Archive: September, 2009
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Turns out, one of Jamie Moyer's most important pitching performances of the season was also his last.
The 46-year-old lefthander, who helped protect a three-run lead Tuesday night by recording four outs in the sixth and seventh innings to set Ryan Madson up for a six-out save, will have season-ending surgery to repair three torn tendons in his lower abdominal and groin, which he suffered on his final pitch of the Phillies' 7-4 win over Houston.
"You know what? You deal with it," Moyer said. "That's life, and you roll with the punches. I'm not going to complain about it. I had a good run here. My time isn't over here. I'm going to enjoy it, make the best of it, and be a cheerleader."
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Pedro Martinez will start tomorrow, his first action since he suffered a strained neck in Atlanta on Sept. 19. The move will help prevent a long layoff for Cliff Lee before the start of the playoffs (provided, of course, the Phillies make the postseason), who would have been on six days rest for Game 1 or seven days rest for Game 2 if he made his scheduled start tomorrow.
It'll be interesting to see how long Martinez can pitch tomorrow. Since throwing 130 pitches in a brilliant eight scoreless innings against the Mets on Sept. 13, he has thrown just 56 pitches. Those came in three innings against the Braves, when he strained his neck in his only at-bat.
For what it's worth, this would also enable Martinez to start a potential tie-breaker on Monday, with Lee available for a potential Wild Card tiebreaker Tuesday (see scenarios below).
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
I'm about to type a phrase that would have been tough to imagine using five days ago, when the Phillies beat the Brewers to take a seven-game lead in the NL East with 10 to play.
Must win.
As in, they must win tonight. It isn't time to push the panic button yet. But if the Phillies somehow manage to lose tonight, against a pitcher who is making his first major league start, then it might be time to start worrying. To be clear - a four-game lead with six to play is still a comfortable cushion. According to ESPN.com, the Phillies still have a 99.4 percent chance of making the playoffs. But lose tonight, and they'll need to win three of their remaining five games against two teams who they are combined 8-12 against this season, or hope that the Braves come back to Earth and lose at least a game or two.
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
You'll find an interesting dichotomy within the baseball coverage in today's Daily News. On one page, there is a story about the Phillies' potential to use these last seven games to get hot. On another, there is a story about their potential to use these last seven games to get some much-needed rest.
This raises a number of questions. Is it more important for the Phillies to get their regulars and pitchers into a groove after a mediocre seven-game road trip that saw mixed results from the line-up, bullpen and rotation? Or is it more important for all of the above to get some rest, particularly guys like Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino, all of whom have shown signs of fatigure this month? Are the two mutually exclusive, or might they go hand-in-hand?
I spent this morning poring over statistics in an attempt to find some quantifiable answers. Which playoff contender has the hottest pitching staff right now? The hottest line-up? The hottest team overall?
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
After Brad Lidge blew his 11th save of the season Wednesday night and set-up man Ryan Madson contributed by allowing a run in the eighth, the focus once again turned to the situation at the back of the bullpen. During a post-game conversation with another writer, I floated one possible remedy: J.A. Happ. Several of you were thinking the same thing, judging by the three or four emails I received today inquiring about the possibility. And, interestingly enough, Charlie Manuel admitted tonight that the thought has crossed his mind.
Before we go any further, let me stress: Manuel said, as he has all along, that he views Happ as a starter. The lefty did not give him any reason to feel otherwise Thursday night, allowing two runs in 5 2/3 innings in his first full start in more than three weeks. Happ has proven to be a valuable commodity this season, routinely pitching deep into games. Lately, he has relied more heavily on his off-speed stuff, an important and impressive evolution for a young pitcher who already possesses an incredibly deceptive fastball. Happ has the stuff to be a very good major league pitcher for a long time.
But the Phillies' only concern is the present, and the present currently holds a number of uncertainties with regards to the bullpen. Chief among those uncertainties are the team's left-handed options and their options in the ninth inning of tight games. For that reason, Manuel said yesterday he viewed Happ as a potential component of the back end of the bullpen come playoff time.
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Carlos Ruiz's trip back to Philadelphia to see hand specialst Dr. Randall Culp sounded ominous. But the news, according to the Phillies, is positive:
An MRI showed no structural damage to the catcher's sprained left wrist, and he could be back on the field within three to five days. Ruiz will be re-examined today, at which point he will likely have an anti-inflammatory shot. Once the shot does its work, Ruiz is expected to return to the lineup.
While Ruiz is not the most recognizeable player on the team, losing him would create huge voids behind the plate in the No. 8 spot in the lineup.
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
A quick update on some things:
1) Brett Myers was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain of his right latissimus dorsi (lat) muscle. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday, and the Phillies are hopeful he will be able to return to competition at some point after that.
2) Three positive reports today for three key relievers: Lefthander Scott Eyre threw a bullpen session and feels he is ready to return to action. Pitching coach Rich Dubee and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. both said the veteran was close to being ready to return. Lefthander J.C. Romero threw a 50-pitch bullpen session in Clearwater and could face hitters in the instructional league as soon as Thursday. Also, Chan Ho Park continues to progress faster than expected and could be ready to pitch sometime next week.
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Thanks to the Braves' beat-down of the Mets last night, the Phillies enter today's doubleheader against the Marlins with a magic number of six over both the Marlins and the Braves. That means they need a combination of six wins and Marlins losses to eliminate the Fish, and six wins and Braves losses to eliminate the Braves. Crunch those numbers, and they can clinch as soon as Thursday in Milwaukee, although it would require the Braves losing their last two games at Citi Field and the Phillies (87-61) sweeping this three-game set against Florida.
Every Phillies loss or Braves win moves the potential clinch-date back a day.
The earliest a Phillies team has clinched a division since the days of the 162-game schedule was 1976, when they clinched in their 155th game.
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Things are getting mighty interesting in the National League. With the Dodgers' loss to the G-men yesterday, the Phillies are now just one game behind Los Angeles for the best record in the National League. St. Louis is in third place, two games behind the Dodgers, one behind the Phillies.
As most of you know, the No. 1 seed gets home field advantage throughout the playoffs and plays the Wild Card team in the first round. The No. 2 seed plays the No. 3 seed in the first round. But two teams from the same division cannot play in the first round, so if the No. 1 seed and the Wild Card team are in the same division, then the No. 1 seed plays the No. 3 seed and the No. 2 seed plays the Wild Card.
Here is how the top three teams stack up for the rest of the season:
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Just a quick set-up for tonight's game before I run down to the clubhouse. . .
The Braves enter having won seven straight games, the longest streak in the majors. The Phillies enter having won five straight, the second-longest straight in the majors.
Tim Hudson is making his fourth start of the season since returning from elbow surgery.
