Philadelphia Phillies: Songs to Describe Each Star at the All-Star Break

Sometimes the best way to categorize things is through song, and this is one of those times.

To describe each star on the Philadelphia Phillies‘ roster for the 2012 season at the All-Star Break, I have chosen one song to epitomize how they have fared.

The Phillies have had a disappointing season, and the stars of the team have been all over the place. Some have emerged as studs, while others have flopped.

To be clear, stars can be players who had prior success and whom we expected to play well, or those who have come on during the season.

With that, these are the musical counterparts to the top players the Phillies have at the halfway mark of the season.

Begin Slideshow

Roy Halladay: Why the Philadelphia Phillies SP Is Key to Second-Half Success

No team is happier than the Philadelphia Phillies that the All-Star break has arrived.

At 37-50, the Phillies sit 14 games out of first place in the National League East and 10 games back in the Wild Card standings.

However, during the Phils’ recent string of division success, the second half of the regular season is what has propelled them toward postseason play.

Since 2007, the Phillies have gone 257-157 from July on during the regular season.

This season, the team’s second half will have a different feel for two reasons.  For one, the Phillies haven’t been this many games out of first place at the All-Star break since 2002.

Secondly, they will be getting Roy Halladay back.

After Halladay went on the disabled list with a shoulder strain on May 28th, no Phillies starting pitcher besides Vance Worley had an ERA under 4.00 for the month of June.

Meanwhile, since joining the Phils, Halladay has gone 19-6 with a 2.50 ERA following the All-Star break.

With an offense that has improved since the start of the season and has already received boosts in Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, it’s now the pitching staff’s turn to receive reinforcement.

A return to form by Halladay is key for the Phillies to find success in the second half.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies’ Best Chance of Winning: Keeping It Together

If a team ever needed a break from a sport, the Philadelphia Phillies are right up there in first position. This disastrous half season of woeful injuries and substandard play have many fans wanting to rebuild and drop the All-Stars that helped build the pennant-winning machine. After the heartbreak of last October, coupled with the poor performances at home, I understand the sentiment. But we can’t. We just can’t give up that easily.

We cannot let the All-Star break be the end of Charlie Manuel and Cole Hamels’ tenures with the Phillies. The Phillies in the past few years have prided themselves on having one of the strongest starting rotations. Regardless of how this year plays out, all the pitchers will still be pitching for the next three years. Cole will be pitching for the next 10 years. It is imperative that the only move the Phillies make is to sign Cole Hamels and restore the faith that the organization is dedicated to winning championships through pitching.

The boos for Charlie Manuel down at the stadium are classless. The manager has had little to work with in the bullpen and it might be a slight miracle that this team actually won 37 games. According to the USA Today’s list of team salaries, the Phillies have sat around $65 million due to injuries to Halladay, Lee, Utley and Howard.

Looking at the list, that would put them right next to the St. Louis Cardinals at about 10^th on the list. The relief pitching has hurt the Phillies bad in April and June, and in May, the bats went silent. The luck and pluck of the past years has seem to run dry, but changing Manuel would say they are giving up on this nucleus of a winner. A winner he brought to this town.

The Phillies have some time before they have to rebuild. The players are in their early 30s and Halladay is their oldest pitcher. All the talk about the Phillies’ age and being past their prime is ridiculous. The oldest player is Placido Polanco at 36. He may have to be replaced, but if the rest of the team comes back healthy, the Phillies still have a chance to win another World Series in the next three years.

The Phillies are playing with a lack of confidence. They are a winning team and for the past few years they’ve carried that winning strut along with the belief that they could win. Losing the last nine of 11 games shows how confidence can slip so quickly. If the front office decided to sell an essential piece, like Victorino or Hamels, then the whole team will fold like a house of cards. Play out the season and give the team a chance.

I am not ready to give up the dream of walking down Broad Street with the Phillies in the next three years. I waited 28 years for 2008 and I am not ready to rebuild. This team is solid in every position except for left field. They have the freedom to experiment. If everyone stays healthy, this team is good enough to get back into the wild-card race and end up 10 games above .500.

All we need is a little faith in the team that made this city a winner again. Cole must stay. Manuel must stay. Victorino, Lee and Holiday must stay. The team needs to begin again in Colorado on Friday. They will need to play great ball together to get to next year. If not, the house will fall and we will have no hope for a parade soon.

You can follow James Dugan on facebook and on Twitter @jamesduganlb. Purchase his new book through Amazon What Baseball Teaches: A Poetic Odyssey into 2008 Season of the World Champions Philadelphia Phillies

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: End of a Golden Age of Baseball

As the 2012 Philadelphia Phillies season continues to unravel, the Phillies faithful who fell in love with a core group of players six years ago and watched them rise from perennial also-rans to perennial serious contenders—and even World Champions of Baseball in 2008—must now accept a July, August and September with meaningless baseball.

The fanbase must now understand the window has been slammed shut. That may actually have happened when Ryan Howard had the single worst at bat in the history of the franchise on October 7, 2011.

Not only did Howard, for the second season in a row, make the final out at home with the season on the line but this time he blew his Achilles tendon running out of the box. An injury which pretty much doomed the 2012 season and ended the 2011 season.

2012, without Howard, and without Utley—a nice surprise the star second baseman sprung on the team in spring training—has been an unmitigated mess.

The goodwill and great feelings that started in 2003 with the free agent signing of Jim Thome and continued through Howard’s disastrous last at bat in 2011, have all evaporated.

You can once again hear the obnoxious “E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES” chant at Phillies home games again.

Those feelings evaporated with two final at bats by Ryan Howard one a strike out looking, another a feeble grounder to second.

They evaporated with Ruben Amaro, Jr. trading Cliff Lee away the day after signing Roy Halladay in 2009. Having Halladay and Lee as a one-two punch against the Giants in the NLCS would’ve been nice, huh?

They evaporated with Lee blowing a four run lead in game two of the NLDS against St. Louis in 2011 a game that was the turning point of the series.

They evaporated with Amaro doing nothing to improve the team in 2011 offseason, instead trying to put band aids on open wounds.

They evaporated with a bullpen that may be the worst in the history of baseball.

The team continues to spiral and the manager Charlie Manuel seems to have no answers. Manuel, who should be allowed to finish the season and then be put to pasture, wasted so many opportunities.

The saying goes Manuel won a World Series in 2008 and then lost the World Series in 2009 and 2010. He was out managed in both instances once by Joe Giradi and once by Bruce Bochy.

Manuel had some of the greatest talent ever assembled by the Phillies: Rollins, Utley, Howard, Hamels, Lee, Lidge, Halladay, Thome, Ruiz, Oswalt and walked away with one World Series victory.

Amaro inherited a World Champion from Pat Gillick and made moves to add to its firepower on the mound but ignored the bullpen.

Milt Thompson was fired as the hitting instructor, yet Greg Gross kept his job and had his contract extended after the hitting went into the toilet under his watch.

Manuel, who is supposed to be a hitting genius, somehow never got through to his players about how to hit anything but home runs.

We, as a city, were treated to some amazing times between 2006 and 2011, but every year except for one the team fell short.

It was like going up a ramp. Falling short of making the playoffs during the last weekend of the season in 2006, making the playoffs on the last day of the season in 2007. Winning the World Series in 2008. Winning the NLCS in 2009. Winning the NLDS in 2010. Making the playoffs in 2011.

How bad can it be in 2012?

It was an incredible run for sure. Six great seasons. Memories were made. Philadelphia became a baseball city and Phillies games were nightly events in those summers.

But it’s all gone now. The promise of multiple championships that started with the parade in 2008 is now just a faded memory.

After the most recent golden age of baseball, 1975-1983, that came to a close with a World Series loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the Phillies made the playoffs just once more, that magical season of 1993, before making them again in 2007. That’s 23 of 24 seasons missing the playoffs.

Hopefully the next golden age of baseball in Philadelphia is not that far away. Who knows? There seems to be no plan in place. There were hopes for 2012 that once Utley and Howard were back in the lineup things would change, yet they only got worse.

The only thing on the horizon that seems imminent is the team will lose their best pitcher Cole Hamels to free agency which is a huge hole to fill considering how godawful their bullpen is and how old their other two “aces” Halladay (on the DL with a muscle injury) and Lee (who didn’t record his first victory in 2012 until July 4th) are.

There’s no doubt about how amazing and magical 2006-2011 was. You cannot overvalue those times and those memories. But the party’s over, the windows closed.

Thanks, that was fun.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: All Star Break Numbers to Chew On

Arguably the most disappointing first half of Phillies baseball in franchise history as mercifully come to an end. The team that won a record 102 games last season is on pace to finish 69-93 this season. 

Two staples of this historic Phillies’ five-year run, center fielder Shane Victorino and starting pitcher Cole Hamels, more than likely will be in different uniforms this time next month—with possibly a few others joining them. 

Incredibly, the Phillies of 2012 are actually scoring more runs per game than last year’s team after 87 games.  This year’s team is averaging 4.23 runs per game while, at the 87 game mark last season, the Phils were averaging 4.14 runs per game. 

Yes, it’s close, but why the huge disparity in games won? 

The Phils were 55-32 after 87 games last season and 18 games worse than that this season. With more runs scored. Unreal.

That brings us to the runs allowed department. This time last season, the Phils had allowed just 3.23 runs per game. This season? 4.55. 

It’s been a combination of injuries to Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Vance Worley, Michael Stutes, David Herndon, and Jose Contreras, in addition to an awful bullpen.  Chad Qualls has already pitched his way out of town while Antonio Bastardo is making 2011 look like a fluke. 

I mean, it’s gotten so bad that retreads like Brian Sanches have had to pitch in big situations this season.

For fun, Let’s cut the 87 games into thirds: 2011 versus 2012.

 

Games 1-29:   

2011 record 20-9, 4.45 runs for and 3.28 runs against.

2012 record 14-15, 3.79 runs for and 3.76 runs against.

Minus sluggers Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, the 2012 squad got off to a slow start at the plate while the pitching was decent enough to keep them afloat. Cliff Lee only made three starts due to an oblique injury, but was sensational. 

However,  the Phillies went 0-3 in those starts scoring a total of three runs combined. In 2011, they were 3-3 in Cliff’s starts in the first 29 games. The offense hit only 24 home runs in the first 29 games while they hit just 21 in 2012.

 

Games 30-58:  

2011 record 14-15, 3.45 runs for and 3.69 runs against.

2012 record 14-15, 4.52 runs for and 4.41 runs against.

 

An identical record for 2011 and 2012 for games 30-58 while the 2012 team started hitting the long ball better with an average of one home run per game with 29.

The 2012 team went 7-9 in games started by Halladay, Lee and Hamels. The 2011 club hit just 23 home runs in the 29 games while they went 12-7 in games started by Halladay, Lee and Hamels.

 

Games 59-87:

2011 record 21-8, 4.41 runs for and 2.72 runs against

2012 record  9-20, 4.38 runs for and 5.48 runs against

 

Huge disparity year over year on the mound. The 2012 staff gave up twice as many runs per game while the offense was basically the same. 

The 2012 bats slugged 34 home runs in the 29 games while the 2011 team could hit just 24. 

The big difference? In 19 of the 29 games, the 2011 team allowed the opposition three runs or less. 

This year? That only happened seven times, and the Phillies won just four of those games. The 2011 team went 18-1 in the 19 games they allowed three runs or less.

 

Through 87 Games:

2008  48-39, 5.08 runs per game  4.10 allowed. Top HR hitters—Utley (24), Howard (22), Burrell (21)  

Interesting stat: the Phils were 13-4 in games started by Kyle Kendrick at the 87 game mark.

2009  49-38, 5.33 runs per game  4.74 allowed. Top HR hitters—Ibanez (24), Howard (23), Utley (21)

Interesting stat: 13 times the Phils had scored in double digits, this season three times.

2010  47-40, 4.71 runs per game  4.16 allowed. Top HR hitters—Howard (17), Victorino (14), Werth (13)

Interesting stat: on his way to the Cy Young award, the Phils were just 11-8 when Halladay started.

2011  55-32,  4.14 runs per game  3.23 allowed.  Top HR hitters—Howard (18), Ibanez (10), Victorino (9)

Interesting stat: the Phillies had won 38 games started by Halladay/Lee/Hamels, more than the entire total of the ’12 team.

2012  37-50, 4.23 runs per game  4.55 allowed.  Top HR hitters—Pence (16), Ruiz (13), Wigginton (9)

Interesting stat: the Phils are 4-9 in games started by Kyle Kendrick and 4-10 in games started by Cliff Lee.

 

So, Ruben Amaro Jr.’s philosophy was to win with pitching. He went out and signed Cliff Lee to the megadeal prior to last season when he already had “three aces” in Halladay, Hamels and Roy Oswalt. 

However, it appears the Phillies won a World Series because they could mash the ball out of the ballpark and had a bullpen to slam the door. Amaro went away from that.

Why? Was he wanting to distinguish his legacy from Pat Gillicks? Could be. 

But, the Phils no longer hit home runs while other teams come into Citizens Bank Park and light the place up.  No team in baseball has lost more home games than the Phillies.

Also, they can no longer hold leads, for their bullpen is full of inexperience and marginal prospects.

When they won it all it was with one ace in Hamels. For his career, the Phillies have won nine of the 13 games Hamels has started in the postseason.

Hamels has a great shot to pitch in the postseason again this season but, unfortunately, it won’t be with the Phillies.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

MLB Trade Rumors: Could Juan Pierre Be Headed out of Philadelphia?

The Philadelphia Phillies have not yet indicated that they are going to be selling at the trade deadline, but according to Buster Olney of ESPN, if Juan Pierre became available, the Cincinnati Reds would be interested.

Pierre has been a pleasant surprise amidst an incredibly disappointing season in Philadelphia.  He is hitting .317 and has stolen 20 bases in 23 attempts.

This is all coming from someone who was not even supposed to be an everyday player.  He really only became a starter because John Mayberry Jr. was extremely ineffective for the duration of spring training.

This move obviously makes a lot of sense if the Phillies are going to indeed sell.

Pierre is 34 years old, so he would not be a piece of the distant future. Since his entire game is based around speed, as he gets older, age will catch up to him more quickly than others. When that happens, his trade value will obviously decline.

Therefore, it makes sense for the Phillies to trade him while his value is high.

Another good reason to trade away Pierre if a fire sale really does take place is because it would open up his roster slot. Perhaps John Mayberry Jr. could have another opportunity to regain his spot as the everyday left fielder. Perhaps Domonic Brown could even come up and take some of that playing time as well (I don’t think that that should happen, but that could easily be the topic of another article).

In either situation, they would have a potential part of their future gaining experience.

If the Phillies do decide to sell, it makes a lot of sense for Juan Pierre to be one of those pieces on the move. However, if they decide that they want to stick in until the end, it would be somewhat surprising to see Pierre going anywhere.

Whether you think I know everything or nothing about Major League Baseball, you should follow me on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook and keep in touch. I love hearing what you all have to say!

Follow @spinkickers

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Ryan Howard’s Return to the Phillies Lineup Spoiled by the Bullpen

It was a humid night at Citizens Bank Park, but that didn’t keep the fans away. The team’s big bat, Ryan Howard, returned to the lineup for the first time since tearing his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of last year’s NLDS.

His return gave some hope to a fanbase that is in need of some. Howard will come back, ignite this offense, and get this team back into playoff contention; that was the plan. But not only could the Phillies still not score in Howard’s season debut, the same thing that’s been plaguing the team all year struck again: the bullpen.

Ryan Howard received a standing ovation as he stepped up to the plate in the second inning. After ripping a double into deep right-center field, the crowd of 44,441 at Citizens Bank Park erupted.

This was going to be the start of the Phillies playoff run.

Not quite.

Phillies pitcher, Kyle Kendrick, threw seven shutout innings, but got no support as the game went into the 8th inning scoreless. Antonio Bastardo, a formerly reliable reliever, entered the game in an attempt to keep the Braves at zero.

Pinch-hitter, Matt Diaz, lead off the 8th with a single which brought Michael Bourn to the plate.  Bourn attempted to sacrifice bunt, but Bastardo walked him.  Bastardo then retired Martin Prado and Jason Heyward, giving Phillies fans hope that that their team would be able to escape the inning without surrendering any runs.  

Bastardo continued to struggle finding the strike zone and walked Chipper Jones and Freddie Freeman to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.  

Before the Phillies fans were able to finish yelling insults at Bastardo, Brian McCann hit a ball over the fence to make it a 5-0 game.

Bastardo left the game to the sound of boos and the sight of disgusted fans exiting the park.

The Phillies are 13 games back of Washington in the NL East and 9 games back in the Wild Card race.

44,441 fans showed up to watch the Phillies blow another game. They deserved better. I could have spent my Friday night relaxing at the shore after a week of work. Instead, I went to Citizens Bank Park, sat up in section 422, sweat through my Hunter Pence t-shirt and watched the Phillies blow another game.

To say I left the stadium angry is an understatement. I left feeling cheated.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: Why Activating Howard from the DL Can Turn Season Around

For the Philadelphia Phillies, the announcement that 1B Ryan Howard will return to the line-up for tonight’s game against the Atlanta Braves, could not have come at a better time.

In the midst of a season of ups and downs, the Phillies need something to turn this season around. The return of Chase Utley last week was supposed to be the remedy, but it has only been a temporary cure. Utley has done his job for the most part, but the power of the line-up continues to be absent and the need for Howard continues to grow.

At 10 games under .500, 13 games out of first and an incredibly tough mountain to climb just to make the playoffs, things have not been good in Philadelphia. The team recently was forced to trade Jim Thome because of his inability to play in the National League, and rumors have been swirling about possible trades of Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino.

It is probably no surprise that rumors of a firesale have spread considering the recent state of the team, but considering last night’s final straw, these rumors might become true as the trade deadline approaches.

With Cole Hamels on the mound, the Phillies looked to take a victory against the New York Mets. Leading 5-4 in the 9th inning, the Phils brought in their closer, the almost sure thing in Jonathan Papelbon.

Unfortunately, last night was Papelbon’s second blown save, and it couldn’t have come at a worst time. The Phils lost the game while the Marlins, Braves, Nationals and of course Mets all took wins, and distanced themselves that much further from the last place Phillies.

Much hasn’t gone right for the Phillies this season and the injuries to Howard, Utley and Roy Halladay haven’t helped. Now with Utley back and Howard ready to make his 2012 Phillies debut, things could finally start to turn around. And if the Phils hope to make a 6th consecutive playoff appearance, they will need it to turn around and to turn around soon.

To quote a Counting Crows song, “you don’t know what you got til it’s gone.” For the Phillies, this is exactly the situation they found themselves in with Howard this season.

Although his production was always valued, I don’t think anyone really realized how much this team would miss him until they were forced to play the first half of the season without him in the line-up.

In terms of power and production, Howard’s career 864 RBI and 286 home runs lead the team by far. This season, those numbers have been sorely missed as the Phils rank tied for 13th in home runs and 15th for RBI.

Howard’s return will give this line-up a spark and a reason to be optimistic for the rest of the season. Although Carlos Ruiz has done an excellent job filling in for Howard in the clean-up spot, putting the “Big Piece” back there will give the Phils a very formidable heart of the order, something they have not had all season.

Howard has also been missed at first base. With Jim Thome, Ty Wigginton, Laynce Nix, John Mayberry and Hector Luna all seeing time at the bag, there has really been no consistency at the position both at the plate and on defense.

Even though one player won’t suddenly turn this team into a championship contender, it could go a long way to keeping morale up and to giving this team hope going forward. There has been a glaring hole in this team all season, and with Howard back, that hole is only going to get smaller. The power and production he provides has not and cannot be matched by what this team currently has.

For the Phils, who have been in the cellar for the better part of the season, getting Howard back can’t hurt. With just a few games left before the All-Star break, this is the perfect time for the slugger to return, as the team is going to need to have some kind of magical second half of the season to get a shot at another World Series appearance.

They are going to need Utley, but they are certainly and maybe most importantly going to need Howard.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

5 Predictions for Ryan Howard’s Comeback with the Philadelphia Phillies

Good news, Philadelphia Phillies fans. Slugging first baseman Ryan Howard is back.

The Phillies announced via Twitter earlier on Friday that Howard has been activated off the DL. The word from Todd Zolecki of MLB.com is that Howard is in the No. 4 spot in Charlie Manuel’s lineup for Friday night’s contest against the Atlanta Braves.

Howard hasn’t played in a major league ballgame since Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals, when he famously tore his Achilles tendon on a groundout that clinched the series for the Cardinals. He’s been on the disabled list since the start of the season.

Howard’s power has been missed. The Phillies have only hit 83 home runs through their first 84 games, and they rank in the middle of the pack in runs scored. 

In a perfect world, Howard will provide the production that the Phillies have been missing all season. In an even more perfect world, he’ll help them make a comeback in the NL East. The Phillies enter the weekend 37-47 and 13 games behind the Washington Nationals, and the slightest breeze could push them towards a deadline season fire sale.

There’s no telling what’s going to happen, but I have a few rational predictions for how all of this is going to play out. Start the slideshow whenever you’re ready for some serious prophesying. 

 

Note: All stats come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Begin Slideshow

MLB Trade Deadline: Where Do Phillies Need to Be on July 31 to Avoid Selling?

Ryan Howard returned to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday.

They’ll need huge contributions from him between then and July 31, or else the reigning NL East champs—who currently stand at 37-48—will be sellers at the MLB trade deadline.

Unbelievable, isn’t it?

This franchise has achieved at least 85 victories in nine consecutive seasons (102 last summer). Not since 2006 has the front office moved effective players to build for the future.

However, that will be the only logical course of action if they can’t rise out of last place.

Despite his recent transactions, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. isn’t waving the white flag. Chad Qualls and Jim Thome—a mediocre right-hander and aging designated hitter, respectively—were never key pieces to the championship puzzle.

We’ll know that Amaro has given up when impending free agents Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino are dealt to contenders. But he will wait and see what transpires over the next several weeks before pushing the panic button.

The all-important non-waiver trade deadline passes at 4:00 p.m. ET on July 31. Mark it on your calendar, Phanatics, because that gives manager Charlie Manuel fewer than 20 games in the interim to rally your team.

Five of those six series will be against superior opponents, which is exactly what the Phillies need. There are opportunities to leapfrog the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves.

The buyer-seller ratio is far above 1.0 this season, and the newly-expanded playoff format is responsible. Majorities of each league consider themselves alive for the second wild-card spot. Unfortunately, that sentiment does not extend to the Phils, whose aforementioned record is 12th among National League squads.

I don’t care how they get there, but the Phillies must reach 50 wins—and get within two games of .500—by deadline day. That should at least elevate them into the top 10.

If their mark is less impressive, they ought to restock the farm system and shift the focus towards 2013.

 

Follow @MrElyminator

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

« Previous Page — Next Page »