Philadelphia Phillies: Tops in MLB, but Will They Capture Any Individual Honors?

Like that Old Man River, the Philadelphia Phillies just keep rolling along.

Even after Monday’s 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals and a rare series loss, the Phillies still clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Actually, it was the first four-game series all year that they haven’t at least split.

The Phils are where they want to be, and they have the luxury of resting certain players for the postseason—the “real” season for a team that is trying to meet its great expectations.

Indeed, if they win at least four games out of their remaining 10, they will set a franchise record.

Although it is all about the postseason for baseball’s elite, it’s not as if the 162-game, always-entertaining grind was of no importance. Several Phillies have had award-caliber seasons.

Which ones should be rewarded for them?

Will Roy Halladay repeat as the National League Cy Young Award winner?  What about his rotation-mates, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels?

Who deserves MVP consideration?

Will that bespectacled fan favorite known as “Vanimal” walk away with Rookie of the Year honors?

And how about Uncle Charlie Manuel, who has presided over the best team in baseball?

Take a look at several Phillies players (and a manager) who deserve to figure into the balloting—per my own, still-mythical ballot.

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Old vs. New Turf Wars and the NL Cy Young Candidates

Baseball fans, beware! What was once a small neighborhood gang war may now be taking over our beautiful national pastime.

Sorry to be so alarmist, but this (artificial) turf war seems to pose the same danger as the Crips (who wore blue) and Bloods (red) did to one another in 1980’s Los Angeles. Granted, no lives and body parts are at stake here, but the very way we view baseball statistics is.

If you wish to color this great divide, the Blues can represent the Neanderthals, the Luddites, the old-school types. These old men and women—to hear the “Reds” describe them—only look at counting stats and simple metrics such as RBI, wins and losses and ERA. I guess they are the blue-bloods who treasure the history of the game and don’t accept change easily. Or at all.

The Reds are coming on strong, as they are attracted to much sexier terminology such as WAR (wins above replacement). Such militaristic jargon appeals to a new breed, who ironically use a lot of stats that rhyme with “ip” such as FIP, x-FIP and BABIP. They scoff at traditional statistics.

Wins and losses and ERA for pitchers? Batting average for batters? To the Reds, who gives a blip? Please pardon the vernacular.

Of course, this topic deserves a much stronger treatment than I will produce here, but for now, please be thankful that this is not a slideshow or a power ranking. Okay, it does culminate in my preliminary ranking of the leading National League Cy Young Award candidates.

As for these two diametrically opposed gangs, I belong to neither.

I may be too analytical for the Blues and too traditional— and I’d like to think logical— for the Reds. For example, I don’t care much for WAR, but do like to whip out tools like WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched).

Call me a Green, if you will. I want to make peace with both sides for the greater good of the game. I think that many Blues should get used to the idea of going beyond the surface of readily apparent stats to dig a little deeper.

But as a Green, I increasingly see the Reds as more of a threat to the peaceful coexistence of baseball fans everywhere and to the sanctity of the game. Left with complete power, I fear that under a Reds dictatorship, time-cherished stats such as wins and losses will be abolished or relegated to four-point type.

RBI will be considered meaningless, and one day power hitters will be ranked solely on how many homers would have been homers to left center at Wrigley Field in 1958 on days when the temperature was between 55 and 83 degrees and when the wind was less than 15 on the Beaufort scale.

Two notes here. If you think I’m an expert on either the Bloods and Crips or wind measurement metrics, think again. If you think that most of the Reds could succinctly tell you how to calculate more than half of the stats they parade, think again, and again.

This all leads me to the National League CY Young Award race. With very few pennant races up for grabs in the final three weeks of the 162-game grind, this promises to be one of the most hotly debated years for individual contests.

By the way, 2009 was a great year for the Red gang, as Zach Greinke captured the AL Cy Young Award with only 16 wins while Tim Lincecum won over the NL voters with only 15. If 2009 was a great year, 2010 brought unprecedented joy as the Mariners‘ (King) Felix Hernandez garnered the award with a 13-12 record. King Felix’s coronation was hailed as a victory for the stat geeks, who saw the possibility that even the most steadfast Reds would see the light shining from the beacon of inside baseball stats.

Have they, er, we, seen the light—Reds and Greens alike?

Last year, AL Cy Young Award voters had a choice (primarily) between Felix Hernandez (13-12, 2.27) and the Yankees’ CC Sabathia (21-7, 3.18). They both had great years, especially when you consider that the King won 13 games for a team that finished 61-101 and compiled a much better ERA. Hernandez was also superior to CC in innings pitched, complete games, strikeouts, K/BB and WHIP. He led the league in many of these departments.

Last year, my mythical vote went to Felix as well, and I also gave a lot of consideration to another 13-12 hurler, the Angels’ Jered Weaver.

Time, as well as this year’s NL Cy Young Award vote, may help us see if the Red gang is winning this ideological turf war and if a paradigm shift occurred these last couple years.

Let me express one more thing before giving my current rankings of where I would place my top five NL Cy Young candidates.

The Red gang uses a lot of stats that rhyme with “ip” (not to be confused with innings pitched) to quantify what a picture can or cannot control. My quick take is this: yes, there is some luck involved in pitching or hitting a baseball, but the game needs to be (mostly) defined by easily measurable results. 

In trying to determine the most worthy recipient of our votes, we need to look at performance. Strikeouts do add value to a pitcher’s profile and walks detract, but not all batted balls are created equal, and I don’t subscribe to the school of thought that a pitcher is lucky because his FIPS, or PIPs, or xfPIPs or Gladys Knight and the Pips were out of expected norms, or off key. We’re awarding performance, not predicting future success as scouts or general managers.

Before ranking numbers one through five in ascending order, I have not ranked the next six pitchers, five of whom would round out my top 10:

Tim Lincecum (Giants): 12-12, 2.75 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 200 Ks

Matt Cain (Giants):  11-10, 2.84, 1.06 WHIP, 164 Ks

Johnny Cueto  (Reds, the Cincinnati Reds): 9-5, 2.36, 102 Ks in fewer innings/starts

Craig Kimbrel (Braves): 4-2, 42 saves, 1.57 ERA, 0.96 WHIP

John Axford (Brewers): 2-2, 36 saves, 2.23 ERA, 1.21 WHIP

Joel Hanrahan (Pirates): 2-2, 36 saves, 1.58 ERA, 0.99 WHIP

I should also explain that these are my personal choices, and not predictions as they stand now in a very tight race.

 

5. Cole Hamels, Phillies

Hamels’ stats are 13-7, 2.65, league-leading 0.97 WHIP, two complete games, 169 Ks and 38 BB. The third Philly ace has pitched brilliantly this year, but has been stuck on 13 wins for a month, due to a missed start, rain-outs and poor run support.

4. Ian Kennedy, Diamondbacks

Kennedy’s stats are 18-4, 2.96, 1.12 WHIP, 167 Ks and 51 BBs. The league leader in wins (and win percentage for qualified starters) is coming on real fast, winning nine of his 10 starts since the All-Star break. In those 10 starts, he has only yielded more than two runs twice.

His ERA is a bit higher than the top three, and some of his other numbers aren’t quite the eye candy that Reds love, but he’s edging closer and closer to No. 1.

3. Roy Halladay, Phillies

Halladay’s stats are 16-5, 2.49, a league-leading seven complete games, 1.06 WHIP, 195 Ks and 26 BBs (also the best K/BB ratio). Doc has been, typically, brilliant this year, and his numbers are not far away from those that won him a unanimous Cy Young Award in his first year in the NL. He has been just a little bit out of rhythm at times since the All-Star break, but still quite good.

Starts have been moved back due to his starting the Midsummer Classic, hurricanes and biblical rains, and he even had to endure a silly, 13-minute instant-replay delay. Through it all, he’s been great, even if I’d rank him narrowly behind two southpaws.

2. Cliff Lee, Phillies

Lee’s stats are 16-7, 2.47, a league-leading six shutouts—and one out away from a seventh—1.03 WHIP and a 204 Ks and 40 BBs. Given his MLB-leading six shutouts and two Pitcher of the Month titles, Lee has probably been the most spectacular pitcher in the league when playing his best.

Cliff is white-hot now, having won his last seven starts and only giving up six runs in his last six. Still, I have him ever-so-slightly behind…

1. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

Kershaw’s stats are 17-5, 2.45, 1.02 WHIP, a league-leading 220 strikeouts and 50 walks. Kershaw ranks either first, second or third in almost every meaningful pitching category this year, and I gave him a few extra points for being a dominant force while playing for a dispirited, non-competitive bunch.

When Kershaw gets a decision, the Dodgers play .773 ball; in their other 119 games, they are playing at a .437 pace.

So, there you have it. Kershaw has a slight lead over Lee, Halladay, Kennedy, Hamels and Company on my ballot, but he still has to close the deal down the stretch. It’s that close.

Kershaw, although wearing Dodgers Blue, has compiled lots of stats that even the Red gang can embrace, even if the WAR-mongers among them still seem to favor Doc Halladay.

Let the artificial turf wars continue without bloodshed, and play ball!

Matt Goldberg, a featured columnist for the Philadelphia Phillies and all-around baseball fanatic, is also a noted humor author and speaker. For more information, please visit www.tipofthegoldberg.com

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

2011 Philadelphia Phillies: Ranking the 7 Biggest Surprises of the Season

This was supposed to be a 2011 season with very few surprises in store for the Philadelphia Phillies.

In the eyes of most pundits, the Phillies were tabbed to have the best record in the National League, and they have certainly more than made good on that projection with the best record (90-48) in Major League Baseball.

How they have achieved elite status in the regular season has been a cross between a dull formality and a spine-tingling rollercoaster ride.

The veteran-laden team has, as expected, received brilliant starting pitching, even if one of their four aces, Roy Oswalt, has been hampered by injuries. The Phillies have suffered their fair share of other injuries as well, even if the standings have hardly reflected it.

So injuries aside, which seven players have provided the most drama to the formality of the 2011 regular season?

How would this one columnist rank these surprises in ascending order, from least to most pleasant?

The answers to these questions are just a click away.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Which Closer Would Get the Ball for “All the Marbles?”

Fast-forward roughly two months from now, Phillies fans. And by roughly, Phillies fans hope that the ride to Major League Baseball’s checkered flag—a World Series title—is not a rough one.

It is an anything-but-balmy October evening at Citizens Bank Park. Roy Halladay exits, reluctantly, after his typically strong eight innings of work with the Phillies leading 3-2. Yes, just to be a little dramatic here, it’s Game 7 of the World Series, and the heart of the Yankees order is due up in the ninth. Pick your poison: Granderson, A-Rod, Teixeira, Cano.

Who do you, playing the part of Charlie Manuel, turn to?

A couple qualifiers are in order here. I’m not debating who the starting pitcher should be: Doc, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels all appear to be exceptional options. We may or may not get the Roy Oswalt of late 2010 again, and Charlie may yet have to decide between the former Houston ace and rookie phenom Vance Worley as his No. 4 starter.

We’re talking about the bullpen here, and you can’t pluck a Lee or a Hamels for this hypothetical question. No trick question; we also don’t care about righty-lefty considerations.

Allow me to re-word slightly. Who is your closer of choice in the big situations, whether Game 1 of the NLDS or Game 7 of the Fall Classic?

Let us review the candidates alphabetically. For this exercise, I’m conceding the fourth spot in the rotation to the veteran Oswalt. That makes Vance Worley part of this discussion.

 

The Candidates

Antonio Bastardo ­has certainly been one of the great revelations of the Phillies’ season. Many fans would have accepted him being a good replacement for J.C. Romero—get an occasional tough lefty out and maybe be good in long relief, if not the seventh. Obviously, the sneaky-quick lefty with the awesome slider has far exceeded that modest hope.

For the season, Bastardo is 6-0 with a 1.42 ERA and a microscopic 0.75 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched), He has saved eight out of his nine chances, has 14 holds, and in 50.2 innings he has surrendered only 19 hits and 19 walks while fanning 62 batters. He has appeared in 54 games and has only given up an earned run in seven games, and he has only yielded as many as two runs once time.

David Herndon, probably will not get many votes on the accompanying poll, but he should be praised for his current streak of 13 straight appearances and 16-plus innings without yielding an earned run.

On the year, Herndon is 1-2 with a 3.43 ERA, four holds and a WHIP of 1.21. He has no save opportunities or blown saves, for that matter.

Brad Lidge is the experienced hand of the bunch, if the least-used this year due to injuries. He has looked okay since returning to the bigs this year: 0-1, 2.00 with one save. He has three holds and a rather pedestrian (okay, poor) 1.58 WHIP. It is hard to judge him on just 12 appearances after bouncing back from injuries.

In Lidge’s favor is his 223 career regular season saves (seventh among active closers) and his postseason record—a 2.28 ERA and 18 saves. And, was that epic 2008, and even the last couple months of 2010, that long ago?

Ryan Madson has proven, if not beyond the shadow of a reasonable doubt, that he can be a successful closer. He has saved 24 of 26 chances—an outstanding percentage. In 47.1 innings, he has yielded 42 hits and 14 walks while striking out 49. He is 3-2 with a 3.04 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Take away the “Ryan Zimmerman” game of August 19—and those six earned runs in 0.2 innings—and his ERA would be just under  2.00.

Michael Stutes was one of the sensations of spring training and he has done a very good job this season. Here comes a but for the 24-year-old: but he has not pitched as well the last couple months as he did in his initial stretch from April 25 to June 24.

For 2011, Stutes is 5-1 with a 3.78 ERA. In 50 innings, he has given up 47 hits and 22 walks (with a strong 49 strikeouts) for a WHIP of 1.24. He has eight holds and no blown saves.

And last but not least, there is Vance Worley, who may end up in the bullpen for the postseason. The ever-popular Vanimal has started 16 of his 18 parent-club appearances, and has two successful holds to his credit for his (May) bullpen work.

Overall, he is 9-1 with a 2.65 ERA. In 98.1 innings, he has yielded 78 hits and 32 walks while fanning 83. Worley has been praised for his composure and fearlessness on the hill.

Conclusion

The Phillies’ bullpen has been an unexpected strength in 2011, but the team does not have that one proven stud to turn to.

It appears to be Madson’s job to lose, and Ryan has done a lot to inspire confidence from his teammates, his manager, the front office and fans.

Still, forgetting about contracts, egos and lefty-righty batters and if I were Charlie Manuel on that blustery, late October evening with everything on the line, my choice would be Antonio Bastardo. His stats have been dominant this year, and he seems to possess poise well beyond his years and experience.

Your choice?

 

Matt Goldberg, a featured columnist for the Philadelphia Phillies and all-around baseball fanatic, is also a noted humor author and speaker. For more information, please visit www.tipofthegoldberg.com

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies Phun Phactoids Quiz: How Well Do You Know the 2011 Phils?

So, how closely have you been following the Philadelphia Phillies this season?

Oh, I take it that you know that they’re sporting the best record in all of baseball (82-44 heading into Tuesday night’s home game versus the New York Mets) and are ahead of the Atlanta Braves by a still-comfy 6.5 games.

You can probably recite from memory most of the injuries that have befallen the team again this year, and you know that Citizens Bank Park is always sold out.

But, can you withstand a 14-question multiple choice pop quiz (without reference materials) and still come out in the red? That’s a good color for Phillies fans, of course.

And yes, some of these questions may be easy, but others may challenge you just a bit. And there are a few that may have you screaming: “Who gives a da_n!” Or worse.

All of the questions are focused on this season, and don’t let the players pictured in the slides mislead you in any way. All of the questions consider stats compiled through Monday, August 22 (pre-earthquake, if you prefer).

So please close your books, sharpen your pencils, and get to it.

Good luck, and feel free to post your score in the comments section. Don’t worry; I’ll let you know what your score may indicate about your level of Phillies Phever.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Who Has Been Their Biggest Ace and Will He Win the CYA?

The Philadelphia Phillies entered the 2011 season with one of the most heralded and hyped starting rotations in decades.

They were called everything from The Four Aces (or Phour Aces, if you prefer) to R2C2, to Mound Rushmore, and the sky was the limit for them this year.

In large part, they have collectively met the hype so far—indeed, it would have been almost impossible for them to have exceeded it.

The amazing thing about their success is not the wonderful pitching of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, but the fact that rookie Vance Worley has come to the fore (or is it the four?) and picked up the slack for Roy Oswalt, who has been beset with injuries this year.

Even Kyle Kendrick has pitched quite well when called upon, making Phillies fans forget about Joe Blanton, a pretty good pitcher for them over the years, but clearly the fifth wheel on an elite sports car that was graced with four big wheels.

With an MLB-best 77-40 record, the Phils are all but assured of a playoff berth, and the best record in the National League.

The remaining eight or nine starts apiece for the rotation may well sort out whether Oswalt or Worley will be the No. 4 man in the playoff rotation, with the probable front three of Halladay, Lee and Hamels.

But of those three, who has been their ace among aces?

And if I had to fill out my NL Cy Young Award ballot right now, who would make my top 10?

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2011 Philadelphia Phillies: Are Their Players Over or Under Expectations?

Way back when—in February 2011, when the temperature was about 80 degrees under what it is now on the East Coast—I proposed 33 over-under proposition bets to make the Philadelphia Phillies’ season interesting.

At the end of May—when the Phils had completed one-third of their games—we checked in on how the team and certain individuals were performing relative to my projections. Now that the team has completed two-thirds of their games, it’s time to do so once again.

Please note: This piece only analyzes games and stats played through Monday, August 1. That is when the Phillies had arrived at exactly 108 of their 162 regular season games.

How do we look at a season in which this favored team has been in first place all year long and was already seven games up (and rising) on the Braves with two months left to play? That part has not been surprising, but there have been some pleasant surprises (think Worley, Bastardo and the Stutes–catchy, huh?) and some unpleasant ones (injuries to a whole host of players, and the inability of either Ben Francisco or Domonic Brown to take the right field job prior to Hunter Pence’s arrival).

Through all this, the Phillies have been remarkably consistent when analyzed this way. They were 34-20 after 54 games and then went 35-19 in their next 54. Their record of 69 (and rising) and 39 projects to 104 wins, which almost certainly will earn them homefield advantage throughout the postseason.

With this as our backdrop, let’s check back in on those 33 prop bets.

 

Pitchers and Catchers

1. Combined wins by R2C2 (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels):  71

The Phour Aces (if you prefer) need to pick up the slack to hit this one—not that they haven’t pitched extremely well. Presently, they have combined for 39 wins, which projects to about 59. If they win eight apiece down the stretch, they will hit this number. Although not probable, it’s certainly possible with Oswalt expected to return this weekend, If they do so,  Halladay will finish with 21 wins, Hamels with 20, Lee with 18 and Oswalt with 12

2. Combined innings by R2C2: 850

Oswalt’s injury, causing him to miss nine or ten starts has hurt here as well. Currently, the four have thrown 546.2 innings, which projects to 819—quite impressive, if just under the number. Halladay (first in the NL), Hamels (third) and Lee (sixth) all are on pace to throw over 230 innings this year.

3. Combined strikeouts for R2C2: 800

The three healthy pitchers are all in contention for the NL strikeout crown. Lee, Halladay and Hamels rank 3-4-5 in the league. Collectively, R2C2 has fanned 498 batters, which projects to 747. They’re striking out almost a man per inning, while yielding very few walks.

4. Combined complete games for R2C2: 20

Doc (with six) looks like he’s going to lead the NL in this category again, and Cliff is tied for second with four. Hamels has one. Their combined 11 projects to 16.5.

5. Wins by Joe Blanton in a Phils uniform: 6

This was proposed as more of a nod to trade rumors than to concerns over Big Joe’s injuries and ineffectiveness. It looks like Big Joe is one-and-done for this season. Thankfully, Kyle Kendrick has pitched well, and Vance Worley has been unreal.

6. Saves for Brad Lidge: 33

There’s always next year, although it’s fair to ask if Lidge will be the closer then, and for whom? On the bright side, Ryan Madson (19 saves), Antonio Bastardo (8) and, yes, Jose Contreras (5) have saved a remarkable 32 of their combined 33 chances. For comparison’s sake, the Giants’ Brian Wilson has saved 33 of his 37 opportunities. I( guess you don’t need a single closer or a painted beard to be, um, lights-out.

7. Batting average for Carlos Ruiz: .285

After a slow start, the beloved Cooch is up to .268. it’s possible.

8. Homers for Chooch: 11

His four homers only project to six.

 

The Rest of the Lineup

9. Home runs for Ryan Howard:  44

Please remember that I’m only counting games through Monday, August 1. Howard’s 21 dingers project to 32, but the big man looks to be heating up.

10. RBI for Howard: 136

Howard was second in the NL with 81, which puts him on pace for 122. This will be close if he stays healthy, now that the Phils have a legitimate No. 5 hitter behind him and better hitters ahead of him as well.

11. Whiffs for Howard:  180

Ryan has cut down (ever-so-slightly) on his strikeouts, and is on pace for only 174..

12. Games played for Chase Utley: 145

Chase has now suited up for 58 of the first 108 and should at least top 100 this year. Please remember that this number was set before a preseason injury that could have been even worse.

13. Homers for Chase: 28

Chase now has eight, including that recent inside-the-parker: Will you settle for 16?

14. HBP for Chase: 23

Utley led the league each year from 2007 through 2009. He’s been plunked seven times already, and Phillies fans hope he does not even approach this number. Chooch has actually been hit 10 times.

15. Games played for Jimmy Rollins: 145

Jimmy’s been healthy so far, and has played in 104 games already. That projects to 156.

16. Runs scored for Jimmy: 105

J-Roll has just a little catching up to do. His 66 project to 99; this one will be close if he plays every day, but will Charlie Manuel rest him more often down the stretch?

17. Stolen bases for Rollins: 32

Rollins has 24; if he keeps up the pace, he’ll have swiped 36.

18. Placido Polanco’s batting average: .300

Polly, plagued by injuries, is at .276. If he regains his April stroke, he can do it.

19. Will Polanco reach 2,000 career hits before or after September 15?

Placido still needs 73 hits to attain this notable milestone. With 40 or so games left until September 15, it does not appear too likely he’ll do so this season.

20. Games played for Wilson Valdez: 55

Even though we haven’t seen as much of Valdez of late, he has already appeared in 69 games. Score one for the over.

21. Will Raul Ibanez finish the season in a Phillies uniform?

Unless he’s put on waivers, Raul will be here—which isn’t such a bad thing.

22. RBI for Raul: 90

Sometimes, the oddsmakers (okay, it was me, who never does this sort of thing), get things right. Ibanez’ 60 RBI project to exactly 90. Remarkable, considering his horrid start to this campaign.

23. Batting average for Shane Victorino:  .285

Victorino has been the Phillies’ most consistent hitter, and is presently at .304.

24. Homers for Shane: 13

Shane has taken balls out of the year 10 times, which projects to 15. More impressively, he has 12 triples, and with double figures in doubles and stolen bases, he has already completed the quadruple double.

25. At-bats for Domonic Brown: 250

Brown has 183 at-bats and 206 plate appearances, but when will we see him again?

26. Homers for D-Brown: 14

With only five homers and Hunter Pence in Philly, this will go in the under column.

27. Games played for Ben Francisco: 115

Francisco has played in 80 games, and still has a shot at this, albeit a long shot now.

28. Ben’s batting average: .270

Francisco is at a disappointing .221.

29. Homers for Ross Gload: 8

In limited duty (71 at-bats) Gload has not put any in the seats so far. In fairness to him (and my projection), I’m not counting foul balls, or homers rocketed in BP.

 

Team Numbers

30. Total Wins in 2011: 100

Somewhat amazingly, through all the injuries, the Phillies are on pace for 104 wins. Ninety-six or so should earn them the No. 1 seed.

31. Games ahead at the All-Star Break: 4

This one is complete, and the Phils fell just under; they were 3.5 games ahead at the All-Star Break.

32. Games the Phils will win the NL East by: 7

They were already up by seven after Monday’s games. Is an 11-game margin impressive enough?

33. Games the Phils will finish ahead of the New York Mets: 13

In February, I wrote: It was a margin of 18 last year, but can the Mets be that bad again?

The Mets have actually not been a train wreck (on the field) this year, but they were already 14.5 games behind after Monday.

 

Summary

In assessing the above over-unders, it looks as if 14 or 15 of them will be reached (or answered affirmatively). I set the new over-under at 14.5 overs.

I’m glad that I’m just a huge sports fan and not a betting man.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Talkin’ Phillies: Worley, Bastardo and the Stutes, a Celebration

The 2011 Phillies’ season was supposed to be one for the ages. With the re-acquisition of fan-favorite Cliff Lee, the Phils claimed (on paper) one of the greatest starting pitching rotations in baseball history.

To shorten the premise for this piece, three of the four aces have lived up to their billing, but tons of injuries could have derailed this season, if not for the three biggest surprises of this (or any recent) Phillies’ season—pitchers Vance Worley, Antonio Bastardo and Michael Stutes.

So, let’s sing their praises with a big assist from Terry Cashman’s Talkin’ Baseball.

 

TALKIN’ PHILLIES

 

Brad Lidge is still unhealthy

Danys Baez stinks, though wealthy

Contreras and Fat Joe are feeling lame

Three of phour aces can’t be beat

Ryan Madson’s throwing heat

And half the Phillies’ regulars can’t find their game

 

We’re talkin’ Phillies

Chase Utley, Ryan Howard

Talkin’ Phillies

Can’t hit for any power

So who would save this season for the fans

To make good all those World Series plans

We turned to Worley, Bastardo and the Stutes

 

Well, Charlie’s not too happy

Our potent bats turned crappy

With injuries too frequent to ignore

Oswalt was in Ole Miss

Ibanez was getting dissed

And our once prodigious offense couldn’t even score

 

We’re talkin’ Phillies

Chase Utley, Ryan Howard

Talkin’ Phillies

Can’t hit for any power

Our much awaited season was in flames

Would Charlie or Amaro take the blame?

But we had Worley, Bastardo and the Stutes

 

So now, it’s the summer

And we still can’t find our lumber

And Worley seems to grant our every wish

But Jimmy’s starting to Roll

Victorino’s back playing ball

And Chooch keeps flashing fingers from behind the dish

 

We’re talkin’ Phillies

Chase Utley, Ryan Howard

Talkin’ Phillies

Can’t hit for any power

So who would save this season for the fans

To make good all those World Series plans

We turned to Worley, Bastardo and the Stutes

 

Worley, Bastardo and the Stutes (say “k”, say “k”, say “k”)

Worley, Bastardo and the Stutes (say “k”, say “k”, say “k”)

We’re talkin’ Worley, Bastardo and the Stutes (say “k”, say “k”, say “k”)

Worley, Bastardo and the Stutes (say “k”, say “k”, say “k”)

Say Worley, Bastardo and the Stutes …

 

Printed with permission of author Matthew J. (Matt) Goldberg, www.tipofthegoldberg.com

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Cliff Lee: Has He Pitched Himself onto the NL All-Star Team?

Cliff Lee, the Phillies’ southpaw co-ace is hot—certifiably hot right now.

How hot, you may ask? How about hotter than a summer afternoon in Benton, Arkansas. 

You want specifics?

With last night’s 4-0 complete game shutout of the St. Louis Cardinals, Lee has posted some eye-popping numbers this month. That 4-0 score is appropriate as that reflects Cliff’s win-loss record for June. He has given up only one earned run in 33 innings (good for a microscopic ERA of 0.27), while winning all four starts, including back-to-back shutouts.

Not too shabby, and certainly most welcomed by the popular pitcher and all of his fans. You may recall that after his sub-par May 31 outing in Washington (a 10-2 loss), Lee stood with a mediocre 4-5 record and a 3.94 ERA. His ERA was affected by two bad starts out of 12, and he was not receiving any run support, but even so. The numbers just did not look right for a pitcher of his caliber.

The numbers look a whole lot more favorable now. The following are Lee’s ranks among all National League starting pitchers.

• Wins: eight, tied for fifth
• ERA: 2.87, seventh
• Complete Games: three, second
• Strikeouts: 114, third
• WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched): 1.12, 12th

Lee is also second in innings pitched (113), first in shutouts (3), and first in the hearts of Phillies’ fans.

But is he an All-Star?

If skipper Charlie Manuel had a vote, he’d offer it to Lee.  Per a story by Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Manuel said, “He’s definitely good enough to be on the All-Star team.”

Manuel may be consulted, but the honor and task of managing the NL All-Star team on July 12 will belong to San Francisco Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy.

Bochy will have tough decisions to make, including settling on the seven (or so) best starting pitchers to put on his squad.

Expect Lee and others being considered to make three, and in some cases four, more starts before the NL roster is nailed down, and Bochy will have the following (and more) to think about:

Can he take three starters from the same Phillies’ staff? Roy Halladay and Hamels are having even better years so far and appear to be locks.

Does he need to pick a lesser starter from a team, just to get them represented? All 16 NL teams must have at least one representative apiece. Will Bochy need to take Pittsburgh Pirates starter Kevin Correia?

Who does Bochy choose from his own staff? Pitching won Bochy and his Giants a world championship last year.  Does he take a Giant starter (neither Tim Lincecum nor Matt Cain have been as good as Lee thus far), just to appease his clubhouse and his fans?

Another consideration is the amount of rest that any starter would take into the All-Star Game, or break, depending upon the decision.

If Lee stays red-hot and wins all of his next three starts, it would seem impossible for Bochy not to select him. Conversely, if he loses two or more, it may be hard for him to keep a spot, which he seems to have earned so far as one of the five or so best starters in the NL this year.

Given Cliff Lee’s rep as one of the very best big game starters on the planet, one would think that Bochy would want to give him an inning or two. Ironically, a well-pitched inning or two on July 12 could end up helping Bochy’s Giants (or Lee’s Phillies, of course) secure home field advantage in the World Series.

 

Gold Notes

It will also be interesting to see which other Phillies will make the Midsummer Classic. Placido Polanco appears to be well on his way to receiving the starting vote at third base. Chase Utley, despite missing more than 40 games, is within striking range at second.

Albert Pujols’ injury (he’s not expected to return to the Cardinals lineup by July 12) may open up a spot for Ryan Howard, although Joey Votto and Prince Fielder are more likely to make the team. The Big Man stands second in the league in RBI, but may not even be the third choice at a deep position, if Bochy and company tab Gaby Sanchez of the Marlins.

Ryan Madson should get a long, deserved look as a closer, and expect Halladay and Hamels to be selected, with one of them (depending upon his throwing schedule) starting.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Biggest Surprises of the Season so Far

The Philadelphia Phillies, heading into June 14, stand at 40-26.

They currently have the best record in baseball, and hold a two-and-a-half-games lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

Their wins project to 98 for the season, one more than they amassed during their MLB-best 2010 regular season run.

So, how do we uncover and rank the 10 most surprising developments from the 66 games played so far?

That’s easy. We look just a little deeper, and maybe go just a little lighter at the same time.

The Phillies started to evolve into a pitching-first team last season, and that trend has certainly continued and accelerated. Indeed, Phils fans of the last five years or so—who have enjoyed this baseball renaissance—may have known that the team would play more low-scoring contests, but were they prepared to root for a team that would now rank eighth in the league in runs scored (and closer to 13th than they are to sixth)?

On the bright side, they are tied for second in ERA, and figure to finish no worse than the top two.

So, where are the surprises? We expected Roy Halladay to challenge for another Cy Young, and he has not disappointed. We also expected Cole Hamels to be good, but this good?

And while baseball cliché No. 423 tells us that injuries are always a part of the game, did we expect this many?

Please stay tuned and view one man’s opinion of the top 10 surprises of the Phillies’ season so far—ranked in ascending order of “surprise” rather than “importance.”

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