Tagged: Ryan Howard
Farewell to The Big Piece
The Phillies did right by Ryan Howard on Sunday by honoring his 13 years in Philadelphia before the final game of the season. Everyone entering the stadium received Howard’s head on a stick for full participation in the ceremony. Mike Schmidt also made an appearance.
This all had the potential to be quite awkward considering Howard still has an option left on his contract which it is obvious will not be picked up. But the Phillies and the fans did a great job honoring the former MVP and All-Star. Howard spoke to the crowd and got pretty choked up; a lone tear could be seen streaming down his cheek as he realized his time in Philly was done.
Howard did not have the final game he envisioned, though. He went hitless in the game, but the Phillies still beat the Mets so I am sure that made his final goodbye a bit easier. Several guys went hitless as well, but Maikel Franco and Andres Blanco finished strong with 4 and 3 hits, respectively.
Plus, Jerad Eickhoff pitched very well, allowing only 1 run over 6 innings.
So the Phillies finish a very up and down season in 4th place with a record of 71-91. The Phillies offense finished dead last in all of baseball with only 610 runs scored. As such, and as is seemingly a Phillies tradition, Phillies hitting coach Steve Henderson got the ax right after the game.
There may be more fallout in the days to come. In the meantime, here is the full Photo Album from the game and pre-game ceremonies.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri
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
Beat-Down for Phillies; Snooze-Fest for Fans
I cannot remember the last time I was as bored at a Phillies game as I was today. Literally, I could have slipped into a coma. Between the excessive heat and lack of any Phillies offense, it was basically nap time. The only thing that kept me awake was my disdain for the cheering Mets fans. And the only good news of the day is that all the Mets fans have gone home.
Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom blew through the Phillies line-up with ease; as if the Phillies players were asleep, along with the fans. Maybe the Mets spiked the Phillies Gatorade with Ambien? It is he only logical explanation for the total lack of activity from Phillies bats.
The only Phillies hit of the day came from the pitcher, Zach Eflin, who now has a higher batting average (.231) than Ryan Howard (.159), Freddy Galvis (.229) and Jimmy Paredes (.228). And he pitched pretty well; not his best outing, but still a quality start.
Alas, Eflin was all alone out there. Some fielding did occur behind him, but nothing exciting. And the total lack of hitting by the rest of his teammates made for a very boring and pathetic loss.
So the Mets are gone, having won 2 of 3 games in the series, and the Marlins are coming in next for four games.
Here is the full Photo Album from the final Mets game.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri
Home Opener Photo Blog
Final Score: Phillies 3, Padres 4
SIGHTS:
SMILES:
AARON NOLA:
SMASHING:
FIELDING:
Full Photo Album
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Photos by Jenn Zambri
Bullpen Woes Ruin Opening Day
The Phillies took a 2 – 1 lead into the 8th inning against the Reds yesterday in their first game of the season. And then, the wheels fell off. Much criticism has been heaped onto the Phillies bullpen this offseason. While most of the team looks promising, this is going to be a sore spot.
Of course, the rest of the team was not setting the world on fire, either. With only 6 hits in the game, including a 2-run Freddy Galvis homer, the Phillies offense was mostly silent. And the defense started off badly with a huge error from veteran Ryan Howard in the 1st inning which led to an early run for the Reds. Howard also did not have a hit in the game and left 3 men on base.
But while Howard should be elected to the Opening Day Wall of Shame, he was beat out by David Hernandez for the title. Hernandez allowed 3 runs in the 8th inning on a hit and 2 walks, sinking the Phillies ship for good. He did not record a single out. James Russell was not much better, allowing 2 more runs. In all, the bullpen 8th inning follies ended in a 6 – 2 win for the Reds.
The real shame of this is that Jeremy Hellickson pitched a heck of a game. I am still not sure why he was pulled after only 6 innings and 70 pitches. Manager Pete Mackanin could have let him go one more inning and put Jeanmar Gomez in for the 8th inning. The 9th inning may still have been a mess, but at least with only 3 outs left, he would have had more wiggle room to mix and match pitchers. But that is only my humble opinion.
The Phillies are off today and will try again on Wednesday; game time is 7:10pm and Aaron Nola will pitch.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri
Phillies Offseason in Review So Far
Good
- Pete Mackanin as manager – The guys like Pete and he is smart baseball man; I think he will do as well as can be expected with a team full of average players.
- Micky Morandini as the new first base coach – A welcome blast from the past.
- The end of the Domonic Brown experiment – I was really at the end of my rope with this guy. Sorry, he will not be missed.
Bad
- Ken Giles – Seriously, Giles was the ONLY reason I though watching the 2016 would be bearable, and now he is gone. Who else am I supposed to root for (maybe Aaron Nola)? And this is a clear sign the Phillies are still many years away from competing.
- No more Jeff Francour? WTH? It is not official, but with the addition of so many new outfielders, one can surmise that Frenchy will not be back. He was the only other entertaining guy on this roster…boo!!
- We are still stuck with Ryan Howard’s salary – I don’t mind Howard himself, I just wish the Phillies didn’t still owe him like a bazillion dollars.
Not Sure Yet
- New GM Matt Klentak – I thought this was a good idea until the Giles trade, which reeks of a move Ruben Amaro Jr. would have made. Is this younger, hipper guy just Ruben 2.0 in disguise? That may be a bit harsh; we shall see.
- New President Andy MacPhail – I hesitate to be excited about this because of the above mentioned issue with Klentak. But also, frankly, because the guy’s name includes the word “PHAIL (fail).” Not to mention that MacPhail has not seen any major success since the Twins won the World Series in 1987 and 1991.
Who Cares
- Everyone picked up in the Ken Giles trade – these do not appear to be impact players and could be a waste of time.
- Adding Peter Bourjos (wait, who?) – Outfielder Bourjos hit .241 in two seasons in the majors.
- The signing of 32-year old righty Charlie Morton – meh.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri
Amaro is OUT – Finally!
Apparently, the Pope’s impending visit to Philadelphia has already brought blessings upon us. In preparing the proverbial landscape for the Holy Man’s visit, the Phillies finally released GM Ruben Amaro Jr. It is a papal miracle! I was tempted to go back to being a practicing Catholic after hearing the news, but the whole “thou shall not do anything fun” is still kind of in the way of that transition 😉
While I am thrilled that the Phillies may be making an attempt to move into the correct century with their baseball operations logic, I feel a little bit sorry for Amaro who spent practically his entire life with the team. He grew up in the area, his Dad played for and coached for the Phillies; Ruben also played for the Phillies and was even the bat boy as a youngster. That is a lot of time spent in one place.
But my sympathy has to end there. He made so many bad, disastrous moves over the years that it is hard not to rejoice at this news. Remember the Cliff Lee trade in 2009? What a mega-disaster that was! The Phillies probably would have gone the distance in 2010 if they had both Lee and Roy Halladay in the rotation. Instead, Amaro squandered that opportunity and got 3 horrible “prospects” who contributed nothing…except a cocaine arrest (Tyson Gillies) and multiple tantrums when they did not get their way (Phillippe Aumont).
The HUGE, ridiculous contracts given to Ryan Howard and Jonathan Papelbon were just a few other terrible moves Amaro made. Not to mention letting Ryan Vogelsong go in 2010 (he is now a multiple World Series champ) and trading Hunter Pence for next to nothing (he is now also part of the Vogelsong / Giants dynasty). And don’t even get me started on the $12 million he threw away on Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez who has been so bad in the minors that the Phillies finally took him off the 40-man roster. This year, he spent most of his time on the DL and in the lousy 5.2 innings he did pitch in Triple-A, he ended up with a 14.29 ERA.
Sure, he had some good moves over the years. But ultimately, Amaro ran this team straight into the ground. They now sit in last place in all of baseball with little sign of improvement in the near future. Assistant general manager Scott Proefrock will fill in for Amaro until the new GM is chosen. Let us all hope the Phillies are smart enough to find a modern GM, instead of another blast from the past.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri
Phillies Sweep for Christmas in July
Instead of coal in their stockings, the Phillies received a 3-game sweep of the Marlins for their Christmas in July celebration today. Considering they started the second half of the season as the worst team in baseball, this is nothing short of a miracle. Please wake me if I am dreaming…
It looked like a sure win today early on as the Phils exploded for 5 runs in the second inning. There was a lot of staring at home runs (Ryan Howard and Freddy Galvis) and celebrating. Even Cole Hamels had a hit in the inning.
But the warm fuzzies wore off quickly as Hamels bombed in the 3rd inning. The fielders were awfully busy while Hamels struggled to get by. 
Ultimately, Hamels took the 3-run lead the Phillies spotted him and handed those runs right back to the Marlins. By the end of the inning, Hamels had 76 pitches and would not return to the game.
In his defense, it was hotter than hell today. The temperature was 93 degrees at game time and got hotter as the game went on. It even looked for a minute like we may lose the home plate umpire, who needed assistance getting cool. 
So it would take 5 bullpen arms to finish the game after Hamels’ early exit. Both Elvis Araujo and Luis Garcia pitched perfect innings.
But then Ken Giles blew a save in the 8th inning, where the Marlins took a 7-6 lead. Giles was all over the place which sent many of the few fans in attendance streaming towards the exits, myself included. I was melting by then and not sure if I’d make it to the car if I stayed much longer anyway.
But luckily for the Phillies, Jeff Francour decided to play Santa Claus today and unwrap a 2-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Phillies an 8-7 win. I enjoyed the hit from the comfort of my air-conditioned car, which made finding the energy to celebrate a bit easier 😉
The Phillies take on the Rays tomorrow. Game time is 7:05pm.
Here is the full Photo Album from today’s game.
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Halfway through 2015: Down the Rabbit Hole
A recent article in The New Yorker described going down the rabbit hole as “a bizarre and disorienting alternate reality.” That perfectly describes how many Phillies fans feel at the halfway point of the 2015 season. We followed the Phillies here and have now fallen into the proverbial, Alice in Wonderland-esque rabbit hole.
This team is such a departure from that of the 2008-2011 teams that watching them really does feel like a bad acid trip. The Phillies are dead last in all of baseball with a 29-62 record. Their closer, Jonathan Papelbon, cannot stop yelling to the media about how badly he wants to be traded. Cole Hamels is pitching like a man who has given up on life. And their manager, Ryne Sandberg, ran screaming from his duties, despite the obvious detriment to his career by doing so.
But the most depressing part of the season has been the lightning fast decline of Chase Utley’s career. According to the general manager, Utley is no longer the starting second baseman, even after he comes off the disabled list. This is officially the end of Phillies baseball as we knew it. Indeed, an alternate reality that is painful to watch.
But even with Utley’s downfall, there was no reason to think the Phillies would be THIS bad, as in 62 losses bad, the worst half way mark in team history. There is a lot of young talent here, like Maikel Franco. Ben Revere is hitting .297 with 21 stolen bases and 45 runs scored. Ryan Howard has hit 15 home runs and has 45 RBI, which is really pretty good considering he is on the tail end of his career. Papelbon has been perfect in saves, although he has had limited opportunities. But most of the pitching has be atrocious. Even so, this team should have won more than 29 games, given their talent.
Perhaps Pat Gillick’s pre-season declaration about this team not being able to compete for several years has created a culture of losing? And not only that, but the team seems to have accepted this. They are not showing any fight, maybe because they simply expect to lose. They are just collecting their fat paychecks and then going home. And if this attitude continues, attendance will continue to drop to levels where you can hear crickets chirping. Hopefully, the Phillies will emerge from their slumber in the second half and at least put on a good show. Then again, that could just be the psychedelic acid talking.
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