Tagged: Jayson Werth
Back to Reality as Nats Pound the Phillies
Did you get your hopes up after that 5-game winning streak? And the 5-game winning streak last month? Well, today was a statement game for the Phillies in their last outing before the All-Star break. And the statement, summed up in the nice photo to the right of Marlon Byrd getting hit by a pitch with nothing to show for it, was this: “We suck; let the trading begin.”
So just how bad was today’s game? Let us count the ways…for starters, Kyle Kendrick apparently cannot get out of any 1st inning without allowing at least 3 runs. And today he did that against the Nationals without recording a single out. So we were treated to this lovely home run and tongue lashing by our old pal, Jayson Werth.
Later in the game, Kendrick was pulled after 88 pitches which, even though I have obvious reservations about KK, I felt was a big mistake in that spot. Kendrick had already struck out Bryce Harper twice in the game. So why when Harper came up again was Kendrick pulled in favor of Mario Hollands? Hollands proceeded to give up a single to him. Harper scored later that inning and we got yet another Nationals treat, Harper’s hair rounding the bases. Thanks, Mario!
And then there was the Phillies offense, or lack thereof. Most of the offense consisted of players looking straight up into the air to admire their pop-ups or looking down at foul balls. It was not pretty. In the end, they squeezed out 3 runs, but it was far too little, too late as the Nats scored 10 runs.
Pretty much the only entertainment in this game was watching Byrd chug some mystery red substance before the game (5-Hour Energy, perhaps? If so, it didn’t work well.) and watching Chase Utley dig dirt out of his cleats.
Here is the full Photo Album from Sunday’s game. The Phillies will return from the All-Star break on 7/18/14 with yet another likely depressing series against the Braves. Despite showing signs of life here and there, this team is going nowhere. Now we must all brace ourselves for big changes…they are coming soon.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
The Baseball Blues
Hey Phillies fans…anyone else out there suffering from a severe case of the baseball blues? It is hard not to be down in the dumps after watching this Phillies team continue to suck, game after game. Getting swept in a 3-game series by the Nationals this weekend had to be the pinnacle of shame and embarrassment in an already dreadful season.
Even dumping Delmon Young could not cheer me up. Young, who they never should have signed in the first place, was designated for assignment on Friday and replaced by White Sox reject, Casper Wells. Nothing on Wells’ stat sheet gives me any reason to hope either. This is the 5th team for Wells this year; that alone is telling.
Just three days earlier, the Phillies also nixed Laynce Nix. I guess his .180 batting average was just not getting it done (*note sarcasm here).
Know which other Phillies are also just not getting it done? You guessed right…ALL of them! So perhaps the entire team will soon be designated for assignment and subsequently be replaced by little league-trained robots. That would at least sell some tickets.
Oh, Jayson Werth, where have you gone? That’s right…to the Nationals, where with 7 hits, 4 RBI and a homer he nearly single-handedly beat the Phillies in all 3 games this weekend. He did look a lot better in red pinstripes….sigh.
The Phillies were outscored 23 to 7 runs this weekend and outhit 36 to 16. I could count the Phillies runs and hits on my fingers, but had to bust out the calculator to find the totals for the Nats. That alone was depressing.
So what reason do we all have to keep watching this season? Here are a few:
– It is like a train wreck; one cannot help but wonder what form this ongoing disaster will take next.
– With 45 games left, can the Phillies still prevent Charlie Manual from getting his 1,000th career as a manager? He has 999 right now and #1,000 is looking tenuous.
– Can a guy with a .151 batting average this year who is named after a ghost bring this team back from the dead? C’mon Casper, you’ve got to at least try!
– Will the Phillies single-handedly put Papa John’s pizza out of business with their “50% Off After Phillies Win and score 5 or more runs” deal?
– Every time the Phillies bullpen gives up a run, I get to drink another Mai Tai! (Insert your own drinking game here)
That’s all I’ve got. Oh, and the Braves are up next…what could be more fun than watching the division leader beat the Phillies to a pulp? Game time is 7:10pm. Whoo…hoo.
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Werth Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Sweep the Nationals!
It was apparent today that Cliff Lee was determined to win a game at home, something he has not done all year long. And for most of the 1st 5 innings, it was all Lee, all the time. He pitched, he hit and he played defense.
The first score of the game came off the bat of Lee who doubled in a run in the 5th inning. The rest of the team got on board fast, with a 2-run homer from Jimmy Rollins. Laynce Nix added a solo homer in the 6th and Lee held the Nats to 1 run in 7 innings for the 4-1 win and a 3-game sweep!
The day before, Roy Halladay continued his journey to being Roy Halladay once again. He went 7 innings allowing only 2 runs on 7 hits and a walk.
Halladay got our old buddy Jayson Werth to strike out twice and coaxed 2 grounds out from rookie star Bryce Harper. Both were all smiles before the game, but not after.
The big bopper of the night was John Mayberry Jr. who had two hits, including a line-drive homer to left, and picked up 3 RBI in the game. Chase Utley drove the other run in and Rollins set the table with 2 walks off another old Phillie, Gio Gonzalez. Kevin Fransden also had a hit and did a lot of cheering for his teammates.
Then in the 8th, the old Antonio Bastardo came back for a visit. Where has this guy been all year? He struck out the side, handing a fairly easy save to Jonathan Papelbon in the 9th.
Some other awesome sights at the ballpark on Saturday were creatures from the Philly Zoo and a grinning Domonic Brown, despite having a sore knee:
Despite the sweep, the Phillies are still 9.5 games back in the Wild Card race, so don’t get your hopes up too much. It is not impossible, however, they’d pretty much have to win every game from here to the end. But the news is good for next year as the bullpen is improving and starters are getting healthier.
And of course, they just swept the dreaded Nationals. I cannot think of a better reason to be happy right now. Here is the full Photo Album from Saturday’s game.
The Phillies have a day off on Monday and the Mets come to town on Tuesday. Game time is 7:05pm.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Hamels Hammers Nats
The Phillies were in serious need of a win last night after dropping the first two games of the series with the Nationals. And they had exactly the man on the mound who could get the job done.
Through eight innings, Cole Hamels allowed only one run on five hits. He also showed his team he wasn’t afraid to get his delicate hands dirty by drilling rookie Bryce Harper with a pitch in the 1st inning. After the game, Hamels told the media, “I was trying to hit him.” Hamels was not looking to injure, but the message was sent.
Of course, Harper sent a message of his own by stealing home that same inning, which was the only run the Nats would score. Then Hamels was hit with a pitch in his first at-bat in retaliation, which Hamels fully expected.
In addition to the hit by pitch, Hamels also earned a walk and a single in the game, doing damage at the plate as well as from the mound. He could be seen in the dugout between innings laughing and joking with teammates.
The lighter mood finally rubbed off on his teammates who scored 3 runs in the 4th and then exploded with 6 runs in the 9th. Placido Polanco lead the team with 3 hits and Hunter Pence collected 4 RBI on 2 home runs, finally showing some power.
The Nats “Take back the Park” campaign wound up being a big joke. Phillies fans still showed up in droves. At least in the final game, they were rewarded for their efforts.
Another downer for the Nats was watching ex-Phillie Jayson Werth go down with a broken wrist in last night’s game. It is the same wrist that Werth injured back in 2005 that almost ended his career. Werth will be out for at least 6 weeks and miss the May 21-23 rematch with the Phils.
The Mets are up next, starting tonight at 7:05pm in Philly. Welcome home, Phils!
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Nagging Nats Pound the Phillies
As if Friday night’s gut wrenching loss was not enough, the Phillies stunk up Nationals park again today. With only 5 hits in the game, the lone RBI came off a sac fly from Carlos Ruiz in the 4th inning. If you fell asleep after that, you missed nothing.
By the 5th inning, I found myself wishing I had taken a nap instead as pitcher Vance Worley had his first really bad outing of the year. The Nats pounded him for 5 runs on 11 hits and 2 walks over 6 innings. The worst damage was done by former Phillie Jayson Werth who touched Worley up for a 3-run homer. Werth sure did look a lot better in a Phillies uniform…
Joe Savery added 2 more runs in the 7th as the Nats kept on hitting. Gio Gonzalez pitched for the Nationals and went 7 innings allowing just the one run. Gonzalez is a former Phillies prospect that got traded away for Freddy Garcia before the 2007 season. We all know how that trade worked out…Garcia won a single game and sat out the rest of the year enjoying the $10 million the Phillies paid him.
As most of us suspected earlier this season, the Phillies are in real trouble here. Now 5.5 games behind the Nationals, if they fall too far behind, they may never recover. And the Nats show no signs of going away anytime soon.
Game 3 starts at 8:05pm Sunday night. Cole Hamels will pitch.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
More Off-Season Moves for the Phillies
Over the past several weeks, the Phillies have made a number of off-season moves. Some of them make sense, some of them make a bit less sense. The following is a breakdown of the various Phillies events, the reasoning behind it and my opinion as to the real reason for the move.
Event: The Phillies send Wilson Valdez to the Reds in exchange for a minor league pitcher.
Reason: One can only assume that the Phillies wanted to add pitching depth.
The Real Reason: Having a great back-up for Jimmy Rollins is unnecessary since J-Roll is superman and cannot possibly get injured again, right? Also, Ryan Madson needed the company of an old teammate for his transition to the Reds.
Event: Brad Lidge, left unsigned by the Phillies, goes to the Nationals on a one-year, $1 million deal.
Reason: Lidge was told he was not in the Phillies’ future plans and that was the extent of the explanation he received.
The Real Reason: Lidge has lost the speed on his fastball and is almost guaranteed to get hurt multiple times based on his past track record. Also, after the awful 2011 season Jayson Werth had with the Nationals, Lidge can now provide him with moral support. The Phillies like to take care of their former players ;o)
Event: Hunter Pence received a $10.4 million, one-year deal for 2012.
Reason: To avoid arbitration. Pence is the final arbitration-eligible player therefore, no hearings for the Phils this year.
The Real Reason: Had the Phillies allowed this to go to arbitration, they would have gotten spanked by Pence and probably would have been forced to pay him more. But the real reason for the contract is simple; a happy Pence means more “Let’s Go Eat!” T-Shirt money for the Phils.
Event: The Phillies have torn out the grass on the field and are putting down brand new sod.
Reason: The Winter Classic torn up the field pretty bad.
The Real Reason: While the stated reason is valid, there is another underlying reason as well. Having raised ticket prices yet again, the Phillies now have more money than God and they need to justify that by spending a boat load of cash. Last year it was a new Phantavision screen; this year is a new field. Maybe next year they can hire more employees so the concession lines will be less than an hour wait time? Nah…dream on people.
Event: The Phillies sign former Padre, Chad Qualls to a one-year, $1.15 million contract. Qualls is a 33-year old right-handed reliever who posted a 6-8 record with a 3.51 ERA in 2011.
Reason: Ruben Amaro Jr.’s favorite saying – Low-risk, high reward. In other words, if he sucks, they did not pay much for him.
The Real Reason: Because we really miss Chad Durbin and this was the best right-handed Chad they could find.
Event: Pat Burrell has decided to retire. Amaro is “considering” a 1-day contract so he can retire as a Phillie.
Reason: Burrell retired due to a nagging foot injury. Amaro is “considering” the 1-day contract because Burrell deserves a proper send-off.
The Real Reason: The foot injury may have played a role, but really, no one was going to sign Burrell. He has passed his expiration date. And the only reason Amaro hesitates to make a decision here is because he is afraid that Burrell’s dog Elvis will pee on his brand new field.
Philadelphia Phillies Fans 2012 New Year Resolutions
Having baseball withdrawal yet? Me too. But it is never too soon to begin thinking about the upcoming baseball season. Anytime a new season is on the horizon, the chance to start over and hopes of success in the coming year breed anticipation.
It is this time of year that Phillies fans should sit down and make a practical list of important New Year Resolutions. Here are a few to get you started:
1. Be thankful that you are not a Mets fan. If you run into one, give them a hug. They really need it.
2. When at a game, be mindful of your children. If I wanted slimy, saliva-tainted cotton candy goo in my hair, I would have put it there myself.
3. Please refrain from cussing out loud at the game. There are children all around with sensitive ears. However, if their nasty, cotton-candy goo-infested hands land on you, this rule no longer applies.
4. We can all stop booing Jayson Werth now for moving to D.C.. His .232 batting average last season is punishment enough.
5. Start a petition to award Roy Halladay with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his bravery in saving a man in the Amazon after an anaconda attack. Could this guy be any more awesome? I think not. I have been up close and personal with such large snakes and can tell you, for Halladay to put himself in danger to save this guy was no small feat. And yes, that is really me in the photo.
6. On Dollar Dog Night, limit yourself to a five dog maximum. Take the other $15 dollars you saved and donate it to Phillies Charities. Your stomach will thank you.
7. I pledge to spend more of my offseason time supporting the Philadelphia Flyers and the 76ers. They have young, exciting teams and also deserve our support. (Do not talk to me about the Eagles though…ugh).
8. Do not yell at the umpires for being blind. The Americans With Disabilities Act says that blindness is a handicap and therefore, it is politically incorrect to poke fun at blind people.
9. For God’s sake, stop spilling your beer at games! The puddles created from the morons behind you flow downward and under your seat, soaking whatever bags you laid there. If you cannot avoid spilling your drinks, please go back to Kindergarten and relearn this skill.
10. Be kind to people, even if they suck or are cheering for an opposing team. You will eventually get back what you give.
I wish you all a safe and happy New Year!
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies 42 Games Over .500 Makes History
With a 5-3 win over the Marlins tonight, the Phillies added another record to the franchise books. And here is how it transpired:
Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt made the start tonight. Since coming off the DL, he has produced one really good start, a couple of okay starts and one bad start. The bad start was against the Marlins last week. This week, facing the same team, he had another sort of up and down day.
While the results were not awful, Oswalt just did not look solid out there. He gave up three runs in 6.1 innings, so it could have been worse. But the Marlins hitters helped a lot by getting themselves out. Oswalt’s control was not great and his pitches were all over the place. Oddly enough, against this Marlins team, it seemed to work.
Oswalt’s inconsistent play is starting to raise some questions about whether or not he should pitch in the post-season. With experience and a solid history on his side, the Phillies won’t yet count him out. Hopefully, his next few starts will really show what he has left in the tank.
In the meantime, the Phillies offense helped Oswalt out with some runs in this game. Shane Victorino started it off with a triple and Placido Polanco hit a sac fly to score him. Most of the additional damage was done later by John Mayberry Jr. who also had a sac fly, plus a 2-run homer in the game.
Mayberry’s sudden emergence since his trip back to Triple-A in June has been amazing to watch. He fixed his batting stance, worked on his defense and is now clicking on all cylinders. There are no more Phillies fans complaining about the team not resigning Jayson Werth in the off-season. Adding Hunter Pence has been a big boost as well.
Speaking of Werth, if you compare his numbers to Mayberry’s this year, the results are night and day. Their home run and RBI numbers are very close, however, Werth has had more than twice the number of at-bats that Mayberry has gotten. Werth has 269 more at-bats, to be precise. That is a whole lot of production from Mayberry in a very short time. Mayberry is simply “werth” more than Werth.
With the three RBI from Mayberry tonight and some bullpen help, the Phillies took a 5-3 lead into the 8th inning. Antonio Bastardo, who seems to be untouchable this year, pitched another superb inning. In fact, Bastardo is on the verge of making baseball history. If Bastardo continues at his current pace, which had batters hitting only .112 against him coming into this game, he could wind up with the lowest BA against a reliever in all of baseball, ever. Yes, EVER. Wow.
As we await those results, the Phillies made another kind of history with today’s win. Now at 42 games over the .500 mark, this is the best mark in Phillies franchise history. No other Phillies team has ever had such a great record. There is still a lot of baseball to go, but this team has the potential to be the greatest Phillies ballclub ever.
And as you let that sink in, remember to tune in again tomorrow night at 7:10pm. Cole Hamels will pitch in game 2 against the Marlins.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Phillies Rebound Against the Nats Behind Oswalt & Mayberry
If there were any questions about Roy Oswalt not pitching after the rain delay on Friday, those questions were answered tonight. With a fresh start and no interruption in his routine, Oswalt was very sharp.
Oswalt tossed eight innings of shut-out baseball against the Nationals, allowing eight hits and a walk. He began to look tired near the end of the eighth, but manager Charlie Manuel stuck with his man after a quick conversation on the mound. Oswalt looked fantastic and best of all, the back issues do not seem to be bothering him anymore.
Another guy who had an outstanding night was John Mayberry Jr. He had two hits and a walk tonight plus a huge play in the field. In the fourth inning, Ryan Zimmerman tried to go 2nd to home on a Jayson Werth single. Mayberry fielded the ball and fired. It was a perfect, one-hop throw to catcher Carlos Ruiz that nailed Zimmerman at the plate.
Mayberry’s play recently is prompting questions about whether Raul Ibanez should even be in the starting line-up. At the very least, this has already turned into a platoon with Mayberry starting against lefties. But as Mayberry continues to out-perform Ibanez, how long will Manuel keep his loyalty to Ibanez? That remains to be seen.
Several other players had multi-hit night’s as well including Ruiz and Jimmy Rollins. And once again, Wilson Valdez was right in the middle things with a huge triple that scored the Phillies first two runs in the fourth inning. And in the sixth, Hunter Pence hit his 14th of the year and fourth as a Phillie.
Michael Stutes took over for the Phillies in the ninth inning and had a nice outing. His last appearance was not great, so this had to be a relief for Stutes to get in a clean inning. The Phillies went on to win by a 5-0 score.
The finale of this 3-game series is scheduled for Sunday at 1:35pm with Roy Halladay pitching. Sadly, it appears more rain is also on the schedule. So cross your fingers & toes; with any luck, I will return from D.C. with photos.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Ugly Loss As Madson Blows 2nd Save
So it is only one game, but last night’s Phillies loss to the Nationals was very bad on a number of levels. First, the inept Nats staff decided to start the game with a huge storm nearby. That lasted all of five minutes as four batters into the first inning, the game had to be stopped due to heavy rain.
For the second straight night, the Phillies had to endure a rain delay of more than two hours. It was 2:17 on Thursday and 2:22 last night. The game probably never should have been started last night, which put the Phillies into another jam with their starting pitchers.
While the Nats starter Livan Hernandez went back out after the delay, Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt was held out as a precaution due to his bad back. Oswalt had not even thrown a single pitch in the game, but because he warmed up and then cooled down, the Phillies moved Kyle Kendrick up a day to start.
So the game resumed with a 1-1 count on Ryan Howard who drew a 2 hour, 22 minute walk. That has to be some kind of record or at least an amazing exercise in patience ;o)
In their last outing against Hernandez, the Phillies could not hit him at all. This time it took until the third inning, but they finally started to figure him out. With one out, Jimmy Rollins doubled and then John Mayberry Jr. tripled to start the scoring. That was followed by a parade of hits, including a Chase Utley double.
By the end of the inning, the Phillies had scored four runs. In the meantime, Kendrick was pitching well and made it through six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk. Considering the short notice and extreme circumstances, Kendrick did an outstanding job.
The offense tried to tack on, but to no avail. So they took a 4-2 lead into the ninth inning, where it all fell apart. Ryan Madson had only blown one save this year, but it was clear after a 10-pitch at-bat to Jayson Werth where eventually Werth singled that Madson was not himself.
Three singles, two of which were softly hit bloops into no-man’s land, plus a bunt and a walk later, and Ryan Zimmerman came to the plate with the bases loaded and a tie score. Madson fell behind and soon after it was a full count.
Madson knew he had to throw a strike or he would walk the winning run home. Zimmerman knew this as well and was ready. He smashed the pitch into deep left field for a walk-off grand slam. Ouch.
This was a tough loss to swallow as under usual circumstances, the 4-2 lead would have been as close to a sure win as you can get for this Phillies team. But Madson was off his game and the blown save wasted a great performance from Kendrick.
While it is just one game, this one stung. Hopefully, the Phillies will have a little extra motivation tonight to get revenge. Game time tonight is 7:05pm and since he did not pitch last night, Roy Oswalt will get the start.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
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