I was all set to write…WOO-HOO Phillies clinch the 2011 NLDS!  But boy was that shot to s**t after the Phillies lost 5-3 to the Cardinals.

So now we are heading back to Philly for Game 5 on Friday night. Which I really didn’t want to see happen.

And I didn’t think it would be necessary after the Phillies took a nice 2-0 lead in the first inning.  Jimmy Rollins got the ball rolling with his fourth double of the series, then Chase Utley hauled ass to get an RBI-triple.  Hunter Pence then singled to score Utley.  Offense looked good and ready to win this game.  Unfortunately the bats had other plans and flatlined.

The Cards quickly answered in the bottom of the first with an RBI-double by Lance Berkman, that ended up being a double thanks to Shane Victorino slipping (literally) and unable to get the ball back in.

Was hoping for a better outing from Roy Oswalt, but he just didn’t have it.  He threw six innings, gave up five runs on six hits, and struck out five.

The squirrel that made its national television debut on Tuesday night, made another appearance in tonight’s.  And it decided to run across home plate as Oswalt was pitching to Skip Schumaker.

The pitch, which hit the catcher’s mitt a split-second before the furry fellow crossed the home-plate area, was called a ball. The squirrel darted into the stands while Oswalt stood with his hands in the air, either protesting the pitch should have been wiped out or should have been called a strike. – Phillies.com

Obviously Oswalt was struggling anyway, but the squirrel definitely just added to it.  And I defended the little critters in my previous post but they have no place on the baseball field.  When asked after the game what he thought of the squirrel, Manuel stated that there wasn’t much he could do about it, but that being from the south, had he had a shotgun, he would have shot the squirrel.  All I know is that better be the last squirrel sighting at any Phillies games.  The once labeled ‘lucky squirrel’ is now null and void.

On Tuesday night, the Philly killer was Ryan Theriot, tonight it was David Freese, who hit a two RBI-double in the fourth then slammed a two-run homer in the sixth.  Putting the Cards up 5-2.

Joe Blanton threw in the seventh and Brad Lidge pitched the eighth.  Combined they retired all six batters faced but the damage had already been done.

The Phillies managed to squeak in a run in the eighth courtesy of pinch hitter Ross Gload singling then advancing to second on a balk.  Michael Martinez pinched run for Gload and got to third after Utley singled.  With Hunter Pence at the plate, St. Louis reliever Fernando Salas threw a wild pitch, allowing Martinez to score.  At that point the Phillies would take a run any way they could.  Sadly though with the offense on life support, there wasn’t much hope of a miraculous recovery.

Even worse, Ryan Howard who usually kills it at Busch Stadium has been downright invisible. Tonight he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.  Not harping on him, I just want him to find whatever is missing and be the hitter I know he can be!  And hopefully he finds it before Friday night.

And speaking of Friday night, the pitching match-up for Game 5 will be Roy Halladay vs. Chris Carpenter.  If ever there was a time to be grateful that Doc is a Phillie, Friday night would be it.  I have faith…so please baseball gods, don’t disappoint me!

Complete Box Score Phillies/Cardinals – Game 5 NLDS 10/5/11

The song used for the FOX/TBS Postseason is “Written in the Stars” by Tinie Tempah featuring Eric Turner can be heard here.

Roy Halladay - MyPHL17.com

With my family over to celebrate my son’s birthday, we all gathered in the family room, excited and ready to cheer on the Phillies.  Our party buzz was quickly killed the moment Lance Berkman slammed a 3-run shot off of Roy Halladay in the first inning.  And we knew it was gonna be one of THOSE games.

But with Doc at the helm, even if he’s given up a couple runs, you always get the feeling that the moment he settles down and gets into his groove, good things will happen.  And that they did.  After allowing a single by Skip Schumaker, Halladay went on to retire the next 21 batters.

St. Louis’ Kyle Lohse kept the Phillies bats quiet and scoreless until the fourth inning, when Chase Utley doubled and Ryan Howard walked.  Shane Victorino then stepped up to the plate and hit an RBI-single, putting the Phillies on the board with one run.

But it would be the sixth inning that Phillies turned it on and then some.  Jimmy Rollins and Hunter Pence both singled then Lohse threw a sweet pitch that Howard just crushed.  Hitting his first homer of the post season and giving the Phillies a 4-3 lead in the process.  But the Phillies weren’t done with Lohse yet, after Victorino singled, Raul Ibanez homered to right field.  The Phillies were then up 6-3.

St. Louis reliever Marc Rzepczynski took over the seventh, and the Phillies tacked on three more runs.  Then in the eighth Pence hit a 2 RBI-single, adding two more runs.  The Phillies ended up with a total 14 hits in the game.

With an 11-3 lead in the top of the ninth, Charlie Manuel decided to give Halladay a rest and bring in reliever Michael Stutes.  The lead was substantial, so no harm letting the young guy get a little postseason experience.  Well, Stutes probably didn’t have the experience he was hoping for when he gave up three runs on three hits.  So Ryan Madson was called upon to hopefully end the game without giving up anymore hits/runs.  And though Madson gave a up a hit which scored a run (charged to Stutes) he was able to finish the Cardinals off by striking out both John Jay and pinch hitter Matt Holliday. 

Final score was 11-6 and the Phillies are 1-0 in the best-of-five series.

Complete Box Score Phillies/Cardinals – Game 1 NLDS

For the Aerys Sports St. Louis Cardinals perspective, please check out Aaron Miles Fastball

Image Source:  MyPHL17.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”

Charlie Manuel - Photo courtesy of: MyPHL17.com

It took 13 innings to do it but the Phillies left Atlanta not only sweeping the Braves but also collecting their 102nd win of the season (franchise record), claiming the best record in all of the Majors, and making Charlie Manuel the most winning manager in Phillies history with 646 (2005-2011)!

After the game, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Madson stood in front of the team in the winning clubhouse and presented Manuel with a large bottle of champagne. The bottle was neatly emblazoned with a label that featured Manuel’s picture and 646. – CSNPhilly.com

The Phillies also killed the Braves’ playoff hopes, but let’s be honest here, the Braves pretty much blew it themselves.  They had a pretty substantial lead in the Wild Card race heading down the stretch but they just seem to fall apart.  And their implosion allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to squeak in.

Last night’s game reminded me of my son’s recreational baseball league, where all the kids get to play no matter how good or how bad they are.  With going so many innings, both the Phillies and Braves used just about every player each had on their respective benches.

As far as the pitchers went, righty Joe Blanton started for the Phils and threw two innings.  Manuel wanted Cole Hamels to get some work, so Hamels pitched three innings.  Then a total of seven relievers came into the game, four of which were rookies and none gave up a single run.  In fact the Braves’ three runs were scored off of Blanton and Hamels.

Hitting wise, the Phillies had four batters with an RBI each, Chase Utley, Hunter Pence, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Ruiz.

The final score was 4-3 and the Phillies ended the regular season on a high note.

Complete Box Score Phillies/Braves – 9/28/11 Game

The 2011 National League Division Series will begin on Saturday, October 1st, time to be determined.  Here is the schedule:

2011 NLDS Schedule - MLB.com

Roy Halladay (19-6 ERA 2.35) will be the starter for the Phillies in Game 1.  Its unknown at this time who the Cardinals are going with.

Image source MyPHL17.com

I stated a couple days ago how the Phillies were either going to be the Atlanta Braves’ worst nightmare or their dream come true, well I think its pretty clear which one the Phillies are.

The Phillies 7-1 victory over the Braves, put to rest any doubt people had (myself included) on whether they could finish out the regular season on a high note after hitting a bad streak.  But I refrain from being too ecstatic for fear of being a j**x.  Look at that, I won’t even spell it out!  And for those that know me and my track record at Phillies games this year, I have NO tickets for any of the post season games.  So everyone can breath a sigh of relief.  I will watch from the comforts of my home in southern New Jersey, approximately 30 minutes from Citizens Bank Park, I think that’s a safe enough distance!

In regards to Tuesday night’s game, I can’t stress enough how absolutely wonderful it is to see the offense show up and make the other team’s pitchers work.  Especially when you have a guy like Derek Lowe on the mound.  Let’s face it, the dude has been struggling.  The Phillies would have been crazy not to take full advantage of Lowe’s current lack of pitching prowess.

Roy Oswalt - Photo credit: Steve Trapani

Chase Utley started it all off with a solo home run in the first.  Hunter Pence had 3-RBI’s on the night, thanks in part to a 2-run homer in the fifth.  Pence has 96 RBI’s on the season, just four shy of a 100.  Jimmy Rollins hit another solo shot after hitting one in Monday night’s game.

Righty Roy Oswalt pitched well by going six innings, only giving up three hits, no runs, and struck out four.  That was enough to give him his ninth win of the season.  Rookie Joe Savery relieved Oswalt in the seventh and had a one-two-three inning including a strikeout.  Then Antonio Bastardo pitched the eighth and I’ll be honest, my faith in him has been teetering.  But he looked good, also having a quick inning, retiring all three batters.

Kyle Kendrick threw in the ninth and though gave up a homer to Martin Prado, he retired all three batters afterwards.  Game over!

With Tuesday night’s win, manager Charlie Manuel reached 645 wins (2005-2011) as the Phillies skipper.  Tying him with Gene Mauch for the Phillies franchise record.

The Phillies’ win on Tuesday was their 101st victory of the season and that ties them with the 1976 and 1977 Phillies for the franchise record.

Complete Box Score Phillies/Braves – 9/27/11 Game

After the jump, check out Wednesday’s game preview which is the Phillies final regular game of the season!!!!

» Continue reading “Phillies = Buzzkill For Braves”