Halladay Goes The Distance

Behind Roy Halladay's dominant complete game, the Phils beat the Mets today by a final of 2-1.

Roy was filthy today and he gave the bull pen a mini vacation as he pitched 9 innings to earn his 4th win of the season. The only run that Halladay gave up came in the 4th inning when Daniel Murphy singled and David Wright grounded to Placido Polanco who threw to second but was not in time to get Murphy. With runners on first and second Carlos Beltran singled to score Murphy from second. Aside from that Halladay was dealing and really got into a rhythm after the 4th inning. After the 4th Halladay allowed just 2 hits and the Mets couldn't generate any offense.

Although the Phils only scored 2 runs today I can't get too mad at them after their offensive explosion last night. But up until the 7th inning, the Phils had gotten just 4 hits and only 6 base runners and were unable to score a run off of Mets starter Jon Niese. The Phils were extremely impatient at the plate and had quick at-bats in which they didn't take many pitches. But in the bottom of the 7th John Mayberry whacked a curveball into the left field seats to tie the game at 1. Later in the inning Placido Polanco hit a sac fly to score Wilson Valdez to give the Phils a 2-1 lead.

With a slim 1 run lead Halladay pitched a scoreless 8th. After the Phils were unable to score in the bottom of the inning, Roy went into the 9th looking to pitch his 60th complete game.

Halladay came into the top of the ninth having thrown just 90 pitches all day. Roy had a look of determination on his face and you could tell he wanted to finish what he started. But Halladay uncharacteristically walked David Wright on 4 pitches and he pitched 2 more balls to the next batter Carlos Beltran. After starting the game with 18 straight strikes it was not a good sign to see Halladay pitch 6 consecutive balls. But Halladay fought back and eventually got Beltran to line out to left field. Halladay then struck out Jason Bay and got Ike Davis to ground out to end the game.

With today's victory the Phils have won the series and will look to sweep tomorrow when they send Cliff Lee to the mound. It would be huge for the Phils to win tomorrow as it will start this home stand and stretch of division games off on the right foot. Lee will be opposed by Chris Young and the game will be at 8:00 PM on ESPN.

Flyers Bruins Regular Season Recap

The best way to predict what will happen in the upcoming Flyers Bruins series is to look at the season series. The Bruins won the series 3-1 and the Flyers suffered some bad losses against their rivals. Here is a breakdown of the regular season match ups between the two teams game by game.

December 1, 2010 Bruins 3 Flyers 0
The season series between the Bruins and Flyers started out in Philadelphia. The Bruins jumped out to an early 2 goal lead in the first period. After a scoreless second, the Bruins tacked on an empty netter at the end to seal the 3-0 victory. Aside from the first period, Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was solid in net. But the Flyers couldn't put one past Tim Thomas who had 41 saves on the night.

December 11, 2010 Flyers 2 Bruins 1 OT
The series shifted to Boston for the second game of the season series. Brian Boucher got the start and he came up big saving 35 of 36 shots. The Flyers got a late first period goal from JVR but Nathan Horton tied it up in midway through the second to knot things up at 1. After a scoreless 3rd, and almost scoreless overtime, Mike Richards wristed one past Tim Thomas with 3 seconds remaining. The win was a great road victory for the Flyers and tied the season series at 1.

January 13, 2011 Bruins 7 Flyers 5
In this game Brian Boucher had a rough outing stopping only 30 of the 36 shots aimed his way. It was a back and forth game that involved 5 lead changes. 7 goals were scored in the final period, 5 coming from the Bruins. After the Bruins took an early 4-3 lead in the third thanks to goals from Mark Recchi and Michael Ryder, the Flyers battled back behind Danny Briere and Sean O'Donnell to take a 5-4 lead. But the Bruins scored 3 unanswered goals including an empty netter at the end to win by a final of 7-5.

March 27, 2011 Bruins 2 Flyers 1
The most recent meeting between the two teams came in late March and the Bruins got the better of the Flyers to win the season series. Brian Boucher had a much better game stopping 34 of 36 shots. But the only offense the Flyers could manage came off a early first period goal from Kris Versteeg. Aside from that the Flyers managed just 28 shots on goal and came up short against the Bruins once again.

Although the Flyers lost the season series against the Bruins, the playoffs are a totally different season where anything can happen. The Flyers will be looking to put the season series behind them and focus their attention on defeating the Bruins in the upcoming Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Howard Goes Yard Twice, Phils Win

Ryan Howard knew it was gone as soon as he hit it.

The big man flung his bat to the ground and watched his 2 run shot take off into the upper deck seats in right field. The home run was an absolute bomb and it gave the Phillies a 2 run lead.

But the big man wasn't done yet. After Ben Francisco's 2 RBI single in the 5th, Ryan Howard belted a grand slam home run in the 6th to give the Phils a commanding 8-0 lead, and put his RBI total at 6 for the night.

Filling in for injured Joe Blanton, Vance Worley was awesome in his spot start pitching 6 scoreless innings. It wasn't all smooth sailing, Worley had to survive a bizarre first inning in which Placido Polanco and Jimmy Rollins committed back to back errors. But Worley stayed calm and eventually got an inning ending double play. Worley got into another jam in the sixth when he put the first two men on. But he remained calm and got another double play and a fly ball to get out of the jam.

Michael Stutes replaced Worley in the bottom of the seventh. Stutes walked the first batter but got the next three batters out to complete his scoreless inning. And even with a 8 run lead the Phils weren't done at the plate. In the bottom of the inning Placido Polanco laced his franchise record 39th hit in April to score Raul Ibanez and Pete Orr.

Danys Baez pitched a scoreless 8th, and after David Herndon gave up 3 runs in the 9th the Phils eventually won by a final of 10-3. Worley looked like a true veteran out there remaining calm even when he got into jams. The Phils offense had 10 hits and they seem to be coming alive just in time for this home stand.

By taking the series opener, the Phils will look to win the series tomorrow when they send Roy Halladay to the mound.

Will The Goalie Carousel Stop?

Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette has a lottery system in his office with the names of his goaltenders Michael Leighton, Sergie Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher etched on to thousands of tiny little ping-pong balls. And each night before every playoff game he draws a name and that's how he determines who will get the start in net.

While this may or may not actually happen, after the previous series against the Sabres in which 3 different goalies started, my head is beginning to spin with the goalie carousel that is surrounding this Flyers team.

In the upcoming series against the Boston Bruins, Laviolette needs to figure out that the man in net has to be the veteran Brian Boucher. Boucher is the most consistent of the three and he gives the guys around him a sense of calmness and confidence that enables them to play at a much higher level.

As for who should be back up I think that has to be Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky has had some outstanding games this year for the Flyers and you can't just throw out his Game 1 performance against the Sabres. Bobrovsky is a great guy to have on the bench and will be ready to go if the Flyers need him.

I think that constantly flip flopping goalies will hurt the Flyers in the long run. Laviolette needs to pick Brian Boucher to be the starter for the remainder of the the Flyers Stanley Cup run and stick with him even if he has a bad start. In the upcoming series the goalie carousel needs to stop before it becomes a distraction.

Phillies Mets Preview

The Mets will visit Citizens Bank Park this weekend in what is sure to be great series between two bitter division rivals. Earlier this year, the Phils took 2 out of 3 from the Mets and this weekend they will look to continue their success against the New York Metropolitans.

Phillies Last Series

The Phils dropped 2 out of three in a road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phils were shutout in the first game of the series, but the offense responded nicely in the final 2 games putting up a total of 13 runs. In the series the Phils got a lot of production out of Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, and Ben Francisco. Defensively Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels pitched well and had solid outings. And although the Phils won the series finale by a final of 8-4 they limped out of Arizona with injuries to Jose Contreras and Joe Blanton. Both were placed on the 15 DL and both injuries could prove to be very costly to the Phils. Also Carlos Ruiz and pitcher Roy Oswalt are now day to day. Chooch experienced some lower back pain after Wednesday's game, and after his start on Tuesday, Roy Oswalt left the team to help out his family affected by the recent tornadoes.

Mets Last Series

The Mets took 2 out of 3 in a road series against the Washington Nationals. The Mets took the first 2 games of the series behind their offense that managed to score a combined 12 runs. The Mets lost the series finale but that doesn't take away from their recent tear. Before the series against the Nationals, the Mets swept the Diamondbacks at home and are 6-1 in their last 7 games. They are averaging 6 runs a game during their recent streak and the Phils can't take them lightly in the upcoming series.

What To Look For

In tonight's game look for a high scoring affair. Although Vance Worley has pitched well in Triple A, who knows how he will do in an unexpected major league outing. In the final 2 games Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee need to stop the Mets offense. Although the Mets bats have done some recent damage, the Phils two aces can make even the hottest team in baseball look absolutely foolish. Offensively the Phils offense is starting to come around, I'm predicting a couple of lop sided scores for this weekend.

Pitching Match-Ups

Friday 7:05 PM Vance Worley (0-0,--ERA) vs Mike Pelfry (1-2,7.23 ERA)

Sautrday 1:10 PM Roy Halladay (3-1,2.41 ERA) vs Jon Niese (1-3,5.10 ERA)

Sunday 8:00 PM Cliff Lee (2-2,4.18 ERA) vs TBA

I'm looking forward to an offensive explosion this weekend from the Phils. I expect Halladay and Lee to have strong starts accompanied by a whole lot of run support. And there is no question that the Phils will be ready to win in front of their homecrowd after their tough road series against the Diamondbacks.

Vick Loses Out On Madden Cover

I am sad to report that Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis beat out Michael Vick for the cover of Madden 2012.

Hillis won overwhelmingly capturing a staggering 66% of the votes cast on ESPN.com. Although Vick received just 34% of the vote it was a victory in itself that he was even in the finals.

Overall I think the fact that Vick was in line to be on the cover of Madden speaks volumes of the steps that he and the Eagles have taken to improve his public image.

Mike Vick is in the midst of a triumphant comeback and has taken great strides to improve his overall image as an athlete and contributing member of society.

In the upcoming season I expect big things from Vick on and off the field.

Tough Times In The Desert

After 4 game sweeping the San Diego Padres, nobody expected the Phils to drop 2 out of 3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Luckily, the Phils were able to win yesterday and escape Arizona with a victory and end the road trip on a positive not. Here is a game by game breakdown of the Phils series in the desert.

Monday Diamondbacks 4 Phillies 0

On Monday the Phils wasted a 12 K effort from Cliff Lee and were shut out by a final of 4-0. Lee got into trouble in the bottom of the third when he gave up a 2 run shot to Chris Young. Cliff proceeded to give up another home run in the 5th, this time a solo blast to Gerardo Parra, and he gave up an additional run in the 6th. It certainly wasn't an awful outing from Lee, he did have 12 Ks. But the Phils did nothing offensively. Ian Kennedy pitched a complete game 3 hit shutout to blank the Phils. The Phillies went down in order 6 of the 9 innings and only had a total of 3 base runners.

Tuesday Diamondbacks 7 Phillies 5

In a rare bad outing from Roy Oswalt, the Phils lost on Tuesday by a final of 7-5. Roy pitched just 3 innings and gave up 5 runs off of 6 hits. The only real positive of the game was the Phils offense. The Phils' bats broke out of their offensive slump producing 5 runs off of 12 hits. Ryan Howard had a big day going 3-4 with an RBI and Shane Victorino went 2-5 with a triple. Ben Francisco had a 2 run HR in the 9th to bring the Phils to within 2 runs of the Diamondbacks. But Raul Ibanez flied out to end the game and the Phils dropped their second straight.

Wednesday Phillies 8 Diamondbacks 4

Yesterday the Phils offense exploded for 3 first inning runs. Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco led off the afternoon with singles to left field. Jimmy Rollins then followed with a double to score Victorino and move Polanco over to third. After Ryan Howard struck out, Ben Francisco laced a double to left to score Rollins and Polanco. With a comfortable 3 run lead Cole Hamels looked great on the mound. Hamels pitched 7 innings giving up 3 runs off just 4 hits. The only real trouble Hamels got into was in the 5th when he surrendered a 2 run HR to Chris Young. Aside from that Hamels was dominant and at one point he had retired 10 consecutive batters. The Phils offense continued to pour it on and finally provide Cole with some much needed run support. Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard had solo blasts, and Jimmy Rollins had a 2 run shot in the 5th giving him 3 RBI's on the day. Coming into yesterday's game Rollins had just 2 RBI's on the season. Overall it was a great team effort and the Phils were able to escape Arizona with a victory and end the road trip with a 5-2 record.

The Phils are now 16-8 and will return home to face the Mets, Nationals and Braves. The Phils are in good shape right now overall. Their starters are pitching well and aside from the shutout on Monday the offense is producing runs. Stay updated to the blog for a Philles Mets preview as well as Phillies Game Day posts.

End Of The Road For The Sixers

They played with heart and energy and a whole lot of determination, but in the end the Sixers could not handle the Miami Heat losing by a final of 97-91, and losing the series 4 games to 1.

To start the game, the Sixers jumped out to an early 14-4 lead thanks in part to the strong play of Elton Brand and Jodie Meeks. Meeks was knocking down his early jumpers to score 8, and Elton Brand went 4-5 from the field and he too contributed 8 points. Defensively the Sixers kept the Heat in front of them and didn't allow any easy baskets. Jrue Holiday played with a ton of energy and not only scored but also dove on the floor after loose balls which really motivated his team mates. But the Heat had an answer to the early Sixers start and responded with a 16-4 run late in the quarter. Mario Chalmers came off the bench for the Heat and provided a big spark with 11 points most of which came from beyond the arc. Chalmers provided a dagger 3 pointer at the buzzer to give the Heat a 27-23 lead after the opening quarter.

The Sixers did a good job of just hanging with the Heat in the second quarter. They successfully pushed the ball in transition and got the ball to Elton Brand who had the hot hand. Evan Turner got some minutes in the first half and ripped down 8 boards. The Sixers locked down on Lebron who went 1-6 from the field in the first half and was limited to just 3 points. In the second quarter the Sixers also did a good job of limiting Mario Chalmers to just 3 points. Going into halftime the Sixers trailed 45-42, a one possession game.

The third quarter included some extremely exciting and entertaining basketball. Mario Chalmers knocked down some early threes to give the Heat the early second half edge. But the Sixers responded behind Andre Iguodala who did an excellent job of pushing the ball. Iggy also knocked down some key shots in the third and had 11 of his 14 points in the quarter. Lebron James also heated up towards the end of the third and had 10 points in the quarter.

In the 4th the Heat jumped out to an early lead and at one point early in the quarter they led by as many as 10 points. The Heat brought defensive traps that caused Sixers turnovers. Thadeus Young played with a lot of heart and made some great hustle plays diving all over the place to save the ball. Lebron continued to drive and get to the basket and D-Wade silently burned the Sixers. The Sixers were also burned by their play on the boards as the Heat grabbed 5 offensive boards in the second half which led to extra opportunities. The Heat continued to knock down their 3 pointers but the Sixers were able to hang tough. Andre Iguodala played out of his mind and had 22 points on the night. He continued to push the ball and knock down countless jumpers with a hand in his face. The Sixers kept it close and were down by as little as 1 in the final moments. But down by 3, Andre was unable to come up with a bucket in the final minute. Eventually the Sixers lost by a final of 97-91.

It's tough to lose especially when the Sixers were that close. Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala played so great tonight. They played with heart and both came up with some big shots and both finished with 22 points to lead the Sixers in scoring. Jrue Holiday and Thad Young played hard and finished in double digits for the Sixers. Jodie Meeks also finished in double digits and overall as a team the Sixers played great. They went into Miami and played one of their best games this year.

But the Heat went 12-30 from 3 point land and they had 15 offensive rebounds which is simply unacceptable. And D-Wade and Lebron went on their little spurts which really hurt the Sixers.

Although the Sixers lost the game and the series they sent a message to the rest of the league that Philadelphia basketball is back. The Sixers are now a time that you have to take seriously and will be a force in the upcoming years.

Check back to the blog in the upcoming days for more on this series as well as this overwhelmingly positive Sixers turnaround season.

Sixers Heat Game 5 Preview

The stage is set tonight for Game 5 between the Heat and Sixers.

The game will start at 7:00 and will be played in Miami. You can catch the game on CSN and listen to it on 610 AM.

Tonight the Sixers are sure to come out with a ton of energy and give the Heat a run. Meanwhile the Heat are going to come out on their home court and try to close this series out.

In tonight's game look for the Sixers to get off to a hot start. The Sixers have gotten off to good starts in previous games and I expect them to do so once again. For the Heat, look for D-Wade and Lebron to try and take this game over. They are going to do everything in their power to make sure this series ends tonight.

I think that the Sixers will get a big lead early which will carry them throughout the game. With a big lead I think the Sixers will be able to survive a late Heat run and eventually win at the end by a final of 95-91.

The Sixers showed on Sunday that they can beat this team. They just have to play hard, remain cool under pressure, and do everything they can to send this series back to the City of Brotherly Love.

Sixers Keys To Winning Game 5

On Sunday the Sixers came out and defied the odds to force a game 5 tonight in Miami.

In order to win tonight and bring the series back to Philly, the Sixers need to play a fundamentally sound game and get key contributions from a lot of guys. The Sixers showed on Sunday that they can beat this team, and I think it's a definite possibility that this series comes back to Philadelphia. Here are the keys to the game.

Evan Turner- If Turner gets more playing time this will benefit the Sixers defensively and offensively. Turner had 17 points on Sunday, and played a solid game defensively. Turner came through with some big key buckets down the stretch. Doug Collins needs to wake up and give Turner the playing time he deserves.

Lou Will- Lou Williams is going to be a big factor in Game 5, to read more about Lou Will click HERE.

Elton Brand- The Sixers need to find ways to get Brand involved. Running pick and rolls with Brand is a great way to get him open and allow him to knock down his patented mid range jumper. Brand also needs to do a better job on the boards as he is the only real presence the Sixers have down low.

Hot Start- The Sixers got off to hot starts in Games 1 and 4, and another hot start tonight would benefit the Sixers greatly. When the Sixers get it going early it gives them confidence that stays with them throughout the game.

Surviving Heat Run- The Heat are going to make a run, that is inevitable. It's how the Sixers respond to that run that will determine the outcome of this game. The Heat made their run in Game 4 behind their relentless defense that suffocated the Sixers with double team traps. The Sixers folded under the pressure and turned the ball over which led to fast break points and extra opportunities for the Heat. When the Heat make their run tonight, the Sixers first and foremost need to slow the game game down. They have to stick to their game plan, play fundamental basketball and limit their turnovers. The Sixers also have to remain calm and not force bad passes when the Heat bring defensive pressure.

Scoring In Transition- The Sixers are young and athletic and have a lot of athletes that are extremely dangerous in the open floor. The Sixers need to push the ball every opportunity they get and try to get some easy points.

Keep It Close In 4th- The Sixers need to do everything they can to keep things close in the 4th quarter. The Heat are bat at closing games out, and if the Sixers are close at the end they should be in a good position to win the game.

Stop Heat Fast Break- The Heat are deadly in the fast break. Not only do they get easy points, but when D-Wade tosses one up to Lebron and he jams it home, they are huge momentum killers. The Sixers can't let the Heat score in transition or they are in for a very long night.

If the Sixers do these things and play a conservative game I think they can bring this series back to Philly. But if they try to do too much and force the issue that's when they will get into trouble. The Sixers just need to take this series one game at a time and try to force a Game 6.

Flyers Game 7 Preview

The stage is set tonight for an epic Game 7 between the Sabres and Flyers.

The Flyers battled back on Sunday to force overtime and eventually won off Villie Leino's extra session goal. The Flyers showed resiliency and determination on Sunday just like they did during last year's Stanley Cup run.

Tonight the goalie carousel stops on Brian Boucher who has already been announced as the starter. Boucher had a bad game 5 but filled in nicely for the Flyers in game 6 after Leighton failed to get the job done. Personally I like Boucher in net. I think he is a veteran with a lot of experience and he gives the guys around him a lot of confidence.

Tonight the Flyers need to do better on the power play. The success of the Flyers power play depends greatly on the availability of Chris Pronger. Pronger played just 4:33 in game 6, all of his time coming on the man advantage. When Pronger was on the ice the Flyers were able to get set up better and you could just see the rest of the team settle down.

In order to win tonight the Flyers need to do a better job of taking care of the puck, especially in their own zone. The Flyers need to limit their turnovers and make better decisions with the puck.

The Flyers also need to create more traffic in front of Miller. The Flyers need to put a lot of pressure on Miller and not let him get comfortable. The Flyers need to capitalize on any rebounds that bounce back into the slot and someone has to be there to score.

It's going to be an absolute battle tonight. Overtime would not surprise me as these are clearly 2 evenly matched teams. I expect the Flyers to win and I expect the crowd at the Wells Fargo Center to play a big factor in tonight's game. With all our will, we will.

Call Me Lou Will

Without Lou Will's amazing 4th quarter performance on Sunday, the Sixers don't win plain and simple.

Going into the 4th quarter the game was close and the Sixers were doing a good job of just hanging in there. But the Heat got off to a hot start in the 4th and it looked as if the Sixers were going to fizzle out and die. Lou Williams however had different plans. Lou Will put the team on his back, and scored 11 points in the final quarter. He drove to the basket and knocked down the open shots to keep the Sixers in the game. Lou Will's 3 point shot against D-Wade with 8 seconds left sealed his epic 4th quarter and kept the Sixers playoff hopes alive.

For the Sixers to have any chance on Wednesday, the Sixers need to get Williams more involved throughout the game and not just at the end. Lou is a natural scorer, and the Sixers have to allow Lou to do his thing which is driving to the hoop and knocking down jumpers.

After his injury Lou had a tough time getting back and was rusty during the early games of the series. But Lou is getting back into the swing of things and getting better as the series progresses. On Wednesday I expect a big game out of Lou who I feel is a big time player. Lou has knocked down a ton of clutch shots this year and maybe called upon in Game 5 if the game is close.

I think it's fair to say that Lou is the go to guy when the game is on the line. If given the chance, Lou Williams is the guy who can bring this series back to Philadelphia.

Mass Murderer Will Play In Game 7

For any Flyers fans fortunate enough to have tickets for tonight's Game 7, be aware. Philadelphia Police have advised that mass murderer Mike Richards will be at the Wells Fargo Center and that anyone attending the game should be extra cautious.

In Game 6, Richards had an illegal hit against Tim Conolly that sent him head first into the boards. Conolly who has a history of concussions, left the game and will not play tonight.

In response to the hit, Sabres goalie Ryan Miller had this to say: “If Mike Richards thinks we’re getting away with murder, I don’t know what he just got away with. Mass murder?”

Miller's comments were clearly extreme. Miller has been chirping all series and the Flyers need to come out tonight and have a big game to silence the Sabres goalie.

Clearly the hit was illegal, but hockey is such a game of impulse and reaction that these things sometimes happen. If it were a regular season game, I would be fine with a suspension. But this is game 7 and I'm glad the league didn't take any action.

I feel like this recent comment made by Miller is going to give the Flyers extra motivation. At times during this series, the Flyers have struggled against Miller and got shutout twice. Tonight I feel like things are going to go the Flyers' way and they are going to catch the breaks that they failed to get in the games were Miller was great.

And maybe the mass murderer Mike Richards can sneak one past Miller. That would be the perfect ending to this series.

Doug Collins Stays Positive

People get mad at me all the time because I am a Philly Sports optimist.

No matter what the odds, I continually think that my beloved Sixers, Phillies, Flyers and Eagles will win their respective championships.

Although maybe not as extreme, Doug Collins brings a similar mentality to this young Sixers group. How else can you explain the Sixers Game 4 performance? The Sixers very easily could have been satisfied with their season and packed it in. They went from winning 27 games in 2009-10 to winning 41 this past season. The Sixers could have said this Heat team is just too good, we can't beat them.

But Doug Collins encouraged his guys to dig deep and continue to fight. He brought out the best performance from his guys in the lowest and most dire of times. Collins had this to say before Sunday's game:

“I’m a very stubborn guy and I feel as long as we’re in the game, we have a chance to win. That’s what we’ve preached all season long. That’s what we’ll continue to preach."

Doug Collins' positive attitude is rubbing off on the other guys on this team. The Sixers are playing extremely relaxed and on Sunday they didn't look like a team that was down 3 games to 0. They instead looked like a team that has nothing to lose and a team that is going to continue to fight to the very last minute.

Right now the Sixers are not a satisfied team. They are a hungry team that doesn't want to go home. I truly believe that the Sixers enjoy playing and enjoy being part of a young success story. On Wednesday I expect Collins and the Sixers to come out with a lot of energy and do everything they can to prolong this season.

Phillies Diamondbacks Preview

Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz tags out Arizona Shortstop Stephen Drew.

Preview: A tale of two different teams will collide tonight as the Philadelphia Phillies will be taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three game series at Chase Field. The faltering Diamondbacks were swept by the lowly New York Mets, and if that's not bad enough, they have the worst team ERA in all of baseball at 6.75. On the opposite side of the looking glass, the Phillies have been streaking, winning five games in a row while outscoring opponents 16-6, holding batters to a 0.96 ERA. Phillies hero Cliff Lee (2-1 3.91 ERA) will be taking the mound tonight against former New York Yankee Ian Kennedy (2-1 5.64) ERA, Arizona's ace. This will be Lee's first appearance at Chase Field, however, Lee is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA against Arizona in his time with Philadelphia from 2009. Kennedy was sharp in his last outing as well, giving up one run and four hits, while going 5.1 innings, overcoming an injured ankle. Against Philadelphia, Kennedy is 0-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 4 strikeouts. The second game will feature RHP Roy Oswalt (3-0 1.88 ERA) against RHP Daniel Hudson (2-1 5.64 ERA), who was acquired from the White Sox in last summer's Edwin Jackson trade. Oswalt pitched brilliantly in his last start, allowing one hit and striking out six while silencing those who worried about his back issues. Hudson, on the other hand, had a very bipolar outing in Cincinnati, giving up four earned runs in the first inning, also walking three. Following the first, he managed to retire twelve straight, so it'll be interesting nonetheless to see how Hudson responds in this game. In what could be the rubber game of the series, 'King' Cole Hamels (2-1 2.92 ERA) gets the nod, facing former Los Angeles Angel Joe Saunders (0-2 4.98 ERA). Hamels put the team on his back in his start against San Diego, throwing 126 pitches in eight innings, saving the overtaxed bullpen. His opposing starter, Joe Saunders, who was acquired in the Dan Haren trade last summer, had a no decision versus the New York Mets in his last outing, only giving up two hits. A bullpen implosion led to Saunders no decision.

Chase Field.

Who's Hot and Who's Not: Look for Arizona SS Stephen Drew and Phillies CF Shane Victorino to continue their hot streak, as Drew hit .391 with 5 RBIs on Arizona's recent roadtrip, while Victorino had an inside-the-park-homerun, is hitting .362 and has 12 RBIs in his last 16 games versus 'Zona. Also be on the lookout for a Chris Young breakout, as he is mired in a 1-21 slump. At his native Chase Field, however, he is hitting .289 with 3 HRs and 10 RBIs.

Time: Game 1: 9:40 PM Cliff Lee vs Ian Kennedy on CSN
Game 2: 9:40 PM Roy Oswalt vs Daniel Hudson on TCN
Game 3: 3:40 PM Cole Hamels vs Joe Saunders on TCN

Prediction: Ultimately, this is a tale of two opposite teams. However, with Contreas on the DL for an extended period of time and little depth in the Phillies bullpen, it wouldn't shock me in the D'backs manage to take one out of three in this upcoming series. If the Phillies line-up starts to gel, then this team is unstoppable with their starters currently firing on all cylinders. I'm saying the Phillies win the series, 2-1.

Get Out The Brooms

For the second time this season, the Phils reached into their closet and pulled out their brooms by t4 game sweeping the San Diego Padres this past weekend.

The Phils won the final game of the series today behind Roy Halladay who bounced back from his bad last start. Halladay pitched 8.2 innings and only surrendered 1 earned run. He had 14 K's and allowed just 6 base runners. The only real hiccup of Halladay's start today came in the bottom of the 9th when he allowed a run on three hits. Charlie eventually called on Antonio Bastardo to come in and get the final out. Although Halladay was unable to get the complete game, seeing him have a dominant start after his last outing was good to see. And Bastardo only pitched to one batter, but to see him come into a pressure situation and get a big out is definitely a good sign. I think we can expect big things from Bastardo out of the pen this year.

I know I sound like a broken record, but once again the Phils offense did just enough. The Phils big inning came in the top of the 6th when Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard led off the inning with back to back singles. Ben Francisco then had an RBI single to score Rollins, and John Mayberry Jr. followed that with a RBI double to score Howard. For insurance, Shane Victorino led off the 7th with an inside the park home run to give the Phils a 3-0 lead. Not an offensive explosion, but good enough once again.

The Phils offense scored just 12 runs in the series but it was significantly more than the Padres who only manufactured 3 runs. The Padres were blanked twice, and the Phils arms were able to give the offense a bit of a breather.

After the sweep the Phils are now 15-6 and are just 2 wins away from tying the franchise record for most wins in April and with 5 games remaining in the Phils should have no problem breaking that record. The Phils will now travel to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks. Cliff Lee will get the start tomorrow night. Stay tuned to the blog for a complete Phillies Diamondbacks Preview.

Get Out The Brooms

For the second time this season, the Phils reached into their closet and pulled out their brooms by t4 game sweeping the San Diego Padres this past weekend.

The Phils won the final game of the series today behind Roy Halladay who bounced back from his bad last start. Halladay pitched 8.2 innings and only surrendered 1 earned run. He had 14 K's and allowed just 6 base runners. The only real hiccup of Halladay's start today came in the bottom of the 9th when he allowed a run on three hits. Charlie eventually called on Antonio Bastardo to come in and get the final out. Although Halladay was unable to get the complete game, seeing him have a dominant start after his last outing was good to see. And Bastardo only pitched to one batter, but to see him come into a pressure situation and get a big out is definitely a good sign. I think we can expect big things from Bastardo out of the pen this year.

I know I sound like a broken record, but once again the Phils offense did just enough. The Phils big inning came in the top of the 6th when Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard led off the inning with back to back singles. Ben Francisco then had an RBI single to score Rollins, and John Mayberry Jr. followed that with a RBI double to score Howard. For insurance, Shane Victorino led off the 7th with an inside the park home run to give the Phils a 3-0 lead. Not an offensive explosion, but good enough once again.

The Phils offense scored just 12 runs in the series but it was significantly more than the Padres who only manufactured 3 runs. The Padres were blanked twice, and the Phils arms were able to give the offense a bit of a breather.

After the sweep the Phils are now 15-6 and are just 2 wins away from tying the franchise record for most wins in April and with 5 games remaining in the Phils should have no problem breaking that record. The Phils will now travel to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks. Cliff Lee will get the start tomorrow night. Stay tuned to the blog for a complete Phillies Diamondbacks Preview.

Sixers Battle Hard Force Game 5

Attempting to avoid elimination, the Sixers came out today and gave the Heat all they had.

The Sixers jumped out to another early lead and got strong contributions from Jrue Holiday and Elton Brand in the first quarter. Brand had his mid range jumper working, and Holiday was extremely aggressive shooting the 3 and driving to the basket. Andre Iguodala also got in on the action and did a good job of cutting through the Heat defense and getting to the hoop. The Sixers led 28-16 after the first quarter.

But late in the second quarter the Heat defense suffocated the Sixers with traps and double teams. The Sixers had 8 turn overs in the second quarter that led to quick easy buckets for the Heat on the other end. The Sixers failed to come to the ball when they were being trapped and instead tried to force bad passes. Dwayne Wade also came alive with 14 second quarter points. To counter the Heat run, rookie Evan Turner had 9 first half points but the Sixers went into halftime trailing 47-46.

The third quarter was extremely boring. Both teams looked disinterested and after the third the Heat held on to a 66-64 lead. Although it was not the most exciting quarter, the Sixers did a good job of locking down on defense and not letting the Heat build a big lead.

After an early Heat run to begin the 4th, the Sixers battled back behind Lou Williams who had 10 points in the 4th. Lou got points in transition and did a great job of being a solid scoring option for the Sixers. The Sixers outlasted the performance of LeBron and got a big 3 point shot from Lou Williams with 8 seconds left to give the Sixers an 84-82 lead. Guarded by Dwayne Wade, Lou launched a high arching shot that splashed down to the delight of a sell out crowd at the Wells Fargo Center. With 8 seconds left the Heat in bounded to Lebron who forced up a bad shot that missed and was rebounded by the Sixers. Evan Turner was then fouled and knocked down 2 big free throws to seal the victory.

The win was big for the Sixers who avoided elimination and forced a Game 5 in Miami on Wednesday. Evan Turner and Lou Williams both came up big in the 4th and both finished with 17 points to lead the Sixers in scoring. Even if the Sixers end up losing this series at least they were able to win a game in front of their home crowd.

Stay updated to the blog in the upcoming days for more Sixers coverage.

Howard Comes Through

It's the top of the 11th inning and the Phils have Placido Polanco on third with 2 outs in a 2-2 ball game. Padres manager Buddy Black elects to intentionally walk Jimmy Rollins to get to Ryan Howard. After walking Rollins, Black then called in lefty Cory Luebke out of the bull pen to come in and get Howard out. Howard clearly took it personally, and laced a double to left field to score Polanco and Rollins and give the Phils a 4-2 lead.

In Black's defense, Howard had been 0-4 prior to his at bat in the eleventh inning and walking Rollins to get Howard out probably seemed like the logical thing to do. But Ryan Howard is still one of the best players in the game, and by walking Rollins the Padres gave him extra motivation and awoke a sleeping giant.

Prior to the 11th inning heroics of Ryan Howard, the Phils got another solid outing from starter Joe Blanton. Blanton surrendered just 2 runs in 7 innings of work. Offensively the Phils had another solid game. Ben Francisco tripled in the 4th to score Jimmy Rollins. The Phils scored again in the 6th off Jimmy Rollins' 2nd RBI of the year to tie the game at 2.

After Blanton's 7 solid innings, the Phils bull pen was dominant once again. Danys Baez pitched a scoreless 8th, and Antonio Bastardo had a 1-2-3 9th with 3 strike outs. In extras Kyle Kendrick proved me wrong and did a solid job of holding the Phils lead. And after the Phils took the lead in the top of the 11th, Ryan Madson recorded his second consecutive save in the bottom of the 11th.

The starting pitching and bullpen are both doing an outstanding job right now for the Phils. Hopefully the Phils bullpen will get some rest tomorrow when Roy Halladay takes the mound. I expect Roy to have a huge game tomorrow after his disaster against the Brewers.

Vick A Finalist For Madden Cover

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is a finalist to be on the cover of Madden 2012.

Vick is a finalist against Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis. In order for Vick to win he needs to receive more votes than Hillis via the voting on ESPN.com. Help Vick get the cover by voting for him HERE.

If Vick wins he will be the first player to ever be on the cover twice. Vick was last on the cover in 2004 when he was with the Atlanta Falcons.

Hopefully Vick will win the cover and complete another step in his come back. Voting ends April 27th, so make sure you show your support and vote for Vick.

The Kyle Kendrick Project

Flash back to Phillies Spring Training 2009. The Phils are coming off a World Series Title and there is a certain buzz surrounding Bright House Networks Field. My dad and I had the privelege to attend 2009 Spring Training and on one gameless day we found ourselves wandering about the Carpenter Complex hoping to catch some minor league action. A split squad AAA game was going on and we sat on the bleachers to take in the game. As the game got underway, I quickly realized that the bat boy for the Phillies AAA team was none other than Kyle Kendrick.

Please note that this article is not a hatchet job on Kyle Kendrick. I think that he is a solid MLB pitcher but I just feel that there is no room for him on this team. In the starting rotation the only place he would fit is in the 5th spot. But Joe Blanton is there and while some people feel that Kendrick would be a better fit than Blanton, statistically speaking Blanton is the better pitcher. Kenrick did have a slightly better 2010 going 11-10 with a 4.73 ERA as opposed to Blanton's 9-6 record with a 4.82 ERA. But Blanton's career ERA is lower and his overall consistency and experience give him the edge over Kendrick.

With no room in the starting staff, the Phils placed Kendrick in the bullpen a decision that so far has paid off for the Phils. Kyle has appeared in 5 games for the Phils this year spanning 7 innings. In those 7 innings Kyle has surrendered just 2 earned runs to earn himself a solid 2.57 ERA. But Kyle has been shaky in all of his outings, and in just 7 innings he has surrendered 5 hits and 6 walks a total of 11 base runners. Coming out of the bull pen I simply do not feel confident in Kendrick. If Charlie wants to keep Kendrick as a long man I'm fine with that. But if he starts bringing him into crucial game situations that's where the Phillies are going to get into trouble.

I think the Phils should use Kendrick as trade bait at the dead line. Kendrick is a solid starter and there are plenty of teams that would welcome a 3 time 10 game winner to their club. If the Phils want to trade Blanton then Kendrick could become the 5th starter for the Phils until the playoffs.

Overall I like Kendrick and I hope that he succeeds. But I think that it is time for the Phillies to move on and pull the plug on the Kyle Kendrick Project.

Sixers Feeling The Heat Down 3-0

Game 3 started out great but ended in yet another disappointing defeat for this young Sixers team.

The Sixers jumped out to an early lead and it looked as if they were going to be able to put up a victory in front of their home crowd against the Heat. In the first half Elton Brand played extremely well, and Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams were getting in on the action. It was especially nice to see Lou Will shoot the ball well after his struggles in Games 1 and 2. In the first half the Sixers did a great job of getting high percentage shots on the fast break. But the lead was short lived and D-Wade continually torched the Sixers through out the first half scoring 18 points, 12 of which came in the second quarter. Wade repeatedly drove to the basket and made some unbelievable off balance shots. As a result the Sixers clung to a 52-50 lead going into halftime.

In the second half the Sixers tried their best to hold off the Heat. They jumped out to a great start and led by 8 points early in the 3rd quarter. But D-Wade was simply too much to handle. The Sixers failed to put a body on Wade who grabbed a ton of offensive boards and slammed them home for easy points. The Sixers also got burned by the Heat on the fast break. When LeBron James and D-Wade get into the open floor, you can pretty much just chalk up 2 points. To the Sixers credit they did a good job of keeping things close but were unable to get big plays when they needed it most. In the end the Sixers lost by a final of 100-94.

The Heat owe a lot of their success tonight to the work they did on the offensive boards. The Heat grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, and when you give a team like the Heat 20 extra chances, you are simply not going to win. The big three led by Wade with 32 points combined for 75 of the Heat's total 100 points. The Sixers had no answer for James Wade and Bosh tonight.

For the Sixers, Andre Iguodala continued to struggle. Iguodala went 3-10 from the field and scored just 10 points. I am clueless as to why Doug Collins continues to play Iguodala. As a team the Sixers failed to box out tonight and they allowed way too many extra opportunities. The Sixers once again forced the issue and failed to let the game come to them.

On Sunday the Sixers will try to avoid the sweep. The series isn't over but it is obvious from the first 3 games that the Sixers are starting to melt under the Heat of the playoffs.

Phillies Padres Preview

Even with this dynamic starting rotation, I think we all knew that sooner or later the Phillies were going to lose a series. Luckily in their past series the Phils avoided being swept and were able to take 1 out of 3 from Milwaukee. This weekend the Phils will look to get back on track when they travel to San Diego to take on the Padres in a 4 game series.

Phillies Last Series

The Phils dropped the first 2 games against the Brewers mainly because the offense struggled greatly. On Monday Joe Blanton pitched a solid game for the Phils pitching 7 innings and giving up just 2 earned runs. But the Phils bats were silent for most of the night and provided very little run support. Going into the 9th inning the Phils trailed 3-2 and were able to send it into extras thanks to an rbi single from Pete Orr to score Carlos Ruiz. The Phils eventually lost it in extras after Kyle Kendrick gave up 3 runs int the top of the 12th. Tuesday was a freak game. Roy Halladay pitched just 6.2 innings and gave up 6 runs on 10 hits. Offensively the Phils were blanked by Randy Wolf and the Brew Crew bull pen. Let's move on to the series finale. In the finale the Phils bats were silent during the early parts of the game but came alive at the end to earn a 4-3 victory. Cliff Lee pitched solid, and the Phils bullpen did a great job of holding the Brewers to 3 runs. Although it was not a particularly great series for the Phils, they did manage to escape with a win and remain in first place in the N.L. East.

Padres Last Series

Like the Phillies the Padres are also coming off a bad series. The Padres dropped 2 out of 3 on the road against the Chicago Cubs and scored just 6 runs in the series, 5 of which came in yesterday in the final game. Defensively the Padres got great outings from Tim Stauffer and Dustin Moseley. Aaron Harang also pitched solid in the series finale pitching 6 inings and giving up just 2 runs to help the Padres win 5-4.

What To Look For

I expect this series to be extremely low scoring. Both teams are struggling at the plate right now and with the pitching match ups scheduled for this series I don't see many runs being scored. Look for Roy Halladay to rebound nicely in the series finale after his bad start on Tuesday. Offensively the Phils scored just 7 runs against the Brewers and need to do a better job of supporting their starters.

Pitching Match Ups

Thursday 10:05 PM Roy Oswalt (2-0, 2.50 ERA) vs Mat Latos (0-2, 5.84 ERA)

Friday 10:05 PM Cole Hamels (1-1, 4.32 ERA) vs Clayton Richard (1-0, 4.50 ERA)

Saturday 8:35 PM Joe Blanton (0-1, 7.27 ERA) vs Tim Stauffer (0-1, 3.27 ERA)

Sunday 4:05 PM TBA

Miller Says No

Last night the Flyers looked to take a commanding 3 games to 1 lead over the Buffalo Sabres, but Ryan Miller had different plans.

The Flyers got a ton of shots on goal, but Miller was there every time to turn them away. JVR continued his strong play creating opportunities for himself and his team mates. The Sabres scored the first and only goal of the night off a bang bang play that goalie Brian Boucher had absolutely no chance at. Rob Niedermayer passed a puck through the crease to Jason Pominville who burried the puck in the wide open net. I personally thought that defenseman Matt Carle who let the puck go right under his stick and across the crease to Pominville should have made a better play.

Down 1-0, the Flyers continued to battle offensively. Nikolay Zherdev had another great game offensively, along with Mike Richards who I felt played better. The Flyers suffered a major blow to their offensive attack early when Jeff Carter left the game after the first with a knee injury. In his absence the Flyers got a ton of production from their 4th line of Carcillo, Betts and Powe, who created a lot of opportunities through out the game. While the Flyers did a get a decent amount of shots on goal, a lot of the shots were directed at Miller's chest and were easy saves that required little effort. But the Flyers certainly got their fair share of quality opportunities.

The greatest opportunity came in the 3rd period when the Flyers were able to keep the puck in the zone and find Danny Briere who was all alone in front of Ryan Miller. Briere tried a couple faking moves but was eventually stoned cold in front of the net by Miller. Say what you want about how good Miller is, but if your Danny Briere you have to come through in that situation. Your team can't figure this goalie out and you are all alone in front of him, you have to put the puck in the back of the net, plain and simple.

The Flyers pulled Boosh at the end in favor of the extra attacker and got some great opportunities but were just unable to solve Ryan Miller. The Flyers were shutout by Miller for the second time in the series and lost by a final of 1-0.

Defensively the Flyers played a great game. Brian Boucher made some huge saves in net, and the Flyers penalty kill killed off 4 Buffalo power plays including a Mike Richard's 5 minute major to open the 3rd period. On the power play the Flyers continued their struggles going 0-3 last night on the man advantage. Hopefully Chris Pronger can help out this struggling power play once he returns.

The series will shift back to Philadelphia Friday night in a Game 5 that is going to be an absolute battle. The Flyers need to come out with a lot of energy in front of their home crowd and take back the lead in this series.

Phillies Salvage A Game Against Brew Crew

Today's series finale game against the Milwaukee Brewers had disaster written all over it.

Cliff Lee started the top of the 1st by allowing a run on 3 singles. In the third the Brewers were able to tack on another run. Following a fielding error from Wilson Valdez, Ryan Braun was a 2 out base runner for Prince Fielder. Fielder laced a double to center field to score Braun from first and give the Brew Crew a 2-0 lead. Lee then gave up a cheap homerun to Johnathan Lucroy in the 4th a solo shot that just barely made it over the left field wall to put the Brewers up 3-0.

At the plate it looked early on as if the Phils were going to get shutout for the second consecutive game. Brewers pitcher Chris Narveson was making the Phils hitters look foolish. He was keeping his pitches down and getting the Phils to chase lousy pitches that were out of the zone and in the dirt. The Phils were also helping Narveson out by going up there and having quick lousy at bats. The Phils went down 1-2-3 in the first 3 innings.

Shane Victorino worked a walk in the 4th and was the first base runner of the game for the Phillies. Although Narveson had lost his perfect game he still maintained his no-hitter until the 5th when John Mayberry lined a double to left field. Carlos Ruiz lined out to second and Narveson still had his shutout in tact. Narveson was clearly still dealing, but after the 5th you just got a sense that the Phils offense was about to break out, and in the 6th inning they did just that.

Wilson Valdez led off the inning with a walk and Shane Victorino hit him over to third on a single to right field. Then Placido Polanco came up to bat. Surprisingly Placido swung at the first pitch something that is uncharacteristic for Pauly who typically will take the first pitch. After swinging and missing at the first 2 pitches, Polanco quickly found himself down in an 0-2 hole. Polanco took a couple pitches before lifting a high drive to left field. From where I was sitting, I knew that it was deep enough to at least score Valdez from third. But the ball kept carrying and carrying and eventually landed in the left field seats to tie the game at 3. After being down all afternoon, the Phils had tied the game with one swing of the bat.

From there, Kendrick came into the game in the 7th and pitched the scariest 1-2-3 inning I've ever seen. Every out was hit to the warning track, and I will have more to say on Kyle in the upcoming days. Madson then pitched a scoreless 8th and kept the game tied for the Phils going into the bottom of the inning. Shane Victorino led off the 8th with a solo blast to give the Phils a 4-3 lead. The homer was a shot to right center that I believe landed somewhere in the visiting bullpen.

Jose Contreras then came into the 9th in search of his 4th save of the year. Contreras struck out Mark Kotsay but then surrendered a single to Rickie Weeks. In the next at-bat Contreras got Gomez to pop out thanks in part to a great catch made by a redemption seeking Wilson Valdez. To end the game Contreras struck out Ryan Braun with Prince Fielder lurking on the on deck circle. Luckily, the Phils didn't have to face Fielder and were able to escape this series with a win.

The win puts the Phils at 11-6 as they head into a 4 game road weekend series against the San Diego Padres. Stay updated to the blog for a complete Phillies Padres preview as well as more analysis on your favorite Phillie Kyle Kendrick.

Sixers Return Home Down 0-2

Coming into this series I knew the big three were good, I just didn't know they were this good. Led by D-Wade Bosh and Lebron, the Heat are out playing the Sixers in every aspect of the game. They are rebounding, playing great defense, and scoring especially in transition.

Why The Sixers Are Losing

• The Sixers are a good team when they get out into the open floor, the Heat are deadly. D-Wade can go coast to coast in the blink of an eye and Lebron has the ability to go up and jam home any alley oop put up for grabs. The Heat are burning the Sixers with their fast break offense.
  
• The only real presence the Sixers have on the boards is Elton Brand. Spencer Hawes is soft and Maureese Speights is a waste of space. They are getting out rebounded on the offensive and defensive boards and will somebody please put a body on Chris Bosh? Chris Bosh is getting way too many easy looks down in the paint. Put a body on him and knock him around a little.
  
• The Sixers aren't playing help defense. D-Wade and Lebron have the ability to get around their defenders and drive to the basket. The Sixers need to do a better job of sliding down and helping each other out on defense.
  
• The Sixers are being careless with the ball and turning it over way too many times which leads to easy shots for the Heat at the other end. In order for the Sixers to beat this team they have to play a near perfect game which includes limiting their turnovers. Quick Heat points off Sixer turnovers were huge momentum killers in both Game 1 and Game 2.
  

What The Sixers Need Todo To Win:

• Play Evan Turner. I said this earlier and I will continue to plead for Turner to get more minutes. Lou Will and Iggy are clearly struggling and Turner showed in Game 2 that he can contribute offensively. Turner had 10 points in the 2nd quarter plus he can play defense.
  
• Don't force the issue. In Game 2 I saw Iguodala and Thad Young trying to drive the ball and force up bad shots. The Sixers need to let the game come to them and play more conservatively.
  
• Play better help defense and transition defense. The Sixers can't afford to get lazy on defense or they will get burned.

• Score on the fast break. Utilize the athleticism of Holiday, Young, Iguodala and get out into the open floor to get some easy buckets.

Tomorrow is going to be a crucial Game 3. It will be an opportunity for the Sixers to play in front of their home crowd and possibly get back into this series.

Philly Sports Overload 4/18/11

Today's edition of Philly Sports Overload features a Flyers victory, a disappointing Sixers loss, and a Phillies extra innings defeat. Each team came out and battled hard tonight, let's start first with the Sixers.

Heat 94 Sixers 73

The Heat jumped out to an early lead in the first and led wire to wire. The Sixers shot just 4-20 in the first and the Heat led 19-13 after the opening quarter. In the 2nd quarter, Evan Turner had the hot hand for the Sixers. Turner had 10 points in the second and was the only bright spot in the quarter. In the second the Heat built their lead and continued to burn the Sixers especially on the fast break against the atrocious Sixers transition defense. The Heat led 49-31 going into halftime. The Sixers had too many costly turnovers in the first half that led to easy high percentage shots at the other end.

In the second half it was much of the same. D-Wade, Bosh and Lebron continued to dominate. The Sixers did an awful job on the help defense. I saw one play in the second half where D-Wade clearly burned Evan Turner and started to drive past him to the basket. I watched as Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala stood and watched and offered no help defense. In that situation, Brand or Iguodala has to slide down and stop the ball, it's simple basketball. The Sixers also got outplayed on the boards. If the Sixers put up a shot there wasn't even a body under the rim to even attempt to get an offensive board. Eventually the big three were just too much for this Sixers team to handle and they lost by a final of 94-73. The series will shift to Philadelphia on Thursday with the Sixers in a deep 0-2 hole.

Flyers 4 Sabres 2

The Flyers got to it right from the drop of the puck. They got a ton of pressure on Miller early and were able to get a lot of shots on goal. The Flyers cashed in on an early power play when Jeff Carter snapped home a nasty wrist shot to give the Flyers the early lead. Buffalo soon responded on the power play to tie the game at 1. Late in the first, Scott Hartnell was called for a crappy interference and delay of game call. The double minor gave the Sabres 4 minutes of man advantage hockey. The Flyers were able to survive a flurry of shots and close calls and kill off the power play that overlapped into the 2nd period.

In the 2nd, Briere scored off a Buffalo turnover. Hartnell passed the puck to a wide open Briere who was all alone in the slot. Briere's goal made it a 2-1 game that soon turned into a 2 goal lead after Nikolay Zherdev's goal. The 2 goal lead was short lived as the Sabres soon tied it on a late 2nd period wrist shot from Nathan Gerbe. In the third the Flyers got solid defense and more outstanding play from Brian Boucher who was overall solid between the pipes tonight for the Orange and Black. The Flyers burried an empty netter to seal the victory, take a 2-1 lead, and regain home ice advantage in the series.

Brewers 6 Phillies 3

The Phillies again got early scoring in tonight's game, unfortunately that was about it. The Phils provided little run support for Blanton who pitched 7 solid innings only surrendering 2 runs. Blanton did a good job of keeping his pitches down, and letting the defense behind him do work. Blanton also did a great job of staying away from that big inning. He gave up 2 RBI singles in the 3rd but that was the only real bad inning for Blanton. After Howard's RBI single in the first, Shane Victorino hit home Wilson Valdez home in the 7th to tie the game at 2. And after Madson gave up a run in the top of the 8th, Pete Orr hit Carlos Ruiz home in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into extras.

The 10th and 11th innings were uneventful. Jose Cantreras pitched a scoreless 10th and Antonio Bastardo a scoreless 11th. The Phils got a few base runners but were unable to win the game. In the 12th things got really interesting primarily because Kyle Kendrick struggled greatly. First he put the lead runner on, and then he air mailed an easy bunt hit back to the mound to put runners on the corners with no outs. Ryan Braun then hit a sac fly to give the Brewers the lead. Kendrick then gave up another sac fly and then an RBI single to Johnathan Lucroy to give the Brewers a 6-3 lead. In the bottom of the 12th the Phils tried to fight back. Victorino led off the inning and reached on a freak grounder that skidded under the glove of the shortstop. After Polanco lined out to left, Rollins then walked to put 2 men on with Ryan Howard up to bat. Howard lined out to short and Ben Francisco swung at the first pitch of his at bat to end the game in 12 innings by a final of 6-3.

So ends another wonderful day of sports in Philadelphia. Although 1 out of 3 isn't great, the Flyers victory was big and it is encouraging to see them playing better. Stay updated to the blog for continued Flyers and Sixers playoff coverage and of course all your news on the Phightin Phils.

Sixers Heat Game 2 Preview

On Saturday afternoon, the Sixers showed that they can hang with the Heat. Better yet, they showed that they have the ability to beat the Heat. Tonight in Game 2 the Sixers will look to prove to themselves and the rest of the league that they can take down the big three.

In order for the Sixers to have any chance tonight, they have to do a lot of the same things that they did in Game 1. One thing that is crucial to the Sixers' chances tonight is getting off to a hot start. The Sixers jumped out to an early lead in Game 1 and after the first quarter led by 11 points. If the Sixers can find a way to again jump out to an early lead then that gives them a better shot of dealing with an inevitable Heat offensive run.

When that the run comes the Sixers need to do a better job of slowing the big three. In order to stop the Heat's top scorers I think it is crucial that the Sixers give more time to Evan Turner. Turner is healthy and is a better option right now over a struggling Andre Iguodala. Iguodala played very poorly on Saturday going 2-7 from the field with only 4 points. Although Turner is not as good a defender as Iguodala, he is healthy and will be able to contribute more offensively.

Tonight's X-factor is going to be Thad Young. Young led the Sixers with 20 points in Game 1 and I expect him to have an even bigger game tonight. Young's solid defense and overall athleticism should earn him some extra minutes. The Sixers did a good job of getting Elton Brand the ball in the opening quarter on Saturday but need to do a better job of getting him looks throughout the game.

I think the Sixers can win tonight if they get a balanced offensive attack and play solid defense. The Sixers need to utilize their bench and give time to their top defenders. Tonight is a must win, and if the Sixers want to win this series they need to win tonight plain and simple.

Phillies Brewers Preview

On Sunday, the Phils were able to edge out a very close victory over the Florida Marlins by a final of 3-2. The Phils got a solid outing from Cole Hamels who pitched 7 and gave up 2 runs. At the plate the Phils again managed to score early with 2 first inning runs. Placido Polanco belted a solo home run and Raul Ibanez singled to score Jimmy Rollins. The Phils didn't score again until the bottom of the 8th when Carlos Ruiz hit a sacrifice fly to score Ryan Howard. Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless 8th and Jose Contrereas picked up his 3rd save after an extremely nerve racking 9th inning.

After splitting the series with the Fish, the Phils will now turn their attention to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers boast a medicore 7-8 record and are coming off 2 consecutive losses to the Washington Nationals. Led by their star first basemen Prince Fielder along with solid starting pitching, the Brewers should be a decent test for the Phils.

Phillies Last Series

The Phils split against the Marlins in a series that was shortened due to rain on Saturday. Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels both had strong outings for the Phils in the series. The bullpen gave up the lead in Oswalt's start on Friday and the Phils lost 4-3. On Sunday the Phils once again provided Cole Hamels with very little run support. The Phils managed to score a late go ahead run in the 8th and Contreras came in and got the save. Overall it was a scrappy series and the Phils were lucky to escape with a victory.

Brewers Last Series

The Brewers series was also shortened due to rain and they dropped both games of their 2 game set to the Washington Nationals. The Brewers lost on Friday off a walk off hit from Adam LaRoche. The Brewers then lost on Sunday 8-4. The Brewers couldn't keep up with the Nationals who had back to back 3 run innings in the game. Yovani Gillardo started for the Brewers on Sunday and gave up 7 runs in only 5.1 innings of work.

What To Look For

At the plate the Phillies need to do a better job of providing run support for their starters. The Phils scored just 6 runs in the series vs the Marlins and need to build bigger and more sustainable leads in the upcoming series. Joe Blanton will start tonight still in search of his first decent outing. Blanton is winless so far in 2011 and has a dismal 10.45 ERA. Blanton needs to come out tonight keep his pitches down and avoid that big disastrous inning. As for Halladay and Lee I think we can expect great outings from them once again.

Pitching Matchups:

Monday 7:05 PM Joe Blanton (0-1, 10.45 ERA) vs Shaun Marcum (2-1, 2.55 ERA)

Teusday 7:05 PM Roy Halladay (2-0, 1.23 ERA) vs Randy Wolf (1-2, 4.32 ERA)

Wednesday 1:05 PM Cliff Lee (2-1, 4.19 ERA) vs Chris Narveson (1-0, 1.45 ERA)

Series Shifts To Buffalo Tied 1-1

After a 1-0 shutout loss in Game 1 and a high scoring victory in Game 2, the Flyers and Sabres are tied at 1 game a piece. To get you ready for a critical Game 3 tomorrow night, I called in Flyers Insider Mike Hlatky to answer some tough playoff questions.

Joe Morrison: What did the Flyers do wrong in Game 1?

Mike Hlatky: I think the Flyers overall played well in Game 1. They out shot Buffalo 35-25 and attempted around 75 shots. However they often passed up many shot opportunities by getting too fancy and trying to find that perfect seam pass which just wasn't there. Miller did a good job in Game 1 but a lot of the shots he faced were right at his chest and he wasn't forced to make any spectacular saves. The Flyers failed to get traffic in front of Miller and put rebound shots on goal. Buffalo did a good job of collapsing all 5 of their players towards their net to protect Miller, and reduce the Flyers rebound opportunities. Another key to the game was the Flyers slumping power play which went 0-5. It is clear that the Flyers are not confident in the power play without their quarterback Chris Pronger and this definitely hurt them in Game 1. When your given 5 power plays, you need to be able to capitalize on those opportunities especially in the playoffs.

Joe Morrison: What did the Flyers do right to win Game 2?

Mike Hlatky: In Game 2, the Flyers once again played well. They brought the intensity and physical play in the beginning of the game which got the crowd of about 20,000 out of their seats and into the game. They also got on the board early with Claude Giroux's outstanding individual effort goal. I think the play of Giroux and James van Riemsdyk have been outstanding in the past two games. JVR is on fire recently as he has really began to play up to the expectations of being the number 2 pick in the 2007 draft. After Bobrovsky gave up 3 goals in the first 7 shots he faced, he was pulled and veteran Brian Boucher was given the nod. Once Boucher came into the game, he seemingly calmed the team down and really showed poise in the net. The Flyers defense did a very good job of controlling their own blueline and meeting the speedy Sabres forwards at the blueline.

Joe Morrison: After Sergei Bobrovsky's performance in game 2, should the Flyers go to vetern Brian Boucher?

Mike Hlatky: The Flyers seem to play with more confidence when Boucher is in goal. He carries a calmness and poise about him that seems to rub off on the the rest of the team. He is a better puck handler than Bob which could become crucial later in the series. Boucher has also been here before and knows how to win in the playoffs. He led the Flyers in the playoffs last year and was a big reason they were able to reach the Stanley Cup. I think Laviolette will start Boucher in Game 3 as we all knew Bob was going to be on a short leash heading into these playoffs.

Joe Morrison: Can the Flyers win without Chris Pronger?

Mike Hlatky: The Flyers can win without Chris Pronger however they will need to figure out how to get their power play back on track. In this series the Flyers are a woeful 1-15 on the power play. When you have the amount of offensive talent that the Flyers have, you need to be able to put the puck in the net on the power play. Chris Pronger is a key part to the special teams unit and the Flyers have dearly missed him in this portion of the game. Also, the Flyers defense seemed to have a tough time of clearing people out in front of the net. I have counted about 3 goals where they have failed to clear people out and knock bodies over. Every time the Flyers allowed people to get set up in front it almost always resulted in a goal. Pronger is extremely good at controlling the area in front of the net for either Boucher or Bobrovsky and he clears the porch whenever their is a scrum in front. The Flyers can win this series without Pronger, but I think they will struggle without him if they continue to go on in the playoffs.

Joe Morrison: A lot of people are being very critical of Mike Richards, how do you evaluate his performance?

Mike Hlatky: I myself am also very critical of Mike Richards. I believe he is beginning to pick up his play in this series but he needs to start playing with more passion and playing like the captain. He has seemed to really be struggling the last half of the season, and on some nights you really wonder where his head is. But I believe he is crucial to the Flyers success and if the Flyers want to advance further into the playoffs, they will need Richards to step up his game and play with a sense of urgency and play with passion.

Joe Morrison: What do the Flyers need to do to win Game 3?

Mike Hlatky: To win Game 3 the Flyers need to do a lot of what they have done in Games 1 and 2. They need to bring the passion and intensity into Buffalo and be ready for that tenacious onslaught that Buffalo will certainly bring to the beginning of Game 3. You know that they will be ready to play as they are playing their first home playoff game of 2011 in the raucous HSBC Arena. The Flyers need to match this intensity, and simply play a good, solid game. They need to limit their turnovers and tighten up on the defensive side as Game 3 surely will not be a repeat of the offensive numbers put up in Game 2. The power play needs to find their confidence and start converting when they are given opportunities, and they need to have good goaltending from whomever may be starting in this game.

Joe Morrison: What are your overall thoughts and opinions on the series so far?

Mike Hlatky: I think this is a very evenly matched series. The Flyers have that potent offense that has the potential to put up huge numbers, and to counteract that offense, the Sabres have one of the best goalies in the world in Ryan Miller. I don't think any game is going to really be a blowout as I think the reaminging games are all going to stay at one or two goal games. One interesting thing about this series is the hatred between the Sabres and Flyers. The hate between these two teams really started to show in Game 2 when Hartnell dropped the gloves and got involved in a lot of after the whistle scrums. Even JVR and Claude Giroux got involved in a couple scrums. So far in this series the Flyers are struggling greatly on the man advantage and a potential solution to the Flyers power play woes could be Nikolay Zherdev. Zherdev has been looming as a healthy scratch in these past two playoff games. He really began to turn it on offensively at the end of the year. Could we see a Zherdev sighting in the future if these struggles on the power play continue? And finally the Flyers are 16-15 in playoff series tied 1-1.