Archive: April, 2010
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
News regarding the two Phillies regulars who left today's game with injuries, some of it positive, some of it not. . .
First, Jayson Werth downplayed the hip injury that forced him from today's 7-4 win over the Nationals prior to the sixth inning. In his second at-bat, the right fielder felt the hip flexor on the left side of his torso pull a bit. He stayed in the games for a couple of innings, but pulled himself out after singling in the bottom of the fifth. Ben Francisco replaced him in right field. Werth said he'll get treatment tomorrow, and predicted that he would be fine in a couple of days.
Jimmy Rollins, on the other hand, is facing a far less certain future.
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
The first week of the season went swimmingly for the Phillies.
The second week, however, is off to a rough start, as short stop Jimmy Rollins is not in the line-up today, having been scratched just before the first pitch thanks to a calf strain he suffered while running in the outfield. No word on the severity of the injury, but new utility man Juan Castro is leading off and playing short stop.
The Phillies had already exchanged line-up cards when the injury happened, which is why they were forced to hit Castro at leadoff. Castro was the only member of the Phillies' roster not to appear in their first six games.
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Nothing earth-shattering to report from Houston, where lefty J.A. Happ is preparing to make his first start of the season. Manager Charlie Manuel said the Phillies would likely keep their rotation in order through the off day on Tuesday, meaning Kyle Kendrick will get another start against the Nationals on Wednesday. Veteran lefty Jamie Moyer makes his 2010 debut tomorrow against the Astros, followed by Roy Halladay on Sunday. This means Halladay's home debut will come next Saturday against the Marlins.
The Phillies could start Happ on Wednesday and skip Kendrick, who is filling in for injured starter Joe Blanton. But Manuel said they would rather give everybody an extra day of rest. Skipping Kendrick at this point probably wouldn't help the Phillies' long-term plans -- at some point, they need to see how he does as a member of the rotation, and Blanton being on the disabled list provides them with that opportunity.
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David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Two games into the 2010 season, and the bullpen carousel is already spinning. Nelson Figueroa arrived from his own in Arizona via a red eye flight early this morning. A half hour ago, Andrew Carpenter changed into a black suit and wheeled his luggage out of the Phillies clubhouse, set to join the rotation at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Thanks to the 19 runs the offense has produced in leading the Phillies to a 2-0 start, the bullpen hasn't seen many stressful opportunities yet, rendering it as the primary unknown in what has been the team's most promising start since 2003. Lefthander Antonio Bastardo faced his first high-leverage situation Wednesday night, getting Nyjer Morgan to pop up on a 94 mile per hour inside fastball with a runner on second base. Righthander Danys Baez had preceeded him, allowing a couple of extra base hits that produced a run while recording one out. Closer Ryan Madson looked excellent in recording a four-out save, mixing a 96 mile per hour fastball with a 92 mile per hour cutter and a curve ball that he has rarely thrown over the past few years. And righthander Chad Durbin brought his excellent spring into his first two innings of 2010.
But it will take awhile for us to get a real read on the strength of this team's relief corps. Lefthander J.C. Romero is scheduled to pitch in a rehab outing today in Clearwater. Closer Brad Lidge will likely get into a game in the near future. And once righthander Joe Blanton returns to the rotation, the Phillies will have to decide what to do with either veteran lefty Jamie Moyer or righthander Kyle Kendrick, who will start tonight against the Nationals.
Figeruoa, for one, says he will not pay any attention to the numbers game. Claimed off of waivers from the Mets yesterday, the 35-year-old righthander will be in uniform tonight. He'll start as the team's long man, while providing depth for the team's rotation.
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Thus far, there have been no red flags in Joe Blanton's recovery from a strained oblique. The veteran righthander played catch today, one day earlier than the Phillies had initially hoped, throwing 60 balls from 60 feet at between 60 and 75 percent effort. Blanton, who strained the muscle in a bullpen session in Clearwater last Wednesday, also ran for the first time.
"I didn't feel anything on any of the throws," Blanton said. "I didn't feel anything running."
It is still far too early to forecast when Blanton might return to the line-up. He is eligible to be activated from the disabled list on April 10, but even the most conservative estimate offered by the Phillies has him missing three weeks. Blanton injured the oblique on March 31. Three weeks from that day is April 21. Six weeks from that day -- the maximum the Phillies said he is in danger of missing -- is May 12. Although today went well, he is only just beginning his rehab.
Daily News staff
It appears as if Andrew Carpenter's stay with the Phillies will be a short one. The right hander, called up to serve as the long man in the bullpen on Opening Day, is likely headed back to the rotation at Triple-A Lehigh Valley now that the Phillies have claimed veteran righthander Nelson Figueroa off waivers from the Mets. Carpenter appears to be the next man standing should the Phillies need a starting pitcher, so getting him back on a once-every-five-days schedule makes sense. Figueroa, meanwhile, will join a bullpen that is already laden with former starters. And while he struggled at times with his command over the last couple of seasons with the Mets, he'll bolster the experience in the Phillies bullpen while also providing some much-needed depth for the rotation.
The Phillies had been searching for a player to provide depth, much like Rodrigo Lopez did last season. At the very least, Figueroa would seem to be a fortunate find to fill this role.
If Figueroa sounds or looks familiar, there is a good reason. The 35-year-old was part of the Curt Schilling trade back in July of 2000, when the Phillies acquired him, first baseman Travis Lee and righthanders Vicente Padilla and Omar Daal in exchange for their disgruntled ace. Figueroa went 4-5 with a 3.94 ERA in 19 games, 13 of them starts, for the Phillies in 2001. He did not make the team the following season, and was claimed off of waivers by the Brewers. Figueroa pitched for the Brewers in 2002 and the Pirates in 2003 and 2004 before undergoing shoulder surgery to repair his labrum and rotator cuff in October of 2004. He missed all of 2005, pitched briefly in independent ball in 2006, and then joined resuscitated his career in the Mexican League in 2007.
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
True story. I was living in Tampa, Fla. in the autumn of 2006 when the Eagles arrived in town to play a game against the Buccaneers. The weekend ended with Matt Bryant kicking a 62-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bucs a 23-21 victory. A healthy contingent of Eagles fans was in town that weekend to watch the game and enjoy a mini-vacation. And by healthy contingent, I mean a swarm of Philadelphians that over-ran Tampa like it was the scene of one of those Capital One credit card commercials. Everywhere you went that weekend -- except, probably, the local library -- there were Eagles fans with sun-burnt faces and beers in each hand. One night, I was talking with some friends at an outdoor bar when a petrified Floridian interrupted our conversation.
"An Eagles fan just peed on my foot in the bathroom!" he said.
My friends laughed.
"You're lucky," I replied, "that he waited until you were in the bathroom."
Now, before everybody arches their back and starts to squeal, let me assure you that this is not going to be another lecture on fan behavior. I'm not condemning or condoning anything. Where one might see a drunken adult jumping up and down on the uniform of another grown man, another might see an exercise in the type of freedom of expression that our founding fathers strove to protect when they established this great city called Washington, D.C. I say potato, you say give me a beer. I get it.
Fact is, Philly sports fans tend to leave an impression wherever they go. Whether they actually behave any differently from other fans is irrelevant. In this case, perception trumps reality. And, let me assure you, the massive amounts of Phillies fans who flooded Nationals Park on Monday left an impression.
For the second day in a row, the Washington Post featured a couple of stories on what is sometimes being referred to as "The Invasion," including an examination of why so many Phillies fans were able to score tickets to Opening Day.
According to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, one prominent fan blog called the day "one of the low points in the brief history of the Nationals."
Keep in mind, this is a team that lost 103 games last season and has never finished with a winning season.
Nationals fans are irate that so many Phillies fans were able to get into the game, while many hometown fans were unable to purchase tickets. In an email to the Post, team President Stan Kasten explained that several factions of Phillies fans took advantage of the Nationals' group ticket policy, which allows groups of 25 or more to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public.
But in his carefully worded email, Kasten also suggested that the reason why Nationals fans seemed to be so out-numbered wasn't merely a product of quantity of Phillies fans.
Kasten pointed to the Nationals' home exhibition game against Boston on Saturday, which attracted a large number of Red Sox fans.
Kasten said there was a "tangible, qualitative difference in the two crowds."
Here is the Post story.
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When Cole Hamels steps onto the pitcher's mound at Nationals Park for his 2010 debut, he will already be well ahead of where he was last season. Hamels, who was plagued by tightness in his elbow during spring training in 2009, didn't make his debut until April 10 last season. Already three days ahead of that time line, Hamels will now try to avoid the rough start that plagued him last year -- he allowed seven runs in 3.2 innings in his first start, five runs in 6.0 innings in his second start, then was knocked out of his next two starts early after A) being hit with a Prince Fielder line drive and B) spraining his ankle while trying to field a bunt against the Nationals.
Here is a quick breakdown of tonight's game:
3 Match ups to Watch:
Jimmy Rollins vs. Jason Marquis: Rollins reached base four times in the season-opener against John Lannan, but he enters today's game with just four hits in 34 at-bats against the sinker-balling Nationals righty.
Jayson Werth vs. Jason Marquis: Werth is 6-for-9 with two home runs and two walks against Marquis.
Cole Hamels vs. Ryan Zimmerman: Hamels has faced Zimmerman more than any other hitter in the majors, and the two have had some decent battles. Zimmerman is 12-for-46 (.261) with two home runs off of Hamels, but Hamels has struck him out 10 times in 47 plate appearances.
Who's hot
Placido Polanco: The new third baseman went 3-for-5 with six RBIs on Monday in his Phillies re-debut.
Who's not
Cole Hamels: The lefty is coming off a 2009 season in which he went 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA.
Pitching probables
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
It has been said many times that baseball is a game of failure, yet for seven innings yesterday it was difficult to find any flaws with this team. Every member of the line-up, Halladay included, had a hit. New third baseman Placido Polanco not only drove in six runs, but started a 5-4-3 double play that ended the fourth inning. Raul Ibanez, who struggled in the second half of last season and throughout spring training, reached base twice and scored two runs.
But if you were looking for a reason to worry, the eighth inning blessed you with an opportunity, as young lefty Antonio Bastardo made just the fourth relief appearance of his big league career. Bastardo, as you well know, is the team's only lefty reliever, and likely will be for at least the next two-to-three weeks. If the Phillies need a big out against Adam Dunn or Brian McCann, there's a good chance manager Charlie Manuel will call on his rookie. Yesterday, however, all three lefties he faced put together good at-bats against him. Nyjer Morgan led off the frame with a well-hit double. Willie Harris then made good contact on a 2-0 fastball, but ended up flying out to right field. Bastardo then walked Adam Dunn on four pitches to put runners at the corners with two out. He then struck out right-handed hitting Adam Zimmerman before Manuel called on Danys Baez to replace him (Baez ended the frame with a groundout).
There's no doubt Bastardo is talented. In fact, he could very well wind up at the back of the Phillies' bullpen someday. But his slider is still a work-in-progress -- Morgan's double came on an 0-1 slider -- and while he posted a spectacular 19/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in spring training, he sometimes hurts himself falling behind hitters. Because he still isn't consistent with his slider, this forces him to throw his fastball. It's a damn good fastball -- Zimmerman struck out on an 1-2 inside fastball -- but when hitters know it is coming, it obviously diminishes its effectiveness. The ball Harris hit was a 2-0 fastball.
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
The Phillies roster has essentially been set for more than a week, but it wasn't made official until a few moments ago. David Herndon, a Rule 5 pick from the Angels who has never played about Double-A, and Andrew Carpenter, a 2006 second-round draft pick out of Long Beach State, are the only players to make the team who were long shots at the start of spring training. Both righthanders will pitch out of the bullpen.
Herndon allowed two runs on 10 hits in 12.2 innings this spring, impressing the coaching staff with his heavy sinker. He was a groundball machine in his appearances, and the Phillies are hopeful he will continue that performance. With lefty set-up man J.C. Romero and righty closer Brad Lidge on the disabled list for at least the first week of the season, and with Kyle Kendrick moving to the rotation to replace the injured Joe Blanton, Herndon has a good chance to see some action.
Carpenter, who has started 77 of the 82 games in his minor league career, will serve as the team's long man, a role Kendrick was expected to fill after losing out on a starting job to veteran lefty Jamie Moyer. The soon-to-be 25-year-old had a strong spring in big league camp, striking out nine and walking one while allowing one run on six hits in 10 innings.
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
I was sitting in a hotel room in Fort Lauderdale when my phone rang. It was December, 2007. Earlier that day, I had made the four hour drive across the state to do a feature on the Miami Northwestern football team, which was playing Tampa's Plant High in the Class A state title game. In case you haven't heard, Florida high schools produce some pretty good football players. When I picked up the phone, the last thing on my mind was baseball -- the Phillies' season had been over for more than a month, and the Red Sox had already defeated the Rockies to win the World Series -- but that changed when the voice on the other end informed me that the Daily News was looking for a new Phillies writer.
In a 15-minute conversation, esteemed columnist and Mother Hen to aspiring writers Rich Hofmann rattled off various reasons why covering the Phillies would be an excellent gig for someone of my ilk. I wasn't exactly in a spot to be picky, seeing as though my chief responsibilities at that point in time were live blogging a high school football game. Nevertheless, his final selling point stuck with me.
"This team has a chance to be pretty damn good," he said, "for awhile."
