Cliff Lee Has Most Philadelphia Phillies Shutouts Since Steve Carlton

Cliff Lee threw his fifth shutout last night to defeat the Giants and give the Phillies their seventh straight win.

With his fifth shutout, he has become the first Phillie since Steve Carlton to record five in a season.

Of course, whenever anyone comes close to Carlton in any statistic you have to look at how great this achievement really is.

According to Baseball Reference, Carlton had six in 1982, so Lee has not really caught him yet. Carlton’s career high was eight during that miraculous 1972 season.

Comparing those two years—1982 for Carlton and 2011 for Lee—it is a little bit difficult since Lee still has 51 games left. Let’s try anyway.

That season, Carlton went 23-11 with a 3.10 ERA and 19 complete games. He also accumulated 275 strikeouts over 283.2 innings.

So far this season, Lee is 11-7 with a 2.97 ERA and five complete games. He has 167 strikeouts in 164 innings and actually only has a WHIP of 1.10. Carlton was up at 1.27 in 1982.

Obviously, times have changed since 1982. A number like 19 complete games in a season really doesn’t happen anymore. Carlton’s numbers would be extremely tough for anyone to match on a modern-day workload.

This comparison is definitely not meant to discount what Lee has done so far this season. He has been the man pitching at home. Although Citizens Bank Park is definitely a hitters’ park, he is 8-2 with a 2.23 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP.

According to FanGraphs, in terms of wins above replacement, he is the eighth most valuable pitcher in baseball right now.

Interestingly, Roy Halladay is ranked first and Cole Hamels is seventh. What a staff…

After another great performance last night, the Phillies continue to have the best record in baseball and Lee has been a large part of that success.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Current Series vs. Giants Even More Crucial Than Last One

Last week, the Phillies played the reigning world champion San Francisco Giants in a three-game series at home here at Citizens Bank Park. Sadly for the Phillies, it was a repeat of their NLCS matchup the year before—the Phillies ended up losing the series, dropping two of the three games, handing the Giants the series win and boosting their confidence that they were in fact still the better team despite the Phillies having baseball’s best record at 71-39 and being a favorite to win it all this year.

Here’s how last week’s series went down: Game 1 was Phillies rookie Vance Worley against Giants overpaid-yet-underwhelming southpaw Barry Zito, whose start was pushed forward a day due to ace Tim Lincecum being sick with the flu.

Worley pitched his first complete game in his major-league career, allowing just two runs on just three hits in nine innings and earning the win. He also struck out five batters and walked just one.

Game 2 of the series was a rematch of Game 3 of the 2010 NLCS—Cole Hamels against Matt Cain. Unfortunately, despite Cain’s previous struggles against the Phillies, he ended up defeating Hamels like he did back in the playoffs, this time in a pitchers’ duel, with the Phillies losing 2-1, with the Phillies’ lone run being unearned.

And in spite of Hamels fanning six batters compared to just one for Cain, the Phillies lineup just couldn’t produce against the Giants, and with that, the series was tied at one game apiece.

In the rubber match, it was Phillies fifth starter Kyle Kendrick against Giants ace Tim Lincecum, who finally recovered from his sickness, and with the Giants’ acquisition of outfielder Carlos Beltran giving the team the offensive boost it had been longing for all season, Beltran made his debut as a Giant that night.

Although Beltran went 0-4, Lincecum was lights-out—he did give up four walks, but he also struck out six and held the Phillies to just three hits in six innings, with the Giants winning the game 4-1.

Kendrick gave up three of the four runs, walked two and fanned four in 6.1 innings. With that win, what served as the first series rematch since the NLCS went to the team that won both the NLCS and that series—the San Francisco Giants.

However, a few things have changed since the Phillies played San Francisco last week—to start, the Phillies made a trade of their own when they acquired Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros the day after the Giants left for Cincinnati, and since Pence debuted in Phillies pinstripes last Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Phillies have yet to lose a game.

Pence has done hit part in the five-hole in the Phillies lineup, providing the right-handed bat the Phillies have needed and giving Ryan Howard, who’s been on an offensive tear since Pence came to town, the protection he’s needed behind him since Jayson Werth signed with the Washington Nationals back in the offseason.

In addition, this series the Phillies will have ace Roy Oswalt back, who’s been on the DL since June 24 with some issues in his back regarding a couple of bulging discs. However, he’s made two rehab starts in the last week or so, and he’s allowed just two runs in each of them, also stating that he “felt no pain” and that he was ready to return to the major-league club. He’ll be starting Sunday.

Lastly, the Giants did not have the privilege to face the Phillies’ top two pitchers, Roy Halladay (who won’t face the Giants at all in the regular season this year) and Cliff Lee, which showed that if the Giants want to make a statement against the Phillies, they have to top their top pitchers before they can truly say they are the better team.

Speaking of which, the matchups are as follows: Lee will open the series and face the Giants for the first time since losing the World Series as a Texas Ranger, with struggling sophomore southpaw Madison Bumgarner opposing him. Friday will be Worley against Jonathan Sanchez, who will be making his first start since coming off the DL. Saturday will be another rematch of Hamels and Cain, and Sunday will be Oswalt against Lincecum. Talk about a great series.

It surely will be interesting to see what happens in this series. My guess is that Lee will win Game 1, Worley will continue his hot streak against the Giants and win Game 2, Hamels will bounce back and win Game 3, and Lincecum will win Game 4 against Oswalt, who will still need one more start before he settles into the rotation again.

That amounts to the Phillies winning three of four, but with the Phillies not losing a game since Pence was acquired, the Phillies could sweep the Giants in the four-game series. And boy, would that make a statement.

Now that the Phillies have their roster set with Pence, this series will be the true determining factor as to who would win a playoff series this year between the Phils and Giants. Before, the Phillies didn’t have Pence and the Giants didn’t face Halladay, Lee or Oswalt.

With Lee and Oswalt slated to start in this series, this is the time to see whether the Phillies or Giants truly trump the National League. This series is vital for the Phillies to win, even more than the the last, because this is the series that will show the NL (and potentially the rest of baseball) who the best team is.

So, with that, may the best team win.

And as always, let’s go Phillies.

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Brad Lidge Gets 100th Save as a Phillie, but Will He Return to the Closer Role?

It had been 286 days since Brad Lidge’s 99th save in a Phillies uniform, and in what could very well be his final year in Philadelphia, some wondered if he’d ever reach 100. 

But yesterday, as Ryan Madson found himself in a Los Angeles hospital for the birth of his son, Lidge got that chance. And after the only 1-2-3 inning of the game for the Phils, Lidge had once again completed a save.

During Lidge’s absence, the Phillies have had three different closer candidates in Madson, Jose Contreras and Antonio Bastardo, all of whom stepped into the role effectively. Contreras is out for an unknown amount of time with an elbow injury, but both Madson and Bastardo continue their dominance in the latter half of the bullpen.

The question now arises, however, of where Lidge falls into this jumbled Phillies pen. Bastardo is the up-and-coming left-hander who continues to stifle hitters with his young, electric talent. In 42.1 innings pitched this year, Bastardo maintains an ERA just under 1.50 with 50 strikeouts.

Madson, who has previously struggled in the closer role during Lidge’s previous DL stints, has thrived in it this year, with an ERA of 1.86 and 19 saves (and unlike last year, no self-inflicted broken toe injuries). 

Boasting the best record in the league, the Phils have a lot of room to experiment with Lidge’s place in the pen. But a question arises in whether or not they should even bother. If Bastardo and Madson continue their dominance, why fix what isn’t broken?

However, if Lidge, who has not been in a non-closer role in nearly a decade, continues to comeback strong from his injury, Charlie Manuel will find himself with three potential closers, one of whom led him to a World Series title.   

On the surface, this is more of a luxury than a problem. But what happens if Madson or Bastardo struggles at some point in their respective current roles? Where does Lidge fit into the equation then? 

Manuel has always shown his loyalty to Lidge, sticking with him even during the atrocity that was his 2009 season. It wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Lidge slip back into the role one last time, before presumably parting ways with the team at the end of the season.

It remains to be seen what will ultimately result from this Phillies bullpen, though one thing is certain. It will be very interesting to see, come October, who will be on that mound closing out the ninth.  

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Philadelphia Phillies Unlikely to Make Any Waiver Wire Deals

When the 4 PM deadline passed on July 31st, fans of the Philadelphia Phillies were still busy rejoicing in their acquisition of All-Star right fielder Hunter Pence.

What went nearly unnoticed at the time was that Phillies GM Ruben Amaro had been pursuing a second deal to help bolster a battle-worn bullpen.  Unfortunately, those pursuits turned out to be unfruitful, as he could not seal the deal for a reliever.

As the Pence euphoria wore off in Philadelphia, people began to wonder if the Phils would attempt to acquire a bullpen arm via a waiver wire deal.  After all, a deal of that nature for Scott Eyre in 2008 helped put the Phillies over the top down the stretch.

According to baseball insider Ken Rosenthal, the answer to that question is “No.”

Rosenthal says that the Phillies approach to the bullpen will be to wait for the team to get healthy rather than to pursue a trade.  He cites that Roy Oswalt’s return to the rotation will push Kyle Kendrick back into the bullpen.

He also suggests that, given how well Vance Worley has performed, when October rolls around the Phillies go to a four man rotation and Worley could find himself on the playoff roster in the bullpen.

Furthermore, the Phillies are still awaiting the return of April closer Jose Contreras.  Contreras was lights out for the first month of the season before succumbing to an arm injury.  After an ill-fated early return from the injury, Contreras soon found himself right back on the disabled list.

Getting Contreras back would be a huge boost to an already strong bullpen.  With Brad Lidge’s return from injury and Antonio Bastardo and Michael Stutes emerging as legitimate bullpen arms, the Phils could find themselves with a slew of arms to throw at people in the playoffs.

In addition, manager Charlie Manuel has suggested that he has his eye on a couple of the minor league relievers, specifically Michael Schwimer and Phillippe Aumont.

Schwimer has spent the entire year in Triple-A, where he has been downright nasty.  For the season he has a 11.6 K/9 IP, 2.8 BB/9 IP, 1.043 WHIP and a 1.76 ERA. At 25 years old, he has nothing left to prove in the minors and appears ready for the big time.

Aumont started the season in Double-A, where he was nearly as dominant as Schwimer. Aumont posted an 11.9 K/9 IP, 3.2 BB/9 IP, 1.097 WHIP and 2.32 ERA.  After getting promoted to Triple-A, he had some early struggles but has settled in nicely with a 2.45 ERA so far in just 11 innings.

Expect Schwimer and Aumont to be September call-up candidates.  Should Contreras be unable to return or should another injury occur, do not be surprised if one of them challenges for a spot on the postseason roster.  However, barring any major injuries, do not expect the Phils to make any deals for a reliver.

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Joe Blanton, Roy Oswalt Injuries May Have Been Good for Philadelphia Phillies

When both Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton got injured, the Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation took a huge blow.

Actually, their injuries may have helped the two young pitchers—Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley—not to mention the team in itself.

Where would the two young pitchers be without Oswalt and Blanton getting injured? After the starters went on the DL, Worley and Kendrick stepped up and were awesome.

Worley’s 2.33 ERA is stunning for a rookie—better than Halladay, Hamels, and Lee. Kendrick’s 3.60 ERA isn’t super, but it is a great improvement over the past few years.

I know that, without the injuries, Worley and Kendrick would have still pitched in the minors or the bullpen. But there are two reasons why pitching in Philadelphia’s starting rotation was better.

First of all, it gives them much-needed experience. Vance Worley is lucky to have his first big-league season in a rotation with three other aces to back him up. Kyle Kendrick has developed a lot for the same reasons.

This takes a lot of pressure off the two. They don’t feel as stressed and can pitch at their best.

It’s especially important for a rookie like Worley. 

Secondly, Worley may not have been as good if he had pitched in the minors. He may not have stood out as much if not for the spot in the rotation.

Even though there wasn’t much pressure, the loss of two pitchers puts a lot on the rookie. He has outperformed both Oswalt and Blanton. The MLB has put a lot more on him than the minors would have, and thus has caused him to pitch better.

In Triple-A, he had a total ERA of 3.00. That’s nothing compared to his 2.33 2011 ERA in the majors.

One more thing that is sort of obvious: Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick both have better ERAs than Oswalt’s 3.79 and Blanton’s 5.50.

Without Worley and Kendrick, where would the team be now?

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Philadelphia Phillies: Jimmy Rollins Is No “Charlie-Hustle”

Jimmy Rollins has been the confident voice of the Philadelphia Phillies during their reign as the beasts of the National League East for the past four (five after 2011) seasons. It has been well-documented that Rollins is in the last year of his contract, and there is much debate about whether or not he should be retained.

One side of the spectrum feels that Rollins should be kept for many reasons. Rollins is still as good a defensive shortstop as there is in the National League, and the upcoming free agent class leaves much to be desired at the position. Also, the Phillies have very little depth in the minor league ranks at shortstop besides Freddy Galvis, and his hitting (or lack thereof) is clearly not major league caliber at this point.

The other side of the re-sign Rollins debate feel that Rollins is clearly a declining player at this point, and his contract demands are not reasonable for a team that needs to re-sign Ryan Madson and give Cole Hamels the payday he deserves.

Whatever side of the debate you are on, something that was an issue in the past is becoming visible again this season—Rollins’ lack of hustle. Rollins was benched by Charlie Manuel on June 5, 2008 for failing to run out a grounder and has not been benched since, so you may be asking, why is this even a discussion?

Phillies fans that watch every game have clearly seen many instances this season when Rollins fails to run full-speed whether he hits a ground ball or a pop fly. Is Rollins “loafing” because he was told by Manuel or Ruben Amaro to do so?

Keep in mind that Rollins missed 74 games in 2010 due to injuries, and subsequently posted career lows in almost every offensive category. Philadelphia is not a town that tolerates a player that does not hustle.

Chase Utley is already one of the most beloved players in Phillies history because of his full-speed ahead attitude towards the game. Michael Jack Schmidt was the greatest third baseman in MLB history and best player in franchise history, and he never fully clicked with the city of Philadelphia because of the way he played the game.

Local talk radio stations like 610 WIP and 97.5 the Fanatic have been ablaze this season with callers complaining of Rollins’ lack of hustle. Could Rollins be running (or not running, in this case) out of town?

We saw Domonic Brown not run out a ground-ball this season and be reprimanded by Manuel after the game. Players not hustling can become contagious (see the New York Mets) but the Phillies are lucky to have players like Utley, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and even Hunter Pence, who are known for their legendary work-ethics.

Rollins has already stated this season that there will be no hometown discount for the Phillies. I guess that only applies for top-notch players (see Lee, Halladay) coming to Philadelphia, huh Jimmy?

Unless the Phillies win the World Series this season, there is no denying that Amaro will face criticism from Phillies fans, no matter what he decides to do with Rollins. There’s also no denying that the lack of hustle that Rollins has displayed this season has no place in Philadelphia.

Is Rollins the new “Charlie Won’t-Hustle?”

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MLB Philadelphia Phillies: Evaluating the Hunter Pence Effect

The Philadelphia Phillies have been on a roll since acquiring the prize of the free agent market in Hunter Pence six days ago. The Phillies were able to drastically improve their lineup, while not losing any players from their current roster or top prospect Domonic Brown.

The Phillies desperately needed another right-handed bat to balance out their lineup, and Hunter Pence has proven thus far that he is the perfect fit. The Phillies lineup once again looks as potent and dangerous as ever and ready to make another run at a World Series.

Here are five ways in which Hunter Pence has affected this lineup in a positive way.

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Roy Oswalt: Returning to Phillies Rotation, Can He Replicate 2010 Success?

Roy Oswalt is set to return to the Phillies rotation on Sunday.

What does this mean for the Phillies?

Most generally, it means that the fourth out of the Four Aces is returning for the home stretch of the baseball season.

However, could it also mean that it is déjà vu all over again?

Follow me here.

The Phillies traded for him on July 29 last season. He made his first start against the Nationals, was tagged with a loss and then didn’t lose again for the rest of the season. He ended up going 7-1 for the Phillies with a 1.74 ERA.

Am I calling this type of performance again?

These results were coming from an arm that was not returning from injury and had been having an incredibly tough-luck year up until that point (6-12, 3.42 ERA). Perhaps it would be a bit ambitious to assume that his arm could repeat this type of performance.

However, it does make you wonder if Oswalt could go on this type of a run again. His career numbers would certainly indicate that last year was not entirely unique.

Over his career, he’s been a much better second-half pitcher, with a 77-25 record and a 2.96 ERA. In fact, by combining his career August, September and October records, he is 63-16!

So, Phillies fans will have to wait and watch to see if this type of success can continue through the final stretch.

The Phillies are eight games ahead in the division, but it is important to remember that they cannot become complacent.

Hopefully the return of Oswalt can add even more energy for these final 52 games of the season.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Ryan Howard, the Big Piece, Keeps on Slugging

It’s not always easy to be a slugger in the baseball-crazed town of Philadelphia. Jut ask Mike Schmidt.

But Ryan Howard has handled his days as the Phillies’ resident missile launcher with grace and style.

And 276 home runs.

In an era where many hitters who homer have become more known for the drugs they take than the moon shots they hit, Ryan Howard has been a glorious exception: a soft-spoken, self-effacing slugger who lets his bat do the talking. And lucky for Phillies fans, his bat has a lot to say.

Especially lately.

After hitting two home runs Tuesday night, Howard hit another one yesterday, his 24th, and first off a lefty this season. He added four RBI to bring his league-leading total to 87 while helping his team sweep their second straight series, this one over the Colorado Rockies.

Charlie Manuel likes to call Howard the “Big Piece” so it’s hard to believe that growing up, Howard wasn’t even the biggest ‘piece’ in his family.  At 6’4″ Howard placed a distant third to both his older brother Chris, 6’6″, and his fraternal twin brother Corey, 6’7″ (I didn’t know he had a twin brother).

All three were athletic and played many different sports but Ryan, like his dad Ron, loved baseball. Ron’s favorite player was Dick Allen and when he realized his son shared his passion, he built a makeshift batting cage in the backyard where Ryan took batting practice day after day. Perhaps that’s where his strong work ethic was born. At Phillies BP, Howard is often the first to arrive and last to leave. Thanks, Ron.

In his home town of St. Louis, they still talk about a home run a young Howard blasted in Little League. It cleared the fence, went over the parking lot beyond and smashed into a Red Lobster (they would have loved the second decker he hit Tuesday night).

But though Howard had a stellar career at Lafayette High School, no scouts came to see him. No major college baseball programs came calling. Howard amazingly went to Southwest Missouri State College (now Missouri State) as a walk-on for the baseball team (hard to imagine a baseball coach getting a gift walk-on like Ryan Howard).

He was later awarded a scholarship and, after his college career, was drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round of the amateur draft. He started his pro career with the Batavia Muckdogs, a low Class-A team. His first hit in the pros? A home run of course, and the rest as they say is history. Baseball history. And Howard adds to his mark in the baseball history books with every home run he hits.

And we get to watch.

It’s easy to remember the strikeouts, the swings at those low and outside sliders or the called third strike variety with runners in scoring position.

But I choose to focus on the quiet superstar, the terrific role model, the athlete who gives back to his (and our) community with the Ryan Howard Family Foundation.

I choose to focus on the big man with the sweet swing, the slugger who brought us one parade down Broad Street and is working hard to try to bring us another.

I choose to enjoy ever at-bat of the man his manager likes to call, the Big Piece.

Thanks, Ryan. Just keep on swinging for those fences.

And we’ll keep on watching.

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Roy Oswalt: Four Reasons a Healthy Return Could Mean a Phillies’ World Series

In a year of almost incomprehensible dominance from the Philadelphia Phillies‘ starting rotation, each and every starter to toe the rubber has managed to perform at or near ace-like levels.

We’re all aware of the performances of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. But rookie sensation  Vance Worley has been equally, if not more dominant, than the rest. Through 71.1 innings pitched, The Vanimal sports a 2.33 ERA with seven wins to just one loss. His 60 strikeouts and 1.10 WHIP is nothing to scoff at, either.

When Roy Oswalt went down in June with a back injury, in stepped Kyle Kendrick. Granted, ace-like level may be a tad less applicable to his performance so far, but a 3.19 ERA is plenty good for a fifth starter. His strikeout and win totals haven’t been at the same level of the rest of the rotation, but filling in for Oswalt one could make the argument that he almost out-pitched him.

It is because of Worley and Kendrick’s surprising performances that Oswalt has become the just the sixth best starter on the staff so far.The last time he was that low on the totem pole was, well, never. At least definitely not in professional baseball.

So how is it possible that the sixth best starter of any rotation can be a catalyst to a team’s World Series hopes? Let’s break it down.

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