Phillies on the Market for Pitching Help

by Tortured Phanatic

Overshadowed by their recent 7-game winning streak is the fact that the Philadelphia Phillies are on the market for a desperately needed starting pitcher. The recent injury and possible season-ending surgery to starter Brett Myers has left a hole in the rotation that the Phillies need to fill if they are going to successfully defend their World Series title.

Lots of speculation has been running rampant about who the Phillies are interested in acquiring. There is Jake Peavy, who the Padres have been trying to unload since the offseason, Erik Bedard, and, more recently, rumors of Roy Oswalt have popped up.

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Short Hops: Phillies winning without Myers, but void still must be filled

By Scott Miller

Short hops, quick pops and backhand stops:

• Talk about answering a challenge: The Philadelphia Phillies are 7-0 since starter Brett Myers was forced to leave the May 27 game against Florida and subsequently was ticketed for hip surgery that will put him out for the season.

Granted, the winning streak has been built against the incomprehensibly bad Washington Nationals and a weak San Diego club. Still, wins are wins, and the Phillies -- notorious in recent years for their slow starts -- have built a three-game NL East lead over an ailing New York Mets club (Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes and Ryan Church all are out, the news on Reyes' hamstring isn't great and Carlos Beltran was violently ill earlier this week).

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Hamels, Phillies beat Dodgers 3-0

Cole Hamels turned in another dominating performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching a five-hitter for his third career shutout, and the Philadelphia Phillies extended their winning streak to seven games with a 3-0 victory Thursday night.

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Phillies Making Own Breaks Toward Third Straight NL East Crown

by Scott Eisenlohr

When the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres 10-5 on Tuesday night, a couple important things happened.

The Phils went 10 games over .500 at 30-20 and 2 1/2 game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East. Certainly the race in the NL East is not over by a long shot. But temporarily, it gave the Phillies some breathing room from the week-to-week flip flop with the Mets.

The Phils followed up with a win the following night against the Padres, 5-1. The lead widened to three games, as the Mets got rained out Wednesday.

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Phillies Post-World Series Future Bright

by Chris May

The Philadelphia Phillies future is brighter than ever. With one championship already under their belt, Cole Hamels wasn’t kidding when he said he expects to be able to have a parade year after year after year.

With the bulk of the current core of stars all signed through the 2011 season this team is a legitimate threat to make another run at a World Series for years to come.

But that’s not what makes the Phillies future so bright necessarily. Just as they did with the current team of homegrown talent that includes everyday players Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Ruiz as well as pitchers Cole Hamels, JA Happ and Ryan Madson, the team looks like they have a second wave of core players emerging in the minor leagues.

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6/4 - 6/7: Philadelphia Phillies @ LA Dodgers

6/4

Philadelphia Phillies (31-20, 1st in NL East) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (37-18, 1st in NL West)

LHP Cole Hammels (3-2, 5.21 ERA) @ LHP Clayton Kershaw (3-3, 4.34 ERA)

Cole Hammels:
Last Start (5/30 vs. WAS): 6.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 H (1 HR), 1 BB, 7 K, WIN
On the Road: 1-1, 6.89 ERA, 1.72 WHIP (3 Starts)
Career vs. LAD: 1-0, 2.14 ERA, 0.95 WHIP (3 Starts)

Clayton Kershaw:
Last Start (5/27 @ COL): 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 H (1 HR), 4 BB, 4 K, WIN
At Home: 1-0, 1.13 ERA, 0.96 WHIP (4 Starts)
Career vs. PHI: 0-2, 7.80 ERA, 1.67 WHIP (3 Starts)

Last 10:
PHI (8-2)
LAD (7-3)

Season Series: LAD (2-1)

Projected PHI Lineup vs. Kershaw:
1. SS Jimmy Rollins: 3-8 (.375), .444 OBP, 1 2B
2. CF Shane Victorino: 1-8 (.125), 0 BB, 2 K
3. 2B Chase Utley: 2-7 (.286), .444 OBP, 1 HR, 3 K
4. 1B Ryan Howard: 1-7 (.143), .333 OBP, 1 2B, 3 K
5. LF Raul Ibanez: 1-2, 1 2B, 1 K
6. RF Jayson Werth: 2-8 (.250), 0 BB, 2 K
7. 3B Pedro Feliz: 1-2, 2 BB
8. C Carlos Ruiz: 0-1, 1 BB

C Chris Coste: 1-4, 1 BB, 2 K


Projected LAD Lineup vs. Hammels:
1. LF Juan Pierre: 2-8 (.250), 0 BB, 1 2B
2. SS Rafael Furcal: 1-3, 1 K
3. 3B Casey Blake: 4-11 (.364), .417 OBP, 1 2B
4. 1B James Loney: 2-9 (.222), 0 BB, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 K
5. C Russell Martin: 3-8 (.375), .444 OBP, 1 HR, 2 K
6. RF Andre Ethier: 0-7, 2 K
7. CF Matt Kemp: 3-9 (.333), 0 BB, 1 2B, 4 K
8. 2B Juan Castro: 0-4, 1 BB, 1 K

IF Mark Loretta: 1-3
2B Orlando Hudson (not probable): 2-9 (.222), 1 2B, 3 K
OF Jamie Hoffmann: Never faced


HOT
Chase Utley: 8-game hit streak (.333), 6 BB, 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 R, 5 RBI, 1 K, 2 SB
Ryan Howard: Hit in 9 out of last 10 games (.325), 3 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 15 RBI, 8 R, 5 BB, 1 SB

COLD
Jayson Werth: 2 for his last 12, 0 XBH
Pedro Feliz: 3 for his last 17, 0 BB, 0 R, 0 XBH

HOT
Andre Ethier: Hit in 7 of his last 8 games (.333), 3 2B, 1 HR
Matt Kemp: 8-game hit streak (.444), 3 BB, 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 R, 3 SB

COLD
Casey Blake: 2 for his last 14, 0 XBH, 0 R
Rafael Furcal: 0 for his last 7, 1 BB, 3 K

Philadelphia Phillies: Say No To Penny, Glavine and Padilla

by Tom

The Philadelphia Phillies are looking everywhere for a starting pitcher (as if that's a surprise to anyone) and they are looking at the top-of-the-rotation to end-of-the-rotation guys.

Names like Erik Bedard, Roy Oswalt, and Jake Peavy have been linked to the Phillies in the last week or so, but the lower-end pitchers have also been somehow linked with the Phillies.

With Brett Myers season likely over after hip surgery, the Phillies are in need for another pitcher, preferably a top-of-the-rotation guy. However, they have been also looking at a middle-to-low guy as well.

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Romero back with Phillies after 50-game suspension

Reliever J.C. Romero returned to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night following his 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Meet the New and Improved Bullpen

by Kevin McGuire

The Phillies are now 30-20 and have their largest lead in the NL East race of the season at 2.5 games.

Raul Ibanez is playing like a freaking machine, Ryan Howard is heating up, Antonio Bastardo just had a brilliant debut, Brad Lidge had four saves in four games and Cole Hamels is pitching like Cole Hamels.

Can you believe that this team is about to get better, without having made any trades yet?

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Philadelphia Phillies' finest .. The Sultan of Swat, Raul Ibanez

by Michael Blouse

Raaauuuuuuuuuul! I realize I'm jumping on the bandwagon, but first-year Philadelphia Phillie Raul Ibanez is The Man!

To heck with A-Rod, Man-Ram and Albert. The best hitter, bar none, in Major League Baseball this season is an underappreciated (especially to fans on the East Coast) 37-year-old outfielder.

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Phillies Notebook: Calculating how Peavy would fit in with Phillies

By DAVID MURPHY

With his tender ankle still undergoing treatment and a looming start occupying his undivided attention, Padres righthander Jake Peavy said through a team spokesman yesterday that he would not discuss his trade availability with Philadelphia reporters until after he pitches tonight against the Phillies.


So, for at least 1 more day, the question remains unanswered:


Would the Phillies qualify as the type of National League contender he wants to pitch for? Or, as most baseball insiders believe, would the roughly 3,000 miles between Philadelphia and Peavy's home in Southern California, not to mention the cozy dimensions of Citizens Bank Park, preclude them from consideration?

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Phillies end Padres' home streak at 10

San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Ryan Howard and Chase Utley blasted back-to- back homers in the fifth inning, and Joe Blanton pitched seven strong innings, as the Philadelphia Phillies continued their road success with a 5-3 victory over the Padres, snapping San Diego's 10-game home winning streak.

Howard and Utley hit their 15th and 12th homers of the season, respectively, for the Phillies, who won their fourth straight game and improved their MLB- best road record to 17-6. Blanton (4-3) allowed three runs on six hits with a walk and five strikeouts to win his third straight decision.

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Philidelphia Phillies Need To Stop Playing Guardian

by Chris DiFrancesco

When you look at the Philadelphia Phillies this season, you notice a few things.

One, they are the defending World Champions. Two, their payroll went upwards of around $35 million. Three, they are too protective of their young prospects.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but maybe some have noticed that the Phillies are looking like the New York Yankees right now—just much more likeable and marketable.

Let me explain what I mean.

It looks like the Phillies just lost their number two starting pitcher, Brett Myers, for the rest of the season, but they needed another quality starter two weeks ago.

Now it's become a dire necessity.

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Phillies-Nats: Brad Lidge Goes Clean While Jayson Werth Soils His Drawers

by Flattish Poe

Praise Pete the Phils won. I couldn’t take anymore of my day.

First, I had to drive my husband eighty miles north so he could catch a bus to ride eighty miles back to Philly to see the game with thirty people who drink so infrequently they would forget their native tongue by the ninth inning.

Why do they do this?

Sometimes there is nothing but a stupid question.

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