Philadelphia Phillies

Kyle Kendrick was due for lackluster outing, and that’s just what he had today. (Photo: AP) On April 15, Bronson Arroyo dominated the Phillies for eight innings in Cincinnati, allowing just two runs and five hits in a deflating 4-2 defeat. Today’s ballgame felt eerily similar to the one that took place at Great American Ballpark last month, only this time the Reds more than doubled their output, while the Phillies didn’t bother scoring any runs–though they did equal their five hits–in an 10-0 defeat. The damp weather was a perfect accompaniment to the sleepy feeling this game had, a long and painful loss. The game got away from the Phils quickly. The Reds went up early, and the bats never had an answer for Arroyo. It was the perfect formula for a dull drubbing, the Reds asserting their will over an overmatched Phillies team. KENDRICK’S STREAK COMES TO AN END Kyle Kendrick hadn’t allowed more than two runs in any start since he allowed five to the Royals in his 2013 debut. That streak swiftly came to an end today when he served up a second inning meatball to Ryan Hanigan, who sent it into the seats in left to give the Reds a 3-0 lead. The homer looked to be a portentous sign of how things would go for Kendrick today. He would calm down, though. And while Kendrick didn’t pitch a great game–the Reds hit a lot of balls hard off him–he did manage to limit the runs after Hanigan’s long ball. In fact, I’d even argue that the fourth run Kendrick allowed was more on bad managing than Kendrick himself. It looked like he’d be lifted for a pinch hitter after five when he had over 90 pitches, but Charlie Manuel inexplicably let him hit with a runner on first and two outs in the fifth. Kendrick struck out to end the inning, and went on to allow another run in the sixth. There was absolutely no reason to let Kendrick pitch in that spot and it cost the Phils a run–not that it would matter in the end. Kendrick’s final line looked like this: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. It was no doubt a battle for KK, as he failed to record a single 1-2-3 inning. A definite throwaway game. BLAME STALE OFFENSE ON THE RAIN… …or bad at-bats and a complete lack of power. Whichever you decide is the culprit (it’s the latter), one thing is for sure: This Phillies offense has not been getting the job done, and it’s become quite a nuisance. So far this season, the Phils have been shutout a whopping six times–as many as they had all of last season. That’s simply not acceptable, especially because in three of those shutouts, the other team scored four runs or less. Arroyo is the latest pitcher to find success later in his career by becoming a softballer, and it’s a technique the Phils really struggle with. For the second time this season, he dominated them deep into the game, unleashing a plethora of curveballs and sliders to keep the fastball-inclined Phillies off balance. It wasn’t as though Arroyo was unhittable– he threw strikes, but the Phils just couldn’t square any balls up. The hardest hit ball of the day came from Domonic Brown–who went 2-for-4, making him the only Phillie with multiple hits–on a double down the right field line. Brown was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. That was about as exciting as it got for the offense. The Phillies one through five hitters went a cool 3-for-15 with two singles and a double. That statistic pretty much speaks for itself. BULLPEN LETS REDS PILE ON A combination of B.J. Rosenberg, Phillippe Aumont and Chad Durbin would be the bullpen goats on this day, combining to allow six runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, respectively. The extra runs were painful to watch, the bullpen clearly not capable of consistently getting outs. Today’s loss was a complete team effort, every facet pitching in to ensure a negative outcome. UP NEXT - The

Obviously, Reading isn’t much of a team to watch right now with the obvious exception of number one prospect Jesse Biddle. On the other hand, Clearwater is a very exciting team to watch right now, with a bunch of talented youngsters. While it’s only May, you have to that somebody will get a call-up to Reading from Clearwater sooner or later. I’m not sure who, but I have a few possibilities in mind. Pitching Perci Garner- Garner has had an unexpectedly great season so far. As of now, he’s 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA. Not bad. But there has been one big problem- his control. So far through 47.2 innings pitched, he’s given away 20 free passes. Thankfully, he’s been able to limit the damage by keeping the ball in the park, only giving up 2 homers. While Garner has pitched well, the Phillies should wait a bit to see if they can sort his control problems out. Gabriel Arias- another pitcher who has been pretty dominant so far. 5-1 with a sparkling 1.69 ERA, Arias started off the season as a reliever, but he’s recently started starting for Clearwater. All of his numbers look good right now- WHIP (1.125) HR/9 (.4) BB/9 (2.5) K/9 (7.0). Case in point- if Arias keeps pitching like he has been, a June/July call-up would definitely seem likely. Hitters Maikel Franco- it’s hard not to be impressed with Franco. This year, he’s overcome his usual early-season slump, notching 8 homers (25 XBH) and 32 RBI. Furthermore, Franco is hitting .291/.341/.557. All the numbers are impressive, but the Phillies should take their time with Franco- let me remind you that he’s still only 20. Kelly Dugan- Dugan was injured to start the season, but now that he’s playing again, he’s tearing the cover off of the baseball. In 79 PA, he’s hitting .307/.359/.500 with 3 homers and 12 RBI. However, if you look at his stats more closely, you’ll find some uglier ones. As of now, he has 3 walks compared to 20 strikeouts. To say the least, that’s not too good of a ratio.  Dugan has missed a lot of time with injuries, so he’ll need to accelerate his way through the system faster than Franco will have to. But I’d keep Dugan in Clearwater only if tomake sure this isn’t a hot streak, as this is his first year in A+ ball. Cameron Perkins- In a team full of hot hitters, Perkins may be the hottest of them all. The 6’5″ 195 pound outfielder has been on fire, hitting .361/.383/.561. While his lack of walks (5) has been discouraging, he’s partially made up for it with his lack of strikeouts (19). For safe measure, he’s added on 3 HR and 3 SB.  Like many others on this team, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a mid-summer call-up. Aaron Altherr- another 6’5″ outfielder, Altherr has been ripping as of late. Altherr is hitting .333/.393/.566 with 4 homers, 8 stolen bases, and 25 RBI. A toolsy outfielder, this seems to be the year that Altherr is pulling everything together.  It’s unlikely that Altherr is called up this summer as the Phillies organization will want to make sure this isn’t a case of somebody catching lightning in a bottle. For the most part, it seems as if the prevalent theme with these guys is that a mid-summer call-up is most likely, unless injuries force the organization’s hand.

What was most confusing about Charlie Manuel’s post game press conference last night was the chuckles. May 17, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard (6) celebrates scoring beating the tag of Cincinnati Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan (29) during the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Reds 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports He smiled, he answered questions, he read the lineup; probably mispronounced a word or two.  But when he chuckled, he seemed to indicate the idea that preceded his actions was laughable; impossible; ridiculous. Let’s back up for a moment.  The Phillies lost their lead last evening when Antonio Bastardo entered the game.  Not literally when he entered – that would be insane.  But about 60 seconds after he entered the game and threw his second pitch, Joey Votto quite easily took him deep. This put the Phillies in a 3-3 stalemate, and required them to **gasp** score more runs to win the game.  How would they do this?  Was a miraculous comeback victory in the works? Sort of! It was through a Michael Young walk, a Ryan Howard swinging bunt, a Delmon Young HBP, a Domonic Brown reached-on-error, and a blown call at the plate by the umpire that the Phillies quite involuntarily took a two run lead and wound up winning the game. So let’s zero in on what Charlie was talking about – Howard’s bunt.  For years and year, we’ve asked: What if Howard responded to the shift by bunting away from it? “Just once,” even people smarter than me have wondered out loud.  ”I’d like to see him try it.” He never did.  And I’m sure it was never considered.  After all, he’s a power hitter. Lord knows he can’t do anything but hit for power up there.  Or, you know.  Strike out humiliatingly. May 12, 2013; Phoenix AZ, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel (41) inside the dugout prior to the game against Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports Last night, we saw what happened.  The bunt even caught Howard off guard.  But he reached, bum ACL and all.  He was aided by the infielder not successfully getting the ball out of his glove, but it was a success, and indicated at least a few times in the future, were he to try it again, he might get away with it.  Other teams must be so ingrained with him not even considering a bunt that they hesitate in shock. But Charlie nipped that in the bud last night, suggesting “That’s how you beat the shift.”  Then laughing and making sure everyone knew he was kidding. “Some people think you might be serious right now,” one reporter suggested. “Actually, if he’d get a bunch of hits, I would be serious,” Manuel replied, his finger twisting in his ear. “Yeah?” “No,” Charlie said with another laugh.  ”No.”

Cincinnati Reds (25-17) at Philadelphia Phillies (20-22) Bronson Arroyo (3-4, 3.76) vs. Kyle Kendrick (4-1, 2.47) TIME: 7:05, Citizens Bank Park TV: Fox Weather: 70, cloudy Media: Twitter and Facebook BIG Z UPDATE: Carlos Zambrano made his debut in extended Spring Training today, throwing two innings, allowing one hit and striking out five. A pretty good return to professional baseball for Big Z. With last night’s win, this series is already going better for the Phillies than the one they played last month, when the Reds swept them out of Cincinnati. It’s been a struggle to get back to.500 for the Phils, but with ace Kyle Kendrick on the mound, they could actually pull to within one game of that mark for the first time since April 15 when they were 6-7. Kendrick has pitched at least seven innings and allowed two runs or less in his last four starts, and five of his last six. In fact, since his rocky 2013 debut, he hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any start. Against the Reds, he has posted a career 4.19 ERA, but much of that came when he was a less seasoned pitcher. He hasn’t started against the Reds since July of 2010. He’ll have his work cut out for him against a Reds lineup that is third in the NL in runs scored. It’s the rock star, Bronson Arroyo, on the bump for Cincy. Hard to believe the 37-year old is still pitching the way he is, as he’s consistently given the Reds solid seasons over the course of his 30s. But even at 3.76, Arroyo has the highest ERA of any Reds starter. The Phils need to get to this guy. Over the course of his career, Arroyo’s had trouble when facing Philly, posting a 6.00 ERA. Surprisingly, much of that has been done is his home ballparks, as his ERA is a very respectable 3.33 when pitching at CBP. John Mayberry gets the start in center for the fourth consecutive game, while Erik Kratz gets a look behind the plate. Lineup: Rollins SS, Utley 2B, M. Young 3B, Howard 1B, D. Young RF, Brown LF, Mayberry CF, Kratz C, Kendrick P GAMEDAY BEER: Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre The box on this brew from Dogfish Head proclaims, “American beer of the year!” I’m too lazy to verify whether that’s actually true or not, but I can tell you the Raison D’Etre is one hell of a craft beer. It’s a mahogany ale, brewed with Belgian beer and green raisins. Like most Dogfish Head selections, it’s got a rich flavor and is quite heavy. At 8% alcohol by volume, it’s a great beer to get your night started. Enjoy! – RD

For those of you on the Darin Ruf bandwagon, it sounds like you’ll have to wait a while longer until he gets another chance in Philadelphia. And rightfully so. “I don't know where he is going to play, not right now,” GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “… we have to be fairly patient. Everybody wants to make moves today. We can still be somewhat patient.” Many people complain about Ryan Howard’s strikeouts. I get the frustration. He entered play on Saturday tied for the fifth-most strikeouts in the N.L. (46 in 147 at-bats). But Ruf’s really no better in that department. His 44 strikeouts (also in 147 at-bats) are tied for sixth-most in the International League. One of the biggest differences, stat-wise, is their on-base percentage. Howard’s sits at .283 (he’s walked only nine times). Ruf’s isn’t great, but it is a much more respectable .351 (he’s walked 17 times). Keep in mind: While Howard has had his struggles, he does have proven success in the big leagues. Ruf doesn’t. He has appeared in only 12 major league games. Plus, do you really think the team is ready to bench the 33-year-old Howard, who is in the middle of a five-year, $125 million contract? “He's getting a little bit better,” Amaro said of Ruf. “He's improving. He had a slow start and he got hot for a while. He's cooled off a little bit now. He's on the radar screen.” I agree that at some point he should be called up. But I’m actually with Amaro on this one. This isn’t the time for Ruf right now.

Don't look now, but it seems as if the Phillies are on a roll of sorts. Yeah, yeah, they are a flawed team with a pile of issues with the offense, middle relief, etc., etc. However, The Phillies have won four out of their last five games and six out of their last 10. Better yet, the Phillies are winning games against Arizona, San Francisco, Cleveland and Cincinnati. Those teams are in first or second place in its divisions. In...

Who/what is most to blame for Phillies slow start? Hitting Starting Pitching Bullpen Defense Charlie Manuel 5/18/13 - Phillies Individuals, Bullpen, Offense This post has been generated by Page2RSS

May 17, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Michael Young (10) celebrates scoring with catcher Carlos Ruiz (51) during the eighth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Reds 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports What are the main jobs of a leadoff hitter? A leadoff hitter is supposed to be someone who gets on base a high percentage of the time, has some speed so he can steal a bag or move into scoring positions on well-placed base hits or outs, and put themselves in scoring position so that the “run producers” behind them can drive them home. That is what a leadoff hitter is supposed to do. This year, the Phillies leadoff hitters have been failing at their jobs. Miserably. Through 42 games, the Phillies lead-off hitters have a combined on-base percentage of .283. That’s 26th out of 30 MLB teams. Only the White Sox, Marlins, Mets and Twins have gotten less production from their leadoff hitters. Ben Revere, who opened this season at the top of the lineup, has had a horrific season at the plate, hitting .237/.286/.263 for an OPS of .548. He has scored just 13 runs in 36 games, with 7 steals in 10 attempts. He has since been dropped down to 8th in the lineup, and is losing playing time to John Mayberry in center. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports Jimmy Rollins, the Phils’ long-time leadoff hitter, has fared only marginally better, hitting .256/.305/.400 for an OPS of .705. He has scored 18 runs in 42 games, with just 4 steals in 6 attempts. Clearly, the Phillies are not getting enough production out of the top of the lineup. And while it has been assumed that Revere or Rollins were the only viable options in the leadoff spot, perhaps there is one other person who could do the job. Michael Young has done the best job at consistently getting on base on the Phillies this year. After drawing three more walks in Friday night’s 5-3 win over the Reds, Young now has walked 22 times in 41 games. Last year, he drew only 33 free passes in 156 games. His walk rate this year has skyrocketed to 13.9%, up from last year’s 5.1%. His career high walk rate is 7.9%, last done in 2009. Young has never come anywhere close to being the kind of disciplined hitter he has been so far this year. As a result, Young’s on-base percentage is .399, aided by a .301 batting average and a .360 BABIP. Still, Young has been getting on base far greater than any other member of the lineup. That, of course, would be an extremely valuable tool to have batting first right now. But what about his lack of speed, you may ask? Certainly Young cannot be expected to steal bases and create havoc with his legs. Well, Rollins has only stolen four bags and made just six attempts so far this year. Revere is just 7 for 10. Neither speedster has utilized their speed all that much, mainly because they haven’t been getting on base enough to do it. So would the Phils really be losing anything by putting Young’s legs at the top of the order? Or, to say it in a better way, doesn’t Young’s suddenly outstanding on-base skills trump the superior speed of people who don’t even get on base? There’s also the matter of Young’s propensity to hit into double plays, already a league-leading 10 so far this year. But as a leadoff hitter, Young would have at least one guaranteed inning every day in which there would be no possibility of him creating two outs with one swing. And Young hasn’t been getting many extra base hits, either. He is slugging .397, while Rollins is actually slightly better with a .400 slugging percentage. Removing a light hitter our of an area in the lineup in which slugging is more highly valued, and replacing him with a player with more extra-base hit potential – like Rollins – would also seem to make sense. Don’t get me wrong, Young is not the ideal option for

Hey there kids, welcome to another edition of In Play, Butt(s)– wherein I copy/paste a fine game recap from Phillies.com (this one by that good-for-nothing lout Todd Zolecki) and replace the word “run” with “butt”. It’s pretty much one of my best ideas ever. PHILADELPHIA — Jimmy Rollins spoke openly and honestly Wednesday when he said the Phillies needed to play better baseball in the next couple months to prevent a fire sale in July. He said he believed they could. The Phillies beat the Reds on Friday at Citizens Bank Park, 5-3, bouncing back in the bottom of the eighth inning after blowing a one-butt lead in the top of the eighth. It was the type of game they lose early in the season, but lately this team has shown intermittent signs of life. It will now need to start winning consistently to turn Rollins’ hopes into reality. “We still have some adjustments we want to make,” third baseman Michael Young said. “I still think the good feeling for our team is our best baseball is still in front of us. At the same time, we want to make quick adjustments. Good teams don’t wait forever. We recognize the things we want to work on, but we want to do it quickly.” Everybody in the ballpark recognized Joey Votto’s tying home butt against Antonio Bastardo in the eighth inning Friday. They also noticed what happened next. Young turned an impressive 10-pitch at-bat into a one-out walk against Reds left-hander Sean Marshall to get things started in the bottom of the eighth. Ryan Howard then reached on an improbable check-swing single to the left of the mound, catching nearly everybody in the ballpark by surprise. Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips covered his face with his glove as he met Howard at first base. He could not believe what had just happened. Howard could not believe it either, but he would take it. “Speed kills,” he said. “It’s like a meteor coming through.” “That’s how you beat the shift,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel joked. Reds right-hander Jonathan Broxton replaced Marshall. Broxton has had bad times against the Phillies, sustaining big losses with the Dodgers in the 2008 and 2009 National League Championship Series. His nightmares continued Friday when he promptly drilled Delmon Young with his first pitch to load the bases. Domonic Brown’s groundball up the middle allowed Michael Young to score, giving the Phillies a one-butt lead. Carlos Ruiz’s sacrifice fly to center scored Howard — television replays indicated Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan might have blocked the plate — to extend the Phillies’ lead. It righted the Phillies’ universe for one night. “I thought it was going to be a good race,” Manuel said of the play at the plate. “He beat it. He made it. He was safe. Oh yeah, he got in there.” The Phillies had taken a 2-0 lead in the third inning, when Rollins smacked a 3-1 fastball by Tony Cingrani over the left-field fence for a two-butt home butt. A couple of things about that homer: It was Rollins’ first against a left-handed pitcher since June 24, 2012. It was the Phillies’ first with a butter on base since April 27. The Phillies had hit 16 consecutive solo home butts since Brown hit a three-butt homer in the fifth inning against the Mets at Citi Field, making it the organization’s longest solo streak since 1961. The Reds hit 16 consecutive solo homers earlier this season (April 20 to May 11), but no team had gone longer without a multi-butt homer since the Giants hit 21 consecutive solo shots in 2011. Indeed, things appeared to be lining up nicely for the Phillies. Rollins hit the rare homer against a lefty, Young picked up the rare RBI (just his 10th of the season) with a two-out triple to extend the lead to 3-0 in the fifth and Lee settled nicely after facing 11 batters and throwing 47 pitches in the first