Tag Archives: Utley

Bullpen Stinks it up in Utley’s Return

28 Jun

Chase Utley made a triumphant return to the Phillies lineup on Wednesday night, and did not disappoint.

It could not have been scripted better for Utley, who silenced his doubters with a big home run to the deepest part of right field in his first at bat (Carlos Ruiz followed that at bat with a homer, too). Chase followed that homer with a single in the sixth, and seventh inning, as the Phillies fought their way back into the game.

Chase looked fantastic in the field, and ran the bases hard.

However, it wasn’t much fun after that.

The Phillies had no pitcher as a result of the day/night doubleheader they played on Sunday, so it was upto the bullpen to stretch out and go the distance.

No surprises here.  They were terrible.

The Pen coughed up 11 runs to a sad Pirates offense that hasn’t scored that many runs since  Sept 22, 2010 vs. St. Louis.

The worst performance to me was Chad Qualls.  To be quite honest with you I don’t know how this guy is still hanging around.  Qualls ERA is now 4.63. (31.1 IP, 16 ER). His home ERA is 5.82 (17 IP, 11 ER).  I saw all the references to Danys Baez, and  Adam Eaton last night on Twitter, and think the comparison is pretty spot on.

Joe Savery was pretty awful as well, and after the game was optioned back to AAA making way for  to righty Brian Sanches who had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley.  Savery had pitched in 17 games this season with the Phillies, they won zero of those games.

Rumor has it that lefty Jeremy Horst is with the Phillies this morning too, but  no word on what that’s about.   You may remember that Jeremy Horst was the pitcher the Phillies received in exchange for Wilson Valdez.

Today’s game is at 1:05 with Kyle Kendric 2-7, 5.24 ERA facing A.J. Burnett 8-2, 3.24 ERA.  Burnett has really shined with the Pirates, and has enjoyed his new life out of the spotlight of New York City.

“It was a good first step,” Utley said after his long awaited return. “Obviously, winning could have been more ideal, but we’ll come back at ‘em tomorrow.”

Here is hoping for a series win, and not a split.

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It’s Tough Getting Started

11 Apr

Boy, it’s been tough getting things going this season.  Like the Phillies, I’ve been dragging my feet on the start of the season, but here I am in front of the computer once again with some motivation, so let’s get to it.

Alright, the 6-2 loss was a litte difficult to watch on Monday.  I was at the game, and I’ll have to say when you factor the weather, and play of the Phillies it may have been one of the worst games I’ve been to.  Considering the last (Home) game I was at was Game 2 of the 2011 NLDS, I think that may be saying something.

Wednesday won’t be any easier with Josh Johnson on the hill for the Marlins.  Sure the Phillies are countering with Roy Halladay, but Johnson is no slouch, and he wasn’t so great on Opening Night for the Marlins, so I’m certain he’s looking to rebound in a big way.

There is plenty of doom and gloom surrounding this season.  I don’t know if it’s necessarily panic time yet, but I’m a little worried.  This team looks like it still needs time to gel.  We have a collection of guys that are not used to doing what they normally do, and they are hitting in spots they don’t normally hit.  That being said these new roles will take a bit of adjustment.  Also, this lineup is weaker then it ever has been.  Without the power threats of Ryan Howard, and Chase Utley interjected in the lineup opposing pitchers are able to choose their battles, and don’t have to pitch to Jimmy, Shane, and Hunter like they normally would.  These guys are not going to get nearly as many good pitches to hit as they would with Howard, and Utley in the lineup.

Makes me wish we had gotten Michael Cuddyer…

One thing is for sure, we’re not going to be able to count on the starters to throw a shutout each game. I know that I was immediately concerned after the Marlins took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Monday, because I didn’t know if the Phillies would be able to bounce back.  They didn’t, and really never had any good chances.

I think we  know why the 2010 Giants called their season “Torture.”

2011 was probably the year for the Phillies.  They were able to basically cruise to the finish line (I mean they basically mailed it in the last two weeks) and they still managed to set a franchise record for wins in the regular season.  Right now I still think Charlie is trying to find out what works.  So far in the four games we have had, he’s had four different guys play first base.

Look, I think that the Phillies should have left Pittsburgh with a sweep, but a few errors cost them on Saturday, and Sunday and that’s something that needs to be addressed.  If you play clean baseball, without errors, you’re going to significantly increase your chances of winning ball games.  Is that possible when guys are playing different postions each game, I really don’t know.  If you’re reading this for answers, then I have to tell you, you’re in the wrong place.

I think that this team just needs more time, and one good breakout game to loosen things up a bit.  Jumping on top of a pitcher like Johnson tonight would be a pretty good time to start, but I’m not so sure that’s in the cards.

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Phils Lose a Heartbreaker

20 Aug

It was a familiar situation with a strange twist on Friday when the Phillies began their series against the Washington Nationals in D.C.  The Phillies had to wait over two hours on Thursday to finish their game with the Diamondbacks when it was interrupted by rain, and Friday was no different…. Sorta.

Why they even started this game, I don’t really know.  With storms in the area it wouldn’t make much sense to start the game if they were only going to get the first three batters to the plate, but of course that’s exactly what happened.  Whether it changed the outcome of the game, I really don’t know, but I really don’t like the situation it presented for our pitchers.

Roy Oswalt was scheduled to start this game, and technically he did.  According to the books Oswalt will be listed as the starting pitcher of this game even though he never even walked out to the hill.  After the rains had passed the Phillies sent Kyle Kendrick out to pitch even though Kendrick was scheduled to start on Saturday in place of Cole Hamels.

The Phillies decided to keep Oswalt out of the game and start him on Saturday, and given his injuries from this season, I think it makes perfect sense for them to treat him with a little extra care.

Now back to Kendrick.  Kyle Kendrick’s versatility is really awesome. This kid has been flying under the radar as far as his importance to the team this season. Kyle pitched six innings and held the Nationals to just two runs.  Whether it be as a spot starter, starter, relief pitcher, long man, or whatever need be that day, Kyle has really played a great role in the successes of the Phillies this season.  At just over 97 innings on the season Kendrick’s ERA is just 3.24.

The Phillies held a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the ninth thanks to some offensive efforts from John Mayberry Jr, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Ruiz. Still it wasn’t enough for Ryan Madson who had an off night.

Madson surrendered six runs on five hits in the ninth inning.  The nail in the coffin was the walk off grand slam hit by Ryan Zimmerman.

It’s hard to pin this loss on someone.  Madson has been pretty busy out of the pen, pitching in the Phillies last three games.  The bats fell silent after the third inning, but given that the Phillies lost by four runs it may not have mattered.  Regardless of who’s fault it may be, it was a pretty tough loss, but today is a new day.

Side Notes - 

Holds - Before Ryan Madson came in for the save Brad Lidge, and Antonio Bastardo each earned holds.  Lidge needed just seven pitches to get through the 7th.

The 9th – Before this week the Phillies were 66-1 going into the 9th with a lead, but this week they are just 2-2.

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Utley and Vance Shrink Giants

27 Jul

The Vanimal pitched the first ever complete game of his Major League career, and got his 5th consecutive win.

Vance Worley is proving himself far too useful to trade.  In his last seven starts he is 5-0 with a 1.14 ERA.  Opponents are hitting just .151 off of the Vanimal.

Rich Dubee wanted Charlie Manual to bring in Antonio Bastardo to finish the game, but Charlie had none of that.

“I was still letting him go,” Charlie said. “I wanted him to finish the game. I wanted him to finish the game for himself.”

We’re glad he did.

If Roy Oswalt can return to this rotation healthy they look to virtually unstoppable.

The offense didn’t let Vance down.  Homers from Howard, Mayberry, Raul Ibanez (3-run), and an inside-the-park home run from Chase Utley powered the Phillies to victory.

Since Tim Lincecum was scratched from last night’s game it’s still up in the air who will face Cole Hamels.  It  could be Tim, or it could be Matt Cain.  Either way, look for Hamels to come out guns blazing.

From the Elias Sports Bureau-

Vance’s studly start:

Vance Worley won his fifth straight start on Tuesday, tying the longest streak by any rookie pitcher this season. The Mets’ Dillon Gee won five straight starts in May and June. Worley is the first Phillies rookie to win five straight starts since Charles Hudson did it in the summer of 1983; the last longer streak was by Grover Alexander in 1911 (6 games).

Chase Utley’s inside-the-parker:

Chase Utley hit his third career inside-the-park home run on Tuesday, tying him for the highest total among active players. Bobby Abreu,Carl Crawford, David DeJesus and Jimmy Rollins also have three inside-the-parkers.

Curtsey of Elias Sports Bureau and ESPN

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Phils Have Work Cut Out for Them in Trade Talks

18 Jul

Trade talks are heating up around MLB, and you’re going to hear a lot of stuff out there about what the Phillies may, or may not do.  Even from me.

Charlie Manuel told Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com that he’d like to see the Phillies add a reliever and a bat this month. The skipper makes it clear that he’s looking for an upgrade, not just a lateral move. “If we’re going to get somebody, I want somebody good that will help us,“ Manuel said. “I don’t want someone we’ve already got.”

I’m trying not to read into this too much, but one thing that I think needs to be said is that no matter who the Phillies can trade for, reliever or bat, it’s not going to make a difference if the guys that we have in the lineup don’t do what they are supposed to do.

If Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins can’t find a way to get runs on the board then it won’t matter.

In my weekly column for PhilaPhans.com this week I said that I keep hearing all this “We don’t need to worry, we have the best record in baseball” stuff, but look where that got us last year.  I’d like our team to get past that.  The Phillies are batting .254 against righties and .234 against lefties.  It’s something that needs to be addressed if we want to make a deep run into the playoffs.

A trade could help this team for sure, but there are 25 other guys on this roster already that could make a big difference, too.

Tonight’s game in Chicago show some of the holes.  The back end of the bullpen is still pretty solid, but the middle relief is just plain bad.  I’m done with David Herndon and Andrew Carpenter. Some of this stress is coming because our long man, Kyle Kendrick, is starting because Roy Oswalt is on the disabled list.  I might just be leaning towards an arm over a bat.

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Phils Poised for Second Half?

15 Jul

The Phillies are ready to make their run for another championship. They currently have the best record in baseball and are 3 1/2 games up in the National League East. I wish I could say that they are healthy, but they are getting there. So what if any thing stands in there way? I thought that we could take a look at these things and then I would give you my predictions.

The Bullpen – This seems to be where a lot of the questions lie, so I figured I’d talk about this first.

It looks like Ryan Madson is ready for his return. Ryan has made some appearances with the Clearwater Threshers and has had success and feels good. Madson was a huge part of the Phillies first half and is pretty vital to their continued successes.

Brad Lidge appears to be progressing. He hasn’t had a lot of work, and his outings so far really havn’t been all that spectacular. On Thursday night Lidge made a rehab appearance with the Reading Phillies in Trenton and gave up two runs in 2/3 of an inning. Lidge allowed one hit, one walk, hit two batters and threw three wild pitches during the seventh inning before being taken out of the game. However, his outing on Monday was a perfect outing. Lidge was unhappy with his control, but said that his arm strength is getting better and that he thinks he’s feeling well enough that he could return to the Phillies pen during the Phillies next home stand which is next Friday when the San Diego Padres come to Philadelphia.

Jose Contreras is expected to return to the bullpen at some point this season, but it is unknown at this point when exactly that will be. Currently Contreras is not partaking in any baseball activities.

The rest of the pen seems to be healthy and you just have to hope that the Young Guns can continue to find success. It cannot be overstated how big Antonio Bastardo and Michael Stutes have been for the Phillies.

The Rotation – Charlie Manuel at the request of pitching coach Rich Dubee has shuffled the cards in the Phillies rotation to give Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee a little extra rest after the All-Star game which both of them participated in. The Phillies have activated Vance Worley, and will start him against R.A. Dickey and the Mets tonight in New York. Cole Hamels will go Saturday against the Jon Niese, and it hasn’t been said yet formally, but I’m hearing that Kyle Kendrick might start, and face Mike Pelfrey on Sunday. So Halladay and Lee have been pushed back.

Joe Blanton is still sidelined with an elbow injury and no timetable has been discussed for him to this point. If Blanton returns, don’t be surprised if it’s in a different capacity like the bullpen if Worley continues to progress as he has. Kyle Kendrick might just get a shot to stay in the rotation for a while, but there are a lot of “If’s” there.

The Phillies are also staying mum when it comes to Roy Oswalt. If Oswalt returns and can pitch well it would be a huge boost to the Phillies. I’m not high on Oswalt right now and if things don’t progress for him then I wouldn’t be surprised if he asks for his walking papers after the season ends. It’s pretty well documented that Oswalt has had strong feelings of an early retirement, but a deep run in the playoffs may just give him the itch to give it one last shot. Right now there is no timetable for Oswalt’s return either. I’m thinking that the end of August would be a fair guess.

The Lineup – Shane Victorino should be activated as soon as he is eligible. One could argue that Shane was the Phillies first half MVP, and his healthy return will be vital to the Phillies second half run.

Protection for Ryan Howard is another big issue for me. Ryan has had a pretty decent season despite little protection from the revolving door that is the 5-hole spot. I’m still pretty convinced that adding another bat to the lineup, in the form of a right-hander. I have some feeling that that spot may get filled through a trade, but for now Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino will need to find a way to offer Howard some help. Ibanez had a great series against the Braves, and let’s hope that that continues. Our corner outfielders have not have the seasons we expected.

Placido Polanco is a HUGE question mark for me. I think that Polanco can play through his injury but it’s not going to be pretty. Polly is dealing with a bulging disc in his back, and hasn’t been productive in over a month. It’s likely that he’s going to have to get a cortisone shot to help him manage his pain. Polanco has been a very productive hitter in his career, but as for as this season is concerned it’s going to be a daily question for him.

Ben Francisco and Domonic Brown have both had fairly disappointing seasons. Though they both come pretty cheap, the Phillies are going to have to try and procure some help in the outfield because I’m not fully convinced that John Mayberry Jr. is the answer. If they do make any sort of move it’s going to have to come in the form of a trade. The Phillies have next to no money to work with so Ruben Amaro Jr. is going to need to be creative.

With Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Madson’s expiring contracts the Phillies are going to want to use some of the money that is coming off the books in 2012 (Ibanez, and Lidge being the two biggies) to try to resign these two. The Phillies are also going to look into negotiating a long term deal with Cole Hamels. These things will make it hard for them to work something out this season.

Let’s not forget that Chase Utley is still playing with an injured knee. Proper rest is necessary for Utley because he really needs to step up his game and have a great second half.

Predictions - I don’t think that the Braves are going to go away quietly, but I do think that the Phillies have what it takes to fend them off until the end of September because they have plenty of question marks, too. My best guess is that the winner of the National League is going to come from the N.L. East, and that the two teams that will compete for a spot in the World Series are the Phillies, and the Braves.

Have a great Friday.

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Streak Ends at Seven

18 Jun

After four games in close to 48 hours with the Marlins, the Phillies shipped cross country to face the Mariners and their tough right handed rookie. I wondered before the start of this game if the Phils would have enough energy to contend against Seattle’s Michael Pineda. I can’t say that the Phils didn’t compete, but Pineda was just nasty, holding the Phillies hitless until the sixth inning.

Shane Victorino broke up Pineda’s no-no, and the Phillies proceeded to load the bases in the sixth but couldn’t manage to bounce Pineda who looked poised for a meltdown.

Oswalt wasn’t exactly effective either. Roy surrendered eight hits and four runs in 6 1/3 innings. Roy hasn’t quite looked the same since his return from the disabled list just over a month ago. His durability is there, but the late life on his fastball is not. Charlie Manual isn’t worried, so I guess I’m not either… Maybe just a little concerned.

“I think about that sometimes,”Charlie Manuel said. “I think there comes a time when the fastball – not all of it is there. But I think he’ll come out pretty soon and his fastball will be where it was. It’s just a matter of time before you see his fastball jump up. There’s nothing wrong with the way he’s throwing. I think that’s going to come.

But is Oswalt still having fun?

“Yeah,” he said simply.

Let’s hope he’s right.  The Phillies will surely need Oswalt if they aim to take a serious run at the title.

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Power Surge!

15 Jun

Gosh, who didn’t hit a homer for the Phils last night?

Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Domonic Brown all went yard on Tuesday.  Brown did it twice, and his second one was a moon shot.

Chris Volstad was throwing right down Broad Street, and the Phillies made him pay.

The cold and windy air were not enough to keep these balls in the yard.  It was the first time that the Phillies have hit five home runs in a game since June 10th of last year.

Let’s hope this continues!  The Marlins are a sad 1-12 in June, while the Phillies have won four straight.

Last night also marked the first time that the Four Aces have won consecutive games.

Back-to-back-to-back-to-back.

Don’t forget about the double-header today!

Game 1: Kyle Kendrick (3-4 3.47 ERA) vs. Elih Villanueva* (4-5 5.23 in AAA New Orleans)

Game 2: Roy Halladay (9-3 2.39 ERA) vs. Anibal Sanchez (6-1 3.06 ERA)

* Villanueva is making his Major League debut, but don’t count him out.  The Phils seem to struggle when they haven’t seen someone before.

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Utley Foundation Hits the Ground Running

8 Jun

Next to the Utleys are (from left to right) Susan Cosby, CEO, Pennsylvania SPCA; Denise Young, Pratt School principal; Shelley James, Assistant Executive Director, PHA; and Jane Golden, Executive Director, Mural Arts Program.

When he’s not making dazzling plays on the field in South Philadelphia with the Phillies, Chase Utley and his wife Jennifer, are out making our city a better place to win… For humans and animals alike.

In 2011, Jen and Chase created The Utley Foundation. The Utley Foundation was established to bring awareness to the increasing epidemic of animal cruelty. Their mission is to educate the community in the proper treatment of animals and raise funds for the fight against animal neglect, pain and suffering.

The Utley Foundation has been busy in this their first year.  Just recently they painted a beautiful mural in North Philadelphia (Located at 22nd and Dauphin Streets) with the help of students from Pratt Elementary School. The students, along side Principal Denise Young, painted the mural,on the side of a house that is owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority. The mural which is titled “Kindness to Animals” was dedicated recently with Chase and Jennifer Utley on hand.

Chase and his wife have been very active in the community since coming to Philadelphia, and with the creation of their foundation and it’s great supporters have been able to accomplish a lot.

Chase Utley also has teamed up with Citizens Bank Park  for the Citizens Bank Helping Hands Program to collect gently used baseball gloves for children in the Phillies Jr. RBI League.  Gloves will be collected all season long at Citizens Bank Park.

Mural Arts Program Executive Director Jane Golden (center) speaks during the dedication of the “Kindness to Animals” mural

“It’s always a pleasure to work with the Phillies Jr. RBI League program,” Utley said. “Baseball obviously means a great deal to me and I’m happy to see as many children as possible get their own chance to play the game thanks to the Citizens Bank Helping Hands glove donation program.”

To find out more about the Foundation, it’s events, and the work in the community that Jen and Chase are doing, please visit TheUtleyFoundation.com, or click on the image below.

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Should We Be Excited?

5 Jun

I keep saying how tough it is to be excited about the Phillies. Today’s win is a perfect example, and they actually won this one.

The Pittsburg Pirates area bad team, and we should beat them. Don’t be upset with me if I don’t say that this is a “Good win” like I’ve seen so many writers and websites say on the Internet tonight. This was a game we were supposed to win, and we did. So was Friday when Cole Hamels pitched a 1 hit gem.

In the past few years we have all been watching this team win like crazy. We’ve been watching the Phillies round the bases over and over, and put up 7-10 runs on a nightly basis. Now it’s a good night if they score more then three runs.  I’m still going to watch every game to the end, but I know plenty of people that will turn the game off if the Phillies are losing 3-1 after seven. That was never the case before.

The Phillies struggled through most of May, and have gone just 14-15 in their last 29. They went just 4-5 in this most recent road trip were they played three of the worst teams in all of baseball.  Right now I’m puzzled at the decisions that the Phillies are making.  Shifting all these players back between Lehigh Valley and the show (I’m only saying this because as I type I noticed that the Phillies sent Mayberry back down and are bringing Gload back on… Seems silly since Gload can’t even run).

I’m still to salty after this weekend to look at the positives from the weekend right now… tomorrow.

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