Tag Archives: Michael Stutes

Hamels Carries Phils Past Rox

19 May

It wasn’t pretty, but the Phillies ended their four game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. I’d be willing to bet that there were plenty of fans that left Citizens Bank Park frustrated despite the victory.

One thing that was going right for the Phillies on Wednesday was the pitching.  Cole Hamels brought his A-Game back home to Philadelphia.  Cole allowed just six hits over eight strong innings, and didn’t allow the Rockies only run until the 7th inning.  Cole’s eight innings and seven strikeouts lowered his ERA to 2.92, and bettered his record which now stands at 5-2.

The bats were fairly quiet again.  The Phillies again managed just five hits, which was enough to scrape out a win on Wednesday, but isn’t enough if they plan to keep their hold on first place in the N.L. East.

Still there is a problem.  Nobody has answers.  When will things “click?” Is Charlie Manuel worried?

“Worried? Concerned is a better word,” Manuel said. “I’m concerned about it, but at the same time with the pitching we have we keep working, we keep chipping away and we want to improve our offense. We’re going to have to. That’s the way I look at it. It’s a long season and you stay with it and grind it out. We’re going to get it done, that’s how I look at it.”

It sure isn’t fair to the pitchers, that’s for sure. Watching this night after night, I can’t imagine that Cliff Lee hasn’t thought to himself at least once… “Did I make the right choice?”

The Phillies are back in the win column and look to start an new streak with Joe Blanton facing Jhoulys Chacin.  Chacin pitched fairly well to start the season, but hasn’t won a start in his last two outings.  Blanton is looking to rebound, and just get things going.  His velocity is way down, and his command has been pretty poor.  Look for him to be on a short leash.

Side Notes -

John Mayberry Jr. - Mayberry continues to show that he has plenty of tools.  His throw home on Tuesday that was misplayed by Sardinha, and Wednesday’s throw to third to get Alfredo Amezaga were both really impressive.  John has really proving that his days in Lehigh Valley are over.

Shane Victorino - Vic threw down a Sac bunt in the 8th inning which lead to the winning run after a .  This is a great sign that Shane is getting closer to a return to the lineup.  Shane is scheduled for an MRI on Thursday.

Michael Stutes - Michael played catch on Wednesday and said that he feels better, and that he thinks that he could be available out of the pen as early as Friday.

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The Struggle Continues

18 May

The Phillies have now dropped four games in a row.  The issues continue to mount as the team struggles as a whole to hit, and score runs.  The pitching continues to be strong, but the offense is killing them.

There is plenty of chatter this morning about Charlie Manuel‘s use of the bullpen last night.  I’m totally displeased with the end result, but let’s remember that there were not too many options left in the shortened bullpen.  Danys Baez should have been left in the game since we’re begining to see that J.C. Romero is pretty much the same player he last season.  Ryan Madson was not sent into the game because he was being held for a possible save situation.

I keep saying that when you’re not scoring runs every other aspect of the game needs to be perfect, and it hasn’t been.  John Mayberry’s throw home was a good one, and Dane Sardinha miss played it.  Once that ball lands in his glove he needs to be in front of the plate.  He most definitely could have tagged Lance Berkman, he just didn’t.  Chooch, and Brian Schneider would have made that play, and that’s why Dane is a third stringer.

The Phillies need to score runs.  It really is that simple. Their last two games were both very winnable games, but the Phillies haven’t been able to make it happen.  The offense is putting a heavy strain on the bullpen similar to the way they did in 2010, and we all know how that turned out.

Bright Side- 

Kyle Kendrick - After a loss like that it’s easy to overlook what a great job Kyle Kendrick did out of the pen.  Kyle came in after Michael Stutes left the game with a muscle strain.  Kyle pitched two innings and allowed just one hit, and one walk.

Roy Oswalt - Roy Oswalt threw more pitches then expected on Tuesday.  He appeared to quickly establish himself, and was effective.  There was a little issue with the radar gun in St. Louis, so his velocity is still kind of a question, but his fastball appeared to have a little bit of it’s “zip” back. It’s a very good sign.

John Mayberry - John continues to show his versatility as a player.  He only had one hit last night, but he managed to steal another bag, and his throw home in the bottom of the 4th should have been an outfield assist.

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