Philadelphia Phillies: Have Faith, Charlie Manuel Will Be Paid

After four straight NL East Division crowns, three trips to the National League Championship Series, two trips to the World Series and one World Series ring, the Philadelphia Phillies have yet to extend manager Charlie Manuel‘s contract.

If a new contract is not signed by the time the Phillies host the Houston Astros to open the 2011 baseball season, Manuel says he will not talk about it until the end of the season.

“I think, once the season starts, I don’t want to talk about my contract,” he said.

Manuel’s self-imposed deadline for a contract has caused a bit of a stir in the Philadelphia media and by extension, parts of the fanbase, but is there really a reason to be up in arms with the fact that Manuel has not been signed to an extension?

Have faith and be patient.

Unless the Phillies go through a prolonged losing streak to open the season and hit 30 losses before they win 15 games, it is inevitable that the Phillies will sign their manager to a contract extension.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. remains hopeful that a deal can be worked out between the two. “We want him to be our manager,” the GM said in a report by ESPN’s Jayson Stark. “And we’re hopeful we can make that happen.”

By not having Manuel signed to an extension, the Phillies are inviting an unwelcome distraction into the clubhouse, as the media will continue to ask about the status of the manager. But do not expect contract talk to be a distraction for Manuel.

“My extension and my contract—I definitely don’t want it to be a distraction for my team,” Manuel said. “I definitely put my team first.”

Amaro seems confident that there would be no distraction as well.

“I’m not worried about that,” he said. “I’ll let other people worry about distractions. … It wouldn’t be the first time in the world where a manager goes into the season without a contract extension. There’s a lot of those, actually.”

Let’s recap Manuel’s career with the Phillies in brief.

Only two managers in franchise history have won a World Series and Manuel is one of them. No manager in Phillies history has managed the team to four straight NL East crowns except for Manuel.

Manuel has won 594 games with the Phillies, good for fourth in franchise history and with 50 wins he will move into third on the list. Winning 92 games will tie Manuel for second with Hall of Fame manager Harry Wright. Winning 103 games would move him past Gene Mauch.

Manuel got off to a slow start as the team transitioned from pretender to contender, but few will argue that he doesn’t know how to push the right buttons at the right time with this roster. He has proven it season after season in Philadelphia and the front office knows that. So why keep him waiting?

Manuel will make $3 million this season. How much more should he make per year? Nobody is thinking he will earn Joe Torre-Yankees money ($7.5 million in 2007), but would it be too much to expect the Phillies to set aside $3.5 million to $4 million per year for Manuel? Nobody thinks Manuel is going to fight with the club for an inappropriate amount of money, so why let this drag on?

If Amaro has proven anything over the past couple of seasons since taking over the general manager’s role, it is that he knows what he is doing and every move is a calculated decision. Relax and have faith that he knows what he is doing here with Manuel.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: Falling Back in Love with Cliff Lee on Valentine’s Day

As expected, most of the questions at Monday’s press conference in Clearwater, Florida featuring the entire starting rotation for the Philadelphia Phillies were directed at Cliff Lee, the surprise free-agent signing of baseball’s offseason. When not asked about his decision-making in returning to Philadelphia via free agency, Lee handled himself quite well sitting in the middle of the table and reiterating that he was just happy to be a part of the team.

“Basically, it’s spring training,” Lee said. “Just preparing for the season. I’m honored to be around these guys. But I’m just getting ready for the season.”

Lee joins a staff featuring the 2010 National League Cy Young award-winning Roy Halladay, a player Lee was practically traded for following the 2009 offseason, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. It is a foursome of starting pitchers that has caught the baseball world by storm, but Lee made sure to point out that there are five pitchers in the rotation, including Joe Blanton.

When asked about their thoughts about nicknames that have been thrown around in the media and on the Internet referencing the four ace pitchers, Lee told the media that there were five pitchers and none of the nicknames he had been presented with in the press conference were good because the number five was not included. Clearly, Lee was voicing out the thoughts shared by his fellow starters in red pinstripe pants and red practice jerseys, but it came through as though Lee was taking the lead in speaking on the behalf of the starting rotation.

Not Halladay, the soft-spoken Cy Young award winner who tossed a perfect game and a postseason no-hitter last year. Not the veteran Oswalt, who prefers to sit back and let others do all the talking. Not Hamels, who has become the senior member of the Phillies pitching staff in terms of time with the club. And certainly not Blanton, who had to remind the media on one occasion that he won a World Series ring with the Phillies.

All eyes were focused on Lee, and it was easy to see why. He is the new guy, again. He was the top free agent in baseball this offseason and this was his first time meeting with the media in Clearwater. Lee is the guy who Phillies fans have fallen in love with all over again.

“I felt like this was the best chance to win a world championship. That’s what it’s all about,” Lee said. “I felt that if I got an opportunity to come back, I would take advantage of it.”

Few doubt that Lee will have a successful season in Philadelphia this year if he stays healthy, but the question is whether or not he will be more of a vocal leader moving forward.

“We haven’t thrown a single pitch yet, so it’s a little early to be compared to another rotation,” Lee said when asked what rotation the Phillies aces would be compared to. “I remember the Braves‘ rotation [John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux] was very good.”

It will not be much longer before we can truly see where this pitching rotation ranks in baseball history, once and for all.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies Mighty in Sweep of Arizona Diamondbacks

How else would you expect the Phillies to put the exclamation point on a series like the one they just played against the Diamondbacks? The Phillies flexed their muscle in the three game set and completed a sweep of the dismal Diamondbacks with a dominating 12-3 defeat of Arizona.

The offense wasted no time giving starting pitcher Joe Blanton a lead to work with. After Blanton put the Diamondbacks down in order to start the game Shane Victorino put the wheels in motion with a one out triple to deep center field.

After Chase Utley walked Ryan Howard hit a double to right field with no shift in play by Arizona. Victorino scored and Utley advanced to third base. Two batters later Ben Francisco brought Utley and Howrd home on a single to right center field to give the Phillies a quick 3-0 lead.

Arizona rallied against Blanton and picked up their first run in the top of the second inning and chipped away with a pair of runs in the fourth inning to tie the game.

Blanton would help his own cause in the bottom of the fourth though by picking up his first run batted in since his memorable World Series home run in game four of the 2008 World Series. Blanton grounded out but Jayson Werth scored on the play to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead.

From there the rout was on.

Werth hit a two run home run in the fifth inning to extend the Phillies lead to 6-3. In the sixth inning catcher Carlos Ruiz hit a lead off home run to left field. Blanton followed with a single, his first hit of two on the night, and Jimmy Rollins followed that with a single.

Two batters later Utley singled to score Blanton and Howard connected for a three run home run that landed in the Diamondbacks’ bullpen. Howard’s homer put the Phillies up 11-3. The Phillies added one more run in the seventh inning to cap the scoring for the game.

Blanton had an interesting night. His two base hits aside, he pitched eight innings while striking out just four batters. He yielded 10 hits and three runs although he had some shaky defense behind him, but he threw just 97 pitches. He likely could have pitched a complete game but Charlie Manuel opted for Chad Durbin for the ninth inning, probably just to get some work in.

The starting pitching (and starting pitching like relief appearance by Jamie Moyer) was incredible in this series.

It should be expected that the Phillies would beat the Diamondbacks as the two teams are on different playing fields right now, but the Phillies did what they need to do. That is to take advantage of games against clearly inferior opponents.

While the Phillies put the finishing touches on a three game sweep the Florida Marlins lost another game in Houston. The Marlins fall into a tie for second place with the Atlanta Braves and both teams sit six and a half games behind the Phillies.

This weekend the Phillies head to New York for a weekend series with the Mets and the Marlins travel to Atlanta for a key weekend series against the Braves.

Simp-Lee Amazing: Philadelphia Phillies beat Arizona Diamondbacks 8-1

He did it again.

For the second time since joining the Phillies, Cliff Lee pitched a gem, resulting in a two-hit, no earned runs complete game, handing the Phillies a stress-free victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Just for good measure, Lee tacked on a pair of base hits to make up for the two hits he allowed in the game.

The rest of the Phillies’ offense was not too shabby, either. Jayson Werth hit a pair of home runs, with the first bouncing off the brick ivy-covered wall in center field. Chase Utley got the scoring started in the third inning with a two-run shot off of Diamondbacks starter Dan Haren.

Two innings later, Ryan Howard connected for a three-run home run to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead, and Werth followed with his first home run of the night to make it 6-1.

Werth had a 3-for-4 night and saw just 10 pitches in the game. Each player in the starting lineup recorded a base hit except for third baseman Pedro Feliz.

The new fan favorite in the starting rotation flirted with a no-hitter for a while. Arizona second baseman Ryan Roberts led off the fourth inning with a hot shot down the third base line that could have been called a hit, but with the no-hitter intact, the hometown scorekeeper opted to give Feliz an error. It was a tough call to make, but the basic rule of thumb is you want the no-hitter to be broken up by a no-doubt-about-it hit.

Lee took that no-hitter into the sixth inning. First baseman Chad Tracy entered the game to pinch hit for Haren, and as fate would have it, he broke up Lee’s no-hitter with a single right up the middle and into center field.

Phillies fans gave Lee a partial standing ovation, as they have come to respect his abilities and work ethic in his brief stint with the club.

When all was said and done, Lee pitched a complete game, struck out 11 batters, walked none, and allowed two base hits. He did hit one batter, and one run scored that was unearned.

For Lee, it was his 12th career complete game and his second career multi-hit game. Lee went 0-for-5 in interleague games with the Cleveland Indians this season, but with the Phillies, he is currently hitting .385 with five hits in 13 at bats. Of those hits, two are doubles.

Do not epect to see that kind of offensive firepower forever, but enjoy it now.

The Phillies are now 31-29 at home and increased their lead in the NL East over the Florida Marlins with the win. Florida dropped a game in Houston, which puts them five 5 1/2 games behind the Phillies.

Jamie Moyer steals show in home debut for Pedro Martinez, Phillies win 5-1

It was a night of great anticipation for Phillies fans. 

It was the night they finally got to see legendary pitcher, Pedro Martinez, pitch at Citizens Bank Park. But alas, it was Jamie Moyer who would dazzle the fans on this night.

In what must have felt like an old timer’s game on the pitching mound for the Phillies, Martinez and Moyer combined for an impressive 5-1 victory for the Phillies.

Martinez took the start and lasted three innings, when a rain delay a little over an hour forced manager Charlie Manuel to replace Martinez with Moyer. Martinez had given up a demoralizing lead off home run to start the game to Arizona shortstop Stephen Drew, but recovered nicely. He allowed just one more base hit, also in the first inning, and struck out three batters in his brief three inning stint. Of his 38 pitches in the game, 26 were for strikes.

Moyer was called upon in his new role out of the bullpen for some long relief. Perhaps pitching with some added motivation to show that he belongs in the starting rotation, Moyer was as dominant as he has been all season.

The crafty lefty pitched the rest of the game after the rain delay and was fantastic in his six full innings of relief. Moyer allowed just two hits and shut the Diamondbacks out. He also struck out five batters and did not issue a walk.

Offensively, Moyer also got the job done, chipping in with a pair of base hits. On a night where the Phillies left 11 base runners stranded on the base paths, it was Carlos Ruiz who lead the charge.

Ruiz went 3-for-3 on the night, including a a base hit in the bottom of the third to push the Phillies’ lead to 3-1. The Phillies had trailed entering the third inning, but scored three runs in the inning. Pedro Feliz was called out at home to end the inning.

Ruiz and Jayson Werth each hit solo home runs in the game, which was good because Ryan Howard had a rough night.

The 1B who had hit a couple clutch home runs over the weekend in Atlanta, could not come through in two separate bases loaded situations with less than two outs. Howard went 0-for-5 on the night, including his two strike outs with the bases packed.

But its nights like these, when the big guy struggles in the clutch and the starter’s night is cut short, that make you feel like the Phillies are going to win the NL East.

The Florida Marlins picked up a win against the Houston Astros to remain 4.5 games behind the Phillies. The Atlanta Braves fell farther behind in the race, losing in New York to the Mets.

With a month to go, it will be interesting to see if the Phils can keep that distance between them and other NL East teams.

JA Happ dominant as Phillies beat Rockies 7-0

Honestly I do not know why there is so much discussion about sending JA Happ to the bullpen. If last night was any indication, Happ has earned his spot in the starting rotation.

Happ threw his second career complete game shut-out, his second of the season as well, and gave the Phillies a much needed quality start to save the bullpen. The offense backed him up with a quick run in the first inning and by utilizing the long ball as Pedro Feliz and Jimmy Rollins each went deep in the second inning to get the Phillies in front 4-0.

It was more than enough for Happ, but Jayson Werth got in on the act with an opposite field three run home run in the fifth inning to put the Colorado Rockies in a tough hole.

This hole though would be muddy because the way Happ was throwing it was going to be tough to climb out of. Happ went over 120 pitches and allowed just four hits on the night.

After walking the lead off batter in the game he only allowed one walk the rest of the way. Proving to be the master of his domain, Happ struck out ten batters on a Rockies squad that had been hitting the ball pretty well lately during their surge to the National League Wild Card lead.

The hype entering tonight’s game was that Happ would probably be making his final start in the rotation, as it is believed he could be moved to the bullpen to make way for Pedro Martinez, who was dominant in double A Reading as well (more on him later). Charlie Manuel was quoted as saying that Happ proved that he wants to stay in the starting rotation, and the 45,000 plus fans at Citizens Bank Park probably agree.

After retiring the side in the eighth inning Happ was given a standing ovation as he walked to the dugout. Due to hit third in the bottom of the eighth and already just over the 100 pitch mark it was widely thought that Happ’s night would be done after eight outstanding innings and a reliever would come in to finish the deal in the ninth.

But Happ did not leave the game. When he came up to bat the atmosphere would have made you think that Ryan Howard or Jim Thome was coming up with the bass loaded in the bottom of the ninth of a tight game. And then he delivered.

Happ smacked a double over the head of Rockies center fielder Dexter Fowler, who was playing incredibly shallow, and the fans loved it. It was Happ’s third career hit, and his first for extra bases.

Phillies fans will have to wait and see how the club works out their starting rotation over the course of the next week. But Happ has done all you could ask of him, and more, to prove that he deserves a spot in the rotation.

The Phillies go for the series victory Thursday afternoon when Cliff Lee makes his Citizens Bank Park debut in a business person’s special. Aaron Cook will take the mound for the Rockies.

Philadelphia Phillies Drop Opener by the Bay, Lose to San Francisco Giants 7-2

Sloppy defensive play hindered the Phillies’ chances of winning last night in San Francisco. After striking first and taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Phillies failed to capitalize on some opportunities and handed the Giants extra outs. The Giants finally beat the Phillies 7-2 last night.

Rodrigo Lopez took the loss, his first with the club, but he was not totally at fault. With Lopez on the mound the Giants scored seven runs in four innings. Only three were earned runs. The rest were courtesy of errors from Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz. Chase Utley also had an error in the game.

Lopez was also hit hard by the Giants, including a two run in the third inning by Pablo Sandoval.

Sandoval had a good game, perhaps demonstrating to Phillies manager Charlie Manuel why he should have been added to the all-star roster for the National League. The Giants third baseman had two hits, a two run home run and a double, four runs batted in, and a run scored.

Tempers flared a little bit in the sixth inning when Giants starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez hurled a ball towards the head of Utley. Up 7-1 it seemed there was little reason to be sending a message to a guy like Utley. After stepping out of the box late on Sanchez, Utley sent a Sanchez pitch to the seats for a home run.

Utley may have won that showdown but the National League Wild Card leading Giants got the last laugh last night. Tonight the Phillies will send Cliff Lee out for his Phillies debut. They look to even the series before the tough Giants pitching hits this weekend.

Signing Milton Bradley over Raul Ibanez Was a Game Cubs Never Should Have Played

In the offseason free agent market, there were two teams with great interest in right fielder Raul Ibanez. Today one team is thankful for acquiring the veteran, and the other wishes they had him.

The Phillies signed Ibanez to a deal, and the Chicago Cubs were forced to find another option—so they made the decision that was supposed to help out more and signed Milton Bradley.

It has not gone exactly to plan for the Cubbies, as Bradley has had a rough season on the field, on the bench, and at the plate.

Bradley was thought to give the offense a lift for a team that many felt could make a run at the National League pennant and possibly the World Series (myself not included in either category). To date Bradley is hitting a woeful .238 (.201 against right-handed pitching) with just 29 runs scored and 21 runs batted in.

Pouring salt on the wounds of the Chicago faithful, Ibanez has had such a successful season so far that he earned his first career All-Star berth and went as a starter.

Ibanez is hitting .310 (.311 against right-handed pitching) with 58 runs scored, 68 runs batted in, and a team-leading 25 home runs. Let me repeat that last part: team-leading 25 home runs on a team that has Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

Former manager for Ibanez and current Cubs skipper Lou Piniella is a fan of Ibanez:

“‘He can hit. He’s a very professional, productive hitter,’ Piniella said. ‘And he’s doing it. This is a nice ballpark for him, but you’ve still got to hit, and he’s hit. He’s having an MVP-type season for the Phillies right now.'”—Chicago Sun-Times

Unfortunately for the Cubs, they made the decision to walk away from Ibanez in the free agent season due to his age:

“The Cubs didn’t get far down the road with Ibanez in the offseason. They hesitated over his age for a multi-year deal (Ibanez turned 37 last month) and whether the left fielder could handle right field at Wrigley Field.”—Chicago Sun-Times

What turned out to be a lost opportunity for the Cubs, and countless other teams, has been a blessing for the Phillies. Ibanez replaced local favorite Pat Burrell in right field, and many Phillies fans had the same concerns the Cubs had with Ibanez: age.

Throw in the fact that Burrell signed with the Tampa Bay Rays for considerably less than Ibanez, and Phillies fans were initially asking what the point was.

Ibanez has more than won over the fans. Asked for his thoughts on the possibility that he could have been with the Cubs, Ibanez confirms he made the right decision.

”I’m just happy to be a Phillie,” he said.

And Phillies fans are happy he is in Philadelphia instead of Chicago.

Phillies’ Ibanez still has what Cubs want—Chicago Sun-Times

Preview Game 92: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Chicago Cubs

The Philadelphia Phillies have beat the Chicago Cubs in a pounding and on a walk off. What will they have in store this afternoon?

A day after a pitcher’s duel between former teammates, there will be quite a contrast in pitching styles today as the Cubs and Phillies wrap up a three-game set in Philadelphia. Jamie Moyer will go for his team leading 10th win of the season. His opposition will be the feisty and powerful Carlos Zambrano.

Moyer has won in five-straight starts and has dropped his earned run average in the process. In his last start, Moyer threw seven innings of one-hit ball against the Marlins in the first game after the All-Star break.

Moyer has lowered his ERA by almost 0.50 in the last month. He will have to keep the Cubs’ batters off their game, as Joe Blanton and Rodrigo Lopez have done in the previous two games.

Moyer is 3-0 against the team that drafted him.

The Cubs have scored just two runs in this road series and this afternoon they will look for Zambrano to put a stop to the Phillies’ offense. Zambrano has won in his last two starts, but has failed to pitch more than six innings in each.

In seven career starts, Zambrano is 3-3 against the Phillies with a 3.38 ERA and has allowed only two home runs. The power righty has struck out 88 batters this year, but has also walked 47.

The Phillies finally jumped over .500 at home with last night’s extra inning win. The Phillies are now 24-23 at Citizens Bank Park and have won seven-straight at home. The Cubs are 20-27 on the road.

Phillies’ Record: 53-38
Cubs’ Record: 47-45

NL East Standings (Team, record, games behind)

1. PHILLIES 53-38, –
2. Braves 48-46, 6.5
3. Marlins 48-47, 7.0
4. Mets 44-49, 10.0
5. Nationals 27-66, 27.0

Pitching probables: Moyer (9-6, 5.58 ERA) vs. Zambrano (6-4, 3.36 ERA)

TV: Comcast Sportsnet (Philadelphia)

First pitch: 1:05pm

Season Series: Phillies lead 2-0

7.20 CHICAGO CUBS W 10-1 Preview/Open Thread/Recap
7.21 CHICAGO CUBS W 4-1 (12) Preview/Open Thread/Recap

Open thread for the game will be posted at 12:30pm. Depending on the length of the game there may not be a game recap. I am once again packing my bags and heading away for a few days, this time a camping expedition. As such regular blogging activity will be a little out of whack over the next few days.

Phillies-Cubs: Werth Staying Up For, Phillies Win 10th Straight

You want dramatic? How about a pitchers’ duel between a pair of former teammates who were dealt at the trade deadline last season and a walk-off home run by an All-Star outfielder who had been struggling at the plate in the 13th inning?

That is exactly how last night’s Cubs-Phillies game turned out.

Jayson Werth hit a three-run home run off of Cubs reliever Jeff Samardzija in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Phillies a walk-off 4-1 victory.

Joe Blanton battled against his former teammate in Oakland, Rich Harden, for seven strong innings and allowed just one run on five hits and struck out five batters.

The Phillies bullpen also got the job done, going six innings without yielding a base hit or issuing a walk. Chan Ho Park pitched three of those innings and picked up five strikeouts. Ryan Madson pitched the eighth inning, and Brad Lidge pitched the ninth inning.

Lidge was involved in the play of the night when with a runner on first, a ball was hit back up the middle. Lidge kicked it up and it fell in the glove of Jimmy Rollins, who was on second base, and he relayed to first for an inning-ending double play. When your team is hot, bounces like that go your way. Clay Condrey picked up the win.

Rollins put the Phillies on the board in the third inning with a solo home run. The Cubs got the run back in the top of the fourth when Kosuke Fukudome doubled to left field to score Ryan Theriot with two outs. That would be all of the scoring until the 13th inning.

With two outs, Ryan Howard drew a walk on four pitches. Raul Ibanez then forced a walk after working a full count on Samardzija. With the winning run on second base, Werth stepped up trying to find a way to drive Howard home. He did just that on a 1-1 count, smacking a home run to left field to send the Phillies fans home happy.

The win is the 10th straight for the Phillies, the first time since 1991 that they have had such a streak. Coupled with the Atlanta Braves’ victory, Philadelphia’s lead in the NL East remains 6½  games.

 

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