Phillies in the All-Star Game, Update 3

When it comes to National League All-Stars its basically the Phillies, Mets and Cardinals. Then everyone else. The Phillies (Chase Utley, Raul Ibañez, Jimmy Rollins), as of the official June 15th results, have three players set to start for the N.L. in the 2009 All-Star Game. The Mets have two (David Wright, Carlos Beltran), as do the Cardinals (Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina). The final spot (excluding pitcher) would be Milwaukee's Ryan Braun. Of course we're still about a month from the game; aything can happen until the teams are announced. Current results below.

2009 All-Star Game (National League) vote totals released June 15th, 2009 (MLB.com).

The most newsworthy item this week may be Utley taking over the #1 spot from Pujols, in terms of total votes. The Phillies second baseman, who had the most votes among N.L. players in 2008, now has 2,273,355 votes. Pujols is second overall with 2,158,036.

So obviously Ryan Howard still is lurking behind Pujols at first base. Don't expect Howard to pass him. However, Howard could become a reserve. Actually it's probably a forgone conclusion that Howard will indeed be in St. Louis this July.

Nothing else to say about Utley. The Dodgers Orlando Hudson is a distant second at second base with 904,648 votes.

The most undeserving starters is, unfortunately, Rollins at short stop. Jimmy has shown signs of improvement recently but should not be set to start in front of Hanley Ramirez (a close second) or Miguel Tejada (a distant fifth). J.J Hardy is third while Jose Reyes (why?) is 4th.

Third base has gone completely unchanged, order-wise. It goes Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, Chipper Jones, Pedro Feliz, Bill Hall. I'd love to see Feliz make it as a reserve but doubt he'll get the nod over Zimmerman or Jones.

Carlos Ruiz is up to 4th! "Chooch" is having the best season of his MLB career and with the lack of big names behind the plate this season has a good a case as any to make the All-Star team for the N.L. Ruiz has 809,633 votes, about 6,000 behind 3rd place Jason Kendall and 85,000 behind 2nd place Brian McCann.

Ibañez, Braun and Beltran remain 1-2-3 in the outfield, though the Cubs Alfonso Soriano is approaching the Mets OF. Phillies OF Shane Victorino has jumped suspended Dodgers OF Manny Ramirez for 5th. Teammate Jayson Werth remains in 8th.

I'm expecting five Phillies to make the team - Utley, Ibañez, Rollins, Howard and either Ruiz or Hamels.

If I were choosing who should go, I'd tab Utley, Ibañez, Howard and Ruiz.

Sorry, J-Roll.

Phillies in the 2009 All-Star Game, Update 2

Phillies fans have certainly spoken. Philadelphia players are all over the list, including three set to start. We're more than a month from the big game in St. Louis but let's take a look where the Home 9 stands as of Monday, June 8th.

2009 All-Star Game (National League) vote totals released June 8th, 2009 (MLB.com).

Starting at the top again we see that Ryan Howard remains behind Albert Pujols but has jumped Prince Fielder to take over second place. Howard is having a fantastic season in the field and has been on a tear of late with the bat. He deserves our votes.

It is safe to say that Chase Utley will be the starting second baseman. He has more than double the votes of the next closest player, the Dodgers' Orlando Hudson. People recognize the mad skillz of Chutley.

At the hot corner, David Wright remains on top with Ryan Zimmerman a distant second (separated by 245,000+ votes). Chipper Jones and Philadelphia's Pedro Feliz have jumped Milwaukee's Bill Hall to claim 3rd and 4th, respectively. Feliz is having his normally solid year at 3rd while also batting over .300 at the plate. An argument can be made that he stands to make the team, though the people in front of him now are deserving as well.

Jimmy Rollins is the only Phillies player I feel is being overvalued. Rollins, while still the standard in the field, has been deplorable at the dish hitting a meager .220 and recently being dropped to the six hole. If Rollins can pick it up offensively he may be more deserving. As of now he shouldn't be higher than 3rd, behind Hanley Ramirez (currently 2nd) and Miguel Tejada (currently 5th).

Brian McCann jumped to second at the catcher position while Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz makes an appearance in 5th. Ruiz should definitely be in consideration for a roster spot as he has been his usual self behind the plate defensively but has really matured with the bat and has done a tremendous job with the pitching staff. Let's try to bump him up to 2nd or 3rd!

All is right with the world. After placing 6th in votes just two weeks ago, Phillies LF Raul Ibanez now leads all NL outfielders. He sits in 1st with 1,415,493 votes, which is ~145,000 more than the Brewers' Ryan Braun. Carlos Beltran is rightfully 3rd but for some reason Alfonso Soriano and Manny Ramirez are 4 and 5. I don't want Ramirez anywhere near this game. Phillies CF Shane Victorino is 6th, about 5,500 behind Ramirez, and up one spot from last week. RF Jayson Werth currently sits in 8th place, three spots higher than last week.

So the Phillies are looking good. Three starters as of the most recent results, and there is plenty of time to elevate Ruiz and Feliz as well as The Flyin' Hawaiin and Werth.

Phillies in the 2009 All-Star Game, Update 1

Every Monday Major League Baseball releases new voting figures for the All-Star Game. This weeks edition was much kinder to Phillies. Apparently Philadelphia fans were not happy with the status of Raul Ibanez (6th last week) and Pedro Feliz (not listed) last week. Let's take a look at where the Home 9 stand.

2009 All-Star Game (National League) vote totals released June 1st, 2009 (MLB.com).

OK, let's start at the top of the list and work our way down. At first base you can't really argue with Albert Pujols (Cardinals); he may be the best player in the game regardless of position. Howard should be 2 or 3. I definitely think we can jump him over Prince Fielder by the time the new totals are released. Howard needs 2,287 votes to overtake Fielder.

At second base it's Chase Utley and nobody else. Utley has the second highest total among NL players with 1,111,963. Pujols leads the way with 1,240,395. The second best second baseman, Orlando Hudson (Dodgers), has 486,359. Next!

At third we have a fight between David Wright (Mets) and Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals). Both should be there for sure. Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz - who is having a fine season - is currently in fifth. Let's try to get him up to third! If he's that high Charlie Manuel may decide to bring Feliz with him to the game. Manuel is the NL Manager for 2009. Feliz currently has 349,818 votes, 90,341 behind third place (Bill Hall, Brewers).

Jimmy Rollins sits a surprising second among short stops. While he certainly has the name recognition, he is not having a great year. Hanley Ramirez (Marlins) and Miguel Tejada (Astros) should be 1-2. Rollins currently has 569,639 votes, 16,661 behind first place Ramirez.

Catcher is kind of the Phillies weak spot, though I'd take Carlos Ruiz over some backstops in the Majors. He won't make an All-Star Game in his career but he controls the pitching staff well and is capable of above average defense. For the All-Star Game, Yadier Molina (Cardinals) leads the way.

Now comes the outfield. Last week our very own left fielder, Raul Ibanez, was a disappointing sixth. SIXTH! With his stats and play this year? Preposterous! What did the Philly Phaithful do? VOTED. Ibanez jumped all the way to second and in line for a starting spot. He currently has 817,849 votes, 90,896 behind leader Ryan Braun (Brewers). Milwauke sure likes stuffing the box, huh? Thankfully Manny Ramirez has fallen to fifth. It'd be a real shame if he actually got voted in. Now that we have Ibanez where he belongs, lets show some love for the Flyin' Hawaiin - currently in seventh with 517,760 votes - and Jayson Werth (11th; 389,275 votes)!

Make sure you vote! You can do so 25 times. Ibanez, Utley and Howard deserve our votes and a case can be made for Feliz too. Send multiple Phillies to the 2009 All-Star Game!

Phillies Land 4 on SNTs Top 50 MLB Players List

Sporting News Today has been chock full of Phillies goodness recently and in today's issue released the results of a recent poll on Major League Baseball's best players. According to the daily news item, 100 Hall of Famers, major award winners, and other personalities voted. Everyone can probably guess #1 (Albert Pujols, duh). To the delight of Philadelphia fans, the Phillies were well represented. Four made the cut. It's probably pretty easy to guess who. Click the picture to find out. I highlighted them so you can find them quickly.

Sporting News Today published a poll on the Top 50 players in MLB. Four Phillies made the cut.

For those of you allergic to clicking, the Phillies voted on the list are 2B Chase Utley (6th), 1B Ryan Howard (11th), SS Jimmy Rollins (15th), and SP Cole Hamels (49th). That's right, the Phillie have three of the 15 best players in MLB right now. Thank God they won the World Series last year or they'd definitely be seen as underachievers. Two of these rankings surprised me. First, even after a down 2008 season (and a crappy start to '09) Rollins is still mentioned, and in the first half. Second, Hamels at 49? That seems low after an amazing fall run. I think between 33-39 was more appropriate. To me, he's as valuable (or as good) as Dan Haren (33rd) and Jake Peavy (38) and I'd definitely take Hamels over Chad Billingsley (42), Cliff Lee (43), Roy Oswalt (46), and Carlos Zambrano (48). I know positionally they arent't the same, but how much longer is Carlos Delgado going to be overrated? Is he really the 47th best player right now?

If I can count correctly, then (surprise, surprise) the two New York teams lead the way. The Mets somehow manage to get six players in the Top 50. I think some people would take issue with that, based on on-the-field results. As in, there haven't been any since a N.L. East Title in 2006. Here are your "amazing" Mets: Johan Santana (#3), David Wright (#13), Jose Reyes (#22), Carlos Beltran (#23), Francisco Rodriguez (#34), and Delgado. The Yankees have five players listed: Alex Rodriguez (#2), Derek Jeter (#8), Mariano Rivera (#9), Mark Teixeira (#17), and C.C. Sabathia (#29). Those two teams along should prove that (A) baseball is a team game and you don't need a plethora of superstars to win and (B) some of these players may be overrated because of the city (team) they play in (for).

Other teams of note include the Red Sox (four on the list), Braves (two), Marlins (one), and Nationals (zero). Poor Washington.

Phillies hold on for World Series Game 1 win

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Phillies players warm up for Game 1 of the 2008 World Series.

They got what everyone said they needed: a game 1 win. After all, 10 out of the last 11 World Series winners have taken game 1. However, besides history, the biggest reason Philadelphia needed this game more than Tampa Bay was due to the drop off in pitching.

Tampa Bay is relatively steady. They have 3 good, young pitchers in Scott Kazmir, James Shields, and Matt Garza. Andy Sonnanstine is their 4th. On the flip side, the Phillies have the best starting pitcher in the playoffs, World Series game 1 winner and NLCS MVP Cole Hamels, but suffer a significant drop off after him. Which Brett Myers will show up tonight? Can Jamie Moyer revert to regular season form on Saturday? Can Joe Blanton stay perfect as a Phillie on Sunday? About the only certainty is Hamels. And if the Phillies lost with him on the mound, the outlook was bleak.

(Ron Cortes/Philly.com)

Starting pitcher Cole Hamels gave Philadelphia another dominant performance, in which he picked up his 4th win of the postseason.

But they won. With King Cole on the mound. The nerve-racking 3-2 victory is in the books; no one can take it away. The Phillies lead the best-of-seven World Series 1-0. As has become a staple in the playoffs, it is because of the pitching. Good luck with the inconsistent offense. The Phillies stranded 11 players. They were 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position. A 3-2 game should have been more like a 6-2 game. But it wasn't. You deal with it. And they did.

Chase Utley gave the Phillies an early 2-0 lead on a 2-run shot to right field in the 1st inning. Jayson Werth had drawn a walk right before Utley went deep. The final run for the Phillies - the game winner - came off the bat of light-hitting catcher Carlos Ruiz. His RBI ground out in the 4th scored Shane Victorino and gave Hamels and the bullpen just what they needed.

(AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

Chase Utley belts a 2-2 pitch from Rays starting pitcher Scott Kazmir deep to right field for a 2-run home run in the 1st inning last night.

The relief consisted of just 2 men: Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge. What more could you want? Madson mowed down the 8th. He struck out one and was reaching 96-97 MPH on most of his fastballs. Then the rock solid closer Lidge did what he is supposed to do: seal the deal. He did. 1-2-3. Lidge struck out two and controlled the bottom of the 9th. Game over, Phillies win.

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino scores on Carlos Ruiz's RBI ground out in the 4th inning Wednesday.

(Yong Kim/Philly.com)

Phillies closer Brad Lidge celebrates after he got Carl Crawford to foul out to end Game 1 of the 2008 World Series.

Up next is the aforementioned Brett Myers facing off against James Shields in game 2 of the World Series tonight on FOX. First pitch is scheduled for 8:29pm.

And remember, Why Can't Us?

Phillies win postseason game for first time in 15 years

from Sports Propaganda

The Phillies made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years in 2007, coming back from 7 games down with 17 play to grab the N.L. East. They proceeded to get swept in the postseason by the upstart Colorado Rockies. A year later, with their second straight N.L. East division title, they got their first postseason victory in 15 years, a 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Cole Hamels pitched 8 dominant innings, allowing 0 runs and striking out 9. Brad Lidge, the N.L. Comeback Player of the Year, pitched the ninth. He didn't avoid drama for the second straight appearance. Lidge allowed 2 hits, walked a batter, and allowed a run. Runners were on 2nd and 3rd before he struck out Corey Hart to end the game.

Philadelphia and Milwaukee face off again tomorrow evening (6pm) at The Bank. Facing off on the mound will be Brett Myers and Brewers ace C.C. Sabathia. The Phillies will try to take a commanding 2 games-to-none lead in the best-of-5 series.

The Phillies last playoff victory was game 5 of the 1993 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Curt Schilling pitched a complete game shutout, giving up 5 hits on October 21st, 1993. The Phillies won 2-0, forcing a game 6.

Phillies in 1st

Yep, that's right! The Phillies have taken over 1st place in the NL East with a dominating 6-0 win over the visiting Nationals. Cole Hamels struck out 13 in 8 innings and Ryan Howard hit his 45th HR of the season in the 7th. The win, coupled with a Mets loss to Florida (7-4), left Philadelphia alone atop pf the East for the first time this season. They haven't lead a division this late in a season since, yep, you guessed it, 1993.

If the Phillies win tomorrow evening, they guarantee themselves a chance for at least a 1 game playoff with the Mets for the NL East title. Of course, if the Mets lose and the Phils win, HELLO PLAYOFFS! HELLO NL EAST CHAMPS!

I'm getting ahead of myself. First we have to survive Adam Eaton pitching tomorrow. Yikes.


LET'S GO PHILLIES!

Phillies take Game 1 versus Braves

It was key to this whole series. They needed this win. And they got it. Cole Hamels pitched a flawless game, except for the first inning when Atlanta scored all 4 of their runs. After that only 2 batters he faced made it on base - one on a walk and another on Wes Helms' fielding error. The Phillies have taken game 1 of the crucial 3 game set. Tomorrow Adam Eaton faces Lance Cormier. Earlier I declared that the Phils would take games 1 & 3 but lose 2. We'll find out tomorrow night. Elsewhere, the Marlins got to Billy Wagner in the 9th tonight and scored 2 runs to pull ahead of the Mets. They hung on and, as a result, 1st through 3rd in the NL East is separated by a mere 3.5 games. And if the Padres - currently tied with the Reds after 9 - lose, the Phillies are tied for the wild card lead!

Kendrick vs Marlins; Phillies soon to enter 'do or die' part of schedule

The Phillies take the field tonight at 7:05 looking to sweep the Marlins and move to eight games above .500 for the first time since the final day of the 2006 season. Kyle Kendrick takes the hill for the Phils and I must say I'm happy about that. Kendrick has been, to say the least, a pleasant surprise this season since his first start on June 13. Kendrick is 5-2 and his last start was strong: 7 innings, 8 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 strikeouts...but a usually strong Phillies offense floundered and Kyle got the L. Kendrick's ERA is a respectable 3.88 and he has 25 Ks compared to 16 BBs. The Phillies offense is on a tear and they're facing Sergio Mitre who's ERA has been steadily rising since mid-June (2.29 on June 15 -> 3.67 August 8).

Prediction: Phillies 7, Marlins 3


It's important the the Phillies sweep the Marlins because they are about to enter an extremely important 3 weeks. The Braves come to Citizens Bank Park tomorrow and the 3-game series will play a crucial role in the NL East and Wild Card races. The Phillies get lucky and do not have to face John Smoltz. In contrast, the Phils send out their ace, Cole Hamels, in the first game. I think the Phillies will take 2 of 3 from the Braves, with Philadelphia losing the 2nd game (Adam Eaton gets the start...we're doomed). After the Braves series the Phillies head to Washington (when Shane Victorino returns) and then to Pittsburgh (when Michael Bourn may return). They should return to Philadelphia going AT LEST 4-2 on that mediocre road trip. Then comes 10 games that the Phillies must bring their A game: Dodgers (3 games), Padres (3), Mets (4). All at Citizens Bank Park. From the first game of the Braves series to the end of the Mets series I have the Phils amassing a 12-7 record, which wouldn't be too bad. If they finish off Florida tonight, take game 1 of their next series with Florida (last day of August), and go my predicted 12-7 in between the Phillies finish with a 18-10 mark in August and would be 74-60 heading into October...when Chase Utley returns! Wow, wouldn't that be something? I have faith.