MLB Quarterly Report: Yanks, Phils Set for World Series Rematch

Most teams have played a little over 40 games, and despite my barely passing grades in every single math class I’ve ever taken, I still managed to figure out that the MLB season is roughly a quarter over.

The good thing about making predictions this early is that if they turn out to be correct, boom. You’re a genius. A pundit. A prophet.

If they’re wrong. So what? Nobody can read the future, get off my ass will ya?

 

Stage Set for World Series Repeat, But Which One?

So far in the MLB, the Philadelphia Phillies are tops in the NL, and have looked commanding in many of their outings. Roy Halladay has been the workhorse Philadelphia needed him to be, their lineup is firing on all cylinders with their top five hitters all averaging over .300, and Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick have proven to not be completely worthless, as previously thought by many fans.

With the return of a hot-hitting Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies look like they could repeat their success of the past two seasons and head to the World Series for a third straight trip.

It will not be an easy road, however, for the same teams that they have conquered in recent postseasons look like they will again be the Phils’ main opposition in their quest for a third straight NL Pennant.

The Cardinals started off the 2010 campaign as hot as any team, but have cooled off to an even 10-10 in the month of May. However, this is a team loaded with talent that could heat up again at any moment.

Headed the opposite direction are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been bested by the Phillies in both of the previous two postseasons. The Blue Crew is scorching through the month of May with a 15-4 record. Andre Ethier and Hiroki Kuroda are both off to career years and the entire populace of Los Angeles is hoping they can keep it up.

Should the Phillies win the NL, which is far from a foregone conclusion, the AL stage appears set for a repeat World Series. The only question is, which one? The Yankees and Rays, both of the Phillies opponents in the past two series, are dominating the AL and both look like they have the depth and talent to take it all the way.

The Yankees pitching staff is as complete and consistent as they come. The Bronx Bombers have confidence sending any one of their five-man rotation out to the mound, which many teams cannot claim. Their hurlers are also supported by the lesser-known and lesser-paid members of the position players, as Robinson Cano is proving to be a Chase Utley-esque power hitting force at second.

The Rays boast the best record in the AL and are proving that their first World Series trip in 2008 was no anomaly. Tampa Bay was riding a streak of six straight wins before their recent loss to the Astros, and are 13-6 thus far in the month of May. They are led by superstar-in-the-making Evan Longoria, and pitcher David Price, who possesses a microscopic 1.81 ERA to go along with his six victories. Price’s singular loss came in a game in which he only gave up six hits and three earned runs.

Baseless Prediction: Yankees beat Phillies in six.

Atta Boy’s:

– Cincinnati Reds: Despite posting sub-.500 seasons for the past nine years, the Reds are tied for the third best record in the NL. It is early in the season, and there is still plenty of time for them to implode, but so far the Reds have earned a spot free from the cobwebs of the NL Central basement. First baseman Joey Votto quietly had an All-Star caliber year in 2009, and his consistent numbers at the plate should draw more recognition this season given the Reds apparent legitimacy.

-Jason Heyward: I guess he’s not bad, for a rookie. This kid is out to sell a lot of jerseys in Georgia, and is quickly becoming the hottest thing since a July afternoon in said state. This is a kid who has to ask Chipper Jones to buy him beer but still leads the team in HRs and RBI with nine and 33, respectively. It must suck to be any other first-year who really thought he had a chance at Rookie of the Year in 2010.

-San Diego Padres: Although they had not suffered a drought as prolonged or severe as the Reds, the Padres had finished in fourth and fifth place in the NL west in 2009 and 2010, opposite-of-respectively (tricked you, huh?). The Padres, however, have cooled off severely and look like they may not keep up their winning pace in 2010.

-Phil Hughes: After Hughes’ postseason struggles pitching from the bullpen in 2009, there was much debate over whether or not he would be granted a starting spot in 2010. The Yankees brass made the right decision, as Hughes carries a perfect 5-0 record, and has shown incredible command and mental fortitude on the mound. Atta boy, Phil.

We’re Not Mad, We’re Just Disappointed’s:

-David Ortiz: As the Chinese citizen in the memorable commercial states, “you no Big Papi.” True enough, this man does not look like the David Ortiz that terrorized pitchers with his lethal lumber and bulldog mug, and hasn’t for the past few seasons. Ortiz does have eight HRs, but looks uncomfortable and confused at the plate far too often for a man who is only being paid to hit.

-San Francisco Giants: I, like many, thought that 2010 would be the year of the Giant. Their rotation is chock-full of talent and their lineup, although not stellar, featured enough good wood to back the pitching staff up. Neither side has lived up to their potential in 2010, however. The Giants are not playing poor baseball, but they are not playing dominant baseball like they should. Tim Lincecum has been nothing short of brilliant from the mound, but Cain and Sanchez have struggled. Like I said, I’m not mad. Just disappointed.

-Jason Bay: As much as I love to see the Mets’ big acquisitions flounder, I am thoroughly disappointed in Jason Bay. Although Bay did not hit consistently for the BoSox in 2009, he posted a solid 36 HRs and finished with 119 RBI. Bay currently has a single HR and only 16 RBI. If my abacus is correct and we are somewhere near the one quarter point of the season, Bay is on pace for a whopping four HRs and 56 RBI. If I were Jerry Manuel, I’d be a lot more than disappointed. 

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Phan Phavorites: 10 Most Beloved Phillies Role Players

The Philadelphia Phillies have a long and storied, although not always impressive, history.

Throughout the years they have had their fair share of characters—and Philadelphia fans have a soft spot in their hearts for the quirky, the loud-mouthed, the eccentric, and the bold.

Although they did not always lead the team in numerical categories, these players have won the affection of the populace as the most beloved Phillies of all time.

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Yank These: Philadelphia Phillies Should Be America’s Team

Baseball is America’s pastime, and the Yankees are considered by many to be “America’s Team.”

With their history of success and a seemingly insurmountable mountain of hardware lining the organization’s trophy cases, it is easy to see why this is the case.

But although they are, historically and statistically speaking, the “best” team, does that mean they are “America’s” team? I propose that the Yankees personify many characteristics of America, the only problem is, they’re all the wrong ones.

This is my formal proposal to Congress, Obama, whomever…that the Philadelphia Phillies should take over as the penultimate representation of the Stars and Stripes in MLB.

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Why Carlos Ruiz Deserves Your Respect

No, I’m not saying he always did. Just that he does now.

I, like many Phillies fans, barely stifled a sigh of disappointment when old “Carlos Ruissss”(as PA Announcer Dan Baker refers to him) steps into the batter’s box. A dribbling grounder seemed inevitable, and then the pitcher was up. How thrilling.

At the end of last season however, an entirely new player had filled the squat, stubby body of the Phils’ starting catcher. He even called himself Carlos Ruiz. The nerve.

We all knew Carlos was a sub-par hitter, so who was this little bundle of right-handed power? I still believe it is an impostor, but so far have no hard evidence to back up my claims.

Whoever he is, he hit .385 over the course of the 2009 NLCS and .333 in the World Series loss to the Yankees. He homered once in both series’.

The stalwart backstop is proving that these performances were not flukes. So far this season he’s hitting .354, tops on the high-octane offensive team. Will his numbers stay this high? Probably not, but you sure don’t hear those groans from the bleachers when the number eight hitter shuffles to the plate.

While sharing the lineup with pretty-boy Chase Utley and the “Black Jared” of Subway, Ryan Howard, Ruiz is the least heralded, but one of the more productive, members of the team.

Ruiz is coming off of a four-hit game against the Rockies, and has tallied 14 hits in the past six games against tough opponents. He also has registered two homers and five RBIs over this stretch.

Ruiz has also shown a penchant for patience at the plate. He has walked 21 times this season so far, second only to Chase Utley on the team (which really shouldn’t count considering pitchers love to bean Utley and, let’s face it, he just loves to get hit.)

Ruiz’s newfound consistency helps more than just the stats on the box score imply. Having a solid threat at the bottom of the lineup changes a pitcher’s game plan and keeps him from getting comfortable after retiring the more highly-touted bats on the lineup.

It’s also a known fact that pitchers suck at batting, and reaching the top of the order with one out instead of two provides a team with a much greater opportunity to manufacture runs.

In addition, “Chooch” (Charlie Manuel’s pet-name for Ruiz, cute huh?) is about as good as you can get fielding-wise for his position. He has a perfect 1.000 percent fielding percentage and has recorded 18 assists from the catcher spot.

He also has been able to call some great games for the Phils’, whose pitching has not been as stellar as many had predicted.

So the next time your friends start going off about how hot Jayson Werth is, hitting-wise, or how hot Chase Utley is, not hitting-wise (it may be time to get some new friends as well), remind them that Carlos Ruiz is having just as big of an impact with his bat as well as his glove. If they ask you who Carlos Ruiz is, just send them the link to this article (I could use the reads.)

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Phillies Fans: Menaces to Society?

Philadelphia fans in general have a bad reputation. We are loud. We are fickle. More often than not, we are intoxicated. An athlete playing for a Philly team is only as good as his last play. While some may see that as a negative, I see it as a sign of our dedication to our teams and our city. We simply refuse to tolerate a player not owning up the cash he’s paid. This makes our players better. Philadelphia bleeds red (obviously), but it’s not any old normal red, it’s Phillies red. I can’t prove there is a difference in the color, but take my word for it. However, this tendency towards raucousness has led a few bad apples to stray far from the tree of simple jeering and booing. Here are some of the most recent Phillies fans who have taken it a step too far.

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Amber Alert: Phillies Offense Missing

When you’re hot you’re hot and when you’re not, well, the Phillies batsmen know all too well. After winning their first eight of ten games to start the 2010 season, the roaring offensive firepower that fueled this effort appears to have petered out.

The Phils explosive power was last seen on the 16th of April in Citizens Bank Park in an 8-3 victory over the Florida Marlins, when both newcomer Placido Polanco and Chase Utley belted homers and Jayson Werth chipped in with two doubles.

Then, just like that, the bats went silent.

Yes, the Phils did score eight runs in a win against the Braves the following week, but they recorded only one extra-base hit and has to resort to the lowly “small ball” in order to get the win.

Yes, Jimmy Rollins, the perennial leadoff man has not played a game in over two weeks.

Yes, nobody stays hot forever.

But the Phillies have found themselves in uncharted territory thanks to this recent slump, second place in the NL East. That is not a typo. Second.

The Phillies have been outscored 16-28 in their last five games, and although the numbers aren’t terrible, they usually can rely on their strong lineup to give their starting pitchers plenty of run support and are sorely struggling without.

Roy Halladay can’t pitch every game (or so they say) and the Phillies, who were favored to be NL Champions at the start of the season, look more like a team struggling to stay above .500 without their timber arsenal firing on all cylinders.

So please, if you’ve seen the Phillies offense, corner it, give it some treats to calm it down, and call Charlie Manuel immediately.

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