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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Blanton, Coste, Comebacks and more

Last night was one of those nights where you had your game story written by the end of the sixth inning, then spent the entire ninth inning hitting the delete key.

A few points to ponder:

1) So Taguchi came up huge, as any one watching the game is well aware of. What's interesting is that Taguchi wasn't the last hitter available. Eric Bruntlett was still on the bench. Taguchi was 0-for-16 as a pinch-hitter this year. Even more interesting is that Taguchi might not have been up had Charlie Manuel not been ejected. Bench coach Jimy Williams made the decision to put Taguchi in the game. Manuel was very complimentary afterward, both to Taguchi and to Williams.

2) Curious what the public reaction to Joe Blanton's start will be. All in all, it wasn't a terrible debut, even considering the fact that he gave up five runs. He never looked sharp. It seemed like he was behind in almost every count. But you also never got the feeling that he was going to implode. Certainly, the Phillies won't be satisfied with five runs in six innings every start. But I think its clear that the rotation has been upgraded. By how much, it remains to be seen.

3) Unsung hero of the game: Shane Victorino. The center fielder made a tremendous hustle play to reach second base safely on an apparent double play ball hit by Carlos Ruiz with the bases loaded and no out in the ninth. If Victorino dwadles down the basepath, the game is very much over there. Instead, he beats out the throw, slides in safely, and breaks up the relay to first. Oh yeah, he also hit a home run in the seventh. Off of Santana.

4) In the last two games against the Mets, the Phillies have scored 14 runs in the final three innings, versus three runs in the first six innings.

5) Caught up with Chris Coste prior to the game yesterday. He's currently mired in a 2-for-29 slump that included a pinch-hit strikeout last night. Coste isn't hurt - remember he had that nasty collision with Chris Duncan a week ago against St. Louis. He's just slumping. And believe me, he's well aware of the perception that as his playing time increases, his performance decreases.

6) Another very interesting game today. Sometimes baseball games are just baseball games. But sometimes the subplots are more interesting than the final score. Today is one of those days. Brett Myers returns to the mound. He didn't speak with the media yesterday, but really, it doesn't matter what he says. It's all about performance, and today is his first opportunity to prove that he has turned it around. Here's a question: what if Myers goes out there and gets lit up today? How much patience will the Phillies display with him the second time around? How much should they display?

Posted by David Murphy @ 12:15 PM  Permalink | 12 comments
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Blanton set to debut. . .but what about Cole?
While in New York, Chase Utley took filmed a commercial for Abbott Nutrition's EAS Myoplex. The commercials,which also feature Matt Hasselbeck, are scheduled to air later this year.

Good afternoon from Shea Stadium.

The skies are blue and the sun is shining and the temperature is in the 80's, which is a far cry from the setting when we last visited here in early April.

One thing that isn't different is the fact that Cole Hamels won't be on the mound. A lot of readers have emailed me asking why the Phillies haven't gone out of their way to make sure the lefty pitches against the Mets. He's had just one outing against them. Johan Santana, meanwhile, will be making his third appearance against the Phils tonight.

What gives?

Bill Conlin disagrees with the set-up, which you can read all about here.

The Phillies have said they wanted to make sure they got Hamels enough rest over the All-Star break. He was leading the NL in innings at the break, and he's had some injury history, so that was probably the leading concern. No doubt they wanted to get Jamie Moyer an appearance at Shea, where he has pitched very well over the course of his career. And Joe Blanton hasn't allowed a run in 15 career innings against the Metropolitans, so that makes sense. But Bill thinks they still should have found a way to get their ace lefty on the hill against their leading competition for the division.

^

Now, about Blanton. . .

I'm sure there isn't a Phillies fan out there who isn't interestested to see how he does tonight. He's pitched well in two lifetime appearances against the Mets, one in 2005 and one in 2007. The Phillies haven't set many expectations for Blanton, at least publicly, other than his reputation for eating up innings. It'll be interesting to see how he fits in here.

Here's a story on the 27-year-old righty in today's Daily News.

 

Posted by David Murphy @ 2:42 PM  Permalink | 13 comments
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Sunday morning odds and ends

Good morning/afternoon from Florida.

A few things to get to.

1) Brett Myers will indeed pitch Wednesday, manager Charlie Manuel confirmed today. That's not exactly a shocker, but its the first time anyone with the Phillies has definitively said that Myers will return to the rotation against the Mets.

2) Joe Blanton will make his Phillies debut Tuesday, the first game at Shea against the Mets. The newly-acquired righthander hasn't given up a run against New York in 15 career innings (two starts). He pitched eight scoreless innings against them last season.

3) Pedro Martinez will not pitch against the Phillies thanks to a sore groin.

Here are the match-ups:

Tuesday: LHP Johan Santana vs. RHP Joe Blanton

Wednesday: RHP John Maine vs. RHP Brett Myers

Thursday: LHP Oliver Perez vs. LHP Jamie Moyer

 

Posted by David Murphy @ 1:23 PM  Permalink | 9 comments
Friday, July 18, 2008
It's official - Eaton moves to the bullpen

It's official. Adam Eaton is no longer a member of the Phillies starting rotation. Pitching coach Rich Dubee and manager Charlie Manuel informed him of the decision when the Phillies arrived at Dolphins Stadium for their game against the Marlins.

Joe Blanton will likely start Tuesday night against the Mets, followed by Brett Myers.

More to come.

Posted by David Murphy @ 7:14 PM  Permalink | 9 comments
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Phillies acquire Blanton
Associated Press

The Phillies got help for their starting rotation, acquiring righthander Joe Blanton from Oakland for three minor leaguers -- infielder Adrian Cardenas, lefthander Josh Outman and outfielder Matt Spencer. Cardenas was the No. 2 prospect in the Phillies' system, according to Baseball America, and Outman was ranked No. 4.

Blanton, 27, once considered one of the A’s top young prospects, but has had a disappointing season thus far. He is 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA and has lost six of his last eight starts. He has a 3.87 ERA in 17 of his 20 starts and is tied for sixth in the American League in innings (127), having gone at least six innings in 16 starts. Blanton has the seventh-lowest run support average in the AL.

In his four-year career, Blanton is 47-46 with a 4.25 ERA.

One of his victories this season came against the Phillies on June 24. Blanton’s only mistake in seven innings was a Pat Burrell home run in the A’s 5-2 victory. 

"It's one of those deals where it's very bittersweet," Blanton told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I'm going to a very good team with a very good lineup. They're in the division hunt and they're out to win a championship, and that's what any player wants. But I've always been with the A's, and I have great relationships there. It's one of those double-sided coins."

Like Brett Myers did for the Phillies, Blanton was Oakland’s Opening Day starter. He gave up three runs in 6 2/3 innings in a loss to Boston in Japan. 

“We’ve been attempting to upgrade our rotation and we feel like we’ve done that,” Phillies assistant general manager Mike Arbuckle said in a statement. “We think Joe is a very strong, competitive pitcher that has the mental makeup to pitch productively in a pennant race. He pitches a lot of innings and takes some burden off the bullpen.”

Outman, 23, was 5-4 with one save and a 3.20 ERA in 33 games (5 starts) for Double A Reading.

Cardenas, 20, was hitting .309 in 67 games for Single A Clearwater.

Spencer, 22, was hitting .249 with six home runs and 41 RBI in 84 games for Clearwater.

Posted by Josh Barnett @ 7:12 PM  Permalink | 44 comments
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Cubs, Brewers favored to win NL Title

For what it's worth, here are some odds that were passed on to me by BoDog Sports (BoDog.com), an internet gambling web site.

Updated World Series Odds

Odds to win the 2008 World Series 

Boston Red Sox                        3/1

Chicago Cubs                            7/2

Tampa Bay Rays                       9/2

Los Angeles Angels                   7/1

Chicago White Sox                    12/1

Milwaukee Brewers                    12/1

Philadelphia Phillies                   14/1

New York Mets                          15/1

New York Yankees                    15/1

Los Angeles Dodgers                 17/1

Detroit Tigers                             18/1

Arizona Diamondbacks               25/1

Minnesota Twins                        25/1

St Louis Cardinals                      25/1

Florida Marlins                           35/1

Oakland Athletics                      40/1

Colorado Rockies                       60/1

Atlanta Braves                           100/1

Texas Rangers                          150/1

San Diego Padres                      150/1

San Francisco Giants                 150/1

Toronto Blue Jays                      200/1

Baltimore Orioles                       300/1

Cincinnati Reds                         300/1

Cleveland Indians                       300/1

Houston Astros                          300/1

Kansas City Royals                   300/1

Pittsburgh Pirates                      500/1

Washington Nationals                500/1

Seattle Mariners                        750/1

Odds to win the 2008 American League Pennant

Boston Red Sox                        7/5

Tampa Bay Rays                       2/1

Los Angeles Angels                   7/2

Chicago White Sox                    4/1

New York Yankees                    8/1

Minnesota Twins                        10/1

Detroit Tigers                             10/1

Oakland Athletics                      25/1

Cleveland Indians                       75/1

Texas Rangers                          100/1

Toronto Blue Jays                      100/1

Baltimore Orioles                       150/1

Kansas City Royals                   200/1

Seattle Mariners                        300/1

 Odds to win the 2008 National League Pennant   

Chicago Cubs                            3/2

Milwaukee Brewers                    7/2

Philadelphia Phillies                   11/2

New York Mets                          13/2

Los Angeles Dodgers                 15/2

St Louis Cardinals                      9/1

Arizona Diamondbacks               10/1

Florida Marlins                           15/1

Colorado Rockies                       25/1

Atlanta Braves                           35/1

San Diego Padres                      50/1

San Francisco Giants                 50/1

Cincinnati Reds                         100/1

Houston Astros                          100/1

Pittsburgh Pirates                      150/1

Washington Nationals                200/1

Odds to win the 2008 NL East Division Title         

New York Mets                          1/1

Philadelphia Phillies                   1/1

Florida Marlins                           4/1

Atlanta Braves                           15/1

Washington Nationals                400/1

Posted by David Murphy @ 7:55 PM  Permalink | 5 comments
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Myers to pitch Friday in Triple A

Brett Myers is scheduled to make his fourth minor league start Friday for Triple A Lehigh Valley against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, an IronPigs spokesman said. Game time is 7:05 p.m. at Coca Cola Park.

 

Myers could then rejoin the Phillies to pitch next Wednesday against the New York Mets.

 

He struck out 10 and allowed three runs, including the first home run since he was sent to the minors, in eight innings for Double A Reading on Saturday. His previous two starts were for Triple A Lehigh Valley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Josh Barnett @ 3:37 PM  Permalink | 6 comments
Monday, July 14, 2008
Ron Burgundy, meet Chase Utley

Look at it this way: Chase Utley probably isn't the first person to tell New York sports fans to [bleep] off.

Although such comments generally play well in a city that has never hid its displeasure for its neighbor to the North, Utley apologized last night for a remark that was caught by a live ESPN microphone during introductions for last night’s Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium.

After the Phillies second baseman heard a chorus of boos from the crowd when he was introduced for last night’s derby, Utley was heard responding, “Boo? [Bleep] you.”

A clip of the remark was posted on the internet video site YouTube within an hour of when it occurred.

Utley, who was eliminated after hitting five home runs in the first round, later apologized.

“It was a poor choice of words,” he said. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I was kind of joking around with my buddy over there so I do want to apologize”

Utley was wearing a microphone for ESPN, but it isn’t clear how the remark made it over the airwaves. A spokesman for ESPN said the network was still investigating the remark and would issue a statement sometime after the conclusion of last night’s telecast.

 

Posted by David Murphy @ 11:12 PM  Permalink | 18 comments
Monday, July 14, 2008
All Star Fan Fest gets Punk'd by fake Phillie
So, there was this thing in New York today called the All Star Fan Fest. And fans were delighted that a guy in a Phillies uniform was signing autographs. Except it wasn't a real Phillie. It was a guy named C. Yeager. And he spent a good 30 minutes signing autographs before anyone stopped him.
Posted by David Murphy @ 4:39 PM  Permalink | 5 comments
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Looks like it will be Moyer, Kendrick, Hamels

Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said today that Jamie Moyer will make the first start after the All Star break against Florida in Miami. Kyle Kendrick will follow him Saturday. Cole Hamels will then likely start Sunday, though that isn't yet set and stone. Dubee was noncomittal on the final two spots in the rotation, though he did say Brett Myers will get another start in the minors. Myers pitched Saturday night, so his next turn would likely be Thursday, when the IronPigs host the Red Barons.

That would seem to put Myers on track to start Tuesday against the Mets. But there's an off day mixed in there as well. So maybe Myers starts Wednesday. Who will get the other day? Will it be Adam Eaton, who has allowed 16 runs in his last 6 1/3 innings? Or will it be J.A. Happ, whom Dubee and Charlie Manuel would love to get another start?

We shall see.

Posted by David Murphy @ 2:52 PM  Permalink | 16 comments
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About David Murphy
David Murphy joined the Daily News as its Phillies beat writer in February of 2008. Born in Upper Merion and raised in the Poconos, he attended college at La Salle University before taking jobs with the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun-News and the St. Petersburg ( Fla. ) Times.
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