make it six

The Phillies finished off a sweep of the Rockies yesterday afternoon, a good way to go into San Francisco for a four-game set. On Monday, Cole Hamels looked again to be a hard-luck loser, going seven innings and giving up two runs. Michael Stutes came on in the eighth and gave up a solo home run to put the Rockies up 3-1. Down to their last out in the ninth, however, the Phillies rallied. Pinch-hitter JohnMayberry, Jr. hit a two-run homer to tie it, then in the tenth Shane Victorino hit a solo shot to give them a 4-3 lead. That was the final, wildly improbable, score.

Tuesday figured to be a slugfest with Kyle Kendrick against Aaron Cook. But Kendrick, in what may have been his last start, surprised us all with eight innings of shut-out ball. Ryan Howard hit two homers and the Phillies won 5-0. But all credit goes to Kendrick, who was simply dominant at Coors Field.

Wednesday afternoon was the more typical Coors Field kind of game, with no lead feeling safe--and a lot of dumb plays being made. The Phillies scored first, then fell behind. They again went ahead but had to keep adding on to hold the Rockies at bay in an 8-6 win. Ryan Howard had a double error but also drove in four, on a double and a homer.

Denver native Roy Halladay, not sharp, went seven innings. Bastardo pitched the eighth and gave up a run. Then, big surprise, in came Brad Lidge, another Denver native, for his first close of the year. He was lights out, making for a sweet ending to the series.

cherokee purple

Jozef B. sent these recent photos of his container garden. When he visited in May, I gave him some of my Cherokee Purple tomato seedlings. My seedlings have also turned into plants but they are tall and spimdly, with almost no blossoms. Jozef reports that his are growing taller day by day, are loaded with blossoms, and starting to bear fruit. I was thrilled to see the photos he sent. I guess Buffalo is having a better tomato season than here in Pennsylvania. Neighbors report that their tomatoes too are not bearing. Jozef and his wife Olga are now in Ireland for the opening of an arts festival. By the time they get back, the tomatoes should be ripe for the picking.

sweeping the pirates

The series with the Pirates started Friday night, July 29. On July 29, 2009, Ruben Amaro, Jr. traded for Cliff Lee. On July 29, 2010, he traded for Roy Oswalt. And on this July 29, he traded for Hunter Pence of the Astros, giving up Jarred Cossart, Jonathan Singleton, Josh Zeid, and a player to be named later.

On to the series. Friday night was a 10-3 romp. Roy Halladay threw seven shut-out innings of one-hit ball. Utley homered to start things. Rollins later homered. Everybody hit.

Saturday night was not quite so smooth for Cliff Lee but in the end he got his 10th win of the series in a 7-4 victory. Howard homered, Rollins homered. Hunter Spence made his debut to an adoring crowd and Domonic Brown got a rousing ovation on his return to Triple-A, where he reportedly went straight to manager Ryne Sandberg to say he was back and ready to go, this time in left field.

Raul Ibanez put the Phillies on the board early on Sunday with a solo home run, but the Pirates came back to take a 2-1 lead. The Phillies then went up 3-2, but Worley immediately squandered that and the Pirates took a 5-3. Ibanez then tied it in the eighth with a two-run homer. Ooh, ooh, ooh, Rauuuuul. But he wasn't done. In the 10th, he singled in Hunter Spence to win the game 6-5.

streak is done

Since June 5 the Phillies had not lost two games in a row, but that streak ended last night with consecutive losses to the San Francisco Giants. It was another blah, blah, blah series, with part of the fan base highly vocal and excited about 'proving' something to the Giants. Really, folks? What are you going to do next week when the Phillies are swooning their way through another season series in San Francisco? Save your energy for games that mean something.

Tuesday was the only hometown win, another dazzler by Vance Worley, who tossed his first complete game in the majors, allowing two runs on three hits in a 7-2 win. Chase Utley had an inside-the-park home run, the third of his career. I hope someone kissed his knee after the game.

On Wednesday, Matt Cain outdueled Cole Hamels in a tight 2-1 game. On Thursday, Kyle Kendrick fell to Tim Lincecum, who was there for the picking but the Phillie offense let him off the hook again and again. It put me to sleep.

Carlos Beltran made his Giant debut Thursday night. Did not want him and I am even less thrilled with the prospect of getting Hunter Pence, a guy who strikes out too much for this line-up. Beisdes, the Houston asking price, if correctly reported in the media, is too high. To me, Pence is not an elite player. Give Dom a chance!

cyrilla's garden

Artist Cyrilla Mozenter brightened my day with this photo of the garden at her summer place.

three, then a clunker

The Phillies took three of four from the San Diego Padres during a wrap-around series at the 'Zen. Friday night it was all Cole Hamels: one run on three hits in eight innings, 10 K's, one BB. Phillies took it 3-1.

Saturday, another day of stifling heat and humidity, was home run derby. Chase Utley started it with a three-run homer in the first. Kyle Kendrick kept the Padres at bay for a bit, skirted with disaster in the fourth and fith, and succumbed in the sixth, giving up two homers that tied the game. The Padres then took a 4-3 lead but leading off the seventh pinch-hitter Ryan Howard planted the first pitch he saw beyond the center field fence. Michael Martinez, in a bizarre failed-bunt sequence, then hit a three-run homer. Chase Utley later added a solo shot and the Phillies won 8-6.

Sunday was more heat and humidity. Roy Halladay, off his heat-exhaustion game, labored early and cruised late, setting down the last 10 batters he faced. Ryan Madson, back in the closer's role, pitched the ninth. The Phillies won 5-3.

Monday, another day game, was the clunker. Cliff Lee was not sharp on the mound or in the field. The Padres scored one of their five runs on a casual lob to first by Lee, who did not bother to check the runner at third. That guy, Chris Denorfia, promptly stole home. There were some other knuckleheaded plays in the fields that all added up to a Phillies' loss. Still, three of four ain't bad.

pat gillick day in cooperstown

High fives, hugs and kisses, and heartfelt congratulations to general manager Pat Gillick, who will be inducted today into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Unassuming and reflective, the man is a genius of baseball. Without him, the Phillies would never have made it to the World Series in 2008. Peter Gammons called Gillick "the best general manager since Branch Rickey." High praise and much-deserved. Gillick twice steered the Toronto Blue Jays to World Series championships, took the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners to the post-season, and in 2008 led the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ruben Amaro, Jr., current GM of the Phillies, always says that he learned from Gillick to listen to the people around him. Gillick, an old-style baseball man, believes baseball goes beyond the numbers and even beyond talent. When assessing a player, he wants to see him firsthand. "Is he intense? Does he have passion? What's his body language? How does he interact with the other players on the team?"

Congratulations to Pat Gillick!

lidge back, baez gone

Brad Lidge is finally back with the team, for the first time all season. To make room for him, struggling reliever Danys Baez was designated for assignment, ending a stint that just did not work out. Baez will best be remembered for his key role in the epic 19-inning game ealier this season, when he pitched five innings, and for being the interpreter and cheerleader for Jose Contreras. Sometimes it's just the wrong place at the wrong time, which is what it was for Baez with the Phillies.

taking two in chicago

The Chicago series started on Monday on a scary note. In conditions of oppressive heat and humidity, Roy Halladay had an almost literal meltdown on the mound. He had to leave the game early in the fifth with heat exhaustion. Rodrigo Lopez, meanwhile, kept the Philadelphia bats limp and the Cubs won the game 6-1. It came out post-game that the visiting clubhouse is a hike through twisting tunnels and down stairs. There was no respite from the heat between innings available to the visitors.

Tuesday night's temperatures were about 12 degrees lower. Cliff Lee started out rocky, surrendering two runs in the first, then held the Cubs to nothing. Matt Garza of the Cubs, however, was doing the same, till the eighth, when Michael Martinez and Chase Utley keyed a two-run rally to tie the game. The Phillies then scored another two in the ninth to win it 4-2. Great comeback win!

Wednesday was all about The Room---and Vance Worley. After Monday's debacle, Cub doctors insisted that the Cubs make a cooling room available to the visitors. That made a big difference to Vance Worley, capable of sweating up a storm on the coolest of days. Worley went eight innings, allowing just one run on three hits. The Phillies, meanwhile, mauled Cub starter Ryan Dempster. Jimmy Rollins homered from each side of the plate and the Phillies won 9-1.

For the most part, the Cubs played like the Cubs, which is to say that they were awful.

ugly but sitll a two-for

The Phillies took two of three from the Mets this weekend, starting with a 7-2 win Friday night. Vance Worley just made it into the sixth but was effective for as long as he lasted. John Mayberry, Jr. knocked in five RBI.

On Saturday, Cole Hamels did a fast fade, running his career record against the Mets to 3-10. Ouch. He was helped not at all by the bumblers on the offense and defense.

Sunday was a Kyle Kendrick surprise. Without impressing in any way at all, KK went seven, allowing just one run. The Phillies struck the main blow in the fifth, a three-run homer by Michael Martinez, in for the ailing Polanco. It was MM's first homer in the big leagues. But the game got ugly in the eighth, when both relief corps started walking men. Both teams scored three in that frame. The Phillies held on for an 8-5 win.

Peachtree Baseball League

8:10 on a summer's evening, a small cluster of boys take fielding practice under the tutelage of retired player, Billy Wagner. Life after MLB consists of finding a way to live meaningfully for the next 50 years. For Billy, coaching his sons and other boys in town is a big focus, as is helping a childhood friend fundraise for a charity, Second Chance, for at-risk youth.
The first fundraiser concert called Two Virginias (venue was Bluefield, WV, just across the border from Bluefield, VA, concluded successfully Saturday night. Six bands played and the normally soft-spoken Wagner gave a heartwarming speech to a sold-out crowd.The event was a success and there are plans to turn the concert into an annual event.
Meanwhile, he coaches the boys in the gathering dark, just like any other father who dreams of their sons in the Bigs some day.

old friends

Artist Honda Takeshi, my former neighbor in Tono (Japan), recently visited some mutual friends of ours there and took these photos to send to me. What a surprise, what a treat. Shige was an absolute guardian angel of mine while I lived in Tono and roped her husband Umakichi into a supporting role. I owe both an endless debt of gratitude. For almost all of their long marriage, they have led a self-sustaining way of life. I miss them--and a couple of other friends there--dearly.

a two-for weekend

The Braves were in town for a much-ballyhooed weekend of pitching. On Friday, Halladay and Beachey each held gave up two runs and into the 10th we went. Raul Ibanez walked it off with a home run to deep right. Journeyman call-up Juan Perez pitched the 10th for the Phillies, striking out the heart of the Braves line-up on exactly nine pitches. Awesome!

All of the Phillie offense in game 2 came via a solo home run by Cliff Lee, who unfortunately also gave up a solo homer to Dan Uggla. Into the 11th this time, when Michael Stutes gave up three. The Braves took it 4-1.

Yesterday pitted Cole Hamels against Derek Lowe. Hamels was masterful, allowing just one run on three hits in eight innings. Lowe gave up four runs in six, then the Phillie offense lit up the soft part of the Braves' bullpen in the seventh and eighth, scoring 10. Raul Ibanez hit a three-run homer and had six RBI on the day. He also made a sterling catch. Except for a sloppy second that contributed to the Braves' scoring, the defense was pretty dazzling.

The Phillies took another series and now it is on to the All-Star break. The IronPigs, too, won, which keeps them quite nicely atop their division.

another two-for, this time in florida

Under new/old manager Jack McKuen, the Marlins continue to look like a lost bunch. I happened to hear Logan Morrison, their promising outfielder, on the radio and he sounded depressed talking about his team. After Monday night's game, he reportedly tweeted to the effect that someone should have told him they'd be facing 'Baby Doc' that night.

On the 4th of July, Vance Worley was stout for seven, giving up just two hits and no runs. Stutes and Bastardo made it hold it and the Phillies beat the Marlins 1-0 in a two-hit shutout. Ricky Nolasco was the hardluck loser.

Tuesday was a beat-down. Cole Hamels gave up two runs over eight innings and the offense clobbered Marlin starter Chris Volstad. Final score: 14-2.

As for Wednesday, let's draw a veil over the game, which featured too, too many gaffes and errors. The Phillies blew a couple of leads to lose 7-6 in 10 innings.

Polanco has been resting his aching back but is still thinking he will take part in the All-Star game. Victorino, out with a thumb injury, was voted to the game as the Final Man in the NL. Take the honor, skip the game, stay home and rest. Not likely to happen, I know.

taking two in canada

A vintage post card showing the tunnel that runs between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.

The final (hooray) series of interleague play took place in Toronto. Friday was a total mismatch: Kendrick vs. Romero. In the end, neither impressed. The game was a slugfest, with the Phillies getting in the last lick and winning 7-6. Before the game Roy Halladay took out the line-up card and got a rousing ovation from the sell-out crowd on Canada Day.

Saturday was Roy Halladay day and it started with an epic ovation from the crowd. The Phillies again had to come from behind to do it but they got the 4-3 win and Halladay his 11th in a complete game performance, despite some 9th-inning histrionics by the Jays. Even the crowd got into it, throwing debris on the field.

Sunday's game started all sunny and bright with Cliff Lee on the mound and the Phillies putting up four in the second. Lee's scoreless streak ended at 34 innings in the third, when the Blue Jays got a run. After that, JoJo Reyes put the Phillies to sleep, while the Jays kept pecking away. In the eighth they exploded for four, on three home runs that knocked Lee silly and out of the game. Jays won it 7-4.

a pair from the sox

The much-hyped series with the Red Sox started on Tuesday. Oh, the Sawks, the best offensive team in the majors, but just off two series losses to the Padres at Fenway and the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Philadelphia was next up.

The Sox were without Carl Crawford and their DH. The Phillies were on their fourth closer. In fact, the bullpen, with the exception of Danys Baez, was all from Triple-A.

Tuesday night was a vaunted match-up between Josh Beckett, having a comeback year, and Cliff Lee. It took Lee just five pitches to dispatch the 'patient' Red Sox hitters in the first, which pretty much set the tone for the rest of the game. Lee threw a complete game two-hit shut-out. Domonic Brown hit a two-run homer in the second, then doubled in the fifth and scored on a Lee sac fly. Phillies 3, Red Sox 0.

Everyone predicted a slugfest for Wednesday, which pitted rookie Vance (the Vanimal) Worley against struggling veteran John Lackey. Before the game there was a lot of whining about the DH, or lack thereof. Francona decided to move Adrian Gonzalez to right and put Ortiz at first. Yawn. Worley was super, attacking the strike zone and piling up the outs. Lackey too looked good. Raul Ibanez singled in the first run of the game, in the second. The Sox tied it on a booming double in the fifth by Lackey. (!) Ibanez then untied it in the seventh with a solo homer to right. worley went seven and Stutes and Bastardo came in for, respectively, the hold and the save. Phillies 2, Red Sox 1.

Today's matinee between Jon Lester and Cole Hamels fizzled in the fourth when Adrian Gonzalez drove Hamels out of the game with a wicked liner that took off the pitcher's glove. Hamels finished the play, then got the final out of the inning, but did not come back. X-rays were negative for what is being called a contusion. David Herndon came in and gave up three runs pretty much on bloops. Drew Carpenter later gave up back-to-back shots. The Phillies did nothing till the ninth, when Howard hit a two-run homer off of Bobby Jenks. Red Sox 5, Phillies 2.

In his postgame presser, Charlie Manuel said Hamels is expected to make his next start. Whew.

shane victorino, the flyin' hawaiian

That's the name of a recently-released biography of Phillie center fielder Shane Victorino. Written by Alan Maimon, the book focuses on Victorino's childhood on the island of Maui and his rocky rise to professional fame in the city of Philadelphia.

At age five, the future All-Star was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyper-activity disorder (ADHD), when four teachers at his pre-school threatened to quit because of his uncontrollable behavior. But rural Maui turns out to be a place where the adage that 'it takes a village to raise a child' is a way of life. Blessed with a strong, nurturing family and community and good medical help, Victorino eventually got his ADHD under control. His family encouraged his athletic talents (soccer, track, football, and baseball) as a way to channel his energy, little thinking that their somewhat undersized (5'8") son would eventually be drafted by the L.A. Dodgers.

After some years of toiling in the Dodger system, Victorino was claimed in the Rule 5 draft by San Diego, then later offered back to the Dodgers. A couple of years later, the Phillies picked him up in another Rule 5 draft. When they later offered him back to the Dodgers, LA declined and Philadelphia sent him to its Triple-A team, then in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he ended up becoming the MVP of the International League---on a last-place team. Eventually he made it to the big leagues and the World Series. He still struggles with adult ADHD and now channels more of his energy into a variety of charity efforts in Philadelphia and Hawaii. The account of his first date with his now-wife is a startling, if hilarious, example of the competitive nature of a pro athlete.

This is an insightful baseball book that transcends sport. It's also a warm and wry account of an unusual young man. For all of his struggles with ADHD, Victorino's childhood in some ways sounds almost idyllic.

halladay gets his 10th

Folks should be used to the low-scoring games by now, especially when the Phillies are playing the team with the best ERA in the American League. This weekend series with the A's and their terrific young pitching staff was a case in point.

In Friday night's game, Worley and Moscoso went toe to toe, each working on a no-hitter through five. Worley labored to escape the five-and-dive mode he's been in of late, allowing just one hit in six innings. Moscoso went seven, giving up just two hits. The game went scoreless into the bottom of the ninth, when the Phillies finally got to one-time closer Brian Fuentes, who had previously in his career held them to no runs. With two outs and men on second and third, pinch-hitter Ben Francisco chopped a single over the third baseman's head, scoring Victorino for the 1-0 win.

Saturday night it was Cole Hamels vs. Trevor Cahill. The Phillies scored first but the A's eventually got two off of Hamels, who went eight innings. In the ninth, Michael Stutes had his first real glitch of the year, giving up two more to the A's, who went on to win 4-1. In five games this month, Hamels has a 2-2 record and a 1.45 ERA. He has received a total of 13 runs in support. That number is less impressive when you consider that nine of those runs occurred in a 9-1 win over the Marlins.

If the Phillies continue to play as they did Saturday, which is to say flatfooted and lackadaisical, not to mention incapable of hitting breaking balls, they will be doomed.

Today Roy Halladay went again for his 10th win and was not to be denied. The Phillies scored two in the first off former Phillie farmhand Josh Outman (nice to see him pitching well in the majors)and later added a third in a 3-1 victory. Halladay went the distance for his fifth complete game of the season, helping to save a thin bullpen that has now lost its third closer.

Woohoo

Yellow jerseys rule! Lots of heartache for A's fans this year with all the bumbling and injuries and poor managing and fielding errors, but the team played their hearts out today against a World Series caliber team. Thanks Cahill, thanks Bailey!!


Mrpotani

meet me in st. louis

So the Phillies went from Seattle to St. Louis this week for what turned out to be a rather loopy series. On Tuesday night, Roy Halladay, trying for win #10, was lifted after the sixth with the Phillies down a run. They tied it, then the Cards went ahead by one. But all hell broke loose in the eighth, when the Phillies scored nine unanswered runs off of five Cardinal relievers, who combined to walk three, hit two, and give up five hits. The final score: 10-2.

On Wednesday it was all Cliff Lee again. He started the game throwing seven balls, then went on to pitch his second complete-game shutout in a row. Rollins hit a solo homer in the 3rd, Howard his a two-run shot, and the Phillies won 4-0.

Thursday's story was Roy Oswalt, who gave up four runs in two innings, then left the game with a sore back. The Phillies went on to lose ingloriously 12-2. But the story was Oswalt, who seemed to suggest that the back may be a season- (f not career-) ending injury. Oi vey.

Other injuries to ponder: Jose Contreras is back on the DL and Ryan Madison, conspicuously missing in action this week, has had numbness in his hand. The bullpen is again falling apart. J.C. Romero refused an assignment to Lehigh Valley and is now a free agent. All the work is being carried by the kids.