Philadelphia Phillies: 2012 MLB Season Reality Check

In the Philadelphia sports world, there’s a lot of disappointment and buzz surrounding the beloved Phillies at this point in the 2012 MLB season. There’s talk of mediocrity, injury and under-performing; in short, the Philly sportswriters are doing well at creating a little panic.

Here’s the reality of the situation around baseball on June 4th, 2012:

If you look around the standings, you will see that the team with the most wins in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers, has merely 33. That’s only five more than the “mediocre” 28-27 Phillies have. This shows how much parity there is around Major League Baseball.

The Phillies are not the only team that are not playing to their potential, and they surely are not the only team fighting the injury bug.

Look around, Philadelphia sportswriters and fans.

The Red Sox and Yankees aren’t that much better off than Philadelphia. Actually, to date, Tampa Bay is currently sitting atop the AL East with Baltimore (2-8 in their last 10 games) in second place.

Texas has played well out West, yet still holds a 32-22 record.

Detroit was supposed to be a serious contender, with AL Cy Young winner and MVP Justin Verlander leading their rotation and after the signing of Prince Fielder in the offseason. Yet you look at their record of 25-29 and check out their latest box score, which shows three guys hitting under the Mendoza line, and it makes you wonder what is going on in Detroit.

Look around the league. It’s in every division: parity, injury problems and underperforming.

Surprise standouts from around the league include the San Francisco Giants’ Melky Cabrera currently holding the NL’s top batting average, while in the AL, Chicago White Sox slugger Paul Konerko tops the same stat. Pitcher Gio Gonzalez, a former Philadelphia prospect—who, if memory serves, was traded by Philly twice—tops the strikeout leaders in the NL and is among the league leaders in several other categories.

My point is this: It’s June 4th, and no one has made the playoffs yet.

So, Philly sportswriters and fans, relax. There’s still 108 games to be played (not including tonight’s).

Ryan Howard and Chase Utley will be back eventually, and how well they perform will be an indicator for how much the team improves over the course of the second half of the season.

The two big-hitting stars will likely return around the time that ace of aces Roy Halladay returns. Hopefully, he is healthy and pitches more like the Doc Halladay we know.

Until then, there are many improvements that can be made.

Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino can hit a lot better than what they have been, and it all starts with becoming more selective at what they swing at. You can’t teach an old dogs new tricks…or so they say. So, unless those two decide to start trying to work walks instead of hitting the first or second pitch to an infielder or popping out, the run totals and win-loss column likely won’t change much until the aforementioned three players return.

The one thing Philly fans can count on is this: If the team recovers and makes the playoffs in 2012, it will be a team that more closely resembles the 2008 champions.

Why?

Because they are forced to overcome more obstacles this year than any other, since ’08, to perform at the level required to succeed.

To achieve this success, it will require group synergy, hunger to win, mental and physical toughness and some luck that can only be created through a lot of hard work. And these things are what the City of Brotherly Love is known for best…outside of cheese steaks and the Liberty Bell, of course.

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MLB Playoff Predictions for the 2011 Season

As the MLB 2011 season winds down, there are few certainties going into the postseason.

Locks to make the playoffs appear to be Philadelphia and Arizona in the National League and the Yankees and Tigers in the American League.

The St. Louis Cardinals appear poised to make things interesting in the NL Central trailing the Brewers by six games in the division and 4.5 games behind Atlanta in the Wildcard.

The offensively challenged defending champion San Francisco Giants are 9.5 games out in the NL West and 8.5 out in the NL Wildcard. Another World Series Championship team unable to make the playoffs the following year has to be disappointing to San Francisco fans.

In the AL, Boston trails the division leading Yankees by only 2.5 games but with a litany of injuries and pitching not playing to it’s potential their 4.5 game lead in the Wildcard is tenuous at best with Tampa Bay coming on strong at the finish line.

The Detroit Tigers would have to have a complete collapse to not make the playoffs with a 10 game lead over the White Sox entering play today.

The AL West could come down to the wire between the defending AL champion Texas Rangers clinging to a 1.5 game lead over the LA Angels.

 

No matter who makes the playoffs, the two teams to watch seem to be the Yankees and Phillies.

The Yankees have hit a major league high with 201 home runs, entering play today, and have eight players with double digit home run output—living up to their Bronx Bombers label.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Philles have a major league team leading low 3.03 ERA, entering play today, with one of the best five-man rotations in the history of the game firing on all cylinders.

Since acquiring Hunter Pence at the trade deadline Philadelphia has jumped in runs scored in the NL from ninth to fifth, despite battling continuous injuries to key players for the second year in a row.

After completing a sweep of the Atlanta Braves earlier this week and taking the first three games against Milwaukee this weekend, it’s difficult to imagine anyone seriously challenging Philadelphia’s superiority in the NL this year.

But the playoffs are the playoffs and anything could happen.

In the AL, Boston has the firepower to match the Yankees but they lack, along with Detroit, the pitching to seriously be a threat in a long series.

The AL West contenders could be an interesting challenge for New York.

Barring either enormous postseason collapses or meeting a team absolutely on fire, it’s difficult to imagine anything other than a repeat of the ’09 Fall Classic in 2011.

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An Analysis of the Phillies Acquisition of Hunter Pence

Yesterday, Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. cemented himself as one of the greatest GMs in Philadelphia history with the acquisition of former Astros right fielder Hunter Pence.

Since taking over for former GM Pat Gillick, each July has produced a top tier non-rental talent for the Phillies.

Last year it was Roy Oswalt, the year before Cliff Lee, and now this season Hunter Pence.

With the acquisition of Pence, the Phillies—on paper—have one of the most beautiful team makeups I’ve witnessed since the Oakland A’s of the late ’80s and early ’90s.

They have pitching in their four aces and a surprisingly effective bullpen.

They have speed in Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Pence, Dominic Brown and John Mayberry.

They have power with Howard, Utley, Pence, Rollins and Ibanez.

And the team already has the fewest errors committed defensively in the majors to this point in the 2011 season.

What Pence brings to the Phillies is invaluable.

When I think of a ballplayer like Pence, I compare his grittiness, work ethic and love of the game to that of Chase Utley’s.

In my mind, the acquisition of Pence gives the Phillies virtually a second Chase Utley—only from the right side of the dish with a rifle arm in right field.

There was no other deal for Philadelphia to make that could have improved the overall everyday ability of the ball club.

Sure, it would be great if they were able to nab another bullpen piece, but the team’s offense clearly needed an upgrade and with this move the Phillies plugged every offensive need they had with the acquisition of Pence.

Prior to the trade, I was a little concerned Pence might not be happy in Philadelphia because he seemed so happy and comfortable in Houston.

Pence going four for his last 31 at-bats concerned me.

After hearing his remarks following the trade, my disposition has changed—it seems Pence is genuinely excited to play for a great team and to get out of an organization clearly in a rebuilding phase.

With Polanco coming off the DL, Lidge pitching effectively from the bullpen and the arrival of Pence, the trade San Francisco made to acquire Beltran seems a whole lot less scary than it did for that one day in Philadelphia fan’s minds.

More to come in a few days after watching this revamped lineup.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 1/3 Mark of the 2011 Season Report

On this beautiful Memorial Day, we take a moment to recognize, salute, and appreciate the lives of the military veterans that have given their lives so we may have the freedoms we enjoy today.

Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., the Philadelphia Phillies reach their own milestone: Game No. 54 of this young 2011 MLB Season.

Yup, that’s the one-third mark folks.

So we can now take our first look and make our first truly educated guesses for how this season could turn out.

Win or loss today, the Phillies have maintained a 60 percent or higher winning percentage since the season began.

When the offense has clicked, they’ve shown the capability of playing .700 ball.

When the offense has struggled, they still have been able to play better than .500 ball with that vaunted pitching rotation.

As to be expected, there have been some injuries along the way.

Chase Utley will be playing in his seventh game of the season today.

Shane Victorino has been stuck on 39 for a few weeks since hurting his hamstring in Atlanta.

Roy Oswalt has battled tornadoes in his hometown, as well as a bad back.

Ryan Madson has emerged to be the pitcher he truly is capable of being; the only question remains how long can he sustain this level of performance?

We’ve yet to see Brad Lidge due to injury.

Jose Contreras has recently returned from an injury.

Up and down the lineup, there has been no consistency by anyone aside from Placido Polanco.

If we multiplied everyone’s stats at the end of today by three, would those players be satisfied with what they saw?

Would the fans?

Sure, Ryan Howard would end up with 33 home runs and 120 RBI, give or take a few. He also would be striking out 196 times.

Jimmy Rollins would end up scoring 90 runs and stealing 36 bases, give or take a few.

Raul Ibanez would have about 20 home runs, and that’s really the only stat worth tabulating.

Polanco has a shot at 200 hits this season.

That’s about it for the offense, so it’s pretty fair to say Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has some work to do before the trade deadline.

Let’s look at the pitching, which everyone was salivating like a rabid dog to see since signing Cliff Lee in December.

Roy Halladay appears to be mirroring his Cy Young 2010 season only without any perfect games or no hitter’s to this point. A model of consistency, in my mind, he is the team MVP for what he brings to the pitching staff. Not only in terms of statistical output, but also the morale and work ethic he brings to the team on a daily basis.

The Phillie pitcher with the best overall stats right now has to be Cole Hamels simply because he has more wins and less losses than the rest of the bunch. His ERA is a shade higher than Halladay’s, but his WHIP is a shade lower. He’s having a career year, on pace for 21 wins and 6 losses.

Cliff Lee’s season has been a roller coaster ride thus far, as he is the only Phillie with a shutout to this point, he also has been the victim of a lack of run support. His performances have mostly all been solid, but his 4-4 record does not do him justice. It’s certainly hard to imagine him ending the season 12-12.

Roy Oswalt simply has not pitched enough to this point in the season to be able to make any determinations. When he’s pitched, he’s looked good, and we’ll see if he stays healthy, keeps dealing and what the offense can provide for him the rest of the way.

And the fifth starter… Blanton? Worley? Kendrick?

The Phillies have been blessed with a plethora of starting pitching talent since the beginning of the season.

Overall, no matter who the fifth starter has been, the Phillies have gotten decent performances bridging Hamels to Halladay.

My overall assessment of this club:

If the season ended with the club performing as it has to this point, we’d see between 99 and 102 wins.

They traded Werth for Lee, in a manner of speaking, this past offseason, and while the pitching has been great, the offense has certainly suffered.

There is too much pressure on Ryan Howard without a bona fide hitter behind him. He has the capability of putting up Barry Bonds numbers but lacks the patience, discipline and maturity to reach this potential, especially without protection behind him. Since his 2006 MVP season, he has never played the same way and likely never will.

Chase Utley is one of the best second baseman to ever play the game, but his numbers will never reflect this because he plays so hard he gets himself injured too often. When healthy and on top of his game, there’s no one better to hit in front of Howard on the team.

Some problems the Phillies lineup has: Three guys that all could hit in the two hole comfortably in Utley, Polanco, and Victorino.

They have two guys who could hit leadoff in Rollins and Victorino.

They have three guys that could hit in the three hole with Utley, Polanco and Ibanez.

Yet, have no one suitable to hit in the five hole. This problem must be addressed and not with in house talent such as Dominic Brown, Ben Francisco, or John Mayberry Jr.

General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. will need to make a trade before the deadline to put this club over the top.

If he doesn’t, the Phillies, all in all, are no better or worse than when they were beaten by San Francisco last season.

They still are one of the top teams in the National League and in all of baseball, but if the offense does not get better, they are not the team I’d pick to win the Fall Classic this year.

Who goes, who stays, and who to go after will be tough questions for Ruben Amaro Jr. to assess going into the All-Star Break a little more than a month from now.

Stay tuned, the halfway mark will be the next chapter in my Philadelphia Phillies 2011 story…

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New 2011 Philadelphia Phillies Starting Rotation Predictions

Looking at the Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation is something everyone will be doing all season. Why?

Because they could be the best starting rotation ever assembled.

What makes one say that?

Well let’s take a look at each one.

Roy Halladay: good old No. 34 happens to be turning 34 years old this May, yet is still ranked as the No. 1 starting pitcher in all Major League Baseball.

And he is—the 2010 Cy Young Award in his cabinet proves it. The five consecutive seasons of 220-plus innings proves it. The 19 career shutouts and 58 career complete games prove it. At 34 years old by seasons end, this year could be Doc’s greatest masterpiece. My prediction: 24-6, 1.85 ERA, 250-plus innings pitched,

Cliff Lee: No. 33, ironically turning 33 years old this season in August. Ranked the No. 5 best starting pitcher in all baseball. Ninety-five—what’s that mean? That’s how many walks Lee has surrendered since the beginning of the 2008 season. That’s an average of just under 32 walks a season. Has a 7-2 cumulative postseason record with a 2.13 ERA. My prediction: 21-8, 2.40 ERA, 220-plus innings pitched.

Roy Oswalt: No. 44 turns 34 years old this August. Two 20-win campaigns under his belt and a 5-1 cumulative record in the playoffs with a 3.39 lifetime playoff ERA. Oswalt still seems to have plenty left in the tank, and he could have one of his finest seasons this year although I doubt he will duplicate his 20-win campaigns. He is perfect to pitch after Halladay and Lee. My prediction: 18-12, 2.85 ERA, 220-plus innings pitched.

Cole Hamels: No. 35 turns 28 this December. This is the guy in the rotation to watch. The youngest of the bunch, entering his sixth season, Hamels has really learned to pitch. He’s also learned how to go about his business from watching Halladay last year and Lee in 2009.

I pity teams facing these four in row in a four-game set. My prediction: Hamels will be the best left-hander in baseball this season, going 22-5 with a 2.30 ERA, and 220-plus innings pitched.

Joe Blanton: No. 36 will be 31 years old this December. Blanton has yet to record 200 innings a season while in a Philadelphia uniform. He’s done it twice in his career with Oakland and look for him to do it this season. Pitching behind the four aces make predicting what type of season he will have the most difficult.

His over-the-top arm angle and pitching style make him the perfect contrast to hitters from each of the four aces. The biggest obstacle for Blanton will be the first inning. Once through that, if he’s got a lead he’s likely to hold it. My prediction: 15-10, 4.10 Era, 200-plus innings pitched.

Yup, if you kept count, that’s 100 wins and 41 losses I’m predicting for this starting rotation alone. I don’t believe the bullpen will have too many decisions to figure in this year—precisely 21 if my predictions come true. Say the bullpen goes 10-11 this season, that would give the Phillies a 110-win season.

The offense will heavily affect this. It doesn’t matter how good the starting pitching is; if you don’t score a run you can’t win the game. The Phillies should have no problem with that. But that’s another story.

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Staggering Stats: 2011 Phillies Rotation Predictions

With the free-agent acquisition of left-hander Cliff Lee, the Philadelphia Phillies have certainly made an enormous splash in the sports-news world.

Now is the time for huge baseball geeks, such as myself, to start importing the new statistical data and create our predictions for what this starting rotation, assuming both good health and performing at career averages, will do in 2011.

If no further trades are made between now and the end of the 2011 MLB season including any of the current Philadelphia Phillies’ starting pitchers, the quintet’s combined career record is a staggering 553 wins versus 335 losses. That’s a 60.5% winning percentage.

The group would have a 3.63 ERA and each pitcher would average approximately 202 innings pitched.

Also, all five pitchers career WHIP averaged out to 1.22.

6,139 career strikeout’s between the five pitchers divided by their combined 7868 innings pitched averages out to 1.28 strikeout’s per 9 innings.

With all five pitchers working concomitantly, one could certainly predict each pitcher—again assuming perfect health—will have better statistics than their average career numbers in 2011, especially if the offense regains its former output from 2008 and 2009.

Also take into consideration Blanton, and especially Lee and Halladay, spent varying periods of time pitching in the more hitter friendly American League and had to face the designated hitter on a daily basis.

It’s certainly an exciting time for a Philadelphia Phillie fan.

Spring training can’t come soon enough, because us number crunching baseball statistic geeks can’t wait for our first samples of these four great pitchers working as a unit.

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Phillies vs. Giants Recap

Scoring five runs in the eighth inning Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Phillies won the first of a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants.

The rally in the eighth inning was started by Shane Victorino with a single. He then would steal second base one pitch before Mike Sweeney drew a walk.

Raul Ibanez then singled to right field before Carlos Ruiz smacked a double down the left-field line to plate Victorino and Sweeney.

Ross Gload, making his first appearance since injuring his groin, then grounded out on the first pitch by new Giants pitcher Ramon Ramirez.

Jimmy Rollins then singled to score Ibanez.

Then a balk was issued to Ramirez scoring Ruiz and advancing Rollins to second base.

San Francisco Giants Manager Bruce Bochy was promptly ejected for arguing the call.

Utley reaches first base on a throwing error by Giants second baseman Mike Fontenot and advanced to second base on the play as Rollins easily scored.

The Phillies would not score again in the inning but did manage to bat around.

Roy Oswalt pitched seven innings for his second win as a Philadelphia Phillie.

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Roy Oswalt and Philadelphia Phillies: Here They Come…Again!

On Thursday, the Philadelphia Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. completed yet another trade deadline blockbuster which may put the team back on top of the NL East in short order.

With the acquisition of former Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt, it’s arguable the Phillies now boast the best top three starting rotation in the National League.

The injury bug has decimated the Phillies throughout season, with only a handful of games being played using the club’s top starting lineup.

In spring training, starter Joe Blanton and closer Brad Lidge suffered injuries.

Once the season got underway, it didn’t take Jimmy Rollins long to strain a calf in a pregame warm-up.

Placido Polanco got hit in the elbow in a game against the Atlanta Braves a few weeks later and ultimately landed on the 15-day DL in June.

Late in April, Ryan Madson got frustrated with his performance in San Fransisco and broke his toe kicking a chair.

As players returned to health, the starting lineup saw more setbacks.

Chase Utley broke his thumb trying to stretch a single into a double and Jamie Moyer hurt his pitching arm a short time later.

The latest casualty is center fielder Shane Victorino, who suffered a strained side muscle a few days ago.

Despite all the injuries, the Phillies have continued to go out and play hard everyday.

With a mediocre June, the club found themselves sitting in third place behind Atlanta and the New York Mets.

Since a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds before the All-Star break, Philadelphia has a 13-6 record including the current eight-game winning streak.

Even with all the injuries and setbacks, Philadelphia has played well enough to get within 2.5 games of the NL East leading Atlanta Braves.

Since Charlie Manuel became the Phillies manager, the club has earned the reputation of being an excellent second half team.

With this in mind, Philadelphia GM Ruben Amaro Jr. decided Thursday to throw down his cards and deal for Roy Oswalt.

With three top starters in Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels, the Phillies may have all the pieces in place to capture a third consecutive National League Championship.

Chase Utley and Shane Victorino are scheduled to come off the disabled list in three weeks.

The Phillies should, barring any other injuries, finally be at full strength just in time for September.

Stay tuned Philadelphia, here come the Phillies—again!

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Philadelphia Phillies: Quarterly Analysis

As we near the quarter mark for the 2010 MLB Season, there have been a fair amount of surprise teams around the league.

One thing that’s not so surprising is, as of today, the Phillies are leading the National League in wins with 24; and with seven games before Philadelphia officially hits the quarter-mark of the 2010 season, 24 wins and counting is pretty darn good.

But that’s what anyone would expect of a team that’s been to the World Series two consecutive years, right?

What is interesting is how the Phillies have arrived upon this success.

Every team has it’s fair share of obstacles throughout the long MLB season.

The Phillies have had their fair share—but with their winning record, it’s easy to forget most of their obstacles.

From day one, the starting rotation has been a man short with Joe Blanton on the DL; the back end of the bullpen had Brad Lidge MIA as well.

Within two weeks of the start of the season, the team lost prolific lead-off man Jimmy Rollins to a calf strain, while 2009 Rookie of the Year starter JA Happ went down with an injury as well.

To make matters worse, Ryan Madson broke his toe fighting with a chair in San Francisco.

Guys were dropping like flies.

Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick seem to still be figuring things out; Raul Ibanez’s struggles at the plate, on the other hand, have been duly noted.

Placido Polanco has battled through a few injuries along the way as well, but he has stayed off the DL and is making GM Rubin Amaro look like a genius.

Through all the injuries, the Phillies continued to do all they could do; they kept fighting.

Flip the calender to May.

First, the Phillies get Joe Blanton and Brad Lidge back, but then Lidge goes on the DL a few days later.

Now what?

Enter newly-minted closer Jose Contreras—one of the biggest surprises of the season.

Next, Carlos Ruiz hurts his knee.

Now what?

Enter Paul Hoover as your starting catcher for a few days.

And now, here in Philadelphia, we sit staring at our newspaper a little awestruck after a dominating 12-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

We look over at the box score and see Jimmy Rollins hitting third and batting .400 after his first game back from injury.

We notice Shane Victorino, the fill-in leadoff hitter, leading the club with 32 RBI’s.

We notice Chase Utley, who leads the team with nine home runs.

We notice Ryan Howard’s HR total is a little lower than usual, though his batting average is higher than normal.

We notice Jayson Werth, who’s thriving (and we hope Amaro does whatever it takes to keep Werth in a Philadelphia uniform after the 2010 season).

We notice Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick’s hard work and progress.

We will remember those clutch hits and plays Wilson Valdez made while Rollins and Castro could not.

We marvel at the high level of performance and consistency Roy Halladay brings to the mound every fifth day.

We dream of a 100-win season for our Phillies, and a possible third trip to the World Series.

Almost a quarter of the way through the 2010 campaign—despite the trials and tribulations—this Phillies club looks confident, focused, and determined to keep fighting to make those dreams for Philadelphia fans a reality…

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Philadelphia Phillies: Getting Roy Halladay Is a No-Brainer

The end of July is either one of the most exciting times, or the most nerve-racking. It just depends on who you are.

For players, it is a lot of stress.

Anyone could be traded anywhere at any time. Every text message or phone call received could be that dreaded news, or great news, depending on who you are and where you end up going.

No one wants to go from a contender to one of baseball’s teams in the dumpster.

At the same time, going from the dumpster to one of the contending teams would be ideal to any player.

For fans, the end of July means the time for blockbuster trades. The time where getting that player you’ve always dreamed of playing for your team could finally come true.

Anything could happen before the calender flips to August.

Take Roy Halladay as an example.

At least four teams are highly interested in the 2003 Cy Young Award winner. As Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi adequately puts it, “someone has to have the stomach for this.”

The question is, who will it be?

In Philadelphia newspapers, there’s quite a bit of speculation that the Phillies are the front-runners for the ace. As they should be!

The Dodger’s have been reported as one of the teams in the chase, but the question is do they have the minor league talent to land him?

The Yankees and the Red Sox certainly have the talent to trade for any player they want. Then again, with the payrolls they sport, can they afford to trade away the prospects that in a few years could be performing well at the major league level at a much-reduced cost?

I don’t think they really want to do that, even for a phenomenal pitcher such as Doc Halladay.

Now the Phillies on the other hand…

The World Series Champions have quite a bit of minor league talent as well as some young players performing better than expected at the major league level.

J.A. Happ for example, has a 7-0 record this season with a 2.68 era. Obviously to get Halladay a player with Happ’s numbers would have to be included.

Should the Phillies let him go?

Absolutely. His performance is at it’s peak, the question is how long can he maintain the level he is performing at. That’s the roll of the dice Phillies GM Rubin Amaro Jr. has to make with trading Happ.

For a proven performer such as Halladay, that one really is a no-brainer.

Another player needed to make this deal happen is Kyle Drabek, son of former Pirates Cy Young winner Doug Drabek. The kid was born to pitch and trading him is probably more of a splinter in the mind’s eye for Rubin Amaro Jr. than Happ. Especially after watching Drabek pitch eight innings last night in a win for the Double-A Reading Phillies.

If the Phillies want to make a serious run at a second consecutive world title, they have to get more pitching.

That is the bottom line.

The bullpen has been good but hurt all season, more than likely do to their overuse because of the lack of consistency in the starting rotation.

Get Roy Halladay, he eats innings, he’s a proven performer, he’s the jelly the Phillies rotation has been missing since Brett Myers went down.

Cole Hamels is the peanut butter.

Hopefully Myers returns from the DL in late August to give the bullpen a fresh arm for the stretch.

Pedro Martinez also could be a nice addition, but I wouldn’t rest my championship aspirations on him.

If the Phillies can get Roy Halladay they give themselves their best chance at getting a second consecutive World Series title.

Go get him Rubin, it’s seriously a no-brainer.