nifty 250

Hats off to Jamie Moyer! This afternoon he got his 250th win in the majors, an outstanding achievement for one of the classiest guys in the sport. He should be a mirror for all pitchers, for all players, for how he plays the game in all of its phases.

Moyer went six innings today, allowing one run on three hits in a 4-2 win. Brad Lidge, again looking good, finished it off. Chase Utley made a fabulous, fabulous play in the 9th, whirling from deep on the shortstop side of 2nd to throw to 1st. Nice pick by Ryan Howard on the other end.

And now off to the West Coast and another 10-day road trip.

howard passes schmidt, bastardo gets the call

Ryan Howard was the show last night in Philadelphia's 9-6 win over Washington. He followed a solo second-deck home run with a grand slam that reached the third deck. Interviewed later, the guy who caught the ball, who was at the game on his buddy's season tickets, said that his hands were still shaking. And they were. Howard's grand slam was his third of the season (two against the same pitcher, last night's Shairon Martis) and eighth of his career. In far fewer at-bats, he has now passed Michael Jack Schmidt as leader on the Phillies' grand slam list. On a night when ace Cole Hamels, who previously had a career 0.39 ERA against Washington, gave up an uncharacteristic six runs, every bit of Howard's power was needed.

And Antonio Bastardo it is. The 23-year-old lefty, no doubt the hot hand, will make his major league debut on Tuesday in San Diego. Let's go, Antonio!

a random act

Owing to heavy rain and traffic yesterday, it again took three (!) hours to reach the ballpark. I decided to skip my usual lot for a different one. When I reached the parking attendant, he handed me this ticket and told me that the man in front of me had already paid the fee. A random act of kindness. In the unlikely event that my benefactor is reading this, Thanks!

I'm getting tired of reading dumb things about Carlos Carrasco by people who have never watched him pitch. Yes, he's got a high ERA and no wins this season in Triple-A but he has more times than not been given no run support and/or been sandbagged by plays botched or not made behind him. I'm also tired of reading that he is a 'head case'. If young and immature means 'head case', then take a look around the world, folks. I've seen or heard almost all of Carrasco's starts this year and he is much better than his record.

Ruben Amaro Jr. says that the short term replacement for Brett Myers will come from Triple-A. I hope it's Carrasco. I have the feeling that, much as he did last year when called up to the IronPigs, he would shine. And this time he would have the defense and offense to back him up.

The blogosphere is suddenly hot for Antonio Bastardo, who has had all of two starts in the Lehigh Valley. He's also a lefty and I wonder about having four lefties in the rotation. Kyle Kendrick is still working on things and Drew Carpenter has far to go. If you're listening, Ruben, my vote's for Car-Car.

phils win, brett gone

The sky after storms yesterday evening was awesome.

I couldn't get enough of the sky. Gold eventually gave way to rose, then red, orange, and finally dull purple. It was a gorgeous night at the ballpark.

It was an odd game. The Phillies had 16 hits but only five runs, stranding legions. J.A. Happ allowed only three hits against the Nationals but handed out several walks and hit Josh Willingham twice. In the 6th, Happ, who is still being stretched out as a starter, had to give way to the bullpen. In the 9th, with the Phils up 5-4, Brad Lidge came in and got his first 1-2-3 save of the season. I had to leave in the 8th but caught the end of the game on radio.

Victorino had his fourth 4-hit game of the season. Werth committed his first error in 145 games. Pinch-hitter John Mayberry Jr., making his first appearance in Philadelphia, brought the sell-out crowd to its feet but ultimately struck out. The Phillies are now over the one million mark in attendance this year. They reached that last night with the 24th home game--and 18th sellout--of the season.

Sometime during the game Ruben Amaro Jr. announced that Brett Myers will be having surgery and is likely gone for the season. He is also likely done as a Phillie. This is a huge blow. Just think about how Myers took on the closer role when asked to do so, how he agreed to go down to the minors last season to get himself straight, and what he did in the post-season. Or how he threw in NY last Saturday against the Yankees: Brett Myers at his best.

myers injured, surgery likely

Brett Myers left last night's game with an injury. An MRI today revealed a torn labrum in his right hip, and the 28-year-old righty is likely to require season-ending surgery. It's a terrible blow for Myers, who is in a walk year, and for the Phillies. Myers has been a horse for most of his career and, despite pitching through pain this season, was just rounding into shape. What the Phillies, already looking to add a starting pitcher, will now do is up for grabs. For the short term it may mean calling up someone from Triple- or Double-A. Possible candidates include Carlos Carrasco, Vance Worley, and Antonio Bastardo.

With over three million tickets already sold for the season, the Phillies are sure to do something to address the pitching situation. Whatever that may be, Ruben Amaro Jr. is facing his first big test as GM. Does the team go with the young and untried or give up on the future for the present? Myers, one of several homegrown talents on the team, has repeatedly expressed a desire to remain in Philadelphia. It would be very sad for his career there to end in this way.

"Baseball is not a sport for the reactionary." So wrote David Murphy, beat writer for the Philadelphia Daily News, the other day, implicitly nailing much of what is wrong with sports talk radio, blogs, and message boards. I'm counting on Amaro and company but for now there is no joy in Mudville.

cutters in clinton

Front view of the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, New Jersey.

View from a back window of the museum, with rental canoes piled up on the riverbank.

Yesterday was my second visit to the Hunterdon Art Museum and once again the museum delivered. This time I went to see a show called Cutters, which features 25 or so artists who cut, slash, burn, shred or likewise manipulate paper, metal and other materials to transform it. It seems unfair to single out any artists for mention. All of the work was different and I liked it all, something that does not often happen. All in all, it was an exciting show. I had to keep wondering though as I walked through it why there was no place for work by friend Jozef Bajus, who been doing great things with cut paper for years.

As with the earlier show I saw at HAM, the two peripheral shows were also good. This time they featured works by painters Phyllis Carlin and Valeri Larko.

I look forward next week to interviewing Mia Pearlman, one of the artists in Cutters.

blanton is brilliant

BlueClaw pitchers Justin DeFratus (left) and Heitor Correa sign caps and things for fans before last night's game at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, New Jersey. The giveaway was a nifty Ryan Howard cap.

Last night's game started late because of rain. I left it early because of windshield wiper issues on the way down to Lakewood. We listened to the game on radio till it faded out around Trenton. In the end, Lakewood lost to the West Virginia Power (Pittsburgh Pirates) 4-3. Travis D'Arnaud caught for Lakewood; his older brother Chase played shortstop for West Virginia.

The Phillies game took us the rest of the way home. Joe Blanton pitched a seven-inning gem, allowing no runs on three hits and striking out a career-high 11. Shall we think that he has fixed what was wrong with him? Shane Victorino had four hits, putting his blunder of the previous night behind him. Madson needed just nine pitches in the 8th. With the Phils up 5-0, Durbin came on in the 9th to finish things off. He got one out, then gave up a walk, a single, and a walk. Eyre followed and got a dead doubleplay ball to Ryan Howard, who sailed the ball past Rollins covering second. The Marlins ended up scoring, which forced Brad Lidge into the game. He came in to a standing ovation, walked Bonifacio, then got Hermida to ground out and Helms to strike out. Talk about mood swings.

Howard's error was his first of the year. His defence this season has otherwise been, like Joe Blanton's pitching last night, brilliant.

8-13 at home

Last night's 5-3 loss to the Marlins dropped the Phillies to a dispiriting 8-13 at home. It was talented rookie Volstad vs. battling veteran Moyer, still in search of his elusive 250th win, this time against a team he has owned. With all the makings of a 'trap game', the outcome was too predictable. Jimmy Rollins made a weird baserunning gaffe in the first. Moyer walked two in the 4th, then appeared to have Wes Helms struck out but plate umpire Marvin Hudson thought otherwise. Sure enough Helms sent the next pitch out of the yard for a 3-2 Fish lead.

Helms drove in four of the Marlins' five runs; Ronnie Paulino added the other, on a grooved pitch. Both players of course had been released by the Phillies. Shades of that awful game last year with Rod Barajas and the Blue Jays.

Shane Victorino led off the 9th with a walk, then with Matt Stairs at the plate was picked off in a knuckleheaded attempt to steal second. Talk about deflation. Ryan Howard provided all the home offense with two home runs. One bounced off the brick batter's eye in center. I didn't understand why Chris Coste, who usually catches Moyer, was not in the game.

Reminder to self: Take it series by series.

Ishikawa Vanquishes the Braves

Braves pitcher Carlyle decided to walk Lewis to get to Ishikawa with 2 out in the 7th. Strange decision considering the fact that Ishikawa had singles at every at-bat. And sure enough, almost instantly Ishikawa hit it out of there, scoring 3 runs. By then it was 8-2 Giants and no way the Braves could make it up. Chipper Jones wasn't in the line-up but he came to bat in the 9th but too late! Thankfully the Giants kept the tomahawk chopping Braves fans at bay. Outside the ballpark, Native American protesters handed out leaflets about the racist Braves mascot and tomahawk chops. Alongside were war veterans handing out small rubber duckies for a small donation towards supporting the soldiers.

chooch the ferocious one

Carlos Ruiz had a great weekend in the Bronx, going 6 for 8 with a homer and 3 RBI in two games. That included the game-winning double in the 11th yesterday. Since coming off the DL, he's almost doubled his average, to .302. When I used to see him in the minors, at Reading, then at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he was a good hitter who used the whole field. He seems to have rediscovered that stroke.

Chooch had a great play-off run last year, especially in the World Series. He's a solid defensive catcher and Phillie pitchers seem to like throwing to him. He comes across as mellow guy, but when he gets animated during a game he gets a wildly ferocious expression on his face. It's like he's giving a great big primal growl. You could see it yesterday when he was cutting guys down trying to steal. Even better was his tussle with Johnny Damon, thrown out at the plate by Jayson Werth. Chooch fielded the ball, blocked the plate, then fought off the grappling Damon. Gotta love a guy like that.

fun, fun, fun

These kids had a lot of fun with some of the Curve players at a recent game in Reading and came away with a ball signed by three of them. The middle guy of the three is Anderson Machado, who came up with the Phillies. A speedster and defensive whiz at shortstop, he just never got that hitting thing down. It was good to see him still in the game, still plugging away.

"see you in october"

Nine-month-old Chase was more into the French fries than the game last night at Coca-Cola Park. Guess what number's on the back of his shirt.

"See you in October." That, according to Yankee color analyst Suzyn Waldman, is what Jimmy Rollins quipped to one of the Yankee players as he was leaving the field after today's thrilling 11th-inning win in the Bronx. If that were to come about, it would be a heck of a World Series. These three games were intense, compelling baseball, with a definite play-off edge to them.

Today the Phillies went into the 9th with a 3-2 lead and once again Brad Lidge blew it. Glass half-full: Lidge blew the save but this time held on to keep it a tie. Glass totally drained: It's his knee or his head or 'baseball'. Whatever it is, it's been brutal.

With the game tied 3-3, Clay Condrey came in for the 10th to face the top of the Yankee line-up and gave up singles to Jeter and Damon. He then got Texeira to ground into a double-play. With Jeter on 3rd, he gave Rodriguez an intentional pass, then got Pena to fly out to end the inning. With two outs and Utley on at 2nd, via a walk and a stolen base, Carlos Ruiz fouled off several balls before lacing a double down the third base line to give the Phils a 4-3 lead. Condrey, on for the 11th, set the bottom of the Yankee line-up down 1-2-3.

Ruiz starred today at the plate and behind it, making several key defensive plays. He and Clay Condrey no doubt made Brad Lidge feel a lot better. Thanks to C and C, the Phillies finished the road trip 8-2.

Despite the absurd way that balls fly out of Yankee Stadium--Mark Texeira hit a sole homer today on a pitch that absolutely shattered his bat--, pitching was paramount in the series. All of the match-ups were pretty even. Friday night Brett Myers outpitched A. J. Burnett. On Saturday it was the young lefty J.A. Happ outdueling old lefty Andy Pettitte. Today it was ace vs. ace, with Hamels giving up two runs and Sabathia, three. No Phillie starter issued a walk.

See you in October....

dark night of the closer

We all scream for t-shirts being thrown into the stands last night at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown.

At the new Yankee Stadium yesterday afternoon, J.A. Happ breezed through six innings in his first start of the year, giving up just two runs on four hits. John Mayberry Jr. hit a three-run homer in his second Major League at-bat. Sounds sweet, huh? The Phillies took a 4-2 lead into the 9th but Brad Lidge gave up a two-run homer to Alex Rodriguez to tie it, then two singles to give the Yankees the 5-4 win. End of sweet dream.

I left the car in the middle of the 9th. Walking up to Coca-Cola Park, two Phillies' fans behind me were talking about Lidge coming into the game. "Spot your fastball," said one. "Knucklehead," said the other. A fastball was indeed Lidge's undoing. I didn't hear any of the postgame stuff but can imagine what Lidge said and how he said it. He is the definition of a stand-up guy. I still think it's his knee.

There were parallels aplenty in the IronPigs' game with the Durham Bulls. Lefty Antonio Bastardo pretty much dominated in his Triple-A debut, using a fastball around 90 and mixing in breaking stuff that had the Bulls flailing. In his one mistake inning, the 5th, he gave up three hits, one of them a three-run homer. Bastardo went six, allowing three runs on five hits, walking two and striking out 11. With a hard rain falling, Mike Koplove (he of the 0.44 ERA) came in to close and gave up a two-run homer that proved to be the winning hit in a 5-4 loss for the 'Pigs. David Newhan and Lou Marson went back to back in the third. Bulls' relievers then held the 'Pigs hitless for six. In the end it was a dark and dreary night.

asparagus, spring onions, and first strawberries

I drove out to the farms this morning, arriving at the second one just as the spelt bread was coming out of the oven. Happy timing! On the way there, I bought Romaine lettuce, mesclun, spinach, asparagus, spring onions, beets with awesome tops, and the first strawberries of the season. I also picked up a pot of yarrow and a bag of potting soil. My favorite kind of shopping trip.

Last night at the homer haven named Yankee Stadium, Jimmy Rollins laced A.J. Burnett's first pitch into the rightfield stands. The Phillies never looked back, taking an early 5-0 lead.

Burnett immediately plunked Utley, up next. When Brett Myers came on in the bottom of the 1st, he wasted no time throwing behind Derek Jeter. And both teams were warned. That didn't keep Myers from pitching a great game, going eight strong and allowing just three runs, all solo homers. The first, in the 6th, was to Rodriguez and the other two, to Texeira and Jeter, in the 8th. Ibanez and Rollins combined in the first on a sparkling relay throw to Ruiz to nail Damon at the plate.

Burnett lasted six, also giving up two-run shots to Carlos Ruiz and to Jayson Werth, who clubbed a ball into the second deck. Chin-ming Wang came on in relief of Burnett and surrendered two more runs, including a mammoth solo homer to Raul Ibanez. With the Phillies up 7-3, Ryan Madson came in for a 1-2-3 ninth.

When the Phillies hit up and down the line-up as they have been doing of late, they are both fun and formidable. If the pitching rounds into 2008 shape, they could be unstoppable.

After the game, lefty reliever Sergio Escalona, who performed well in his brief debut stint, was sent down to Lehigh Valley and righthanded hitter John Mayberry Jr. was called up.

shinjuku walking map

Keiko T., an old friend and editor in a Tokyo publishing company, recently sent this new walking map of Shinjuku. A colleague of hers oversaw publication of the large-format map, which focuses on ten neighborhoods in Shinjuku ward, highlighting their diverse attractions and historical sites. Each walking tour---from the alleyways of old-time Ushigome to the frenetic entertainment district around Shinjuku Station, the busiest train station in Japan,---starts and ends at a train or subway station.

The map is available free-of-charge at the Shinjuku ward office and Tokyo metropolitan hall. If you're headed anytime soon to Tokyo, check it out.

2 of 3 and now 14-5 on the road

Joe Blanton looked great this afternoon for four innings, then inexplicably crumbled in the 5th, allowing five runs to the Cincinnati Reds. At that point the Phillies already had six on the board. They scored another run in the 6th, four in the 7th, and another in the 8th. The only innings in which they did not score were the 5th and 9th. The Reds meanwhile were held to those five in a 12-5 loss.

Jimmy Rollins had four hits, scored a couple, and stole the 300th base of his career. Utley, Howard, Dobbs, and Ibanez all homered; Utley was a triple shy of the cycle. The top four in the order were beyond solid. Pedro Feliz, outstanding late and with RISP, had a pinch-hit two-run double in the 8th.

Jamie Moyer took the loss last night, giving up three runs on nine hits in six innings. It was a better outing for Moyer but not good enough. The offense was held to just one run in a 5-1 loss. Today's game was a good win on getaway day. Next stop: Yankee Stadium.

In more surprise news, lefty Antonio Bastardo was today bumped up to Triple-A, where he will join the rotation. That's tough luck for Justin Lehr, twice International League pitcher of the week; he has been sent to the bullpen. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. was spotted at this morning's game at Double-A Reading. That's news because Vance Worley was pitching.

park to 'pen, happ to rotation

The big news of the day: Chan Ho Park has been sent to the bullpen and J.A. Happ will take his place in the rotation. I hope Park is cool with this. I'm sure that Happ is. I heard him interviewed a couple of days ago on a pregame show and was impressed by his maturity. He pitched well enough in his handful of starts last year but coming out of the bullpen this year he had shed that rookie look.

So is his first start of the year at Yankee Stadium this weekend?

was that so hard?

IronPigs players and staff come off the field after today's 3-1 win over the Gwinnett Braves.

It was gorgeous weather for a morning game. Rodrigo Lopez, trying for a big league comeback after arm surgery last year, started for the 'Pigs and turned in his best outing to date. He went an economical seven, giving up one run on a handful of hits. The timely hits today were on the 'Pigs' side. The bullpen was clutch and everyone but the Braves went home happy. I take that back. Having taken 3 out of 4 games, the Braves were no doubt the happiest of all.

Some 9900 fans were on hand, including many busloads of kids from area schools who were in for "Education Day." For all the cool or bad weather we've had this April and May, the IronPigs are routinely selling out each game.

ibanez, werth, and escalona

Raul Ibanez has been named NL Player of the Week. Anyone watching baseball knows why. Jayson Werth and Adrian Gonzalez, 1st baseman for San Diego, were voted in a poll of NL execs and managers as the most underrated players in the league. Anyone watching the NL knows why.

Last, a sweet quote from Sergio Escalona on winning the game in his rookie call-up on Sunday: "Oh, my God. Amazing. First game. First win. What can you say?"

frigid 'pigs

Last night the IronPigs came up short again---against a light-hitting Braves team. The 'Pigs took a lead, lost it, had lots of chances to make it up, and did nada. With a man on 3rd and no outs, they must be batting under .100. The boys from down South, meanwhile, seemed to have no trouble adjusting to the prevailing cool temperatures.

J.C. Romero, starting an 18-day rehab stint, made his first game appearance since the World Series. After he pitched the 7th, I left. Romero gave up the go-ahead run and you knew that was the game. Jason Donald continues to be a mediocre hitter, Lou Marson to slump, and John Mayberry to swing for the fences. The Phillies had better stay healthy because the reserves do not inspire confidence.

Mike Cervenak is out with a broken wrist, which could be a devastating blow to an already uninspiring 'Pigs offense.

It was good to see J. C. pitching again but having to listen to the middle-aged 'Little Leaguers' around me has been brutal.