Philadelphia Phillies Salvage Game Three, Avoid Sweep vs. Milwaukee Brewers

For the first, but certainly not last, time this season, the Philadelphia Phillies lost a series. And for about five innings on Wednesday, it looked like the Phillies were about to get swept by a very good Milwaukee Brewers team.

The Brewers had twice as many hits in this series as the Phillies did, thanks in part to a solid series by their No. 3 and No. 4 hitters, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Braun batted 6-for-12 against the Phillies with three RBI, one home run and five runs scored. Fielder also recorded three RBI and batted 7-for-12.

The Phillies won game three after finally getting some home runs and after some solid relief pitching.

Chicks Dig the Longball  

Going into Wednesday afternoon’s game, the Phillies had only recorded 11 home runs all season. (The Yankees lead the league with 30.) Down 3-0, the Phillies gained the win thanks to Placido Polanco’s three-run homer and Shane Victorino’s solo shot that went deep into the Phillies’ bullpen.

But don’t count on the home runs by Polanco and Victorino sparking a torrid home run outburst just yet. The Phillies are heading out for four games to San Diego’s cavernous Petco Park where small ball will most likely be the winning formula.

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Anyone seen Jimmy Rollins?

Jimmy Rollins batted 1-for-12 against the Brewers and is batting 3-for-23 in the last seven days. I doubt he'll stay in the three-hole much longer if he stays in this funk. Maybe the trip back to his home state of California will get his bat going again. 

The new and improved Joe Blanton?

Joe Blanton, who lately had pitched as well as the  Phillie Bot, pitched surprisingly well on Monday, getting through seven innings with only two earned runs and seven hits. After getting shellacked inWashington in his last start, Blanton watched his delivery on film and made an adjustment to his footing. Apparently it helped. His other pitching counterparts did not fare as well. Roy Halladay gave up 10 hits and was charged with six runs while Cliff Lee gave up eight hits and three runs in six innings. Lee’s holding the Brewers to three-runs was just enough for the Phillies’ offense to overcome Wednesday.

What can we expect from Kyle Kendrick and the rest of the bullpen?

RHP Kyle Kendrick pitched like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde against the Brewers. On Monday, he threw an oddity, allowing three runs on only one official at-bat. He walked the first batter he faced, made a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt, gave up a run on a sac fly, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch, intentionally walked the next batter, gave up another sac fly, intentionally walked another batter and gave up an RBI single. Now compare that to Wednesday when he threw nine total pitches in the seventh and got the top three batters of Milwaukee’s lineup to fly out. With how inconsistent the other right-handed relievers (Danys Baez and David Herndon) are throwing, Kendrick will really need to establish himself as a strong relief pitcher.

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With J.C. Romero on the 15-day-DL, left-handed relief pitcher Antonio Bastardowill probably see a lot more work as well. Bastardo is still pitching lights-out. He has yet to allow a run in 6.2 innings pitched this season and he has only given up two hits and three walks.

The Phillies brought up another LHP, Mike Zagurski. Big Z gave up a hit and a walk while striking out a batter in 0.1 innings of work on Tuesday.

Mr. Consistent: Jose Contreras

When it comes to the eighth and ninth innings, Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras are still a winning combination. On Wednesday, Contreras earned the save, thanks to some defensive help from Wilson Valdez and two strikeouts. The final strike out came at Ryan Braun’sexpense. With Ricky Weeks on base, Braun at the plate (with a full count) and Fielder on deck, the game could have slipped away from the Phillies very quickly, but Contreras was confident in his 95-mph fastball and he zipped it right past Braun.

Contreras earned his fourth save. Through seven games, he’s allowed three hits and three walks, but he’s struck out eight batters and hasn’t allowed a run. 

Jayson Werth, Chase Utley and Brad Lidge: Who Needs Them?

The absence of Jayson Werth, Chase Utley and Brad Lidge from the lineup left plenty of cause for concern at the beginning of the season. Losing the team’s No. 3 and No. 5 hitters and the closer created a scenario where many hoped that the Phillies would be able to hang on until Utley and Lidge returned. But instead of merely surviving, the Phillies, with a 7-2 record, are thriving.

The offense so far has been unbelievable. As of Monday, the Phillies were No. 1 in the league in hits (107) and batting average (.334) and No. 3 in runs (59), doubles (22), RBIs (58) and slugging percentage (.484).

Last season, Werth epitomized selectivity at the plate, and I think that carried over to the rest of the team, who ended up being too selective and missing good opportunities to hit. But this season, the Phillies batters have been more aggressive, going after pitchers early in the count. On the first and second pitches of an at-bat, the Phillies have recorded 36 of their 107 hits. This aggressiveness at the plate may explain why they are 28th in the league in drawing walks. (They have 22 this year; Washington leads the league with 44.) But they also have only struck out 56 times this season, fifth best. (The Pirates are the worst in that category with 86.)

Shane Victorino came through as the leadoff batter against Atlanta, batting nine-for-13. Jimmy Rollins, batting third, is batting .324 so far, and Ben Francisco, batting fifth, has seven RBIs. Francisco provided much needed protection for Ryan Howard, after Howard was intentionally walked by Brandon Beachy, by getting an RBI single. According to Phillies' beat reporter Todd Zolecki, that’s the first time since 2008 that the No. 5 batter got a hit after Howard was intentionally walked.

Jose Contreras pitches against Atlanta
Joe Robbins/Getty Images

With their 6.5 runs per game, the Phillies can confidently say good riddance toJayson Werth and take your time toChase Utley.

Jose Contreras and the Rest of the Bullpen Are Getting the Job Done

Is Jose Contreras the new “Lights Out” man in Philadelphia? Contreras recorded his second save, Sunday. He has scattered two hits and a walk and struck out four batters in three games. As his setup man, Ryan Madson has struck out four batters as well and has only allowed one hit and no walks.

Former starter Kyle Kendrick has been utilized for a couple of longer appearances after Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee collapsed early in their starts. Kendrick has only allowed one earned run.

Reliever Antonio Bastardo has nine strike outs in 4.2 innings pitched. That’s only five strikeouts behind team leader, Cliff Lee. His torrid, team high K/9 ratio of 17.36 is due to his striking out six consecutive batters in Atlanta on Friday.

Don't get me wrong, I'll welcome back Utley with open arms and Lidge too (if he's back to 100 percent), but for now, the Phillies are doing fine.

With the bullpen and offense performing above and beyond expectations and the starting pitching living up to the hype, it's looking like a very good year for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Philadelphia Sixers Need a Premier Big Man to Contend in Star-Studded East

Currently three games over .500, the Sixers have come a long way since starting the season 3-13. Coach Doug Collins deserves much of the credit for getting all of the Sixers' young talent to develop some sound team chemistry.

But is that enough to compete with any of the Big Guns in the Eastern Conference playoffs?

The Heat have Miami Thrice, the Celtics have the Boston Three Party, the Knicks have Amar'e, Melo, and Chauncey, and the Bulls have Derrick Rose, who basically counts as three people.

The Sixers, on the other hand, have no real superstar to carry the team. They have several talented up-and-coming players (Jrue Holliday, Lou Williams, Thad Young and Jodie Meeks) and Elton Brand. Brand leads the team in points (14.7), rebounds (8.4) and blocks (1.3), but the Sixers sure could use a young, dominating, game-changing big man to help them challenge some of the NBA's stacked teams.

Salary cap aside, who are some big men that would make a huge impact in Philadelphia? If it were possible, here are 10 big men (5 from the pros, 5 from the draft, some more realistic than others) that I would love to see in a Sixers' uniform in 2011-2012.

No. 10 JaJuan Johnson, Purdue

6'10" 220lbs.

The forward/center from Purdue averaged 20.5 points per game this past season with 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.


No. 9 John Henson, UNC

6'10" 210 lbs.

Sophomore John Henson will declare by Saturday if he's entering the Draft, and if he does, he's likely to be an early pick. This year he scored 11.7 points per game, collected 10.1 rebounds, and blocked 3.2 shots a game. He blocked 5 or more shots in a game 11 times this year.

No. 8&7 Marcus and Markieff Morris

Marcus: 6'9" 235 lbs. 

Markieff: 6'10" 245 lbs.

It would be nice if the Sixers could get a Draft One Twin, Get the Other Twin Free, deal. These Philadelphia natives would make a good fit playing in front of their home crowd.

Marcus averaged 17.2 points per game and 7.6 rebounds, while Markieff had 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds.

No. 6 Kenneth Faried, Morehead St.

6'8" 225 lbs.

Kenneth Faried is a rebounding machine. His 1,673 rebounds earned him the title of the No. 1 rebounder in NCAA Division I, shattering Tim Duncan's previous record of 1,570.

Granted, Faried did play in the Ohio Valley Conference, but showed in the NCAA Tournament this year that he can still dominate the glass against major conference teams; he gathered 17 boards against Louisville and 13 against Richmond.

He averaged 17.3 points, 14.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks a game this season. 

No. 5 JaVale McGee,Washington Wizards

7'0" 252 lbs.

In his third season with Washington, McGee is averaging 10.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. While not a superstar per say, McGee's blocking prowess could provide some intimidation down low for Philadelphia.

In a game against Chicago this season, McGee blocked 12 shots.



No. 4 Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz

6'10" 280 lbs.

Jefferson is averaging 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game for the tanking Utah Jazz this season. He's recorded 34 double-doubles this season.



No. 3 Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

6'10" 260lbs.

Love is the only ray of hope for the lowly Timberwolves (17-60), but if they have a firesale soon, the Sixers will gladly take him off their hands.

Love is an almost guaranteed double-double every night. He's averaged 20.2 points and 15.2 boards a game and recorded 64 double-doubles this season.

No. 2 Blake Griffin, LA Clippers

6'10" 251 lbs.

Not only would the Blake Show dramatically improve the Sixers' front court, it would also more than likely pack the stands every night with fans hoping to see his electrifying dunks.

Griffin's averaging 22.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. He's recorded 59 double-doubles this year and has thrown down 193 dunks, 24 shy of the league leader, who would also look great in a Sixers' uniform . . . 

 

No. 1 Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

6'11" 265 lbs.

Call it a pipedream, but if the Sixers had this man in the middle, they would be a fearsome force in the East. If Dwight Howard wants out of Orlando once his contract is up and the Magic decide to deal him early, I would hope that the Sixers would make an offer for him. His $17 million contract is of course a problem for the Sixers' payroll, but this is totally hypothetical anyway.

Howard is having a career year this year: 23.2 points, 14.1 blocks and 2.4 rebounds per game.

If he did come to Philadelphia, who would be the more favorite Howard: Dwight or Ryan?

Philadelphia Phillies Open Season Against 'Affiliate' Houston Astros

The Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies have exchanged so many players in the years since Ed Wade left Philadelphia and became the GM in Houston that the Astros are virtually a farm team for the Phillies.

The Astros play in Class AAA-and-a-half and willingly send up stars to Philadelphia and accept the contracts of underperforming major leaguers.

Several of these players that have traded places—Eric Bruntlett, Geoff Geary, Pedro Feliz, Randy Wolf, Brandon Duckworth, Billy Wagner and Chris Coste—are on neither team this year.

Former Astro Brad Lidge is starting the season on the DL, but the other former Astro, Roy Oswalt, is ready for another prime season. The Astros have three former Phillies in their starting rotation this season and will open the season with former Phillies pitcher Brett Myers on the mound.

There will be a few other familiar faces on the Astros roster as they come to town, looking to continue their four-game win streak against Philadelphia.

Who are they, would you want any of them back, and will any more Astros and Phillies trade places this season?

Former GM Ed Wade: The Man Behind the Curtain

No one, and I mean no one, was sad when Ed Wade left town and went to Houston (except maybe Astros fans).

Some would even say he's done more good for the Phillies since he got the job in the Houston. He gave us a lights-out Brad Lidge and a revitalized Roy Oswalt and even agreed to eat up $11 million of Oswalt's contract.

Wade's mentality is build for the future, and he voraciously gobbles up prospects. Phillies fans rarely give him credit for the prospects he kept in the system: Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino, etc.

Little-known fact: Current Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. also interviewed for the Astros GM position, but they went with the more "experienced" Wade.

Little-known fact No. 2: Wade began in Philadelphia's PR department in the '70s and moved to Houston's PR department before coming back to Philadelphia as the eventual GM.

Sergio Escalona, PitcherSergio Escalona pitched in 14 games for the Phillies last season, compiling an unimpressive 4.61 ERA. The Phillies sent him down to Houston in January in exchange for a promising prospect, second baseman Albert Cartwright.

Both players are beginning the season in the minors.

Nelson Figueroa, PitcherNelson Figueroa was part of the trade that dealt ace Curt Schilling to Arizona in 2000. Thanks a lot, Ed Wade!

Figueroa bounced around the league and then back to Philadelphia for a forgettable 13-game stint, and he is now reunited with Ed Wade in Houston for the 2011 season. Figueroa is listed as the Astros' fifth starter.

Jason Michaels, OutfielderIf you thought the Phillies had outfield problems this season, remember when Jason Michaels was a fixture in our outfield? (Also, remember when the ball popped out of his glove in Atlanta and went over the fence for a home run? Video on YouTube's  baseball blunders trailer)

Brett Myers, Pitcher

Brett Myers struck out 180 batters and went 14-8 with a 3.14 ERA last season with Houston. If he can stay healthy/out of trouble, he'll continue to be a decent pitcher for the Astros.

From the looks of it, apparently he left his razor behind in Philadelphia.

J.A. Happ, Pitcher

J.A. Happ is one of the former Phillies that I wish we could have held on to, but swapping him for Roy Oswalt and $11 million cash is an offer you can't refuse.

Happ showed promise in 2009 with Philadelphia, going 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA and 119 strikeouts. In his only start against Philadelphia last season, Happ got the victory, allowing only two runs in six innings.

Michael Bourn, Outfielder

Michael Bourn would have also been a good player to keep if possible, but there's always a chance Ed Wade will deal him back to Philadelphia.

Of course, we did get Lidge's perfect season and a World Series ring in exchange for Bourn, so I won't carp too much, but I'm sure the Phillies wouldn't mind having him in the outfield this season. Bourn won a Gold Glove in 2009 and 2010.

His batting average isn't the greatest, but when he gets on base, he can fly. In three seasons with Houston he's swiped 41, 61 and 52 bases respectively.

Houston-Philadelphia Trades in 2011?
Ed Wade has until July 31 to help out his former club again this season. Ed, we wouldn't mind taking right- handed Hunter Pence off your hands. The 27-year-old RF hit .282 last season and cranked 25 home runs with 91 RBI.