NOTE: This was originally posted May 7, 2009, before Moyer’s last start, but because he lost the game I thought I would re-post it as Moyer goes for the milestone win one more time tonight.
With a win tonight, Jamie Moyer will reach his 250th career win. What an accomplishment that would be for a pitcher who has stood the test of time.
What Moyer lacks in great stuff, he makes up for in smarts. It is no secret that a bean ball from Moyer will leave only the slightest of bruises the next day (if any), so he has learned the value of staying calm and has practiced being patient on the mound.
Nobody slows the game down like Moyer. He can frustrate a batter by tossing over to first 16 times in one at-bat. While the batter is growing anxious for a pitch—and thus more likely to swing—Moyer is playing the game.
He knows he is not going to strike out 15 batters in a game, but what he is most concerned with is helping his team win. All that is asked of Moyer is that he keep the Phillies in any game, and he almost always does.
Moyer currently sits in a tie for 46th place on the all-time wins list in baseball. With 249 wins, he is tied with Hall of Famer Vic Willis, who last pitched in 1910. His next win will break that tie and put him one game behind Bob Gibson.
Moyer is third in wins among active pitchers (Tom Glavine has 305, Randy Johnson has 298).
Last year, Moyer pitched in his first World Series game. Here’s hoping he can pitch in one more this October.
A little bit late on this but here are some updates from the farm system…
Michael Taylor (right) of the Reading Phillies has been named the April player of the month within the Phillies farm system- Yohan Flande (far right) of the Clearwater Threshers has been named pitcher of the month for April in the farm system
From the Phillies press release [link];
The 6-foot-6, 23-year-old Taylor led all Phillies minor leaguers with 12 runs scored and 14 RBI last month while batting .338. Among his 22 hits were four doubles, one triple and three homers. He stole five bases without being caught. His .338 average for the month ranked seventh best in the Eastern League.
Flande, 23, was 3-0 with an organization-low 0.38 ERA for four starts. In 24 innings, he allowed 15 hits and two runs (one earned) while walking nine and striking out 22. He throws a fastball (89-90), slider and change up.
Congratulations to both players and hopefully they continue to develop!
Jamie Moyer will go for career win 250 once again tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In Moyer’s first attempt for the milestone he was pounded by the Mets. Tonight, he opposes a former Phillies pitcher, Randy Wolf.
Wolf is off to a good start for the Dodgers in 2009, entering tonight’s game with a 1-1 record and a 2.95 ERA. The former fan favorite has also struck out batters 36 times and walked 14. He has allowed only three stolen bases this season, and, after last night, you can expect the Dodgers to be more careful when the Phillies get on base.
In Wolf’s only appearance against the Phillies, last year with San Diego, the lefty allowed two runs over six innings and struck out nine batters but failed to receive a decision.
The Phillies go into tonight’s game one half game behind the Mets for the division lead. The Mets lost to the Braves this afternoon in twelve innings.
Phillies Record: 16-14
Dodgers Record: 22-12
NL East Standings (Team, record, games behind):
- Mets 18-14, –
- Phillies 16-14, 1.0
- Marlins 17-16, 1.5
- Braves 16-17, 2.5
- Nationals 10-21, 7.5
Pitching probables: Moyer (3-2, 7.26 ERA) vs. Wolf (1-1, 2.95 ERA)
TV: Comcast Sportsnet, ESPN
First pitch: 7:05 pm
Season Series: Phillies lead 1-0
12 LA Dodgers W 5-3 Preview/Open Thread/Recap
The game open thread will be posted at 6:30 pm. The game recap will be up tomorrow morning. Don’t forget that tomorrow we will be doing a live blog for the afternoon series finale!
Since the Dodgers are back in town I thought it would be fun to take a look back at my coverage of the 2008 NLCS, in which the Phillies won their ticket to the World Series in five games. Yesterday I shared with you my preview of the 2008 NLCS post that was originally posted on my personal blog, before the days of Macho Row.
Today we relive the memories from Game One. Once again, the following is the post in its’ original context, with a modification to the links to keep them all straight on Macho Row.
Click here for the original post.
Welcome to the Playoff(s) Chase
You can read my headline any way you wish. Both applied last night in game one.
Biggest Philadelphia win since game one of the 2001 NBA Finals.
As amped as I was for game one of the National League Championship Series between my Phillies and the
Dodgers, I was even more psyched when the crowd shots started to be shown on TV and you could hear the “Beat LA!” chants roaring through
Citizens Bank Park with the rally towels waving. Even with
Cole Hamels letting up a run in the first inning I had a feeling that it was going to be a good night for the Phillies.
I started getting frustrated around the fifth inning but as is usually the case in baseball, patience can be a virtue. The Phillies made the wit for offense worth it with three runs in the sixth inning with a two run home run from
Chase Utley and a solo shot from
Pat Burrell and the Dodgers could not come back. Phillies take game one, 3-2.
On a night in which it seemed for a long time as though we would be calling out Hamels for not stepping up his game it was Hamels who would be praised for doing just that. Through seven innings Hamels gave up two runs and had the ability to shut down the Dodgers offense when the Phillies needed it.
Hamels gave up back to back doubles by Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez in the first inning and escaped with only allowing one run. It could have been worse.
Ramirez hit his double to what is probably the deepest part of the stadium that won’t be a home run. Fate? Not sure.
Lucky? Oh yes.
Ramirez went 2-4 on the night but the kept at bat was in the eighth inning facing Ryan Madson in relief. Charlie Manuel made a rare trip to the mound to discuss the game plan with the pitcher’s approach to one of Manuel’s former players.
Whatever Manuel said to Madson and the rest of the infield, it must have worked. Ramirez swung at the first pitch, which was low and outside, and lined it straight to
Pedro Feliz. Key out.
After getting through the eighth inning, leaving one man on first, Madson got the game to Brad Lidge in the ninth with the lead. Lidge, showing how clutch he really is, had a 1-2-3 inning.
They say pitching wins championships in baseball, and the Phillies had the upper hand for game one. Derek Lowe was cruising for the Dodgers through five innings, although the Phillies got some pressure on him in the second inning. Lowe could not get through the sixth inning though.
Chase Utley was the story of the night. Many people had questions about Utley’s offensive performance through the NLDS and worried about his playoff reputation which was soiling early.
Utley got off on the right foot early with a single to center field in the first inning. Utley would come on in the sixth inning and deliver the big hit of the game.
With
Shane Victorino advancing to second base after Rafael Furcal threw a grounder past the first baseman. Utley uncharacteristically swung at the first pitch.
Let’s take a break real quick. I have said before that one of my pet peeves in baseball is swinging at the first pitch.
It’s just stupid. However, I do have an exception too that rule; It is ok to swing at the first pitch when you hit a multi-run home run that ties or gives your team the lead.
Utley must be familiar with my rules and exceptions. Utley hit a two run home run that switched the momentum of the game from one dug out to the other.
While Utley only tied the game with the home run, Burrell finished it off with a solo home run two batters later, giving the Phillies the lead and officially sending Lowe to the showers.
One of the keys for the Phillies and their offense coming into this series was having the middle of the lineup produce. While Ryan Howard went 0-4 on the night Utley and Burrell didn’t let that bring the team down.
Jimmy Rollins was 0-4 too, which is another concern. If the top of the order isn’t putting base runners on, the effectiveness of the middle of the line up will be at a minimum.
Luckilly for the Phillies, Victorino would have reached on Furcal’s errant throw anyway. With Utley’s home run it didn’t matter if he had reached second or been held to first on the error, but kudos to Victorino for advancing a base, putting himself in scoring position in a key inning.
Here is the lone complaint I will share with you though.
In the seventh inning with Carlos Ruiz on first base, Manuel sent in So Taguchi to pinch hit for Hamels. Taguchi then bunted in an attempt to move Ruiz to second.
On the first pitch Taguchi popped his bunt in the air and Dodgers first baseman James Loney made a diving catch. Ruiz stays at second and Rollins grounds into a questionable double play to end the inning.
Now, if Manuel’s decision was to bunt to advance the runner why would you use Taguchi? Considering the two best bunters on the team are Victorino and Hamels why couldn’t you just keep Hamels in for the bunt?
It was a situation where you are not bunting for a hit so having Hamels at first was unlikely (Hamels by the way had a hit earlier in the game as well). I understand the decision not to use
Greg Dobbs, the league’s best pinch hitter this year, and agree with that decision.
In a one run game in late innings I would conserve Dobbs until I really needed him in the ninth or extra innings if it got to that point. I blame Taguchi for not being able to get a bunt down on the ground, but I blame Manuel for using Taguchi.
Maybe Manuel was saving him for the defensive replacement for Burrell. Ok.
What about
Brett Myers?
Jamie Moyer?
Whatever. The Phillies won and Manuel made up for his gaffe by telling Madson to get Ramirez to line to Feliz. So let’s not dwell on that.
What we can be concerned about as Phillies fans is the fact that the Phillies scored all of their runs in one inning yet again. They escape with a victory in game one and that is all that matters, but I am sure I’m not alone in wanting to see the Phillies produce more often than one inning a a night.
Game two is this afternoon at 4:35pm. The American League Championship Series starts up tonight, getting the prime time slot.
This will be the only game of the NLCS that will start in the afternoon. All remaining games, no matter how long it goes, will start at 8:22pm EST. Brett Myers looks to continue his post season performance and I believe he will come out strong today.
The Phillies head home after sweeping a two game series in St. Louis and dropping a two game series in New York. Their opponent this weekend is a team they have already lost a home series to, the Atlanta Braves.
This may not exactly be the same Braves team that the Phillies saw at the start of the season. For starters the Phillies will not have to face Derek Lowe, who just shut them down in the season opener.
Instead the Braves will trot out Jo-Jo Reyes tonight as he looks for his first win. The Phillies will have to get their offense eon track early against Reyes as they have come under some criticism after their outings against the Mets the past few days.
Of course the major storyline for the Phillies will be the return of Cole Hamels. Hamels will make his first start since leaving a game early against the Nationals when he sprained his ankle fielding a ball.
Hamels was pushed back and the weather helped give him more time, but he needs to come out and have a solid outing. Anything less than seven innings could be viewed as a disappointment.
Hamels is also looking for his first win of the season. Who would have thought that?
For the Braves catcher Brian McCann is eligible to come off of the DL today and is expected to return to the lineup for tomorrow’s game. The Braves come to Philadelphia on a two game winning streak.
Phillies Record: 14-12
Braves Record: 13-15
NL East Standings (Team, record, games behind):
- PHILLIES 14-12, –
- Mets 14-13, 0.5
- Marlins 15-14, 0.5
- Braves 13-15, 2.0
- Nationals 8-18, 6.0
Pitching probables: Hamels (0-2, 7.27 ERA) vs. Reyes (0-1, 5.00 ERA)
TV: Comcast Sportsnet
First pitch: 7:05 pm
Season Series: Braves lead 2-1
April 05 ATLANTA L 1-4 Open Thread
April 07 ATLANTA L 0-4 Open Thread
April 08 ATLANTA W 12-11 Open Thread
Game open thread will be posted at 6:30pm. No recap this weekend as usual so be on the look out for open threads. A couple extra tidbits will come your way over the weekend as well!
This season has already seen the loss of a great member of the Phillies family. Yesterday one more left us. Former manager Danny Ozark, third on the team’s all time win list, passed away this morning at his home in Florida at the age of 85.
Ozark managed the team from the 1973 season to the 1979 season. In that time the Phillies became a power to be reckoned with, winning three straight NL East division titles in 1976, 1977 and 1978. The nucleus of the team managed by Ozark would pave the way for the franchise’s first World Series title in 1980, even though some fans will still say that the 1976 or 1977 teams were better.
Ozark’s record as a Phillies manager was 594-510 and was named the 1976 Manager of the Year by the Associated Press.
For more on Ozark click here for the official release from the Phillies.
“We’re not out of the race.”
– Danny Ozark (1975), when the Phillies were seven games out with six to play.
This was originally published on Macho Row.
Jamie Moyer was going for career win No. 250 last night, but the Mets jumped all over the veteran pitcher, forcing him out of the game in the third inning. Despite another late-inning rally, the Mets took game two of the series by a 7-5 final score.
For Moyer it was another rough outing, raising concern about his age by some fans. After Ryan Howard‘s RBI double scored Jimmy Rollins in the first inning to give Moyer an early 1-0 lead Moyer allowed a pair of demoralizing two run home runs in the bottom of the inning.
The Mets scored one more run in the second inning and two more in the third inning before Charlie Manuel took Moyer out in place of JA Happ.
The Phillies bullpen was fantastic and shut down the Mets from the third inning on to help keep the game within reach.
The offense slowly chipped away with one run in the fourth, a solo Howard home run in the sixth and a Jayson Werth two run home run in the eighth inning brought the Phillies as close as 7-5. Werth had a four hit game while Chase Utley was hit-less on the night.
The Phillies loss to the Mets coupled with the Florida Marlins‘ loss to the Atlanta Braves makes the NL East race the tightest in baseball. The Phillies now hold a half game lead over the Mets and Marlins. The Braves are two games out of first as well. The Phillies play the Braves this weekend.
this was originally published on Macho Row.
It is confirmed, Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been suspended for 50 games effective immediately.
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that outfielder Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been suspended for 50 games for a violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Ramirez is effective immediately.
Official statement from MLB [link]
Normally I would not take time to comment on a player outside of the Phillies but I want to take a moment to reflect on how it does impact the Phillies, especially given the impact of this news because it is Ramirez.
The Dodgers have jumped out to a major league best record of 21-8, including a highly publicized 13-0 home start. Just looking at the records will show you that the Dodgers have a road record of 8-8. Now take Ramirez out of their rejuvenated lineup.
The Dodgers will play three games in Philadelphia next week in the first 2008 NLCS rematch this season. That has to bode well for the Phillies, who are clinging to the top spot in the NL East. But let’s look a little farther down the line…
Ramirez’s suspension of 50 games (the same sentence handed to J.C. Romero) will leave the heavy hitter out until July 3 at the earliest. Meanwhile the Phillies make a four game stop in Los Angeles in June. Obviously if a team gets a chance to play all of their games against the Dodgers without Ramirez available, you have to like their chances.
Ramirez has waived his right to challenge the suspension so this is locked in. I have some thoughts on Ramirez’s suspension that I will post tonight during the Phillies game.
With a win tonight Jamie Moyer will reach his 250th career win. What an accomplishment that would be for a pitcher who has stood the test of time.
Where Moyer lacks in great stuff, he makes up for in smarts. It is no secret that a bean ball from Moyer will leave the slightest of bruises the next day (if any) so Moyer has learned the values of staying calm and has practiced being patient on the mound. Nobody slows the game down like Moyer. He can frustrate a batter by tossing over to first sixteen times in one at bat. While the batter is growing anxious for a pitch, and thus more likely to swing, Moyer is playing the game.
Moyer knows that he is not going to strike out 15 batters in a game, but what he is most concerned with is his helping his team win. All that is asked of Moyer is that he keep the Phillies in any game, and he almost always does.
Moyer currently sits in a tie for 46th place on the all time wins list in baseball. With 249 wins Moyer is tied with Hall of Famer Vic Willis, who last pitched in 1910. Moyer’s next win will break that tie and put him one game behind Bob Gibson. Moyer is third in wins among active pitchers (Tom Glavine with 305, Randy Johnson with 297).
Last year Moyer pitched in his first World Series game. Here’s hoping he can pitch in one more this October.
This was originally posted on Macho Row.
Chan Ho Park received little to no show of confidence heading into last night’s showdown against Johan Santana and the New York Mets. Shame on all of us. Yes, the Phillies lost to the Mets by a 1-0 score, but Park did everything you could have wanted him to do except score a run or two.
Santana shut down the Phillies offense from the start and proved why he is the best pitcher in the National League, and possibly in all of baseball (with all apologies to Zack Greinke). The ace of the Mets starting rotation went seven strong innings, allowing just two hits and striking out ten. While he walked three Phillies batters, two were to Park.
The story of the game was the lack of offense from the Phillies, who left thirteen base runners on base and failed to move runners along in key situations. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth were a combined 0-11. Howard and Werth struck out three times each.
The Mets were equally inept throughout most of the game and only scored their lone run when Pedro Feliz threw a ball past Howard at first trying to make a play on a slow grounder. When Feliz’s throw got away, Carlos Delgado scored from second base. Feliz is usually solid defensively so it is hard to criticize him too much. Like any player on Charlie Manuel‘s team Feliz was giving his best effort. Unfortunately for the Phillies Feliz had little chance of making the play anyway and this one just happened to go bad.
With the loss the Phillies still find themselves in first place as the Florida Marlins also lost last night to the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies and Mets wrap up their brief two game series in New York tonight with Jamie Moyer taking the mound for the Phillies (more on that later today) and Mike Pelfrey starting for the Mets.
This was originally posted on Macho Row.
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