He’s one of the greats. He could be the missing link in a potential-filled Phillies team. He could be the key to winning another World Series. But, just like any great commodity, he comes at a cost.
As rumors continue swirling regarding Roy Halladay, the Cy Young award winning ace, coming to Philadelphia, excitement continues to build. But, might that excitement be a bit premature?
The Blue Jays aren’t going to give him away.
According to the most recent reports, sources are saying that Halladay will cost the Phillies J.A. Happ, Kyle Drabek, and Dominic Brown. Now it’s up to the Phillies to take the deal or counter.
Manager Charlie Manuel addressed the situation today, when reporters asked him if Halladay was worth the Jay’s asking price.
“I like Drabek and the basic reason I say that is, when I look at him, the style of pitcher that he is, I look at his upside. I look at his tools. I look at the kind of pitcher he is—I call him a drop and drive pitcher—and I think he’s on the order of Nolan Ryan or Tom Seaver or Colon, guys like that with a real strong core, strong legs, get a big push off the rubber to produce power. It’s a style that usually makes for a long career. That’s what I see.”
Aside from Drabek, Happ would also be a significant loss to the Phils rotation. He’s been the steadiest of the Phils starters with a 7-1 record, trumping ace Cole Hamels (6-5) and every other Phils starter.
Bottom line is, you can’t ask much more from a pitcher than what Happ is giving you now. Halladay says he doesn’t want to sign an extension so he’s only good for a year-and-a-half. Happ is showing potential to be great for a long time.
Why trade the farm to get a pitcher who may only be a tad better than the one you’re giving up?
The Phils have what it takes now to be a powerhouse for a long time. But don’t take that for granted. You go trading away the farm now and the window to win narrows. That’s all Halladay does for you- give you a chance to win in a narrow window.
Why not open that window wider by keeping what you have. Maybe pick up a number three or some bullpen help.
There’s an unnecessary sense of urgency for Halladay. He’s an exciting player, but think about the cost.
He was a survivor. They kept him in the minors for more than thirteen years; he survived.
They sent him to Triple-A after he hit nearly .500 in Spring Training; he survived.
They signed Rod Barajas to take his job; he proved to be better.
They signed Ronnie Paulino to take his place; he won the job.
They signed Paul Bako; he finally lost.
Although you might have seen this coming (after all, the front office has been trying to get rid of him for years), “shocking” seems to be a fitting word to describe yesterday’s decision to place Phillies’ backup backstop Chris Coste on waivers. A man who’s journey to the majors was, quite literally, a book, left the city yesterday for Houston, after the Phils’ front office decided that the newly acquired Paul Bako was a better fit.
He was a man who won every Philadelphian’s heart. He was, in every sense of the word, a Philadelphia hero.
It never came easy to Coste, who was 33 when he made his major league debut with the Phillies. He never once gave up. He stuck with it through hard times and long bus-trips to farmlands and redneckvilles that minor league teams called home. He had the hard life, but he never looked at it that way. He saw it as baseball, a game he loved.
He stuck with it. He never quit. That’s why we loved him. That’s why he was a hero.
Though, at times, his play between the lines could get frustrating, we never lost respect for Coste. He got us and we got him. That’s something you rarely find in a city as demanding as Philadelphia.
The change hit a soft spot for the thirty-six year-old Coste, as well. “I didn’t realize how much the fans would take to me,” Coste said. “I don’t know that there’s many cities around baseball that would take to me the way Philadelphia has. It’s almost the kind of stuff you could write a book about.”
But now, Coste’s storybook life will move to Houston, where he will assume a major-league roll. It’s tough to see him go, but if anyone can win a new set of fans over, it would be Coste.
Best of luck, Chris.
In the bottom of the eleventh inning at a sold out Citizens Bank Park, with two strikes and two outs to Greg Dobbs, Dobbs hit a ball that came just about as close to being a home run as you possibly can.
The ball went directly over the foul pole, or so it seemed on the replay Comcast SportsNet showed during their broadcast. But, after a long pause on the field, first base umpire Jim Joyce signalled foul, much to the dismay of all 45,321 fans and the Phillies’ dugout.
- A screenshot from Comcast SportsNet’s post game coverage that seemingly shows the ball going over the foul pole in the 11th inning. The foul call was not reviewed to the dismay of Charlie Manuel.
The call lured Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel out of the dugout. When Manuel discussed the call with Joyce, you could see Joyce shake his head and say something like, “We’re not reviewing this one.”
In September of 2008, Major League Baseball implemented an instant replay system which can be used for only three purposes, all of which involve home runs:
- fair (home run) or foul
- whether the ball actually left the playing field
- whether the ball was subject to spectator interference
Tonight’s scenario fits into bullet point one. So why wasn’t the call reviewed?
Could it have been the umpire’s ego getting in the way? Possibly. But, Manuel addressed the situation in his post-game news conference.
“He said they weren’t going to review it. They didn’t ‘want to review it’ is basically what [Joyce] said. I asked him why. I said I wanted it reviewed. He said ‘it’s my call.'”
“He said he saw it. I asked him a lot of questions about it. He said, ‘I stayed on it Charlie.’ I said to him it’s not where it lands, it’s where it goes out. And he said, ‘I stayed on it. I’ve been doing this a little while too.'”
“…he said it’s not reviewable, it’s my call, or something similar to that.”
And with that non-review, the Phillies proceeded to fall to the Boston Red Sox 5-2, after the Sox scored three runs off Kyle Kendrick in the thirteenth.
OK, so every now and then I get a pretty asinine e-mail. This one came from a crazed fan who moved out of the Philly area a few years ago but reads Phillie Phanatics to keep up to date. For the sake of protecting his identity from all you Utley lovers, we’ll call him John Doe. Here’s the (slightly edited) exchange that took place between us in the wee-hours of Monday morning:
From: Doe, John. To: Roddy, Shay.
Subject: Trade possibility
Hey Shay,
I’m looking at possible trade options to sure-up the Phillies’ rotation. I can’t help but wonder if the Phillies could possibly land my favorite pitcher, Edinson Volquez. The trade would look like this: Chase Utley and Antonio Bastardo for Brandon Philllps and Volquez.
Please let me know what you think!
John Doe
Seattle, Washington
___________________________
From: Roddy, Shay. To: Doe, John.
Subject: RE: Trade possibility
John,
I appreciate the e-mail, but this is a REALLY bad trade. First of all, Edinson is on the DL right now. Secondly, you’re giving up your best offensive player (arguably) and a top pitching prospect. And finally, Cincinatti is not looking to trade either of those two, or take on the tremendous salary and commitment that comes with Mr. Utley.
I don’t see this trade working at all, unless you can convince me otherwise.
Shay
___________________________
From: Doe, John. To: Roddy, Shay.
Subject: RE: Trade possibility
Shay,
Philips I think is a really interesting piece in this trade. He’s 27, a 30-30 guy and a possible future 40-40 guy. He already has 42 RBI this year. He could fit into this lineup nicely, he’s another cleanup hitter in the lineup. That would give the Phillies three cleanup hitters in one lineup. However, the Phillies seem pretty set on four hitters, so Phillips can use his versatility and bat 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.
I think he would make what is already a great lineup even better.
Cheers,
John
___________________________
From: Roddy, Shay. To: Doe, John.
Subject: RE: Trade possibility
John,
I’m really not liking this trade. First of all, it’s not going to happen. The Phillies aren’t going to trade Utley, and the Reds aren’t trading Volquez or Phillips. But, just for argument’s sake, IF it were to happen, you’d be bringing another 100 strikeouts into this lineup. If you bat Phillips and Howard back-to-back (which seems to be the most logical order) you’d be throwing out even more rallies to strikeouts. These strikeouts and power would be an addition to a lineup that already struggles playing small ball.
Shay
___________________________
From: Doe, John. To: Roddy, Shay.
Subject: RE: Trade possibility
Shay…
This is a really excellent trade. First of all, you are letting one great player go in exchange for TWO GREAT PLAYERS. Philips will provide a spark in this lineup that is otherwise not present. He’ll become part of the BEST LINEUP IN PHILLIES HISTORY: Rollins SS, Victorino CF, Phillips 2B, Howard 1B, Ibanez LF, Mayberry RF, Feliz 3B, Ruiz C. Admit that lineup has no holes!
And Edinson has nasty stuff and is a lock to win 15 a year. He’d help fill the void left during Myers’ stint on the disabled list and join what would become one of the scariest rotations in baseball–Cole Hamels, Volquez, Carlos Carrasco, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ.
Please, I know moving Utley seems ambitious, but consider the potential these two new Phillies would bring.
John
____________________________
From: Roddy, Shay. To: Doe, John.
Subject: RE: Trade possibility
John,
Your points aren’t far off, and you’ve made me look at this a little closer, but the trade is still unrealistic. I think the best explanation for why it’s not workable is that the trade is only good on paper. It might work in your fantasy league, but is not an option in reality.
In that rotation of yours, where are you putting Jamie Moyer? You seriously value Carrasco, who’s shown he’s not even close to big-league ready, as more important than Moyer? That alone devalues the rest of your argument. It’s a bad, unrealistic trade.
Shay
____________________________
From: Doe, John. To: Roddy, Shay.
Subject: RE: Trade possibility
Moyer, are you serious?? DROP HIMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!! DEMOTE HIM TO TRIPLE-A OR LONG RELIEF!!!!!!!!! He is old and finished. Make him a assistant pitching coach, I don’t care, just get his old ass out of the rotation.
John
____________________________
From: Roddy, Shay. To: Doe, John.
Subject: RE: Trade possibility
John, I pretty much just lost any respect I had for you. You’re not thinking buddy. Pretty much everything you have said makes no sense. If you really believe you can do that with Moyer, then you’re out of your mind.
Thanks for reading, bud.
Shay
——
You can email Shay Roddy at sroddy@philliephanatics.org and read his blog here.
CINCINNATI– According to General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., Chan Ho Park has been moved to the bullpen effective immediately. After going just 1 1/3 innings on Sunday, Park has been demoted to the role he has held through much of his career– long relief.
Park didn’t say much, but did offer this to reporters: “I’m disappointed I lost the job, but I got a new job now.”
J.A. Happ will take Park’s spot in the baseball’s worst rotation (seriously, it’s statistically the worst in baseball) starting Saturday at new Yankee Stadium.
More coming…
————-
The Phillies made a minor league addition Monday, signing catcher Paul Bako. Bako, a veteran of ten different Major League teams over eleven seasons, is a career .231 hitter. He was last with the Cubs during spring training, but was released March 30. And no, he’s not going to be the needed right-handed bat, he bats from the left side.
The signing seems a little puzzling, is it just a step toward having a plethora of young catching talent– maybe, but if you read into it a little further, you can’t help but wonder if he may see some time with the big club.
When Carlos Ruiz got hurt in April, catching prospect Lou Marson was called up to try to help backup Chris Coste fill the hole Ruiz left. Marson looks promising, but wasn’t all that impressive. Besides, he needs to be spending his time catching every day and hitting every day, not sitting on a big league bench. Bako has proved over his career that he is capable of filling the big league backup catcher’s role. Sure, he’s a bad hitter, but is good for an occasional start and has decent skills behind the dish.
Managers tend to be hesitant to use the backup catcher as a pinch-hitter because the catcher position requires uncommon skills. Could the Phillies be thinking of adding Bako, when ready, to the big league roster as the backup catcher, thus freeing up Chris Coste to come off the bench as the necessary right handed bat?
It could certainly be a possibility.
————-
Other Notes:
- Charlie Manuel will use the same lineup that he used in Washington over the weekend, with Ibanez batting third, Utley second, and Werth fifth. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
- Manuel also announced that Matt Stairs will not DH against Andy Petite or C.C. Sabathia in New York this weekend. He said calling up a right-handed bat would be an option.
- J.C. Romero surrendered a run on two hits in an inning of work in his first appearance with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He also struck out two.
- The Phillies made a few shuffles in the rotation to set up for this weekend’s series in New York– They pushed Jamie Moyer’s start to Wednesday, which lines him up for a favorable match-up with Florida, who he has had success against, on Monday. Cole Hamels, who pitches tomorrow, is on schedule to meet C.C. Sabathia Sunday.
After last night’s game, the Phillies made a roster move, sending last night’s starter Andrew Carpenter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in exchange for Sergio Escalona. The move, at first seemed puzzling– why call up a pitcher, and why Escalona? So, let’s take a closer look at the move.
The Phillies weren’t going to keep Andrew Carpenter on their roster, after his rocky-route to a win on Saturday night, so they had to find someone to replace him. There were a few options, like third baseman Mike Cervenak, who had a brief stint with the big-club last season.
Cervenak is currently batting .326 with three home runs and 23 RBI for Lehigh Valley but hurt his wrist Saturday, forcing him to make a trip to the DL, so his name was out of the mix.
But why not someone like second baseman Pablo Ozuna, who had a stellar spring training and is hitting .286 with a .320 OBP, or John Mayberry, who’s hitting .270, but has shown power, which can be valuable off the bench, with his eight home runs and 25 RBI?
But maybe the Phillies just needed a pitcher, as J.C. Romero waits out the remaining fourteen games of his suspension.
So, why not Mike Koplove, who has allowed just one earned runs and 12 hits while striking out 21 and walking nine in 17 1/3 innings; or Gary Majewski has allowed eight earned runs in 19 1/3 innings (3.72 ERA)?
Or what about Kyle Kendrick, who is improving his off-speed pitch, and has a respectable 3.75 ERA in 36 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
But despite what the team could’ve done, they decided to add Escalona. Pitching coach Rich Dubee explained the decision as two-fold. Heading into their fourth game in three days, the Phils felt they needed an extra arm to shore up a bullpen, which has been severely overused in recent days.
Chan Ho Park, who, to his credit, has good as of late, has not exactly been the Phils most consistent performer was to take the hill in game four. In the short term Dubee felt an extra arm would be more valuable than an extra bat. Dubee said Escalona offers the team “flexibility,” since he has minor league options.
If the Phils were to call up a veteran, like Majewski, in order to put them back down they would need to designate them for assignment. When you are designated for assignment, you have options to jump ship and head over to another club, where a big-league job may be open.
For now, all indications point to the fact that Escalona will stay with the big-club through the series in Cincinatti. At that point the situation will be re-assessed and the team will take the long term future into account.
And hey, so far the move has worked out—Park pitched only 1 1/3 innings Sunday and Escalona came in in a key spot to pick up his first big-league win.
Thanks to Dave Murphy, of The Philadelphia Daily News, for most of the information above.
The Phillies took both games of today’s Day/ Night double header at Nationals Park in Washington. Raul Ibanez led the charge in both games, finishing with three home-runs on the day. Here’s a closer look at today’s action…
Game One
After a twelve-inning game Friday night, that forced the Phillies to dive deep into their bullpen, the team needed some decent innings and a quality start from Brett Myers in game one Saturday.
And they got just what they needed. Myers even further improved his unblemished road record (3-0) with his win Saturday.
Myers struck out eight, including four in his last two innings, giving the bullpen plenty of breathing room, as he left with a 6-2 lead, coming out for a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth.
“I was thinking about sending him back out there, but once we had runners in scoring position and all those left-handed hitters on the bench, I figured we might as well use them,” said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.
Manuel’s tactics worked, and the Phils were able to tack on a couple more runs.
Myers, who’s been hurt often by the long ball, allowed no exceptions Saturday. The ball flew out of Nationals Park, for both sides in the early portion of the game. Myers surrendered two home-runs.
“After the third inning I felt like he really settled in and started going more at the hitters,” Manuel observed. “He looked like he was really making sure he was spotting his fastball.”
Offensively, the Phils weren’t so shabby either. Their 14 hit assault was led by outfielder Raul Ibanez. Ibanez put the Phils ahead quickly, hitting homeruns in each of his first two at bats. In his first multihomer game of the season and the 10th of his career, Ibanez followed up a four-hit game on Friday with three more hits and four RBIs.
After a Jayson Werth home-run in the second to tie things up, the Phils started to pile things on in the third. They never looked back from there.
The Phils bullpen hit a minor speed bump in the bottom of the eighth, when Ryan Madson came on in relief and gave up three runs on four hits to pull the Nationals to within three at 8-5, making it a save situation for struggling Phillies’ closer.
But “Lights Out’ Lidge lived up to his name,
pitching a scoreless ninth and getting dangerous pinch-hitter Elijah Dukes to strike out swinging for the final out and his sixth save.
Manuel like what he saw, and continued to instill his confidence in Lidge.
“His stuff is there, it’s good, and he’s our closer,” Manuel said. “We’re going to keep running him out there to get him right.”
Game Two
The rains came in full force Saturday night, giving the Phillies and Nationals bullpens a much needed rest.
With Philadelphia leading, 7-5, in the top of the sixth inning, and the bases loaded for Ryan Howard, the skies opened up forcing crew-chief Laz Diaz to call for the tarps– sending both clubs scurrying off the field and into a rain delay which became a “call” after an hour and a half.
Before the rain delay, the Phillies called on Andrew Carpenter, who had just one big league inning under his belt, to start for the Phillies, in lieu of J.A. Happ, who was scheduled to pitch, but was forced to pitch two innings in last night’s 12-inning win.
Carpenter was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley just after midnight on Friday. He didn’t arrive in Washington until the sixth inning of game one.
In the first the Nationals gave Carpenter a typical, ‘welcome to the big leagues, kid,’ greeting him with a double to the wall by Cristian Guzman and an RBI single by Nick Johnson to put Carpenter in an immediate 1-0 hole. Carpenter managed to limit the damage to just that in the first inning by working out of a bases-loaded jam.
“I was actually more nervous [in last year’s start] than I was today,” said Carpenter, who was 1-0 with a 4.72 ERA in six starts for the Iron Pigs. “I didn’t have too much time to think about it, which was probably a good thing.”
He settled down from there too, cruising, until he hit a little trouble in the fifth–a two-run single by Willie Harris, causing Charlie Manuel, who saw the storms coming, to go get his rookie and replace him with Clay Condrey, to sure things up, just in case the game wouldn’t last much longer.
“I wanted to make sure we got in those five innings,” Manuel said. “I wanted Carpenter to go five, but that was the most bullets he’s thrown this year and he was getting worn down. Their hitters did a good job of stretching the count on him. But I felt he was aggressive, he stayed in there and battled and made the pitches when he had to.”
Offensively, the Phils bats got things done as well, scoring seven runs in just five innings, and having the bases loaded in the sixth, when the tarps were, at first unsuccessfully drug onto the field. Ryan Howard, who embedded a two-run third-inning shot in the centerfield batters eye. The ball had to pulled out of the lawn, beyond the 402′ sign in centerfield.
And then there was Raul Ibanez, who led the charge all day, hit a pivotal fifth inning homerun, his third of the day.
The Nationals never stood a chance from there.
The Phils and Nationals are back at it on Sunday, where the Phils will try to complete the four-game sweep of the last-place Nationals. The Phils will hand the ball to Chan Ho Park, who will go up against Jordan Zimmerman. Game time is set for 1:35 from Nationals Park.
BEHIND COLE HAMELS, THE PHILLIES DEFEATED THE BRAVES LAST NIGHT, 10-6, GETTING HAMELS HIS FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON
PHILADELPHIA—After a season of freak accidents and frustrating outings for Cole Hamels, the Phillies ace got back on track last night at Citizens Bank Park. Hamels pitched six innings, surrendering two runs. The lefthander had thrown 95 pitches, 64 for strikes, and allowed three hits while striking out seven, when he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the sixth.
In his last two starts, Hamels was plagued by injuries, forcing him to, twice in a row, leave the game early.
Cole Hamels scores on Jimmy Rollins’ two-run double in the second inning. (Photo: AP)
“I’m glad nothing came down and hit me or something,” Hamels said. “It was almost abnormal, getting out there in the fifth inning and the sixth inning, like where am I? Because I haven’t been out there in a really long time.”
The next question was, what type of pitcher would Hamels be tonight. Hamels has struggled so far this year, posting an ERA over 7.00 going into the game. That question was quickly put to rest. Hamels was on top of his game, demonstrating his nasty changeup for the Braves hitters.
Hamels sped through the Braves’ line-up, not allowing a base-runner. Five of those nine outs were recorded on strikeouts. Many of those strikeouts ended with off-balance Braves hit flailing his early bat through the strike-zone.
Hamels continued to roll, hitting a few minor bumps, and surrendering a pair of two-out walks in the sixth, bringing Charlie Manuel out to the mound, with the intention of taking his ace out of the game. But catcher Chris Coste and second baseman Chase Utley lobbied for Hamels to stay, and Manuel changed his mind.
“That was great,” Hamels said. “Having my team’s confidence is the best. The ultimate goal is to have your team count on you.”
And it’s very relieving to see the Phils finally having a reason to have confidence in a member of their starting rotation. If they want to make any attempt at getting anywhere near where they were last fall, they’ll need Hamels to rely on.
The Phillies lost another legend today. Danny Ozark, the hound-faced manager of the ‘73- ‘79 Fightins died this morning, at his home in Vero Beach, Fla. He was 85.
When Ozark arrived in Philadelphia, the team was in last place and in dire need of a turnaround. Ozark met the Philadelphia media for a press conference upon his arrival. When asked how excited he was to get his first big-league managerial position, Ozark replied, “I wasn’t overly excited. I didn’t jump up and shout ‘Whoopee!’”
And that set the tone of Ozark’s attitude—”unexcitable.”
In Ozark’s first three seasons, the team showed steady improvement. And in 1976, he led the team to a 101-win season, a franchise record, and a trip to the NLCS. In ‘77, he again led the team to 101 wins and a NLCS, but lost to the Dodgers, in four games.
The next year, the Phillies were only able to win ninety games. Again it was good enough to get them to an NLCS, where they faced the Dodgers, again, in a rematch. The Phillies fell a step short of the World Series for the third consecutive season.
Ozark raised stars such as Mike Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, Larry Bowa, and Bob Boone. Seeing the young stars fail to reach the World Series three consecutive times, management started getting impatient, so they signed Pete Rose that offseason to put the team over the top.
But in the 1979 season, plagued by injuries and a lack of pitching depth, the Phillies played poorly all season and were still two games under the .500 mark on August 31st. It cost Ozark his job, and Dallas Green took over as Phillies manager September 1st.
The Phillies went on to win a World Series in 1980, under Green. Though Ozark wasn’t at the reigns for that world championship, he played a pivotal role in grooming the stars who won in it and moving the team in a direction where they could get there.
Ozark made one more quick stint as an interim manager in San Francisco, after Frank Robinson was fired in August of ’84. He then retired to Florida. But he always missed Philadelphia.
“[My wife] Ginny and I really miss Philadelphia,” Ozark said in a Philadelphia Magazine story published last month. “We enjoyed our time there. That city is a great sports town. The fans are the greatest. They do express themselves, but that’s OK. We made a lot of lifelong friends there.”
In addition to Ginny, Ozark is survived by his two children, Dwain and Darlene; three granddaughters, and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
(Photo: AP)
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