Cliff Lee is, well Cliff Lee.  One of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball.  His line for the season is ridiculously good:

3.00 ERA, 1.018 WHIP, 57 IP, 54 K’s, 10 BB  (baseball-reference)

A line like that should have at least 5, 6 or 7 wins to his name.

But this is Cliff Lee pitching for the Phillies, which means he’s actually 0-2.  It seems that every year, the Phillies offense picks a pitcher and refuses to give them run support.  Cliff Lee won (or lost) the drawing this year.   Though Roy Halladay is right there with him.

The only real blight on his record (other than the win-loss record) is his penchant for the long ball.  He tends to give up 1 a start and that’s where most of his earned runs have come from.

Last night was no exception.  Cliff Lee gave up 3 runs in 7 innings, including a 2-run shot to Lucas Duda.  The Phillies offense were up to it’s usual games with Cliff Lee.  They scored one run during those 7 innings.

It’s usual because up to that point, they have only scored 13 runs all year while Cliff Lee was pitching.

» Continue reading “Cliff Lee: Win Cy Young Without Winning A Game”

MLB2K11 - (My son's PS3 game)

I knew about the MLB2K11 contest (which began on April 1, 2011), that if someone threw a perfect game while playing MLB2K11 (whether it be via PS3, Wii, X-Box…etc) that person would win a cool million dollars.  I had no idea if anyone had actually won it, because I hadn’t heard.  So when I was perusing the Phillies website, I was surprised to see a write up about a guy who had won it back in April of 2011.  Which is awesome but what made it even sweeter, is that the winner who resides in Louisiana, and who was not even a baseball fan, became a fan thanks to the game and a Phillies fan to boot.

The winner, Brian Kingrey, a music teacher, did tons of research on the Internet, learning baseball statistics and all about baseball in general. And through that research he realized by using right-handed pitcher Roy Halladay, who had thrown a perfect game in 2010, was the smart route to go.

“I had to actually learn the game if I was going to play,” Kingrey said. “I started learning about batters, batting averages, different kinds of pitches. I’d research, play for five hours, eat, sleep and then repeat for 2 weeks.” – Phillies.com

Kingrey’s sole mission was to play MLB2K11 until he threw that rare perfect game.  And on April 1, 2011, that became a reality. Kingrey played three games and it was the third game that he hit the jackpot.  With Halladay as his pitcher, the chosen opponent was the Houston Astros.

He (Halladay) said that even he was impressed by how Kingrey picked up the subtleties of pitching and how he won big.  “It’s not easy,” Halladay said. “I think it would take me more than five hours a day for two weeks to come anywhere close to that.” - Phillies.com

Click image to view video - MLB.com

Can’t say I’ve ever played the game myself, but have watched my son play it.  And it doesn’t look easy, at all!!!  So I give Kingrey major kudos on his accomplishment.

Video courtesy of:  MLB.com

Vance Worley - Photo courtesy of: MyPHL17.com

Both pitchers Roy Halladay and Vance Worley are finalists in the 2011 Players Choice Awards, which were created by the Major League Baseball Players Association in 1992.  The awards honor man and player of the year in the American and National Leagues combined.  The other awards are given to the outstanding player, outstanding pitcher, outstanding rookie, and comeback player of the year in each of the leagues.

The winners will be announced on Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 8:00 pm EDT on the MLB Network.

The 2011 Players Choice Award winners in all categories will designate charities to receive grants totaling $260,000 from the Major League Baseball Players Trust, the charitable foundation created and run by the players themselves. – Phillies.com

Doc is in the running for Outstanding Pitcher with Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, and Arizona’s Ian Kennedy.

Halladay went 19-6 with a 2.36 ERA in 32 starts this season. His 6.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio and eight complete games led the National League. – Phillies.com

Worley is up for Outstanding Rookie and his competition is Atlanta Braves’ closer Craig Kimbrel, and first baseman Freddie Freeman.

Worley went 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA in 25 appearances (21 starts). He became a big factor in the team’s success this season, with Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton missing significant time this season due to injuries. – Phillies.com

Good Luck to Doc and Vance!

Image source:  MyPHL17.com

EW Double Issue - Oct. 14/21, 2011

I was flipping through the latest edition of Entertainment Weekly Magazine and in the back section they have the television (What to Watch) schedule for the next two weeks.

And listed for Wednesday, October 19^th time slot is the WORLD SERIES.  The ironic part is that the picture accompanying the little snippet is of Roy Halladay and mentions the Phillies and Yankees.  Both teams were eliminated in their respective Game 5’s.

And you know looking back to the whole Sports Illustrated Brotherly Love article right before the playoffs started, I am even more convinced that was nothing more than a big old jinx. And back at the end of Spring Training, the Four Aces and Joe Blanton graced the cover as well.  Though the regular season was a success, the postseason was a anything but.  Coincidence…maybe, but PLEASE Sports Illustrated do NOT put any Phillies or the team as a whole on your cover!!!  EVER!

Now the injury reports.  And there are a few.

It was confirmed yesterday that Ryan Howard ruptured his left achilles tendon.  And will require surgery.  However, until the swelling subsides, he can’t have it done.  And a Phillies source stated that there is no guarantee Howard will be ready for Spring Training and could possibly miss the first couple months of the season, if not more. *sigh*

Both Hunter Pence and Placido Polanco have sports hernias.

Polanco is expected to have surgery, while Pence’s plan will be determined following the MRI. Polanco had battled through the sports hernia much of the season, while Pence never indicated publicly it had been an issue. – Phillies.com

Cole Hamels will have loose bodies removed from his elbox next Friday and he too has a hernia, an inguinal one.  Surgery for that will occur the week after next.  Hamels had a shoulder issue back in August but appeared to somewhat work through it.  At least to finish out the season.

Ross Gload who is now a free-agent, will most likely have arthroscopic surgery on his right hip.

I’m still numb over the Phillies being eliminated from the postseason, but with so many injuries, maybe it was just as well.  Polanco who started off like gangbusters, slumped after May and didn’t recover.  So his injury definitely hampered him.  And Howard busting up his achilles…what would have happened if he had actually had a base hit instead of getting out?  He wouldn’t have even made it to first base, as he collapsed half way down the line.  But guess that doesn’t matter because he was in fact out!

To read Entertainment Weekly check it out online or buy a copy.

Image courtesy of: limecandy.onsugar.com

I was going to write this post up after last night’s game ended, but wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to say. And to be honest, I’m still not sure.

The game definitely did not end the way I had hoped or wanted it to.  But it is what it is.  The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Phillies 1-0, eliminating them from the playoffs.

Complete Box Score Phillies/Cardinals – Game5 NLDS 10/7/11

Sure Roy Halladay gave up a run in the first inning, but that run was all he gave up.  What he needed was assistance from his offense which clearly he did not get.  A one run lead shouldn’t have been enough for the Cards to advance but sadly it was.  Even with 102 wins in the regular season the offense wasn’t always there and last night it was their undoing.

Third baseman Placido Polanco and first baseman Ryan Howard both had .105 batting averages in the NLDS series.  Catcher Carlos Ruiz had a .057 batting average while right fielder Hunter Pence had .211.  After Games 1 and 2, the offense just faded.  And no matter how great a team’s pitching is, got to have a strong offense to back it up.

Watching Howard walk up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and nobody on, was eerily reminiscent of last year’s NLCS against the San Francisco Giants.  That’s when Howard struck out looking to end that series.  Well last night,  the entire series once again laid on Howard’s big shoulders and he failed to deliver yet again.  Though he did manage to make contact with the ball, it was playable and Howard was thrown out at first.  But he never even made it to first base, he somehow tripped up exiting the box and injured his achilles (left ankle).

“I was trying to run and I just felt this pop, and the whole thing went numb like it was on fire,” Howard said. “I tried to keep going and went down. It literally felt like I was on a flat tire. I tried to get up, [but I] just couldn’t go.”

Howard said he may have hit his Achilles with his bat during his final swing of the 2011 season. Howard had been dealing with bursitis and an assortment of other foot injuries for the latter part of the summer, but he never was told continued pressure on those joints and ligaments would increase the risk of a serious injury. – Phillies.com

Howard who had to be helped off the field while the Cards were celebrating no less, is scheduled to have an MRI on Saturday to see what if any damage was done.

So the offense was a bust as a whole, but I must tip my hat to St. Louis’ Chris Carpenter, who was very impressive.  Going up against Doc for the first time must have been both exciting and intimidating at the same time.  But Carpenter prevailed and helped his team advance to the NLCS to face the Milwaukee Brewers.

As a Philadelphia sports fan, I am used to the disappointment.  Because other than the Phillies World Series win in 2008, I have watched the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) and Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) choke year after year.  Doesn’t make it any easier but I’ve come to expect it.  The moment Cliff Lee re-signed with the team back in December 2010, this Phillies team was predicted to go all the way .  With the 4 Aces and then the acquisition of Pence, this team was built to win.  But sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way.

Jimmy Rollins who stepped it up in the playoff series, is in the final year of his contract.  So his future with the Phillies is unknown at this time.  Raul Ibanez and closer Ryan Madson are also at the end of their contracts.

Overall the Phillies had a great year, but sadly because they didn’t make it past the NLDS, some will feel it was a bust and having the best record in all of baseball didn’t mean squat.

Not sure what the future holds for this team but guess we will find out as their off season begins.  SADLY!!!

I want to congratulate the St. Louis Cardinals, their Aerys Site Aaron Miles’ Fastball and its lead writer Christine Coleman!  Good luck in the National League Championship Series.