It’s a miracle!  Hunter Pence is alive and playing in tonight’s game.  After not being able to lift his arm yesterday, he has quickly come back to full life and health.  Yesterday, he couldn’t do anything, and today, he’s perfectly fine.  Apparently he also got his medical degree because he knew that the MRI would show nothing.

He is back in right field and batting clean-up. One of these things is good, the other, well, we’ll have to make due.

Make due that is until Ryan Howard is alive again.  (He apparently is a little less dead then he was just a week ago.) Howard’s infection is clearing up.  He will be able to resume light baseball activities in about a week.  He will then head down to Clearwater for his rehab.

However, it’s not all good news because this is the Phillies we are talking about, and I’m pretty sure that it says somewhere that for every good piece of news, there must be at least one piece of bad.

Michael Stutes is dealing with a sore shoulder.  He has not been pitching particularly well, not it turns out, that might be because he’s not healthy.

The following is from Philled In by David Hale:

Michael Stutes is dealing with shoulder soreness that has kept him out of the past two games and may limit his availability tonight, too.

“I think they’re just trying to stay away from me,” Stutes said. “I don’t know. It’s nothing that — I don’t think it’s anything big. I don’t really know. They don’t really tell me anything.”

Stutes said the pain is not as severe as what he experienced at the end of spring training, but he said the team should have a better understanding of the problem “in a few days.”

Thank you for joining us tonight.  Tune in next time for another edition of “As The Phillies Roster Turns.”

Karilee Jeantet is Lead Contributor for A View From Section 116.  Follow her on Twitter @kjeantet and @viewfromsec116 and e-mail her AViewFromSection116@gmail.com.

Hunter Pence - Photo courtesy of: MyPHL17.com

I only caught the first couple innings of last night’s game between the Phillies and San Francisco Giants but unlike Monday night, the outcome was not in the Phillies favor.

Joe Blanton was on the mound, allowing 11 hits, four runs, and struckout two.  And though he didn’t issue any walks, he gave up two of the runs in the first inning, which set the tone as the Phillies had to play catch up for the rest of the game.

But all the blame can’t be placed on Blanton.  The Phillies offense lost the mojo it had the previous two games and when the Phillies had men on base, they failed to capitalize.  Blanton only pitched five innings then Kyle Kendrick and Michael Stutes took over.

Madison Bumgarner, the 22 year-old lefty for the Giants only gave up two runs and seven hits.

Hunter Pence hit a solo shot in the fourth, Carlos Ruiz had a sac-fly RBI in the sixth, and Shane Victorino hit his first double of the season.

And that’s about as exciting as it got.

Final score was 4-2 and the Phillies once again dropped below .500!

Complete Box Score Phillies/Giants – 4/18/12 Game

Next game is tonight at 10:15 pm EDT on The Comcast Network.

Image Source:  MyPHL17.com

Heather Carnassale is Contributing Phillies Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at viewfromsection116@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @heatherc531 and @viewfromsec116.

I really enjoyed putting together a list of Position Players nicknames, but the pitchers have some fun ones.  (Including my personal favorite.)

Roy Halladay: ”Doc”

In 2003, (maybe 2002) one of his Toronto teammates started commenting about how he had learned to pitch the ball with surgical position. It was also in reference to the outlaw Doc Holliday, who was just as skilled at placing a bullet right where he wanted at any given time.

Cliff Lee: ”Cliff Lee”

Ok, so this isn’t so much as a nickname as the name that is ALWAYS used.  Rarely do people refer to Cliff Lee as just Cliff, or just Lee.  His first and last names are always together.  I know if goes with the fact that they are both one syllable and they roll together.  (It’s better than going by his full name: Clifton Phifer Lee.)

Cole Hamels: “Hollywood”

I don’t remember where I heard this, but Ryan Howard gave him the nickname back when Cole Hamels had his first Major League Spring Training invite (they might have both minor leaguers at the time).  Howard was getting ready when this kid walked in and looked like he came straight from the beach, complete with board shorts and flip-flops.  From that came the nickname and Hamels has fun with it.  Though, in a recent interview, he claimed that he was more of “East Coast” than “West Coast” at this point.

» Continue reading “Players Nicknames: Pitchers”

Phillies Poem:

So you didn’t win the World Series, in fact you didn’t even come close

But that’s okay, I forgive you, though I can’t say the same for most

What started off as the team to beat, you ended up being on the side of defeat

Lee, Halladay and Hamels too, with that rotation, who thought you’d lose?

Ruben did a good job, bringing new blood to the fence

The best being of course, Hunter “Let’s Go Eat” Pence

More than once and going with the flow, the rookies Stutes and Worley stole the show

Hello Kitty backpacks, pink boas and red specs too, crazy stuff didn’t faze those two

We discovered Valdez can throw a pitch or two, got the Phils out of a jam, WOW who knew

Polanco started off strong and in demand, only to end up injured…damn

Back in May, I thought Raul stunk up the place, but boy did he do a complete about face

It seemed like forever for Utley to come back, but by the middle of June he was picking up the slack

Oh Howard, what can I say about you?  You didn’t make it easy for the fans NOT to boo

Rollins with tons of swagger and personality to boot, can you please stay in Philly, even if its for less loot

Sad to see Madson go, but look what we got in return, a Papelbon from Boston, oooh that has to burn

The Flyin’ Hawaiian Shane as always was a delight, one to never go down (in San Fran) without a fight.

Mayberry Jr was a pleasant surprise, Martinez too, Bastardo continued to shine, almost on cue

Can’t forget Charlie who is the best in my eyes, thank god the Phillies have you instead of that LaRussa guy

And yes I know he won the whole thing, Charlie still has his 2008 World Series ring

So as I say thanks to the Phillies and close this out

My prediction:  They will win the World Series next year, without a doubt!

Have a safe and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Jonathan Papelbon - wikipedia.org

Its official…former Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon is now a Philadelphia Phillie.

The Phillies announced Monday that they have agreed on a four-year, $50,000,058 contract with Jonathan Papelbon, who spent the past six seasons closing for the Boston Red Sox. The contract, which is the largest in baseball history for a closer, includes a vesting option for a fifth season that could push the value of the deal to about $60 million. – Phillies.com

The Phillies will be introducing Papelbon to the media in a ‘live’ press conference today at 5:00 pm EDT.

Right-fielder Hunter Pence and reliever Michael Stutes both tweeted their happiness over Papelbon joining the Phillies:

So that’s that!  Papelbon is in and Ryan Madson is out!  As a fan of Madson, I hate to see him go, but unfortunately its the nature of the beast!  I wish him well wherever he ends up.