Broad Street Blogger

Heading Back Home

2008-10-24T11:32:00.008-04:00

After witnessing a thrilling game one win in person and seeing a game two that wasn't quite so fun on TV, I am flying back to Philadelphia for game four. If tomorrow night gets rained out, then there's the potential that I won't see a game at all. Since I don't feel like doing my Econ homework, how about I do a live blog about my trip home?

11:42- I've been sitting at gate F87 at TPA for about twenty minutes now. My flight for Pittsburgh leaves at 1:30, and it looks like the weather will clear up enough to get out of here on time. I just realized that I forgot my Underarmour in my room, which will make for a chilly night Sunday. How do you forget the one thing you need to remember most?

12:05- I guess I just arrived at a different terminal last time I was here, but there is literally nothing to eat here. There's a Chili's to go, but I don't want to spend that much money on lunch at an airport. Why do you put all of your restaurants in the plaza thing? You know we can't get there after we go through security.

12:23- The Phillies just made it official. If game three does in fact get rained out, those tickets will be honored on Sunday. That means I will be flying up for absolutely nothing because I can't stay through Monday. Unbelievable. How much sense does that make? Now, three sets of people are going to have to adjust their plans instead of just one if they made the game three people go on Tuesday.

12:53- I should likely take out my headphones while that attendant is talking. Hopefully I didn't miss anything important. I'm going to see if I can squeeze in last night's Office before we take off.

12:56- NBC informs me that I can't watch the video from my current location. Huge blow.

1:00- Sounds like we're starting to board. I'll be back in Pittsburgh. I'm hoping for some nice food.

This One

2008-10-16T13:50:00.004-04:00

This World Series berth is for Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins. This is their 9th season in town, and for Pat, it might be his last. They've seen the worst, and hopefully best, days of the Phillies. For their entire careers, they have worked hard to make this team enjoyable to watch. They did not complain even a second, and they had every reason to for a number of years. Now they have a chance to make this city a winner again.

This one's for Jamie Moyer and Matt Stairs. These two are a combined 85 years old and have nearly 40 years of ML experience between them. However, neither has played in a World Series. Now this opportunity is here for them. Moyer hasn't had his best stuff in the postseason, but I bet he still has something up his sleeve for the greatest stage in the game.

This one's for the fans; the old fans that have had to put up with a lot of bad baseball from this organization for a lot of decades; the young fans who have never seen a Philadelphia team win a championship; the youngest fans who have never seen the Phillies appear in a World Series; the fans that are far away, all around the world, who couldn't be in town to celebrate, and of course the fans who filled the streets of Philadelphia last night.

This one's for Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff. Charlie's fought a lot of battles in his life, and now he's being rewarded with a chance to win it all. From health problems to unfair criticism from fans and radio hosts, Manuel has led this team to a place that in 100 years, we haven't seen very much. This one's for Davey Lopes for battling cancer and still helping the Phillies become the best baserunning team in the majors. This one's for Jimy Williams getting another taste of the World Series.

This one's for Harry Kalas and the broadcasters. No one knows how much time Harry has left in the booth, but everyone wants to hear one last magical call. LA and Sarge have experience playing in these games, but this will be their first in the booth. This one's for Scott Franzke, who has to take a backseat to the greatest for all big moments this postseason. He'll get his chance someday soon.

This one's for Brad Lidge. One could make a serious case for him being team MVP. After enduring a season in which the bullpen was horrendous and a major weak point, Lidge came in here and flat out dominated. He overcame a devastating loss, the loss of his mechanics and stuff to re-emerge as a dominant pitcher.

This one's for Brett Myers. Despite a couple of infamous incidents and an awful first half, the fans have really gotten behind him. He's had his ups and downs the past few seasons, including two major role changes within months of each other. When all hope appeared to be lost in June, he swallowed his pride, went to the minor leagues and came back re-focused. He's been huge.

This one's for all the homegrown guys, including Cole Hamels, J.A. Happ, Ryan Madson, Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. They came through our system, and they've all made contributions this year, ranging from a lot to a little. Hamels gave this pitching staff a jolt it hasn't seen since Schilling departed. Howard and Utley carried this team from mediocrity to new heights. Carlos Ruiz handles this pitching staff about as well as any other catcher handles theirs. Ryan Madson is a great middle reliever and is bringing the heat when the team needs it most. J.A. Happ dealt with being the swing guy with ease and has pitched a few innings when the team needed him. This one is also for Ed Wade, Pat Gillick, Mike Arbuckle, Ruben Amaro, and anyone in the front office or minor league staffs that drafted these guys, helped them along and put them int he positions they are now.

This one's for Geoff Jenkins. It's clear that Geoff is not the player the Phillies signed, but he doesn't complain about a loss in at bats. This is his first time in the playoffs, and he's not pouting because he's not participating. He's pumped to be on a team this good, and he's happy he's a part of it. Congratulations on the birth of another child.

This one's for the guys who didn't always have it in their careers, such as Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero, Chris Coste, Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth. The World Series is much different from the Indy leagues in North Dakota. Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth got to celebrate this win on the field of the team that didn't think they could make it anymore. They've overcome serious injuries that nearly ended their careers, and some were waived for poor performance. No matter what the problems were, they are behind these guys, and they are contributing.

This one's for the guys that got here just in time, like Pedro Feliz, Joe Blanton and Scott Eyre. Feliz didn't get much of a chance to show what he could do against Anaheim, and it certainly wasn't Eyre's fault the Giants couldn't get it done. Feliz and Blanton draw the ire of many fans, but these guys helped get the team to where they are.

Finally, this one's for those last few guys: Clay Condrey, Eric Bruntlett and So Taguchi. It takes 25 guys to make a baseball roster, and they were on that roster just like everyone else. They accepted their roles and did what they could to help the team.

This one's not over though. This one has been a great ride, but there's still some business to take care of. This one needs four more wins, or this one will be like all the other ones.

Playoff Roster Discussion

2008-09-28T22:40:00.002-04:00

I'm back to blogging, and how fitting is it that this entry and the previous one over two weeks ago are both related to the Milwaukee Brewers? After a month of having an extended bench and some extra bodies in the bullpen, teams will have to return to the conventional 25 man roster. How will the Phillies go from the comfy roster size back down? Pat Gillick says that everyone who was active today will be eligible with the exception of Tadahito Iguchi, so with that in mind, let's take a look at the stone cold locks.

Catcher (2)
Chris Coste
Carlos Ruiz

You obviously need two catchers, and these were the guys the Phillies rode all season. Chris Coste stepped up and had a bunch of starts when Ruiz was having his struggles, but it seems like Ruiz has taken the starting job back. Ruiz is pretty much a lock for starts made by Hamels and Moyer, Coste usually handles Myers, and I guess they'll ride the hot hand with Blanton. Lou Marson could be an interesting choice if Manuel wants to have Coste available to pinch hit, but that's a luxury.

Infielders (5)
Ryan Howard
Chase Utley
Jimmy Rollins
Pedro Feliz
Greg Dobbs

These are the five guys who either play every day or get a lot of significant action. Manuel seems to have a good handle on switching Dobbs and Feliz in and out of the lineup, and the other three players obviously start every game. No one else is needed for a bat off the bench, but it's likely that Bruntlett gets added to run and play defense.

Outfielders (3)
Pat Burrell
Shane Victorino
Jayson Werth

I really don't think I can commit to more than that right now. Those three are the every day players, and the backup picture is too muddled. Stairs and Jenkins, the Canadian in particular, add a good left handed option off the bench, Golson is really fast, and Taguchi is there. They obviously need some backups, and we'll choose them when we see how many roster spots we have left in a bit.

Starters (4)
Joe Blanton
Cole Hamels
Jamie Moyer
Brett Myers

Are these guys good enough to win a championship? We know Hamels is an ace, hopefully. Brett Myers has showed a lot in the second half. He's had a couple clunkers in a row, but he should be well rested and ready to go. Jamie Moyer has made a lot of big starts, and hopefully he can continue his solid season for a few more starts. I still think the shoulder injury might be bothering Blanton a bit, but he's a solid guy at the back of a playoff rotation.

Relievers (5)
Chad Durbin
Scott Eyre
Brad Lidge
Ryan Madson
J.C. Romero

We'll want to carry maybe two more relievers, but these are the guys the Phillies will lean on to pitch the tight innings late. Eyre has done a great job since coming over for Chicago, and he's given Manuel great flexibility as a second reliever in the bullpen. The 8th inning was hairy for a little bit, but a combo of J.C., Durbin and Mad Dog should be able to get it done when it counts. Lidge has obviously had some tense moments, but I'm confident when he comes into the game.

That's a total of 19 guys that I think every Phillies fan can agree should be on the postseason roster. Where should the other six spots go? Let's get a couple more pitchers in the bullpen. Clay Condrey has worked hard this season, and he probably deserves a spot in case one of our starters gets in deep trouble. That means it comes down to Rudy Seanez or J.A. Happ for the last spot. I'd like to keep the young guy, but I could see us going for the experience angle with a guy that can probably warm up faster. Frankly, if either guy has to pitch, it's not good.

That means we have four more spots for the offense. We really like Eric Bruntlett, so he's got one locked down. Matt Stairs adds some power, so he has to be on. Geoff Jenkins has finally made the playoffs, and it's a tough call, but I guess he can slip onto the roster. With 24 guys left, what else do the Phillies need? Another pitcher? Probably not, 11 is enough. We could use an extra pinch hitting bat from the right side. Lou Marson would be nice for this, either directly or indirectly. He could hit, or he could be a safety net if we want Coste hitting. I'll give the nod to Greg Golson. We might not trust an inexperienced player, but his speed is game changing, and he's better at being So Taguchi than So Taguchi is.

Playoff Push Series 2: Brewers at Phillies

2008-09-11T11:11:00.002-04:00

Mets 82-63
Phillies 3.5 GB

Brewers 83-63
Phillies 4 GB

9/11-9/14 v. Milwaukee Brewers

9/11 Ben Sheets v. Jamie Moyer

Sheets 2008, career v. Phillies: 13-7 2.82 ERA, 2-3 4.50 ERA

Has trouble with:
Pat Burrell 7/14, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .500/.563/1.071
Matt Stairs 6/17, 3 HR, 5 RBI, .353/.333/.882
Carlos Ruiz 1/2, .500/.500/.500

Moyer 2008, career v. Brewers: 13-7 3.64 ERA, 8-5 3.57 ERA

Has trouble with:
Bill Hall 5/6, .833/.833/1.167
Rickie Weeks 2/4, .500/.714/.750
Mike Lamb 6/16, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .375/.474/.563

Previously, it was believed that the Wild Card would be unattainable, but the Brewers seem to be fading. They had to grind out a win against Cincinnati to avoid a sweep, and this is a great time for the Phillies to make up ground on them. Moyer hasn't started on three days rest this season, and the rest of his splits indicate he does better with more rest.

9/12 Manny Parra v. Cole Hamels

Parra 2008, career v. Phillies: 10-7 4.03 ERA, 0-1 18.00 ERA

Has trouble with:
No one, yet.

Hamels 2008, career v. Brewers: 12-9 3.12 ERA, 1.1 4.76 ERA

Has trouble with:
Ryan Braun 3/7, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .429/.429/1.000
J.J. Hardy 3/8, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .375/.444/.875
Mike Cameron 1/5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .200/.429/.800

Manny Parra has a sky high ERA in his brief career against the Phillies, yet it's not because of anyone on today's roster. In the 11th inning of an August meeting last season, Wes Helms doubled home Howard and Rowand to give the Phillies a lead. For most guys, it'll be the first time facing him, and he's a pretty decent pitcher. This game should be low scoring.

9/13 Dave Bush v. Joe Blanton

Bush 2008, career v. Phillies: 9-10 4.23 ERA, 0-0 6.18 ERA

Has trouble with:
Pat Burrell 4/10, 3 HR, 5 RBI, .400/.455/1.300
Greg Dobbs 5/10, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .500/.500/1.200
Chase Utley 3/7, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .429/.636/.857

Blanton 2008, career v. Brewers: 2-0 4.61 ERA, N/A
Has trouble with:
Ray Durham 5/11, 2 RBI, .455/.455/.818
Mike Cameron 1/2, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .500/.667/2.000

This is the time for Joe Blanton to prove it was a good move to acquire him. A lot of people are souring on the trade if they weren't from the beginning, and Blanton has turned in some lackluster efforts recently. A lot of the Phillies have had success against Bush, so as long as they continue to hit him, it'll just be up to Blanton to not give up the lead.

9/14 Jeff Suppan v. TBA

Suppan 2008, career v. Phillies: 10-8 4.63 ERA, 3-5 5.59 ERA

Has trouble with:
Chris Coste 2/4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .500/.600/1.250
Jayson Werth 3/5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .600/.600/1.200
Pat Burrell 8/20, 2 HR, 7 RBI, .400/.538/.800

TBA 2008, career v. Brewers: N/A, N/A

Has trouble with:
Likely no one

They really can't give Kendrick another start, can they? How far has this guy fallen? He's still young and has a shot to be a back-end starter, but he has just collapsed over the second half this season. He's lost his command and become completely ineffective. J.A. Happ hasn't been much better, but since neither Carpenter nor Carrasco are on the active roster, they don't have much of a choice.

New York Mets 9/11-9/15
Off
v. Atlanta (Hampton @ Santana)
v. Atlanta (Reyes @ Martinez)
v. Atlanta (Campillo @ Perez)
@ Washington (Pelfrey @ TBA)

Playoff Push Series 1: Marlins at Phillies

2008-09-08T13:52:00.002-04:00

I thought of an improved and efficient way to do game previews. Let's see how it turns out.

9/8-9/10 v. Florida Marlins

9/8 Anibal Sanchez v. Joe Blanton

Sanchez 2008, career v. Phillies: 2-3 5.54 ERA, 0-2 8.79 ERA

Has trouble with:
Ryan Howard 3/5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .600/.778/1.400
Chase Utley 3/9, 1 RBI, .333/.333/.778
Carlos Ruiz 2/3, 1 RBI, .667/.667/1.000

Blanton 2008, career v. Marlins: 1-0 4.34 ERA, N/A

Has trouble with:
Jorge Cantu 2/7, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .286/.375/.857
Alfredo Amezega 1/2, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .500/.500/2.000

The key for the Phillies to kick off this series is Joe Blanton recovering after a poor performance last time out. He needs to go longer than 4 innings, and it would be great if he could pitch into the 7th. We got him to throw a lot of innings, but in the last few starts, he's walked a lot of guys and racked up high pitch counts early. The Marlins have a dangerous lineup, and Blanton needs to throw strikes and stay in control.

9/9 Chris Volstad v. TBA

Volstad 2008, career v. Phillies: 4-3 3.32 ERA, 1-0 0.00 ERA

Has trouble with:
Chase Utley 1/2, .500/.667/.500
Cole Hamels 1/2, .500/.500/.500

TBA 2008, career v. Marlins: N/A, N/A

Has trouble with:
Likely no one

The Phillies can use J.A. Happ and Kyle Kendrick to fill the two TBA spots this week, with the other one being on Thursday. Looking at the career splits, despite being small sample sizes and unreliable, it might be best to start Happ on Tuesday and Kendrick on Thursday. Kendrick has gotten hit hard by Florida this year, and although Happ's two innings against them were awful, maybe he can rebound. Kendrick pitched well against Milwaukee last season, so maybe they should see if he can do it again.

9/10 Ricky Nolaso v. Brett Myers

Nolasco 2008, career v. Phillies: 13-7 3.56 ERA, 3-3 4.41 ERA

Has problems with:
Ryan Howard 2/10, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .200/.500/.800
Jimmy Rollins 5/15, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .333/.375/.867
Pat Burrell 4/12, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .333/.429/.750

Myers 2008, career v. Marlins: 9-10 4.19 ERA, 6-8 5.05 ERA

Has problems with:
Josh Willingham 5/10, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .500/.583/1.000
Mike Jacobs 8/24, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .333/.429/.750
Luis Gonzalez 6/15, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .400/.500/.600

Florida has historically hit Myers, but they haven't run into the buzzsaw version since he returned from the minor leagues. He's almost due to have a bad outing, and a lot of people are still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ricky Nolasco has enjoyed a breakout 2008 campaign, including an earlier gem against the Phillies.

New York Mets 9/8-9/10
Off
v. Washington (Lannan @ Ol. perez)
v. Washington (Od. Perez @ Pelfrey)

Milwaukee Brewers 9/8-9/10
v. Cincinnati (Volquez @ Bush)
v. Cincinnati (Ramirez @ Suppan)
v. Cincinnati (Arroyo @ Sabathia)

Big East Rankings Week 3

2008-09-08T11:55:00.002-04:00

Once again, it seemed to be a down week for the conference. WVU got upended by an ECU team that looks like they want to crash the BCS early on. USF, UConn and Pitt won, but I think each game was a tad closer than they hoped. Cincinnati played Oklahoma as close as you could expect for a while, but they lost their starting QB. Onto the rankings.

(Previous Ranking) Current Ranking Team Last Week, This Week

(2) 1. South Florida W 31-24 (OT) @ Central Florida, v. #13 Kansas: I said that the Knights would look better than they did in the 2007 edition of this rivalry, but I wasn't expecting a game that close. The UCF defense made some key plays, and an inexperienced offense took advantage of their opportunities. The Bulls can't have a repeat performance on Friday night, or they're going to leave Raymond James with a loss.

(1) 2. West Virginia L 24-3 @ East Carolina, Bye: Maybe they should drop further after coughing up a non-conference game, but I think the Pirates have shown they're a pretty good team. The offense did not look good in this one, and now they'll have a week to think about what went wrong. I still think the Mountaineers are favorites to win the conference, but for at least a week, they won't be in the #1 spot.

(3) 3. Connecticut W 12-9 (OT) @ Temple, v. Virginia: I said that the Owls would present a challenge, and they did. The weather neutralized the game, and UConn probably played a bit better than the score would indicate. Donald Brown ran through the Temple defense, and the Huskies defense themselves played great. Maybe their 2-0 record should be worth more than WVU's 1-1, but I'd still like to see them prove themselves a little more.

(4) 4. Cincinnati L 52-26 @ Oklahoma, Bye: The Bearcats played about as well as you could expect them to against a superior opponent but losing Grutza hurts in a big way. They have a week off to look at their options and figure out what they were going to do, but losing one of your best players will definitely knock you down a peg until he comes back.

(6) 5. Pittsburgh W 27-16 v. Buffalo, Bye: For the first three quarters, this game was probably a bit too close for comfort. The Panthers wanted to come out firing and prove last week's loss was a fluke, but I don't think anyone's mind is at ease about this team. Buffalo is not a good team, but they managed to hang with Pitt until a late second half run put the game away. Maybe it's a good thing Joe Paterno never agrees to schedule these guys.

(5) 6. Rutgers: Bye, v. North Carolina: The Scarlet Knights get knocked down one spot just because they didn't play. UNC is on the rise, but Rutgers should still be able to come away with a win and get back on the right track. The conference is wide open, so despite the week one loss, they still have a shot.

(7) 7. Louisville W 51-10 v. Tennessee Tech, Bye: It's great that they could score so many points on Tennessee Tech, but they have to prove themselves against 1A competition. However, they are off this week, so they will likely remain 7th in the rankings, unless the next team pulls off a pretty big upset.

(8) 8. Syracuse L 42-28 v. Akron, v. #17 Penn State: The Nittany Lions have cruised to two easy wins against teams of varying difficulty, and their offense looks like a strong force to be reckoned with. The Orange lost at home against a MAC team, which has really been a thorn in the side of the Big East so far. They are really going to struggle this season, and I don't know what it'll take to turn the program around.

Ch ch ch changes

2008-09-02T23:21:00.003-04:00

I don't know how much will actually be different, but I am back, and hopefully for good. I hope I can set aside enough time to update this pretty regularly again. I'll probably cover a bit too much USF football, which is pretty far away from Philadelphia, but they're my team now. I'm going to slap up a pic on the left side, and you can make all the humorous photoshops you want.

This is definitely getting the cheap entry tag. Good to be back.

Big East Rankings Week 2

2008-09-02T17:29:00.005-04:00

I am back. However, I am choosing to do something that has absolutely nothing to do with Philadelphia sports. This is a Big East power ranking that will be updated every week. However, due to the conference's poor performance in week one, I will refrain from calling the rankings powerful. For this week, the previous ranking will be the Big East preseason poll.

(Previous Ranking) Current Ranking Team Last Week, This Week
(1) 1. West Virginia W 48-21 v. Villanova, @ East Carolina: Villanova scored quite a few points on the Mountaineers, but they're occasionally a solid D1AA program. Regardless, it was a good warm-up for WVU who has a tough test this week. ECU will not be a pushover, and these guys can't afford to drop an early season game just like almost everyone else did.

(2) 2. South Florida W 56-7 v. Tennessee-Martin, @ Central Florida: In a week where a lot of good teams were tested or beaten by weaker opponents, USF looked just about as good as you can against their warmup. The turnovers were a bit concerning, but Gregory and Daniels won't be playing actual minutes when the going gets tough. UCF will have a better showing than 2007 in the last year of this rivalry, but the Bulls should come out of it 2-0.

(6) 3. Connecticut W 35-3 v. Hofstra, @ Temple: The conference was so pathetic in week one that UConn gets a sizable boost. They're returning quite a few starters from a good team last season, so maybe they shouldn't have been ranked as low as 6th to start the year. They cannot look past Temple though; I've been telling anyone that'll listen about this team, and they could get some respect with an upset win over the Huskies this weekend.

(5) 4. Cincinnati W 40-7 v. Eastern Kentucky, @ #4 Oklahoma: Their victory against EKU was admirable, but they face a somewhat different beast this week. I'll be impressed with the Bearcats if they can just stay close against the Sooners, and I can't knock them too far down even if they suffer a bad loss.

(4) 5. Rutgers L 24-7 v. Fresno State, Bye: Here's where things get hairy. Of the four remaining teams, all week one losers, their loss was probably a bit more acceptable than the others. Fresno State is a very good team, and they could emerge out of the WAC with a solid bowl bid. However, even without Ray Rice, the Scarlet Knights came into this season with pretty high expectations, and this slow start does not help.

(3) 6. Pittsburgh L 27-17 v. Bowling Green, v. Buffalo: Pitt's loss was one of the week one shockers, and it wasn't a good start for a team that people thought could make some noise this year. They were probably overrated to start the year, and they could still recover, but it has to be a bit alarming that their offense was totally shut down in the second half. They'll get another MAC challenger, but I don't think Buffalo is as good as Bowling Green.

(7) 7. Louisville L 27-2 v. Kentucky, v. Tennessee Tech: It was generally accepted that this would be a down year for the Cardinals, but their rivalry game was interesting. Their offense laid a huge egg, but their defense kept them in the game, which is the opposite of their recent history. It wasn't an inspiring game for fans or those who thought they could sneak up on some teams, but they should be able to boost their egos against Tennessee Tech.

(8) 8. Syracuse L 30-10 @ Northwestern, v. Akron: Orange football has been a nightmare for quite a few years now, and they've fallen a long way since the glory days of Donovan McNabb. They just aren't a very good team, and they're going to struggle to win games this season. I don't know if a new coach is going to turn them back into a contender.

Game 124: Phillies at Padres (3/3)

2008-08-17T10:47:00.003-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 65-58
San Diego Padres: 48-75

Cole Hamels (9-8 3.32 ERA, 1-1 2.86 ERA)
Cha Seung Baek (4-6 5.12 ERA, 0-0 -.-- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Dobbs 3B N/A
Ruiz C N/A
Hamels P

Hairston CF 2/3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .667/.667/2.000
Giles RF 2/10, 1 RBI, .200/.200/.300
Kouzmanoff 3B 0/5
Gonzalez 1B 3/9, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .333/.400/.667
Headley LF N/A
Iguchi 2B 0/7
Bard C N/A
Rodriguez SS N/A
Baek P

Last night may have been rock bottom for the Phillies, and I hope it was. Once again, the offense was left baffled against a starter that's quite frankly, not very good. They got off to a strong start by scoring two and making him throw a lot of pitches early, but for some reason, things just shut down. Kyle Kendrick also had maybe his worst outing of the year against one of the worst lineups in baseball this year. It's unfortunate that this was the only game on the road trip I could see, because it could've been the worst.

Anything can happen in baseball, but if there's ever a mismatch, it's this one. Baek is a career bad pitcher, and I can't fathom the Phillies' lineup pulling another disappearing act. Hamels is due for a win, and he's got a great shot in this ballpark against this lineup.

Game 123: Phillies at Padres (2/3)

2008-08-16T16:39:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 65-57
San Diego Padres: 47-75

Kyle Kendrick (10-6 4.74 ERA, 1-0 1.50 ERA)
Chad Reineke (0-0 -.-- ERA, 0-0 -.-- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Dobbs 3B N/A
Coste C N/A
Kendrick P

Gerut CF N/A
Giles RF N/A
Kouzmanoff 3B 0/3
Gonzalez 1B 1/2, .500/.667/.500
Headley LF N/A
Iguchi 2B N/A
Hundley C N/A
Rodriguez SS N/A

Tonight, I'd expect another game in which not many runs are scored. Partly because the Padres have very little offense, partly because the teams have a total of six plate appearances against the opposing pitcher. I find it hard to believe that Reineke will even be decent, considering his age and level in the minors. The Phillies should be able to score more than one run tonight.

If the Phillies can recover and win the next two, a 3-4 road trip wouldn't be the end of the world. They come home to the Nationals, and they can probably handle them too. It's the last time the Phillies go out west, so returning one fewer game above .500 isn't bad. You would've liked to see them beat the Dodgers, who are actually a good team, but it's about how many wins you get, not who you get them against.

Fake Game 2: Panthers at Eagles

2008-08-14T17:18:00.003-04:00

Last week, I covered 10 players to watch in the first preseason game. Today, I'll list 10 players that need to improve on their performance.

1) QB Kevin Kolb. He had his moments, but I'd like to see be a little more aggressive tonight. There's some athleticism on the second team offense with him, so players creating space shouldn't be a problem. After the Pittsburgh game, a lot of people came away unimpressed with his arm strength. He has the ability to get the ball down the field, and he should get ample snaps to prove it.

2) WR Reggie Brown. Brown was inactive last week, so just being in the lineup is going to help him out. To a lot of the fans, Reggie's on the hot seat this season. Although he turned it on a little bit in the second half of 2007, he didn't have that breakout year a lot of people had hoped for. Now, it's believed that Jason Avant, Hank Baskett and even DeSean Jackson could push him for playing time. He says he's more focused and approaches each snap differently now, and that needs to pay off on the field.

3) OL Todd Herremans. I don't have any specific complaints about his game against the Steelers, but with Tra Thomas scratched tonight, protecting 5's blind side is a pretty big deal. He played LT in his rookie season before an atrociously illegal block cut it short, but he's played guard since. Most people would agree that he's a solid player, yet he took a step back in 2007. There are a lot of responsibilities at his temporary position, and he needs to show that he can step in and play the spot in a pinch if necessary.

4) G Scott Young. Who would've thought that tonight's starting O-Line would feature two projected backups and a third player playing out of position? It's unfortunate that Young has to start tonight, and it's also kind of alarming that players such as Nick Cole, and the two rookie Mikes haven't been able to pass him on the depth chart. He's a flat out fringe player, and he can't bring down the first team offense tonight.

5) DT Brodrick Bunkley. After a holdout and some discipline problems essentially eliminated Bunkley's rookie season, he burst onto the scene in 2007 and probably should've been a Pro Bowl player. He's big and athletic, and he can get off the ball fast. He's a huge reason why the team's run defense improved last season, but he struggled against Pittsburgh. He has to do a better job of holding his ground and disrupting the Panthers running game tonight.

6) DT Mike Patterson. The fact that I had to include both DT's shows how poor they played. Patterson has been on the field ever since he was drafted, and he's taken his lumps along the way. However, with a bigger and dominant Bunkley beside him, Patterson broke out last year. He's one of the quickest tackles in the league, and like Bunkley, should've had a postseason trip to Hawaii. The knocks against him are his size and strength, and his game against the Steelers didn't do anything to dispel those criticisms. He was on the ground way too much, and he needs to use his quickness to disrupt the flow and timing of Carolina's ground game.

7) MLB Stewart Bradley. We're already up to our third starting member of the defense. Bradley had some nice plays against the Steelers, but he got lost in the shuffle a little too much for a Linebacker with his size and skill. Some of the criticisms of the game can be deflected to the poor play of the tackles in front of him, but the reality is he won't get great protection from the tackles every play. He has to do a better job of quickly reading the play and shedding blocks to find the ball.

8) CB Lito Sheppard. Working with the second team tonight, Lito will be the best player on the field at all times. There's no reason for him to not blanket his receiver and make plays given the opportunity. He can't mope or not take the game seriously. Against Pittsburgh, he got a stupid penalty, wasn't as aggressive as he could be against the run and made one pretty poor play, albeit in zone coverage. With that being said, I wouldn't expect any special packages with him and the two starters on the field. Johnson isn't going to give us a taste of what he's going to do in the backfield until the regular season starts.

9) Brian Dawkins. I'm really not too worried about him at all, but that doesn't correct his poor position on Santonio Holmes' TD. In this defense, it won't be the last time Sheldon Brown blitzes and Dawkins has to competently cover a receiver that's quicker than he is. Part of that responsibility falls on Jim Johnson and Sheldon Brown, and I'll admit that. Surprise is a key element of blitzes, and lately, teams have had an easy time adjusting to what's being thrown at them.

10) Special McTeams. If special teams had a name, that's what they would be. I was thinking about listing Rocky Boiman for this entry, but he's not responsible for Akers' inconsistent kicking, nor is Akers responsible for poor punt coverage and return blocking. I don't know what it is about special teams, but they have been flat out bad in recent years, and things didn't take a turn for the better last week. DeSean Jackson is an incredibly gifted return man, and if he's not getting good yards, something is terribly wrong.

These aren't the only ten players that need to play better. In fact, a coach will say that every player on the roster needs to get better, and that's probably the truth. That's what these games are for. Donovan McNabb played well last week, but maybe he could get rid of the ball quicker. Buckhalter ran well in the preseason loss, but maybe he should position himself in pass blocking better. Everyone has something to work on, and I hope it culminates into an injury free, positive game tonight.

Game 121: Phillies at Dodgers (4/4)

2008-08-14T16:24:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 64-56
Los Angeles Dodgers: 61-59

Brett Myers (5-9 5.09 ERA, 3-1 2.76 ERA)
Hiroki Kuroda (6-8 4.02 ERA, 0-0 -.-- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS N/A
Werth CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Dobbs 3B N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Coste C N/A
Myers P

Kemp CF 1/3, .333/.333/.333
Ethier RF 0/0, .000/1.000/.000
Kent 2B 5/12, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .417/.500/.917
Ramirez LF 3/13, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .231/.353/.615
Loney 1B 0/1
Garciaparra SS 1/8, 3 RBI, .111/.200/.222
Martin C 0/3, .000/.250/.000
Blake 3B N/A
Kuroda P

They have to salvage this last game or this road trip is already a pretty unfortunate failure. People were worried that the improved Dodgers would provide problems, and they were proven correct. They outpitched the Phillies early in the series, and they outhit the Phillies last night. Six runs should usually be enough to win, but when you don't get a hit after the 4th inning, I'm not sure the offense did its job. It got shut down by pitchers such as Jason Johnson and Chan Ho Park.

I think the outrage over Rollins' frontrunners remark is funny. I hate to criticize other people in this great fanbase, but he's completely correct. If you don't play well, the player gets booed. It's fact. They acknowledge it. Fans acknowledge it. Fans say all the time that they boo because they're passionate about sports. When you're booing a guy who's playing poorly but will cheer when he's hot, that's playing exactly into what Jimmy's saying! He probably shouldn't have said it, but he's 100% correct.

Game 120: Phillies at Dodgers (3/4)

2008-08-13T16:43:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 64-55
Los Angeles Dodgers: 60-59

Joe Blanton (1-0 3.27 ERA, 1-0 2.25 ERA)
Brad Penny (6-9 5.66 ERA, 8-4 3.33 ERA)

Projected lineups

Victorino CF 1/7, .143/.250/.429
Utley 2B 4/15, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .267/.353/.467
Rollins SS 9/45, 3 RBI, .200/.265/.289
Howard 1B 2/10, .200/.333/.200
Burrell LF 10/41, 3 HR, 9 RBI, .2444/.279/.488
Jenkins RF 5/17, 3 RBI, .294/.333/.471
Dobbs 3B 0/3
Coste C N/A
Blanton P

Kemp CF 1/3, .333/.500/.333
Ethier RF 2/3, .667/.667/.667
Kent 2B N/A
Ramirez LF 13/21, 6 RBI, .619/.625/.667
Loney 1B N/A
Martin C N/A
Garciaparra SS 2/3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .667/.750/1.667
Blake 3B 1/16, .067/.167/.067
Penny P

I don't know what's going to fix this offense, if anything. Your top five is set, and I'm not too worried about them. All of those guys have gone in and out of hot and cold spells, but that's baseball. Every team is going to deal with that. I suspect the main cause isn't those guys going into slumps at the same time, but the final four in the batting order. Jenkins has been a huge disappointment, and production from catcher has been inconsistent at best.

Tonight will probably be another low scoring affair. Joe Blanton has been on a roll lately, and the Phillies hope that'll continue. Although Brad Penny is struggling this season, he has always had success against the Phillies. He has great stuff, and a lot of players in this lineup seem to get overpowered by it.

Game 119: Phillies @ Dodgers (2/4)

2008-08-12T10:45:00.002-04:00

I tried posting this on my Ipod, but it was a pretty huge failure.

Philadelphia Phillies: 64-54
Los Angeles Dodgers: 59-59

Cole Hamels (9-8 3.35 ERA, -.-- ERA)
Clayton Kershaw (2-3 3.71 ERA, 0-0 -.-- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Werth RF N/A
Bruntlett 3B N/A
Ruiz C N/A
Hamels P

Kemp RF N/A
Blake 3B 0/2, .000/.333/.000
Kent 2B N/A
Ramirez LF 0/3
Martin C N/A
Loney 1B N/A
Jones CF 4/13, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .308/.400/.538
Berroa SS N/A
Kershaw P

Cole Hamels has serious potential to have another hard luck loss tonight. Clayton Kershaw has great stuff, and young pitchers who teams don't have a big book on have cruised against the Phillies as of late. Hamels can match him pitch for pitch, and I'm not sure who's going to blink first. It's crazy to think that someone as good as Hamels might only be .500 this late in the season, but that's how things have gone this season. I sometimes wonder if the Phillies fans who don't think Santana is an ace feel the same way about Hamels.

I'm honestly not sure what the Dodgers lineup is going to look like tonight. Torre switches guys around a lot, and it's tough to get a read on what platoons he's trying to run. I don't think he likes playing Ethier against lefties, and he also wants to try and work Jones and Pierre in regularly.

Game 118: Phillies at Dodgers (1/4)

2008-08-11T20:30:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 64-53
Los Angeles Dodgers: 58-59

Kyle Kendrick (10-5 4.37 ERA, 1-1 6.75 ERA)
Derek Lowe (8-10 4.10 ERA, 3-1 2.84 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS 5/17, .294/.294/.412
Victorino CF 0/3
Utley 2B 3/11, 1 RBI, .273/.333/.364
Howard 1B 2/13, 1 RBI, .154/.267/.154
Burrell LF 6/16, 2 RBI, .375/.412/.500
Jenkins RF 2/12, 2 RBI, .167/.232/.333
Dobbs 3B 0/6
Coste C 1/4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .250/.250/1.000
Kendrick P

Kemp CF N/A
Ethier RF 2/4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .500/.600/1.500
Kent 2B 0/3
Ramirez LF N/A
Loney 1B 2/5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .400/.400/1.000
Martin C 2/5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .400/.500/1.000
Blake 3B N/A
Berroa SS N/A

It's time for five straight 10 PM starts. These games are always tough. They start late, and more often than not, the offense puts people to sleep. Tonight features a matchup of two sinkerballers, and Kendrick could learn something tonight. He has to go out there and compete, but between innings, I hope he's watching Lowe and how he approaches situations. He's a veteran sinkerballer, and it would be great if Kendrick could find a niche like Lowe's.

The Dodgers did get Manny, but this is a team that's under .500 and has been so since acquiring him. They have very good pitching and could overtake Arizona, but they're not an unbeatable force. Their lineup is mediocre up and down besides Manny, and if you control him, you control their offense.

Game 117: Pirates at Phillies (3/3)

2008-08-10T12:45:00.002-04:00

Pittsburgh Pirates: 53-63
Philadelphia Phillies: 63-53

Jason Davis (1-1 2.57 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)
Jamie Moyer (10-7 3.78 ERA, 6-7 5.54 ERA)

Lineups

Sanchez 2B 3/6, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .500/.500/1.167
Rivas SS 7/19, .368/.368/.421
McLouth CF 0/3
Doumit C 0/1
Michaels RF 1/4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .250/.250/1.000
Moss LF N/A
Mientkiewicz 1B 5/20, .250/.318/.350
Gomez 3B 3/29, .103/.161/.103
Davis P

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Werth LF N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Bruntlett 3B 0/0, .000/1.000/.000
Ruiz C N/A
Moyer P

Storms coming short entry.

Game 116: Pirates at Phillies (2/3)

2008-08-09T10:51:00.002-04:00

Pittsburgh Pirates: 52-63
Philadelphia Phillies: 63-52

Ian Snell (4-8 6.14 ERA, 3-2 4.50 ERA)
Brett Myers (4-9 5.34 ERA, 2-4 2.92 ERA)

Projected lineups

Sanchez 2B 1/11, .091/.091/.091
Mientkiewicz 1B 2/9, .222/.222/.444
McLouth CF 2/5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .400/.400/1.600
Doumit C 1/4, .250/.250/.250
LaRoche 3B N/A
Moss LF N/A
Pearce RF N/A
Wilson SS 3/13, 1 RBI, .231/.333/.308
Snell P

Rollins SS 8/15, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .533/.588/1.037
Utley 2B 1/8, 1 RBI, .125/.222/.250
Burrell LF 4/12, 1 RBI, .333/.385/.417
Howard 1B 1/10, 1 RBI, .100/.321/.100
Werth RF 0/2
Victorino CF 0/1
Dobbs 3B 3/6, .500/.571/.833
Coste C 0/5, .000/.167/.000
Myers P

I don't get it. I don't understand how a team that's supposed to have a great offense gets shutout two games in a row. I don't get how they only muster six hits in 12 innings against Pirates pitching. I don't get how they can't score a run for 21+ innings. How can they not even put the ball in play? I guess you have to give credit to some of the pitchers, but you're telling me that the entire roster these two days couldn't string together enough baserunners to score one run?

Fake Game 1: Eagles at Steelers

2008-08-08T14:34:00.003-04:00

I'm not going to do a full preview for preseason games, but here are ten players to watch as the Eagles return to the field for the first time since the 2007 season.

1) QB Kevin Kolb. He's expected to be the franchise QB starting as soon as next season, and it'll be interesting to see how far he has come in the past year. Last preseason, I thought he looked pretty good. He took some shots downfield and seemed to move around well in the pocket. However, his brief regular season time was quite forgettable. With an extra year in the offense and without the burden of being a wide-eyed rookie just trying to survive, he should look more comfortable out on the field.

2) RB Lorenzo Booker. Acquiring Booker for a second day pick was a pretty quiet move on draft day, but the Eagles are hoping he can play a role in their offense. As a rookie with Miami, he was unable to find the field much, and when the team made changes in their coaching staff and front office, they decided there wasn't a place for him anymore. Booker has opened eyes at training camp. His speed and quickness can create matchup problems for opposing defenses, and the Eagles will do everything they can to get him and Westbrook on the field at the same time.

3) WR/KR DeSean Jackson. In April, a lot of mock drafts pegged Jackson for the Eagles in the first round. Those got the team right, but the Eagles got better value on him by taking him 20, 25 spots later. Jackson has nuclear potential in the return game, and his elusiveness goes unmatched by most NFL players. In training camp so far, Jackson has even been able to contribute offensively, with reports out of Lehigh saying he catches everything in sight. As long as he can avoid those pesky hamstring injuries that limit his athleticism, DeSean Jackson should be an asset to the team this season.

4) T Winston Justice. Justice came under heavy criticism last season, and for good reason. His technique was horrible, and he was embarrassed on two occasions, one of which was on national TV. He may not be able to play LT in the NFL, but he can still be a part of the Eagles' future plans. However, he has to work hard and prove to the coaching staff that he can be a player in this league. Even if defenses are typically vanilla in a preseason game, the Steelers' 3-4 will present unique pass rushes for Justice to pick up. I don't know if he's on the roster bubble, but a bad preseason certainly can't help him.

5) T King Dunlap. I hate to include two offensive tackles here because I'm one of the only people who enjoys watching them play, but Dunlap is an interesting case. As the tallest Eagle, he has the size to be the dominant LT this team will need once Tra Thomas departs, but he's missing a couple important qualities for linemen. He has terrible technique, and he's not very tough. He was benched in his senior season at Auburn, but the Eagles just couldn't resist passing up on his size and potential. Getting into a live game will help him adjust to the NFL, and Andy Reid will be able to see what he has.

6) DL Darren Howard. You've probably noticed that every player so far has two years of experience or less, so what's an eight year veteran doing on the list? According to anyone who has seen him play this camp, he's quicker and in better shape than ever. His first two years as an Eagle have been disappointing, to say the least, and fans are still waiting for a return on the team's investment. After Victor Abiamiri's injury, Howard may have to step up and play a bigger role in the rotation than previously expected. If he can contribute anything positive this season, it'll be a plus.

7) DE Chris Clemons. Despite his dehydration scares in the early stages of camp, I'm pretty sure Clemons is going to play tonight. He piled up sacks with the Raiders last year, and the Eagles signed him to bolster a pass rush that was pretty lacking last season. Even if he's going to be in a limited pass rushing role, it'll be interesting to see how Jim Johnson works him into the defense and how his speed can improve the defense.

8) MLB Stewart Bradley. Bradley was thrust into the starter's role after the Eagles parted ways with Takeo Spikes, and he's going to be expected to use his size and athleticism to be a force in the middle of this defense. Overall in 2007, the Linebackers were solid. This season, they're the youngest starters in the NFL, and they're going to have to grow in a hurry. As MLB, Bradley calls all of the plays, so his football IQ will be tested early this preseason in the huddle.

9) LB Joe Mays. Mays was just a 6th round pick from a small college, but a lot of fans want to see how he plays. He was a big time player in the lower ranks of college football, and the Eagles hope he can contribute on special teams. He's an aggressive player with a nose for the football, and his hard working attitude could help him overcome a lack of height. I'm not sure if he'll ever become anything, but there is a lot of training camp buzz around this guy.

10) S Quintin Demps. The Eagles emphasized team speed this offseason, and I've probably used speed, quickness and athleticism too many times when doing these write ups. With that being said, Demps could be one of the biggest playmakers in the secondary. He can return kicks and contribute on special teams. At UTEP, Demps also showed the knack for the big play on defense, with several big interception returns for scores. I don't know if he'll start this year or even make the team, but he could be a weapon if he makes adjustments to the NFL.

Phillies Have Their Eyres On Relief

2008-08-07T16:10:00.004-04:00

With the news that Tom Gordon is injured again, the Phillies acquired left-handed reliever Scott Eyre in hopes of giving Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson a break. Eyre has been hit hard in his last three outings and has battled injuries all season. Prior to that, he had a couple of decent seasons with the Cubs. He's pretty much only a lefty specialist, which will also decrease J.C. Romero's workload.

In return, Chicago is receiving 22 year old reliever Brian Schlitter, a 2007 draft pick. He has a great K rate and allows less than a hit an inning, but it's still probably not a terrible loss for the Phillies. Eyre's deal expires after this season, so it wasn't necessary to give up very much.

Posting From My Ipod

2008-08-06T23:01:00.000-04:00

Absolutely awesome.

Game 113: Marlins at Philies (2/3)

2008-08-06T10:09:00.002-04:00

Florida Marlins: 59-54
Philadelphia Phillies: 61-51

Anibal Sanchez (1-0 3.18 ERA, 0-1 10.61 ERA)
Kyle Kendrick (9-5 4.59 ERA, 1-1 5.40 ERA)

Projected lineups

Ramirez SS 2/9, .222/.222/.333
Hermida RF 3/9, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .333/.333/.667
Cantu 3B 2/3, .667/.667/.667
Willingham LF 3/6, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .500/.571/1.000
Uggla 2B 3/8, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .375/.444/.875
Jacobs 1B 0/6, .000/.333/.000
Ross CF 2/4, .500/.500/1.000
Baker C 2/2, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1.000/1.000/2.500
Sanchez P

Rollins SS 1/3, .333/.333/.333
Victorino CF 1/5, .200/.333/.200
Utley 2B 2/6, .333/.333/.833
Howard 1B 1/2, .500/.833/.500
Burrell LF 0/3
Jenkins RF 2/3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .667/.750/1.667
Dobbs 3B 0/1
Coste C N/A
Kendrick P

Last night was a pretty shameful display. Jamie Moyer didn't have his A-game with him, but he battled through it and gave the team a few decent innings. Once again, the offense couldn't string baserunners and hits together to score some runs, even though some of it was bad luck. The Marlins made some good defensive plays, and the Phillies had a baserunning blunder or two.

Last time out against the Marlins, Kyle Kendrick really struggled. He didn't have his best command, and he left a lot of pitches out over the plate, which reflects in the amount of home runs he gave up. With the offense struggling in just about every game, there's very little room for error tonight. Although Anibal Sanchez has bad career numbers against the Phillies, most of the damage was done by players like Mike Lieberthal, and even guys like Abe Nunez and Danny Sandoval.

Game 112: Marlins at Phillies (1/3)

2008-08-05T12:04:00.002-04:00

Florida Marlins: 59-53
Philadelphia Phillies: 61-50

Josh Johnson (1-0 4.18 ERA, 1-1 6.75 ERA)
Jamie Moyer (10-6 3.79 ERA, 10-0 3.69 ERA)

Projected lineups

Ramirez SS 7/21, 4 HR, 5 RBI, .333/.364/1.000
Hermida RF 3/12, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .250/.400/.500
Cantu 3B 1/5, 1 RBI, .200/.333/.200
Willingham LF 1/15, /.067/.067/.200
Uggla 2B 2/18, .111/.158/.167
Jacobs 1B 6/14, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .429/.467/1.143
Ross CF 1/16, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .063/.118/.250
Baker C N/A
Johnson P

Rollins SS 2/8, 1 RBI, .250/.250/.375
Victorino CF 0/3, .000/.250/.000
Utley 2B 2/7, .286/.375/.286
Howard 1B 3/7, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .429/.500/.857
Burrell LF 0/5
Jenkins RF 1/3, .333/.333/.333
Dobbs 3B N/A
Ruiz C N/A
Moyer P

Runs were tough to come by in the St. Louis series, and I have a feeling we'll be seeing too many this week. Both of these offenses love the longball, and it's almost always a slugfest when they meet in Philadelphia. Jamie Moyer has historically dominated Florida, but you have to figure his luck will run out eventually. I find it funny that with the exception of Hanley, the Marlins' best hitters against Moyer are left handed. It shows you that most of their lineup sits dead red, and if they don't get it, they have problems scoring runs.

Josh Johnson's career ERA against the Phillies isn't good, but he did a decent job last time out last month. Geoff Jenkins has the reputation of a low ball hitter, so it would be nice if he could have some success tonight against Johnson's sinker. In that outing last month, he threw a lot of fastballs, so the Phillies could have some success if they sit on it early and get aggressive.

Game 111: Phillies at Cardinals (3/3)

2008-08-03T11:13:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 60-50
St. Louis Cardinals: 62-51

Brett Myers (4-9 5.46 ERA, 3-2 5.43 ERA)
Todd Wellemeyer (8-4 4.13 ERA, 0-1 9.00 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS 0/5, .000/.286/.000
Victorino CF 1/3, .333/.333/.333
Utley 2B 3/5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .500/.500/1.400
Howard 1B 1/2, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .500/.667/2.000
Burrell LF 1/4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .250/.400/1.000
Jenkins RF 2/4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .500/.500/1.250
Dobbs 3B 0/0, 1.000 OBP
Coste C N/A
Myers P

Schumaker CF 4/7, 2 HR, 2 RBI, .571/.571/1.571
Mather LF N/A
Pujols 1B 9/23, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .391/.440/.696
Ludwick RF 1/4, 1 RBI, .250/.250/.500
Glaus 3B 2/10, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .200/.273/.800
Molina C 3/12, 3 RBI, .250/.250/.250
Kennedy 2B 0/4, .000/.200/.000
Wellemeyer P
Miles SS 5/10, 1 RBI, .500/.500/.500

Last time Todd Wellemeyer started against the Phillies, the team scored 20 runs en route to a huge blowout. Maybe they don't need to score quite so many this time, but it would be great to bust out of this mini-slump they've dealt with in St. Louis. They were fortunate that Joe Blanton pitched so well last night, or it would've been another game the team lost while scoring 3 or fewer runs.

Brett Myers will really be tested tonight. He looked very good in his last start, but it was against the worst offense in baseball. The Cardinals have some guys that can hit, and they have a much tougher lineup. Pujols, Ludwick and Glaus all have good power, and Myers can't go back to his old habits of allowing too many home runs. If he struggles, J.A. Happ is waiting in the bullpen to take his place.

Prospect Power Rankings 8/1

2008-08-01T13:44:00.002-04:00

After a three month hiatus, stock watch is back. There have been several changes in the organization since May 6th, and these rankings will likely reflect that. It's obvious how this works. If a player is performing better, his stock will go up. If he is performing worse, it will go down. Promotions help, demotions hurt.

1. SP Carlos Carrasco AA: 7-7, 4.32 ERA, 114.2 IP, 109 H, 45 BB, 109 K: Stock Push- There really isn't anyone that should take the #1 slot from him. His K rate has gone down just a little bit, but his hit and walk rates have remained steady, if not gotten a little better. This is a good showing for him at AA. It wouldn't be bad for him to throw some AAA innings, and he could compete for a job with the Phillies next March.
2. 2B Adrian Cardenas N/A: Since he's not in the organization anymore, he really has no place on the top prospects list. Good luck in Oakland.
3. SP Joe Savery A+: 5-9, 4.46 ERA, 121 IP, 143 H, 51 BB, 101 K: Stock Down- Although his K rate has stayed roughly the same, his hit and walk rates have shot up, and it's scary. His season started off on the right foot, but the FSL figured him out quickly. He has to find a way to make adjustments and pitch better. This season has been a bit of a disappointment. Savery was expected to use his college experience to push through the system, and it doesn't look like that's happening for now.
4. SP Kyle Drabek R: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K: Stock Up- Now that he's back on the hill, his stock is up. His velocity was sitting in the low 90's in his return from surgery, and that's a good spot for him to be at by now. Let's see how he progresses.
5. OF Greg Golson AA: 90/317, 51 R, 10 HR, 45 RBI, 19/23 SB, .284/.329/.435: Stock Push- His rates have gotten a little worse, but this might still be his best minor league season. He's walking a bit more, but he has got to stop striking out. He shouldn't be untouchable at all in any deal. He should get a little taste of AAA pitching before the season is over, and I'd imagine he's headed to Arizona again this offseason.
6. C Lou Marson AA: 101/317, 55 R, 5 HR, 46 RBI, 3/6 SB, .319/.434/.423: Stock Up- Sweet Lou has broken through in 2008, and it looks like he could become a solid major league regular. You'd like to see him develop some more power, but with the mess the Phillies have at the position right now, it's hard to complain about what he's doing. He could be in the majors as soon as Opening Day 2009.
7. P Josh Outman N/A: Good luck with Oakland. It looks like you'll be needing it.
8. OF Dominic Brown A: 110/378, 62 R, 7 HR, 44 RBI, 16/22 stealing, .291/.373/.415: Stock Up- Since the last time I did an entry like this, Brown has become very patient, posting a solid increase in OBP despite a drop in his average. He's starting to smack some more extra base hits, which he'll need to continue to improve to rise through the system. I'd imagine they're going to come as he fills out and slides to a corner position.
9. SP J.A. Happ MLB: 0-0, 3.27 ERA, 11 IP, 8 H, 8 BB, 8 K: Stock Up- It looks like he's finally found his place as a major league pitcher, but his role has not yet been defined. He hasn't pitched since receiving his most recent call up, and it's not clear how Charlie Manuel will use him. It's widely believed that he's Brett Myers insurance, but I'd like to see him get some innings in against lefty hitters in the meantime.
10. SP Edgar Garcia AA: 0-3, 8.77 ERA, 25.2 IP, 29 H, 13 BB, 14 K: Stock Up- Those numbers look absolutely dreadful, but there aren't many 20 year old pitchers in AA. After some struggles in 2007, Garcia recovered by pitching very well in Clearwater and earned an early-July promotion. He's taking his lumps now, but he has great stuff, and it's up to him to make adjustments to the new level.
11. SS Jason Donald AA: 104/338, 53 R, 14 HR, 54 RBI, 10/12 stealing, .308/.388/.509: Stock Up- Even though he's older than you like at Reading, you can't argue with his results. He's getting noticed on the national scene, starting with his appearance in the Futures Game and then his invitation to the Olympic Team. He's a solid all-around player whose stock would jump in a big way if he can prove he can play 3B.
12. SP Drew Carpenter AA: 3-7, 6.35 ERA, 66.2 IP, 88 H, 24 BB, 43 K: Stock Down- At the end of May, the Phillies had enough of Carpenter's performance at Reading, and they sent him down to Florida to get in shape. He got some confidence back in a league he dominated last year, and he pitched a solid outing in his return to the Eastern League. He might be the biggest disappointment in the organization in 2008, and he has to take care of himself better if he wants to regain the ground he gave up this season.
13. SP Antonio Bastardo AA: 2-3, 3.11 ERA, 46.1 IP, 34 H, 29 BB, 39 K: Stock Down- His K rate dropped when he reached Reading, which is to be expected of a pitcher making the jump to the next level. However, the increase in walks wasn't good, and whenever he comes back from the labrum injury, he has to improve his command. His stock isn't going down because of performance, but I have to see if he can battle back from a tough injury and prove he's the same pitcher.
14. SS Freddy Galvis A: 79/337, 44 R, 2 HR, 29 RBI, 10/15 SB, .234/.301/.279: Stock Push- His numbers have improved since the last edition, but I still find it hard to raise him when he's still hitting that poorly. I've seen him in person, and his defense at short is just effortless. If he can improve his swing mechanics, he can at least find a niche in the majors like John McDonald has. I'm still blown that someone so young is playing full season ball.
15. C Jason Jaramillo AAA: 86/325, 34 R, 7 HR, 34 RBI, 0/1 SB, .265/.332/.378: Stock Push- His numbers are leaps and bounds better than they were in early May, but how far does that really get Jaramillo? He's more or less the same as last season, except he traded in a lot of patience for a little more power. He's repeating the level, so you would've liked to see him show a little improvement. I see him being designated for assignment and then taken in the Rule 5 draft next year.
16. C Travis D'Arnaud SS: 40/127, 16 R, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 1/3 SB, .315/.379/.488: Stock Up- I'd imagine that at the end of March when D'Arnaud was told he would be staying in Florida for extra practice to prepare for the New York-Penn season, he wasn't happy. Over a month into the season, he's proving he deserved a shot at full season ball from the start. He's been one of the stars of a solid Williamsport team, and he's answering any questions people had about his offense.
17. P Heitor Correa ?: Stock Down- It's time to issue an Amber Alert for this guy. Where is he? I read on Phuture Phillies almost a month ago that he's been suspended, but I think this has been long enough. He's got good stuff, and it'll be a shame if he was just kicked to the curb, depending on what he did.
18. IF Brad Harman AA: 72/322, 39 R, 11 HR, 37 RBI, 2/3 SB, .224/.294/.370: Stock Down- As one of the extra infielders on the 40 man roster, Harman saw some time with the big club. He'll probably never be more than a nice utility player, but the season he's having now is still disappointing. He needs to put his bat on the ball more often because he does have a little power in that bat. He can hold his own around the infield, but not well enough to make up for his current level of hitting.
19. 3B Travis Mattair A: 88/348, 44 R, 2 HR, 44 RBI, 6/11 SB, .253/.319/.322: Stock Push- He's gotten a little better since the last time I wrote about him, but Mattair is still struggling at the plate. For a guy his size, he's not hitting for enough power, and it's kind of surprising that he's only been able to hit a couple home runs. Another year at Lakewood couldn't hurt, and it wouldn't surprise me if he suited up in the Fall League this offseason.
20. SP Carlos Monasterios A+: 3-7, 5.46 ERA, 61 IP, 74 H, 19 BB, 39 K: Stock Down- Since coming back from an injury that kept him off the mound for a couple months, Monasterios has been lit up. His BB rate is still pretty solid, but his inability to strike batters out is being exposed. He's given up 46 hits in his last 6 starts, which might be a little bit of an aberration, but it's still not good. He's the last part of the Abreu trade that hasn't been seriously injured, released or trying out a new position, so that's looking worse and worse by the day.
21. SP Julian Sampson A: 7-4, 4.53 ERA, 99.1 IP, 117 H, 41 BB, 47 K: Stock Push- I said he'll be a Crosscutter this season when it's all said and done, but it doesn't look like that'll happen. His hit and walk rates have improved, but he still gives up way too many hits, walks a few too many and doesn't strike out nearly enough. His stuff is better than his numbers indicate, and I'm really not sure how he's surviving with the frequency he allows runners to reach base.
22. SP Drew Naylor A+: 1-5, 6.87 ERA, 38 IP, 40 H, 25 BB, 31 K: Stock Up- Naylor is discovering that things aren't as easy in the FSL as the Sally. Every rate is worse, and in the case of his walk rate, significantly. He had a nice two game string of good starts, but overall, he has struggled after the promotion. He was a K machine at Lakewood, and it's a bit disappointing to see he hasn't done it at the new level.
23. 1B Michael Durant A: 63/281, 43 R, 13 HR, 44 RBI, 4/4 SB, .224/.328/.427: Stock Down- July was terrible for Durant, and his average has dipped every month since April. He's a big guy with a lot of power, but like a lot of players with those qualities, his bat misses the ball much too often. Durant has a decent eye, but if he doesn't put the ball in play more, it doesn't mean a thing.
24. SP Scott Mathieson DL: Stock down- I hope he pitches again sometime, but I'm not counting on him ever getting back to the majors.
25. OF Michael Taylor A+: .286, 17 R, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 3/5 SB, .286/.340/.429: Stock Up- Taylor came out of nowhere and started mashing Lakewood. He's too old to still be in the low minors, but after Stanford messed up his swing, he has some time to make adjustments. He's a big guy with a lot of power, and it would be a nice steal for the Phillies if he can find it as he advances through the system.
26. OF Matt Spencer N/A: See ya.
27. OF D'Arby Myers SS: 23/95, 12 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4/5 SB, .242/.301/.347: Stock Down- He's still very young, but I'm losing confidence in my favorite player in the system. He had a ton of problems at Lakewood, and he had to return to Williamsport when their season ended. However, he's running into problems there by not being able to build on last year's disappointing season there. He should be playing well in a league he's repeating, and I hope this is just because his wrist is still bothering him.
28. OF Quintin Berry A+: 107/396, 47 R, 3 HR, 34 RBI, .270/.349/.338: Stock Down- He's doing a little better than he was to start the year, but it's hard to be impressed with underacheiving 23 year olds in High A. He has great speed, but he's never going to show it if he can't get on base more or hit the ball in the gap.
29. RP Joe Bisenius AAA: 0-2, 7.50 ERA, 12 IP, 14 H, 11 BB, 9 K: Stock Down- After being sent down to Reading to possibly regain some confidence and command. He got his confidence back, but the latter has gotten worse. He's all over the strike zone, or ball zone, more accurately, and I'm not sure if he'll ever see a serious major league stint.
30. P Tyson Brummett AA: 2-3, 4.18 ERA, 51.2 IP, 50 H, 28 BB, 33 K: Stock Push- He turns 24 in just a couple of weeks, so it's kind of disappointing that he's just reaching Reading now. I don't want to discount the solid season he posted at Clearwater, but he doesn't have much of a major league future. He had good strikeout numbers way down at Lakewood, but that didn't translate to the higher levels.
(31) 31. P Freddy Ballestas SS: 3-3, 5.40 ERA, 43.1 IP, 48 H, 18 BB, 47 K: Stock down- His strikeout rate indicates he probably has pretty good stuff, but the way he gets hit around does not. At his age, he should probably a bit further along in the system than he is, but I also believe that this is his first year stateside. Maybe he'll put everything together in the next couple years, but I'm not expecting it.

Whew. That's the last 30, and here's the new one.

(1) 1. SP Carlos Carrasco AA
(6) 2. C Lou Marson AA
(4) 3. SP Kyle Drabek R
(8) 4. OF Dominic Brown A
(9) 5. SP J.A. Happ MLB
(3) 6. SP Joe Savery A+
(11) 7. SS Jason Donald AA
(5) 8. OF Greg Golson AA
(10) 9. SP Edgar Garcia AA
(NR) 10. OF Anthony Hewitt R
(16) 11. C Travis D'Arnaud SS
(22) 12. SP Drew Naylor A+
(25) 13. OF Michael Taylor A+
(NR) 14. OF Zach Collier R
(14) 15. SS Freddy Galvis A
(15) 16. C Jason Jaramillo AAA
(12) 17. SP Drew Carpenter AA
(NR) 18. SP Vance Worley A
(13) 19. SP Antonio Bastardo AA
(19) 20. 3B Travis Mattair A
(21) 21. SP Julian Sampson A
(18) 22. IF Brad Harman AA
(NR) 23. SP Justin De Fratus SS
(NR) 24. SP Jason Knapp R
(NR) 25. C Sebastian Valle R
(NR) 26. OF Steven Susdorf SS
(23) 27. 1B Michael Durant A
(NR) 28. SP Michael Stutes A
(30) 29. P Tyson Brummett AA
(NR) 30. C Tim Kennelly A
(NR) 31. OF Leandro Castro R

And that just took almost my entire day. Wow.

Game 109: Phillies at Cardinals (1/3)

2008-08-01T11:38:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 59-49
St. Louis Cardinals: 61-50

Cole Hamels (9-6 3.27 ERA, 2-1 3.81 ERA)
Kyle Lohse (12-3 3.68 ERA, 1-1 1.65 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS 2/14, .143/.143/.143
Victorino CF 0/7
Utley 2B 1/9, .111/.200/.111
Howard 1B 2/5, .400/.500/.400
Burrell LF 3/11, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .273/.333/.545
Jenkins LF 4/22, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .182/.250/.455
Dobbs 3B 1/4, .250/.250/.250
Ruiz C 1/6, .167/.167/.167
Hamels P

Ryan 2B 0/1
Mather LF N/A
Pujols 1B 3/10, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .300/.273/.700
Ludwick RF 1/5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .200/.200/.800
Glaus 3B 0/3
Molina C 1/7, .143/.143/.286
Izturis SS 2/3, .667/.667/.667
Lohse P
Schumaker CF 0/1, 1 RBI

The Phillies have won five in a row, and the offense has woken up for now. What better time for it to continue than tonight against one of the better teams in the NL and Kyle Lohse? I hated seeing him dominate the Phillies a couple months ago. There aren't many pitchers in the league that I'd like the Phillies to beat than Lohse. I'm glad he didn't get a big, multi-year contract like he hoped, and I hate seeing him pitch well.

Later today, I hope to have another edition of prospect stock watch and maybe I'll finish my trade deadline wrap up.

Game 107: Phillies at Nationals (2/3)

2008-07-30T14:27:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 57-49
Washington Nationals: 38-68

Jamie Moyer (9-6 3.76 ERA, 9-4 2.90 ERA)
Tim Redding (7-5 3.98 ERA, 4-2 2.34 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS 4/24, 3 RBI, .167/.321/.167
Victorino CF 3/9, 333/.333/.333
Utley 2B 5/11, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .455/.500/.818
Howard 1B 1/13, .077/.200/.077
Burrell LF 4/21, 2 RBI, .190/.250/.333
Dobbs 3B 1/6, .167/.167/.167
Jenkins LF 11/19, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .579/.652/1.000
Ruiz C 1/6, .167/.286/.167
Moyer P

Harris LF 1/10, .100/.100/.100
Lopez SS 4/23, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .174/.174/.328
Zimmerman 3B 2/14, .143/.250/.214
Kearns RF 4/9, 2 RBI, .444/.545/.778
Flores C 4/9, 1 RBI, .444/.500/.778
Belliard 2B 7/25, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .280/.308/.560
Milledge CF 5/11, .455/.500/.545
Lo Duca 1B 5/14, 4 RBI, .357/.438/.357
Redding P

I don't know what it is about Redding that mystifies this lineup, but it has to end tonight. I don't know if I can write another sarcastic entry about how good he is. You would've liked to see the Phillies score more than two runs last night, but it was enough to win. I hope they can at least get two tonight with a guy who dominates them on the mound. Jamie Moyer has success against the Nationals himself, so the Phillies have one thing going for them.

Roster Shuffling

2008-07-30T00:05:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted much besides game previews, so I'll catch up on a little news.

In terms of pitching, Adam Eaton has accepted a demotion to the minor leagues. He'll be pitching for Lakewood on Thursday, and hopefully he won't damage their playoff chances. To take his place, J.A. Happ was called up again. I think he'll stick this time around. He's going to pitch out of the pen, probably as a lefty specialist, until Myers falters or someone in the rotation gets hurt. Speaking of Myers, I don't want to take too much away from this game. He was in control and he looked like vintage Brett, but Washington does have the worst offense in baseball. However, it was still a nice start and something to build on.

On the offensive side, Pedro Feliz has been placed on the DL with back issues. It was previously believed that he would be able to play on this road trip, but that's obviously not the case. In his place, Greg Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett will likely platoon. That's a pretty sizable downgrade defensively, and even at the plate, Feliz was having one of his better years. Mike Cervenak was recalled from AAA to take the roster spot.

Game 106: Phillies at Nationals (1/3)

2008-07-29T11:29:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 56-49
Washington Nationals: 38-67

Brett Myers (3-9 5.82 ERA, 8-4 4.89 ERA)
Collin Balester (1-2 5.75 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Feliz 3B N/A
Coste C N/A
Myers P

Harris LF 0/6, 1 RBI, .000/.333/.000
Guzman SS 8/22, 1 RBI, .364/.364/.364
Zimmerman 3B 10/24, 1 HR, 12 RBI, .417/.464/.792
Kearns RF 7/18, 4 RBI, .389/.478/.500
Flores C 1/5, .200/.200/.400
Belliard 2B 2/12, .167/.167/.167
Milledge CF 3/8, 3 RBI, .375/.444/.625
Lo Duca 1B 11/36, 2 HR, 2 RBI, .306/.359/.500
Balester P

The Nationals are currently the worst team in baseball, but with the way they play against the Phillies, you would never know it. The Phillies lineup and pitching staff need to show they're out of their recent struggles by putting their feet down on Washington. For some reason, these guys just cannot hit Nats pitching, but this series, they need to prove scoring 21 runs the last two games against Atlanta wasn't a fluke. Compounding the problem will be facing a guy they've never seen before in Collin Balester. He's a good prospect, but he's yet to find much success at the ML level.

The Washington offense is either in a season-long slump or is just not good. Missing Elijah Dukes hurts, but if Myers can't have success against these guys, he's in trouble. They're last in the majors in runs, tied for 27th in home runs, last in batting average, 29th in OBP, last in SLG and last in OPS. Ouch. The Phillies will have to play strong defense behind Myers tonight, but they're really not a threat to take him deep.

Training Camp Preview

2008-07-28T11:45:00.001-04:00

It's time to start looking forward to another season of Eagles football, and there's no shortage of storylines already. Brian Westbrook and Lito Sheppard are in town, but they're not happy. The one no-show is a big surprise, literally; Shawn Andrews is missing, and no one seems to know why. Out of respect for what he's dealing with, I'm not going to get into it or speculate what's going on. I just hope he can figure out what's wrong and come to camp when he's ready.

Quarterback (3)

Donovan McNabb
Kevin Kolb
A.J. Feeley

They keep saying McNabb's little shoulder injury in offseason workouts is nothing to worry about, and I trust them on that. He's had the tendonitis before, and it wasn't a problem then. Obviously his health is always something to be concerned about, since he's the man on offense and has had some trouble in the past, but I don't think we'll be hearing about shoulder soreness again. He should be fully healed from his ACL injury from the 2006 season, and the mobility he regained from rehab will be a huge plus to the O. After McNabb, the Eagles will be conducting a battle for the #2 job. A.J. Feeley has the experience, but his poor showing last year lets us know that experience isn't everything. Kolb should feel comfortable enough in the system at this point to be able to handle the team if McNabb goes down. He's the more talented player, and it'll be disappointing if Feeley gets the nod again.

Running Back (5)

Brian Westbrook
Correll Buckhalter
Lorenzo Booker
Tony Hunt
Ryan Moats

The big question here is whether or not Brian Westbrook is happy and motivated. I know he's unhappy with his contract, but he's also a professional that knows the Eagles are working with whoever his agent is to figure out an agreement. This isn't a T.O. situation. Andy Reid and the front office know how much Westbrook means to the team, and I'm confident they'll arrive at a solution. It's a good thing that Westbrook showed up, because the depth behind him couldn't handle a full load. Buckhalter is a nice backup, but at this point, saying there are serious doubts about whether he can shoulder the load as a starter would be an understatement. Tony Hunt needs to improve his blocking to become a factor, and it remains to be seen what Booker can bring to the team. He's supposed to be a small, quick player, but something's up when a high draft pick gets traded after his rookie year.

Fullback (3)

Jason Davis
Luke Lawton
Jed Collins

After the failed Dan Klecko experiment, these three are the last guys standing to try and earn this job. Personally, I didn't think Thomas Tapeh did a bad job, and I would've made an effort to bring him back. He clearly wasn't that skilled, but he could block. His lack of ability with the football was covered up by the fact that the Eagles don't use the position much in their offense. I don't think any of these guys will provide any upgrade there, or at the position in general. They have about a dozen games of NFL experience between them, and those all came from a guy who played for the team that utilizes the FB less than we do.

Wide Receiver (11)

Kevin Curtis
Reggie Brown
DeSean Jackson
Jason Avant
Hank Baskett
Greg Lewis
Michael Gasperson
Bam Childress
Frantz Hardy
Jamal Jones
Shaheer McBride

The Eagles always tend to take a lot of receivers into camp, even though it's very unlikely that any of those last five guys have a shot at the roster. Honestly, the top three are probably the only guys that are guaranteed a roster spot. I think the team might've been a bit disappointed with the progress Avant and Baskett showed last year. They're both entering their third year, and this is the team that receivers traditionally develop into the players they'll be for the remainder of their careers. Neither of them will be starters, but they have to prove they have a place on an NFL roster. If I had my way, it would be Curtis, Brown, Jackson, Avant and Baskett on the roster, but Greg Lewis is the kind of guy that'll never go away. He's definitely reliable as a 5th receiver, but I'd rather a spot like that go to a player with a special talent than a guy who's just alright.

Tight End (4.5)

L.J. Smith
Brent Celek
Kris Wilson
Matt Schobel
Jon Dorenbos

This is the one position on offense that has to wildly improve over 2007. If everyone from last year does the exact same thing as last season except the Tight Ends giving the team an ounce of production, you'll be seeing this team in the playoffs. Smith being healthy will be a big part of that. As much as people love complaining about him for some reason, McNabb trusts him, and he helps open up the offense. It's not a coincidence that the offense struggled in the red zone for the first time in McNabb's career when L.J. was in and out of the lineup and there wasn't a reliable target who lines up with his hand down. Celek showed some promise last season, and the Eagles hope he can continue to mature and become another athletic target. Wilson will upgrade the depth, and Schobel is going to have to work hard to regain a spot on this team.

Offensive Line (15)

Shawn Andrews
Jon Runyan
Tra Thomas
Jamaal Jackson
Todd Herremans
Max Jean-Gilles
Winston Justice
Nick Cole
Mike McGlynn
Mike Gibson
Scott Young
Stefan Rodgers
King Dunlap
Franklin Dunbar
Cameron Stephenson

I should probably split all of these guys into their actual positions, but one quality the Eagles like in their linemen is the ability to play multiple positions. If you look down that list, about half of those guys can play a combination of any spot on the line, and for some of the young guys, that'll help them make an NFL squad. I'd say that four of the positions on the line are set, barring injury. The two tackles will always be there, and Jackson and Andrews secure C and RG. The one battle will be the LG spot, between Todd Herremans, MJG and perhaps a surprise candidate with a good camp. Herremans struggled on and off the field last year, and the organization's patience could be running thin with him. He took penalties and had some discipline problems, and he's going to have to work hard to get himself and the line overall back to where they were a couple years ago. MJG has some definite positives that make him a good candidate for a future starter in the NFL. He's nasty and has a pretty good motor, which is the toughest thing to teach to linemen, especially guys as big as he is. If he's doing a good job learning the offense and is holding up in pass protection, he could win that job. Winston Justice will be back, and hopefully during camp, he can work on his technique and become a better player. Cole's ability to play across the line will help him earn a backup job, but McGlynn and Gibson share that quality.

Defensive End (6)

Trent Cole
Juqua "Thomas" Parker
Chris Clemons
Victor Abiamiri
Bryan Smith
Jerome McDougle

It's almost automatic to pencil in Trent Cole for 10 sacks, and things would be a lot easier for him if he had a threat lining up on the opposite side of the line. Jevon Kearse became a serious bust, and Juqua was not up to par as a regular player. Unfortunately, no proven every-down ends were on the market, so the Eagles settled for Clemons. Perhaps settled for isn't the right thing to say, because he did lead all free agent D-End's in sacks. However, it's still widely accepted that he doesn't have the ability to be an every down player. It'll be up to Jim Johnson to find the right mix of personnel, formations and schemes to get more productivity out of that end position. Jerome McDougle will either get injured or cut, so his unfortunate reign of bust will be over in a matter of weeks. Smith is interesting. I think they'd like to get him into the rotation, but there may be too many people on the roster to hold onto a 5th DE. They may have to turn his hamstring inconvenience into a season ending problem.

Defensive Tackle (7)

Brodrick Bunkley
Mike Patterson
Trevor Laws
Darren Howard
Dan Klecko
Kimo von Olehoffen
Montae Reagor

Andy Reid loves to have depth in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and that's exactly what he has there. Bunkley and Patterson are as good as any DT pair in the league. Patterson had a rough sophomore season, but Bunkley emerging as a great player helped him out a lot. Backing them up include four veterans, although it's unlikely that all seven of these guys make the team. I list Darren Howard at DT because he's proven he's not effective on the outside anymore, and he did a great job lining up at tackle in goal line situations last year. The leverage he was able to get was a big reason why the Eagles were so successful in those situations. Klecko was signed to be a FB, but that experiment failed before he even really got a shot. He'll transition back to his regular position, where he could have a tough time earning a spot for a couple of reasons. First, the Eagles have more depth at the position, and he may have also slimmed down just a little bit to play FB. Trevor Laws is interesting. They invested a second round pick in him, so the Eagles expect him to contribute in a big way. However, there's depth at tackle, rookies don't always get the most snaps here, and the foot injury could be a wild card this camp.

Linebacker (9)

Omar Gaither
Chris Gocong
Stewart Bradley
Rocky Boiman
Akeem Jordan
Pago Togafau
Joe Mays
Andy Studebaker
Justin Roland

These nine players average just over two years of NFL experience each, and seven of them come from one guy. The starters have a combined eight between them, and they're the youngest LB corp in the NFL. This is kind of like the situation a few years ago when Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard were getting their first starts. These players are going to have to prove themselves and learn quickly for the defense to be successful. Although Omar Gaither has about a season and a half of starts under his belt, only a handful are at WILL, where he'll be starting. Chris Gocong is entering his second year in the lineup, but this will also only be his second season playing Linebacker. Stewart Bradley showed enough promise in two games last year to cause the Eagles to cut Takeo Spikes and pencil him in. That's a pretty small sample size to expect great success from him, but the Eagles have made gambles like this pay off before. After Boiman, who provides decent depth as a special teamer and 4th LB, the experience and depth really drops off. At least one of those guys is going to have to make the squad, and I'm hoping they don't see much action.

Cornerback (8)

Asante Samuel
Lito Sheppard
Sheldon Brown
Joselio Hanson
Nick Graham
Therrian Fontenot
Kyle Arrington
Jack Ikegwuonu

I'm glad Lito Sheppard showed up. Although I wouldn't mind if he got traded at some point next offseason, we need him this year. With the three top corners the Eagles have, they have tremendous depth, and they could help form one of the best secondaries in the league. If you take one of those guys out, suddenly, I don't like the depth. Hanson wasn't bad last year, but I feel a lot better about him if he's in a dimeback role. With three very good players, Jim Johnson is free to mix up schemes and use players creatively and feel good that the opponent's receivers will be blanketed. The team feels good with Graham and his decent potential as a 5th guy, so I think he'll win that spot. There's a great chance that Ikegwuonu lands on IR for this season.

Safety (6)

Brian Dawkins
Quintin Mikell
J.R. Reed
Quintin Demps
Sean Considine
Marcus Paschal

Brian Dawkins is still a very good player, and the only question with him is whether or not he stays healthy. If he does, the Eagles can be confident that one safety spot is secure. If he isn't, then it's another huge question mark on the defense. I don't know who will start at SS, and honestly, I'm not sure if it'll matter. Each name is more mediocre than the last. All five of the non-Dawkins options will be able to contribute on special teams, but unfortunately, one of them has to start, and we can't carry all of them. Mikell did a good job in the starting role last year, and he's always played a minor part in some defensive packages. J.R. Reed and Quintin Demps each have the ability to return kicks, and I think that could get them a leg up on Considine, who doesn't have those abilities.

Kickers (1) and Punters (2)

David Akers

Sav Rocca
Richmond McGee

For the first time in a while, Akers doesn't have competition. Competition is probably an overstatement since the players they brought in were never any good, but he still got a break in the end of most preseason games. He has to get better this year. Unfortunately, I think his age is catching up to him a bit, and his kicking ability is declining. He's starting to miss more, and he's not as reliable from long distance as he used to be. His kickoffs aren't going as deep, and that's hurting us a little in the field position game. It might be time to start looking for a replacement, but those aren't easy to come by.

Rocca has a powerful leg, but consistency was his worst enemy last year. It would be a lot better if he could hit 45 yards over and over again, instead of going 60 on one punt and 30 on the next. Coverage teams appreciate that because it helps them get an idea of where the ball will be when they're running down the field. Improving hangtime should also be a goal for Rocca. Now that he has one year in the books, he's got some experience in the NFL, and he can start refining parts of his game now that he understands the basic ideas. I don't know much about McGee, but I don't see him making the team. His punt averages at Texas weren't very good, but he did pretty well on kickoffs. I don't see this team carrying an extra leg just for kickoffs, but I'd imagine the Eagles want to see how he handles those duties.

The Eagles have plenty of depth in the return game this year, and I don't anticipate seeing Reno Mahe in an Eagles uniform ever again. By my count, they have about eight players capable of returning kicks and punts, and hopefully one or two of them can provide the spark that's been missing from the return game for the past few years.

There it is. 2008 Eagles training camp in several large paragraphs.

Game 105: Braves at Phillies (3/3)

2008-07-27T13:01:00.002-04:00

Atlanta Braves: 49-54
Philadelphia Phillies: 55-49

Jorge Campillo (5-4 2.83 ERA, 0-1 5.27 ERA)
Joe Blanton (0-0 7.50 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)

Lineups

Blanco LF
Escobar SS
Teixeira 1B
McCann C
Kotsay CF
Francoeur RF
Johnson 2B
Infante 3B
Campillo P

Rollins SS
Victorino CF
Utley 2B
Howard 1B
Burrell LF
Werth RF
Bruntlett 3B
Coste C
Blanton P

Shortened today.

Game 103: Braves at Phillies (1/3)

2008-07-25T13:40:00.004-04:00

Atlanta Braves: 48-53
Philadelphia Phillies: 54-48

Jair Jurrjens (9-5 3.22 ERA, 0-1 5.14 ERA)
Kyle Kendrick (8-4 4.87 ERA, 3-0 4.13 ERA)

Projected lineups

Blanco LF 1/4, .250/.625/.250
Escobar SS 1/8, .125/.125/.125
Jones 3B 6/12, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .500/.600/1.167
Teixeira 1B 1/9, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .111/.273/.444
McCann C 3/13, .231/.286/.308
Johnson 2B 4/13, .308/.357/.385
Francoeur RF 5/14, 2 RBI, .357/.357/.357
Kotsay CF 0/5, .000/.167/.000
Jurrjens P

Rollins SS 1/3, .333/.500/1.000
Victorino CF 0/4
Utley 2B 1/3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .333/.333/1.333
Howard 1B 1/3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .333/.333/1.333
Burrell LF 2/3, .667/.667/1.000
Jenkins RF 0/3
Feliz 3B 3/3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1.000/1.000/2.000
Ruiz C 0/3
Kendrick P

Losing first place is kind of lame, but first place only matters on one day of the year. The Phillies have plenty of time to get hot and play their best baseball. This prolonged slump is very disappointing. What's even more disappointing is Jimmy Rollins, the guy who's supposed to be the team leader, showing up an hour late and saying he doesn't think it was fair to remove him from the lineup. I think that Rollins is a fine player and one of the leaders on this team, but this is inexcusable. Every other player had no problem getting to Shea on time, and this is the second run-in Rollins has had with Manuel's two rules: show up on time and hustle.

The Phillies need to take advantage of this home series to get the offense going again. The walls are a bit closer to home plate than the last couple places they've played in, so if some guys find their stroke, runs could be put up in bunches. Team wide slumps are tough, but this is a resilient team that should be able to fight through it.

Game 102: Phillies at Mets (3/3)

2008-07-24T11:02:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 54-47
New York Mets: 54-47

Jamie Moyer (9-6 3.90 ERA, 7-4 2.95 ERA)
Oliver Perez (6-6 4.36 ERA, 2-3 3.39 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS 7/25, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .280/.357/.560
Utley 2B 3/12, 1 RBI, .250/471/.333
Burrell LF 7/25, 4 HR, 7 RBI, .280/.387/.800
Howard 1B 2/19, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .105/.182/.263
Werth RF 3/12, 2 RBI, .250/.474/.250
Feliz 3B 1/14, .071/.188/.071
Victorino CF 2/10, 1 RBI, .200/.273/.200
Ruiz C 3/8, .375/.500/.375
Moyer P

Reyes SS 10/30, 2 RBI, .333/.355/.467
Chavez RF 2/6, .333/.333/.333
Wright 3B 12/27, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .444/.464/.815
Beltran CF 10/46, 2 RBI, .217/.345/.283
Easley 2B 13/47, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .277/.404/.340
Delgado 1B 30/74, 8 HR, 17 RBI, .405/.476/.824
Tatis LF 1/2, .500/.667/1.000
Schneider C 2/5, 1 RBI, .400/.571/.400
Perez P

Last time the Phillies played Perez, the good one showed up. However, I still don't think the Phillies were patient enough. He's going to throw a lot of pitches out of the strike zone, whether he's on or not. His slider can be unhittable, so they need to let that go and hit his fastballs. Work the count, make him throw pitches and get him out of the game early.

I guess I have to give credit to Myers for settling in a little bit, but it still wasn't a very good outing. He didn't get taken deep at all, which was a huge plus. The most surprising thing about his demotion? Despite almost four weeks of not making an ML appearance, he still leads the league in home runs. He has to get back in command, and he still has to work lower in the strike zone. The problem is, the Phillies don't have all season to see if he can figure this out. He should only get one, maybe two more starts before Happ is called up again.

Game 101: Phillies at Mets (2/3)

2008-07-23T13:41:00.003-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 54-46
New York Mets: 53-47

Brett Myers (3-9 5.84 ERA, 8-6 5.18 ERA)
John Maine (8-7 4.22 ERA, 4-0 2.36 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS 3/21, 1 RBI, .143/.182/.238
Victorino CF 5/16, .313/.389/.313
Utley 2B 7/20, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .350/.375/.600
Howard 1B 4/20, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .200/.304/.500
Burrell LF 3/21, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .143/.217/.286
Jenkins RF 1/5, .200/.200/.400
Feliz 3B 3/7, 1 HR, 1 RBI,
Coste C 2/7, .286/.375/.571
Myers P

Reyes SS 12/36, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .333/.351/.583
Chavez RF 2/15, .133/.235/.333
Wright 3B 5/24, 3 HR, 6 RBI, .208/.321/.625
Beltran CF 8/27, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .296/.345/.519
Delgado 1B 7/16, 2 RBI, .438/.571/.688
Easley 2B 4/9, 1 RBI, .444/.444/.556
Tatis LF N/A
Schneider C 8/35, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .229/.325/.343
Maine P

This is it. Brett Myers cannot suck the life out of the team as he did for so long this season. After last night's unlikely comeback win, this team could carry over some momentum. It's important to win as many series as possible, and the Phillies haven't put together a solid string for a while. At the very least, he has to get out of the first inning without doing serious damage to the team.

John Maine has completely dominated the Phillies. Just look at those numbers; Rollins and Burrell, two huge keys to the offense, absolutely struggle against Maine. They have to hit him sometime, right? Is it possible for a guy to just go an entire career dominating a team like he has? He has walked 10 batters in his last two starts, so the Phillies need to stay patient, get baserunners and come up with timely hits.

Game 100: Phillies at Mets (1/3)

2008-07-22T12:54:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 53-46
New York Mets: 53-46

Joe Blanton (0-0 --- ERA, 1-0 0.00 ERA)
Johan Santana (8-7 3.10 ERA, 1-0 2.75 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS 0/7
Werth RF 2/7, .286/.286/.286
Utley 2B 2/7, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .286/.286/.714
Howard 1B 2/6, 1 RBI, .333/.333/.333
Burrell LF 2/7, 1 RBI, .286/.375/.286
Feliz 3B 1/10, 1 RBI, .100/.100/.100
Victorino CF 0/3
Coste C 0/3
Blanton P

Reyes SS 0/6, .000/.143/.000
Chavez RF N/A
Wright 3B 1/5, .200/.200/.200
Beltran CF 2/6, .333/.333/.333
Easley 2B N/A
Delgado 1B 0/3
Tatis LF N/A
Schneider C 1/1, 1.000/1.000/1.000
Santana P

First of all, it's not the end of the season if the Phillies lose this series. It's July, and there's a lot of baseball left to be played. The division is not won with 60 games left to play. With that being said, it would still be nice for the Phillies to win a series against these guys for once. Their success against the Mets was a huge key to last season, and they haven't replicated that yet.

For the sake of the fanbase, I hope Blanton has a good debut tonight. There were a lot of people complaining about the trade, and too many didn't even want to give him a chance before blasting him. His numbers in Oakland were bad this year, but he's shown in the past he can at least be a league average pitcher.

Lupul inks Four Year Contract Extension

2008-07-21T20:48:00.003-04:00

The Flyers have signed Joffrey Lupul to a four year contract, that'll probably be worth about 4.25 million a year. The article says financial terms were undisclosed, but 4.25 was the rumor several days beforehand.

Websites like TSN were reporting this as early as Friday, and I guess the Flyers just wanted to wait until the weekend was out to make an official announcement. Lupul is a very good sniper when healthy, and a lot of fans are breathing a sigh of relief as that potential cap number is a lot lower than it could've been. However, I still have to question how we plan on building a team with so many high-priced forwards.

Game 99: Phillies at Marlins (3/3)

2008-07-20T10:06:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 53-45
Florida Marlins: 51-46

Cole Hamels (9-6 3.15 ERA, 2-3 4.78 ERA)
Josh Johnson (0-0 5.40 ERA, 1-1 5.52 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS 2/8, 1 RBI, .250/.250/.375
Victorino CF 0/3, .000/.250/.000
Utley 2B 2/7, .286/.375/.286
Howard 1B 3/7, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .429/.500/.857
Burrell LF 0/5
Jenkins RF 1/3, .333/.333/.333
Dobbs 3B N/A
Ruiz C N/A
Hamels P

Ramirez SS 8/18, .444/.500/.722
Hermida RF 2/12, .167/.167/.167
Cantu 1B 3/8, 3 HR, 4 RBI, .375/.375/1.500
Willingham LF 2/10, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .200/.333/.600
Uggla 2B 3/18, 1 RBI, .167/.200/.222
Helms 3B 4/12, 3 RBI, .333/.357/.500
Ross CF 1/13, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .077/.144/.308
Baker C N/A
Johnson P

The key for Cole Hamels today will be fastball location. The Marlins hit a lot of home runs and can put up some crooked numbers, but most of them have trouble with secondary pitches. He needs to use his fastball to keep them honest, but it has to be in the right place. Getting ahead of hitters will be huge, so he can bury them with his changeup.

The Phillies have hit Josh Johnson pretty well in the past, so it would be nice if they remember how to do it since they haven't seen him for a while. He's probably not all the way back from his injury quite yet, and it would really benefit the Phillies to get to him early and chase him out of the game. It's going to be hot out there.

Game 98: Phillies at Marlins (2/3)

2008-07-19T13:26:00.002-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 53-44
Florida Marlins: 50-46

Kyle Kendrick (8-3 4.47 ERA, 1-0 2.57 ERA)
Scott Olsen (5-4 3.77 ERA, 3-5 5.33 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS 5/26, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .192/.222/.462
Werth RF 5/10, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .500/.545/1.300
Utley 2B 3/21, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .143/.250/.429
Howard 1B 10/21, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .426/.522/.905
Burrell LF 4/21, .190/.346/.238
Feliz 3B 3/9, 1 RBI, .333/.333/.556
Victorino CF 2/13, .154/.154/.231
Coste C 1/5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .200/.333/.800
Kendrick P

Ramirez SS 2/6, .333/.333/.500
Hermida RF 2/6, .333/.333/.333
Cantu 3B N/A
Jacobs 1B 0/5, .000/.167/.000
Uggla 2B 2/5, .400/.500/.600
Willingham LF 2/4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .500/.500/1.250
Ross CF 0/2
Hoover C N/A
Olsen P

Olsen is a pitcher Phillies fans love to hate, and with the way the players hit against him, they probably feel the same way. Olsen has been good this year, but he has struggled mightily in his career against the Phillies. Surprisingly, it's Ryan Howard that does most of the damage. He struggles to hit most lefties, but Olsen has been like batting practice to him.

Jamie Moyer did a nice job of not being too taxing on the bullpen last night. Durbin probably shouldn't pitch today, and hopefully they won't need him at all. Kendrick has pitched seven innings against Florida in his two prior career starts, and it would be great if he could make it three.

Game 97: Phillies at Marlins (1/3)

2008-07-18T10:39:00.003-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 52-44
Florida Marlins: 50-45

Jamie Moyer (8-6 3.95, 9-0 3.03 ERA)
Ricky Nolasco (10-4 3.70 ERA, 3-2 4.23 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS 4/11, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .364/.417/1.000
Victorino CF 3/9, .333/.333/.556
Utley 2B 3/11, 1 RBI, .273/.429/.273
Howard 1B 1/8, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .125/.462/.500
Burrell LF 3/9, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .333/.455/.778
Feliz 3B 0/3
Jenkins RF 0/5, .000/.167/.000
Ruiz C 1/4, .250/.400/.250
Moyer P

Ramirez SS 9/27, 4 HR, 5 RBI, .333/.357/.852
Hermida RF 2/9, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .222/.417/.556
Cantu 1B 3/11, 2 RBI, .273/.333/.273
Willingham LF 1/15, .067/.067/.200
Uggla 2B 2/21, .095/.136/.143
Helms 3B 4/6, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .667/.750/1.333
Ross CF 3/22, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .136/.174/.273
Baker C N/A
Nolasco P

After the Reds failed to hold approximately a dozen leads against the Mets last night, the Phillies have some company atop the NL East. Anyone who counted out the Mets a few weeks ago was just ridiculous. They had some rough times, but those are now long gone. It's going to be a fight for the finish, and they aren't going to roll over and die.

It's important for the Phillies to establish momentum right now. They're traditionally a second half team, and what better way to prove it again than going on a nice run immediately after the break? Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell were hot entering the break, and the Phillies hope the week off didn't get them out of their rhythm.

Phillies Add Blanton

2008-07-17T20:57:00.003-04:00

Here's a link to Ken Rosenthal's story, because I like Ken.

The Phillies had to deal 2B Adrian Cardenas, RP Josh Outman and OF Matt Spencer to get him. Cardenas is the team's #1 hitting prospect, and he could be missed down the road. He has a very good chance of becoming a good contact hitter in the majors, but he's going to have to bulk up a bit and hit for some more power.

Like I said, I think he's going to become a good ML player. However, would he have that same opportunity with the Phillies? He was playing 2B because he couldn't handle SS, and scouts found it pretty unlikely that he would be able to play third. With Chase Utley holding down the fort at second, the only option was LF. The question then became whether or not he'll have the power to be considered a good corner OF. My guess is that'll be no. 2B is his position.

People look at Outman's status as BA's Phillies' 3rd ranked prospect, but I think he was overrated then, and he's even more overrated now if you're still only looking at that. Here's a 23 year old who's still figuring things out in AA. I know he's a bit raw for a 23 year old because he had to completely change his delivery, but I doubt he'll ever be a good starter, and his destiny is the bullpen. You can find good relievers in a lot of places.

The third prospect given up was OF Matt Spencer. He was taken in last year's draft, and after a hot start in Clearwater, Spencer has cooled off dramatically. His performance over the season as a whole is largely unacceptable, and he has to get a lot better to prove he was more than just a throw in.

Overall, I'm not losing sleep over trading these guys. Yes, Cardenas could be a fine hitter in a couple years. Yes, Outman throws pretty hard. However, you have to give something to get something, and the Phillies did so and got that.

I can definitely see why people are concerned about about Blanton's numbers this season. He has gotten roughed up in a few starts, but most of the time, he'll give you a solid outing. He pitches a lot of innings, and that's the kind of player the Phillies need. He's had a solid career, and that suggests his numbers are a bit flukey. He gets ground balls, doesn't get taken deep much, and for at least this season, the hitter friendly confines of Citizen's Bank Park have been exaggerated.

I like the deal. I'm definitely not going to complain about it before the dude even suits up in a uniform.

First Half Review And Second Half Preview

2008-07-15T19:51:00.003-04:00

Like last year, during this All-Star Break, I'm going to grade the Phillies' first halves and also make projections for the rest of the season. Unlike last year, the Phillies have stayed mostly injury free and are in first place instead of chasing it. However, that lead is only by half a game, so there's some work to be done. At the break last year, which was after 88 games for the Phillies, the team was 44-44. After 88 this year, they were four games better at 48-40. They sit at 52-44 overall.

I'll assign players grades based on not only their performance this season, but I'll also weigh expectations. For example, Shane Victorino earned a high grade last year, even though he didn't have the best stats. Less was expected out of him than say a Ryan Howard.

2B Chase Utley

B+

.291/.372/.582 68 R 25 HR 68 RBI 10/10 stealing

Projection: .310/.380/.570 130 R 40 HR 130 RBI 18/20 stealing

Although he's not keeping up his torrid pace to start the season, Utley will still likely finish with career highs in SLG, HR and RBI. His OPS may go down a tick or two from last year, but his rates would almost be impossible to reproduce. In the second half, look for him to raise his average a little bit and get out of the mini-funk he's been in. He's fucking Chase Utley, you know he'll do it.

1B Ryan Howard

D+

.234/.324/.508 62 R 28 HR 84 RBI 1/1 stealing

Projection: .260/.370/.560 110 R 47 HR 140 RBI 1/1 stealing

Because he leads the league in HR and RBI, people thought he was an All-Star snub. I disagree. I'm one of Howard's biggest defenders, and I hardly ever criticize the guy, but he's having a tough year. He's hitting well with RISP, but he needs to put the ball in play more. His average is bordering on unacceptable, but he's been heating up as of late. He has time to rightsize his ship.

LF Pat Burrell

A+

.275/.404/.575 49 R 23 HR 57 RBI 0/0 stealing

Projection: .270/.400/.550 85 R 35 HR 110 RBI 0/0 stealing

What a difference a year makes. At this time last year, Burrell was struggling in the worst way, and the Phillies were doing everything possible to get him out of the lineup and maybe even trade him. This season, he was a huge All-Star snub and is having the best season of his career. It couldn't happen to a better person with Burrell being one of the hardest working players in the league and a good fit in the clubhouse. I hope he keeps it up, but I think he'll tail off just a little bit.

CF Shane Victorino

B-

.279/.350/.408 59 R 5 HR 29 RBI 22/28 stealing

Project: .280/.355/.415 109 R 8 HR 60 RBI 40/49 stealing

Injuries shut down Shane's effectiveness late last year, and it looked like he could be headed down a similar road this season with a DL stint in April. However, he has bounced back nicely and been a decent contributor at times. Victorino has been very streaky, but one positive this season has been his plate discipline. His OBP has hit the magic .350 benchmark, and he's not a bad fit in the #2 hole if he can keep that up.

3B Pedro Feliz

B

.270/.320/.442 35 R 12 HR 45 RBI 0/0 stealing

Projection: .260/.315/.430 67 R 23 HR 85 RBI 1/1 stealing

Feliz' bat has been a big surprise to me. This is one of the best years at the plate in his career, and he's done it pretty quietly with steady improvement over the course of the season. He's been a lot more patient at the plate than in previous seasons, and that has led to a lot more success. Obviously he's bringing his outstanding glove, and you can see how good he is in the field in just about every game.

SS Jimmy Rollins

C-

.274/.340/.438 39 R 6 HR 31 RBI 24/24 stealing

Projection: .280/.340/.460 13 HR 71 RBI 45/47 stealing

In early April, Rollins suffered a sprained ankle injury that put a cloud over the season before things really got started. After a controversial stay on the bench, he was finally put on the DL and allowed to rehab. He got back and just hasn't been the same. It's possible Rollins is still bothered by the injury, and I hope he keeps getting better. His SLG hasn't been this low since 2005. Despite the severe lack in XBH, Rollins has been as good as ever on the basepaths as the Phillies continue to be one of the most efficient base stealing teams in the league.

RF Geoff Jenkins

F

.237/.289/.379 23 R 7 HR 24 RBI 1/2 stealing

Projection: .245/.300/.410 43 R 12 HR 45 RBI 1/3 stealing

Jenkins was supposed to be a pretty big part of the lineup. He was brought in to platoon with Jayson Werth and face right handed pitchers. Obviously, since there are more righties than lefties, Jenkins was paid a lot of money to hit some home runs behind Burrell. There's a big problem for the Phillies: he hasn't. He's having an absolutely terrible season, and he's still on the payroll for at least one more year. He has to make the necessary adjustments to put the ball in play more and smack some extra base hits.

RF Jayson Werth

B

.271/.357/.477 32 R 16 HR 36 RBI 11/12 stealing

Projection: .275/.365/.460 60 R 22 HR 65 RBI 20/23 stealing

Werth's OPS is down from last year, but you'll be hard pressed to find a fan that's upset about his performance. He has absolutely smoked lefties again this year, but he's still a bit average against righties. With Jenkins struggling the way he is, Werth could see a few more opportunities to hit off them. He's a good defensive player with a knack for stealing bases, and he's definitely an asset off the bench.

C Carlos Ruiz

F

.202/.303/.269 26 R 2 HR 20 RBI 0/1 stealing

Projection: .230/.320/.300 46 R 5 HR 40 RBI 0/1 stealing

I can't explain it. Ruiz was solid in 2007, providing good defense and not being a total butcher at the plate. This season, he has experienced a terrible drop-off after a strong spring that got fans excited for his potential. His CS% has dropped dramatically, and despite a much lower CERA, a lot of fans are still upset with his defense. Color me surprised. I didn't think C would be as much of a weak spot for the 2008 Phillies as it has been. He needs to get better, or he could join Brett Myers in the minor leagues.

C Chris Coste

C

.279/.333/.479 16 R 7 HR 21 RBI 0/0 stealing

Projection: .270/.320/.460 30 R 10 HR 40 RBI 0/0 stealing

I hope Coste is still getting seen more and more as just a regular bench player now, and his great story is pushed to the backs of everyone's minds. Obviously what he accomplished was great, but people need to ignore where he came from when evaluating him now. He's in a huge slump right now, and I hope he can make the adjustments necessary to stay afloat. He started tailing off at the end of last year, and I hope people realize the more he plays, the worse he does.

Util Eric Bruntlett

C

.232/.314/.317 32 R 2 HR 12 RBI 8/9 stealing

Projection: .240/.325/.330 57 R 3 HR 22 RBI 14/17 stealing

Bruntlett's Philadelphia career got off to a rough start when he took over for Jimmy Rollins. Early on, he made a couple errors and failed to execute at the plate against the Mets, and many fans turned on him early. He can play just about every position, run the bases well, and offensively, he's been better than Abraham Nunez, which is all I ask for.

Util Greg Dobbs

B

.322/.362/.441 13 R 2 HR 18 RBI 2/3 stealing

Projection: .305/.345/.450 28 R 6 HR 38 RBI 3/4 stealing

Dobbs has to be setting some sort of historic pace for pinch hitting. He's been almost automatic coming off the bench, and when everything is said and done, he'll probably be the best Phillie pinch-hitter in history. With Feliz' emergence as a solid 3B, Dobbs' role has been minimalized. He'll get a spot start here and there, but no matter how often he's penciled into the lineup, he'll find a way to contribute late in games when the team needs a hit.

OF So Taguchi

F

.212/.288/.273 15 R 0 HR 4 RBI 2/2 stealing

Projection: .220/.300/.280 17 R 0 HR 4 RBI 2/2 stealing

I think that before the trading deadline, the Phillies will find a way to upgrade the bench and Taguchi will be gone. I know he's only the 5th OF and I probably shouldn't complain much, but he has not provided anything this year. His defense has produced more heartache than it should, and he doesn't have a single pinch hit this season.

2B Brad Harman

F

.100/.182/.200 1 R 0 HR 1 RBI 0/0 stealing

Projection: .167/.214/.250 1 R 0 HR 1 RBI 0/0 stealing

I'm just having fun with that line, but the point is he probably won't get many more AB this season. He came up briefly for Rollins while he was on the DL, but the team just didn't need him much. He still has some room to grow in the minors, and he was only up because he was the extra IF on the 40 man roster.

OF T.J. Bohn

D

.400/.400/.600 1 R 0 HR 3 RBI 0/0 stealing

Projection: .300/.300/.400 2 R 0 HR 3 RBI 1/1 stealing

Bohn did a decent job in his few moments with the team. He provided a surprise RBI double at one point, and his defense saved the team a run or two. He's a very mediocre hitter, but he's a good athlete that plays a strong OF.

OF Chris Snelling

D-

.500/.500/1.500 1 R 1 HR 1 RBI 0/0 stealing

Projection: Same line

If healthy, Snelling could be a real asset to a team. As it stands, he's not. He's fast, but what good is speed if you're always on the DL? He at least has a little power, but you can't prove it from the training table. I'd like this guy to be the 5th OF, but the fact is, you can't rely on him.

Util Mike Cervenak

F

.000/.000/.000 0 R 0 HR 0 RBI 0/0 stealing

Projection: Hopefully he gets a hit

Cervenak is a career minor leaguer who got called up for a brief time before the break. He got his first ML AB, but he couldn't reach base. Hopefully he gets that chance later this year.

Cole Hamels

A

9-6 3.15 ERA 142.2 IP 1.02 WHIP 126 K 34 BB

Projection: 17-10 3.27 ERA 226.2 IP 1.09 WHIP 210 K 50 BB

You couldn't ask for anything more from this guy. He's incredible. It's great to have a legitimate #1 pitcher back in the fold for the first time since probably Schilling. Even though he hasn't gotten the run support you'd like to see, every time Cole goes out there, you're confident that you have a great shot at winning. He's averaging just over 7 IP a start, which I thought to be ridiculous when I first calculated it. I didn't know guys pitched that many innings.

Jamie Moyer

B

8-6 3.95 ERA 114 IP 1.39 WHIP 70 K 33 BB

Projection: 13-11 4.70 ERA 201 IP 1.45 WHIP 115 K 60 BB

As an end of the rotation starter, what more can you ask for? He's given up quite a few baserunners, but Jamie Moyer has done a great job of getting out of jams this year. I hope he can keep it up, but I have to say that with guarded optimism. It's well documented that August is his worst month, and he's going to have to stay afloat for the Phillies to stay in the position they're in. I hope this guy can pitch until he's 50.

Kyle Kendrick

B

8-3 4.47 ERA 104.2 IP 1.46 WHIP 47 K 32 BB

Projection: 13-8 4.67 ERA 188.2 IP 1.40 WHIP 85 K 60 BB

I'm going to admit that I'm not a huge Kyle Kendrick fan. I don't have posters of him in my room, and I don't think he's the next Brandon Webb. I don't think he's that great of a pitcher, but I can also acknowledge that he does a good job with what he has. He certainly doesn't have great stuff, but at some point, you need to look past it and just say he does a good job. He gets great run support which helps a lot, but more often than not, you have a chance when he's on the mound.

Adam Eaton

F

3-8 5.71 ERA 104 IP 1.61 WHIP 56 K 43 BB

Projection: 4-10 5.50 ERA 124 IP 1.65 WHIP 65 K 50 BB

Ouch. Let me assure you, when Adam Eaton made several starts that weren't absolutely horrendous, I saw through the mirage. I knew the Eaton on the mound was not any different from the one we saw in 2007. I hate to blast the guy because he's always completely accountable for what he does. He's the perfect teammate, but he can't play. He just can't pitch.

Brett Myers

F

3-9 5.84 ERA 101.2 IP 1.56 WHIP 88 K 44 BB

Projection: 9-13 5.00 ERA 185.2 IP 1.45 WHIP 170 K 80 BB

From 2007 Opening Day starter to very good closer to 2008 Opening Day starter to Lehigh Valley to Reading and back to the majors. The last one and a half years have been quite a journey for Brett, as a highly paid, often times controversial pitcher. He struggled from the word go in April, and he's lost just about every supporter along the way. However, we've all seen him pitch well before. I still have a little confidence that he can regain something and help the team out. I still had to give him an F.

Chad Durbin

A+

2-2 1.89 ERA 52.1 IP 1.20 WHIP 43 K 19 BB

Projection: 3-4 2.50 ERA 87.1 IP 1.25 WHIP 65 K 35 BB

A+ might be a little high, but I can't believe what Durbin is doing out of the bullpen this year. I didn't think much of his signing back over the offseason, but I figured he would at the very least be better than Jose Mesa. He's been better than Mesa by a long shot. He gets a lot of big outs in tough situations, and with the way he gets ground balls, he's a valuable asset to any bullpen.

Ryan Madson

B+

2-0 2.77 ERA 48.2 IP 1.17 WHIP 37 K 14 BB

Projection: 4-2 3.01 ERA 75 IP 1.20 WHIP 57 K 22 BB

I can't say enough about this bullpen. Despite some early struggles, Madson has put together a great season so far. He has been lights out for the past couple months, and he'll keep getting some high leverage innings if he continues to pitch well. Although he makes himself unavailable more than most people would like, his arm is important down the stretch. We need him healthy.

Brad Lidge

A

2-0 1.13 ERA 20 saves 40 IP 1.13 WHIP 55 K 19 BB

Projection: 3-1 1.57 ERA 40 saves 70 IP 1.15 WHIP 95 K 35 BB

Albert Pujols is behind him, and Brad Lidge is well on his way to resoldifying himself as one of the best in the game. He was a perfect 20 for 20 in save chances, and he's been as dominant as they come. After a knee injury that had Phillies fans groaning again, Lidge came back and proved right away that Pat Gillick made a smart trade to get him. His slider has embarrassed just about everyone, and he earned himself a nice contract extension.

Clay Condrey

B

2-1 3.66 ERA 1 save 39.1 IP 1.35 WHIP 23 K 8 BB

Projection: 2-1 3.70 ERA 1 save 45 IP 1.37 WHIP 26 K 10 BB

Unfortunately, if the Phillies add another reliever, it'll probably cost Condrey his Phillies job. I like the guy, but it'll probably be the right move to make. He's having a solid year pitching relaxing innings, and he hasn't killed them in games like he did a few times last year. I wish him luck.

J.C. Romero

B

4-2 2.17 ERA 1 save 37.1 IP 1.39 WHIP 33 K 25 BB

Projection: 5-4 2.75 ERA 1 save 62.1 IP 1.35 WHIP 53 K 45 BB

If I was grading him for what fans think of him, his grade would be a lot better. Obviously since I'm grading him based on my expectations, he's doing just fine. J.C. Romero IS a great pitcher against left handed batters. He's one of the toughest to beat in the game. J.C. Romero is NOT a set up man, and J.C. Romero is NOT a future closer. He is straight up awful against righties, and that's hurt the team in a few spots.

Rudy Seanez

B

4-3 2.40 ERA 30 IP 1.33 WHIP 22 K 16 BB

Projection: 5-5 3.50 ERA 50 IP 1.40 WHIP 35 K 28 BB

Here's another guy who I was just hoping could not kill the team. He's done a solid job so far, and he's beating my expectations. He's had a couple bad outings where he just doesn't have it, but otherwise, I have no complaints. He doesn't throw quite as hard as he used to, but he's still done a pretty good job of getting outs.

Tom Gordon

F

5-4 5.16 ERA 2 saves 29.2 IP 1.62 WHIP 26 K 17 BB

Projection: 5-4 4.90 ERA 2 saves 40 IP 1.55 WHIP 35 K 24 BB

Gordon has been the only weak link in the pen this year. Although a lot of fans like to play the "if you take X appearance out" game with him, the reality is that doesn't matter. His bad games are mixed in there, and they've cost the team games. When he gets hot, he deserves to get important innings, but I don't know if it'll happen again. He may be done.

J.A. Happ

C

0-0 3.27 ERA 11 IP 1.46 WHIP 8 K 8 BB

Projection: 1-1 4.50 ERA 22 IP 1.40 WHIP 14 K 12 BB

Happ came up and did a little better than last year, and I guess that's all the Phillies could've asked for. I'm not going to fly off the handle and say he should be guaranteed a start every five days the rest of the year, but he could contribute if we give him the chance. I think ultimately, he ends up as a lefty reliever, and he might end up playing that role later this year.

R.J. Swindle

F

0-0 7.71 ERA 4.2 IP 2.36 WHIP 4 K 2 BB

Projection: Same line

His stuff is fun to watch because it's so different. His slow curve and delivery can throw off some batters, but it wasn't very successful in his short stint in the bullpen. Eventually, he could become a good option against lefties, but if anyone is counting on him to be a regular reliever, you'll be disappointed.

There we go. Things were a lot shorter than last year, which is a good thing. The season is going well, and the roster has largely remained unchanged. Joe Blanton is a pretty decent acquisition, and he should be able to pitch some valuable innings down the stretch. He can be a decent pitcher, and I hope he gets off to a fast start.

NL All-Very Goods @ AL All-Stars

2008-07-15T16:54:00.002-04:00

I'm going to stick to my guns and not watch the game tonight. However, I will attempt to objectively analyze the players that are there, whether they deserve to be or not. Let's take a look at the starting lineups in terms of stats, not names and positions.

National League BA/OBP/SLG/OPS

.311/.391/.566/.957
.291/.372/.582/.955
.347/.443/.653/1.096
.350/.466/.608/1.074
.376/.472/.614/1.086
.337/.421/.553/.975
.286/.324/.549/.873
.279/.383/.408/.791
.288/.369/.522/.891

American League BA/OBP/SLG/OPS

.304/.366/.371/.737
.284/.345/.395/.740
.310/.367/.552/.919
.312/.392/.581/.972
.293/389/.518/.908
.316/.440/.610/1.049
.314/.381/.552/.933
.322/.418/.455/.873
.314/.357/.458/.816

It's pretty clear that the NL has a superior starting lineup, both in terms of talent and lineup arrangement, the latter of which probably doesn't matter too much. However, if the NL is going to have a shot at winning, it's probably going to have to come off of Cliff Lee early. With the exception of Jason Varitek, the All-Stars have a stronger bench than the Very Goods. The NL pitchers will have to take advantage of Ichiro and Jeter batting so high because they probably shouldn't be batting 1 and 2.

I'm going to go out on a short limb and say the AL will win this game, and it might not be close. Yeah, I'm bitter. I dislike Clint Hurdle, and I feel that he, the fans and players alike did a poor job in choosing the so called NL stars. These are supposed to be the best of the best, and in some cases, the best are at home while players that are just pretty good are suiting up right now.

The NL is represented by 21 hitters, most of which are damn good players. However, let's look at Ryan Braun for a second. He is 21st in OPS among all NL players, but only 10th among OF. The team has 6 OF, not counting Soriano, so he's probably taking a spot of a more deserving guy, such as Pat Burrell, who has Braun trumped in in OBP, SLG and OPS while hitting the same amount of home runs.

He's not even the worst starting OF for the team. That honor would go to Kosuke Fukudome, the popular Japanese rookie for the Cubs. Having a strong international fanbase and playing for Chicago, Fukudome is obviously a popular player. That's why he's starting the game. However, at 18th among OF in OPS and only slugging .408, there were better choices to be made. These two should not be starting, and it's very debatable whether or not they should even be at the game.

While we're looking at the outfield, let's talk about Corey Hart. Milwaukee, I congratulate you on the campaign you launched to get him voted in as the final player. However, he is inferior to Pat Burrell offensively in just about every way. He has scored fewer runs, doesn't hit for the same power as Burrell and his OBP is a pathetic .327. I'll give Hart the obvious advantage he has in terms of speed and defense, but they don't make him a better player.

Ryan Ludwick? Great story. He's having a great year and deserves to be at the game, but he's not the Cardinals' only rep, so it makes me wonder why he was selected over a better player in Pat. I'm not going to complain about this one as much because he's been damn good this year too. I'm not happy about Nate McLouth being in the game, but I guess the decision-makers felt he was the Pirates' best player. I would argue against that too, but I don't care.

I'm not done yet. Let's talk about reserve players at other positions that I'm wondering about. Why would you take a total of four extra C/1B? I agree that Adrian Gonzalez deserves to be there as the Padres' rep, and Brian McCann should probably be the backup C. For Russell Martin, it comes down to whether or not he should be LA's rep. I thought Saito was deserving, but I'm not going to make a big stink about that one yet.

The rest of the infield is crowded too. Obviously you want a backup 3B, so Aramis Ramirez was a logical choice. David Wright is probably somewhat deserving to go to the game too, but consider the circumstances in which he got in. When it was officially announced that Soriano would not be playing, Matt Holliday replaced him in the lineup, and Hurdle needed a player to take his spot on the roster altogether. Wright is 20th in the NL in OPS, and even though he plays decent defense, there were several more players that should've been taken ahead of him.

Finally, in terms of position players, the SS position. Hanley Ramirez is an awesome player, and he earned the start. Christian Guzman was selected as Washington's rep, and this is irritating on a couple levels. First, I don't think he should've been Washington's guy, and similar to the case of Russell Martin, I think the NL should've taken RP Rauch over the position player. The more egregious selection here is Miguel Tejada. I don't get it. You don't need a third SS, and if you did, Jose Reyes would've been a better choice. His OPS is .739, and the adjusted OPS+ is below 100, which means his home ballpark inflates those already mediocre numbers. As I mentioned earlier, the NL has 21 hitters. Miguel Tejada is not top 21 in OPS, or even top 50. He checks in at 68th. Absolutely baffling.

I alluded to the bullpen a couple times, so now we'll talk about the pitching selections. I agree with most of them. Sheets definitely deserves the nod as the starter, and pitchers like Webb, Zambrano, Lincecum and Volquez are having good years. There are some players like Cook and Dempster that I can see have a case to make the team, but I personally wouldn't have chosen them. Johan Santana and Cole Hamels probably should be there tonight, but they aren't.

The bullpen is absolutely ridiculous. I agree with the selections of Lidge, who will close the game if presented the opportunity, Wagner and Wood. I have to take issue with Brian Wilson. Lincecum is the Giants' first rep, so it's not like they need another player here. I'll congratulate him and the Giants for giving him a lot of save chances (he leads the NL,) and playing a lot of close games, but his ERA is 4.58. Only three other players in the NL have double digit saves and an ERA higher than that. Two of them have lost their jobs, and one of them is a future Hall of Famer. I would take any number of relievers over Wilson, including the previously mentioned Rauch and Saito.

Finally, we have the Kerry Wood injury debacle. Maybe debacle is a strong word for the situation, but it's puzzling nonetheless. Wood was having a great season, and it's definitely one of those nice feel-good stories. He's battled injury after injury and remade himself as a closer. He's second in the NL in saves with an ERA just over 3 with great rates. Great selection for the team. Before the game, he pulled out because of injury concerns. Who's chosen to replace him? Fellow Cub Carlos Marmol. Lou Piniella isn't managing this team, so it doesn't even make sense that the manager would just pick his own guy. Marmol isn't a closer, and most relievers that play in this game are closers. He had a great 2007, and I'll give him that, but it's 2008. He has great rates, but the fact is, there are other relievers with good rates with better ERAs that close. The choices weren't even limited to relievers. He could've easily gone with a Santana or Hamels, but instead, he chose a pretty good set up guy instead of a good closer or great starter.

For all of these reasons, I am not watching the game tonight. The NL has not won since the Great Depression, and their chances don't look any better tonight with the mediocre squad that was put together. I know Major League Baseball or nobody cares that I'm not watching, but if they're not going to put the best players on the field, why bother?

76ers Basketball

2008-07-08T22:11:00.002-04:00

If there were any fans that stopped following the team when AI got traded or didn't care when they were losing games, it's time to get back on the wagon.

The LA Times is reporting that Elton Brand has a verbal agreement to sign for about 80 million over 5 years. This is a little more than the Clippers were prepared to offer to bring him back, but it's also a little less than what Golden State thought it would take to bring him in.

The Elton Brand offseason has been quite a story. He opts out of his current contract with one year remaining, but not to get more money. He wanted to create cap room so the team could sign Baron Davis, who opted out of his contract, to become contenders. The 76ers went all-out in pursuit of Josh Smith, thinking the window on Brand was closed.

However, at some point, Ed Stefanski and Brand's agent had a meeting. This was probably best for both sides. Why would Brand want to leave a team out of negotiations and not explore every option, and why would the Sixers not want to look into every player? It turns out, it was the right idea for everyone.

The Sixers extended a contract offer, and Brand was interested. Apparently, the Clippers had previously made a lesser offer and said that they could not offer any more money. When they caught wind of Philadelphia's proposal, they changed their tune. Brand was not happy about the lowballing attempt and was turned off to LA.

To make room for all of this to take place, the Sixers made a little deal with Minnesota. They cleared out just enough cap space by sending Rodney Carney, Calvin Booth and Utah's first rounder for for Minny's trade exception and a second round pick. This freed up just enough room to increase the offer to Brand and get him interested. Now we just have to wait for it to become official, and hopefully it does.

Game 91: Cardinals at Phillies (1/3)

2008-07-08T11:21:00.002-04:00

St. Louis Cardinals: 50-40
Philadelphia Phillies: 48-42

Joel Pineiro (2-4 4.52 ERA, 0-0 3.46 ERA)
Cole Hamels (9-5 3.22 ERA, 10-0 4.26 ERA)

Projected lineups

Mather LF N/A
Ankiel CF 1/2, .500/.500/1.000
Pujols 1B 3/7, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .429/.375/1.000
Ludwick RF 0/2
Glaus 3B N/A
Molina C 1/4, 1 RBI, .250/.250/.500
Izturis SS 1/1, 1.000/1.000/1.000
Pineiro P
Kennedy 2B N/A

Rollins SS 2/6, .333/.333/.333
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B 2/3, .667/.667/.667
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF 0/2, .000/.333/.000
Jenkins RF 1/3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .333/.333/1.333
Feliz 3B 0/3
Coste C N/A
Hamels P

After another embarrassing defeat, the Phillies take on a new, and probably better, NL team in St. Louis. Cole Hamels has to act as a stopper after the Phillies got humiliated in several different fashions against the Mets. Whether it be a late bullpen meltdown, leaving guys on base and getting killed by Fernando Tatis or the starter having a chicken shit effort, the Phillies got it done against the Mets.

As bad as it was to lose 3 games to them, the Phillies are a first place team. I know a lot of the idiots on PhilaPhans don't get that, but they're a good baseball team with a good lineup, good bullpen and a couple good starters. Do they need to upgrade some spots? No doubt. However, they're not a last place team like some morons seem to believe.

Game 90: Mets at Phillies (4/4)

2008-07-07T09:31:00.002-04:00

New York Mets: 44-44
Philadelphia Phillies: 48-41

Pedro Martinez (2-2 7.39 ERA, 7-5 3.27 ERA)
Adam Eaton (3-6 4.79 ERA, 5-0 3.29 ERA)

Projected lineups

Reyes SS
Chavez LF
Wright 3B
Beltran CF
Delgado 1B
Easley 2B
Anderson LF
Schneider C
Martinez P

Rollins SS
Victorino CF
Utley 2B
Howard 1B
Burrell LF
Dobbs 3B
Jenkins RF
Coste C
Eaton P

It's tough to rely on Adam Eaton, but the Phillies need to split the series today. He's done a good job against the Mets, and he has to put in another good outing today since the bullpen is pretty depleted. Flash went on the DL, and R.J. Swindle was called up, so that's one fresh arm in the mix. It'll be interesting to see how he does because he really doesn't have conventional stuff.

Pat Burrell not making the All-Star Game is an absolute joke. People complain about fan voting, but if the players and managers, especially Clint Hurdle can't see what kind of year he's having, then they're not much better at voting themselves. It'll be sad if he doesn't get in as an injury replacement or with the final ballot, and I might not watch the game if he's not there. That's just one of many bad selections by the players and Hurdle.

Game 89: Mets at Phillies (3/4)

2008-07-06T11:25:00.003-04:00

New York Mets: 43-44
Philadelphia Phillies: 48-40

Oliver Perez (6-5 4.98 ERA, 2-3 3.83 ERA)
Kyle Kendrick (8-3 4.58 ERA, 1-1 3.00 ERA)

Projected lineups

Reyes SS
Chavez RF
Wright 3B
Beltran CF
Schneider C
Delgado 1B
Easley 2B
Anderson LF
Perez P

Werth RF
Utley 2B
Rollins SS
Howard 1B
Burrell LF
Feliz 3B
Victorino CF
Coste C
Kendrick P

After things unraveled late last night, the Phillies will get right back into it this afternoon with a beatable pitcher. Perez has decent numbers against us, but it's almost guaranteed he's not going to have command of his stuff. The lineup needs to stay patient and wait for him to make mistakes. He walks a lot of guys, and if he's going to just give away baserunners, they need to take advantage.

I think it's pretty much a lock that Utley and Lidge are headed to New York in a week and a half. After that, I'm pretty confident Burrell will make it and finally be a first time All-Star. Hamels is the guy I'm not sure about. He's a top pitcher in most categories, and it just depends on Clint Hurdle looking at the right ones.

Phillies Extend Lidge

2008-07-06T11:17:00.002-04:00

To a 3 year, 37.5 million dollar contract with a team option for 2012.

12.5/year is probably the going rate for good closers these days, and Lidge certainly fits the bill this year. He's been one of the best in the league so far in 2008, and I suspect he will be named an All-Star later today.

That certainly adds a lot to next year's payroll though. Is this team going to pay more, or are we making cuts in other places? What does this mean for Pat Burrell, whose contract expires after this season? Can we really afford to pay Brett Myers 12 million next year too? Would someone take Adam Eaton off our hands? We shall see.

If I Decided The All-Star Rosters

2008-07-05T14:13:00.002-04:00

I'm going to attempt to project the two 32 man rosters that will take the field in the Bronx for the MLB All-Star Game. The real selections will be revealed tomorrow. I'm using the numbers through Friday night's games with the starters being determined by the last voting update.

American League

C- Joe Mauer, Twins
1B- Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
2B- Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
SS- Derek Jeter, Yankees
3B- Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
OF- Manny Ramirez, Red Sox
OF- Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
OF- Josh Hamilton, Rangers
DH- David Ortiz, Red Sox
SP- Cliff Lee, Indians

C- A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox
1B- Jason Giambi, Yankees
2B- Ian Kinsler, Rangers
2B- Brian Roberts, Orioles
SS- Michael Young, Rangers
3B- Mike Lowell, Red Sox
3B- Evan Longoria, Rays
OF- Milton Bradley, Rangers
OF- Jermaine Dye, White Sox
OF- Magglio Ordonez, Tigers
OF- J.D. Drew, Red Sox
OF- Grady Sizemore, Indians

SP- Scott Kazmir, Rays
SP- Roy Halladay, Blue Jays
SP- Joe Saunders, Angels
SP- Justin Duchscherer, A's
SP- John Danks, White Sox
SP- Felix Hernandez, Mariners
RP- George Sherrill, Orioles
RP- Joakim Soria, Royals
RP- Francisco Rodriguez, Angels
RP- Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox
RP- Joe Nathan, Twins

I went ahead and took a 33rd player because it's unlikely Ortiz will play. The last guy to make it was Joe Nathan, and a couple guys that just missed the cut included Carlos Quentin and Jon Lester. The Red Sox lead the AL with seven reps, three of which were chosen by me and not the Red Sox Voting Commission of America. Brian Roberts was a late addition to get another middle infield type involved. Choosing a C was difficult because a bunch of guys rest a lot and don't qualify. Pierzynski did qualify, and although Dioner Navarro and Gerald Laird had slightly better numbers, it wasn't enough to justify taking them over a guy who has remained healthy all year.

National League

C- Geovany Soto, Cubs
1B- Lance Berkman, Astros
2B- Chase Utley, Phillies
SS- Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
3B- Chipper Jones, Braves
OF- Alfonso Soriano, Cubs
OF- Ken Griffey Jr., Reds
OF- Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs
DH- Pat Burrell, Phillies
SP- Dan Haren, Diamondbacks

C- Brian McCann, Braves
1B- Albert Pujols, Cardinals
1B- Adrian Gonzalez, Padres
2B- Dan Uggla, Marlins
SS- Jose Reyes, Mets
SS- J.J. Hardy, Brewers
3B- David Wright, Mets
OF- Xavier Nady, Pirates
OF- Matt Holliday, Rockies
OF- Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals
OF- Jason Bay, Pirates

SP- Johan Santana, Mets
SP- Ben Sheets, Brewers
SP- Carlos Zambrano, Cubs
SP- Tim Lincecum, Giants
SP- Edinson Volquez, Reds
SP- Cole Hamels, Phillies
RP- Jon Rauch, Nationals
RP- Takashi Saito, Dodgers
RP- Brad Lidge, Phillies
RP- Kerry Wood, Cubs
RP- Billy Wagner, Mets

Unfortunately, Billy Wagner was the last guy on. Adam Dunn, Carlos Lee, Nate McLouth and Tim Hudson just missed out. The Cubs lead the NL with five reps, and the Phillies and Mets are just behind with four each. The Dodgers and Padres really throw a wrench into things. They really don't have any outstanding players, and I went with Saito and Gonzalez. Peavy and Young have missed some starts this season, so it was tougher to include them, and Gonzalez is by far their best hitter. LA has Russell Martin, but because I chose Gonzalez for SD, I already had three C/1B guys on the bench.

That was fun. Tomorrow, we'll see who the real managers picked, and how their decisions differ from mine. There will almost certainly be something to complain about.

Game 88: Mets at Phillies (2/4)

2008-07-05T09:00:00.002-04:00

New York Mets: 42-44
Philadelphia Phillies: 48-39

John Maine (8-6 3.86 ERA, 4-0 2.05 ERA)
Jamie Moyer (7-6 4.13 ERA, 4-7 2.88 ERA)

Projected lineups

Reyes SS 8/26, 2 RBI, .308/.333/.423
Church RF 3/11, 2 RBI, .273/.333/.364
Wright 3B 11/24, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .458/.480/.833
Beltran CF 10/45, 2 RBI, .222/.327/.289
Delgado 1B 30/71, 8 HR, 17 RBI, .423/.494/.859
Easley 2B 12/44, 1 RBI, .273/.407/.341
Schneider C 2/5, 1 RBI, .400/.571/.400
Tatis LF 1/2, .500/.667/1.000
Maine P

Rollins SS 3/18, 1 RBI, .167/.211/.278
Victorino CF 5/14, .357/.400/.357
Utley 2B 7/18, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .389/.381/.667
Howard 1B 3/18, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .167/.286/.333
Burrell LF 3/19, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .158/.238/.316
Feliz 3B 3/5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .600/.667/1.400
Jenkins RF 1/3, .333/.333/.667
Ruiz C 3/9, .333/.333/.333
Moyer P

The Phillies run into a problem tonight. John Maine has great career numbers against the Phillies, and he is yet to lose a game against them. They would obviously like to end that tonight and keep up the momentum from last night's win. Familiarity shouldn't be an issue here. Everyone in the lineup has faced him at least once, even the guys that didn't play here last year, Jenkins and Feliz.

I guess J.A. Happ did about as well as you could expect considering the circumstances. I'm not going to shower him with praise like some did because he didn't last 5 innings and got bailed out in a major way by Chad Durbin, but he did okay. Later today, I'm going to watch the game on tape and break down how things really went.

Game 87: Mets at Phillies (1/4)

2008-07-04T11:47:00.002-04:00

New York Mets: 42-43
Philadelphia Phillies: 47-39

Johan Santana (7-7 3.01 ERA, 1-0 3.09 ERA)
J.A. Happ (0-0 --- ERA, 0-1 11.25 ERA)

Projected lineups

Reyes SS 1/3, .333/.333/.333
Church RF N/A
Wright 3B 1/2, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .500/.500/2.000
Beltran CF 2/3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .667/.667/1.667
Delgado 1B 1/2, .500/.500/1.000
Easley 2B 1/2, .500/.500/.500
Tatis LF N/A
Castro C N/A
Santana P

Rollins SS 0/3
Victorino CF
Utley 2B 1/3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .333/.333/1.333
Burrell LF 1/4, .250/.400/.250
Howard 1B 0/3
Werth RF 0/3
Feliz 3B 1/7, 1 RBI, .143/.143/.143
Coste C N/A
Happ P

Happ will make his 2008 ML debut in a somewhat familiar situation. Last year, he made his ML debut against the Mets in an early-summer four game series. Hopefully he fares better than last year. He was touched up early and only went 4 IP. He was injured last year, and this is his first return trip to the majors since.

I honestly have to say I'm not too confident about this one. The Mets only have two lefty hitters in their lineup, and those are obviously the guys Happ will have the most success against. Even though Delgado hit him hard last year, I think the improved, non-injured Happ can come out on top against him. However, he needs to gain confidence in his secondary stuff against righties quickly, or Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey will be warming up much too soon.

Game 86: Phillies at Braves (3/3)

2008-07-03T11:34:00.003-04:00

I realized my game count was behind. Not sure how that happened.

Philadelphia Phillies: 46-39
Atlanta Braves: 40-44

Cole Hamels (8-5 3.38 ERA, 4-2 3.59 ERA)
Jair Jurrjens (8-3 2.94 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Werth RF N/A
Dobbs 3B N/A
Ruiz C N/A
Hamels P

Blanco LF 1/2, .500/.500/.500
Escobar SS 0/6, .000/.250/.000
Larry 3B 3/9, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .333/.400/1.111
Teixeira 1B 1/7, 1 RBI, .143/.143/.143
McCann C 5/13, 3 RBI, .385/.385/.615
Kotsay CF 0/2
Johnson 2B 1/11, .091/.231/.182
Francoeur RF 5/21, 1 RBI, .238/.238/.238
Jurrjens P

A sweep would be great, and with your ace on the hill, there's no reason it can't happen. After some tense moments to finish up last night's ball game, the Phillies have to come back tonight and face a very tough pitcher. Jair Jurrjens gives up less than a hit an inning, but his K/BB numbers and ratios aren't particularly overwhelming. He's beatable, and the lefties such as Utley and Howard will have a chance to do damage tonight.

On the farm, Carlos Carrasco felt some tightness in his shoulder during warmups last night. I doubt this is some sort of smokescreen to fool the Mets, and it's a shame he got hurt. This means it's likely J.A. Happ getting the call for tomorrow's start. Brett Myers made his AAA debut, and gave up 3 runs in 5 IP. The results aren't what matters with him. He needs to execute his pitches, and apparently his secondary stuff was fine. Myers needs to locate his fastball and stay low in the zone. He was throwing some pitches in the dirt last night, so maybe he was a bit too low.

Flyers Free Agent Wrap Up

2008-07-02T20:04:00.002-04:00

Obviously the offseason isn't over yet, but we all know most of the activity on the market happens almost immediately. Campbell signed, Sundin's biding his time, and Hossa surprised a lot of people. Obviously the Flyers weren't involved with these names, but that's not going to stop them from getting things done.

First, the team traded D Denis Gauthier just a day after putting him on waivers. Great trade, who'd we get, right? Wrong. Obviously it's great that he's off the payroll, and make no mistake about it; that's what we needed to happen. However, it's annoying that he had such little value that we had to give LA something to take him. Along with Goat, the Flyers sent the Kings a second round pick to get D Patrik Hersley and Ned Lukacevic. Both will likely play with the Phantoms.

They also signed four free agents. We'll start with the two that will play with the Flyers: Glen Metropolit and probably Ossi Vaananen. Metropolit is a nice depth player that can probably play every forward position, and he chipped in 11 goals for Boston last year. He probably won't get that many this year, but he'll put in some time on the PK, and the Flyers need guys like that. Vaananen is a potential 5-6 D-Man who plays physical and blocks shots. He got a bit banged up, so he had to play in Sweden last year. He's back, and hopefully he can contribute. They also added Nate Raduns and Sean Currey to the Phantoms.

Today, the signings of Randy Jones and Riley Cote became official. As you can tell by my headline, the Jones signing doesn't sit well with me. I like him a lot, but that is a lot of money for a player still proving himself. I really hope he earns it.

Game 85: Phillies at Braves (2/3)

2008-07-02T15:33:00.003-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 45-39
Atlanta Braves: 40-43

Adam Eaton (2-6 4.86 ERA, 3-3 5.94 ERA)
Jorge Campillo (3-2 2.54 ERA, 0-0 3.12 ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS 0/3, .000/.250/.000
Victorino CF 2/4, .500/.500/.500
Utley 2B 1/4, .250/.250/.250
Howard 1B 2/4, 2 RBI, .500/.500/1.000
Burrell LF 1/4, .250/.400/.250
Jenkins RF 0/3, 1 RBI
Dobbs 3B 1/2, .500/.667/.500
Coste C 2/3, .667/.667/1.000
Eaton P

Blanco LF 0/2, .000/.333/.000
Johnson 2B 3/10, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .300/.364/1.000
Larry 3B 6/12, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .500/.500/1.083
Teixeira 1B 3/5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .600/.600/1.600
McCann C 1/7, 2 RBI, .143/.250/.143
Kotsay CF 2/5, .400/.500/.600
Francoeur RF 3/10, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .300/.364/.600
Lillibridge SS N/A
Campillo P

Isn't it sweet to be back in the NL? After getting humiliated by the AL, which looks to be as strong as ever, the Phillies returned to the safe confines of the NL East and posted an 8-3 victory last night. Everything looked better. Kyle Kendrick pitched well again, and the offense put up a bunch of runs, including several in the late innings to put away the game. It would be great to win two in a row and guarantee our first series win since sweeping this same team in the same place earlier this month, but I can't say I'm too confident in Adam Eaton.

The Phillies still haven't announced who will take Brett Myers' spot in the rotation. In the meantime, they called up R.J. Swindle from AAA because Clay Condrey's wife just had a baby. He'll probably stick around until a starter is actually called up. Why announce it now? Make the Mets wait and give them less time to scout whoever comes up.

Myers Demoted

2008-07-01T22:04:00.002-04:00

According to the Phillies and every beat writer and blogger that covers the team, Brett Myers will report to AAA Lehigh Valley and start tomorrow against Scranton.

This has been a long, hard stretch for Myers and the Phillies. After transitioning to the closer role last year, Myers had to move back to the rotation this spring, where he's had success before. He was named as the Opening Day starter, partly as a reward and partly because of his ability. However, nothing came together. It was bad outing after bad outing. Walk after walk. Home run after home run.

The Phillies just had to stop giving away games. They were not winning his starts, and he was putting the team in a hole early. I'm confident he can work out his problems and get back, but they have to go in a different direction for a bit.

Who's coming up? All indications point to J.A. Happ or Carlos Carrasco. Brian Mazzone is an outside possibility, but he's one of those AAA guys who never really made a splash in the minors, and he'll have a tough time convincing anyone he should be up. Someone high up in the organization said that Carrasco will get the first call if necessary, but he struggled in his last start, and that could change things. I think it'll be Happ.

As a random note, this makes the Phillies the 30th and obviously final team to make a change to their pitching staff this season. Prior to this move, the Phillies had the same 12 pitchers on the team all season long.

Game 84: Phillies at Braves (1/3)

2008-07-01T09:10:00.003-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 44-39
Atlanta Braves: 40-43

Kyle Kendrick (7-3 4.59 ERA, 2-0 4.03 ERA)
Charlie Morton (1-1 4.24 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Feliz 3B N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Coste C N/A
Kendrick P

Blanco CF 0/2, .000/.600/.000
Gotay 3B N/A
Johnson 2B 4/11, .364/.417/.455
Teixeira 1B 1/6, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .167/.375/.667
McCann C 1/10, .100/.182/.100
Infante SS N/A
Francoeur RF 4/11, 2 RBI, .364/.364/.364
Jones LF N/A
Morton P

The Phillies happily get away from interleague tonight, after a dismal 4-11 showing against the AL. The last time the Phillies won a series was against these same Braves in Atlanta, so hopefully the Phillies can take advantage of them again. They're certainly banged up right now. There's a good chance Chipper goes on the DL, and Yunel Escobar is hurt too. Their lineup is weaker, and Kyle Kendrick needs to have a good game tonight.

Scott Lauber speculates that J.A. Happ could be called up for Thursday's start. I don't know if he has inside information regarding this or if he just hopes Myers is out of the rotation, but it's interesting. He's been having a good year at AAA, and he probably deserves a shot at the majors. Eventually, I think he'll become a long relief/lefty specialist out of the pen.

Basketball Free Agency Kinda Starts Too

2008-06-30T23:46:00.002-04:00

Players can't actually sign on the dotted line until sometime next week, but that's not going to stop the 76ers from negotiating with free agents. Ed Stefanski has made it clear that he's going to spend the available money this summer, and I hope it's the right guy. Who are the available right guys?

Elton Brand, for one. He just opted out of the final year of his contract with the Clippers, and he's probably target #1. Although the team just drafted Marreese Speights, Brand gives them a legit low post threat, which opens up the rest of the offense. If Iguodala or someone can develop a consistent jump shot, Brand's game down low will really open that up.

Restricted free agents are tough to get in the NBA, and that's a significant hurdle to possibly landing Josh Smith. Smith is younger and more athletic, and those make him a very appealing target. His game is still developing, and he already posted a 17-8 season last year at the age of 22.

I would take either, but it also needs to be understood that both come with risks. Brand is obviously a huge injury risk because he just sat out 90% of last season with a serious injury. If he can come back healthy, the Sixers just made a good gamble. If he has some more problems, this city isn't seeing another NBA championship for a while. Smith is more of a mental gamble. He apparently loses focus at times and can disappear. He's a young guy, and the coaching staff and leaders of this team can probably help with that.

Beyond PF, Jose Calderon is another player out there. He's also a restricted free agent, and after trading away T.J. Ford, there's no way the Raptors let him walk. He would obviously be a valuable asset in the post-Miller era, which might begin sooner rather than later.

We'll see what happens. It's an exciting offseason to be a Sixers fan, and it's been quite a few years since someone could say that.

Flyers Do A Lot And Accomplish Very Little

2008-06-30T21:16:00.001-04:00

The Flyers made several moves today, summed up here by Bill Meltzer.

To kick off the day, the Flyers added D Tim Ramholt from Calgary for Phantoms forward Kyle Greentree. You may remember Greentree from a couple games with the Flyers. He's a pretty big body, and he has a nice shootout move up on YouTube. Like a lot of forwards we have or had, there just wasn't much of a chance he could make an impact here with our depth.

Next, the Flyers placed D Denis Gauthier on waivers. They did this last year, and he cleared waivers and landed on the Phantoms. Paul Holmgren apparently promised he would try to avoid this, so he was waived with the intention of buying him out. That'll take a good chunk off the salary cap, but he'll still count against it a little. There are conflicting reports.

Finally, the Flyers traded D Janne Niskala to Tampa for a 6th round pick. Niskala was just acquired last week, and it's kind of a bad reflection on the front office to have to do this. They must not have done their homework when acquiring Niskala and weren't fully aware of his demands to have a one-way contract. Either way, it doesn't matter much, but the situation probably wasn't handed correctly.

Free agency kicks off tomorrow, and if you remember last year, the action is fast and furious. If you blink, you might miss a signing or two. This year, there aren't as many high-profile targets, but that's not going to stop teams from paying a lot of money to get players.

The Flyers probably won't be active. They won't be making a big splash, and you can definitely rule out guys like Brian Campbell and Wade Redden. Those guys are getting big bucks, and the Flyers don't have the money to spend like last summer. We should find out if Hatch is retiring soon, and that decision will impact what the team does.

Game 83: Phillies at Rangers (3/3)

2008-06-29T11:53:00.004-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 44-38
Texas Rangers: 41-41

Jamie Moyer (7-5 4.09 ERA, 14-7 4.95 ERA)
Eric Hurley (0-1 4.24 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Feliz 3B N/A
Werth RF N/A
Jenkins DH N/A
Ruiz C N/A

Kinsler 2B 1/3, .333/.333/.667
Young SS 20/54, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .370/.424/.574
Hamilton RF 1/3, .333/.333/.333
Bradley DH 7/17, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .412/.444/.941
Byrd CF 2/5, 1 RBI, .400/.400/.800
Ramirez C N/A
Boggs LF N/A
Saltalamacchia 1B N/A
Duran 3B N/A

The offense has answered the bell this series, and now it's time for Jamie Moyer to do the same. The Phillies need this series win to break this losing streak, and he came close to winning his last start. He can't make any mistakes like the one he made to Emil Brown though. The Rangers can and will crush anything that hangs over the plate. They're a dangerous lineup, and Moyer has to have his A game.

The offense could be coming out of their slump at the right time. With Atlanta, New York and some other good teams coming up before the break, they'll need all the runs they can get. The Phillies could temporarily bury the non-Marlins competitors this week if they get hot. Once again, I'm not counting anyone out. However, putting them back in a 6, 7 game hole would be nice.

First Inning Fun

2008-06-28T12:37:00.002-04:00

It's time for another Excel project, even though my first one isn't officially completed yet. This one wasn't nearly as time consuming, and I pretty much wrapped it all up during the Phillies loss last night.

A lot of fans have made the observation that Phillies pitchers struggle in the first inning. If this is the case, it's obviously a bad thing. These pitchers are putting their team in a hole immediately, and it gets tough having to fight back over and over again. Don't get me wrong; there are maybe a handful of teams that can battle back like the Phillies, but it grows tiresome for everyone.

I wanted to see just how bad they really are. I looked at the box scores for every game of the season to date. I marked down whether or not they won, lost, how many earned and unearned runs were given up in the first inning, who picked, and just for kicks, how many runs were given up the rest of the game. I haven't done anything with the last part yet, and I doubt I ever will.

Before I get to the team numbers, I'm going to admit right now that they don't tell you much. I don't have the numbers for other teams, so I don't know how they compare to the rest of the league. Maybe giving up first inning runs is a leaguewide issue, and the Phillies don't look as bad compared to everyone else. As it stands, things aren't pretty. They give up .85 runs per first inning, .79 of which are earned. If they did that every inning, it would be a 7.11 ERA. That's definitely not acceptable.

The Phillies are 13-23 when pitchers give up a run or more in the first inning. In 36 games out of 81, they've been put in a hole, sometimes before they even step up to the plate. I hope that they can cut down in this eventually because it's clear that it decreases their odds of winning; they post a 30-15 record when they don't give up runs in the first inning.

Are all Phillies pitchers offenders? Yes. Even Cole Hamels gives up his share of first inning runs. He has given up 8 earn runs in 16 first innings, which means he gives up .5 ER per 1st for a 4.50 ERA. Compared to his ERA in innings 2-9 of 3.06, it becomes clear that the first inning is not his best. He has a .812 OPS against in the 1st, which is higher than all but two other innings. The Phillies are 8-3 when he gets out of the first inning scoreless, and 2-3 when he doesn't.

Jamie Moyer is an interesting case. He has the fewest outings in which he doesn't give up a first inning run with four. However, they are all multiple run innings. Apparently, if he's going to get hit early, it'll be hard. Is it a coincidence that he gives up first inning runs less than everyone else? Maybe there's something to the notion that he's more prepared than other pitchers. Because of the multi-run innings, his first inning ERA is at 5.63. I'm thrilled that he has posted a 4.09 ERA this far, but it would be great if he could push it even closer to the 3.78 mark he has after the first. The Phillies are 2-2 when he gets knocked around in the first and 8-4 when he doesn't give up any runs.

Kyle Kendrick is the only pitcher in the rotation that is above .500 when he allows a run in the first inning. At 4-3, he proves he can hang in there even if he gets off to a rough start, and I'm sure the team leading run support doesn't hurt either. Kendrick gives up .69 runs per 1st, which equals a 6.19 ERA. Even though it's nice to see him battle through bad spots, it would be nice to see him put up more first inning zeros. The Phillies are 8-1 when he pitches a scoreless first, which is the best record in the rotation.

Adam Eaton, as fans might expect, is a frequent offender of giving up first inning runs. He's given up 13 of them in 16 first innings, which is good for .81 runs per and a 7.31 ERA. Unfortunately, all of those runs are earned, so it's not like he's getting hurt by his defense. The Phillies are 3-5 when he gets touched in the first, and 4-4 when he doesn't. His ERA the rest of the way is only 4.35, and I'm sure the Phillies and fans would be ecstatic if he could limit the damage in the first. Why is the team only 4-4 when he doesn't give up any first inning runs? He gets by far the worst run support.

If giving up first inning runs was a crime, Brett Myers would be serving a life sentence. He has been terrible in the first inning this season, and it's kind of funny that so many people want him to move back to the bullpen. If he gives up 1.29 runs in his first inning every time, how does that make an effective reliever? He's the only pitcher in the rotation that has given up first inning runs more often than not, and that is absolutely disastrous. Even his 4.68 ERA the rest of the game isn't up to the level anyone thought he would be at this year. Just brutal.

This is a clear area for the Phillies to improve. I don't know if just yanking Myers from the rotation is going to get it done because all of them frequently get into early trouble. It's up to Rich Dubee and the players themselves to figure out the problem. Do they need to throw more pitches in warm ups? I don't know how you can just get people to focus sooner, but it's clear that there's something wrong that needs to be corrected.

Game 82: Phillies at Rangers (2/3)

2008-06-28T09:05:00.004-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 43-38
Texas Rangers: 41-40

Cole Hamels (7-5 3.27 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)
Vicente Padilla (10-3 3.74 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard DH N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Dobbs 3B N/A
Coste C N/A
Jenkins RF 6/7, 1 RBI, .353/.389/.529
Bruntlett 1B N/A

Kinsler 2B N/A
Young SS N/A
Hamilton RF 0/2, .000/.333/.000
Bradley DH 0/3
Byrd CF 0/2
Boggs LF N/A
Ramirez 1B N/A
Saltalamaccia C 2/3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .667/.667/1.667
Vazquez 3B N/A

The Phillies face off against their old teammate for the first time tonight. Only two Phillies have ever faced him, but we'll see if the guys that played with Padilla know how to approach him. He's having a very good season, which comes as a surprise to almost all. He hasn't been this good since about 2003, and this is a huge bounce back from last season when his ERA was almost exactly two runs higher.

I truly believe it's possible that Myers made his last start for a while last night. He got a quick hook, and it might've been one of his worst outings of the year. The Phillies have to be getting fed up with what he's giving them, and they need to stop throwing away games every five days. I was in favor of just letting him work it out before, but I'm not sure how much longer they can wait.

Game 81: Phillies at Rangers (1/3)

2008-06-27T14:16:00.003-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 43-37
Texas Rangers: 40-40

Brett Myers (3-9 5.51 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)
Kason Gabbard (2-3 4.96 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS
Victorino CF
Utley 2B
Howard DH
Burrell LF
Werth RF
Feliz 3B
Coste C
Bruntlett 1B

I don't know because Baseball-Reference isn't working.

This is it for the Phillies' offense. If they don't hit and absolutely smash Texas' pitching, I'm going to get worried. The Rangers can put up as many runs as they want on the board, but they're only at .500 because they can't pitch. Gabbard is hittable, and even the lefties should be able to knock in some runs off of him.

There's not much more to say. They still have a two game lead, but the division is gaining ground. The Phillies are better than this, and they just need to show it. Now is as good a time as any. This is their last interleague series, and they have to deal with two division rivals after leaving Texas.

Blogging the NBA Draft

2008-06-26T19:47:00.032-04:00

Let's do this. Three picks already on the board, but that's not going to stop me.

30. Boston Celtics: J.R. Giddens, G, New Mexico- And we're done!

29. Detroit Pistons: D.J. White, PF, Indiana- With Thompson off the board several hours ago, the Pistons looked for another big, physical player to improve the front court.

28. Memphis Grizzlies: Donte' Greene, F, Syracuse- Like Arthur, you just have to make the value pick at some point. The Grizz took a chance with Gay becoming a good player, and they're taking a similar chance with Greene.

27. Portland Trailblazers: Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas- The kidney issue is very serious, but there's a point where you have to take the risk and make the value pick. Portland was supposed to get this pick, but NO might've kept it.

26. San Antonio Spurs: George Hill, PG, IUPUI- The Spurs make some interesting choices, but you have to trust them to do the right thing, right?

25. Houston Rockets: Nicolas Batum, SG, France- Like I mentioned before, Houston has a solid roster, up and down. They just needed someone that can come off the bench for now.

24. Seattle SuperSonics: Foreign guy- This is kind of surprising. I guess they'll keep him where he is, but I'm not sure how he'll fit in.

23. Utah Jazz: Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State- It's no secret that they wanted to add a C and get bigger, and Koufos was supposed to go higher in the draft.

22. Orlando Magic: Courtney Lee, SG, Western Kentucky- Almost everyone called this before the draft, and I listened to them and did as well.

21. New Jersey Nets: Ryan Anderson, PF, California- They really have a young, offensive minded frontcourt now.

20. Charlotte Bobcats: Alexi Ajinca, FC, France- Larry Brown likes rookies that don't play, and he found one that really won't.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers: J.J. Hickson, PF, North Carolina State- Hickson is one of my favorite players in this draft. He got a bit overlooked because of their mediocre team, but he's a talented forward.

Pretty big trade. Blazers get Diogu and Bayless for Rush and Jack.

18. Washington Wizards: JaVale McGee, C, Nevada- GOT IT.

17. Indiana Pacers: Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown- He should've come out last year, but he's got a nice shot at instant playing time in Indianspolis. Decent pick.

16. Philadelphia 76ers: Marreese Speights, FC, Florida- I don't mind it. I would've preferred Arthur, but Speights has some good potential. He's got decent size, he's athletic, and he'll be able to get eased into the game with a few minutes off the bench early.

15. Phoenix Suns: Robin Lopez, C, Stanford- I guess he brings the kind of defensive presence they want their C to bring in the post D'Antoni days. It's too bad Shaq is literally blocking him.

14. Golden State Warriors: Anthony Randolph, PF, Lousiana State- Randolph is a pretty big risk with some pretty big red flags. However, you can't question his athletic ability, and he should fit in the up tempo offense in Oakland.

13. Portland Trailblazers: Brandon Rush, SG, Kansas- I had them taking a similar kind of player in Alexander, but he's obviously gone. Rush is a good shooter that should be able to help out.

12. Sacramento Kings: Jason Thompson, PF, Rider- This is the highest someone from Rider has ever been taken in anything. Vietnam draft, dodgeball, NBA, etc.

11. Indianapolis Pacers: Jerryd Bayless, G, Arizona- Like Lopez, the Pacers couldn't pass this pick up. He could also make great trade bait if they really don't want him.

10. New Jersey Nets: Brook Lopez, C, Stanford- This pick was a no brainer with him still on the board. A lot of people expected him to go a bit higher, but this sounds about right.

I didn't think the Sixers would trade up and they didn't work him out, but the Sixers might want to think about trading up for Bayless. I think he would be a good fit.

9. Charlotte Bobcats: D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas- I'm not sure why you would take a backup PG with a top 10 pick, but Larry Brown has proven he knows what he's doing, I guess. I expect a trade.

8. Milwaukee Bucks: Joe Alexander, F, West Virginia- Blast. I knew they were interested in him, but I really thought they should take a PG. Shouldn't have gone against conventional wisdom.

7. Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana- Does this count as a win in my mock draft? I said they liked him, but they just didn't trade up to get him. This was a slam dunk when he fell to 7.

6. New York Knicks: Danilo Gallinari, SF, Italy- Gallinari wanted the Knicks, and they apparently wanted him. I wonder how the NY fans will react to a guy that's not a huge name college star being taken.

5. Memphis Grizzlies: Kevin Love, PF, California-Los Angeles- Nailed another pick in my mock draft. Chris Wallace made a nice pick here.

4. Seattle SuperSonics: Russell Westbrook, G, California-Los Angeles- He's going to get traded, right? The Clippers liked either Westbrook or Gordon, so maybe they make a deal to get him.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: O.J. Mayo, G, Southern California- Hey Al Jefferson, can you make sure no one puts a drink on my sound system?

2. Miami Heat: Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State- Pat Riley isn't insane quite yet. He makes the right pick. Will he get traded? I don't know. I hear they wanted a lot for this pick.

1. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis- Everyone predicted this would happen, and it did. Personally, I liked Beasley.

NBA Mock Draft

2008-06-26T17:41:00.002-04:00

The draft is about to kick off, so let's get things started.

1. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis- I would take Beasley, but the Bulls are leaning towards the hometown kid. They're in a competition with Memphis to determine who can invest the most money into the PG position.

2. Miami Heat: Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State- I really think Riley's mumblings about his attitude is just some trick to see what teams will offer to take this number two pick. There's no doubt he goes #2, right?

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: O.J. Mayo, G, Southern California- Hey Kevin McHale, can you stand by the aquarium and make sure no one taps on the glass?

4. Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon, G, Indiana- According to Chad Ford, the Clippers and Sonics are swapping picks and stuff if Gordon is still on the board here. Gordon is still on the board here.

5. Memphis Grizzlies: Kevin Love, PF, California-Los Angeles- They're in desperate need of a low post presence, and Love may be able to provide that.

6. New York Knicks: Jerryd Bayless, G, Arizona- Bayless has top five talent, so the Knicks will be excited about getting him one pick later. They need help all over the floor, but why not start on eliminating a backcourt rotation of Marbury, Crawford and Robinson?

7. Seattle SuperSonics: Brook Lopez, C, Stanford- They have Kevin Durant to do the chucking, so Lopez can hide his low upside as a second option for Seattle or wherever they may play.

8. Milwaukee Bucks: Russell Westbrook, G, California-Los Angeles- I pointed this out in last year's mock, and I'm going to again. You need a PG. Take one that can at least feign playing the position.

9. Charlotte Bobcats: Robin Lopez, C, Stanford- One of two things will happen with this pick. Either Larry Brown trades it for Eric Snow, or he takes someone who won't play next year. At least this horrible overdraft fits his system.

10. New Jersey Nets: Danilo Gallinari, SF, Italy- He wanted to go in the top ten to either NY or NJ, and the Nets will appease him whether or not they think he improves the team.

11. Indiana Pacers: Anthony Randolph, PF, Lousiana State- They traded one troubled forward to the Raptors, so they need to nab another one to fill in. Randolph fits that bill.

12. Sacramento Kings: D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas- There's a consensus that the Kings need a PG. If you look at your roster, you will see this is one of many needs.

13. Portland Trailblazers: Joe Alexander, F, West Virginia- They really like Alexander, and they want to trade up to get him. My hilarious overdraft of Brook's Robin allows this to happen.

14. Golden State Warriors: Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State- He may be a C, but Koufos has the athleticism Nelson looks for to run his system. They also love drafting tall players that don't pan out, but the Warriors are probably hoping to break that trend.

15. Phoenix Suns: Donte' Greene, F, Syracuse- Why not? He has nuclear athleticism, and he can hit some shots. A lot of people believe they'll take a polished player, but I'm moving away from the trend.

16. Philadelphia 76ers: Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas- He was one of two players that I said are pretty secure at #16, so they'll take him. Reports are saying they're leaning in his direction.

17. Indiana Pacers: Marreese Speights, FC, Florida- They already took Randolph, but they have a better shot at getting one good forward out of this draft if they keep taking them.

18. Washington Wizards: JaVale McGee, C, Nevada- All indications are that if they stay put, they want to take a big man. McGee is a pretty big man with some scoring ability.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers: DeAndre Jordan, C, Texas A&M- Although they made a big trade at the deadline to try and get LeBron some help, they failed to do so in a major way. They still need a man in the middle.

20. Charlotte Bobcats: Mario Chalmers, PG, Kansas- Skin-NER!

21. New Jersey Nets: Brandon Rush, GF, Kansas- I don't even know if he fits here, but he's fallen way too far. They can't pass up on this value.

22. Orlando Magic: Courtney Lee, SG, Western Kentucky- He hit a huge game winning shot for WKU last season, and now he can make some game winning deferments to Howard or Lewis.

23. Utah Jazz: Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown- It's pretty clear that they're looking to add some muscle, and there's no better way to do it than with this C who stayed in college one year too long.

24. Seattle SuperSonics: Nicolas Batum, SG, France- I gave them a C earlier, so now they can use their second pick on a G that may or may not be a good player.

25. Houston Rockets: Chris Douglas-Roberts, GF, Memphis- Houston has a pretty decent lineup, and that resulted in that long winning streak that amounted to nothing. CDR can shoot and will be a good option off the bench.

26. San Antonio Spurs: Alexis Ajinca, C, France- The Spurs will laugh all the way to the bank with another foreign player. I've said I don't like him, but with the 26th pick, you might as well take a guy with upside.

27. Portland Trailblazers: Ante Tomic, C, Croatia- I've got to give credit to the draft guys who do the dirty work. They've identified Tomic as a player the Blazers really like.

28. Memphis Grizzlies: Bill Walker, SG, Kansas State- I already gave them one big player, and I don't feel like giving them another. He's a bit of an injury risk, but he can certainly play basketball.

29. Detroit Pistons: Jason Thompson, FC, Rider- Although he comes from a small school in New Jersey, his toughness is what Detroit always covets in draft choices. He'll fill in well off the bench.

30. Boston Celtics: Ryan Anderson, PF, California- He's probably the best player available, and Boston doesn't have any immediate holes to fill.

That's it. Now I'm going to hustle and start with pick by pick analysis.

76ers Draft Preview

2008-06-26T15:50:00.003-04:00

Here's how this works. I've already done a paragraph on each player the Sixers have worked out, and now it's time to sort everything. Where are these players projected to go? Will the Sixers need to trade up or down to get their guy? This is more going to focus on where the player will be taken, and not necessarily much analysis of their skills. To determine these slots, I looked at five two-round mock drafts and categorized guys how I see fit.

Before 16

The Sixers did not work out anyone who will clearly be taken before them. They will probably not trade up.

16
Darrell Arthur PF 6'9 230 Sophomore Kansas

Arthur is pegged as a Sixer in only one of my five mock drafts, but he definitely won't be on the board long after that. He has a nice offensive game for a PF, and he really likes to block shots. As a pretty experienced sophomore on a powerhouse program, he might be able to contribute a bit earlier than some other guys.

Donte' Greene SF 6'9 221 Freshman Syracuse

Greene's stock is a mix of above and below the 16th pick. In my blogland, that clearly translates to a guy that could be there at 16 but definitely not much later. He is a very raw player, but his clear upside is a reason why Stefanski may be interested. Does the reward outweigh the risk?

Rest Of First Round
Alexis Ajinca C 7'0 230 1988 France

In the fickle world of NBA Draft stock, Ajinca is currently a victim. A few days ago, Ajinca could've been a potential lottery pick. Now, a couple hours before the draft, he's slipping closer to the end of the first round. He's more worth the risk in the 20's than he is in the lottery, and playoff teams can more afford to take a chance with their picks than lottery teams.

Ryan Anderson F 6'10 235 Sophomore California

Anderson is a late first rounder in most places, but I've seen him slip to the second a couple times. Either way, if the Sixers are interested, they'll have to trade down. He's definitely not worth the 16th pick. Like Darrell Arthur, he's another sophomore that might be a bit more polished than some of the other underclassmen in the draft.

J.J. Hickson PF 6'9 242 Freshman NC State

Unlike Ajinca, Hickson's draft stock has slowly risen as of late. When he first declared for the draft, he was a mid-rounder in the second. Now, he's pretty secure late in the first. He may be worth a pick before this, and I think his stock might be brought down by the bad Wolfpack team around him.

JaVale McGee C 7'0 241 Sophomore Nevada

At only 241 pounds, he's kind of thin at the moment. He's not as polished as the other two sophomores I've looked at, and this fits the bill for the kind of player Ed Stefanski is looking for tonight. He could go around 19 to Cleveland, so his stock might be a bit better than a Hickson or Anderson.

Marreese Speights FC 6'10 250 Sophomore Florida

This one kind of surprises me. The Sixers really like him, and according to a lot of places on the net, taking him at 16 might be a bit of a reach. There are serious character questions about Speights. He's been reported as kind of lazy, and that won't fly in the NBA. He's going to have to work hard because he's very raw.

Second Round
Lamont Gordon G 6'4 220 Junior Mississippi State

Gordon doesn't sound like a bad player, but I'll be shocked if he goes before pick 30. Even just in the second round, there's about a ten pick range in which he might go, so no one knows what will happen. The second round is often unpredictable because of foreign players and small school guys teams uncover.

Second Round-Undrafted
Pat Calathes SF 6'10 210 Senior St. Joseph's

I have to apologize, because after seeing some mocks, I probably shortchanged Calathes in my previous preview. He could become an NBA player from what I've seen, and I was hard on him. At best, he'll be taken at the end of the second round and have a shot to make an NBA roster. He's a hard worker and deserves the opportunity.

Undrafted
Chris Clark PG 5'8 165 Senior Temple

It doesn't look good for this former Owl.

Frank Elegar PF 6'8 230 Senior Drexel

As I said, I hope he gets taken. However, the odds are against him.

Callistus Eziukwu FC 6'10 220 Senior Grand Valley State

This small school star is facing long odds. He did not appear in a single mock.

Rob Ferguson F 6'8 230 Senior St. Joseph's

Fergy is another City Six player who probably won't get taken.

C.J. Giles FC 6'10 225 Junior Oregon State

Giles is thin and had some baggage. He really had to impress in workouts to get teams on his side, and I guess he didn't do it.

Kentrell Gransberry PF 6'9 270 Senior South Florida

Like Elegar, I'm rooting for this guy. However, he's going to have to sign on somewhere as an undrafted player.

Marvin Kilgore PG 6'3 195 Senior Texas El-Paso

I didn't know much about him when I talked about his workout, and I can't say I know much more now.

Jawann McClellan G 6'4 200 Senior Arizona

McClellan is a big school guy who doesn't seem to be getting big school treatment from NBA teams.

David Padgett C 6'11 250 Senior Louisville

If there's one guy on this undrafted list who might get taken, it could be him. He appeared in an older version of a mock I looked at, but he got bumped out in the latest update.

Nikita Shabalkin SF 6'9 210 1986 Russia

Teams love taking chances on foreign players, but Shabalkin is older than most good ones.

Michael Sturns G 6'4 190 Senior Holy Family

He played locally last year, but he did prove himself a little in major college basketball.

I'm not guaranteeing everyone will go in the slots I put them in, but they should be pretty good estimations. The Sixers might also take someone not appearing on this list, but DiLeo has said they don't like taking players they don't bring in. Some guys have secret workouts, and I guess if that's the case, we'll find out after the draft. A mock draft is upcoming.

Game 80: Phillies at A's (3/3)

2008-06-26T10:53:00.003-04:00

I forgot to do the lineups' stats against each pitcher. I think just about all of them would've been N/A's, but it's still my mistake.

Philadelphia Phillies: 43-36
Oakalnd A's: 42-35

Adam Eaton (2-5 4.94 ERA, 1-1 4.91 ERA)
Rich Harden (4-0 2.44 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)

Projected lineups

Werth LF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Rollins SS N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell DH N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Dobbs 3B 0/4
Coste C N/A

Ellis 2B 1/5, .200/.200/.400
Sweeney RF N/A
Cust DH N/A
Chavez 3B 3/9, .333/.455/.556
Crosby SS N/A
Brown LF N/A
Gonzalez CF N/A
Barton 1B N/A
Bowen C N/A

I think they'll use another version of the bizarre lineup this afternoon after scoring four runs last night. I'll make a minor modification by splitting up Howard and Jenkins by putting Ryan back in the cleanup spot. Things shouldn't stay like this, and I'd imagine we'll be back to normal when we hit Texas.

It was great to pick up a game despite the huge slump last night. Florida's not doing themselves any favors either, and if the Phillies snap out of things faster than they do, they could put some distance between them and the NL East again. The Mets are slowly sneaking up, and I don't think you can rule out anyone at this point. Things will be tough with Harden on the mound today.

Game 79: Phillies at A's (2/3)

2008-06-25T09:36:00.003-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 42-36
Oakland A's: 42-34

Kyle Kendrick (6-3 5.06 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)
Greg Smith (4-5 3.51 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)

Projected lineups

Rollins SS
Victorino CF
Utley 2B
Howard 1B
Burrell DH
Werth RF
Feliz 3B
Coste C
Taguchi LF

Ellis 2B
Sweeney RF
Cust DH
Chavez 3B
Crosby SS
Brown LF
Hannahan 1B
Suzuki C
Gonzalez CF

The Phillies have just pissed away chances with the bases loaded this year. They're tied for first in AB with the bases loaded, but they're only 20th in runs scored in these situations. They're 23rd in BA, 20th in OBP, 23rd in SLG and 21st in OPS. This is why they have trouble scoring runs sometimes, and this is what separates the Cubs from the Phillies in NL R rankings.

I'm going to chalk up Cust's HR off of Romero as a fluke. I'm not a big J.C. fan, and even though he struggles in a huge way against righties, that was really the first time he's been touched by a left handed batter. I doubt something like that will happen again for a while.

Sixers Draft Workouts: June 24th

2008-06-24T20:18:00.002-04:00

The Sixers had a bunch of days off before today's workout. With only two days before the draft, they may be done with pre-draft prep and will begin to solidify their big board before the main event on Thursday. They've only worked out about half of the players they did last year, which turned out to be around 42. It's probably because they only have one pick compared to four like last year, but it's like they won't even be prepared to trade up or down if a team comes calling.

Alexis Ajinca C 7'0 230 1988 France

I'm going to get this out right now: I don't get it. I don't get how a player who averaged 5 points a game in his league in France is considered a potential lottery pick. I've read the scouting reports. I see that he's tall and athletic. Tall and athletic is nice in basketball. However, how tall and athletic do you need to be to make up for 5 points and 2 rebounds a game? Maybe he'll develop and prove me wrong, but I just don't get how a team can take Anjinca in the first round.

Darrell Arthur PF 6'9 230 Sophomore Kansas

Arthur has been pretty impressive in his workouts as of late, and his draft stock is reflecting it. He was initially a player the Sixers would be able to comfortably stay at 16 and land him, and now they may have to trade up. Although he may be a bit short for his position, he's very gifted offensively and can crash the boards very well. At times, he may be too aggressive though. He commits way too many fouls, and smart players could take advantage of his tendency to attempt to block a lot of shots. His height is definitely a concern, but he has the skills and athleticism teams covet.

Frank Elegar PF 6'8 230 Senior Drexel

One last guy to get a courtesy workout in with his hometown team. I really like Elegar. I'll admit I'm a bit bias towards Drexel over other City Six teams, and I hope he gets drafted. He's athletic, a good rebounder and shot blocker. He carried a Dragons team that was absolutely awful in 08, and he was probably the best player in 07 even with Mason, Mejias and Crawford still around. A team could take a flier on him late in the draft and be pleasantly surprised come camp time. He has worked out for several other teams, so the opportunity is there.

Rob Ferguson was also in for a second workout today.

Phantoms Add Marginal Defenseman, Flyers Blue Line Discussion

2008-06-24T14:26:00.002-04:00

The Flyers acquired D Janne Niskala from Nashville for Triston Grant and a 7th round pick.

Niskala was drafted in the 5th round by Nashville in 2004. He signed an entry contract before last season and played for their AHL affiliate last season. He scored 19 goals and had a total of 44 points, which were among the AHL leaders.

He's a fringe NHL player, and with Nashville's depth on the blue line, it was unlikely he would get an opportunity there. He has to improve his game in his own end, but you can't score as many goals as he has without having some ability.

One problem. According to his tsn.ca profile, he has already signed a contract in Russia. We'll have to wait to see what it takes to get him to void that deal.

After the trade of Eminger, the Flyers emerged with a clusterfuck of defensemen. Here's how things shake out right now:

Timonen
Coburn
Hatcher
Kukkonen
Parent
Eminger
Syvret
Guenin

Jason Smith and Jaroslav Modry are UFA's, and Randy Jones is a RFA. I doubt Smith or Modry come back, and whether or not they re-sign Jones, which I think they will, they have a lot of players with seven spots to fill.

We all know the Flyers need to improve their defense, but quantity doesn't necessarily equal quality. We can all agree that Timonen and Coburn are great players and a clear number one pair. After that, it's anyone's guess. The Flyers don't even know whether or not Hatcher plans on lacing the skates next year, and if he retires, it leaves another gaping hole on the #2 pair to fill. His departure could definitely free up cap space, but they would need to find a quality player to fill his shoes.

Right now, I'm not sure who could be a #4 defenseman with Hatch. Randy Jones played well in the playoffs, and other than him, I don't think anyone else in the organization right now is good enough. They have so many players that are adequate third pair and seventh defensemen, but the Flyers still need to add one more quality player.

Game 78: Phillies at A's (1/3)

2008-06-24T09:14:00.003-04:00

Philadelphia Phillies: 42-35
Oakland A's: 41-34

Jamie Moyer (7-4 4.09 ERA, 17-15 4.46 ERA)
Joe Blanton (3-10 4.81 ERA, 1-0 2.35 ERA)

Projected lineups

Ellis 2B 3/15, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .200/.294/.533
Sweeney RF N/A
Cust DH N/A
Chavez 3B 21/65, 6 HR, 16 RBI, .323/.397/.646
Crosby SS 5/19, 1 RBI, .263/.440/.474
Brown LF 2/11, .182/.250/.182
Suzuki C N/A
Barton 1B N/A
Gonzalez CF N/A

Rollins SS 0/4
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B 0/3
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell DH 0/4
Jenkins RF N/A
Dobbs LF 1/7, 1 RBI, .143/.143/.143
Feliz 3B 3/9, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .333/.445/.667
Coste C N/A

The Phillies should be happy to roll into Oakland against a team that doesn't score many runs, but Anaheim didn't have the most potent offense either. Jamie Moyer has to play the role of stopper tonight, and he needs to use his veteran savvy or some other buzzword to do it. However, this is a lineup that will remain patient and take their share of walks. Eric Chavez is also probably very happy to see Moyer return to Oakland.

Joe Blanton is the kind of guy you want to see to break out of your offensive slump. He's having a bad year, and he gives up a lot of hits. McAfee is an extreme pitchers' park, so the Phillies need to put the ball in play and string together some hits to produce runs. Let's get a game to Brad Lidge with us leading the game for the first time in a while.

The NHL Draft And Goalies

2008-06-21T14:37:00.000-04:00

With the exception of a handful of lucky franchises, just about every team in the NHL is looking for the same thing: a franchise goaltender. Teams are always in search of this player. Everyone would love to have the next Martin Brodeur or Patrick Roy, two of the greatest to play the game. Guys get billed as the next this or that all the time, but in a lot of cases, this is a mere mirage. Unfortunately for the teams that end up with these guys, they wasted three to four years building around the wrong player. Then, it's time to move into the next one, and that player may fail as well. It's a vicious cycle for a lot of teams.

In this weekend's 2008 NHL draft, two goalies were taken in the first round. Chet Pickard went 18th overall to Nashville, and Thomas McCollum went 30th overall to Detroit. According to the NHL's scouting service, these were the two best North American goalies available, and these teams have high hopes for both of them. Dan Ellis is a very good player and they have a couple other decent prospects, but the Predators hope they can get the fabled franchise goalie. They hope Pickard can blow Ellis out of the water and be the cornerstone of multiple Stanley Cup winners. They want to go into games knowing they don't need to bring their A offensive game every day because their goalie can carry them. That's what every team thinks when they select a goalie.

Detroit is taking an approach that kind of reminds me of an adage about baseball prospects. The rule with three good prospects is that one will reach his potential, one will become a decent player, and one will never make it. This isn't necessarily true in every case, and maybe it doesn't apply at all to hockey. However, Detroit now has three goaltending prospects that were taken within the first 92 picks. Jimmy Howard was taken 64th overall in 2003, and he's now the best prospect in Detroit's system, according to Hockey's Future. He's gotten a little taste of NHL action, and he will soon be joined by Daniel Larsson. Larsson was the 92nd pick in 2006, and he signed an entry level contract to come over to the states. He's their 11th best prospect, and now he'll adjust to the North American game in the AHL. I don't know when Chris Osgood is going to retire, but the Red Wings will probably be in good hands when he leaves.

Fans are familiar with this too. Names like Boucher, Oullet and Pelletier are enough to make any Flyers fan groan. They've seen it all too often. These players get billed as the goalie that will finally bring the cup back to the city, and they never meet expectations. Despite this, fans are clamoring for the organization to find that next great goalie year after year. Maybe the Flyers haven't had that player since Hextall, and it's been a long time since he played.

When a call for a team to draft a goalie with a high pick is made, it's always inevitably met with the same response: "It's too much of a crapshoot to spend a high pick on a goalie." This happens without fail. Is it true? In the eyes of fans who have seen the names Waite, Finley and Krahn come and go, teams should never spend a first round pick on a goalie because you never know what you're going to get. Coming in with an open mind, I set out to prove this.

I used data from the years 1983 to 2006 for this study. In other words, every goalie between Hasek and Bernier. These two are the oldest and youngest goalies to be active since the lockout, and even though it was a lot on my plate, it was the right way to approach things. In a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, I listed all of their games played, wins, GAA, SV% and Stanley Cups won. I also came up with a couple formulas using these numbers. One judges success over along period of time, and one is a more normalized formula that can compare goalies who have played two games to 500.

First, we'll throw out the formulas and the stats and look at one simple thing: Who made the NHL? Who was good enough to put the pads on for even one appearance? The first round led the way with 42 out of 53 total picks making it, or 79.2%. Here's how the rest of the rounds shaped out. For comparison purposes, I made all of the drafts the "same". By this, I mean the first round is picks 1-30, the second round is 31-60, and so on. Expansion obviously shifted some picks from one round to another, such as the 29th overall pick being at the end of the first round instead of the beginning of the second like twenty years ago.

Second: 55.2%
Third: 48.5%
Fourth: 36.7%
Fifth: 23.7%
Sixth: 30.1%
Seventh: 30.3%
Undrafted: 25%

One observation: How sad is the 5th round? That's the lowest percentage out of anyone, with three rounds of players left behind them. I wonder why that is. Why is the first round leaps and bounds better than everyone else? There's probably a couple reasons. One, those players probably are better than other goalies. For a lot of them, their talent carries them from juniors or foreign leagues to the NHL. It's pretty obvious that a talented player is more likely to make it than a player with less talent. Second, teams will feel obligated to even give busts a chance. Even if it becomes clear that a particular goalie isn't the franchise player they hoped, their team might bring them up anyway to try and get something out of their investment. They spent a good draft pick on the player, and the fans were expecting him to be good, so they'll try to show him off before he fades into the sunset.

I think later round picks have been making it more and more often over the years. One reason for this might be the NHL having better relations with leagues around the world. Agreements with the IIHF have been put in place to get NHL draft picks over and out of their contracts overseas. In early years of this study, players such as Vladislav Tretiak were unwilling or unable to join an NHL club even if they were drafted. These days, it's easier for foreign players to come to the states to play.

Before moving on, kudos to Jordan Sigalet and Rob McVicar. They both made one appearance in the NHL, and neither of them had to make a save. Their Moonlight Graham stories must be tough on them, and I'm sure they would've liked one puck coming at them, one win, or even the red light going on behind them. Just once.

Is that really the best measure though? Teams want to win a championship. They're not satisfied with a player taking the ice once. Sorry Rob McVicar, but teams want to draft players that stick around longer than you. Let's look at the number of Cups won by goalies drafted in this period. There were 17 total, not counting Ed Belfour's win as an undrafted player. The first round checks in first again with 8 of the 17 Cups.

Second: 7
Third: 0
Fourth: 0
Fifth: 0
Sixth: 0
Seventh: 2
Undrafted: 0 (not counting Belfour, again).

Wow. This is definitely skewed towards the first 60 picks of the draft in a major way. It's pretty unbelievable that goalies taken between the 61st and 180th pick did not reach hockey's peak in a 23 year period. These results are skewed in another way, and I'm talking about players such as Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy. They each won multiple Cups, and they run up the tally for the first and second rounds respectively. Who are the two renegades? Dominik Hasek and Nikolai Khabibulin. Hear that, NHL? If you're taking a goalie late, look for an eastern European.

Now is that the best measure? I'm going to take a look at one last thing for now, and that's goalies "good enough" to win the Stanley Cup. I'm talking about the Dan Marinos of the NHL, and according to my spreadsheet, more specifically, Marty Turco and Olaf Kolzig. These are the goalies that haven't necessarily hoisted the greatest trophy in sports, but goalies that probably should have or soon will. I used the two formulas I mentioned previously to figure this out. To qualify as good enough, goalies had to have a career success number greater than Cam Ward and a greater normalized number than Bill Ranford. Why Ward and Ranford? They each had the lowest number in those categories among all goalies that have won the Cup.

Before I post the numbers, I'm going to admit this isn't a perfect measuring stick. It's a statistical formula that quite frankly is pretty arbitrary. Goalies that played with strong defensive systems in front of them, such as Chris Osgood and Robert Esche a few years ago, benefit. Goalies on great teams benefit. Goalies that played recently benefit because the style of the game is different. There are some goalies that qualified for this that many believe aren't good players. This isn't about that though. It's about finding some way to quantify who should be able to win. The first number is the percentage of total goalies drafted that are good enough, and the second number is the percentage of goalies that made the NHL that are good enough.

First: 37.7%, 47.6%
Second: 17.9%, 32.4%
Third: 12.1%, 25%
Fourth: 10.1%, 27.6%
Fifth: 7.9%, 33.3%
Sixth: 5.5%, 18.2%
Seventh: 6.6%, 21.7%
Undrafted: 5.8%, 23.3%

As you can see, the first round again sets the pace. This should be obvious though. Once again, these are the more talented players, and more talented goalies tend to do better. However, when looking at these measures, you have to consider something. Even people who think goalies are too risky to draft high will acknowledge that they're probably more successful earlier in the draft. Teams have to weigh this risk. Of course first round picks are supposed to be better, but would it make more sense to take a skater in the first and take a chance on a player in maybe the second round? By the way, big front office guys. If you take a goalie in the 5th and get him to the NHL, expect good things.

That's a preliminary look at what I've found. I'm going on a bit of a trip this weekend, so no more updates until maybe Monday night. No Phillies preview tomorrow, but they're off Monday, so I'll only miss one game. I might make two more posts about this, since I want to reach a definite conclusion, and I'll post some more in-depth stats for each draft over the years for you to take a look.

Game 76: Angels at Phillies (2/3)

2008-06-21T09:38:00.004-04:00

Anaheim Angels: 44-30
Philadelphia Phillies: 42-33

Joe Saunders (10-3 3.06 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)
Brett Myers (3-8 5.58 ERA, 0-1 7.94 ERA)

Projected lineups

Figgins 3B N/A N/A
Izturis SS 2/2, 1.000/1.000/1.500
Anderson LF 1/2, .500/.667/.500
Guerrero RF 3/6, 1 HR, 1 RBI, .500/.500/1.000
Hunter CF 1/3, 1 RBI, .333/.333/.333
Kotchman 1B N/A
Kendrick 2B N/A
Mathis C N/A
Saunders P

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Feliz 3B N/A
Coste C N/A
Myers P

It's time to snap the losing streak. The Phillies need to show they can compete a little with the top teams of the AL, because they hope to run into Boston or Anaheim later this year. They have to prove they can hit good pitchers, and tonight is a tough challenge with lefty Joe Saunders on the hill. He's having a career year, but the Phils are due for a breakout offensive performance.

I wonder how close the Phillies are to making a move with Myers. Among the fans, you get the feeling that now is the time to move on. I disagree. He has talent, and he's shown it in the past. You can't trade him for nothing because he's at his lowest value right now. That's bad baseball. The Phillies need to ride it out for a while and hope he gets better.

Flyers Draft Talk And Fun With Pierre McGuire

2008-06-20T22:47:00.005-04:00

The Flyers have been wheeling and dealing during tonight's first round, so let's take a look at what they've done.

They kicked off the night by sending RFA C R.J. Umberger to Columbus along with a 4th round pick for their first rounder, 19th overall, and a third rounder. Holmgren must not have felt they were making progress in contract talks, or he really just wasn't interested from the beginning. The fact is, the Flyers have too many forwards and really can't invest any more money in them. It's great that they were able to get a couple picks out of him, but I wish they could've used him to upgrade the blue line and maybe not do what they did later.

With that 19th pick, the Flyers took Luca Sbisa, a defenseman from the WHL. He was one of the points leaders in the WHL postseason, and he's described as a very mobile player. He's good at starting the rush and is compared to fellow Swiss D-Man Mark Streit. Streit's not exactly a glowing comparison, but he can definitely score some points. He's also compared to Kaberle, a player the Flyers were very interested in. He'll probably player in the junior league for another year or two, and then we'll see how he handles the pro game.

Instead of using their own 27th overall pick, the Flyers traded it to Washington for D Steve Eminger and a 3rd round pick. I'm not sure I'm a fan of this. Eminger was a former 12th overall pick, but he has not come close to living up to his expectations since joining the professional ranks. He has not shown the offensive ability that made Washington take him so high. He has also not proven himself in his own zone, so unless the Flyers' coaching staff sees something they can correct, I'm not sure how much he'll help.

The Flyers picked up a 3rd round pick and essentially traded up from the 4th to the 3rd for tomorrow. It wouldn't surprise me if they took a goalie with one of these picks, but I'd never expect that player to become good. We'll see. I doubt Holmgren is done upgrading the blue line.

Also, Pierre McGuire. What's with this dude? Let's take a look at some of his reviews of picks tonight.

On first overall pick Steven Stamkos: "It's about his level of excellence."

On third overall pick Zach Bogosian: "This is a gigantically positive move for Atlanta. This guy's got it all going on, and I can't say enough good things about him."

On fifth overall pick Luke Schenn: "Toronto wins huge here. This is the start of the re-build and there's no better place to start than on the shoulders of Luke Schenn. He is the Human Eraser on defence. A one man search and destroy defender. This is a franchise player."

On fourteenth overall pick Zach Boychuk: "Perfect! Tremendous move."

On fifteenth overall pick Erik Karlsson: "He's the Swedish Brian Rafalski."

On twenty-second overall pick Jordan Eberle: "Perfecto for the Oilers."

Did anyone make a bad pick? This is like that episode of the Simpsons where Homer is a food critic, and his worst review is six thumbs up.

Sixers Draft Workouts: June 19th

2008-06-20T22:01:00.002-04:00

We're falling behind again, but the Sixers brought in at least one legit guy. Let's take a look.

Ryan Anderson F 5'10 235 Sophomore California

He's got a nice shot and some range, and his combination of size and shooting could be a nice match for the Sixers. Anderson is a high energy player who can pull down a bunch of rebounds. His toughness and shot blocking potential are assets, but I'm not sure how much he fits the Sixers' system. The knock in scouting reports is his athleticism, which the Sixers really covet now. There's no denying his scoring ability though. If the Sixers like that enough, the 16th pick might be a bit of a reach, but they could trade down.

Kentrell Gransberry PF 6'9 270 Senior South Florida

As a Bull, I'm definitely pulling for this guy. As a Big Baby fan and someone who believed he fell way too far in the draft last year, I'm obligated to like a similar player in Gransberry. He has a wide body and plays a very physical game on both ends of the floor. He's obviously not the quickest guy, but most teams always have a spot for a big player in the paint. DX was underwhelmed with his draft camp performances and measurements, so he has some work to do if he wants to raise his slim hopes of being drafted.

David Padgett C 6'11 250 Senior Louisville

He's a hard working player who was very important to Louisville's deep run this year, but the reality is, he just doesn't have the tools NBA teams look for. I know people really dislike it when teams take raw athletes over productive players, but he's not on any draft boards at the moment. Padgett is a very smart player, and he uses it on both ends of the floor. He has a bunch of different low post moves, but he could probably add a jumper to his repertoire.

Marreese Speights FC 6'10 250 Sophomore Florida

He got an opportunity to learn from some of college's best big guys as a freshman, so it wasn't a surprise that Speights showed promise when he started getting a lot more minutes this season. He shows a lot of scoring ability on the offensive end, which could be a huge asset to the Sixers. His size and athleticism give him the potential to be a very good defensive player, so it's easy to see why he's a projected mid-first rounder. He's still pretty raw, but with the Sixers, he would be stepping into a great situation. He'll be able to chip in a few minutes off the bench and learn the NBA game slowly.

The Sixers had Callistus Eziukwu in for a second time as well. They must really think they have something with him if they brought him back.

Game 75: Angels at Phillies (1/3)

2008-06-20T11:12:00.003-04:00

Anaheim Angels: 43-30
Philadelphia Phillies: 42-32

Ervin Santana (8-3 3.40 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)
Adam Eaton (2-4 4.57 ERA, 2-1 5.26 ERA)

Projected lineups

Figgins 3B 3/6, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .500/.571/1.167
Matthews LF 1/5, 1 RBI, .200/.333/.200
Kendrick 2B 1/9, .111/.111/.111
Guerrero RF 3/10, .300/.364/.300
Hunter CF 1/3, .333/.333/.333
Kotchman 1B N/A
Mathis C 0/2
Izturis SS 3/10, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .300/.364/.600
Santana P

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Feliz 3B N/A
Coste C N/A
Eaton P

Adam Eaton should hopefully be able to have another decent outing. This lineup hasn't had much success against him, and we can only hope he keeps that up. After Kendrick's bad outing on Wednesday, this team could use a strong start from the rotation. Even though the entire bullpen got a rest yesterday, it would be great if they weren't used much again today.

Anaheim is a beatable team. They're very good on the road, but sometimes they have trouble scoring. If the Phillies find a way to put a dent in their strong pitching, they should be able to win the series and get back on track. Things don't get any easier after this, so let's finish the homestand on a better note and hit the road.

Carter Is Back, Baby

2008-06-19T23:57:00.002-04:00

He's set to sign a three year deal worth about 15 million.

I'm definitely glad he's back in the fold for the immediate future, but at that cap hit, I wish the deal would've been longer. That's a lot of money invested at the C position, but he's a talented player and probably worth it.

I'm not sure how much longer he'll be a Flyer. At three years, it's obviously not a long term deal at all. He'll only be 26 when it expires, and he'll still be eligible for restricted free agency. Carter's going to get one more big pay day, and he wasn't looking for long term security like Mike Richards.

This means he has to perform though. If he underachieves, he's not going to get quite as much money next time around. It's a gamble, and if he develops into the player everyone thinks he can, it'll be a good one. He has a big body and huge skills, and I'm glad he's a Flyer.

Flyers Get Something For Nothing

2008-06-18T23:37:00.002-04:00

The Flyers get the 196th overall pick and a conditional 4th rounder next year for the rights to UFA Vinny Prospal.

It's better than nothing, but it's not much more than that. Prospal had no interest in coming back, and the Flyers wouldn't be able to afford him anyway. In that sense, they got something because he previously would've gone to the same place with the Flyers receiving nothing. The condition for the pick is based on whether or not the Lightning sign him, but I'll be shocked if he goes anywhere else. Pardon the pun.

It was a bit disappointing how Prospal finished up the playoffs. He was pretty good against Washington, and for whatever reason, he fell off the map after that. However, without him, the Flyers probably wouldn't have made the playoffs. He turned around Briere's season, and those two played a big role in the team's resurgence to capture the 6th seed.

Game 74: Red Sox at Phillies (3/3)

2008-06-18T10:32:00.003-04:00

Boston Red Sox: 45-29
Philadelphia Phillies: 42-31

Justin Masterson (3-1 2.90 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)
Kyle Kendrick6-2 4.54 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)

Projected lineups

Ellsbury CF N/A
Pedroia 2B N/A
Drew RF N/A
Ramirez LF N/A
Lowell 3B N/A
Youkilis 1B N/A
Lugo SS N/A
Cash C N/A
Masterson P

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Jenkins RF N/A
Dobbs 3B N/A
Coste C N/A
Kendrick P

I said the offense would have to put up eight runs again last night, and I was dead wrong. Moyer issued a few too many free passes, and that led to a high pitch count that got him out of the game early. Otherwise, he and the bullpen did a nice job. Only allowing three runs should be good enough to win most games, but it's impossible to win a baseball game without scoring any.

Masterson has a heavy sinker, so he's the kind of guy that could give the Phillies problems if he's on. The lineup needs to re-break out and send a message to the rest of the league. They can compete with the Sox, hopefully Angels and the better teams in the league. Put up some runs today and take a series from the Sox for the first time in a while.

Sixers Draft Workouts: June 17th

2008-06-17T20:28:00.004-04:00

I'm finally getting to work on the day of the workouts. Let's see how things look.

Chris Clark PG 5'8 165 Senior Temple

The 76ers continued the local play parade into their practice facility today. Chris Clark played his college ball at Temple where he averaged just over 22 minutes a game in his senior season. He didn't put up gaudy numbers, and his statistics don't do him any favors. With his small stature and small numbers, I'm not sure how great Clark's shot at an NBA future is.

Lamont Gordon G 6'4 220 Junior Mississippi State

Gordon is a bit of a tweener in the backcourt. He would have great size for a PG, but he might not have the distribution skills you need from the position. Teams might also like a taller player for SG, but he'll fit in somewhere. He's not a bad shooter, and Gordon is a very aggressive scorer. He'll use his big frame to draw contact on the offensive end, and he's a very good defensive player as well. His rebounding ability is a good asset, and the Sixers could use some help on the boards. Despite all of this, he's currently projected as a second round pick. It would be a huge reach for the Sixers to take him where they're currently at.

Marvin Kilgore PG 6'3 195 Senior Texas El-Paso

At UTEP, Kilgore isn't getting much attention in draft talk. He's a Philadelphia native, so he's probably very excited to get a chance to work out with his hometown team. He was third in the C-USA in assists, so he knows how to pass the ball and get his teammates involved. For a PG, he gets a bunch of rebounds despite his pretty thin build. Like several of the guys they Sixers have looked at so far, Kilgore probably won't get drafted.

Jawann McClellan G 6'4 200 Senior Arizona

McClellan is a long shot to be drafted, but that's not going to stop the Sixers from bringing him in. He played four years with the Wildcats under some pretty good coaches, so you have to figure he knows the game of basketball. He says defense is his best quality, which is always a plus. Maybe he's good at workout out. We'll see.

Michael Sturns G 6'4 190 Senior Holy Family

Sturns is an interesting case. He was the Sun Belt sixth man of the year on a team one year removed from the NCAA Tournament. He wanted more playing time, wasn't getting it at North Texas, so he transferred to a place where he would. He was Division II's leading scorer and earned several national honors for his play. The jump from DII to the NBA isn't as big as it looks because he at least has a little experience against tough competition. However, there's a good chance he goes overlooked on draft day, and he'll have to catch on in a league elsewhere or in training camp.

With the exception of maybe Gordon, the Sixers definitely didn't have marquee names in for visits today. You almost get the idea that the Sixers are going to trade down. So far, they've only worked out a couple guys in the neighborhood of their first pick, but there are still many workouts left for this to change.

Game 73: Red Sox at Phillies (2/3)

2008-06-17T09:00:00.002-04:00

Boston Red Sox: 44-29
Philadelphia Phillies: 42-30

Jon Lester (5-3 3.43 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)
Jamie Moyer (7-3 4.12 ERA, 6-11 6.69 ERA)

Projected lineups

Ellsbury CF N/A
Pedroia 2B N/A
Drew RF 1/4, .250/.250/.250
Ramirez LF 17/57, 10 HR, 20 RBI, .340/.421/1.000
Lowell 3B 2/3, .667/.667/1.000
Youkilis 1B 2/6, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .333/.556/1.000
Varitek C 8/32, 1 HR, 2 RBI, .250/.333/.406
Lugo SS 7/14, 2 RBI, .500/.500/.786
Lester P

Rollins SS N/A
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF N/A
Werth RF N/A
Feliz 3B N/A
Coste C N/A
Moyer P

Last night was a great win, and the offense is going to have to put up another 8 spot tonight. Jamie Moyer has not had a good career against Boston, and I don't expect him to reverse that trend tonight. He's having a good year, but their lineup just has too many patient players for his tricks to work. I can't imagine J.D. Drew or Manny swinging out of their shoes or lunging at pitches off the plate. They're going to wait for a mistake and hit it.

Cole Hamels was not intimidated by the World Champs last night. He went right after their lineup, and he used three pitches effectively to keep them off balance all night. "I believe we're destined to play each other in the World Series," Hamels said. "We can compete with them any day of the week." That's the kind of confidence you like to hear from your best pitcher. He's not going to back down from anyone or any challenge.

Sixers Draft Workouts: June 14th

2008-06-17T00:17:00.002-04:00

I'm several days late again, and I'm going to have to improve with the frequency of workouts picking up as we get closer and closer to draft day.

Pat Calathes SF 6'10 210 Senior St. Joseph's

It's nice of the Sixers to work out the local kid, but I don't know if he's going to cut it in the NBA. He's a good shooter, but he doesn't have the strength to handle NBA forwards. He did a great job with the Hawks after Nelson and West left, but the A10 is far from the competition he'll face in the pros. He probably won't get drafted, but he could get a shot in camp with the Sixers, and a foreign league will definitely come calling if he's interested.

Rob Ferguson F 6'8 230 Senior St. Joseph's

Calathes' St Joe's frontcourt mate gets a chance to stay in the city too, but like Calathes, he faces long odds. He's an okay shooter and can block shots, but he just doesn't seem to be in the NBA picture. At 6'8, he might be too short to play forward in the NBA, and he doesn't have the quickness to play G. He was a very good player in the Big Five, and he had a good college career.

Donte' Greene SF 6'9 221 Freshman Syracuse

Greene is one of a bunch of very good athletes that have taken the past couple drafts by storm. His stock is rising, and he's probably going to be taken in the mid first round. His versatility has scouts very high on him, but he needs to develop an aggressiveness in addition to his jump shot. If the Sixers are going to take him, he'll have to learn to love contact and draw it to get to the line. The shooting he can provide could plug up a hole for this team, and his shot blocking ability is a plus.

J.J. Hickson PF 6'9 242 Freshman NC State

Hickson's strong freshman year was kind of overlooked due to a mediocre Wolfpack team, but he has potential to become a very good player. The Sixers are no doubt interested in his ability to block shots, which is still a common theme among players they bring in to work out. Although he's already very strong and athletic, it could take him some time to get used to the NBA game. His post offense needs some work before he can become a true threat. He should be a late first round pick, and he might be a bit of a reach if the Sixers take him where they're at right now.

Nikita Shabalkin SF 6'9 210 1986 Russia

Color me unimpressed. I guess it doesn't hurt to take a look, but as a 1986 birth, his time is running out to come over to the NBA. You have to figure it'll take a bit to make the transition to the NBA, and although the Sixers were active in drafting internationally last year, I don't see it happening again. He's a hard worker who brings a lot of energy, but he doesn't have great measurables, and I'm not sure if he fits over here.

The Sixers bring in some more guys on June 17th. The draft is approaching...

Game 72: Red Sox at Phillies (1/3)

2008-06-16T09:59:00.002-04:00

Red Sox: 44-28
Phillies: 41-30

Bartolo Colon (4-1 3.41 ERA, 1-1 4.00 ERA)
Cole Hamels (6-4 3.27 ERA, 0-0 --- ERA)

Projected lineups

Ellsbury LF N/A
Pedroia 2B N/A
Drew RF N/A
Lowell 3B N/A
Youkilis 1B N/A
Varitek C N/A
Crisp CF N/A
Lugo SS 2/3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .667/.667/2.667
Colon P

Rollins SS 3/12, 1 RBI, .250/.308/.333
Victorino CF N/A
Utley 2B N/A
Howard 1B N/A
Burrell LF 3/13, 2 RBI, .231/.286/.385
Jenkins RF 2/5, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .400/.500/1.000
Feliz 3B 2/7, .286/.286/.429
Ruiz C N/A
Hamels P

The second round of interleague begins a series later than everyone else for the Phillies, and it's no easy task. Boston rolls into town with the best record in the American League, and they've won 12 out of their last 16 games. They're not without problems though; Ortiz and Matsuzaka are still on the DL, and Manny Ramirez might miss some more games with a hamstring injury.

With Cole Hamels on the mound tonight, the Phillies need to get the series off to a fast start. Their ace is on the mound, and this might be the most winnable game of the three game set. With the exception of Lugo, they haven't seen him yet, so Hamels should be able to keep them off balance.