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.

Cliff Lee - Photo credit: Steve Trapani

After watching the Philadelphia Eagles blow their game on Sunday afternoon, I for one was hoping the Phillies game would be less frustrating and have a better outcome.  *sigh*

The game began with Rafeal Furcal leading off the with a triple.  And right away I was thinking, “here we go again” BUT Cliff Lee and the Phillies kept Furcal stranded and went on to dominate the bottom of the first by scoring three runs off of Chris Carpenter.  And that all started with a lead-off double by Jimmy Rollins, who in my opinion has really stepped it up.  Chase Utley then walked, then Hunter Pence did as well.  With bases loaded and no outs, Ryan Howard hit a 2 RBI-single.  Raul Ibanez brought Pence home with a single and the Phillies reversed roles with the Cardinals from Saturday night, by having a 3-run lead in the first.

And in the second, Rollins hit his second double of the game and ended up stealing third before Utley was walked.  Pence came up and hit Rollins home.  Phillies were up 4-0.

At that point, Lee had been doing well.  Even with an occasional hit or walk, he had struck out five and kept the Cards scoreless.  That is until the fourth inning when Lee uncharacteristically imploded.  A lead-off walk to Lance Berkman then a single by Yadier Molina, was capped off by a Ryan Theriot double, scoring Berkman.  Then John Jay and Furcal each had an RBI-single, giving the Cards three runs.  The Phillies were still up but by only one.

St. Louis reliever Fernando Salas replaced Carpenter in the fourth and retired all three Phillies batters. Lee had a quick fifth with two strikeouts and a pop out.  But Salas had the same result in the bottom of the fourth.

With two outs in the sixth, Theriot struck again with his second double then Jay hit him home.  The score was tied 4-4.

Octavio Dotel relieved Salas in the sixth and he too retired the Phillies in order.

Lee continued to be un-Lee like when Allen Craig tripled in the seventh, then Albert Pujols hit an RBI-single.  The Cards went up 5-4 and Lee’s outing was done!  In six innings of work, Lee gave up five runs on 12 hits, walked two, and struck out nine.  Relievers Brad Lidge, Antonio Bastardo, and Vance Worley collectively held the Cards hitless and scoreless.  Ryan Madson allowed just one hit, but though it helped defensively, the Phillies offense neglected to even it up.  Therefore, they lost 5-4 to the Cards and the series is now tied at 1-1.

When asked after the game what happened, Lee stated that he had a four run lead and should have done better.  “I take full responsibility,” Lee said.

Complete Box Score Phillies/Cardinals – Game 2 NLDS

The series now shifts to St. Louis for Game 3 on Tuesday night.

Photo courtesy of Steve Trapani – Flickr Follow him on twitter: @Trap_33

PHI Cliff Lee & SL Chris Carpenter

After taking Game 1, the Phillies are sending Cliff Lee to the mound to go up against St. Louis’ Chris Carpenter.  The Phillies offense, though chilly at the start, was relentless in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings of Saturday’s night victory.  And hopefully they carry that over into Sunday’s match-up.

I doubt though will be the high scoring game that Saturday night was but then again, you never know.  All regular season stats are history and now in the postseason they all start fresh.  So technically Lee and Carpenter are on the same level, stats wise that is.  Carpenter did very well down the stretch but in an overall comparison, Lee should have this hands down.  But I’m not getting a ahead of myself, gotta take one game at a time.

Check out Game 2 preview after the jump…

NLDS Game 2

Sunday, October 2, 2011

8:30 pm EDT

Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia

TV:  TBS

Radio:  WPHT 1210, ESPN Radio, WUBA 1480

Weather at Game Time:  low 50′s, possible showers

Aerys Sports St. Louis Cardinals site:  Aaron Miles Fastball

Pitching Match Up

Philadelphia:  LHP Cliff Lee

Lee spurned more money from the Yankees and Rangers and lived up to his the hype in his return campaign with the Phillies. He threw a remarkable six shutouts and proved nearly unhittable in both June and August. Can he repeat in October? – Phillies.com

St. Louis:  RHP Chris Carpenter

Carpenter has never started on short rest in the Major Leagues, and that has to be a bit of a concern. But he’s coming off an efficient game in Houston, and his history as a big-game and playoff pitcher is well-established. – Phillies.com

If someone asked, why should I root for the Philadelphia Phillies?  I’d have to think for a moment. Not because I don’t think the Phillies are root worthy, oh quite the contrary.  But for me I was born to be a Phillies fan and don’t know any different. So its almost implausible that there are people out there who don’t like them.  But I’m a realist and certainly not delusional.  Though I don’t feel the Phillies are loathed as much as maybe say the Yankees, I do think some might be tired of seeing them make the postseason…five years in a row to be exact. And advancing to the World Series twice in that time frame, once winning it all.

And though I could probably name a 1,000 reasons why someone SHOULD root for the Phillies, here are just a few:

The Aces

Cliff Lee:   Here’s a guy who turned down the Yankees to come play for the city of Brotherly Love.  A pitcher as dominating as Lee WANTED to be a Phillie again…that speaks volumes.  He was voted the NL pitcher for the month of August and with six shutouts this season along with hitting two homeruns, Lee is the real deal.  Can’t dispute the facts.  He might come off as smug but once you see and hear him speak, he’s just a regular guy who happens to be one of the best pitchers too.

Roy ‘Doc’ Halladay:   The reigning NL Cy Young winner is the starter for Game 1 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals and deservedly so.  With a 19-6 record and 2.35 ERA, Halladay had another Cy Young caliber season. And if you haven’t ever seen the MLB2K11 commercial with Halladay hanging with his ‘Chooch’ pillow, its a must-see.  Many think Halladay is so serious all the time, this commercial proves otherwise.

Halladay MLB2K11 - click photo to view commercial

Cole Hamels:  “Mr. Hollywood” had a decent season with a 14-7 record and 2.79 ERA.  At times he struggled with giving up the long ball and like last year, had to deal with his offense not showing up for him.  But overall Cole’s maturity on the mound showed through and the once petulant guy took the losses in stride.

Pence showing some skin at Phillies charity fashion show - MyPHIL17.com

“Good game, Lets Go Eat”:  At the end of July, the Phillies smartly acquired right-fielder Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros.  I had previously referred to Pence as a “Phillies Killer” because he always stepped up his game when he versed them.  But now he IS a Phillie and at first I wasn’t sure it was a good signing.  Well what the hell do I know, the guy is all kinds of awesome.  From his athletic ability to the immense amount of energy he exudes, the guy has been a substantial spark that the Phillies batting line up truly needed. And his now infamous, “Lets Go Eat” quote just endeared him more to the legions of Philly fans (along with his stripping at a charity fashion show SEE PHOTO).  Gotta love his no nonsense approach to everything.  View’s writer Karilee Jeantet* did a terrific piece on Pence’s quotes, you can read it here:  Fun With Hunter Pence Quotes

For the Fan Girls out there:

There are a couple of young rookies for you to enjoy.  One sports an awesome mohawk (best in baseball in my book), red specs and a pair of dimples that are hard to ignore.  His name is Vance Worley and he moved up from Triple-A to the majors will such ease that many find it hard to believe he is just a mere 24 years-old.  Then there’s reliever Michael Stutes who is just downright cute and for most of the season being the newest rookie, he had to carry a pink Hello Kitty backpack (filled with goodies and treats for the bullpen guys) and wear a pink boa around his neck.  He wore both proudly and to be honest, looked good doing it.  And by the way, both Worley and Stutes are damn good pitchers, so aside from looks and fun personalities, they have definitely been key assets to the team’s success.

» Continue reading “Welcome to the Bandwagon: The Fightins”

Roy Halladay - Photo credit: Steve Trapani

Once again it took a Doc to cure the Phillies of whatever was ailing them.  Oh and the offense wasn’t bad either!  In fact they had a total 19 hits and had scored nine runs by the fourth inning.

I was hanging at my parents’ house flipping back and forth between the Phillies/Mets and Eagles/Giants.  And let me just say, being a Philadelphia sports fan can be both rewarding and frustrating at the same time.

Anyway, the nine runs the Phillies got were plenty enough to win, although I could swear there was a point where they tried to blow it.  The moment reliever Antonio Bastardo was brought into the seventh to replace Roy Halladay, and gave up a 2-run homer to Ronny Paulino, the feeling of dread started to emerge.

I don’t think I could have handled a sweeping by the Mets.

So thankfully the Phillies hung on, won 9-4 and got out of New York via airplane, not a broom!!!

Complete Box Score Phillies/Mets – 9/25/11 Game

Halladay recorded his 19th win in Sunday’s win over the Mets.

Manager Charlie Manuel was pleased with yesterday’s effort.

“We had some real good things happen in the game, but the most important is we got us a win,” manager Charlie Manuel said.

“You can see the difference,” Manuel said. “When we’ve got all of our guys in there we’ve got a pretty good lineup. I like our lineup when we’ve got everybody here, but when you’ve got two or three of them missing we become a different team. It’s very important we keep our guys in there.”  – Phillies.com

The Phillies finish out the season with a 3-game series in Atlanta against a struggling Braves team who are only holding the Wild Card lead by one game.  Which is shocking because a couple weeks ago the Braves had a comfortable lead over the St. Louis Cardinals but are now very close to imploding and watching their postseason bid fade away.

So the Phillies are either going to be the Braves’ worst nightmare or dream come true.  In the words of my dad, “Depends on WHICH Phillies team decides to show up.”  Ain’t that the truth!

Check out tonight’s game preview after the jump…

» Continue reading “99 Wins – FINALLY!”