fizzle in the drizzle

It's definitely time to play ball. It's getting late early.

It's bizarre that the Phillies' offense has been so lackluster against the likes of starting pitchers Manny Parra, for instance, of the Brewers and Yorman Bazardo, of the Astros. The four pitchers going this series for the Astros have combined for a total of 10 wins; their respective ERA's are again north of 5.00. So what happened last night in the rain in Philadelphia? The Phillies mustered exactly two hits against Bazardo and scored just two runs, one on a sac fly and the other on a balk.

Listless as the offense is, it's the pitching that gives concern. Cole Hamels looked sharp for three innings last night, then lost his way to the tune of six earned runs. The bullpen was worse.

Or is it the worn-down offense? By Wednesday night the Phillies will have played 30 games in 28 days. That's more than a bit much, especially when the regulars have rested almost no games at all. Almost everyone of them has 600 or more at-bats. If I fault Charlie Manuel for anything, it's for not resting those guys more often after the All-Star break. On the other hand, the bench has not inspired confidence.

Also disturbing, the Astros have the best winning record of any visiting NL team in the short history of Citizens Bank Park. Only one other NL team has a winning record there, the Atlanta Braves.

Six games left. Three wins will do it.

whew! .500

I was driving north yesterday when the Phillies loaded the bases for the 4th time. They had scored exactly two runs the first time they loaded them. The other times: nada. In frustration I turned to a news station. Pretty soon I heard there that the Brewers had cut the Phillies 6-1 lead to 6-5. Aaargh! When I tuned back into the game, Larry Andersen was saying that the bullpen had to get nine outs for a win. The doubt in his voice was almost palpable. I couldn't take it and switched to jazz. When I went back to the game, I heard Ryan Madson being interviewed. Woohoo! The bullpen, in the persons of Clay Condrey, Sergio Escalona, Chad Durbin, and Ryan Madson had done it, preserving the win for Joe Blanton. The Phillies finished with a .500 roadtrip and got a much needed win. The pesky magic number is now three. Rally towel time!

Said Jimmy Rollins the other day: "If we worried about what the people were worrying about, that would be too much worrying."

another dimming loss

Sloppy play, pressing offense, and mediocre pitching added up to another loss last night in Milwaukee. It was a walk-off loss, too, but we're getting used to that.

Add Jimmy Rollins to the list of players who need a break. Gosh, he no doubt heads the list but he's usually so sure-handed that he makes you forget how taxing a position he plays.

As for offense, it's all Ryan Howard, who is doing his "carrier" best, and the bottom of the line-up. Last night back-up Paul Bako chipped in with a two-run homer. But it was the Brewers who kept chipping away, at a 4-0 lead, then a 5-3 lead. They finally tied it on a Rollins' error (later turned into a hit but), then two batters into the ninth, Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer to give the Brewers the 7-5 win. Tyler Walker did not fare well. Nor did the oh-fer top of the line-up.

I could swear the Phillies' magic number is growing. That's how long it's been stuck on four. This team looks spent. A win would sure perk things up.

i'll take guinness

It seems to me that the Phillies rarely do well in Milwaukee but I don't have the time to check the splits. With that thought in mind, I didn't have much optimism for a clinch in the city of brats and beer. Thursday night, a must-win game after the devastating loss on Wednesday, J.A. Happ was sturdy, the offense pummeled Brewer starter Jeff Suppan, and the Phillies took the game 9-4. Last night Cliff Lee got tuned up for seven runs, including four in the first, in six innings, and the offense looked like the living dead. They did mount a faint rally late but Trevor Hoffman came in to snuff it out in the 8-4 win for the Brew crew.

Paul Hoover caught in place of back-up Paul Bako, who banged up his knee in a terrific play at the plate Thursday night; Hoover had two hits. Way to go, IronPiggie! Andy Tracy, pinch-hitting in the 9th, also got a hit.

Please get this thing clinched ASAP so that the regulars can get some rest. Utley, Victorino, and Werth look as if they need it. Earlier on last night I was switching during breaks to the Boston-NY game and happened to see the line drive that felled Jon Lester. It scared me immediately back to the Phillies, already down, just to make sure no one else got hurt.

Keep your brats and beer, Milwaukee. I'll take Guinness.

laugh.cheer.oink for kurt landes

This bag was one of the cooler promotions of the summer at Coca-Cola Park. The slogan, Laugh.Cheer.Oink, was one of the coolest in the minors. I hope that the 'Pigs stick with it.

Congratulations to Kurt Landes, general manager of the IronPigs. The International League has picked him as the Executive of the Year. Can't say enough about what Landes and his staff have done to make the first two years of Triple-A baseball in the Lehigh Valley a fabulous success. We look forward to 2010.

chuck domino leaves reading for richmond

Chuck Domino has resigned as President of the Reading Phillies to become the Chief Executive Manager with the Connecticut Defenders, who will be relocating to Richmond, Virginia, in 2010. Like the Reading Phillies, the Defenders are in the Eastern League. Domino, who joined the Reading Phillies in 1987 as General Manager, changed minor league baseball in Reading and throughout the Eastern League. Domino, who will continue his relationship with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, turned First Energy Stadium in Reading into a great venue for baseball. Richmond should count itself lucky to have snared him for their new team.

jumping off the ledge

So Brad Lidge blew his 11th game of the year and the Phillies' magic number stays at 5. It was a painful 9th inning but really it was set up by the 8th, when Ryan Madson allowed a run to score to cut the Phillies' lead to 6-5. You could easily say it was set up earlier, when Cole Hamels, who was good not great, let the Marlins chip away. Ryan Howard hit a ringing opposite field 2-RBI double, then followed with a 2-run opposite field homer. He's now got 130 RBI.

With 11 games left in the season, the questions about the bullpen become more and more perplexing and urgent.

fightin's split doubleheader with fish

Joe Blanton was outstanding in game 1 of a straight doubleheader with the Marlins yesterday down in Miami, going seven innings of two-hit shut-out ball. A couple of rocky starts aside, Blanton, something of a quiet bulldog, has been very, very good. It was a low-scoring affair till late, when the offense piled runs on in a 9-3 win. There was only one homer, a solo by Raul Ibanez. All other runs came via timely hits, steals, and savvy baserunning. Escalona came on in the eighth and started futzing, allowing the Fish to score three. Some guys are not pitching themselves into the post-season. On the other hand, injuries have so thinned the bullpen that everyone has got to be a candidate for action.

Anibal Sanchez returned the favor in game 2, going eight shut-out innings. He allowed just two hits, both to Chase Utley. Jamie Moyer was OK in the 3-0 loss. Jimmy Rollins stole his 30th base of the season.

I spent game 1 switching back and forth between the Phillies and Rickey Henderson, Lead-off Legend, a sweet documentary about the legendary one which was on MLBN. It was narrated by Jimmy Rollins, who grew up idolizing Henderson.

bye-bye, minors

The Lakewood BlueClaws patterned each program this year after a famous magazine. The last one of the year was dedicated to the end of Pinchy, the logo for the 'Claws since their inception in 2000. Stay tuned for P's replacement, already being marketed. Oh, and the BlueClaws have the best programs in the Phillies' minor league system.

I usually make it to a couple of games in Williamsport and Lakewood but don't really pay a whole lot of attention to the minors till the players make it to Reading. It was interesting, though, this year to see the BlueClaws play a couple of times during the first half of the season. The times I saw them I would not have guessed they were on their way to taking first place in the first half. But they did. The next time I saw the team was in the championship play-offs and was I surprised.

Anthony Gose had by then topped all teams in the minors with 76 steals and was looking a lot better at the plate. I had been impressed by the glimpses I had of Freddy Galvis at Reading and was likewise impressed by Troy Hanzawa. Travis D'Arnaud inspired confidence. So did Jesus Sanchez and Austin Hyatt. I could talk about others but will stick only to players I saw at season's end. Harold Garcia and Brian Gump also stood out. Next year most of these guys will have moved on. Good luck to all. So few will make it to Reading, even fewer to Philadelphia.

belated congrats to ichiro

Last week Ichiro Suzuki got his 200th hit of the season. That means that he has had 200 hits or more in nine straight years in the major leagues. A remarkable record by a remarkable player. If he were playing in New York not Seattle he would be a superstar. Instead he shines faintly on the West Coast. It will be interesting to hear what Ichiro has to say for his induction into the Hall of Fame.

magic number: 6

Following a spectacular outing on Thursday by Cole Hamels, who went eight and fanned 10, the Phillies left for Atlanta and the start of a 10-day road trip. It was good and bad in Atlanta. The Phillies took two of three, pretty much ending the Braves' hopes for the play-offs, but had to rely heavily on their tattered bullpen to do it.

J.A. Happ started Friday night, allowed one run, and was pulled after three when he grimaced on a play to first. Kyle Kendrick came in, pitched four scoreless, and picked up the win in a 9-4 victory. Pedro Martinez started Saturday, got hit, and left after three with a stiff neck. Javier Vazquez meanwhile nullified the Phillies, who got on the board in the 9th with four runs but were turned away with the go-ahead run at the plate. The Braves took it 6-4. Cliff Lee started on Sunday and looked great but a rain delay of an hour and 51 minutes ended his day after four innings. Despite a somewhat shaky 9th by Lidge, the Phillies won the game 4-2.

It all comes down to the bullpen. Lidge is iffy, Romero, Eyre, and Park are out, and now Brett Myers is on his way for a doctor's exam. It may work for the rest of the season but likely spells post-season disaster. Not quite time to start burning candles but getting close.

lakewood blueclaws win 2009 sal championship!

Congratulations to the Lakewood BlueClaws, the 2009 South Atlantic League champs! Last night in Greenville, South Carolina, they beat the Drive 5-1 to win the best-of-five championship series in four games. Korey Noles went seven strong and Austin Hyatt finished the final two innings. It was another team effort, with stand-out performances from speedster Anthony Gose, clutch Troy Hanazawa, and stalwart Travis D'Arnaud. Kudos, too, to skipper Dusty Wathan.

The 'Claws won Games 1 and 2 at home, lost Game 3 and came back to win Game 4 for their second SAL championship. In post-season play, they are now 10-2.

Outfielder Brian Gump waits his turn at bat Tuesday night at Lakewood. Check out his blog at www.briangump.blogspot.com.

Harold Garcia heads for the plate after hitting a homer to left field game 1 in Lakewood on Monday night.

On a September school night the crowd was more senior than junior but the kids at the game still got a charge from Buster, the 'Claws mascot. Buster did something cool in the late innings. He appeared over the home dugout with a little camera and started snapping shots of the crowd.

The BlueClaws took Game 2 of the championship playoffs 3-0 in Lakewood. Closer Santo Hernandez put two on and was giving the usher standing near me fits, but Hernandez got the final out on a fly to right fielder Brian Gump and gave the fans one last chance to wave their rally towels.

two steals, a slam, and a hammy

With two outs in the 1st last night, Utley singled, then Howard singled him over to third. While Ibanez was working a walk, Howard stole second. As two Nationals converged on second base, Chase Utley alertly stole home. It was a super play and almost all that the Phillies needed. I can't believe that I have seen two steals of home in person this year!

Joe Blanton struggled with his command, walking four. But he also struck our seven in six shutout innings. Again and again, the Nationals ran themselves out of the game, getting picked off at third, on a 9-3 double play, and a 3-unassisted double play. Who is defensively the worst: Nationals, Mets, or Marlins?

The big blow for the Phillies came in the 7th. Up 2-0 and with two outs, Utley was plunked, Howard was walked, and Ibanez, in a great at-bat, worked a walk to load the bases for Jayson Werth. The Nats brought in Jason Bergmann to face him. Werth was 0-8 against Bergmann---till last night's grand slam, clubbed deep into the left field seats. It was Werth's second grand slam of the season and a major league-leading 10th for the Phillies. The Nats got a run in the 9th in their 6-1 loss.

The very bad news, however, is that Chan Ho Park had to be helped off the field at the end of the 7th inning. He injured his hamstring and is out indefinitely. That's another big blow for the beleaguered bullpen.

blueclaws up 2-0

Last night Jesus Sanchez, a former catcher converted to pitcher, went for the BlueClaws against Caleb Clay for the Drive. Both pitchers kept goose eggs on the board till the 5th, when Jeremy Hamilton and Brian Gump both singled and Troy Hanzawa doubled Hamilton home to put the BlueClaws up 1-0. They added two more in the 6th but left the bases loaded. Austin Hyatt came on in in relief of Sanchez, who allowed just three hits, in the 7th. He threw two scoreless frames, striking out four. Santo Hernandez put two on in the 9th but got a fly ball to Gump in right field to end the game. The BlueClaws won 3-0 and now lead the series 2-0. It resumes Thursday night in Greenville.

Sanchez looks like a battler and Austin Hyatt again impressed. Brian Gump and Troy Hanzawa seem to have a knack for timely hits. I'd be stunned if the BlueClaws blew the series. There's something free and easy about the way this team is playing that made these two games a great deal of fun to watch.

blueclaws top drive in game 1

Game 1 of the South Atlantic League play-offs was a fun one, with the Lakewood BlueClaws coming out on top of the visiting Greenville Drive 6-3. Starter Matthew Way looked good in the 1st inning, then lost the stike zone and didn't make it through the 5th. The BlueClaw offense however struck quickly, with a deadcenter homerun off the bat of lead-off hitter Anthony Gose. The 'Claws used six pitchers in all, including Clay Condrey, who pitched the 7th on a rehab assignment for the Phillies. All I'll say is that it was an entertaining inning. In the end, Condrey allowed a run on two hits to make it a 4-3 game in favor of the home team, who then got two insurance runs in the 8th. The first was a home run to left by Harold Garcia. Santos Hernandez allowed a single in the 9th but nailed down the save to a flurry of rally towels from the several thousand fans in attendance. It was good to see the BlueClaws tack on timely hits and hang on for the win. Austin Hyatt looked good throwing a 1-2-3 8th inning. Troy Hanzawa made a couple of dazzling plays at shortstop.

pedro, pedro, pedro

The Mets-Phillies series turned out to be all about pitching. Friday night it was Cole Hamels, who got a 4-2 win over the Mets in a game saved by Ryan Madson. On Saturday, Jameie Moyer, making a spot start for the injured J.A. Happ, gave up four in the first, then was sterling as his team came back to make it a 9-5 game going into the 8th. Too bad that Brett Myers and Ryan Madson then combined to blow the game. Myers gave up three in the 8th and Madson, with two outs in the 9th, grooved a ball to David Wright, who hit a two-run homer to put the Mets up 10-9, the final score.

A devastating blow, right? But this team is nothing if not resilient. Call-up Kyle Kendrick, making his first start of the season, pitched seven scoreless Sunday afternoon, the first fame of a day-night doubleheaders. He allowed two runs in the 8th, which cut the Phillies' lead to 4-2. In the bottom of the frame, Matt Stairs got a pinch-hit double, then call-up Andy Tracy singled in Eric Bruntlett, pinch-running for Stairs. Brad Lidge came in, to thunderous applause in the 9th, and held on for a dicey 5-4 save.

Sunday night it was all Pedro Martinez, who pitched an eight-inning shutout. The only run scored was in the first, when Chase Utley singled in Jimmy Rollins, who had walked (how unlikely is that!) to lead off the game. Ryan Madson came in for the save in the 9th. Carlos Ruiz made a fab play on a boneheaded attempt by Daniel Murphy to steal third on a ball that got away at the plate. Ruiz nabbed the ball, then nabbed Murphy at third to end the inning.

Pedro threw 130 pitches, the first time he's thrown that many since 2001. He is now 5-0 with the Phillies and they are 7-0 in his starts. He has been nothing short of remarkable. Or should I say that he has been Pedro? Whatever, he has been totally engaging and entertaining. In the eigth the park rocked to chants of Pedro, Pedro, Pedro.

blueclaws advance

Line-up exchange for a June game at Lakewood.

Let's hear it for the Lakewood BlueClaws, who now advance to the championship series in the South Atlantic League. In Lakewood last night, they shut out Kannapolis 9-0 behind Trevor May. The righty May went six, allowing just two hits and striking out eight. Game 1 of the final series is in Lakewood Monday night vs. Greenville.

almost roadkill

These two were eating windfall apples on the road yesterday. After I stopped, they finally moved to the side.

Quality Joe Blanton, who has pretty much been a model of consistency for months, was dreadful last night, lasting 4.2 innings and giving up eight runs to a National offense led by rookie call-up Ian Desmond. The Phillies scored two runs in the first, then let Livan Hernandez have his way. Only in the 9th did they rally, with a grand slam by Matt Stairs, who had his first hit in almost forever. Nice as that all was, with Victorino on third and Utley on first, Ryan Howard feebly grounded into a game-ending doubleplay and the Nationals won 8-7. As radio color guy Larry Andersen aptly said, it felt like "losing a doubleheader."

The defense, putrid last night, has been bad for all of this 2-5 roadtrip. Jimmy Rollins, who had had only three errors all year, made two last night. That broke a sting of 86 errorless games at shortstop for the usually-silky Mr. Rollins. Jayson Werth again misplayed a couple of balls in right. He didn't get errors on them but in my book he would have. Is Werth wearing down in this his first full season? But what about Pedro Feliz, who's got an unnerving number of errors this year?

If the Phillies don't stop playing down to the competition, they're soon going to find themselves down in the standings with them. Again, anytime the offense wants to show up, we'll get out the welcome wagon. It's been almost a month since Rollins and Victorino have been on base together.

At the very least, how about a return to the crisp baseball that has been a hallmark of this team?

options open, drama continues

The sea change was underway Tuesday night when Charlie Manuel lifted Brad Lidge in the 9th. It was more evident last night when, in a one-run game with Lidge starting to warm in the bullpen, Manuel put the call in for Ryan Madson. Madson allowed a hit, but got the save in a 6-5 win over the Nationals. It would now seem to be closer by committee--if not a yet-unstated decision to make Madson--or Myers--the man until Lidge gets things straight. In the end, it's all about winning games. For now at least Brad Lidge may be taking a seat next to Jamie Moyer. Things have a way of working themselves, even when they don't. The drama, meanwhile, continues.

It may just be the Nationals, a team that he does very well against, but Raul Ibanez is again looking like the Rauuuuuuuuul who won the hearts of Phillies' fans. He's hitting at a torrid clip and seems to be running again with ease.

The Reading Phillies lost game 1 of their play-off series with Akron. It was a sloppy game. The Lakewood BlueClaws, meanwhile, rode a good outing by Matthew Way, who went seven and gave up just one run, to beat Kannapolis 4-2. Reading continues tonight in Akron, while Lakewood and Kannapolis resume tomorrow, this time in Lakewood.

bullpen redux

The makers of the MLBN reality show The 'Pen picked the wrong end of the season. Much of the real drama is occurring in the here and now.

Let's see: Clay Condrey still out with an oblique strain, J.C. Romero still out with lower arm tendinitis, and now Scott Eyre, most ominously of all, has sharp pain in his throwing elbow. Then there is former 'pen guy J.A. Happ, who missed his last start and will miss his next with an oblique strain. Ryan Madson, who finished off last night's game in dramatic relief, is nursing biceps tendinitis. Am I missing anyone? Other, of course, than Brad Lidge, who continues to have a nightmarish year.

Without Brad Lidge, the Phillies would not have won last year's World Series. With him, they may not make the play-offs this year. Baseball breeds stoicism and loyalty. The Internet too often breeds snarky, snap judgements and shallow silliness; many, including those paid to do so, who use it to vent or air their opinions come off as self-intoxicated. Reading message boards and blogs about Lidge has made me want to scream. He is after all a stand-up guy who, even as he struggles mightily, deserves at the very least respect. The agonizing decision on his role is up to Charlie. I'm happy to leave it to him. But the bullpen, the strength of the team last year, may be its undoing this year.