Philadelphia Phillies

Lehigh Valley 3, Toledo 0 Carlos Zambrano - 7 IP, 5 H, BB, 6 K, 7 GB, 6 FB Cesar Hernandez - 2 for 4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB Darin Ruf - 1 for 4, K Leandro Castro - 0 for 1, CS Cameron Rupp - 2 for 4 Phillippe Aumont - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 K Toledo isn't very good, but Zambrano continues to progress through the minors on his quest back to the majors. I wouldn't be too surprised if he joins the big club soon. Castro left the game early. I couldn't tell why, but he was replaced by our good friend Pete Orr. Reading 4, Portland 1 Seth Rosin - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB, 5 K, 4 GB, 5 FB Zach Collier - 1 for 3, R, 2B, K Anthony Hewitt - 0 for 3 Sebastian Valle - 0 for 3, BB Tyson Gillies - 0 for 3, 2 K Reading isn't a very good team, but Seth Rosin had arguably his best performance of the year going the full 7 innings of the first game of a double header. Portland 3, Reading 0 Kyle Simon - 1.1 IP, BB, K Zach Collier - 1 for 2, BB, 2 SB Reading lost this game despite not giving up any earned runs...and because they didn't score. It was a bullpen game for Reading, but not much to highlight. The opposing pitcher gave up 4 hits and 5 walks, but the Fightin's couldn't capitalize. Daytona 14, Clearwater 8 Hoby Milner - 4.1 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 7 GB, 4 FB Aaron Altherr - 2 for 4, R, BB, K, CS Kelly Dugan - 0 for 1, 2 R, 2 BB, K Maikel Franco - 2 for 4, HR, 3 RBI Colby Shreve - 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB Pitching clearly lost this game for the Threshers, despite the efforts of their "Big 3". Franco put up another homer. State College 7, Williamsport 3 Drew Anderson - 4.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, IBB, 2 K, 8 GB, 2 FB Andrew Pullin - 0 for 5, 2 K Dylan Cozens - 0 for 3, R, 2 BB, 2 K Zach Green - 3 for 5, R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, K Andrew Knapp - 1 for 3, R, 2B Gabriel Lino - 3 for 4 Williamsport dropped their home opener. Recent draftee Andrew Knapp got his first professional hit, but also let up a passed ball. Gabriel Lino DH'd and was prevented from giving up any passed balls. Lehigh Valley 3, Toledo 0 Carlos Zambrano - 7 IP, 5 H, BB, 6 K, 7 GB, 6 FB Cesar Hernandez - 2 for 4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB Darin Ruf - 1 for 4, K Leandro Castro - 0 for 1, CS Cameron Rupp - 2 for 4 Phillippe Aumont - 1 IP, 2 H, 2 K Toledo isn't very good, but Zambrano continues to progress through the minors on his quest back to the majors. I wouldn't be too surprised if he joins the big club soon. Castro left the game early. I couldn't tell why, but he was replaced by our good friend Pete Orr. Reading 4, Portland 1 Seth Rosin - 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB, 5 K, 4 GB, 5 FB Zach Collier - 1 for 3, R, 2B, K Anthony Hewitt - 0 for 3 Sebastian Valle - 0 for 3, BB Tyson Gillies - 0 for 3, 2 K Reading isn't a very good team, but Seth Rosin had arguably his best performance of the year going the full 7 innings of the first game of a double header. Portland 3, Reading 0 Kyle Simon - 1.1 IP, BB, K Zach Collier - 1 for 2, BB, 2 SB Reading lost this game despite not giving up any earned runs...and because they didn't score. It was a bullpen game for Reading, but not much to highlight. The opposing pitcher gave up 4 hits and 5 walks, but the Fightin's couldn't capitalize. Daytona 14, Clearwater 8 Hoby Milner - 4.1 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 7 GB, 4 FB Aaron Altherr - 2 for 4, R, BB, K, CS Kelly Dugan - 0 for 1, 2 R, 2 BB, K Maikel Franco - 2 for 4, HR, 3 RBI Colby Shreve - 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB Pitching clearly lost this game for the Threshers, despite the efforts of their "Big 3". Franco put up another homer. State College 7, Williamsport 3 Drew Anderson - 4.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, IBB, 2 K, 8 GB, 2 FB Andrew Pullin - 0 for 5, 2 K Dylan Cozens - 0 for 3, R, 2 BB, 2 K Zach Green - 3 for 5, R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, K Andrew Knapp - 1 for 3, R, 2B Gabriel Lino - 3 for 4 Williamsport dropped their home opener. Recent draftee Andrew Knapp got his first professional hit, but also let up a passed ball. Gabriel Lino DH'd and was pr

Kyle Kendrick isn’t all that remarkable. The Philadelphia Phillies right-hander has a standard pitcher’s frame and fairly average stuff. Neither his velocity nor his repertoire particularly stands out. His numbers — 178 career appearances; 137 of them starts — don‘t jump out at you. But that doesn’t mean the 28-year-old isn’t an effective pitcher. Relying [...] Read more Kyle Kendrick news

When Jayson Werth left Philadelphia after the 2010 season and signed a seven-year, $126 million dollar contract with the Washington Nationals, the right fielder has been booed lustily before every at-bat at Citizens Bank Park by the Phillies faithful. Fans remember a player often aloof, difficult to understand, and driven enough to seek the contract of a lifetime outside the City of Brotherly Love. It’s not uncommon for a former player to be booed, especially one that was divisive among fans and not the most likable guy upon first notice. Werth, though, was the product and epitome of an era of Phillies baseball that has passed us by. Former GM Pat Gillick plucked Werth from the bargain bin after a perplexing wrist injury put his career on the line. Through a stroke of luck, Werth was referred to the Mayo Clinic and his wrist was quickly as good as new. With the Phillies, Werth initially shared playing time with Geoff Jenkins, but it became difficult to ignore his renewed five-tool approach. By 2008, Werth was the everyday right fielder. Everything Werth was is everything that more recent Phillies have not been. Werth worked counts better than almost anyone else in baseball. He walked in 13 percent of his plate appearances as a Phillie between 2007-10. Only 25 players in baseball drew walks at a higher rate in that period of time, only 13 of them in the National League. Werth ran the bases with amazing dexterity for someone listed at 6’5″, 225. He stole 60 bases in 68 attempts (88%) as a Phillie, the 22nd-highest total in the time period among National Leaguers, and the fifth-highest success rate among those players with at least 55 successful stolen bases. Baseball Prospectus had him among the top-30 base runners in all of baseball in 2008 (28) and 2009 (11), looking at all avenues of base running, including advancing on ground and fly ball outs, as well as hits. In right field, Werth was among the best if you buy 4,263 defensive innings’ worth of Ultimate Zone Rating data. Among single seasons, his last (2010) was his only subpar defensive showing with the Phillies. Not only did he showcase a fair amount of range, he was consistently one of baseball’s most feared arms. Werth accrued 37 outfield assists as a Phillie, the seventh most among all outfielders from 2007-10. Werth posted 15.8 Wins Above Replacement as a Phillie, according to Baseball Reference. (FanGraphs lists him at 17.7.) Because Werth was plucked from the bargain bin by Gillick, he did all this for a total of $12.55 million. The Phillies rightfully chose not to retain his services when he, rightfully, went in search of a multi-year contract in excess of $100 million. In the time since, the Phillies have abandoned the practices that led them to players like Werth (and Shane Victorino). Rather than attempt to catch lightning in a bottle with toolsy players, the Phillies have gone after over-the-hill veterans like Michael Young and one-dimensional players like Delmon Young. They left barren an entire Minor League system in the expensive pursuit of Hunter Pence. Going down the list of players brought on board by the Phillies since 2011, not a single one of them brought to the table even two of the multitude of qualities Werth brought. Though the Phillies can thank their lucky stars they are not on the hook to the tune of $126 million over seven years for Werth’s services, they should continue to search tirelessly for the next Werth. And though Phillies fans may feel disparaged by how quickly Werth chose to take the next flight out of Philly, he represents everything that was right about what was arguably the greatest era of Phillies baseball.

Kyle Kendrick isn’t all that remarkable. The Philadelphia Phillies right-hander has a standard pitcher’s frame and fairly average stuff. Neither his velocity nor his repertoire particularly stands out. His numbers — in 178 career appearances; 137 of them starts — don‘t jump out at you. But that doesn’t mean the 28-year-old isn’t an effective pitcher. Relying primarily on sinkers, changeups and control, Kendrick does what a back-of-the-rotation starter is expected to do: He keeps his team in games as often as not. Overshadowed in a rotation that features Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels — and, in recent years, Roy Halladay — he simply goes out and does his job. Kendrick, who is 6-4, with a 3.76 ERA this year, takes the mound tonight against the Washington Nationals. He talked about the evolution of his repertoire when the Phillies visited Fenway Park in May. —— Kyle Kendrick: “I developed my current repertoire over the years. When I got drafted, I just threw a four-seam and a slurve. In 2006, I started throwing a sinker, and two or three years ago I developed a changeup — a split-change. I added a cutter about the same time as the changeup, about two or three years ago. “I started throwing a sinker because my four-seam wasn’t getting it done. It was straight — not enough movement — so I started messing around with grips and the ball started sinking. I was like, ‘I’ll go with that.’ I actually throw the two-seam harder than I threw the four-seam, and something that’s moving is obviously harder to hit than something straighter. It runs with a little sink. Sometimes if I open up my delivery a little bit it moves more, but most of the time it’s the same depth. “I stopped throwing the slurve pretty much right when I got drafted. I tried to throw a slider, but just couldn’t pick it up. I throw one now, but I don’t throw it a lot. I can make my cutter bigger, so at times it’s more of a slider. “With my cutter, it‘s just a matter of moving my fingers on the seams and how I release it. Rich Dubee, my pitching coach, showed me my cutter grip. From there, I just kept throwing it and throwing it until I got a good feel. “I learned my changeup when I was in Triple-A, at the start of 2009. One of my teammates was Justin Lehr, and Tim Hudson had showed it to him. Basically, I got it from Lehr, who got it from Hudson. It’s just a standard split grip, across the seams. I used to throw a circle, but I have small hands, so it felt like it always slipped. I could never be consistent with it. “There’s nothing that makes me all that unique. I have a little hitch at the top of my delivery, and maybe that’s a little different, but other than that I’m pretty ordinary. I just go out there and try to make pitches.”

Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies rivalry a quiet but growing one | MLB.com: News Werth explained that this wasn't what it seems. "I was laughing when I said what I said. I was just kind of going along with what Rizz said, which was that he hated the Phillies because he was tired of getting his butt kicked by them. And I was kind of like, 'Yeah, I hate the Phillies, too. Ha ha.' So, it was totally out of context. People were rubbed the wrong way," Werth said before Tuesday's game. Inside the Phillies: Don't count out Phillies or Nats just yet, Werth saysRead more of the insanely rational, professional rantings of the Nationals right fielder who helped the Phillies win a World Series five years ago, you chirpy blowhards sitting behind the Nats' dugout last night, OR GET SOMEONE TO READ THEM FOR YOU. Washington Nationals Rewind: Nats' Lefty Ross Detwiler vs The Phillies' Cliff Lee In CBP - Federal BaseballFor each team that pulled into a second place tie and picked up ground on the Braves, there's another team that didn't. Nice reminder that Frandsen's hit ideally should have been fielded by Bryce Harper. But then again, Frandsen's hit ideally was an Utley grand slam, so. Could Ruiz actually leave the Phillies?Well, yeah. But that doesn't mean that I won't enjoy him doing Little Things to help the Phillies Win Ballgames. Stutes making up for lost season with PhilliesFingerable curls. The Most Unexpected Players of 2013 - Beyond the Box ScoreKind of surprising that nearly all of the Phillies who qualify on this list aren't all that far off their projections. ICYMI This Week Forget Jonathan Papelbon, Target Jesse Crain | FanGraphs BaseballPoints are good ones, but the White Sox may not want to deal to the Tigers. Ruben Amaro Jr. doesn't "do" five-year plans, but the Phillies need a good oneWe referred to this David Murphy piece a lot in yesterday's thread about Charlie Manuel. NL BEast Modalities Mets vs. Braves Recap: Amazins cling to victory after Harvey domination - Amazin' AvenueFirst there was this. Mets vs. Braves Recap: Wheeler strikes out seven in six scoreless as Mets sweep doubleheader - Amazin' AvenueThen this happened. Be more worried about a Mets rotation of Harvey and Wheeler long term than appreciative of the help the Phillies got in the standings yesterday. Fish Cap: Miami Marlins 2, Arizona Diamondbacks 3 - Fish StripesDisappointing result for the Fish, but I'm pleasantly surprised to see entertaining some writing and more game content over at Fish Stripes. Bush League Blog Phillies Minor League Report: Carlos Zambrano throws seven shutout innings in IronPigs' winKeep your pants on and don't tip over the water jug. The Mud Hens are not a very good team. Cutters drop home opener to State College - SunGazette.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information - Williamsport-Sun GazetteZach Green, though. And Mitch Rupert! YAY MITCH RUPERT.

Lee wants to win but may be smiling just like this if he picks up NL Cy Young hardware in 2013. Cliff Lee picked up his ninth win of the year last night, holding the Nationals to a pair of solo homers, striking out nine, and walking none. Lee baffled Nats hitters all night and did so while pitching with a blister on his hand. Lee’s ERA decreased to 2.53 and his xFIP fell to 3.15. Lee’s excellence has put him in firmly in the 2013 NL Cy Young Race. Traditional stats indicate Lee is among the best pitchers in the National League – Lee is ranked ninth in the NL in ERA, sixth in the NL in Ks, and tied for second in the (meaningless) wins category. The advanced stats hold up well, too: Lee ranks third in BB/9 IP, 18th in K/9 IP, second in K/BB, third in FIP, and seventh in xFIP. Right now, Adam Wainwright (10-3, 2.37 ERA) and Matt Harvey (6-1, 2.15 ERA) are far and away in the top tier of contenders for the Cy Young and lead Lee in most of the standard and advanced categories. In Lee’s class are Patrick Corbin (9-0, 2.28 ERA) and Jordan Zimmerann (9-3, 2.44 ERA) – but Lee has more strikeouts, less walks per 9 IP, and has done so as being the workhorse of the NL, currently tied with Wainwright for most innings pitched. Your thoughts? Is this Cliff Lee’s year to win the Cy Young?

Here’s a rundown on how the Phillies’ minor league teams fared on Tuesday, June 18.

Rest of the season could signa the return or the departure of the Phillies’ free-agent-to-be catcher.

Former Neumann-Goretti star is flourishing following 50-game suspension for using Adderall.

Cliff Lee picked up his ninth win as he cruised after a rain-delayed start to propel the Phillies in a 4-2 win over the Nationals and into a tie in the NL East with Washington. At this point last season, Lee was still searching for his first win. But after eight frames of two-run ball, to go with five hits allowed, nine strikeouts and no walks, Lee is now 9-2 this year with still nearly a month to go until...