The Phillies have won two in a row at the hands of the surging Pirates looking to make it three at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday. This comes along with the good news that Chase Utley hit a mammoth home run in Triple A and is on the verge of returning. This series comes off the heels of the disappointing loss of both games of a double header on Sunday where Charlie Manuel got testy with the media while being questioned for his in game strategy. Manuel took Cole Hamels out of a one run game in the 8th inning after walking two of the first three batters he faced. Manuel brought in Antonio Bastardo who surrendered a homer to Carlos Pena on the first pitch he threw. Manuel also brought Michael Martinez in to pinch hit when some thought Juan Pierre would have been a better option. Joe Madden out foxed Manuel when he intentionally walked Jim Thome who pinch hit in the 8th. The intentional pass tied Thome with Mickey Mantle for 7th place on the all time walks list, but in the context of the Phillies-Rays game it was important because it was an unexpected and shrewd move on Maddon’s part , first base wasn’t open and more importantly it limited Charlie Manuel’s bats off the bench later in the 8th.
The Phillies returned home to face a Pirate team which has been hot of late. The Phillies won game 1 in the battle for the Keystone State in convincing fashion 8-3. Joe Blanton got his 7th win on fireworks night in South Philly and was aided by Jimmy Rollins who continued to swing a hot bat who led off the game with a double and scored on a Hunter Pence single and homered in the 4th inning. The Pirates didn’t help their situation by committing 4 errors. Game two was closer, with the Phillies pulling out a 5-4 victory. Vance Worley earned his 4th victory of the year, allowing three runs on 6 hits through 6 innings. Carlos Ruiz continued his outstanding season at the plate hitting his 10th home run of the season, a career high, Ty Wigginton also homered. Perhaps more important to most Phillies fans is the news that Chase Utley could be returning to the lineup on Wednesday. He went two for five with a 400 ft home run in Triple A Lehigh Valley and said he feels good and ready to return to the regular line up. This is what Phillies fans have been waiting for all season, the absence of their 3 and 4 hitters has left morale low and offensive production lower, Utley’s return could also spark fan interest as attendance has slowly began to decline at the typically full Citizens Bank Park. Whether or not the Phillies will be getting the five time all star and powerful left hand bat back or the older looking player with sore knees is yet to be determined. It will probably be somewhere in between but it will take a monumental effort for the Phillies to get back into the playoff picture, the slow start never really picked up and now they would have to win 2-3 games in every series for the rest of the season to make up the necessary ground. It’s unlikely, but strange things happen in this game, if Ryan Howard can return and return to form and Doc Halladay comes back and dominates the Phillies may have a prayer. Cliff Lee would have to start winning some games, not exactly a ridiculous request of a man making over 100 million dollars.

The Phillies are looking to get their 10 game home stand off on a positive note by sweeping the stumbling Rockies at home. The fans in South Philly haven’t had much to cheer about this year, the Phillies have been one of the worst home teams in Major League Baseball this year and with the trade deadline approaching there are still questions swirling around the team and its future. For the moment though things have been on the uptick. Granted the Rockies are 1-11 in their last 12 games and are missing their best player, star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, but a series sweep is a series sweep and the Phil’s are on the cusp of their first since taking two in a row from the Cubs in mid May. In game 1 Cole Hamels won is tenth decision of the year, giving him almost a third of the Phillies wins and continuing his fantastic pitching. The question will soon become should the Phillies trade one of their three aces to gain more pieces at the trading deadline or should they hold on to him and try to sign him in the off season when he becomes a free agent. Perhaps they should consult the Orlando Magic, but in the mean time Hamels has been sensational and I would imagine most Phillies fans would prefer him to stick around, but with each victory and brilliant performance the price tag and leverage for Cole and his agent grows. Carlos Ruiz has been another bright spot for the Phillies. How this man is third on the National League All Star voting for catchers is borderline criminal, besides his always outstanding defense behind the plate and above average throwing arm he’s had a career year at the plate, batting .354 with 9 home runs, 38 RBI and an OBP of .422. Like Hamels he came up big on Tuesday night with a key double in the 5th and a homer in the 7th to seal the deal for the Phillies while Jimmy Rollins continued his hot play of late with 3 runs, 2 hits and 2 walks.
Wednesday night saw the Phil’s grab another victory taking advantage of a late error by the typically smooth fielding veteran Todd Helton to secure a 7-6 victory. This one got a little closer than it should have though, Jonathon Papelbon gave up a tie breaking single to Dexter Fowler in the ninth but the Phillies came back in their half of the last inning. The Phil’s were down to the their last out and it appeared to be all but over until off season acquisition Ty Wigginton singled which was followed by a double off the wall curtsey of Hunter Pence which drove Wigginton in. Carlos Ruiz was intentionally walked and Shane Victorino beat out an infield single. Placido Polanco then hit a grounder to short which should have ended the game. Marco Scutaro’s throw was a little high, but Todd Helton was able to snag it, the only problem was that he wasn’t touching first base. This sort of late inning rally based on timely hitting and a little luck are the types of victories the Phillies have been searching for all year. It could be a positive sign and possibly something that could kick start a run for the Phillies during their ten game home stand. One negative that came out of the victory is Papelbon. He is a perfect 17-17 in save situations with an ERA of 0.00. In non save situations, however he has given up 7 earned runs in 10 and 1/3rd innings, a pretty scary distinction. As the Phillies try and close the deal on a sweep tonight they may be able to use this momentum and hope they can get a good outing out of Vance Worley at Citizens Bank Park tonight.

Interleague play has not been kind to the Fightin Phil’s thus far. After losing 6 in a row, 2 to the Marlins and 4 in a row to the Dodgers, they then took a short bus ride down I-95 to Baltimore to play the upstart Orioles who were occupying first place in the A.L. East for what seems like the first time since about 1996. Since then they have dropped to third place with the Yankees surging and assuming their typical role atop the consistently deep division, but they didn’t play that way against the Phillies. After winning the first game of series 9-6 the Phils dropped the next two, both in extra innings. Game two saw a barrage of homers from the Phillies, Jimmy Rollins, Hector Luna and Jim Thome all went deep. Thome, back from the disabled list also singled later in the game as well. Unlike the homer binge which is unusual for Philadelphia this season, the Phillies committed 4 errors, 3 in fourth inning alone, which has been a problem all season.This game marked the first sell out of the season for the O’s with the crowd split about 50-50 between home town fans and Phillies fans which is typical in Baltimore, a long time vacation spot for Yankee and Red Sox fans looking for cheap and abundant tickets to see their favorite team. Adam Jones would oblige the home fans with a walk off home run to end a slump of his own. The next night saw another close heart breaker for the Phillie’s fans who took the trip to Baltimore. Cliff Lee remained winless which is one of the most mind boggling developments of this season, the Orioles again walked off with another big hit, this time a double by catcher Matt Wieters. The Phillies committed another error and left 10 men on base, going 3-11 with runners in scoring position.
Interleague then took the Fightin Phils to Minnesota where the Phillies dropped the opener in this series, 11-7. Kyle Kendrick took the loss giving up six runs on eight hits. The Phillies left 10 men on base again. The Phillies hung in them game and chipped away at the Twins early 5-0 lead, Jimmy Rollins had four hits and two RBI, but the Phillies couldn’t put together a complete solid game. The Phillies are now 9 ½ games out of first place in the N.L. East while they await the return of Roy Halladay, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Despite his once untouchable fan following in Philadelphia some of the Phillies faithful have began to grown impatient with Utley who hasn’t been completely healthy in about 2 and half seasons. The team and he have been fairly vague in their descriptions of his progress and status and some believe the fans have been strung along with false hope. Utley is continuing his rehab assignment and the Phillies could certainly use his bat or at least whatever is left of it to try and secure a playoff spot. They would have to take advantage of the second wild card spot available for the first time this season as the division seems to be about out of reach as June is creeping by. The Phillies have some head scratching issues though that may not be fixed simply by plugging Howard and Utley in the lineup. They have one of the worst home records in MLB, which is odd considering the support the Philadelphia fans provide. That support could also transform into pressure but that didn’t seem to bother the team in the past. They also have been plagued by poor defense and constant errors, which certainly doesn’t help a pitching staff already stretched thin by injury and a struggling offense. Whatever the solution the Phillies are still alive and if they do somehow worm they’re way into the play offs they can still be dangerous in a short series with their starting pitching.

The Phillies had an opportunity to keep their heads above the .500 mark for the season but a late game rally by the Dodgers at the hands of the 50 million dollar reliever Jonathon Papelbon dashed those hopes. Vance Worley made his return from the DL and was shaky in the early going, walking two and surrendering two hits in the first which lead to two runs, one of them driven in by former Phillie Bobby Abreau, who drove Andre Ethier in with a single. Things weren’t much better to start the second as Worley gave up a double to Adam Kennedy which was followed up by a sacrifice from Clayton Kershaw and an infield single from Dee Gordon who would prove to be the villain of the night for the Phil’s. This stretched the Dodger lead to three which, given the nature of the Phillies offense at times this season can be all a team needs especially with a pitcher of Kershaw’s caliber on the mound.
The Phillies offense came alive in the bottom of the third though when John Mayberry Jr. doubled to deep left and Freddy Galvis drove him home with a single. Worley moved Galvis over to second and Jimmy Rollins popped out, but Placido Palanco came through with the clutch hit of the night for the Phillies with a game tying two run homer to left field.
The score would stay knotted up at 3 until the ninth when Charlie Manuel brought in Jonathon Papelbon who is 15-15 in save situations this year but hasn’t fared nearly as well in non save situations. In keeping with this trend Papelbon gave up a triple to Dee Gordon, one pitch after Papelbon thought he struck out Gordon on a pitch on the inside corner. Umpire, D.J. Reyburn called it a ball and Gordon ripped his triple on the next pitch. Elian Herrera drove home Gordon with a go ahead single on the next at bat and the Phillies failed to muster any sort of offense in their last licks in the ninth.
Papelbon later ripped the Ump claiming he had a direct outcome on the game with his blown call. To be frank this is a weak cop out from Papelbon who has not pitched as well as his 15 saves would indicate. Only three of his saves have protected one run leads, and situations like these are equally as important, preserving a tie and giving your offense a chance to win or at least extend the game to extra innings is as much the task of the closer at is to preserve a lead, which is why the accepted baseball doctrine states you bring your closer in during a tie game in the 9th. Blaming the Ump is a cop out when that specific call didn’t determine the outcome of the game; Papelbon had the ball with another chance to get Gordon out. The game didn’t end with that call; if Papelbon does his job the call is irrelevant. That also didn’t force Papelbon to give up the single to Herrera which ended up being the winning run. Shaky pitching in the early innings and a failure to close and come up with clutch hits did the Phillies in on Monday night, not a Triple A umpire who was calling his first big league game.

Chase Utley is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment Monday in Clearwater, Florida. He has spent the past months trying to strengthen his chronically sore knees which have limited the star second basemen’s productivity and ability to stay on the field over the past two and a half seasons. As a result of losing Utley and 1st basemen Ryan Howard the Phillies usually potent offense has become stagnant and struggled for the majority of the season. They have also not been getting the production from their starting pitching that everyone expected. Cliff Lee is still without a win for the season which seemed unimaginable in spring training. Roy Halladay is out for approximately 7 more weeks and before he was injured he had a losing record at 4-5. Cole Hamels is having a typical stellar season with a record of 8-2 and an ERA of 2.81, but even that positive has a dark cloud hanging over it with Hamel’s contract situation looming. Still all in all the Phillies are weathering the storm and are keeping their playoff hopes afloat.
Utley’s return could spark the offensive production and team morale though the hopes seem tempered given the chronic nature of his injuries and the drop off of his power numbers in the past two seasons. Still, even without Utley and Howard who was the team’s main power threat and one of the best hitting 1st basemen in the big leagues, the Phillies offense has been improving. Their currently ranked 15th in runs, 5th in batting average, 14th in on base percentage and 15th in slugging percentage, all improvements. Carlos Ruiz has had a spectacular season at the plate to go along with his usually exceptional defense and throwing arm. Hunter Pence, despite some poor at bats early in the season has generally lived up to expectations in South Philly and played well this year, ranking 4th in the N.L. with 13 homers and 2nd in the N.L. in runs with 40. He also leads the team in home runs and runs, R.B.I. (34) and O.P.S. (.842).
The record is improving as well. The Phill’s took three out of four from the Cardinals on Memorial Day Weekend and followed it up by taking two out of three from the Mets. This past weekend saw the surging Marlins come to Citizens Bank Park and win two of three which featured a Cole Hamels loss and a deep Carlos Zambrano home run to go along with his victory on Sunday. Vance Worley will be making his return for the Phillies tonight against the Dodgers, in Philadelphia. He’ll be facing Dodger’s ace Clayton Kershaw. Despite their last place standing in the surprisingly tough N.L. East the Phillies are only three and a half games out of first place with the Nationals, Mets and Marlins knotted up at the top. If they can get quality pitching from Lee, Hamels and Worley and continue to hold on offensively until they get Howard and Utley back a veteran team with a winning pedigree like this Phillies group could be a troubling match up come October.

The Phillies pulled their record to .500 with a 9-2 win over the Cubs in Wrigley. They got the win behind Kyle Kendrick who last week played the goat in an embarrassing game three loss to the Mets as they swept the Phillies in South Philly. Kendrick turned things around when getting his first start in 2 weeks, going 6 innings giving up 1 earned run and allowing three hits. He even helped his own cause by delivering a single in the 5th inning.
Carlos Ruiz continued to swing a hot bat by breaking a 2-2 tie with a solo home run in the 8th inning that was followed by Hector Luna’s first career grand slam. Offensive outbursts as well as a win are both welcome sights for the Phils and their fans as both have been in short supply thus far this season. The Phillies have now won four in a row and despite still being in last place in the N.L. East finally have some momentum to ride as the days of May dwindle and the pivotal summer months of June and July approach. Despite the hope that the return of Howard and Utley represents Phillies fans can’t depend on them producing the kind of offensive firepower the fans in South Philly have been accustom to seeing over the past few seasons, so establishing some rhythm and confidence without the two injured sluggers could be key for this team making a late season push.
It was all peachy for the Phillies; Vance Worley missed his start on Wednesday night and was placed on the 15 day DL with elbow inflammation. Another one of Phillies starting rotation to the hit the DL, his injury doesn’t appear to be serious though.

Philly fans are noted for their venom towards rivals and they have plenty across the spectrum of the four major sports played in the City of Brotherly Love. The Cowboys and Giants are the enemies on the gridiron and foils that have historically prevented the beloved birds from winning a Super Bowl. The Sixers have the Celtics and to a lesser degree the Knicks, while the Flyers have the Penguins, Rangers and Devils.

The Phillies don’t really have a historic rival, due in large part to a period of ineptitude but during their resurgence of late they have developed a rivalry with the Mets, albeit a one sided one, with the Phillies playing the role of school yard bully and the Mets being the one getting their lunch money taken. This dominance is just one of the reasons being swept by the Mets is so galling for Phillies fans.

Making matters worse is the fact that they had the lead in the ninth inning of their first of the three game series only to see off season acquisition Jonathon Papelbon give up a three run home run to a rookie pinch hitter. They also had the lead in the 7th inning of game 2 only to see it evaporate due to blunders in the field and timely hitting from the Mets and David Wright who had two hits and two RBI. The trend continued in game three of the series with the Mets spoiling Cliff Lee’s return from the DL. Lee allowed two runs on five hits through six innings, but Kyle Kendrick couldn’t hold the lead Lee gave him and the Mets were able to sneak away with a sweep.

The Philly fans weren’t the only ones disgruntled by the performance; usually low key manager Charlie Manuel called a team meeting after the loss. The Phillies have struggled throughout the young season, especially at the plate with the absence of their three-four hitters, but this loss had rock bottom written all over it. It was the third game of a series to a division rival where you’ve already blown two games.

If ever there was a time to sharpen your focus it would be at home in front of fans who are expecting more then you’ve been delivering. What those fans got instead was Kyle Kendrick allowing the tying run to score by plunking a pinch hitter with the bases loaded. An RBI groundout later gave the Mets the lead, but that’s not the worst of it. The next inning Kendrick would return amid boos and gave up a double to David Wright who was driven in by Scott Hairston on his double. Kendrick was relieved by Jose Contreras who didn’t fare much better. Hunter Pence fumbled a routine fly ball and one batter later Ike Davis blasted a home run.

Things have been looking up since though. The Phils have reeled off four out of five – granted against the Padres and Astros – but four wins nonetheless. The issues these loses illuminate can be productive to a point but they’re really nothing the Phillies weren’t aware of. The bullpen was the guiltiest party, blowing leads their aces handed them and the Phillies are done if they start losing games where they get solid performances from their starters. Papebon has been a good addition but he’s really not much of an upgrade and the rest of the relief core outside of Bastardo is dismal. The offense has been inconsistent and stagnant at times, with Hunter Pence leading the way with 9 homers and 25 RBI despite some bad at bats during their slide. Carlos Ruiz has also been hitting well posting a .337 BA along with 23 RBI. Pence also provided some thrills Tuesday night when he hit a walk off homer against his former team to make up for another costly error. This win had some significance since it allowed the Phillies to end a drought of three game winning stenches. It has been 37 games without a three game streak which was the longest such streak to start a season since 1971. The Phillies have some momentum going into a series with Chicago at Wrigley before welcoming the Red Sox to Citizens Bank Park which will feature a Cliff Lee-Josh Beckett rematch from last year.

The Phillies rough spring continues as they manage to split their series with the Cubs at Citizens Bank Park. Vance Worley led the way with another solid performance and Placido Polanco dazzled with his glove and came through with the bat as the Phillies continue to be mediocre against poor competition. Polanco delivered a tie breaking two run double in eighth after totaling just two RBI in his first 71 at bats. Worley continued to build upon his 11-3 rookie season which prompted the Phillies to withhold him as a potential trade piece for Carlos Beltran. Depending on whom you ask that may or may not have been a good move considering how putrid the Phillies offense has been thus far this season. Not that Vance hasn’t been holding up his end of the bargain, he currently leads the team in strike outs and has given up only 2 runs in his last 20 innings pitched, last night he continued on this trend giving up 1 run and 5 hits with 5 strikeouts. Beltran has also had an outstanding year thus far and it’s debatable which would be more valuable to the Phillies at the moment, another bat or another starter in their already stocked rotation.
Closing out this series with a win was big since the Phil’s since they now begin a series in Atlanta against the division rival Braves. The Cub’s series was an up and down one very similar to their season. They lost the series opener 5-1 then won the next game 5-2, then lost the next 5-1. Typical for the Phillies this year they scored a combined 2 runs in their 2 loses. The offensive stats haven’t improved much they currently rank 27th in runs, 15th in BA, 27th in OBP and 25th in slugging percentage. The stagnant production has caused former Phillies manager Larry Bowa and former fan favorite Daren Dolton to question the approach the Phillies players are taking to the batter’s box, calling for more patience at the plate and imploring the hitters to work the count more and force the opposing pitchers to work. Certainly the absence of Howard and Utley play a major role in the offensive struggles but whether or not Utley can ever regain his form as one of the most deadly left handed hitters in the game remains to be seen and the time table for Howards return this season continues to see saw.
The longer the hitting woes continue the more pressure will be placed on the pitching staff, which is currently shorthanded with Cliff Lee missing another start with a strained oblique muscle. Howie Kendrick filled in and pitched well on Sunday striking out 7 while allowing 2 runs on 5 hits over 6 innings but a lack of run support did the Phil’s in. The Phillies struck out ten times and scored their only run from a bases loaded walk. They also committed an error which doesn’t make things easier on the pitching staff which is under enough pressure since the bats aren’t producing. They head south to Atlanta and give the ball to Cole Hamels hoping he can turn the tides for the Phillies.

The Phillies find themselves in a curious position, an identity crisis of sorts. That may be a stretch given their stout starting pitching which could be very easily labeled their identity. However there is no denying that throughout their recent run of dominance they have also had a powerful and intimidating offense to go along with their pitching, something that made them the popular pick in the N.L. for the past 5 years. Things have changed in South Philly this spring though, the once powerful Philly offense has been diminished to one of the most putrid in baseball and now one of their ace’s, Cliff Lee is on the 15 day DL.
The Phillies find themselves in the basement of the N.L. East at 7-10, after they avoided a sweep at home at the hands of the lowly Mets they went on the road to face rival San Francisco where they lost 2 out of 3, the third of which was a heart breaker where Cliff Lee threw 10 scoreless innings but still couldn’t get a decision since Matt Cain matched his brilliance. While there’s no denying that Cain is an ace now with the contract to match his reputation the loss is a microcosm of what has been plaguing the Phillies all season long, an almost nonexistent offense. After losing their last game in the Giants series where they failed to score a run they followed that up by putting up a goose egg in their next game and then scored 1 run in their next three games. The currently rank 29th in runs, 20th in Batting Average, 27th in On Base Percentage and 27th in Slugging Percentage. Perhaps the issue is statewide, there are 5 teams in the Major League’s that have scored more runs then the Phillies and Pirates combined. More likely the issue revolves around Ryan Howard and Chase Utley’s injuries and absence in the lineup, the troubling part of that explanation for Phillies fans is that it’s questionable that either will return this season and if they do how effective will they be? Jimmy Rollins and Hunter Pence were carrying the offense in the opening week but now those two have experienced a slide of late, Pence’s average has slipped to .258 and his on base percentage has dropped to .313. Slumps are a natural part of baseball and not necessarily a cause for concern, but with the team’s offense in its current state any further fall off is scary.
The Phillies have just finished a four game set with the Padres, splitting the series and not surprisingly the two games they lost they scored a combined two runs. The bats woke up in their series opener against the Diamondbacks, where they scored five runs; the only problem was the Diamondbacks scored nine. They’ll be leaning on Vance Worley who pitched a brilliant game his last outing, and will most likely need to replicate that performance if the Phillies hitting woes are going to continue.

One of the most oft repeated phrases in Major League clubhouse’s each April is “it’s still early”, its frequently said because it’s true. The small sample size isn’t yet large enough to draw any definitive conclusions about any player or team, but as teams finish up their first 10 games the expiration date on “it’s still early” is fast approaching. The Phillies rocky start is slightly jarring given the team has lorded over the N.L. East for a few years now, but as we already know it’s still early and the consensus is this is still going to be one of the teams to beat in the senior circuit.
The main reason for this is the starting pitching which is arguably the best in baseball, Halladay, Lee and Hamels is as dominant a threesome as you’ll find, on the flip side there’s the injuries to Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, the cornerstones to this Phillies offense which has played a major role in the Phillies recent dominance in the N.L. East. As we stand thus far the Phillies are 5-5 in 4th place in the division, losing early series to the Pirates and Mets, ESPN’s Buster Olney noted in spring training that the Phillies had one of the more favorable schedules early in the season, labeling it a “launching pad”. It started out more like a stumbling block, but it appears the Phillies have begun to right the ship. Last night Roy Halladay improved to 3-0 out dueling fellow ace Tim Lincecum leading the Phillies to a 5-2 victory in San Francisco, where the Doc struck out six and allowed seven hits through eight innings pitched. This pulled the Phils to .500 and the notoriously demanding Philly fans are hoping the wins will come in greater abundance going forward.
The concerns about the offense remain as Philadelphia currently ranks 27th in runs scored and 24th in on base percentage without the right side of their infield. The offense has received help from another member of their veteran core, shortstop Jimmy Rollins who’s hitting .351 which leads the team. Last year’s prized trade deadline acquisition Hunter Pence is picking up where he left off leading the team in HR, RBI and on base percentage. Jim Thome was signed in the offseason to provide some power off the bench but the veteran slugger had started slowly, with 1 hit in his first 10 at bats. Another bench acquisition Ty Wigginton has helped the Phillies replace some of the power they lost at first with Howard out, Wigginton is not only versatile in the field, with the ability to play first, third and some outfield, he’s also producing at the plate, in 7 games and 18 at bats he’s totaled 4 hits which include a double and homer, 4 runs and 5 RBI, which has him tied with Pence for the team lead in home runs and RBI’s.
As previously mentioned the starting pitching is expected to be what holds the team together throughout the season. Roy Halladay is 3-0 with an ERA of 1.17 and Cole Hamels is 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA and leads the team with 19 strikeouts. Cliff Lee has gotten off to a rough start by his standards, with a 0-1 record and a 3.46 ERA and 11 strikeouts, on the bright side Lee is sporting a team best whip of 0.69