Philadelphia Phillies

In the 1970's, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari proposed that modern psychiatry, particularly modern psychoanalysis, had really screwed things up. Far from the reactionary moral position that usually follows that particular proposal -- "I mean, sleeping with my mother?! Come on, now." -- Deleuze and Guattari were convinced that psychoanalysis itself was too conservative, invested as it was with traditional notions of mental health, familial stability, and normative sexuality. Instead, they suggested, the way we need to think about humanity is as a "Body Without Organs" -- a set of non-specific connections that can shift, change, and mutate at will. Basically, they wanted to promote a "schizoanalysis," a vision of mental health that valorized the non-rigid. Instead of having a map of the psyche, as Freud may have wanted, Deleuze and Guattari just destroyed the map entirely. Now, if we take schizoanalysis seriously, then the outcome of this game is really much more about, like, playing with the idea of competition as a terminus, or about reimagining the definition of "positive outcomes," or about how the drive to win is more connected to the sex drive than the ambition drive, or something. And in that way, as a point of departure for schizoanalysis, this game was a total success! In any other way, this game was just a practice in making us crazy. In brief: Cole Hamels pitched a hell of a game, going six innings, striking out ten, walking none, and giving up two runs on seven hits. His opposite number, Alex Sanabia was just a bit more brilliant -- oh, no, wait, that's not right at all: he went six and a third, but struck out only three, walked one, but only gave up one run on seven hits. That one run was a blast from Our Favorite Martian, Domonic Brown. Sadly, Brown's heroics weren't enough, especially after the eighth inning reared its ugly head. Three runs, two pitchers, tons of awful bloops: use your imagination and color in what you know to be true. Then, as if by fate itself, Chad Qualls came in and pitched a silent ninth inning against the Phillies, striking out two (h/t Prof. Cohen). The Aristocrats! So here are the things you missed if you didn't watch the game: Dom Brown's home run; Cole Hamels' ten strikeouts; a painfully awful blown caught stealing call against Chase Utley; and Marcell Ozuna's hilarious adventures in fielding. And now, to act as a blog without organs, here are some scattered thoughts from the masthead: David Cohen: "PHILLIES SUCK CAN'T BEAT AAAA TEAM WITH ACE ON MOUND" JoeCatz: helped, by way of typo, to coin the nickname Jose "The Nose" Fernandez. Also, pointed out quite rightly that Hamels should have been the victorious pitcher tonight with that line against this team. WetLuzinski wants you to remember. RememberthePhitans notes that, with regard to our title, these nights make the sex better. So there's that. Some rejected titles: "Momentum is a Lie" (Prof); "THANK GOD I GOT STUCK AT WORK AND DIDN'T DRIVE TWO HOURS FOR THAT" (Joe); "Anatomy of a Train Wreck" (RTP). So, do we feel zen? Do we feel deterrtorialized? Are our bodies and minds bereft of the conventional need to align wins with pleasure? No? Me neither. And hey, Ruiz is going to the DL, out 3-4 weeks, and Howard got a cortisone injection in his knee. Let's get crazy! Fangraph of WTF below: Source: FanGraphs

Jeff Schuler of the Allentown Morning Call has reported the following: Josh Fields‘ bags were packed and he was getting hugs. Asked if he was heading south, said with smile, ‘Not the man to ask that question.” — jeff schuler (@jschulermc) May 21, 2013 Dave Brundage on potential Fields move: “I can’t comment on that right now.’ Best guess: look for Howard to go to DL — jeff schuler (@jschulermc) May 21, 2013 Connecting the dots, it appears that INF Josh Fields, who went 3-4 and was a HR away from the cycle tonight in a 14-5 IronPigs win, and not Darin Ruf will get the call if/when Ryan Howard heads to the DL. Fields entered today’s game with a .272/.340/.457 triple-slash and undoubtedly raised that tonight with an outstanding night. We will have more as this develops.

The Phillies fell to the Marlins, 5-1, at Marlins Park in Miami. Cole Hamels picked up the loss.

The Galvis and Kratz Show arrived a couple innings early at Marlins Park.

MIAMI - They closed the upper deck at Marlins Park, a stadium that has lived for 14 months of baseball. Interest in the home team is infinitesimal. The Marlins scored 2.66 runs per game before Monday, and that is fewer than any major-league team since the game integrated in 1947.

Hamels has been a victim of poor run support all season. (Photo: AP) The Marlins now have 13 wins on the season.  Four have come against the Phillies.  After showing signs of life against some of baseball’s best teams in recent weeks, the Phils offense laid an egg on Monday night in Miami, losing 5-1 to the Marlins and again leaving an effective Cole Hamels out to dry.  Alex Sanabia notched the win for the Marlins and Justin Ruggiano provided two key RBIs. HAMELS RETURNS TO FORM - Apart from two mistakes, Hamels, now 1-7, was dominant on Monday night.  He walked none and struck out 10 Marlins in only six innings before being removed for a pinch hitter.  Pitch count (89 pitches) and command (67 strikes) were not an issue, unlike recent outings.  Cole has now allowed three earned runs in 20 innings against the Fish, and has received a grand total of one run from his offense. - With the free-swinging Marcell Ozuna buried in a 1-2 hole in the first inning, Hamels decided to stick with his fastball, which Ozuna stung up the middle, plating the Marlins first run.  Some say that Hamels has shown an overreliance on the cutter this season… this was just the latest example of his pitch selection costing him. - Hamels appeared to be very angry with himself after allowing an RBI double to Ruggiano in the sixth that put Miami ahead 2-1.  But Cole really did look good – striking out double digits for the first time this year.  He did it three times last year, fanning 10 each time.  At one point, Hamels recorded eight of nine outs via punch out. BULLPEN, DEFENSE PROBLEMS FOR PHILS - Hamels departed trailing only 2-1, but Justin De Fratus and Phillippe Aumont couldn’t keep it close.  In 1.2 innings, the right-handed duo combined for three earned runs on four hits to put the game out of reach. - Michael Young couldn’t handle a pick-off attempt from Hamels in the fifth, which allowed Chris Coghlan to advance to second.  While the error was charged to Hamels, it did not appear to be a difficult play.  Young also allowed a Dom Brown throw from leftfield to get past him yesterday, but again, he was not charged with an error. - On Ruggiano’s go-ahead double in the sixth, Delmon Young took an awful route to the ball, spinning his body and his wheels before finally heading in the right direction.  While only a good right fielder makes that catch – which Young is far from – he could have prevented the run from scoring had he been there to catch the ball off the wall.  Coincidentally, Ruggiano tracked down a laser off the bat of Young in the second, making a basket catch just short of the warning track in right center. OFFENSE SPUTTERS AGAINST SANABIA - The Phillies’ offense hit a new low on Monday night, getting shut down by the struggling Sanabia.  Entering Monday, Sanabia had allowed 63 hits and 24 walks in 51.1 innings.  The Phils totaled seven hits and two walks, incomprehensibly swinging at the first pitch in 16 of their 35 at-bats.  Marlins pitchers needed only 118 pitches to get through nine innings.  Two double plays killed leadoff singles for the Phils and they were unable to capitalize on a first-and-third with one out situation in the seventh. - Domonic Brown hit a first-pitch, hanging change-up from Sanabia over the right field wall in the second inning to knot the score at one.  Brown, who now leads the team in homers with eight, has been very patient against right-handers and very aggressive against lefties.  In this at-bat it was the exact opposite, so it’s good to see him keep pitchers guessing. - Brown stole a bag in the fourth inning, giving him two steals in the past two games.  While replays showed he might have been out, Brown is now two-for-two on stolen base attempts this season.  He notched double digit steals six times in the minors, so it’ll be interesting to see if more will come as he gains confidence. DID YOU NOTICE? - Ben Revere, batting second, appears to be back in Charlie Manuel’s good graces, as he was slotted in the

MIAMI - The Phillies know they will be without their starting catcher for approximately a month. They are less certain about their slugging cleanup hitter.

Ryan Howard missed much of last season following surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles. He then had a cortisone injection in his left knee yesterday in Philadelphia because of inflammation and changes in his meniscus. He is unavailable to play tonight against the Marlins, but the Phillies said he is day-to-day. They are hopeful he can avoid a trip to the disabled list. They also hope this is not the beginning of a trend of leg injuries for the $125 million first baseman, who has $85 million remaining on his contract following this season. “Injuries are a part of the game,” assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said. “That comes with the territory when you sign these guys. We have a bunch of pitchers on long-term contracts, too. It’s just a risk you take. You never know what’s going to happen. Chase (Utley) signed a seven-year deal and we lost out.” Howard had an MRI exam this morning in Philadelphia before joining the Phillies in Miami. Phillies head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan said Howard had symptoms in his knee for a couple weeks, but it was manageable. Recently, however, Howard told Sheridan the knee bothered him more. Could the Achilles injury he suffered in Game 5 of the 2011 National League Division Series be related to the knee injury? It is common for pitchers to develop elbow issues because of shoulder and back issues. As a pitcher’s mechanics get out of whack, it causes stress on other parts of the body. “That’s the million dollar question right there,” Sheridan said. “For me, it’s like the old song: the foot bone is connected to the knee bone … to me the closed chain of the ankle relate to the knee, relate to the hip. They all play apart. So that’s a reasonable question. Whether that’s what’s happened, we don’t know.” Sheridan said the goal is to get Howard healthy and move on, although that remains to be seen. “We’re going to do the treatment that we did and see how he responds to it,” Sheridan said. “And then we’ll have to make decisions from there as to what needs to be done beyond that.” The changes in the meniscus essentially mean a tear and inflammation. “When you look at the meniscus, there’s a little piece of it that we’re concerned about,” Sheridan said. “There’s certain tests that make it look like he has a meniscus tear, and that’s not as clear cut. If you did an MRI on all of it and you find these changes in the meniscus, the question is – is that what’s really causing the symptoms?” Howard is hitting .245 with six home runs and 22 RBIs in 41 games this season. He has a .713 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, which is the lowest mark of his career. His OPS has declined each season since 2009. Asked if Howard’s build – he is listed at 6-foot-4, 242 pounds – could cause him continued leg problems, Sheridan said, “It doesn’t matter whether you’re big or small, if something in the joints is creating a problem for you, you’ve got to take care of it no matter whether it’s Freddy Galvis or Ryan Howard. Mechanically, that’s what we’re worried about. Is that truly going to hinder him from getting back?” Sheridan also said players have played with this issue in the past, which is why he is hopeful Howard can do the same. “I would bet there are a ton of guys who’ve had tears in their meniscus, on this team or on others,” he said. “It’s part of wear and tear and playing 162 games and whatever else. Lots of wear and tear in this game. These guys, it’s their legs. Pitchers, it’s the shoulder.”

The Phillies will place Carlos Ruiz on the 15-day disabled list tomorrow because of a Grade 2 strained hamstring. He is expected to be sidelined three to four weeks based on the size and location of the tear. The Phillies selected catcher Humberto Quintero’s contract from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Ruiz’s place on the roster. The Phillies placed right-hander Mike Adams on the disabled list with a strained back to make room for Quintero. Right-hander Tyler Cloyd will take Ruiz’s spot on the roster tomorrow. Ruiz injured the hamstring running the bases in the second inning Sunday in a 3-2 victory over the Reds at Citizens Bank Park. He had hit .235 (12-for-51) with two doubles and two RBIs in 16 games after missing the first 25 games of the season because of a suspension for using a banned stimulant, although he had hit .325 (10-for-31) in his previous 10 games. Phillies catchers have a .582 on-base-plus-slugging percentage this season, which ranks 27th in baseball. They were counting on Ruiz to boost that position upon his contract, but he lasted less than a month. “We were comfortable with the (catching) situation we had to start the season,” assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said. “Q did a good job for us. I think we’re comfortable with what we have. We’re not going to stop looking, but I don’t think we’re actively out there pursuing anything. But you keep your eyes and ears open.”

It seemed like only a matter of time before this happened. Reliever Mike Adamswas placed on the disabled list with a right mid-back strain today. The move is retroactive to May 11. To take his place on the Phillies' 25-man roster, catcher Humberto Quintero was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. That move tells me that Carlos Ruiz will either be out for at least a few days because of his strained right hamstring or may even go on the disabled list. Ruiz left after the second inning of Sunday's game when he hurt it on his way to third base. Another roster move will have to be made to accommodate Tyler Cloyd, who has been pegged to start Tuesday's game in Miami. Although Cloyd has not be activated yet, he was in Philadelphia on Sunday and flew with the team that night to Florida. That's when Ruiz might be sent to the DL. Adams is eligible to come off the DL on Sunday. We also are still waiting for official word about Ruiz's MRI and Ryan Howard's (left knee) MRI. Both had MRIs this morning. To fill Quintero's spot with the IronPigs, the club promoted catcher Justin Dalles from Class-A Lakewood.