With the Phillies Struggling, Roy Halladay Comes To the Rescue

Let’s go old school for a second. Old school as in a game starts at 7:05 and ends at 9:14. That’s old school and means a very well-pitched game took place.

With the Philadelphia Phillies struggling, losing five of their last seven, they needed one of their pitchers to step up. That pitcher was Roy Halladay.

In a crucial three game series with the first-place Atlanta Braves, the Phillies drew first blood as Halladay outdueled Derek Lowe 3-1 in front of 45,000 plus at Citizens Bank Park.

It took Halladay only 93 pitches to toss his seventh complete game of the season. He scattered five hits while whiffing seven in the winning effort.

Watching Halladay pitch was a thing of beauty last night. He was busting lefties down and in and had righties flailing down and away all night. Halladay forced the Braves to swing at his pitches and nothing else. That is what happens when you throw 74 percent first pitch strikes.

Look at his pitch chart from last night…

The Braves featured five lefties in the lineup and Halladay just killed them inside all night. Halladay barely threw any pitches inside to righties or outside to lefties.

The Braves did have a game plan to combat Halladay, but Halladay had none of it. The game plan was to try to get to Halladay early in the count. Five of the first seven batters of the game swung at the first pitch.

I thought it was a good game plan to be honest. If Halladay has a tendency to throw first pitch strikes, then why not try to get to him early? The odds are they were not going to wear Halladay out, so it was better early than never in this case.

The Phillies moved within four games of the Braves last night. Halladay’s brilliant pitching was the reason why.

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Philadelphia Phillies Get Bad News About Chase Utley

The Philadelphia Phillies were hoping for the best case scenario with star second baseman Chase Utley, but on Thursday they got the worst case scenario.

The Phillies placed Utley on the 15-day DL on Wednesday with a strained ligament in his right thumb. They were hoping that he would only be out a couple of weeks, but after Thursday’s events he will be out more than just a couple of weeks.

Utley had surgery yesterday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and is expected to miss the next eight weeks. That is a big blow to Phillies.

With Utley out for eight weeks and Placido Polanco out for three-to-four weeks, I think the Phillies need to make a move to help stabilize the infield. I think the guy who would be a great fit would be Baltimore Orioles INF Ty Wigginton.

Wigginton struggled in June with a .208 average and one home run, but overall he has 14 home runs and an .807 OPS on the season. More importantly than his offense, Wigginton is a very versatile player on defense. He can play first, second, or third base if need be.

That is the type of infield versatility that the Phillies need right now.

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Chase Utley and Placido Polanco Placed On DL by Philadelphia Phillies

It’s got to be really tough losing half of your starting infield in one fell swoop.

Such is the case for the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies placed both second baseman Chase Utley and third baseman Placido Polanco on the 15-day DL yesterday.

Utley was placed on the DL with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament of the right thumb. Utley hurt the thumb on Monday trying to stretch a single into a double.

Polanco was placed on the DL due to done spurs in his left elbow.

These are two huge losses for the Phillies, who entered last night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds 3.5 games behind the first place Atlanta Braves. Utley’s injury in particular, as I have always believed him to be the heart and soul of the team.

Not only is Utley a fantastic offensive player (that’s called stating the obvious), but he is also tough as nails. Many believed he was playing hurt prior to this injury.

Polanco is no slouch either. He was third in the NL in hitting with a .318 mark and also has played outstanding defense all year. He currently ranks fourth amongst all major league third baseman with a 5.5 UZR.

So the question now is: How do the Phillies replace these two on a day-to-day basis?

Internally, the Phillies will try to roll with Greg Dobbs at third and Wilson Valdez at second like they did last night for the time being.

The Phillies also called up INF Brian Bocock (how is he not a porn star?) from Triple-A to provide some infield depth. Bocock was hitting only .179 in Triple-A, so of course he will hit .350 in the month of July.

If Utley and Polanco are out longer than expected, the Phillies could pursue options like Ty Wigginton, Adam Kennedy, or Kelly Johnson.

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Philadelphia Phillies’ Roy Halladay Hurls Perfect Game

It’s very rare I root against baseball history, but Saturday night I was forced to make that decision. You see, I was going up against my buddy Odie in fantasy baseball last week and he has Roy Halladay on his team.

When we go against each other in any fantasy sport, it’s usually a battle. We jinx each other’s players and make short-term pickups just to win the week. So when he sent me a text message Saturday night saying you better turn on the Phillies–Marlins game, I knew something was up.

Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in baseball history as the Phillies defeated the Marlins 1-0. It was the third perfect game in the last 10 months and second this month. Dallas Braden of the Oakland A’s pitched the 19th perfect game in history earlier in May.

The final out of the game was a weak ground ball to the hole between third and short by pinch hitter (the third that inning) Ronny Paulino that Phillies’ 3B Juan Castro fielded and fired to first.

Then something happened that I’ve never seen before—Halladay smiled.

If there was ever a guy who should be given the nickname “Stone Cold” it should be Halladay. No offense to Steve Austin, but Halladay has ice water running through his veins; the man never shows any emotion.

That is until Saturday night. Halladay smiled, hugged, and even celebrated with his teammates on the mound.

For the game, Halladay recorded eight ground-ball outs, eight fly ball outs, and struck out 11. Halladay has now won a Cy Young and pitched a perfect game. All he has left to do is win a World Series and his career will be complete.

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Brad Lidge To Return to the Philadelphia Phillies Today

The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen will get a much added lift as Brad Lidge will be activated from the disabled list before tonight’s game against the red hot New York Mets. Then again, the way Lidge pitched last year I am not sure if this is a good thing.

Lidge made his final rehab start Tuesday at Double A Reading going two innings while allowing no hits and striking out four. Perhaps the most impressive part of Lidge’s outing was that he threw first-pitch strikes to 23 out of the 35 batters he faced.

The up and down Phillies bullpen could use Lidge—not the bad Lidge, but the good Lidge from two years ago. The Phillies’ bullpen has already blown four saves in nine chances and are 13th in the NL in OPS against with a .801 clip.

I don’t think Charlie Manuel is going to throw Lidge back into the fire right away. He will most likely let Lidge ease himself in, let him prove himself and then let him regain his closer role.

From a fantasy perspective, if you have room on your roster, take a flier on Lidge. The reward is much greater than the risk.

To make room for Lidge, the Phillies will send down Antonio Bastardo. Bastardo had a 1.69 ERA and struck out five in 5.1 innings for the Phillies this season.

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Philadelphia Phillies News And Notes

Update

The Phillies have placed shortstop Jimmy Rollins on the 15-day DL because of that calf strain he suffered warming up in the outfield. Look for Juan Castro to get first crack as Rollins’ replacement at short.

Shane Victorino will move into the leadoff spot. As a matter of fact, Victorino hit leadoff last night delivered a four-for-five night with a home run and five Rib Eye Steaks. The Phillies also scored 14 runs last night, so I think they will get by just fine without Rollins.

That offense is so good right now it’s scary.

 

Original Post: April 13th, 2010

The two-time defending National League Champions have gotten off to another fast start going 6-1 in their first seven games. Of course, it helps that they have started their season off against the Washington Nationals twice and the Houston Astros.

They could be the two worst teams in the National League. Regardless, the Phillies don’t make the schedule and the way they are hitting, they probably would have beaten anyone.

Let’s see what else is going on with the team from the city of brotherly love.

 

Jimmy Rollins to have MRI.

Rollins was working out in the outfield prior to the Phillies’ home opener against the Nationals and suffered a calf injury.

How on do you suffer a calf strain just doing some pregame workouts in the outfield? Seems very odd to me. Nevertheless, apparently this injury is more serious than originally thought because Rollins will be going for an MRI on Tuesday.

Rollins has gotten off to a pretty hot start on the season. He is hitting .391 with a .516 OBP in 23 AB’s.

It not yet known how long Rollins will be out.

 

Jayson Werth leaves game in fifth.

There was clearly something in the Philadelphia air on Monday. First Rollins went down and then Werth. Perhaps Donovan McNabb has put a curse on the city of Philadelphia.

Werth left Monday’s game in the fifth inning because of a left hip soreness. However, Werth’s injury is not as serious as Rollins as Werth left the game merely for precautionary reasons.

Werth is day-to-day.

 

Phillies’ bullpen getting it done.

Last year, the Phillies’ bullpen was a sore spot for the team. This year, the Phillies’ bullpen is off to a really good start.

Through seven games, Ryan Madson, Danys Baez, and Co. have a 1.33 ERA. It seems like everyone has settled in nicely into their roles. It will be interesting to see how the dynamic of the bullpen changes when Brad Lidge returns.

And just in case anyone is interested to know how Lidge is doing (Like me who has him on my fantasy team), he got shellacked in his rehab start on Saturday.

In one inning at Double-A Clearwater, Lidge gave up four runs, three hits, and a walk. I am guessing that is not what the Phillies were hoping for.

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Philadelphia Phillies News and Notes: Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth Injured

The two-time defending National League champions have gotten off to another fast start, going 6-1 in their first seven games.

Of course, it helps that they have started their season off against the Washington Nationals twice and the Houston Astros. They could be the two worst teams in the National League.

Regardless, the Phillies don’t make the schedule, and the way they are hitting, they probably would have beaten anyone.

Let’s see what else is going on with the team from the City of Brotherly Love.

 

Jimmy Rollins to have MRI

Rollins was working out in the outfield prior to the Phillies’ home opener against the Nationals and suffered a calf injury.

How on do you suffer a calf strain just doing some pregame workouts in the outfield? Seems very odd to me.

Nevertheless, apparently this injury is more serious than originally thought because Rollins will be going for an MRI on Tuesday.

Rollins has gotten off to a pretty hot start on the season. He is hitting .391 with a .516 OBP in 23 ABs.

It is not yet known how long Rollins will be out.

 

Jayson Werth leaves game in fifth

There was clearly something in the Philadelphia air on Monday. First Rollins went down, and then Werth. Perhaps Donovan McNabb has put a curse on the city of Philadelphia.

Werth left Monday’s game in the fifth inning because of left hip soreness. However, Werth’s injury is not as serious as Rollins’, as Werth left the game merely for precautionary reasons.

Werth is day to day.

 

Phillies’ bullpen getting it done

Last year, the Phillies’ bullpen was a sore spot for the team. This year, the Phillies’ bullpen is off to a really good start.

Through seven games, Ryan Madson, Danys Baez, and Co. have a 1.33 ERA. It seems like everyone has settled in nicely into their roles. It will be interesting to see how the dynamic of the bullpen changes when Brad Lidge returns.

Just in case anyone is interested to know how Lidge is doing (like me, who has him on my fantasy team), he got shellacked in his rehab start on Saturday. In one inning at Double-A Clearwater, Lidge gave up four runs, three hits, and a walk.

I am guessing that is not what the Phillies were hoping for.

 

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Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

The ‘Key’ Player For Each National League East Team

Last year I started a series that featured the ‘Key’ player for each team. A ‘Key’ player is someone who was injured or had a down year the year before and if they can come back to form, their respective team would be vastly improved.

This year I thought I would continue this series and go division by division to identify the ‘Key’ player for each team.

Here is the ‘Key’ player for each National League East team:

 

Philadelphia Phillies: Cole Hamels

I am sure many of you thought I would have picked Brad Lidge in this spot, but the Phillies can win the World Series without Lidge, they can’t win the World Series without Cole Hamels being right. As we saw last year in the World Series, the Phillies couldn’t match up with the New York Yankees outside of Cliff Lee.

Hamels can be that solid No. 2/1A starter the Phillies need. Remember, Roy Halladay transformed AJ Burnett’s career and if he can do the same with Hamels, the Phillies will win the NL East by 10 games and be back in the World Series yet again.

 

Atlanta Braves: Billy Wagner

I was torn between Wagner or Troy Glaus, but I think Glaus will be fine at first. However, the Braves need Wagner to be the pitcher they think he can be and more importantly, stay healthy. If Wagner goes down for a significant period of time with an injury, the Braves’ bullpen becomes a clown show.

That is why Wagner is so important to the Braves’ success.

 

Florida Marlins: Cameron Maybin

The Marlins thought Maybin was ready to take over the starting job in center last year, but quickly realized that was not the case. The Marlins will bring back a lineup that includes Hanley Ramirez, Jorge Cantu, Dan Uggla, Chris Coghlan, and Cody Ross.

That is a good lineup, but if Maybin becomes the player they thought he was when they traded Miguel Cabrera for him, then the Marlins will have a lineup in 2010.

 

New York Mets: Mike Pelfrey

The Mets have about eight candidates for this title, but I feel Pelfrey is the biggest key. The Mets desperately need someone to step up behind staff ace Johan Santana and Pelfrey needs to be that guy.

For whatever reason Pelfrey regressed and developed a case of the yips last year. If the Mets want to have any chance of winning in 2010, then Pelfrey needs to have a bounce back season.

 

Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg

It’s hard to believe the ‘Key’ to the Nationals won’t be on the team’s Opening Day roster, but that is just how important Strasburg is to the Nationals’ franchise. He is perhaps the most hyped prospect in the history of the game, but more importantly, he represents hope.

Strasburg will be with the Nationals at some point this season, most likely in May. If Strasburg delivers when he is called up, he will give the Nationals hope for the future.

 

Tomorrow, I will look at the ‘Key’ player for each National League Central team.

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Phillies’ Brad Lidge Might Not Be Ready By Opening Day

If in spring training last season, you had told me the Philadelphia Phillies would be without closer Brad Lidge for the first week or two of the regular season, I would seriously be worried.

Now if you told me Lidge might miss one or two weeks at the start of season, I would say so what, no big deal. Funny what a difference a year makes.

In an interview with MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, the Phillies’ closer doesn’t think he will be ready by Opening Day.

“It’s going to be really tough to be ready for the opener,” Lidge said. “In my mind I’m still shooting for it, but I don’t know if that’s realistic. I definitely will like I’ll be ready for (the April 12-15 series against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park) if I progress the way it should. … I want to be out there as much as I can, but we’ve got a deep bullpen. Obviously, we’ve got guys that can get it done while J.C. (Romero ) and I are getting our arm speed back. If we were on a bubble team and we had to be ready from Day 1 that’s one thing, but I think our team can cover just about anybody at any position for a week or two. That’s the fortunate part of being on a team as good as us.”

A couple of thoughts about what Lidge said.

“Obviously, we’ve got guys that can get it done while J.C. (Romero ) and I are getting our arm speed back.” Lidge is referring to Danys Baez and Ryan Madson. Both are decent fallback options, but at the same time, they are as shaky as Lidge at this point.

I wouldn’t trust either of them to close out a game.

“If we were on a bubble team and we had to be ready from day one that’s one thing, but I think our team can cover just about anybody at any position for a week or two.” Lidge hit the nail on the head on that one.

The Phillies are five to 10 games better than the next best team in the National League East. Losing Lidge now shouldn’t be a factor down the stretch for Philadelphia.

Look for Madson to get the first shot at the closer’s role until Lidge comes back.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Carlos Gonzalez: Your 2010 Fantasy Man Crush

Now that the baseball offseason is almost over and spring training is right around the corner, it’s time to start seriously looking at fantasy baseball. In the upcoming weeks, I will come out with my fantasy rankings for each position.

For today, I wanted to focus on one player in particular.

Let’s face it, even the most heterosexual male has a man crush. A man crush by definition by Urban Dictionary is “When a straight man has a “crush” on another man, not sexual but kind of idolizing him.”

I can say with a staunch and unblemished record of heterosexuality that I have a man crush on George Brett. I would be like a little school girl if I ever met him in person.

While I might have a man crush on Brett, fantasy baseball owners had a man crush on Chris Davis last year. After Davis hit .285 and smacked 17 home runs and had an .880 OPS in 80 games for the Texas Rangers in 2008, Davis was a hot commodity come draft day.

Every fantasy owner wanted him and in turn, drafted him way, way too early. Davis disappointed fantasy owners last year when he hit only .238 with 21 home runs, 59 RBI, and a .285 OBP in 113 games. Davis was so bad at one point that the Rangers sent him down to Triple-A.

This year, there is one player who stands out to me as the new fantasy man crush. That player is Colorado Rockies’ OF Carlos Gonzalez. Gonzalez was acquired by the Rockies in the trade that sent Matt Holliday to the Oakland A’s.

 

In his first season with the Rockies, Gonzalez’s numbers were quite similar to Davis’ in his first year with the Rangers. Gonzalez hit .284 with 13 home runs and an .880 OPS in 89 games. It’s almost eerily similar to Davis.

The one difference between Davis’ 2008 season and Gonzalez’s 2009 was that Gonzalez has the ability to steal a base. Gonzalez stole 16 bases in 20 attempts in those 89 games.

If the average fan didn’t know about Gonzalez during the regular season, they certainly got to know him in the postseason. In four games against the Philadelphia Phillies, Gonzalez hit .558 with one home run, two doubles, two stolen bases, and a 1.514 OPS.

He was a one-man wrecking crew.

If Gonzalez’s abbreviated performance didn’t wet fantasy owner’s appetite, then his postseason performance did. With a starting position locked down in the Rockies’ outfield for 2010, fantasy owners are expecting big things from Gonzalez in 2010.

But the question is–will Gonzalez flame out like Davis did in 2009 and disappoint fantasy owners?

The answer to that question is no, he will not.

I fully expect Gonzalez to have a huge season in 2010. I don’t see any reason why he can’t put up a .275, 20-25 HR, .350 OBP, 20-25 stolen base season.

Gonzalez should bat second in the Rockies’ lineup, so his RBI numbers might not be that high, but he should make up for it in the runs scored category.

Don’t be afraid to draft this year’s man crush as your second outfielder. He won’t disappoint you in 2010.

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