Hunting a Championship: Phillies Sign Pence for Minor Leaguers

With all of the action of the day seemingly happening in the Philadelphia Eagles front office, the Phillies have quietly moved in on one of the top players available right now.

Reports have the Phillies very close to a deal to have Houston All-Star right fielder Hunter Pence to Philadelphia for a set of prospects, which do not include breakout rookie pitcher Vance Worley or outfielder Domonic Brown.

This should bring delight to Phillies fans.

Pence, a 28-year-old right fielder for the Houston Astros has been named an All-Star twice in his five-year career, amassing an average of 25 home runs and 90 RBI per season.

This season he’s started out on a tear, with a batting average of .309 and having already brought home 62 runs.

Reports have the Astros receiving Phillies hitting prospect Jonathan Singleton and pitching prospect Jarred Cosart in the transaction as well as two other, not yet named minor league players.

The Atlanta Braves were also trying to work out a deal to try to land Pence, but it seems things have fallen through as they weren’t willing to give up their top prospects in hopes of signing the two-time All-Star.

Pence will likely begin work immediately, giving the Phillies another right-handed bat they’ve needed to help complete their lineup.

The Phillies have been missing a right-hander since Jayson Werth was released to the Washington Nationals.

This move comes after Carlos Beltran was traded to the San Francisco Giants, a team that had just beaten the Phillies twice in a recent series.

The Astros knew there was one less player available for the Phillies to try to acquire and ended up getting some good value out of Pence.

Pence was pulled from a Friday night Astros game in the fifth inning likely because of the imminent trade scenario.

He will arrive in Philadelphia to join a 65-39 Phillies team that has had no problems winning in recent months.

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Pedro Martinez To Return to the Philadelphia Phillies?

After leaving the team at the end of last year’s World Series, reports suggest the Philadelphia Phillies are interested in bringing former starting pitcher, Pedro Martinez, back on board for the latter half of the season.

After joining the team in August late last season, Martinez finished with a 5-1 record and a 3.63 ERA. 

His outings were less fortunate during the postseason where he recorded a 0-2 record and a 3.71 ERA, which included two games against the New York Yankees during the World Series.

According to reports, Martinez has already stated his desire to pitch in the latter half of this season, but has yet to name the team.

Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro told the media on Wednesday that the Phillies have “talked to his agent, but there’s nothing so far.”

Many believe whether Martinez returns will be a personal choice, but his latest actions, including participating in Miami strength and physical conditioning programs, indicate he plans to return.

The Phillies have been talking with Martinez for the past few weeks, but have not made much progress.

“It depends on whether he wants to play or not,” Amaro remarked, indicating that it was Martinez’s decision and no contract negotiations were ongoing.

The Phillies are desperate for another starting pitcher as they’ve gone on a slide as of late, now trailing Atlanta in the NL East by 3.5 games with a 32-30 season record.

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Philadelphia Phillies Win Season Opener By Crushing the Nationals 11-1

Ryan Howard got his 2010 season off to a quick start, but his performance was not the highlight of the afternoon.

Besides President Barack Obama’s unimpressive high and wide throw to start the season off, the most impressive part of the game was newly acquired pitcher Roy Halladay beginning his National League career with nine strikeouts in seven innings, giving the Phillies a 11-1 win.

Halladay gave up six hits and one run in seven innings, including a double to Ryan Zimmerman who brought home the lone run.

Ryan Howard hit a home run into deep right in the top of the fourth to bring home Chase Utley and end the Phillies drought, putting them up 2-1.

That would not be all they would get in the fourth.

Washington pitcher John Lannan would give up another three runs in the same inning before being relieved by Jesse English.

Roy Halladay, Shane Victorino, and Placido Polanco all recorded an RBI and brought the score to 5-1 at the end of the inning.

In the sixth, Jimmy Rollins tripled to deep center to set up Polanco for another RBI, giving the Phillies a 7-1 lead.

Polanco’s day wouldn’t end there.

In the seventh inning with the bases loaded he hit a home run deep to left, bringing in the base runners and recording the first Grand Slam of the year.

 

Game Notes

The entire Phillies lineup recorded a hit in the game.

The Phillies Placido Polanco recorded one run, three hits and six RBI in the win over the Nationals.

Ryan Howard recorded a home run and two RBI on two hits.

This is the first time in four years that the Phillies did not lose their opening day game.

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