IS LIVE CHATTING EAGLES-BEARS
Phillies lose, 11-6.
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It's getting out of control.
The Nats just took a 10-6 lead in the top of the ninth. Nick Johnson doubled to center field with one out. The ball hit off the wall and bounced perfectly into Shane Victorino's throwing hand. Victorino threw a one-hopper to Jimmy Rollins, who threw home. But Rollins' throw was off target and allowed Lastings Milledge to score. Johnson scored from third on Carlos Ruiz's throwing error to make it 8-6. Two more runs have since scored and Tom Gordon is out of the game. Fans aren't happy.
Rollins' error in the fifth allowed a run to score. A better throw in the ninth could have gotten Milledge at the plate. It's not often Rollins allows two runs with his defense.
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Phillies fans just broked out the "MVP! MVP!" chants for Jimmy Rollins, who just hit a game-tying two-run homer to left-center field to make it 6-6.
Who needs pitching?
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Carlos Ruiz's double to left-center field in the seventh scored Jayson Werth from first to make it 6-4. The Nats have just pulled righthander Joel Hanrahan for lefthander Ray King, who will face pinch-hitter Geoff Jenkins.
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Lastings Milledge hits a two-run homer to left off righthander Ryan Madson in the sixth to make it 6-2. Chase Utley homered in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-3.
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Brett Myers struggles in the fifth as the Nationals take a 4-2 lead. Myers hit a batter and walked a batter as the Nats took a one-run lead, but the fourth run scored when Jimmy Rollins couldn't handle a routine ground ball hit to him. It would have been the third out.
Myers has been lifted for pinch-hitter So Taguchi in the bottom of the fifth.
Myers certainly didn't have the day he had hoped. In five innings, he allowed five hits, four runs (three earned runs), two walks and two hit batters. He struck out two. He threw 89 pitches, 57 for strikes.
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The Phillies have taken a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. Chase Utley hit a bloop single to center, Ryan Howard singled to left-center to put runners at the corners and Pat Burrell singled to left to score Utley. It started to rain during the inning, which sent some fans scrambling. Guess they didn't look out the window this morning.
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Jimmy Rollins hit a leadoff double in the bottom of the first inning and scored on Chase Utley's sacrifice fly to center field to hand the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
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Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter threw out the first pitch and made it a strike to home plate, which officially makes him a much better mayor and human being than Cincinnati's Mike Mallory. But I've got one complaint. Tucking in the jersey? Untucked. Definitely untucked.
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We're just a few minutes away from first pitch and the Phillies just lined up on the field for introductions.
Pat Burrell and Charlie Manuel, a source of frustration for fans in the past, received very nice ovations. Adam Eaton and Wes Helms, a current source for fan frustrations, did not. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels and Chris Coste also received nice ovations.
Keep checking back for updates during the game.
Here's today's lineup:
1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Shane Victorino, CF
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Pat Burrell, LF
6. Pedro Feliz, 3B
7. Jayson Werth, RF
8. Carlos Ruiz, C
9. Brett Myers, P
It's Opening Day 2008.
Finally, baseball that matters.
For the last 11 days, The Inquirer has counted down toward today's season opener. We previewed every starter at every position with loads of features to get you ready for baseball. But today we take a look at the people that keep the Phillies in business: the fans. Fans have been pouring into Citizens Bank Park since it opened in 2004. This season should be no different, especially if the Phillies get off to a good start and remain competitive in the National League East.
They will, won't they?
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Other features today include:
Bill Lyon tells us why Phillies fans are the most loyal in baseball.
Phillies Memories. Some memorable moments from Phillies fans.
The Timeline. The timeline of attendance in Phillies history.
Fans in Motion. A video look at fans.
The Fan Gallery. Inquirer photographer David M Warren's photo gallery of fans.
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Phil Sheridan wonders if the Phillies can flip the switch like they think they can.
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Is Kyle Kendrick ready for the season to start?
He hopes so. So do the Phillies.
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Pat Gillick said Brad Lidge could be back Saturday, when he is eligible to be activated from the DL, and other stuff in the Phillies notebook.
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Scrapple & Iggs brings us the post of the day.
Have you got Phillies Fever?
No, seriously. Got the record in the attic somewhere? Sadly, I wasn't around for Phillies Fever. I feel like I missed out. I love the fact that teams did this stuff. I know Jimmy Rollins recently rapped on a CD, but I'd love to see Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Brett Myers and Cole Hamels in the studio. I'm not sure what kind of song it would be, but I'm sure it would be every bit as cool and classy as Phillies Fever.
The back of the record jacket reads: "Phillies Fever is a home run! An exciting, danceable, upbeat sound that captures the spirit of the greatest team in baseball." For those who were around, I'm wondering how much air play this song actually got. I mean, are we talking a staple at the clubs?
Civil Negligence asks, "So do you have Phillies Fever? If so, I heard the only prescription is more (David) Bell." To that I say, "Larry Bowa puts his pants on just like the rest of you, one leg at a time. Except once his pants are on he makes gold records."
Two things about this video:
The Inquirer's countdown to Opening Day continues.
It's down to 1.
One as in ... one day before the season opener.
One as in ... pitcher.
Cole Hamels thinks he has a chance to win 20 games this year.
And win the Cy Young.
And throw a no-hitter.
But can he stay healthy? That's really the only issue surrounding Hamels these days. He just hasn't been able to stay healthy.
"When he's healthy, he's a darn good major-league pitcher," manager Charlie Manuel said. "When he's got all his pitches working, there's not many hitters who like to get into that box."
"Staying healthy is the key," Hamels said. "But I can tell you that right now I feel great. The back is good. The elbow is good. Everything is good. And as long as I'm feeling that way, I think I'm capable of accomplishing some pretty special things."
But the Phillies need more than production from Hamels and the rest of the rotation. They need their bullpen to come through. Bullpen is big.
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Other features include:
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Jim Salisbury tells us why the Phillies could repeat as NL East champs, and how everything could come crashing down.
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Phil Sheridan writes that Charlie Manuel is concerned about his pitching staff.
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Manuel said he isn't worried about the Phillies' poor spring record, but that's only because he's concerned about the pitching ... Righthander Tim Lahey made his Phillies debut yesterday.
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Here's some good stuff from the Phillies blogosphere:
Balls, Sticks, & Stuff finds a link from NASA that allows you to change the variables in a curveball. I'm left utterly confused. ... A Citizen's Blog previews the Phillies' offense. ... Beer Leaguer is asking for your 2008 predictions. ... Phillies Nation picks the Phillies to finish third in the National League East. ... The Good Phight has a new look. ... We Should Be GM's turned two. Congratulations. You're all growns up. ... Mike's Baseball Rants is back. This is a very good thing. Welcome back, Mike.
The Inquirer's countdown to Opening Day continues.
It's down to 2.
Two as in ... two days before the season opener.
Two as in ... catcher.
Carlos Ruiz enters his second full season with the Phillies, and that could mean a nice bump in offensive production.
Because every time Ruiz has repeated a level in his professional career, his offense have spiked.
"I see a real assuredness to his body language," Jamie Moyer said. "He's not cocky or brash. He just seems very confident in what's going on."
But offense isn't the catcher's top priority.
It's running the game.
"I've never heard one complaint about this guy," bullpen coach Ramon Henderson said. "Guys really like throwing to him."
"A lot of people here have worked with him," Moyer said. "It's like he's been attacked from all sides. The reason it's worked is because he's receptive. He's not stubborn. I've really enjoyed watching him grow and mature. The position he plays is not an easy one. We went through 28 pitchers last year. As a catcher, you have to handle each one of them. You have to know their strengths, weaknesses and personalities. You have to take charge of them. He does a very good job at a position that has a lot of responsibility."
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Other features include:
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The Phillies' Opening Day roster just came into clearer focus.
The Phillies claimed righthander Tim Lahey off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. They also outrighted righthander J.D. Durbin, infielder Ray Olmedo and outfielder Chris Snelling to triple-A Lehigh Valley.
This means Lahey, 26, takes Durbin's spot as the team's 11th pitcher, and infielder Wes Helms opens the season on the 25-man roster, unless the Phillies make another move(s) before Monday's season opener against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Lahey went 0-1 with a 6.55 ERA in 11 appearances this spring for the Cubs, who selected him as a Rule 5 pick from the Minnesota Twins. He also went 8-4 with 14 saves and a 3.65 ERA in 52 appearances last season for double-A New Britain and triple-A Rochester.
The Phillies still think closer Brad Lidge can be activated from the DL on April 5. If that happens, Helms might be released or traded, unless the Phillies want to continue with 11 pitchers.
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The Phillies also signed infielder Chris Woodward to a minor league contract.
Woodward, 31, hit .393 (11 for 28) in 15 games this spring for the New York Yankees. He spent last season with Atlanta and also has played for the New York Mets (2005-06) and Toronto Blue Jays (1999-2004). In 607 career games, Woodward has hit .243 with 33 home runs and 186 RBIs. He has played every position on the diamond except pitcher and catcher.
Charlie Manuel still has his detractors.
But since the Phillies won the National League East last year, some fans have come around: So he talks funny. So what? The players play hard for him. They've had the best offense in the National League the last two years. And how would I have done having to decide amongst Antonio Alfonseca, Jose Mesa and Geoff Geary every night?
So it's interesting (and more than a little surprising) to read that The Wall Street Journal considers Manuel the fourth-best manager in baseball.
Better than Bobby Cox.
Better than Tony La Russa.
Better than Lou Piniella.
Better than Jim Leyland.
Come again? How come I get the feeling this article might make some heads explode? The newspaper explained its formula: "Assessing managers is difficult, since their win-loss records are closely tied to the team's talent level. Because of that, we used three metrics designed to reveal a manager's acumen — performance in close games, "Pythagorean" win expectations and whether they got the most out of their players — then averaged each manager's ranking in those categories for a final score."
It's at least interesting to talk about. I'm sure the people in St. Louis are up in arms that La Russa, who practically invented the game, is tied for ninth. I'm sure Tigers fans are furious that Leyland is 19th out of the 20 managers ranked. But that's what makes it a good debate. I personally think the manager in baseball is overrated. If you have good players, you win. If you don't, you lose. If the Phillies win 85 games and miss the playoffs this year, it won't be because Manuel made some questionable moves late in the game. It'll be because the pitching failed him. Or there were a rash of injuries. Or something else happened on the field.
But that's just me.
The Inquirer's countdown to Opening Day continues.
It's down to 3.
Three as in ... three days before the season opener.
Three as in ... first base.
Ryan Howard came into camp this spring in better shape than a year ago. But what about his mental health? Is he prepared for another 162 games of The Howard Shift? He better be because opposing managers certainly liked what they saw last year. Howard's average dipped from .313 in 2006 to .268 in 2007.
"A lot of it was the shift," Howard said. "When you talk about batting average, go back and see how many hits I had taken away by the shift. I don't know how many it was, but it was a lot.
"You see it, but you don't let it bother you. You've just got to really know your swing. When teams play the shift, it's all about knowing your swing. I can try and beat the shift not by pulling the ball, but by staying back and being confident that I can shoot it through the middle or shoot it past third base. Once I get into that mind-set, I'm OK."
Howard had a very good spring in Florida. Is that a sign he's OK? If he is, he could return to his MVP numbers from 2006.
Then he can tell those managers, "Shift this."
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Other features include:
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The Phillies left Florida quickly yesterday. Pat Gillick figured out they could leave straight from Lakeland, rather than fight traffic to the airports in Tampa or Orlando. Smart guy. The traffic in Florida is famously brutal, so I give Gillick an 'A' for effort.
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Jim Salisbury says the Phillies are expected to open the season with 11 pitchers. J.D. Durbin still could be one of them, but the Phillies are trying to upgrade before Monday. It also appears Wes Helms will win the team's final bench job over Chris Snelling, who could be claimed on waivers. But Helms could be the odd man out once closer Brad Lidge returns from the DL, which could happen April 5 in Cincinnati.
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So, is this team better than the one that broke camp last spring?
"I'm not sure," Charlie Manuel said. "The concern is the same as it was last year. We talked last year about having six starters. I knew who we had from the start. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to be negative. I didn't want to sound depressed or down. I said, 'Let's see what we've got.' It's the same this year. Let's wait and see."
A gambling Web site has the Phillies' over/under for victories at 88.5. They won 89 games last year with one of the worst pitching staffs in the National League. If the Phillies can be just middle-of-the-pack with their pitching they could win more than 90, assuming the offense continues to score runs in bunches. If they continue to have more pitching problems, it's going to be another struggle.
It's all about the pitching. Is there reason to worry about Kyle Kendrick? Adam Eaton? How much more can Jamie Moyer give? What will Lidge give them once he's healthy? Can Tom Gordon stay healthy? Can J.C. Romero repeat last year's success? Lots of questions there. Lots. If you like the answers to those questions, take the over. If you don't, take the under.
Me?
Don't gamble (as far as you know).
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