Tagged: Dodgers
Chase Utley is Still the Man
There is no denying it; Philadelphia still loves Chase Utley, despite the blue uniform. I heard on the news this morning that someone said Utley could “punch my mom in the face” and they would still root for him. After what I witnessed last night, that sounds about right.
The ovation as he stepped to the plate was ridiculously long, as I expected. Utley tipped his capped to everyone in the ballpark, including his old teammates.
Cameron Rupp understandably took the time to anoint his hand with the special blessings of the Utley rump:
Grown men fought back tears (seriously, I saw this) and women tried to snap photos with trembling hands (ok, that was me). Between that and the dreaded netting behind home plate, some shots are a tad blurry, but I got what I came for; lots and lots of Mr. Utley.
Watching Utley on the bases interact with his former teammates warmed the heart. But I have say, after the home run he hit in the 5th inning, I did not see the curtain call coming. I have never seen that in an opposing team’s ballpark. It was magical.
Then another curtain call came after the Grand Slam he hit in the 7th inning! Despite watching their home team get trampled, Phillies fans cheered him on anyway. Their love for Chase simply knows no bounds; I can personally attest to that.
Of course, the game would have been much improved if, for example, Elvis Araujo did not walk in 3 runs (1 hit batter) in the 7th inning. And it would have been nice if the Phillies offense did better than 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position. And maybe the entire bullpen could, just thinking out loud here, not suck.
But since none of those wishes came true, we all settled for the Utley euphoria. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Here is the full, Utley-tastic Photo Album from the game.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri
Phillies Sweep the Rockies
The Phillies swept the Rockies yesterday, collecting their 4th straight win and prompting “Wild Card” talk around town (Don’t hold your breath though…the Dodgers are up next). The day started out on a positive note. Placido Polanco signed with the team for the day so he could retire and then threw out the game’s first pitch. Later, fellow alumni Randy Wolf helped the Phanatic shoot hot dogs at the fans.
Once the game began, the intense heat appeared to be baking player brains. It was a sloppy affair, for sure. Odubel Hererra gave a clinic on how not to catch a baseball:
Cesar Hernandez missed an easy tag in the 3rd, which led to a run for the Rockies. And Adam Morgan, recently called back up due to an injury to Zac Eflin, was not terribly sharp. He racked up a high pitch count early and then managed to get whacked in the arm with a line drive. Morgan exited after only 3 innings and then Severino Gonzalez took over. Gonzalez immediately balked runners into scoring position (*sigh*).
But the Rockies had their share of heat-induced blunders as well, which the Phillies took advantage of. And Hererra made up for his earlier gaff with a home run saving catch later in the game.
The offense scored in every inning from the 2nd to the 6th, which was nice to see. Also very nice to see was some Ryan Howard hustle around the bases. He seems to have new life suddenly.
Buy the big bangs of the day came from an unexpected source, Jimmy Paredes. He went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI and raised his average from below .200 to .226 in one game.
The 9th inning, however, was quite an adventure. Jeanmar Gomez gave up 2 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs making it a very close game at 7-6. Luckily, he got out alive and the Phillies held on for the win. We will chalk that up to the heat as well.
Here is the full Photo Album from the game.
By the way, CHASE UTLEY returns to Philly on Tuesday night!! And I will be there, right behind home plate, cheering him on (sort of…lol). I shall return with photos
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Photos by Jenn Zambri
Phillies Choose Their 2016 Manager
Today the Phillies chose their 53rd manager by promoting Pete Mackanin from Interim Manager to the permanent role…at least for the next year. Pete played for the Phillies in the late 1970’s and is now the 8th person to have managed, coached and played for the team. Larry Bowa, who is the current bench coach, is also a member of that club.
This move is not a surprise. The team really began to come to life after Mackanin took over when Ryne Sandberg ran off. While youth, trades and injuries have made it impossible for them to win much, the Phillies have at least looked like a team that is trying since Mackanin was put in charge. He has also kept the youngsters in line, like when he benched Odubel Herrera this past Sunday for throwing a tantrum after an at-bat. Herrera seems to have taken the lesson to heart and apologized to Mackanin earlier today. This is a good sign that Mackanin can bridge the gap with this team from awful to, hopefully, competing again in a few years.
So, totally off topic, I recently went to Los Angeles to a Dodgers game to see Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins play in blue uniforms. I took a tour of the stadium before hand, which was very interesting. The stadium itself is huge and not easy to find your way around, but Emma from Dodger Blue World was nice enough to give me a quick tour of the upper deck, which was very cool. The view from above is amazing! Thank you, Emma!
The game itself was a very strange one. The guy sitting next to me said he had been going to Dodgers games for 30 years and that day was the first time it had rained while he was there. Yes, I went all the way to L.A. to get rained on. So by the 4th inning, the camera was put away for good as I did not bring my usual Philly rain gear. But I did manage to get some pictures before the 16 INNING ordeal ended. Yes, 16 innings….and the Dodgers lost. But I had photos to Chase and J-Roll to cheer me up! I also saw Davy Lopes and….believe it or not…GREG DOBBS! I have no idea why he was there watching the game, but I got a shot of him too. It was an ex-Phillies reunion. 
If anyone is interested, here is the full Photo Album from the pre-game tour and the start of the game. I also visited Petco Park in San Diego, but am still working on those photos; I will post those in the next week or so. In the meantime, it looks like the Phillies might actually win a game tonight….shhhh! I should not say that too loudly. Cross your fingers that the Marlins stay quiet.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri
Utley to Dodgers – Noooooooo!
Ok, so I knew it was going to happen, but that does not make it suck any less. My favorite player of all time, Chase Utley, is now a Los Angeles Dodger. That is painful to write. On the plus side, he is now reunited with double-play partner, Jimmy Rollins. I guess this means I now have to cheer for the Dodgers, unless of course, they are playing the Phillies.
I purposely went to bed right after the Blue Jays game last night so I did not have to hear the “official” word on the trade before attempting to sleep. But when I saw Utley tip his cap to the fans right after the game ended, my heart sank. He knew he was leaving. Of course, I am happy he will get to play for a contender and be close to home, so that is the bright spot.
I am not sure I am able to sum up what Chase Utley has meant to me and this team for the last 13 years. I remember the first time I saw him play back in 2003, I said to a friend, that guy is going to be a star. An argument then ensued. He, of course, thought I was biased by Utley’s good looks. And he thought Utley would not amount to anything as his defense was weak. But my retort was, “Look at his eyes when he plays. This guy has a passion for the game I have not seen in a long time.” That fire is what I believed would propel Utley to greatness, and I was not wrong. This guy was all about playing hard and I knew, with that kind of work ethic, he would get better. A lot better…
And that is what I love about Chase Utley. Sure, the looks don’t hurt. But as a person who loves baseball, that same passion is what I look for in players. I want to watch guys who give it everything they have and make no excuses. This is the same reason I never really loved Cole Hamels (sorry folks); sure, I liked him as a pitcher. Who wouldn’t? But early in his career, he was Mr. Excuses…a prima donna. He was sometimes very rude to fans, myself included. And I will stress “sometimes,” because I know a lot of you had good experiences with him. Overall, his attitude got better in time. But I had a hard time getting past that behavior.
My point is that Utley is the example that all other players should follow. Losing a guy like that is going to be very hard on this team; but luckily, some of his awesomeness should have rubbed off on the younger guys by now.
So next month, I will actually be in Southern California for a bit. Looks like I am now going to have go to a Dodgers game to see my two guys, Utley and Rollins, together again. Anyone been to that stadium and have any advice? Please leave me some comments below. I will leave you with a few final images, including my absolute favorite from the 2008 All-Star Home Run Derby; it is Dan Uggla grabbing himself some Utley…ah, memories! MISS YOU ALREADY, CHASE!!! 
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Photos by Jenn Zambri
Jimmy Rollins Goes West
It took the departure of Jimmy Rollins to wake me from my offseason slumber. And it was indeed a rude awakening. The trade of Rollins to the Dodgers signals the end of a Phillies era, which is sad. It also seems that more big changes are on the way.
I do think the trade was the right move, but that does not make it any less depressing. During his 15 years with the team, Rollins provided fans with exciting moments, frustrating moments and everything in between. He became the team’s all-time hits leader, won an MVP and helped bring Philadelphia a World Series. If you follow this team closely as I have done over the years, watching J-Roll head to the west coast is akin to a family member moving away. Love him or hate him, life will never be the same without Rollins.
The Phillies Phollowers official mascot, J-Roll Smurf, was hit the hardest. He immediately took to the phone to call his agent and make sure he was not also being shipped out. A blue uniform would totally clash with his blue skin. It is not a good look. J-Roll Smurf then drown his sorrows in sugar by raiding the cookie jar. I have assured him he will always have a home here, as will the real Rollins.
It has not yet been announced what the Phillies will get in return for J-Roll, but it is assumed to be two minor league pitchers. The Phillies acquired another new pitcher yesterday when they traded Antonio Bastardo to the Pirates for another lefty, Joely Rodriguez. Rodriguez went 6-11 with a 4.84 ERA in 30 games this past year with Double-A Altoona and is considered to be one of their top prospects.
The question now is who will the ax fall on next? Many hope it will be Ryan Howard, but who wants him, really? His contract is too large and his production too little. Cole Hamels may be next, but the Phillies have to hit a grand slam with that trade if it happens or risk losing the fan base. And I do not even want to mention Chase Utley…I cannot imagine a Phillies team without him.
We now wait and see what will happen next. In the meantime, I wish Jimmy the best and hope the move works out for him.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri
Beckett No-Hits the Phillies
Phillies pitcher A.J. Burnett had a bad day against the LA Dodgers on Sunday. Yet, it really didn’t matter. Because the Phillies offense could not hit the broad side of a barn. And Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett took full advantage in the no-hitter and the Phils’ 7th shut-out loss this year.
Not to take anything away from Beckett, but the Phillies just plain sucked. Even when Beckett was having issues throwing strikes and the Phillies collected 3 walks, they still could not make anything happen. After one of the walks, Domonic Brown stepped to the plate and swung at the first pitch he saw, flying out to center.
When that stupidity was not happening, the Phillies were just swinging and missing.
By the 5th inning, I was nearly in a coma due to extreme boredom. The only thing keeping me awake was an annoying 6 year boy next to me who kept kicking me in the leg. And he was a Dodgers fan…thanks, kid. Thanks to your ignorant parents as well.
So while the Phils got beaten on the field and I got beaten by a small child, the Dodgers just kept hitting. At least the Phillies defense was kept busy, I guess. Bright side? ….Nah.
The sky may actually be falling. Cliff Lee is on the DL and today, Cody Asche joined him with a hamstring injury. It also looks like Burnett may be having more issues with that hernia, judging from his last two outings. With a 21-26 record, things are not going well for the Phillies. Understatement? Yup, probably.
Care to relive today’s no-hit massacre? Check out the full Photo Album. At least I got some pre-game shots of new rookie pitcher David Buchanan, so it was not a total loss.
The Rockies are in town tomorrow. Game time is 5:05pm.
Happy Memorial Day everyone!
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Win Series Amidst More Home Plate Rules Controversy
The Phillies took 3 of 4 games from the Dodgers this week, ending with last night’s 7-3 win. The only game they lost was in Cole Hamels’ return from the DL. Hamels pitched well, but once again, the bullpen blew the lead. Ugh.
Yesterday’s win was much more pleasant, although nerve-wracking at times. Kyle Kendrick pitched pretty well considering he allowed 10 hits and a walk and only 2 runs scored. He would have gotten the win, except Mike Adams immediately gave up the lead in the 7th with a home run ball to Adrian Gonzalez. Adams pitched 2 innings for which he earned BOTH a blown save AND the win. Go figure. This is a perfect example of why I hate the win/loss rules for pitchers.
Speaking of rules I hate, let’s talk about home plate. This no blocking the plate, anti-collision thing is officially on my last nerve. Tony LaRussa, the former manager who fought for this rule, can take his big ideas and stick ‘em where the sun don’t shine.
Yet another play at the plate was challenged last night when the Dodgers purported that Carlos Ruiz did not give Hanley Ramirez a lane to the plate. I guess they thought the edge of the nail of his little pinky toe was touching the imaginary parallel line from his foot to where the plate meets the dirt? I am exaggerating, but how utterly ridiculous is all of this?
Ramirez was still called out after review, but this brings up a bigger issue. Why would anyone NOT challenge an out call at home plate with this rule in place? Seriously. There is a very high probability, as we have seen in previous Phillies games, that they runner will called safe. Because it seems that if even a small part of the catcher is in front of the plate before the ball arrives, he has been a bad boy and thus unworthy of an out call. This means EVERY out call should be challenged.
Complicating matters, no one is exactly sure what the rule really is. On April 13th, the Phillies lost a run due to a replay review at home and Tony Gwynn Jr. was called out. The next day, MLB called to apologize for getting the call wrong. If the people in charge do not even know the rule, how is anyone else supposed to?
Besides that, the rule is insane to begin with. I understand they want to limit injuries and all that, but it seems to me this is likely to create MORE injuries. If the catcher cannot be in front of the plate until he gets the ball, this forces the catcher to move very quickly and awkwardly from the point where he catches the ball (away from the plate) to the point he makes the tag (in front of the plate usually).
This “sweep” tag is fine when the catcher is not overly concerned with where the end of his foot might be. But this rule will force guys to be even further away from the plate to make sure that little toe is not considered an obstruction, turning a “sweep” into an outright dive to make the tag. Not allowing the catcher to properly set himself means any type of collision will be made worse as he won’t be braced for it.
The runner is not allowed to charge or go out of the way to hit the catcher, but in making a tag, avoiding a collision of some kind is nearly impossible. So please, please just go back to the old rules and add a clause that runners cannot charge or take cheap shots. Or here’s an idea…forget the tag altogether. The runner and catcher can just meet at home plate and thumb wrestle to determine the winner. Much safer. Or rock, paper, scissors anyone? Food for thought.
It has already been reported that MLB is going to make “adjustments” to the rule, but no word yet on specifics. I will assume thumb wrestling is probably not an option. They are no fun. But let us hope they do not screw this up further.
The Phillies begin a series tonight in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. Game time is 9:40pm.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Lee & Burnett Leading the Way
The Phillies have taken the first 2 games in their series against the Dodgers in large part due to great starting pitching. Both Cliff Lee and A.J. Burnett have set an example for all Phillies pitchers and given them something to aspire to. It has been a real treat to watch.
On Monday night, Lee went 8 innings, allowing no runs, 4 hits and striking out 10 baffled Dodgers batters. Since his awful Opening Day start, Lee has been nearly unhittable. And the intangibles he brings to the team are priceless.
This is a guy who never gets rattled. His drama-free attitude and generosity towards fans has endeared him to all who observe how he goes about his business. If you do not love Cliff Lee, go to the doctor and make sure your heart is still beating.
And then there is one of the newest Phillies, A. J. Burnett. Tuesday night he pitched 6 2/3 innings allowing only 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk. He also had 3 hits in the game! The week before that, he pitched 7 scoreless inning against the Braves. And he did all of this while nursing a painful inguinal hernia.
The fact that Burnett is willing to play through the pain is admirable. And as long as he keeps pitching well, I have no problem with this. But he is not just tough, he is also quite the jokester, as witnessed after his first hit last night. After Yasiel Puig attempted to throw him out at first all the way from right field, Burnett turned and motioned with his hands to Puig to settle down. There is a great GIF of this on Philly.com. You gotta love a man with a sense of humor.
The Phillies other ace pitcher, Cole Hamels, is set to come off the DL and pitch tonight. Could the Phillies actually have 3 studs in a row once again? And, although I hate to say this too loudly, this team appears to be mostly healthy…gasp! Shhhhh! Don’t tell the universe…too dangerous.
Have you also noticed the improvement on offense? The big 3 there, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, are all hitting well. And Ben Revere is heating up again, like he did last year before getting hurt. The one thorn left in the Phillies side is the bullpen, which did actually hold up the last few games. Keep your fingers crossed for that trend to continue.
If Lee, Burnett and Hamels can pitch like they are capable of, the bullpen will certainly benefit. It starts with the starters. Hamels gets his first shot in 2014 tonight at 10:10pm.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Rocky Mountain High and a Bunch of Lows
The Phillies just barely escaped Colorado last night with a win to avoid the 3-game sweep against the Rockies. The first two games of the series were utterly pathetic as the Phils went down by scores of 1-2 and 1-3, respectively. The Sunday night 10-9 win was a welcome sigh of relief.
The Phillies offense had been so bad going into this game, they officially recorded 131 at-bats in a row without an extra-base hit. In baseball terms, that is an eternity. And it was the worst mark for the franchise since 1968.
Not quite as awful as that, but still very bad, the Phils pitchers blew the lead in last night’s game 3 times. And Roberto Hernandez still has yet to pitch a full 6 innings. He was pulled from the game after only 75 pitches. This is not promising.
But the better news is that Ryan Howard may have found his pre-ankle injury swing again. He sort of, but not officially, hit for the cycle. The last hit was not scored a double as many contend it should have been; it was marked as a single with a 1-base error. The Phillies will appeal the call to MLB to see if they can get that double for Howard. Honestly, I’d have loved it to be a cycle. But I do not see MLB overturning the call…the outfielder should have gotten that ball.
Everyone else hit as well. Jimmy Rollins had 3 hits and both Ben Revere and Marlon Byrd had 2 hits each. Even more amazing, no one committed an error in the field. Yippie!
Speaking of offense, remember way back on Opening Day when Cody Asche had 3 hits? And the next day manager Ryne Sandberg sat him? And then remember when I said what a bad idea that was, sending Asche the wrong message, killing his momentum, etc…? Yeah well, guess who has had only 6 hits in his last 42 at-bats (the entire month of April)? Yup, Cody Asche. And he’s had only 2 hits in the very last 23 at-bats. That is a .087 batting average. Yikes.
Asche has been losing playing time as a result. Obviously, that Game 2 benching may or may be contributing to the massive slump, but it is still an interesting observation. The question now is, can he bounce back? I have not yet heard if he will be in the line-up tonight against the Dodgers, but this is one story line you may want to keep an eye on.
Game time is 10:10pm EST. Yuck…West Coast swings make me sleepy. Hopefully, the Phillies offense will keep me awake!
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Howard Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Sandberg Gets First Managerial Win
Well, it took a few days, but the Phillies finally squeaked out a win for interim manager Ryne Sandberg. The 3-5 win over the Dodgers ended yet another long losing streak for the Phils who are now solidly in 4th place in the NL East, 2.5 games behind the Mets for 3rd place.
Getting this win against the hottest team in baseball was going to require a combination of things to occur. Pitcher Cole Hamels had to be good, which he was. Hamels went 7 innings, allowing just 2 runs.
The Phillies offense had to produce. And although it was not at all pretty at times, 7 hits and 3 RBI did the trick. Carlos Ruiz, who has struggled lately, went 4 for 4 and Darin Ruf smashed a solo homer in the game.
Defensively, the Phillies were coming off a game in which they committed 3 errors. On Sunday, they managed to cut that down to 1 error. Ah, progress!
And for once, the bullpen did not implode in late innings. Both B.J. Rosenberg and Jonathan Papelbon pitched scoreless innings to maintain what was at that point a 2-2 tie game.
And in the bottom of the 9th, a little bit of luck was in order to seal the Phillies win. Two errors by Dodgers shortstop, Hanley Ramirez, allowed the Phillies to walk off with the victory. Michael Young got the game-winning RBI as Ramirez fumbled his grounder with the bases loaded. Casper Wells scored on the error and Ryne Sandberg finally got a win!
Here is the full Photo Album from the game, which includes some fun shots of the Dodgers as well. Fun stuff like this right here:
Is he pitching or trying some new form of karate? I cannot decide.
The Rockies come to town for a 4-game series tonight. Game time is 7:05pm.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
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