to send Stutes back to the minors if he continues pitching as he has been. In 21 games, Stutes has pitched 18.2 innings and has an unbelievable 10.13 K/9 ratio to go along with his 2.41 ERA.

There is another side to the story, as there is with anything else in baseball.

The Phillies are in the middle of the pack in WHIP, although this is mitigated by the face that they’re tied for the league lead in intentional walks by relievers. They are also in the bottom five in K/BB ratio, and, it’s unlikely that a lot of these relievers will be able to keep up their low BABIPs throughout the season.

That said, the bullpen has a lot fewer problems than many other teams.

The walk problems start with Danys Baez and J.C. Romero, players that may not even make the playoff roster.

Romero has been a complete disaster in 2011, although Charlie Manuel has mismanaged Romero and forced him to face right-handers too often.

Baez’ lone claim to fame in a Phillies uniform is pitching five innings in the team’s victory against the Cincinnati Reds in the 19-inning affair a few weeks back.

If Lidge comes back healthy, and if Madson and Contreras continue to perform the way they have been, the Phillies will certainly have a formidable bullpen for the playoffs.

After all, guys like Baez and Romero simply won’t be used in tight situations come October. For now, they are able to mop up innings, though Romero has had a tough time doing even that.

The Phillies could also be in the market for a left-handed reliever by the trade deadline, but that’s another story for another day. 

For now, the story is this: The Philadelphia bullpen has exceeded expectations this season. There will likely be a drop-off at some point, but those are the ebbs and flows of a Major League season.

For now, you mess with the Phillies’ bull(pen), and you get the horns.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Placido Polanco: Ruben Amaro Chose Wisely in the Winter of 2009

When Indiana Jones was finally able to reach the Grail room in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, he had to choose the correct cup. The Grail Knight protecting the cup said, “Choose wisely, for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you.”

Of course, Jones “chose wisely,” according to the knight, and Walter Donovan didn’t have the same luck.

“He chose poorly,” the knight famously said.

In the winter of 2009, Philadelphia Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was faced with a similar decision. No, he wasn’t facing a life-or-death situation, though sometimes having rapid and passionate Phillie fans angry with you might be 10 times worse.

Amaro was faced with the decision of who was going to be the Phillies’ third baseman for the next couple of years. The decision came down to free agents Mark DeRosa and Placido Polanco.

Between the two, DeRosa seemed to be the more logical choice at the time.

DeRosa is a northeast guy. He was born in New Jersey. He went to Bergen Catholic High School. And he went to college in Pennsylvania at the University of Pennsylvania.

DeRosa was also coming off a season where he hit 23 HRs and he could also play first, left field of right field if need be. He seemed like the perfect fit in Philadelphia.

Amaro didn’t see it that way. He decided that Polanco, a former Philly from 2002-2005, was a better fit, and man, was he right.

“He chose wisely.”

While DeRosa has played in only 44 games in a San Francisco Giants uniform because of a wrist injury and other ailments, Polanco has been rock solid in a Philly uniform.

Here a comparison of the two players since the beginning of the 2010 season:

Polanco has outproduced DeRosa in every way. He’s been an excellent signing for the Phillies and has been worth about three wins a season for them.

Amaro has done a great job in making the Phillies a powerhouse now and setting them up for success in the future. Making the right decisions like the one he made in the winter of 2009 have only helped with that process.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

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