Philadelphia Phillies

Phillies Nation TV! In this jam-packed episode where Pat and Corey discuss Jimmy Rollins candidacy for Hall of Fame down the road, plus a look back at a wild series against the Reds. Natalie talks with Jen Utley about their involvement with the PSPCA. Natalie also has some fun at Utley Casino Night, talking with Michael Young, Kevin Frandsen, and Ruben Amaro, among others. And last, but certainly not least, Tony Luke with Ian!

Another really nice outing from Jesse Biddle – 3H 4BB and 9K over 7 2/3 scoreless IP. Not bad by any stretch, but I could do without 4 walks. Seem like I’m nit picking, really. Shane Watson with 1H 2BB and 4K over 5 scoreless IP - nice effort there as well. He’s been kind of a mixed bag this year. The BB rate is fair, the K rate is low, and he’s giving up too many HR. Roman Quinn gets to 20 steals, but commits his 16th and 17th errors. Those two numbers shouldn’t be that close. He is OPSing .857 in May, though, and 1.069 in his last ten games, (with 7BB and just 7K in those ten), so that’s helpful. Here’s the affiliate Scoreboard from MiLB. http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?sid=milb&org=143&ymd=20130521

Reading, PA - Fightin’ Phils pitching phenom Jesse Biddle reached base only once last night in the 3-0 win against Altoona (box score), but he made sure it counted. Biddle, the Phillies’ top draft pick of 2010, drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the fifth to turn the lineup over for Tyson Gillies, who would double him home for an ultimately unnecessary second run. He continued his dominance in the seventh, when he successfully bunted Troy Hanzawa over to third. Hanzawa did not score. Also of note, Tommy Mendonca, who the Phillies signed away from the Camden Riversharks this month, singled Zach Collier into scoring position in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Hanzawa grounded into an (game-winning) RBI double play, immediately erasing Mendonca at second base, but the damage was already done.

Last night Chad Millman, editor of ESPN the Magazine, tweeted the following picture of a pre-print version of his publication’s upcoming edition. In it, Michael Young (known scary guy) shares what can only be described as a totally credible, sober and flat out HORRIFYING encounter with a real-life, honest-to-goodness-capital-g Ghost. Here now, in a Fightins quasi-sclusive, is a picture of Michael Young’s encounter with the other side: Wow. A harrowing tale. Marinating, even. Yes, that’s right. Just when you thought we were going to let our aging third baseman’s strange use of the word “MARINATE” slide, BOOM– in your face, hater. It does beg the question, though: Do ghosts marinate? Or are they more like montreal steak seasoning/dry rub kind of entities? I wonder if they even know how to barbecue. What if it turns out that when we die we all turn into brisket? Wouldn’t that be a gas! Who knows. Besides Michael Young, that is. h/t @Kunk7

Ruiz set career-highs in 2012 in eight offensive categories. Did Adderall aid that? Once the season ends, or perhaps even at the July 31 trade deadline, the Phillies will be forced to deal with harsh realities. Several players who were integral parts of the teams’ run to the 2008 World Series could be on the move. It’s not out of the question to think the 2014 Phillies could be without Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Carlos Ruiz. Let’s focus on Ruiz. He’s was slowly working his way back to normalcy after a rough start following a 25-game suspension to begin the year. Then, he blew a tire going first-to-third in a game against the Reds last weekend and is now on the DL for 3-to-4 weeks. The use of Adderall, for which he was suspended, tells me one thing; that he’s slowing down.  And inevitably, when a catcher slows down, it usually isn’t pretty. Ruiz was looking for an advantage and felt he could get one with the use of this banned substance. Without that aid, what does the future hold for Chooch? For one, he’ll be 35 when next season rolls around. His .325 average last season appears to be an aberration, but we’ll know more about that after the year is complete. With 16 games and 51 at-bats under his belt this year, Ruiz is hitting .235. One thing Chooch has been known for is his ability to get on base and not strike out. His .361 career OBP is fantastic and would be sorely missed in a lineup that struggles with that idea. Even if his bat slows a bit, he still has shown to have a solid grasp of the strike zone. What’s the alternative? The free agent landscape will not be kind to the Phillies, so forget that. If Ruiz does not come back, they’ll go in-house. Tommy Joseph is the clear heir apparent to the catching kingdom in Philly. At Triple-A, Joseph is hitting just .209 in 21 games. His plate discipline is also a work-in-progress, as he’s whiffed 15 times times over 71 plate appearances. Joseph will display power – he has 52 home runs in four seasons in the minor leagues – but it is a sacrifice for consistency at the plate. Joseph’s durability has also been an issue this season, as he still has not been cleared to play after suffering a concussion on May 4. The numbers say his bat is not quite ready, but again, we’ll have to see the full picture. According to scouting reports, he is a decent receiver, which can also make up for a lack of bat. However, this year, Joseph is dealing with a bout of passed balls. With eight all of last season, he’s got nine in 21 games in 2013. His caught stealing rate is also down to 22 percent from 48 percent a year ago. In Philly, if you don’t present the full package of goods, the fans won’t stand for it. What that tells me is Joseph likely won’t be ready in the near future, so another year of grooming is possible. That leads us to 2014 behind the plate for the Phillies. Money is an issue when it comes to Ruiz. What will he command? He’ll obviously want a multi-year deal, but I can’t even begin to assume what sort of money he would get. Two years, $10 million? Three years, $15 million? More? Less? It might be smart for the Phillies to offer him a one-year, incentive laden deal instead of getting themselves locked into yet another multi-year contract. Plus, you’d have to assume one of the catchers in the system would be ready after another year. If Chooch demands more and won’t take a one-year deal, maybe the Phillies look into a platoon. It’s not idea, but it could save millions in the long run. There’s still plenty of time for Ruben Amaro and his boys to figure this out. However, it’s another position where there could be turnover, and with the way this team is treading water, it’s something we need to think about and keep on the radar throughout the year. The possibility that someone other than the much-beloved Chooch behind the pla

The Big Piece returned to the lineup last night and delivered a big hit that broke open a tight game as Tyler picked up his first win. Multiple RBI games came from the middle of the order, Ryan, Delmon and Domonic. So far this season, Cloyd has pitched better in the big leagues than the minor leagues. His win improved the team’s record to 14-6 when Cole, Cliff and Doc don’t start. Through the first four games the Phillies played in Marlins Park this year, they were 5-32 with runners in scoring position. Last night, 4-16 RISP. During the four-run seventh inning, they had 3 RISP hits. One of the three didn’t drive in a run, however. From Elias: Ryan had three hits and knocked in three runs, the 30th time in his major-league career that he had at least three hits and three RBI in one game. Only three players in Phillies history had 30 or more games with at least three hits and three RBI since runs batted in became an official statistic in 1920: Chuck Klein (58), Mike Schmidt (46) and Del Ennis (33). NL Team Hitting Going into last night’s game, the bottom five NL teams in batting average all lived in the NL East: 11. Atlanta (.244) 12. Phillies (.244) 13. New York (.229) 14. Washington (.227) 15. Miami (.222) With 15 hits last night, the Phillies jumped into 9th place, .247, leaving Atlanta, NY, Washington and Miami as the bottom four. Minor League Report **Lehigh Valley beat Rochester, 9-2. 1B Cody Overbeck, 3-5, 9th HR, 3 RBI. 3B Cody Asche, 2-5 (9th double; 3rd triple), 2 RBI . . . WP: Greg Smith (1-0) in 1st AAA start, 0 R, 4 H, 2 SO, 5 IP. **Reading blanked Altoona, 3-0, behind Jesse Biddle (3-3), 0 R, 3 H, 4 BB, 9 SO, 7.2 IP . . . CF Zach Collier, 2-4, including 3rd HR. **Clearwater dropped a doubleheader at Port Charlotte, 4-2 and 3-1. 3B Maikel Franco, 3-6, 17th double, 33rd RBI. **Lakewood was a 9-2 winner at Delmarva. WP: Shane Watson (3-3), 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 SO, 5 IP. RF Brian Pointer, 3-4, 2 RBI, 15th SB. SS Ramon Quinn, 20th SB. 2 RBI also for LF Larry Greene and 3B Mitch Walding. Alumni Weekend Plans for this year’s annual weekend will be released today on this website. Keep an eye out for the four-day events in early August.

Over last off-season, righty hurler Tyson Brummett parted ways with the Phillies following six season in their developmental ranks and after making his big league debut late last season with the Phils. Brummett was picked up off waivers by Toronto in October. The 28-year-old was then optioned shortly afterward. After being outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo, Brummett landed on the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats roster in April. Through nine games with NH thus far this season, Brummett is without a win and sports a 5.91 ERA, but tossed six shutout innings against his former club, Reading, early this month. Recently, I spoke with Tyson about the differences between the Phils and Blue Jays organizations, his time playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, facing top Phils prospect Jesse Biddle and plenty more. Read ahead for that full interview. - What would you say are the key differences between the Phillies and Blue Jays organizations? There's always a lot of differences. I was in that organization for a long time. I grew up with a lot of those guys, you know, roommates and people like that, coming up through the ranks. This is my first time in a different organization, obviously there are new people, new faces. At the end of the day, it's still baseball. You've gotta go out there and perform and do all those fun things on the field. - I saw you earlier this month out in Reading, competing against your old organization and matching a great performance by their top prospect, Jesse Biddle. Do you get up when facing the Phillies and does it make a difference facing the guy that's their top prospect? I mean it's always...you get up to face your old organization. I know there's guys that jump around and have played for three or four different organizations. I think there's that kind of connection there. They know you and you know them and things like that, but you always want to go out and put on a show for the team that you used to be with and obviously the team that you're with against your old team. Kind of like giving a message like, "Hey, I can still help a team win." As for Biddle, that kid's got a great future ahead of him. He's definitely on his way to a very good career. - I spoke with your teammate Kevin Pillar and he admitted to me that, after that outing against Biddle in Reading when he threw six scoreless innings and struck out 10, Pillar had the date circled on his calendar for another shot at him. Did you get the vibe from a lot of the Fisher Cats players that they all felt the same way? Oh, yeah! Definitely, with how things started over there (in Reading), both times we've faced him, he's gotten into a little bit of trouble early. He got lucky over there. The one up there in Manchester, he wasn't lucky. He walked a couple guys, hit a pitch count and stuff like that. I think that's how we all are, competitors. If I pitch bad against a team, I want to go back at them and get them again. I'm sure with hitters, for anyone that's a top prospect that gets the best of you, or with anyone that kind of makes them look stupid, so they want to circle the date or wonder, "When's the next time we get to take a crack at him?" - In recent years you've gotten to pitch in the winter leagues, when you've completed in Venezuela. What can you tell me about enjoying success down there? Winters leagues are fun. I've been down there the past two years. My first year down there I had what anyone would call my better winter league experience. I mean, I came kind of toward the end of November. Pitched there, started real hot, made the playoffs, went to the Caribbean World Series. So, I kind of got the whole caboodle all in one take. My first year down there I was kind of amazed. I have a special spot in my heart for that stuff. It's good competition. The guys that are there are former big league players, or guys from that country that are on their way to the big l

In hindsight, Ryan Howard's contract an expensive mistake for PhilliesCome, Let us slay the sabremetric calf! Meanwhile, our own Peter Lyons seethes, because this is what he wrote on April 26, 2010: only once in Howard's career, according to Fangraphs' WAR metric, has he been worth more than the $25 million AAV (average annual value) that this deal will pay him: his MVP season back in 2006. Amaro believes offense will turn things aroundAmidst the self-delusional talk, some interesting comments on Grilli, Ruf, and Zambrano. Phillies fan seeks like-minded date to take to Nats Park"We'll discuss the finer points of advanced statistics and look for metaphorical frameworks to guide future verse about the Phillies." Owait, that's my Craigslist ad. Major League Soccer announces New York expansion team: New York City Football Club | MLSsoccer.comSoccer-wise, this is an abomination unto heaven on a scale that makes Red Phanatic look like a two-bit corner pimp. The major US investor is a curious one, though. Marks of the NL EastBeasts Washington sequester fails to account for San Francisco animal menagerie, Giants win late - McCovey ChroniclesI've gotta admit: I thought the Nationals would be so much better than one game ahead of the Phillies. Gattis's Heroics, Freeman's Walk-Off Lead Braves To Exhilarating Comeback Win Over Twins - Talking ChopExhilarating. Yeah. Don't worry, folks, Our man Vance Worley will lead the Twins to a salvager this afternoon. Mets vs Reds Recap: Poor first inning, quiet bats doom Mets in 4-0 loss - Amazin' AvenueMike Leake is some kind of a wizard. Or the Mets' offense is just as pathetic as the Phillies'. Worth Two in the Bushers Phillies Minor League Report: Jesse Biddle dominates againJesse Biddle has pitched well enough so that his cap has been upgraded. Attaboy. Yo, Larry "Fudgie" Greene: please hit your first home run. Oh, and big game for Ethan Martin today. Roman Quinn Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights | Lakewood BlueClaws StatsThe Roman Candle is starting to spark up in the last 10 games. Time to head up to Lakewood, y'all. Phillies catching prospect Sebastian Valle's stock has dropped - Philly.comAnd he's in the midst of international incidents within his own organization. h/t to Cormican for this one.

Ryan has slipped from his pedestal in Philly sports Ryan Howard hasn't set the world on fire this season, yet. He started to make some noise last night though as the Phillies thumped the Miami Marlins behind Howards 3 H and 3 RBI last night. Philly.com declared Ryan Howard's contract to be one of the worst mistakes in baseball today, as the long standing love affair that the press in Philadelphia has had with Howard appears to be coming to an end. Howard has been an MLB player now for 10 seasons including this year. We haven't seen that talent in him that he had in his late 20's however, and it seems since he has signed that $125M extension from the Phillies, that he isn't the same player that he used to be at all. Maybe he's found his pot of gold and now doesn't care much about yearning to climb to greatness. In 2008, Howard played in all 162 regular season games for the Phillies and smacked 48 HR, his efforts were a big reason the Phillies got where they went in 2008 which of course is when the won a World Championship. It's been a series of bad events for Howard, he only played 71 games for the Phils in 2012, and then lamely announced he dropped a bat weight on his foot towards the end of the season and was done for the season. It may have been a good thing, in 71 games last year, he struck out 99 times, he ended up with 14 HR. What happened to that 'old Ryan' that wanted to win at any cost. Did he join that 'country club' mentality that he has it made and it doesn't matter anymore? It seemed like he was trying to push his game to new areas with getting more hits for a while, then that seemed to fizzle, whatever the case, it's a lot of this type of play (poor) that has made the Phillies a mediocre team. Howard is bubbling under now, he has 6 HR and 25 RBI, not exactly great numbers for a guy like Howard. He is kind of a streaky player though, he can start to put some more numbers on the board and that's what the Phillies need him to do for the team. Maybe it started last night, maybe he's out of that funk that he's been in, we'll have to see.

Before Tuesday night’s 7-3 win over the Marlins in Miami, things certainly did not seem as though things were going to go well. First, Chase Utley was scratched from the lineup with a rib cage issue. Second, the pitching match-up was not a favorable one for the Phils. Miami was sending young right-hander Jose Fernandez against the Phillies against AAA fodder Tyler Cloyd. The Phils offense had been unable to hit Fernandez in two previous starts against them… Jose Fernandez, 20, against the Phillies: 18 IP, 0.50 ERA. Against everyone else: 31 IP, 4.94 ERA. — Matt Gelb (@magelb) May 22, 2013 …and Cloyd wasn’t exactly spectacular in his last start for Lehigh Valley… #TylerCloyd hed less trouble with Miami tonight than he did with Norfolk last week with #IronPigs (3.1 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 4 HR) — jeff schuler (@jschulermc) May 22, 2013 …which of course could only mean one thing… Tonight’s Fernandez-Cloyd matchup almost screams reverse lock, doesn’t it? — John Stolnis (@FelskeFiles) May 21, 2013 Sometimes I’m so freaking smart I don’t know what to do with myself. May 21, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Tyler Cloyd (50) during the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports The Phils came out on top of a pitching match-up in which they should have been beaten. It’s the 2013 Cole Hamels Corallary… or the 2012 Cliff Lee Corallary. Both are similar. And while the Phillies didn’t exactly beat the pants off of Fernandez – 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 Ks, 1 BB – they knocked him out of the game early enough to finally take advantage of the Fish’s bullpen, scoring six runs in the final four innings. That’s right, the Phillies scored runs last night. Seven of them. Actual, real, live runs that actually counted. Meanwhile, Cloyd managed to corral a Marlins lineup that had outscored the Phillies 28-20 in the eight games in which they had played against each other heading into last night. His line – 7 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 5 Ks, 2 BB – was certainly good enough to beat a Marlins lineup that was without Giancarlo Stanton and featured some guy named Derek Deitrich as their #3 hitter. Seriously, there’s really no excuse for anyone to EVER lose a game to the Marlins, right? Despite indications that Ryan Howard was headed to the disabled list after a cortisone shot to his left knee, Howard returned to the lineup last night, and had an immediate impact. He went 3 for 5 with 2 runs, 3 RBI and no strikeouts. Every member of the starting lineup, except for Cloyd, had at least one hit, including Delmon Young, who hit his second homer of the season. That homer will probably buy him another month. Ben Revere continued his hot May, going 3 for 5 with two runs scored, while Dom Brown went 1 for 5 with 2 key RBIs. You know, when the Phillies score runs, they look like a competent team. They actually are pretty fun to watch. All it takes, really, is four runs for the Phils to be a different ballclub. Ryan Howard’s two-run single gives the Phillies a 4-1 lead. They are 15-5 this season when they score at least 4 runs. — Ryan Lawrence (@ryanlawrence21) May 22, 2013 Meanwhile, that sound you hear is Cole Hamels gently sobbing, rocking back and forth in the fetal position over there in the corner… The Phillies have scored six runs tonight, which are as many runs as they have scored in Cole Hamels’ last four starts combined. — Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) May 22, 2013 Someone give him a cookie, please. Where It All Went Right When Howard smacked a bases loaded double to right field, scoring two huge runs and giving the Phillies a 4-1 lead. Howard proved to a weary Phillies nation that yes, baseball players are allowed to get extra-base hits with runners in scoring position. It actually ADDS WAR points. Good note. Hero Howard, who returned to the lineup after