Jim Thome Returns to the Phils
November 5, 2011
Veteran first baseman, designated hitter and one time Phillie Jim Thome, 41 signed a 1 year, $1.25 million deal with the Phillies. Thome played most of his career with the Indians, before joining the Phillies in his first stint in 2003. In 2004 with the Phillies, he hit his 400th career home run. He missed most of the following season because of an injury then the Phillies traded him to the White Sox because of the emergence of Ryan Howard. After leaving the Phillies, he played for the White Sox, a short stint with the Dodgers in their 2009 playoff run, the Twins and the Indians once again. He hit his 600th career home run with the Twins last season. This will be the third time Thome and Charlie Manuel will be on the same team as Manuel managed the Indians from 2000 to 2002. Thome will primarily be used as a left handed power pinch hitter, since Domonic Brown will probably remain in Triple A to develop his skills. John Mayberry will probably assume duties playing first base if Howard misses any time. In addition, Thome only played defense just once since 2007.
Ryan Howard had surgery on his Achilles tendon on Wednesday in Baltimore by Mark Myerson. According to the Phillies, the surgery was successful, but Howard won’t be able to play from 5 to 6 months. He will be immobilized for 1 to 2 weeks, and could start weight training in 1 week. If Howard is not back by Opening Day next year, John Mayberry might start at first base.
Cole Hamels had 2 successful surgeries on Friday on loose bodies in his left elbow and a hernia repaired. Ruben Amaro said that Hamels will be ready by Spring Training.
Jimmy Rollins the longest tenured Phillie who has been with the team for 11 years for 11 years will be a free agent next year. Rollins wants to be re-signed by the Phillies again in a 5 year deal since he has been one of the core parts of the team since his 2007 MVP season. However due to injuries for the last few seasons and lower production might cause the Phillies to sign him to a shorter deal or even go to another team. Rollins stated that the only way he will want to leave the Phillies is if another team offers him a lot of money and is a contender (unlike Jayson Werth who signed with the Nationals last year.) If Rollins does leave, Phillies top prospect Freddy Galvis might be the everyday shortstop.
102 Wins Came At a Price (NLDS 5)
October 9, 2011
After the Phillies lost the final game in Saint Louis on Wednesday for the series to be sent back to the Bank, it was up to Roy “Doc” Halladay to save the Phillies season to send them to the Championship Series for the 4th straight season. Roy Halladay pitched 8 strong innings, but a lengthy 1st inning proved to be the difference in the game. After getting lit up in the Bank in his 3 innings on Sunday, Chris Carpenter rebounded and repeated his feat from last Wednesday against the Astros to push the Cards into the playoffs. With the Yankees getting knocked out of their Division Series as well, New Jersey (minus Mets fans), FOX, and TBS are hanging their heads as a result. Remember, the Cardinals were the only NL team to win a season series from the Phillies this year.
In the 1st inning, Rafael Furcal led off with a triple then scored on Skip Schumaker’s double for the first and only run of the game. Schumaker battled with Halladay and made him throw 10 pitches in the at bat. After Albert Pujols grounded out which got Schumaker out at third on an outstanding play by Chase Utley, Lance Berkman reached on a catchers interference. Halladay got out of the inning by getting Matt Holliday to pop out and Yadier Molina to ground out to end a long 32 pitch inning for Halladay. Halladay scattered 4 singles in the next 7 innings and faced the minimum in 4 of those 7 frames. Doc ran into some trouble in the 8th inning when Chris Carpenter led off with a single then Furcal reached on a Carlos Ruiz throwing error. After Jon Jay moved them over to scoring position with a sac bunt, Halladay intentionally walked Pujols to load the bases. Halladay punched out Berkman for a huge second out then Holliday flew out to end the inning.
After Chris Carpenter had a rough outing last Sunday, he rebounded and pitched a shutout. In the 2nd inning, Shane Victorino doubled with 1 out, but Raul Ibanez popped out then Placido Polanco grounded out to end the frame. Carpenter hit Utley with a pitch to start off the 4th then Hunter Pence beat out a double play to reach first. After Ryan Howard lined out, Victorino singled Pence to third. Raul Ibanez almost hit a 3 run home run to right field, but the park held it in and it resulted in a fly out. Utley singled with 1 out in the 6th inning, but was caught stealing second base for the second out. The next inning, Carpenter threw 3 balls to Howard for a 3-0 count, but he hit the next pitch to Berkman in right field when he should have taken a pitch. With 2 outs in the 8th, the Cards gave the Phillies a chance to score when pinch hitter Ross Gload struck out, but Molina could not hold on and his throw was wide for Gload to reach first. Jimmy Rollins flew out to end the inning. Utley hit the first pitch in the next frame and it was almost out, but Jay tracked it down on the warning track for the first out. 1 out later, Howard grounded out on a 2-2 and was limping in pain to end the game and the Phillies season.
Ryan Howard underwent an MRI after his injury and it showed a ruptured left Achilles tendon. He cannot have surgery until the swelling goes down and he might miss Spring Training or the first third of next season. John Mayberry will probably take his place at first base next year. Placido Polanco and Hunter Pence will have MRIs to find out more about their sports hernias and Polanco will probably have surgery. Cole Hamels will have loose bodies removed from his left elbow on Friday. In addition, he also has an inguinal hernia and he will have surgery on that the following week after his elbow surgery.
This is the third time the Phillies played a winner-take-all game in a playoff series. With the loss to the Cardinals, the Phillies are now 1-2. Their only other such games were the 1980 NLCS to the Houston Astros (series win) and the 1981 NLCS to the Montreal Expos (series loss).
New Jersey Turnpike Symmetry: After each side of the Turnpike won a World Series in 2008 and 2009, the Yankees and Phillies had chances to rematch in the WS each year, but got knocked out in the same respective round. Last season, the Phillies swept the Cincinnati Reds, while the Yankees swept the Minnesota Twins (who also took away the possibility of another team of winning a WS title in a new stadium and the first in back to back years). After that, the Yankees lost to the Texas Rangers in 6 games while the Phillies lost to the San Francisco Giants in 6. Not only that, but both the Rangers and Giants franchises were both on the East Coast at one point (Rangers used to be the Washington Senators while the Giants were in New York). Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Howard made final outs for their respective teams in their last games and they both struck out looking. This year, the Tigers knocked out the Yankees in 5 games in the ALCS, while the Phillies could not hold off the Cardinals in 5 games. Both games were decided by 1 run and once again, A-Rod and the Big Man made final outs. Now if the Eagles lose to a one man wrecking crew of the Bills (a la Kenny Britt of the Titans last year), I’m going to scream! (Odd how the Eagles play an AFC team after the Phils get eliminated again.)
Caught: 1-2 (3)
Missed: 1-1 (2)<-
1
In the 2009 NLDS vs the Rockies, the Phillies left Philadelphia with the series knotted at 1. They won the next 2 games in a freezing Denver, but they were not easy as they grinded out both victories. In Game 4, the Phillies were down 4-2, but had a dramatic 9th inning when they scored 3 runs to win it 5-4. On Wednesday, the Phillies had an early 2-0 lead, but the Cardinals scored 5 unanswered runs to win it 5-2 and were unable to mount a late comeback this time. Roy Oswalt could not repeat his feat once again against the Cardinals as he allowed 5 runs on 6 hits in his 6 innings pitched. Edwin Jackson allowed 3 hits to the first 3 batters he faced in the game which led to 2 Phillies runs, but the Phillies offense fizzled after that point as they only hit 4 in the final 8 frames.
The Phillies got out of the gate early when Jimmy Rollins led off with a double then Chase Utley brought him in with a triple. Hunter Pence singled to bring in Utley, but that was the only offense the Phillies had for the day. The 3 other Phillies who reached off Jackson were Rollins with a 3rd inning single, Placido Polanco who led off the 5th with a single, and Chase Utley who drew a leadoff walk. The only other frame the Phillies had multiple base runners came in the 8th against Fernando Salas. Pinch hitter Ross Gload led off with a single then advanced to second on a balk before pinch runner Michael Martinez ran for him. 1 out later, Utley reached on an infield single to move Martinez to third, then he scored on a wild pitch. The Phillies were unable to continue the inning when Pence grounded out then Marc Rzepczynski came on to face Ryan Howard. Howard continued to be a disappointment in his home town as he is 0-8 with 5 strikeouts in a park that he thrives in 2 NLDS games.
After Jackson allowed 2 runs in the top 1st, the Cardinals got 1 of those runs back. Skip Schumaker hit a 1 out single then scored when Oswalt allowed a double to his former teammate Lance Berkman. Oswalt had a rough time in the 4th, when he gave 2 freebies to start off. Berkman led off with a walk then hit Matt Holliday with a pitch. David Freese doubled to make Oswalt pay for those free passes. Then in the 6th inning, Holliday singled with 1 out then after Yadier Molina flew out, Freese continued to give the Phillies nightmares when he homered to give the Cardinals a 5-2 lead. Joe Blanton and Brad Lidge each pitched 1-2-3 innings.
The loss forced sudden death for both teams and will send the series back to Philadelphia. It is up to Phillies ace Roy Halladay to play the role of stopper again as he attempts to put the Phillies in their 4th straight National League Championship round. The Cardinals will bring out Chris Carpenter who got lit up early and did not last long in his previous start, but the offense cooled down and Cardinals pitchers retired 21 straight Phillies. Roy Halladay will try to shut down the Cardinals, but the Phillies offense also has to contribute and not burn golden opportunities to score since those chances are rare in the playoffs. In addition, the fans could bring energy to the Phillies, but only if the Phillies offense gives them something to cheer about. So winning is not all about the Citizens Bank crowd being loud, but it also has to do with taking advantage of opportunities when the door is open to get the crowd in it. Will Halladay perform successful surgery on the Cardinals and will the Phillies offense get back to hitting? Will the sellout Bank crowd rattle Carpenter?
This is one thing I want the Phillies to do… win!
Caught: 1-2 (3)<-
Missed: 1-0 (1)
2
Ben Francisco Puts Phillies Ahead in Nailbiter (NLDS 3)
October 5, 2011
In a highly anticipated pitching matchup of southpaws, Cole Hamels for the Phillies and Jamie Garcia of the Cardinals, it started off as a pitchers duel. Hamels has been outstanding in his postseason career as he only allowed 2 earned runs in 2 starts last postseason and Garcia has been lights out against the Phillies this year. With game scoreless in the 7th inning, pinch hitter Ben Francisco hit a 3 run home run to put the Phillies up 3-0. The Cardinals had a chance in the bottom 8th to make another come back like in Monday’s game, but instead the Phillies bullpen gave them NOTHING! This must win game puts the Phillies ahead 2-1 over the Cards and puts them in a position to advance to the Championship Series.
Both Jamie Garcia and Cole Hamels were engaged in a pitchers duel through the first 6 innings. While Garcia was cruising along allowing no runs on 3 hits, and walked one, Hamels was grinding it out in his 6 innings. Similar to Garcia, he did not allow any runs, but allowed 5 hits, and also had lengthy at bats as he walked 3 and struck out 8. Also, the Cardinals fouled off a lot of pitches. In the 1st inning with 2 outs, Albert Pujols doubled then Hamels hit Lance Berkman to put runners on first and second. Both runners stole second and third to get into scoring position. Hamels punched out David Freese to end the inning. Later on in the 6th inning with 2 outs, Ryan Theriot singled then Hamels walked Jon Jay to pitch to Jamie Garcia. Hamels struck out Garcia to get out of the inning. Hamels allowed at least 1 base runner in every inning, but the Cardinals got nothing.
After Garcia cruised through the first 6 frames, he did something he never did before to the Phillies. Shane Victorino led off with a single then Garcia managed to get the next 2 out. Garcia intentionally walked Carlos Ruiz to pitch to pinch hitter Ben Francisco. Francisco would take one deep to left field which gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead. This was his first home run since May 25 against the Reds. Also, it is the first postseason pinch hit home run by a Phillie since Eric Bruntlett in the 2008 World Series Game 2 against the Rays. Francisco joins only 2 other Phillies with go-ahead playoff home runs: Matt Stairs in the 2008 National League Championship and George Vukovich in the 1981 NLDS. Rollins followed with a double, but Chase Utley grounded out to end the inning. Vance Worley came on in the bottom 7th and allowed a huge 1 out walk to Allen Craig. Pujols followed with a single to move Craig to second and Craig advanced to third when Lance Berkman reached on a fielders choice groundout. Freese singled to bring in Craig for the Cardinals to get one of those runs back.
In the following inning, Theriot singled off Worley to lead off. Left handed Antonio Bastardo came on in to pitch to Jay, but the Cards countered with switch hitter Nick Punto who flew out for the first out. Matt Holliday pinch hit for relief pitcher Fernando Salas who singled to put runners on first and second. Rafael Furcal singled to shallow left field to load the bases with only 1 out and the Phillies were desperate for a double play. Ryan Madson came in to stop the bleeding for a 5 out save and got just what they needed when Craig hit into a 4-3 double play to shut the door on the Cardinals and give them NOTHING!! The next inning was just as suspenseful for the Phillies when Pujols led off with a double. 2 outs later, Yadier Molina singled to bring in Pujols which cut the Phils lead to 1 run. It was up to Theriot who was 4-4 with 4 singles to keep the game going, but Madson got him to ground out to end the game and to put the Cardinals into the hot seat.
Roy Oswalt will try to do what he did over 2 weeks ago versus the very same team: lead the Phillies in a key win. He will be opposed by Edwin Jackson who is 5-2, 3.58 in 13 games (12 starts) for the Cardinals. The Cards won 8 of his 12 starts and his previous 6 of 7 starts. He only faced the Phillies once on July 28 last year and allowed 5 runs on 8 hits in only 5+ innings en route to a 7-1 Phillies win. Will Oswalt repeat his stellar performance from the last time he faced the Cardinals to send them to the Championship Series?
Caught: 1-1 (2)<-
Missed: 1-0 (1)
1
A Day of Lost Early Leads in South Philadelphia (NLDS 2)
October 3, 2011
Earlier on Sunday across Pattison Avenue at Lincoln Financial Field, the Philadelphia Eagles held a 23-3 lead midway through the 3rd quarter and were looking towards their first win since Week 1 against the Rams. However, the San Franscisco Niners scored 21 unanswered points on 3 touchdowns to win it by 1 point, 24-23 which gave the Eagles their third straight loss this year. About 4 hours after the conclusion of the Eagles game, a similar thing happened at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies chased Chris Carpenter who was pitching on 3 days rest early in the game and jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after 2 innings. However, the Cardinals bullpen picked up the slack and did not allow a run on only 1 hit in the final 7 innings. Cliff Lee did not have his best stuff as he allowed 5 runs on 12 hits in 6+ innings. However, he did manage to strike out 9 batters. Also credit goes to home plate umpire Jerry Meals (remember him?) who had a postage stamp strike zone on the Phillies.
The Phillies got to Chris Carpenter early in the game when Jimmy Rollins led off with a double which was short of clearing the wall then Carpenter walked Chase Utley and Hunter Pence to load the bases. Ryan Howard followed with a single to drive in 2 runs then 1 out later, Raul Ibanez singled in Pence. Placido Polanco hit into a double play to end the inning. After Carpenter retired the first 2 in the next inning, Rollins doubled again then Utley walked. Pence singled to score Rollins and put the Phillies up 4-0. In the next inning, Carpenter pitched a 1-2-3 inning before getting taken out. He went 3 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits (all within 2 innings), and 3 walks. After Carpenter departed from the game, the Phillies only had 2 runners on base and recorded only 1 hit. The Cards bullpen allowed 1 over the minimum as Rollins who got a single in the 7th inning was picked off.
Cliff Lee had a rough postseason outing. He lasted 6 innings, but allowed 5 runs on a career high 12 hits. In the 1st, Rafael Furcal led off with a triple, but Lee managed to strand him at third by punching out Allen Craig, getting Albert Pujols to pop out and Lance Berkman grounding out. Likewise in the next inning, David Freese doubled to lead off, but Lee stranded him on second. The wheels for Lee started to come off in the 4th when he walked Berkman to lead off then 1 out later, Yadier Molina singled. Ryan Theriot followed with a double to bring in Berkman then Jon Jay singled in Molina (Jay went to second on the throw). After Lee punched out former Phillie Nick Punto, Furcal singled to bring in Theriot which was the 3rd run and 4th hit off Lee in the frame and brought the Cards to within 1 run. The Phillies got out of any more trouble when left fielder Raul Ibanez thew home to Carlos Ruiz who tagged Jay out at home as he hung on to the ball. After Lee’s crisp and only 1-2-3 inning in the 5th, he had more trouble in the 6th. After Lee got the first 2 out, Theriot doubled then Jay brought him in with a RBI single. Pinch hitter Skip Schumaker reached on an infield single, but Lee prevented further damage when Furcal grounded out to end the inning. In the following inning, Craig tripled to lead off then scored on a Pujols single to take a 5-4 lead and to silence the Bank. Berkman followed with a single to put runners on the corners and to take Lee out of the game. Of Lee’s 12 hits allowed, 5 of them were for extra bases. Also, he allowed 3 straight hits 3 times. Brad Lidge came in and got Freese to hit into a fielders choice when Pujols was out at home, but both runners advanced into scoring position. After Lidge intentionally walked Molina, Theriot hit into a double play to prevent further damage.
This loss for the Phillies will send the series back to Saint Louis on Tuesday where they will face Phillie killer Jamie Garcia. In 4 starts against the Phillies, he is 2-0, with a 0.96 ERA. He will face Cole Hamels who is 2-3, 3.27 in his 9 starts against the Cardinals. However, Hamels holds a .202 opponents batting average in 5 starts in Saint Louis. The last time Hamels pitched at Busch Stadium, he threw 8 shutout innings en route to a 2-0 win in 12 innings on July 22, 2010. That win kick started the Phillies tear after they were in third place to start the post ASB portion of the schedule. Tuesday’s game will be very, very pivotal since it will only take 1 more win to win the series. Which southpaw will prevail in the battle of lefties?
Caught: 0-1 (1)<-
Missed: 1-0 (1)
0
In Roy Halladay’s first ever playoff start last year, he pitched a no hitter against the Cincinnati Reds, who had the best offense in the majors. In the first game this year, Halladay fell behind 3-0 thanks to an early home run, but came back and retired the final 21 batters he faced. The Phillies offense looked like how they were from the playoffs last year when Kyle Lohse handled them for the first few innings. However, the Phillies offense exploded by scoring 5 runs in the 5th inning. The Phillies did not stop there though as they scored multiple runs in the next 2 innings to take the important first game by winning 11-6.
Halladay got into some trouble in the 1st inning when Rafael Furcal led off with a single then after striking out Allen Craig, he walked Albert Pujols. Lance Berkman followed with a moonshot to right field to put the Phillies down 3-0 within the first 4 batters of the game. After Skip Schumaker led off the following inning with a single, Halladay retired the next 21 batters he faced while striking out 7 in that stretch.
Former Phillie Kyle Lohse did not allow a base runner through the first 3 1/3 innings until Chase Utley doubled with 1 out in the 4th. After Hunter Pence struck out and Ryan Howard walked, Shane Victorino singled to drive in Utley to cut the Cards lead to 2 runs. Loshe started to unravel in the 6th inning when Jimmy Rollins led off with a single then after Utley struck out, Pence singled. Ryan Howard gave the Phillies the lead when he hit a towering blast to right field which gave the Phils a 4-3 lead. Victorino followed with a single before Raul Ibanez homered to extend their lead to 3 runs. Mark Rzepczynski came on in the next inning and allowed an infield single to Halladay then 2 more to Rollins and Utley to load the bases without any outs. Mitchell Boggs came in and got Hunter Pence to ground into a fielders choice which got Halladay out at home. Howard hit a sac fly to bring in Rollins and Victorino and Ibanez hit successive singles to score 2 more runs. With 2 outs in the next inning and Boggs still in the game, Rollins drew a 2 out walk then Utley doubled. Hunter Pence singled to drive in both of the runners to put the Phils up 11-3.
Michael Stutes came in the 9th inning, but got into some trouble. Craig led off with a walk then advanced to second on a Pujols single. 1 out later, pinch hitter Adron Chambers and Yadier Molina hit back to back singles to score 2 runs. Ryan Madson came in and allowed a double to Schumaker to make it an 11-6 game. Madson struck out Jon Jay and pinch hitter Matt Holliday to end the game.
Sunday will be Game 2 of the NLDS. If the Phillies take Game 2, they will have a 2 game advantage over the Cards who will have Phillie killer Jamie Garcia on Tuesday. Chris Carpenter is pitching on only 3 days rest since his previous start was on Wednesday when he pitched a 2 hit shutout against the Astros. He has never went out on only 3 days rest before. He will face Cliff Lee who shutout the Cardinals the last time he faced them back in June. Will Lee continue his success at Citizens Bank Park? Will Carpenter be fazed by the Bank in October with 46,000 white rally towels waving and by being back out in the field on short rest?
Caught: 0-0 (0)
Missed: 1-0 (1)<- (yes, even the splits reset during the playoffs!)
-1
Phillies and Cardinals NLDS Preview
October 1, 2011
I felt like doing something different for the playoffs than my traditional pitching previews I have been doing all season long:
NLDS Schedule:
Game 1, Saturday 10/1 at 5:07 PM- Kyle Lohse vs Roy Halladay- Can Halladay kick off the playoffs by pitching a gem once again? Will Lohse get knocked out by the Phillies hot offense or will he silence his former team?
Game 2, Sunday 10/2 at 8:37 PM- Chris Carpenter vs Cliff Lee- Both pitchers hurled shutout outings against each other’s teams.
Game 3, Tuesday 10/4 at 5:07 PM- Jamie Garcia vs Cole Hamels- This will be a huge matchup of southpaws. Hamels has more postseason experience in his previous 4 years in the playoffs while Garcia has had the Phillies number in his career. Also with the weather forecast calling for sunny skies, and with the late afternoon start time, the shadows will play a huge role in this game.
Game 4, Wednesday 10/5 at 6:07- Edwin Jackson vs Roy Oswalt- Oswalt started the clincher against the same Cardinals last month, but he will have to step up again in this game.
Game 5, Friday 10/7 at 8:37 : TBA
After winning a franchise best 102 games this year by chopping up their division rival Atlanta Braves to eliminate them, the Phillies will begin their 5th straight postseason appearance by facing the Saint Louis Cardinals in the National League Division Series. After getting swept by then hot Colorado Rockies in the 2007 NLDS, the Phillies have won their final 3 NLDSs against the Brewers, Rockies, and Reds. In addition, the Phillies have always had home field advantage in the NLDS. The Phillies are 9-5 in NLDS games which includes sweeping the Reds in a memorable series last season. This will be the Cardinals first playoff appearance since getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2009 NLDS. Therefore, the last playoff game the Cardinals won was the 2006 World Series at the hands of the Detroit Tigers.
Despite the Phillies success this year, the Cardinals are one of two NL teams the Phillies have a losing record against (the other one is the Nats). The Phillies were 1-3 at home, but 2-3 at Saint Louis. After the Phillies clinched the NL East against the Cardinals behind a big 8th inning, their offense went to sleep for the next 8 games until they finished the season strong by winning their final 4 games.
The Saint Louis Cardinals on the other hand finished with a 90-72 record and was hot in September to take the Wild Card away from the Atlanta Braves. After the Brewers ran away in the tight NL Central, the Cardinals were 67-63 and 11 games behind the Wild Card leading Braves. Since then, the Cardinals went on a 23-9 tear while the Braves were 11-20. Also in that stretch, the Cards lost back to back games only 2 times.
The Phillies offense will be led by Ryan Howard who has always hit his hometown team well, especially in Saint Louis. He had a subpar season against the Cardinals this year by striking out 7 times this year against the Cardinals (thanks mostly to Jamie Garcia) and by going 5-19 with a home run and a double. However, in 45 games played against the Cards, he is batting .360 (highest vs any team) with 9 doubles and 16 home runs. In addition in his hometown, he is batting .368 with 4 doubles and 9 home runs.
Lance Berkman has been a monster against the Phillies this year. He was batting .467 with a double, 2 home runs and 7 RBI. At the Bank, he was hitting .571 with a home run and 3 RBI. He is a lifetime .346 batter at Citizens Bank Park with 5 doubles and 6 home runs.
Phillies NLDS Roster: Joe Blanton has taken the final spot on the roster over David Herndon. Despite a disappointed Herndon earning his first career save on Wednesday, the Phillies liked what they saw in Blanton’s innings better instead of Herndon’s inconsistent appearances. Pete Orr and Erik Kratz are going to travel with the team in case of an emergency. Domonic Brown, Justin De Fratus and Joe Savery will work out in Clearwater to stay lpose if they are needed later on. Mike Schwimer, John Bowker, and Brandon Moss have been sent home.
Wild Way to Finish the MLB season
September 29, 2011
Coming into the final day of the season, both Wild Card races were in a dead heat. The Braves who dominated the Wild Card race in August and early September had a meltdown and the hot Cardinals ended up with a tie with the Braves coming in the final day. Likewise, in the American League Wild Card race, the Red Sox had a lofty lead and it appeared FOX would be happy with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies in the playoffs, but the Red Sox had a massive collapse down the stretch as they dropped 4 of 6 to the cellar dweller Orioles in September (similar to how the Mets were getting manhandled by the Nats in 2007). In addition, a lot of people were predicting a Phillies-Red Sox World Series, but now that won’t happen. Note how one time Boston residents were eliminated in the winning teams last at bat (the Braves used to play in Boston). Also both the games with the AL teams fighting for the Wild Card were both walk off decisions. I’ll go through each game with all of the possible Wild Card participants just to summarize what went through on the Wacky Wednesday.
Cardinals at Astros: Out of the bunch, this game was the most crisp. The Cardinals jumped former Phillie Brett Myers in the 1st inning as he allowed 5 runs on 7 hits and the Astros were down 3-0 before an out was recorded. Chris Carpenter silenced the young Astros team by pitching a 2 hit shutout while walking only 1 and struck out 11 and only needed 2 hours 20 minutes to do so. The Cardinals will face the Phillies in the first round while the second seed Brewers will play the D’Backs.
Red Sox at Orioles: The Red Sox scored single runs in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings to take a 3-2 lead, but then the rains came and halted play. The Sox were still up 3-2 in the 9th and their closer Jonathan Papelbon was on the hill to send the Red Sox to a 1 game playoff at Saint Petersburg at worst. However, like the Braves Craig Kimbrel, he experienced a 9th inning meltdown. With 2 outs, Chris Davis doubled then Nolan Reimold hit a ground rule double to tie the game. Robert Andino singled in the winning run to send the Red Sox home.
Yankees at Rays: Going into the 8th inning, the Yankees were up 7-0, but the Rays cut their lead to 1 when former Nat Luis Ayala issued a walk with the bases loaded with no outs then hits the next batter Sean Rodriguez. 1 out later, B.J. Upton hit a sac fly to make it 7-3, then Evan Longeria homered to bring the Rays to within 1. With 2 outs in the 9th and the Yankees clinging to a 7-6 lead, Dan Johnson tied the game with a homer off Cory Wade. Longeria won it in the 12 inning with a homer and sent the Rays to the playoffs. The Rays will face the Rangers in the ALDS while the Tigers take on the Yankees.
Phillies Finish Season With Record Win On Historic Night (162)
September 29, 2011
This season flown by so fast, it felt like it was only yesterday when I was driving in snow to get to Opening Day in Philadelphia, and here we are at the final game of the regular season. These Phillies played in so many memorable games this season from game 1 and fought to have the best record in the Majors by pressing on and not giving up in several games. After a long schneid near the end of the season, it ended on a positive note with the Phillies winning 4 straight. Not only did they win 4 straight to finish the season, but they won a franchise best 102 games, and Charlie Manuel won his 646th game as a Phillies skipper which is the most by any Phillies manager.
The Braves were in a similar situation from last year on the final game of the season as they met with the Phillies in the final game of the season once again. If they won and the Cardinals won, then they would have a chance at making the playoffs. However if they lost, they would have to depend on Brett Myers and the Astros to play spoiler for the Braves to enter the playoffs. However, things were the opposite from last year, as the Braves all mighty bullpen fell apart and the Phillies won in extras. Meanwhile in Houston, Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals shut out the Astros and were waiting for the outcome of the action in Atlanta.
The Phillies got started in the 1st inning with 2 outs when Tim Hudson walked Hunter Pence then Ryan Howard doubled to bring him in. The Braves answered back in their half of the inning when Joe Blanton allowed a leadoff single to Michael Bourn who stole second. After he advanced to third on a ground out, Chipper Jones hit a sac fly to bring in Bourn. Just like in his previous start, Blanton struck out the side in the 2nd inning. Freedie Freeman led off with a ground rule double then after Brian McCann struck out, Matt Diaz hit an infield single to put runners on the corners. Blanton punched out Jack Wilson and Tim Hudson to get out of the inning.
Cole Hamels came on in relief to get some work in for the playoffs and allowed a single to Bourn who stole second. After Martin Prado reached on an infield single (Bourn could not advance), Bourn was caught trying to steal third base. One out later, Dan Uggla homered to give the Braves a 2 run advantage. Hamels pitched 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, no walks and struck out 1. After Hamels left, the Phillies bullpen allowed 3 hits in the final 8 innings pitched. Vance Worley pitched himself in a little jam in the 6th inning. He issued back to back walks to Uggla and Freeman to start off the frame and to get the Tomahawk Chop going. Then Worley came back and struck out McCann and Diaz to get 2 outs. Jack Wilson singled to right fielder Pence who threw home and gunned out McCann out at home for the final out.
The Phillies commenced their comeback in the 7th inning when Raul Ibanez doubled with 1 out off Hudson. Placido Polanco singled to move Ibanez to third then Carlos Ruiz reached on a Wilson error which scored Ibanez. Eric O’Flaherty came on and pitched to pinch hitter Shane Victorino who hit into a double play. After Johnny Venters walked 2 and hit a batter to load the bases with 2 outs but eventually got out of the jam, Braves phenomenal closer Craig Kimbrel came on to force a 1 game playoff with the Cards at worst. Polanco led off with a single who was replaced by Pete Orr to run for Polanco. After Kimbrel struck out Ruiz, he issued back to back walks to pinch hitter Ben Francisco and Jimmy Rollins to load the bases. Utley hit a sac fly to tie the game at 3.
Both teams battled back in forth in extra innings. In the bottom 10th with Bourn on first and 2 outs, Jones hit a sure extra base hit which would have scored the speedy Bourn, but Michael Martinez tracked it down and denied the Braves from winning. In the top 13th with Scott Linebrink on the hill, he walked Brian Schneider with 1 out then got Rollins to fly out. After Utley singled Schneider to third, Pence brought in the go ahead run when he hit a ground ball to short right field to score Schneider. David Herndon was summoned to pitch the bottom 13th and walked Uggla with 1 out, but Freeman hit into a 3-6-3 double play to end the game. This was Herndon’s first career save and Justin DeFratus who pitched the bottom 12th earned his first career win.
Caught: 54-28 (82) (7-9 since September 4)
Missed: 48-32 (80)<- (28-11 since July 15)
2 (IIRC, first time EVER I caught more than I missed!)
