Sizzlin September

It has been 10 games since my last posting, and the Phillies have put together a sparkling 7-3 record during that span, and a 10-3 record overall in the month of September. After taking 2 out of 3 from Milwaukee behind brilliant pitching performances from Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, the Phillies capped off their homestand by taking 3 out of 4 from the always dangerous Florida Marlins. The series began last Monday with the Phillies splitting the double header. The offense was non existent in the first game, but the Phils really came out swinging in the second game as they won by a final of 7-4. The last 2 games of the series were highlighted with alot of offensive power, from both teams. The Phils won on Tuesday by a final of 8-7. Not only did the win provide the Phils with yet another high scoring win, it also put them in first place because the Braves lost to the Pirates. The Phils stood their ground in first place by winning on Wednesday by a final of 10-6, and finally provided Cole Hamels with run support. After a very successful homestand, the Phils headed up to Queens to take on the Mets. The Phils continued to roll as they took 2 out of 3 behind fabulous starts by Halladay on Friday, and Oswalt on Sunday. Last night the offense exploded for 11 runs. Blanton was solid and the Phils eventually won by a final of 11-4. Right now the Phils are hot and the Braves know that the Phils mean business. The Phils currently have a 1 game lead in the N.L. East and after the series in Florida, the Phils will host the Nationals, Braves, and Mets in a pivotal 9 game homestand. The Phils need to take care of business in Florida, and then come home, focused and ready to secure their spot at the top of this divison.

Eagles Rally, But Fall To The Packers

After Sunday's dissapointing 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers, there are alot of questions surrounding this team. First, let's start with the big question at quarterback, Kolb or Vick? After an awful first half in which Kolb went 5 for 10 passing with just 24 yds and no touchdowns, the Eagles offense only managed 3 points. The offense could not put together a solid drive, there was no rhythm, and it seemed like Kolb was trying to force way too many throws. You can blame the poor play on Kolb, but I fault the coaching staff. Instead of running short routes and letting Kolb throw little screen passes and slant routes, they tried to force the issue and make big plays down the field, not one of Kolb's strengths. The Eagles should have called more short pass plays to get Kolb some confidence, and then try to go for some big throws. Another thing the Eagles failed to do offensively in the first half was establish the run game, something that is going to be so important this year especially with Kolb at quarterback. Aside from a few running plays from Vick, the Eagles did very little to really establish the run. So you had new starter Kevin Kolb trying to force the ball down field with no run game, it was a recipe for disaster. The Eagles went into the half trailing 13-3. Kevin Kolb did not return to the game due to a concussion and Vick was called upon to play quarterback. Vick performed brilliantly with his arm and legs. He kept the defense on their heels and led the Eagles to 2 touchdown drives and a field goal. The Eagles were really pushing the issue late in the 4th trailing 27-20 with just about 2 minutes remaining. It was 4th and 1 and the Eagles called a designed Vick run who fell short of the first down. The Packers then knelt the ball and sealed the victory. Defensively, the Eagles looked solid. Although they gave up 27 points, they got good pressure on Rodgers and you really can't look to the points to tell the whole story. The special teams gave up 3 big kick returns and it gave the Packers great field position on 3 seperate occasions. The big concern coming away from this game is the offense. The offense lost pro-bowler Leonard Weaver to an ACL injury and Jamaal Jackson to a torn bicep, both look to be out for the rest of the season. With a roughed up offense, can the Eagles afford to give Kolb another start? Providing that Kolb is healthy enough to go on Sunday against the Lions, my answer is yes. Although Vick look awesome and Kolb not so great, you can't just give a guy 1 half and then call it quits. If however say after week 3 or 4 Kolb is still not performing, then I think you give the job to Vick. But let's not jump the gun too quick. Right now we have to be patient with Kolb. He is young, and like any young quarterback he needs time. Having Vick as a backup option is definitely a positive for the team right now. The Eagles need to forget about Sunday's loss to the Packers and focus on the Lions. They have to look at the film from the loss and figure out what went wrong, and they need to figure out how to get better for next week.

Are They Ready?

After an Ok pre-season in which the Eagles went 2-2, the Eagles are scheduled to open their season on September 12th at home vs the Green Bay Packers. The only question is, are they ready? The offense has been mediocre at best and although the defense has looked pretty good, the Eagles don't seem like they are ready for the start of the season, especially a home opener against the Packers. I think the biggest thing that this offense needs is chemistry. They have to get used to playing together, and get used to how Kolb plays. Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb are two completely different quarterbacks. They have different styles of play-calling, different styles of throwing, and they are different leaders as well. It's gonna take some time for Maclin, Jackson, Celek, and especially the offesnive line to get used to how Kolb plays. In terms of the defense, I think that they are so deep that they are going to wreak havoc for opposing offenses all season long. They will constantly be throwing fresh defensive lineman into the mix, and linebackers Ernie Sims and Stewart Bradley are going to swarm to the ball. The secondary has looked OK, and I will trust that Sean McDermott knows what he is doing. For the first game, I think it's going to be a high scoring affair but in the end I think the Eagles are going to put more points on the scoreboard than the Packers. My prediction: Eagles win 37-23. I think the offense will come out with alot to prove and take care of business in week 1.

Closing In On The Braves

Last night was a big night for the Phillies. Not only did they win, but the Braves and Giants lost as well. So with the 1-0 victory last night thanks in large part to the brilliant pitching of Cole Hamels, the Phils moved to within 1 game of the Braves in the divison race and increased their lead in the wild card to 3 games over the Giants. After taking 2 out of 3 from the Dodgers, and winning a wild one in Colorado, the Phillies have put together a 4 game winning streak, and have really put the pressure on the Braves and especially the Giants. The week begin in Los Angeles where the Phillies dropped the first game of the series. Halladay gave up some early runs and the Phillies got shutout and lost by a final of 3-0. The week would only get better. On Tuesday, the Phils bounced back behind the offense. Ryan Howard had a homerun and so did Brian Schneider. Chase Utley also came around with 2 hits of his own. In the end the Phils won by a final of 8-4 and set up a rubber match for Wednesday. Roy Oswalt got the start on Wednesday and he had a very strong outing. He pitched 6.1 innings and only gave up 0 runs and the Phils went on to win by a final of 5-1 behind 3 doubles from Chase Utley, and homeruns from Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins. The Phils took the series and then headed out to Colorado for a make up game. In Colorado, it looked the Phillies were tired and that they were just going to take the loss and head back to Philly. Joe Blanton got roughed up early, and the offense looked like they were asleep. They were trailing 7-3 heading into the top of the 7th when the offense exploded for 9 runs. Placido Polanco hit a double and Chase Utley hit him in with a single. Ryan Howard then hit a 2 run shot scoring him and Utley, and Jayson Werth followed with a homerun of his own. After Raul Ibanez flied out, Shane Victorino and Brian Schneider hit singles and Ben Francisco singled home Victorino. With 2 runners on Rollins singled and that loaded the bases for Polanco. After Polanco struck out, Chase Utley came to the plate with bases loaded and 2 outs and he took care of business and hit a grand slam. At the end of the inning the Phils finished with 9 runs, and Utley finished with 5 rbis. Although the Rockies scored 3 more runs, the Phils were able to hold on and win by a final of 12-11. On Friday, the Phils once again did not provide any run support for Cole Hamels. He pitched 7 innings and gave up 0 runs, and when he left the game the Phils clung to a 1-0 lead thanks to an rbi by Carlos Ruiz. Jose Contreras pitched a scoreless 8th, and Ryan Madson closed out the game for the Phils who won by a final of 1-0. Not pretty, but we'll take it. Aside form last night, the Phils are really clicking. They are getting great pitching from their starters and bullpen, and Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are finally coming around. Right now, the Phils know it's crunch time and they are doing everything they need todo to get to October.

The Truth About Carlos Ruiz

Fans chant his name every time he comes to the plate, and he is undoubtedly a fan favorite. Still, Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz, better known as Chooch, does not get the credit he deserves. This year he is having his best season offensively. With a .291 average, he is third on the team in batting behind Jayson Werth and Placido Polanco. He also has 6 home runs and 35 rbis, not to mention a lot of clutch hits. He has really come through for the Phils this year in pressure situations and delivered key hits. While guys like Howard, Utley, Victorino, and Rollins have all been struggling at the plate, Ruiz has consistently batted at .290 or better. He has picked up the slack for the Phils offensively. Another thing that people don't realize about Ruiz is how good he is defensively. Not only does he have the ability to gun out runners trying to steal, but he is also very good at calling games for the pitchers. He knows what pitch to call at the right time. This past Thursday, the Phillies honored Roy Halladay for the perfect game he threw back in May. The Phillies presented him and his family with a lot of gifts. Halladay presented Ruiz with the home plate from the game and a ring inscribed with the message: "We did it together" The perfect game wouldn't have happened without Ruiz. He called a perfect game for Halladay, and the accomplishment speaks volumes about how great a catcher Ruiz is. I think this season Ruiz is really coming into his own as a big league catcher. He is proving that he can get it done offensively and defensively and is quickly becoming one of the best catchers in the MLB. So let's give it up for Chooch, the most underrated player on the Phillies. You deserve all the credit in the world.

Takin Care Of Business

As I watched the Phillies game on Fox Saturday afternoon, I had to suffer through the awful commentary of the broadcasters. They kept going on and on about how great the Padres are and how the longest losing streak they have had this season is just 3 games. That is an impressive feat no doubt, but as they continued to praise the Padres, they forgot about the team the Padres were playing; the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies have won the N.L. East 3 years in a row, have made 2 consecutive World Series appearances, and won the World Series in 2008. The Padres have only made it to the playoffs 5 times in franchise history, have never won a World Series, and the last time they had a winning record was 2007. So correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't they have been praising the Phillies who have actually accomplished something? The Padres have definitely had a great regular season. They are 76-52 and are the division leaders in the N.L. West. But this past weekend showed just how great this Phillies team is. After being 4 game swept at home by the lowly Houston Astros, the Phils did not panic. They simply came out to San Diego, played good baseball, and took care of business by sweeping the Padres in a crucial series. The Phillies gave the Padres a taste of October baseball and sent a message that they are still the best team in the National League. It was important for the Phils to bounce back after being swept and they did what they needed to do against San Diego. They got strong starts from Oswalt, Blanton and Hamels, and offensively they did what they needed to do to win ball games. Although they did not get a lot of production from Utley and Howard, other guys like Victorino, Werth, and Sweeney contributed offensively in the series. The Phillies showed this weekend why they are such a great team and showed that they are not only capable of making it to the playoffs but also making it to the World Series and winning it again. Even though the Phillies have looked bad at times this season, don't forget about how great this team is. And when Utley and Howard get going, this team is going to be unstoppable. So the next time the Phillies are on national TV, I hope those stupid broadcasters give them the credit they deserve. Enjoy your 4 game losing streak San Diego.

Phillies Win Crucial Game In San Diego

After getting 4 game swept by the Houston Astros, the Phillies desperately needed a win on Friday night against San Diego. The Phillies got extremely good pitching in the Houston series aside from the start by Kyle Kendrick, but they just weren't hitting the ball. When you only score 1 or 2 runs a game, chances are your going to lose and the Phils proved that in the Houston series. The Phils looked to Roy Oswalt on Friday night to get them back on track and he did not dissapoint. Oswalt pitched 8 solid innings, only giving up 1 run. Once again, the Phils offense did very little and the Phillies clung to a 2-1 lead as the game headed into the bottom of the ninth. With the bases loaded and 2 outs, Brad Lidge didn't even throw a pitch and he gave up the tying run. He balked in the tying run, and for the second time in 1 week the Phils went into extra innings. After a scoreless 10th and 11th, the Phils got a leadoff double from Jimmy Rollins in the top of the 12th. Placido Polanco then hit a single to right field and after an amazing slide by Jimmy at the plate, the Phils took the lead. Chad Durbin came in for the bottom of 12th and closed out the game for the Phils. The win came on a night where both the Braves and Giants lossed and the Phils moved to within 2 games of the division lead and are currently sitting a half game atop the wild card. Right now it is vital that the Phillies start winning games because the wild card and division races are way too close. Tonight, the Phillies send Joe Blanton to the mound tonight who will look to have another successful start.

Eagles Offensive Troubles Early

So far this preseason, the Eagles first string offense has yet to score a touchdown. That means that Kevin Kolb, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek, and Shady McCoy aren't getting it done in the redzone. In the past few seasons, the Eagles have had a lot of trouble once they get down to those last 20 yards. It seems that the offense runs perfectly fine when they have a nice open field to work with, but when the defense clamps down and the field gets smaller, the Eagles offense comes to a stand still. With the departure of Donovan McNabb, I expected the Eagles offense to be much more effective in the redzone. The problem that I am seeing so far is Kevin Kolb is forcing it once he gets down inside the 20. The offense is too crammed together leaving not too many options for Kevin Kolb. What the Eagles need to do is open the offense up. Do more play action in the red zone and let Kolb throw it on the run. I have seen Kolb make a lot of good throws this season on the run and the Eagles need to utilize that talent. The Eagles also need to have a more effective run game in the redzone. Give the ball to Leonard Weaver and let him run over people. Most importantly, the Eagles have to utilize their tight end Brent Celek in the redzone. Set him up to block at first and then have him run a quick post route and get the ball to him where he can fight for those all important extra yards. The Eagles have all the tools to be successful in the redzone, its just a matter of putting it all together and using those tools properly. As for the defense, I like what I am seeing. The secondary has played pretty good with guys like Dimitri Patterson getting picks. They did a pretty good job last game of shutting down B.O. and Ochostinco which was a good test for this shaky secondary. There is still a lot of improvement for this team on both sides of the ball.

Phillies, Fighting To Stay In The Race

Right now, the Phillies are fighting just to stay in the race. They are not swinging the bats too good, and when they have an opportunity to pick up a game on the Braves, they lose. After my last posting, the Phillies welcomed the San Francisco Giants to town in a crucial 3 game series. The Phils took care of business in that series by winning 2 out of 3. Oswalt and Blanton got wins in the first 2 games, and the offense supported them with a ton of runs. In the third game of the Giants series, Cole Hamels had an OK outing but the Phils couldn't generate enough runs and they lost the final game of the series. The Phils next welcomed the pesky Washington Nationals to town. It always seems that at the end of the year when the Phillies really need wins the Nationals are always so pesky and play them really hard. This year the Phils took 2 out of 3 from the Nats and got outstanding pitching performances from Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt. Although the Phils didn't score too many runs, it was enough to take 2 out of 3. Then the Astros came to town and with everyone back fully healthy, you would expect the Phillies to come out swinging. On Monday, after a great game by Joe Blanton, the Phils tried to cling to a 2-1 lead and eventually lost that lead late in the game and eventually lost the game. And on Tuesday night after yet another terrific outing by Cole Hamels, the Phils failed to score runs and eventually lost in 16 innings. They lost on a night that the Braves lost once again. Right now is not the time to push the panic button by any means. Right now the Phils are tied with the Giants for a tie in the wild card and are just 2.5 games behind the Braves in the division. The Phils are in good shape as we head into September. But if they don't start picking up games on the Braves or putting distance in the wild card they could find themselves on the outside looking in come October. Like I said it's not time to push the panic button, but the Phils need to start swinging the bats and scoring some runs. Tonight we got Roy Halladay pitching who will get the Phillies back on track.

Phils Stay Hot Down The Stretch

So far for the Phils, the month of August has been a very good month. The Phils are 10-3 in August, and they have won 6 of their last 7 series. Even with injuries to Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Shane Victorino, the Phils in their absence, have managed to play some of their best baseball all year. After a tough series loss in Washington, the Phils have won every series since and with the return of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard scheduled for sometime this week, the Phils look more dangerous than ever. The Phils have played awesome in the last 2 weeks, let me recap each series for you.

The Phils opened up their series in Washington by sending new pitcher Roy Oswalt to the mound. Oswalt clearly had some jitters as he went only 6 innings and gave up 4. Not a bad start, but not one that I and others were expecting. The Phils offered very little run support and lost by a final of 8-1. Joe Blanton got the start on Saturday and he too pitched 6 and gave up 4 runs. Although the Phils countered with some offense from Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz it was not enough as they lost by a final of 7-5. In the fianl game of the series, Cole Hamels started and pitched 7 giving up 4 runs. The bullpen was able to hold on long enough as the Phils edged out an extra innings win thanks to an rbi single from Placido Polanco and an rbi double from Jayson Werth in the top of the 11th. Although the Phils did not win the series they were at least able to salvage a victory in the final game. The negative that came from Sunday was Ryan Howard got hurt and would later be placed on the DL.

After a dissapointing series in Washington, the Phils traveld to Florida to take on the Marlins. The Phils started out the series by sending ace Roy Halladay to the mound. Halladay pitched a gem, going 7 and giving up just 1 run. The Phils got a lot of help on offense from Carlos Ruiz who had a 4 hit night, and Roy Halladay who knocked in a pair of runs. The Phils won the game by a final of 6-1. On Wednesday, the Phils sent Kendrick to the mound. Kendrick had a very strong outing, pitching 6 and giving up only 1 run. The Phils generated a lot of their runs from the top of their order. Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco and Raul Ibanez combined for 6 hits and 2 rbis. Domonic Brown also helped out by knocking in 3 runs. The Phils won by a final of 7-2. On Thursday the Phils completed the sweep. Roy Oswalt pitched 6.1 innings and gave up 2. Although the bullpen gave up another 2 runs, the Phils offense managed to produce and the Phils won by a final of 5-4.

After the sweep in Florida, the Phils returned home for a series against the Mets. In the opening game of the series, Joe Blanton pitched a solid game, pitching 7 and giving up 2 runs. Unfortunatley for Joe, the Phils offense was quiet all night and trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the 8th. In the 8th, the Phillies scored a flurry of runs. The Phils started off the 8th with 5 consecutive singles. In the end, the Phils finished the wild inning by scoring 6 runs and they took a 7-2 lead into the top of the 9th. After J.C. Romero gave up a 3 run home run, Brad Lidge came in and secured the 7-5 victory over the Mets. Cole Hamels got the start in the second game of the series but even after pitching 7 and giving up just 1 run, he suffered the loss. The Phils could not score a run off of Santana and Jeff Francour's solo shot off of Hamels turned out to be the ball game. In the rubber match of the series, the Phils sent Roy Halladay to the mound. Although Halladay did not have his best outing, it was in the end enough because the Phils roughed up the Mets starter R.A. Dickey. Raul Ibanez had a 3 run homer and helped the Phils win by a final of 6-5.

The Dodgers came to town next and after a football score loss of 15-9 in the opening game of the series, the Phils went on to win the next 2 and the series. The Phils were able to win the 2nd game of the series behind a gem from Roy Oswalt. Oswalt continued his successful ways at CBP by pitching 7 and giving up 0 runs. The Phils won by a final of 2-0. In the rubber match of the series, Joe Blanton got roughed up and the Phils offense struggled all night. The Phils trailed 9-2 going into the bottom of the 8th. I will try to recap the next 2 innings as best as possible. Placido Polanco and Mike Sweeney started out the inning by singling. After a wild pitch when Jayson Werth was up they both moved up a base so it was runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Jayson Werth then hit a single and the Phils cut the lead to 9-4. After Belisario balked, Werth moved to 2nd and Francisco hit a double to score Werth. After Ruiz grounded out, Wilson Valdez hit a single and knocked in Ben Francisco. Even after a 4 run 8th the Phils still trailed 9-6 going into the bottom of the 9th. Luckily for the Phils, Joe Torre decided to put in Johnathon Broxton in to save the game, bad decison. After hitting Polanco, walking Sweeney and walking Werth, Ben Francisco reached on an error Polanco and Sweeney scored, and with Werth and Francisco on 2nd and 3rd with no outs Chooooch stepped to the plate. With a 1-1 count, Ruiz hit a double to score Werth and Francisco and the Phils completed the comeback. They erased a 7 run defecit in just 2 innings.

The Phils then traveled to New York where they got shutout again in the first game but managed to win the final 2 games of the series. Although Hamels pitched a gem in the opening game he suffered the 1-0 loss because R.A. Dickey pitched a 9 inning complete game 1 hit shutout. In the second game the Phils got a gem from Halladay and finally scored some runs at Citi Field. And last night the Phils won behind a solid outing from Kyle Kendrick and good base running. They won by a final of 3-1.

It has been a wild month of August for the Phils. They have battled through injuries and they have fought their way to a tie in the wild card and just 2 games behind the Braves. The Giants come to town next, and with the return of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley slotted for sometime this week, the Phils are going to provide us with a lot more exciting baseball as we head into September.