Tag Archives: Polanco

Phillies Continue to Beat Themselves

22 May

Polanco is out at home. (AP)

Off the top of my head, I can think of at least five games this season where the Phillies lost due to costly mistakes, and boneheaded errors.

Monday night against the Nationals was another one of those nights.

Tonight it was base running.

The Phillies made a bunch of base running mistakes in this game, one more brutal then the next, but the worst one came in the sixth inning when Placido Polanco failed to tag at third on a line drive to center field. Polanco appeared to think the ball would fall in front of Rick Ankiel, who has a great arm.  However, it didn’t, and Polanco was a third of the way down the line when Ankiel made a diving catch. Polanco had to retreat back to the bag, and wasn’t able to score.

Had he read the ball right off the bat, and tagged up, he most definitely would have scored.

Polanco acknowledged this after the game.

“I should have been closer to the bag,” he said. “I didn’t do it the right way.”

He’s right.  He didn’t, and a few moments later was thrown out at the plate.  (See picture)

All these little mistakes continue to pile up.  It’s not necceearly errors, more so not thinking, and getting away from the fundamentals of the game.  AKA Bad baseball.

Charlie seems to be thinking a bit of the same.

“I think it’s a little of everything,” he said. “I definitely think we’re trying too hard. Like I’ve said before, we make mistakes that don’t show up in the box [score]. I think that comes from trying too hard or maybe being a little afraid of messing up. We’re not aggressive when we see something. We need to be more alert. Things like that. We don’t take advantage of things we can.”

He continued.

“We need some guys to get hot, and start hitting the ball for us.  It’s hard sometimes in a Major League lineup if you have just one guy hitting, that’s not good enough. That’s where the consistency part comes in, of your lineup, and your balance. The guys in your lineup gotta pick one another up.  So you have to get some guys hitting regular. You cannot afford to not score runs.  If you’re gonna scream small ball, and little ball, and stuff like that, we got to score those kinds of runs.”

What they need to take advantage of is runners in scoring position, as in their last three losses the Phils are  4 for 31 with runners in scoring position in those games.  They were 1 for 10 on Monday, but the hit didn’t score a run because Mayberry read it wrong, and held up at third.  Although he did eventually score.

And that’s just the thing, they’re honestly not getting beaten that badly, they’re just looking really bad while losing.

This is the second outing that Kyle Kendrick has had this season against the Nationals where he pitched well enough to win, this time his team really owes him one.

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Polanco Likely Day-to-Day

17 May

Placido Polanco has been diagnosed with a left knee bruise, after fouling a ball off the knee.  Polly tried to stay in the game, so my assumption is that he’s going to be ok.

He told Todd Zolecki that he was sore, and that he “Doesn’t know if he can play tomorrow.”

After his grand-slam in Wednesday’s win over the Cubs, could we see Hector Luna at third, or is it going to be the first start for Mike Fontenot, with a righty on the mound?

Either way, I’m excited to see Roy Halladay get back on the mound.  Especially with the Phillies riding a four game win streak.

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Phils/Blanton Strong in Win Over Yanks

5 Mar

Photo: Miles Kennedy

Big Joe Blanton looked good in his first tune up of the Spring as the Phillies beat the Yankees 9-3.  With a good bit of help from the Phillies offense they were able to finally put a “1″ in the win column of their Grapefruit League record.  Blanton allowed just two hits in two innings pitched and recorded a strikeout.  He was the beneficiary of 5 ground-ball outs which has always been Blanton’s key to success, as he is a contact pitcher. If he can remain healthy Blanton figures to be the Phillies fourth starter.

Fans will be pleased to know that Placido Polanco had a good game as well, going two for three with an RBI.  Polanco’s bat is going to be a crucial part to the Phillies 2012 campaign, so let’s hope this is just a sign of what’s to come from him. Rollins, and Thome recorded two hits as well.

The Phillies also looked agressive on the bases today.  Jimmy Rollins stole two bags in the same inning which lead to a run, and Juan Pierre attempted a steal as well, but was thrown out.

Phillies prospect Domonic Brown had another defensive mishap in the outfield today when he misplayed a ball that lead to a Brett Gardener triple.  Gardener scored on the same play after an error was committed by Kevin Frandsen.  Brown dropped a ball in the Phillies loss to the Yankees yesterday.  Brown was hoping to turn some heads this Spring, but has had some trouble getting things going.  He’s 2 for 8 so far this Spring and has been caught stealing once.

Cliff Lee takes the mound on Tuesday at 1:05 P.M. as the Phillies will travel to take on the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin. The game won’t be on TV, but will be on 94.1 FM in Philadelphia.

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Phillies Weekly Report

12 Jul

Here’s a look at my column I write for PhilaPhans.com.

I’m posting it here so you can check it out, but if you want to read this in the future, I have a new addition every Monday morning on PhilaPhans. Consider popping over to PhilaPhans and even becoming a member.  I’m usually hanging around in the Game Day Thread during Phillies games.  Come join in!

The Phillies Weekly Report

By The Phanatic Addict

It was another 4-2 week for the Phillies. Two more series wins. One against theMarlins, and one against the hotAtlanta Braves. The series win over the Braves sure felt good with them right on the Phillies tail, and the 14-1 pounding we handed them made it that much better. .666 Baseball is nothing to be sorry about.

I do worry a little about the Phillies second half schedule. They played plenty of teams with losing records in the first half, and a lot of their second half games are on the road. The Phillies are 34-15 (.693) at home, but just 23-19 (.547) away from Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies have recently been known as a second half club, but it would be nice not to have to

The Offense – The Phillies offense showed up for five out of their six games this week. I can’t explain what happened on Saturday, but we do have to give a little bit of credit to Tommy Hanson, who pitched well. Cliff Lee managed to hit a homer off him, why didn’t anyone else? A head scratcher indeed.

As much as I see everyone complaining about how bad this offense is, the Phillies scored 39 runs this week. Yes, 28 of them came in two games but we scored these runs off of some pretty good pitchers.

The biggest blow to the team was losing Shane Victorino after it appeared tat he would be coming back pretty quick. Shane should return as soon as he is eligible when the Phillies face the Cubs next week.

Starting Pitching – Heading into the All-Star break things are looking really good. Sure, We’d like to have Oswalt up and pitching well, but the guys that are here are pitching like studs. The Phillies have three of their starters heading to the All-Star game in Arizona. It is the first time in the last 25 years that a team has had three pitchers with more then 9 wins, and ERA’s below 3.00 at the break.

I’m sure that Cole Hamels enjoyed the 28 runs of support that he got this week. It’s probably more then he got in 2010.

The Pen – I’m excited to see that Ryan Madson is closer to making his return. Antonio Bastardo has been just brilliant in his turn as the closer for the Phillies, but the possibility that Madson could be back next weekend is really big for the bullpen.

Brad Lidge has had some rehab appearances this week in his road back, and all have been rather positive. I’ll take a healthy Lidge over Andrew Carpenter any day.

Two straight scoreless appearances for Juan Perez have earned him the right to hang around a little longer in my book. He’s made the Braves hitters look just silly on Friday night, and you can never have enough lefties in your pen.

The Bench – This bench seems to become more important to the success of the Phillies every single game. With Shane Victorino, and Placido Polanco on the shelf the bench players have stepped onto the field and have almost flawlessly filled in.

Michael Martinez turned in seven hits in his last five games. Not to mention four runs, four RBI and a couple of really great catches. John Mayberry Jr. has also been really great in his last few starts. Six hits, Seven RBI, and three runs score. His three doubles on Sunday are proof that he may just have the tools to be considered for a starting job, if not at least as a platoon player in 2012.

Managers- I’d say that my only surprise of the week from the managers would be their decision to pull Kyle Kendrick out of a game that he was winning after just five innings. They turned the ball over to the bullpen and the game was over. The Phillies committed three errors in this game which cost them, and Kyle was the scapegoat.

After a 14 run game, you want to get right back out on the field and keep playing, but let’s be real. This team needs some rest. With the injured players we have sitting, and Chase Utley’s knee problems I think that a four day rest is just fine and dandy.

Again, the Phillies ended this week with two more series victories, and you can’t ask for too much more then that.

On a personal note, I’ve kept this a little shorter then usual, but with a wild work week, and a new addition to our family, I’m pretty spent. Congratulations to my sister and her husband on the birth of their new daughter. Welcome to the family Erin.

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Cole Gets His 10th – Offense Explodes

6 Jul

After a few tries Cole Hamels finally has his 10th win…  Not that it was his fault it took so long.

Hamels went eight strong innings, only surrendering a 2-run homer to John Buck in the 4th.  It was good to finally see some offensive support for Hamels.  Let’s just hope they saved some for later.

“Getting that many runs is nice, but sometimes it breaks up your rhythm. It felt like the game was in slow motion,” said Hamels.  “In between innings it was really long, but selfishly from a pitching standpoint you want to get a good rhythm going and shut them down as soon as possible.”

It was a great night for the offense, too.  The Phillies scored 14 runs on 18 hits including home runs from Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez.  Howard and Jimmy Rollins both had 4-hit nights.

It wasn’t pretty for the Marlins and their starter Chris Volstad.  The Phillies have touched up Volstad in the past, and Tuesday was the same story.  Going into the game Ryan Howard was 12-25, with 7 homers against Volstad, and he added to that with another 2-run homer.

The Marlins were basically in the toilet when the Phillies saw them back in June, but they have been playing better baseball as of late, including their 1-0 loss to the Phils on Monday.

The Phils had a six run lead going into the 9th inning, but then tacked on six more, including a 2-run homer for Raul Ibanez.

Side Notes - 

Michael Martinez – Martinez showed off his glove making a great catch in center field while filling in for Shane Victorino.  He also hit a bases loaded triple.

Ryan Howard – Ryan is having a great season so far this year. He had 4 hits and 4 RBI on Tuesday.   His power numbers are down, but he’s driving in tons of runs.  Ryan is on pace for his fifth season with 130 RBIs. Only three MLB players have ever had five 130-RBI seasons: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx.

Phils Avoid Sweep – Lose Chooch

28 Apr

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Cole Hamels took to the hill in the
afternoon match-up against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday
looking to end the Phillies losing streak at two. He did so with a great
performance going seven innings, surrendering three runs while striking out
eight. Hamels has looked really good after putting his first start of the
season behind him.  Since then Cole has gone 3-0 with a no decision, and
has gone at least seven innings or more in his last four starts. 

 

It was a pretty good
start for Hamels coming off his last start against the Padres where Cole threw
a career high 126 pitches in eight shutout innings. Only Roy Halladay has
thrown more pitches in a game this season. 

 

The Phillies offense
really appeared to be coming around in the Tuesday night loss to the
Diamondbacks.  The Phillies scored five runs, but just couldn’t catch up
to the D-Backs who won 7-5.

 

Wednesday the Phillies
really put together a solid offensive performance scoring eight runs, and
smacking three homers.  Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, and Jimmy Rollins
all went deep for the Phillies.  Placido Polanco continues to be the
Phillies best hitter at the plate.  Polly went 4-5 on Wednesday with three
runs scored. 

 

Let’s hope this is a
sign of things to come. 

 

The Phillies get the
win, but take a loss.  Carlos Ruiz left Wednesday’s game after his
at-bat in the first inning with soreness in his lower back.  Ruiz
felt the pain in his back immediately after swinging the bat for
a fly-out that ended the inning.  Carlos traveled back to
Philadelphia with the team and will be evaluated by team doctors on Thursday.

Chooch told m
CSNPhilly’s Jim Salisbury that he was unsure whether he would
have to miss time and when asked if he was worried Carlos replied
“Yeah.”

Carlos is currently
hitless in his last eight games (0-18), but as we all know he is extremely
important to the Phillies for is pitch calling and phenomenal work managing the
Phillies starting staff.

Thankfully the
Phillies have Thursday off, and are at home against a struggling team in the
New York Mets should Carlos just need a few days rest.

We’ll know more
tonight.

Side Notes -

Oswalt - We probably won’t hear much about what’s going
on with Roy Oswalt’s family because the tornadoes that landed near his hometown
have done extensive damage to phone and power lines. 
Oswalt lost his boyhood home to a tornado last
year and wanted to head back home to be with his family according to Ruben
Amaro Jr. According to the team, he left indefinitely, but may be back for his
next scheduled start on Tuesday.  The Tornadoes have reportedly killed
close to 160 people.

Day Games - If you’re looking for a ticket to see the
Phillies play at Citizens Bank Park, or for that matter anywhere, consider a
day game.  The Phillies are undefeated during the day.

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One Week Until Opening Day

24 Mar

32411.jpgWell, it’s a week tomorrow if you want to be precise.

I know that I’m getting pretty giddy.  I have my tickets all ready to go for next Friday.  I’ll be at the On Deck game next Tuesday, but I could really care less about that.  Although I am looking forward to Cole Hamels getting in one last warm-up before the season starts. From the looks of it, he’s gonna need it.

Hamels was touched up quite a bit again today.  Cole allowed nine hits, six runs and two home runs in 6 2/3 innings, but he did he strike out seven.  He started the game pretty strong, working through a little trouble in the first inning.  He then retired seven straight hitters and appeared to be in a groove until the wheels feel off in the fourth.  Three runs for the Twins in the fourth and the fifth put them up by six.  Hamels hung in the game to extend his pitch count and retired the last six batters he faced. 

“A few times I didn’t throw pitches with any conviction,” Hamels said.
“I had two different pitches I could have thrown, and just agreed on one
half-heartedly. I didn’t really go out there and give everything I had.
I have to focus on whatever pitch is called or I believe in, and go
with it 100 percent.

“I should be a lot smarter, or at least more prepared, right now. I don’t think I was.”

Brad Lidge didn’t fair too much better in his return to action with the big club.  I’m pleased with the two strikeouts for Brad, but the two walks and the home run he surrendered leave me pretty concerned.  

Side Notes –

Polanco – Placido Polanco said he will be back in the lineup. He has
been out since March 15 because of a hyperextended left elbow.

Utley – Chase is expected to make one more appearance for the media before the Phillies return home to Philadelphia.  Chase will start the season on the 15 day disabled list.

Other – Feeling pretty good about the staff meeting with the PhilaPhans gang tonight.  We’ll have some pretty cool announcements soon…. Stay tuned.

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Utley Working – Polanco and Lidge Closer

20 Mar

Everyone is holding their breath when it comes to the health of Chase Utley.  While they sort through the rest of the infield contenders, it’s pretty certain that Wilson Valdez will be the Phillies Opening Day starter at second base.  Some good news though is that Placido Polanco is getting closer to making his return to the lineup.  It’s looking like Polly is probably about out from getting back into games.  Brad Lidge has also made some strides in his road to recovery.

On Sunday before the Phillies took the field against the New York Yankees Chase Utley fielded ground balls while sitting in a stool as he’s not in a spot yet where he’s able to do any foot work.  He did however take a short turn during batting practice.  Utley has said that he doesn’t feel the sort of discomfort he does batting as he does while he’s in the field.  Utley had gone to see a rehabilitation specialist that has advised the Phillies to have Chase to continue a specific rehab regimen rather then seek surgical council.  Ruben Amaro Jr. told Todd Zolecki that “There are a lot of risks any time you have surgery. And especially in
this area with some of the things that are going on with his knee,
there’s a risk it would cause more damage.”
  It’s still very much up in the air if and when Utley will be able resume an unrestricted workout routine. 

Placido Polanco is in a much better position to return to action.  After being pulled from the preseason game last Tuesday after he hyperextended his left elbow. Placido will possibly be ready to return to action as early as this week.  That’s welcome news as Charlie Manuel continues to tinker with his lineup card.  As it is right now Michael Martinez and Josh Barfield are still fighting for roster spots.  Rumors were circulating about the Phillies possible interest in the Mets Luis Castillo, but Phillies Assistant GM Scott Proefrock denied any such interest from the organization. Twenty-four hours later?  He’s a Phillie.  There has been much debate over this signing today, but you have to look at it this way, he’s only been given a Minor League deal, so if the Phillies don’t like what they see they can cut him and pay him nothing. 

Brad Lidge will pitch in a Minor League game on Tuesday.  He has been throwing without discomfort and is satisfied with his progress in his recovery from his bicep tendinitis.   The Phillies are fully confident that Lidge, baring any further injury. 

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A Look At Dominican Baseball

20 Nov
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Ugh!  I’m still very salted that I wrote basically this same article last week on vacation and accidentally deleted it.  That will teach me to not periodically hit the save button… Oh well… Let’s try this again….

So I’m in the Dominican Republic this week on my Honeymoon and I’ve been trying to get some baseball talk with the staff at my resort going.  They all seem to love the Yankees and Red Sox, which isn’t surprising at all, and when I first bring up baseball they all immediately mention Sammy Sosa since he was basically the best player to come from here (I don’t think that they knew about all that steroid hype that surrounded him like we did in the States).  I was hoping that I’d get a chance to see a game, but the TV coverage made me reconsider actually going, plus the hotel advised me against it.

The Dominican Winter Baseball League or Liga de Beisbol Profesional de la Republica Dominicana is a winter baseball league consisting of six baseball teams spread across the Dominican Republic; it is the top domestic baseball league in that country. The league’s players include many from Major League Baseball, and its champion plays each year in the Caribbean Series.

Each team plays a sixty-game schedule that begins the end of October and runs to the end of December.The top four teams engage in an 18 game round robin play-off the first three weeks of January;
the top two teams in those standings then play a best-of-nine series
for the national title. The league’s champion advances to the Caribbean Series to play against the champions of Mexico, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. 

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I thought it would be fun to list a bunch of past and present Phillies that came from the D.R. and then look at some of the other notable players that came from here, too.  Most of these guys are fairly recent, and a few will give you a laugh cause we’re glad they’re gone.

Antonio Alfonseca – Do you remember “The Octopus”?  Antonio is mostly remembered because of the extra finger he had on each hand.  In 2007 he helped the Phillies clinch the Division title for the first time in 15 years.  He ended his career in Philly with just one season and an ERA over 5, but I just had to put him on the list.

Antonio Bastardo – Bastardo will surely be a front runner in the competition for a spot on the Phillies 2011 bullpen.  Nothing is locked up yet, but the Phillies like Antonio’s pop.  He has a really great fastball and is able to get lefties out.  I’m hoping that he comes up big because I really like the guy.  He’s a badass little dude.

George Bell -  Speaking of the Rule 5 Draft here’s one that got away.  Bell never actually played for the Phillies, but he was drafted by them.  He went unprotected and was snatched up by the Blue Jays.  I mainly put him on the list cause I was shocked to see that he was from the D.R. I mean come on, he’s the only white dude on my list.  

Pedro Feliz – Great defense, terrible bat.  The Phillies looked to upgrade and they did.  Pedro is a fine player, but his unreliable bat was just not what the Phillies wanted in their lineup.  Pedro had a pretty forgettable season in 2010 splitting time with the Astros and the Cards and showing the lowest OPS of his career at .533.

World+Baseball+Classic+Puerto+Rico+Day+4+Q4m9FF2_Rt_l.jpg

Pedro Martinez -  Let’s be serious, if you can about Pedro.  He’s probably one of the best pitchers that has ever played the game.  In his prime Pedro was totally untouchable.  8 All Star appearances, and three Cy Young Awards.  If I was able to give my vote for the best player to come from this island it would have to be Pedro.  His antics on and off the field were also down right hilarious.  In his 18 seasons as a Major League player Pedro has an ERA under 3… not bad for a guy that faced over 11,300 batters.  I’m not entirely sure that Pedro is done playing.  He took 2010 off from the Majors, but has hinted that he could still be available.  His 2009 campaign with the Phillies didn’t end the way that we had all hoped, but it was still quite impressive.  I hope that Pedro manages to find his way back to the Bigs for just one more year because he is just so fun to watch, and he’ll likely say some really stupid stuff.     

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Juan Samuel – Welcome back Juan!  Player to Coach, it’s nice to have the 3 time All Star back with the Phillies. Juan was previously with the Orioles as a base coach and interim Manager. I’m still very less then pleased that Davy Lopes was basically forced to walk away after so much success, but I try my best to say that I trust Ruben. Juan was a great player, so we’ll see what happens.  

Placido Polanco -  Polanco is just awesome.  He’s a career .300 hitter and phenomenal fielder.  I was just thrilled when the Phillies signed him last winter.  He’s a great addition to the top of our lineup.  Polly is from Santo Domingo and graduated from Santa Clara High School which is apparently just a few minutes from my resort.  Kinda cool.  

Abraham Nunez – I remember just two things about Abraham, he helped turn a long triple-play, and he would ground into a double-play basically every time he was at bat. 

Jose Mesa – Joe Table.  Your first stint with the Phillies was pretty good actually.  I appreciated the 80 some odd saves you got us in the early 2000′s, too bad we stunk so bad then that it didn’t really matter. In 2007 Jose was part of the team that got the Phillies their first NL East crown in 15 years, but it was a pretty down year for him.

Here are some other players that came from the Dominican Republic.  I think that in 10 years a couple of these guys could have better numbers then even Sammy Sosa.   Julio Franco and Manny are the only ones that have numbers that can rival Sammy, but with the rest we’ll see. 

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Julio Franco – Albert Pujols – Manny Ramirez – Pedro Martinez – David Ortiz – Jose Bautista – Jose Reyes – Hanley Ramirez – Felipe Alou – Adrian Beltre – Robinson Cano – Nelson Cruz- Edwin Encarnacion – Vladimir Guerrero – Christian Guzman – Ubaldo Jimenez – Juan Marichal – Carlos Pena – Aramis Ramirez – Alfonso Soriano – Juan Uribe – Jose Valverde – George Bell – Miguel Tejeda – Jhonny Peralta

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First Feels Great!

8 Sep

_sept71.jpgThere sure where a lot of Pittsburgh Pirates fans in attendance as the Phillies fought their way into first place tonight at Citizens Bank Park.  Fans watched the out of town scoreboard and roared louder and louder as the Brave’s chances of a win slipped away.  The 5-0 loss for the Braves combined with the 8-7 victory for the Phillies meant that the boys in red pinstripes were going to go to sleep tonight in first place in the N.L. East, a spot that had eluded them since May 30th.

That’s 71 games and 100 days, if you’re counting.

“It’s always good to be in first place,” Manuel said after the game. “That’s the only way to live.”

It wasn’t an easy win as the Florida Marlins would not go quietly, regaining the lead in the third and then knotting it up in the eighth. 

The Phillies offense, though streaky at times knows when to turn it on. 

After blowing the lead in the eighth inning the Phillies did what they do best.  They came back.  Shane Victorino, who homered in the fifth, had a two-out single and stolen base in the eighth, and then scored the go-ahead run on a single by Placido Polanco.  Ryan Madson, who Charlie Manuel was trying to avoid using, came back out in the ninth to lock down the win.

Closer Brad Lidge was unavailable as he is nursing a sore elbow that the Phillies are downplaying saying that he is “Definitely” going to be available by Friday.

Raul Ibanez finished 3-for-4 with a homer and drove in three runs, while
Shane and Howard also added solo shots for the Phillies, who have taken
seven of their last nine overall. 

“It’s only a half-game, and Atlanta’s not going anywhere,” starter Joe
Blanton said. “We just have to keep playing as hard as we have been.”

Side Notes –

Cole Hamels (9-10) will go for the Phillies tonight against the Fish, and for the series win.

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