Manuel Has Meeting as Phils Try to Rebound

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Houston Astros (73-83) at Philadelphia Phillies (90-66)
Wilton Lopez, RHP (0-0, 8.44 ERA) vs. J.A Happ, LHP (11-4, 2.79 ERA)

The Houston Astros always seem to torture the Phillies in September, but don't jump off the bandwagon yet! The beauty of baseball is that there is always a tomorrow. After a painful loss on Monday, the Phillies will try to rebound.

Last night, the Phillies struggled against Yorman Bazardo. Once again, they'll be seeing a new face. Wilton Lopez is making his first major league start. In 10.2 innings in relief, the rookie has struggled mightily. He has allowed 20 hits and his ERA is over eight. Over the course of the year, the Phillies' bats have been silent against young pitchers that they've never faced before, even if they own high ERA's.

J.A Happ will try to help his case for the 2009 Rookie of the Year Award. The left-hander is seeking his twelfth win of the year. Opponents have batted .236 against him this season. Happ has been the stopper. He is a perfect 7-0 after Phillies losses.

Charlie Manuel did most of the talking during a closed-door meeting this afternoon. Hopefully that will pump up the team and get them back on the right track. Manuel later said to the media: "Ever since I’ve been in baseball, I’ve been a fighter and I’ve come to whip your [butt] every day.” So let's whip some Astro-butt tonight.

Tonight's lineup: Rollins (SS), Victorino (CF), Utley (2B), Howard (1B), Ibanez (LF), Werth (RF), Feliz (3B), Bako (C) and Happ (P).

Lopez Moving to The 'Pen

Originally posted on Phillies Naiton.

Rodrigo Lopez will be moved to the bullpen.

"My job is to get people out. I definitely like being a starter. I've been a starter most of my career. I think I can pitch as well in the bullpen, but I just feel that I'm good enough to get people out, whether it's coming out of the bullpen or in the rotation," Lopez said.

Since his callup, Lopez is 3-1 with a 3.62 earned run average and 1.54 WHIP in five starts.

Call of the Day: A typical call for HK on the appeal.

"Did he try to check, the appeal goes to third base umpire who says he
swung. And that'll end the inning."

Defense Can't Support Lopez

Rodrigo Lopez most likely made his last start as a Phillie. Not because he didn’t pitch well, but because of new additions to the Phillies rotation. If he had pitched well, the Phillies may have considered Lopez differently, but he could not handle his own pressure. Also, poor defense did not factor in well.

Lopez allowed seven runs, three earned, in four innings. In the first, the Phillies had a 1-0 lead, but the Giants went ahead 2-1 in the bottom half of the inning. Jayson Werth misjudged a line drive, and that opened the gates.

In the fourth inning, Pedro Feliz made a throwing error which led to two runs. At the last second, Feliz decided to go for the force out at second base instead of the easy play at first. Assuming Feliz was throwing to first, Chase Utley was off the bag and the ball tipped his glove, scooting to right field.

Pablo Sandoval must have been very unhappy with Charlie Manuel’s All Star selections. He showed Manuel what he missed. He went 2-for-4 with a home run and four runs batted in.

The Phillies weren’t able to provide any offense other than Ryan Howard’s RBI double and Utley’s solo homer. Sanchez threw a pitch that sailed over Utley’s head. Utely clearly had a problem with it and stared him down. On the next pitch he called time before he homered down the right field line.

The Phillies were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. The three fielding errors didn’t help either in the 7-2 loss.

Philis/Giants Open Series

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Philadelphia Phillies at San Francisco Giants
Rodrigo Lopez (3-0, 3.09 ERA) vs. Jonathan Sanchez (3-9, 4.92 ERA)

The Phillies open up a four game series against the San Francisco Giants. The Giants are a better team than in previous years. They are well over .500 and lead the National League Wild Card by a half game.

This is most likely Rodrigo Lopez’s last start because of the additions of Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez. A great outing would make a tough decision for the Phils. He is pitching for his job so he has not choice but to step it up.

Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on July 10, but he barely became a starter. Moved from the rotation to the bullpen, he found himself back in the rotation due to injuries. Other than the no-no, Sanchez has struggled with an ERA close to 5.

Shane Victorino will not be in the lineup due to a knee contusion. Tonight’s lineup: Rollins (SS)/ Utley (2B)/ Werth (RF)/Howard (1B)/ Ibanez (LF)/ Francisco (CF)/ Feliz (3B)/ Ruiz (C)/ Lopez (P)

JRoll Slams Past Cards

As seen on Phillies Nation.
There is no doubt the Phillies have been clutch with the bases loaded. Jimmy Rollins joined the club. His sixth inning salami gave the Phillies the lead in their 14-6 win. It also was their eighth grand slam of the season, which tied a franchise record set in 1993 and 2005 for most grand slams in a season.

It didn't take long for the Phils to jump on their former teammate, Kyle Lohse. Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz's RBI singles gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Lohse lasted only four innings. He gave up three earned on four hits and three walks. Luckily for him, he was not tacked with the loss because Julio Lugo tied the game at three with a RBI double.

When the Phillies saw Rick Ankiel earlier in the year, he landed on the disabled after making a fantastic catch, running into a brick wall. He has given the Phillies a lot of trouble in this series. He went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in during the opening game. Today, he homered to give the Cardinals a 4-3 lead in the sixth. Ankiel finished the day 3-for-5.

Then, Jimmy Rollins struck. With two outs, and two on, Greg Dobbs had a great at-bat fouling off pitches and worked a walk to load the bases. Rollins didn't disappoint, breaking his 0-for-8 streak with the bases loaded by clubbing a go-ahead grand slam to right field. Victorino immediately followed with a homer to make it back-to-back jacks. The Phillies lead 8-4 and did not look back.

The Cardinals inched a run closer in the seventh after a brief delay because a fan shined a laser on Julio Lugo. The delay may have took Chan Ho Park out of his rhythm. He allowed a RBI double to Matt Holliday (2-for-4), but escaped further damage by getting out of a jam.

The runs kept pouring in for the Phils, who scored 11 runs in the sixth and seventh inning combined. Carlos Ruiz singled, Rollins (2-for-5) doubled, Victorino (4-for-4) singled, and Howard (2-for-5) doubled, each driving in runs.

The Phillies 14 runs were plenty for Rodrigo Lopez and the depleted bullpen. Lopez made it through six innings, allowed four runs (3 earned) on 10 hits and a walk.

Call of the Day: Phillies clinch the 1980 NLCS.

"Swing and a drive to right center field. Maddox is there!"

Former Phillies Takes Hill for Cards

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St. Louis Cardinals (53-46) at Philadelphia Phillies (54-40).

Kyle Lohse (4-6, 4.21 ERA) vs. Rodrigo Lopez (2-0, 2.60 ERA)

The Phillies look to rebound after an awful performance on Friday. This could be one of Rodrigo Lopez's last starts with Pedro Martinez in the waiting. The Phillies couldn't have asked for more out of Lopez since his callup. In 17.1 innings, he has allowed only five runs. He has struck out 13 and walked five.

Lopez will be faced by the former Phillie, Kyle Lohse. Lohse was roughed up by the Phillies earlier this season. In 4.1 innings, he gave up six earned runs, including home runs to Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth. At Citizens Bank Park, Lohse is 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA. It is very important for the Phillies offense to jump on Lohse early before he gets into a groove.

Blowout Leads to 9 Straight

As seen on Phillies Nation.

What's up with the Phillies? They're on fire! Their 10-1 blowout over the Chicago Cubs extended their winning streak to nine consecutive games, tying their longest streak since 2006.

In the first inning, Raul Ibanez clubbed his 25th home run of the season, a three run shot. Rodrigo Lopez and the Phillies didn't look back.

Carlos Ruiz's home run in the second inning made it 5-0. He drove in another run in the fourth inning with a double. He finished 2-for-4 with a homer, double, two runs scored, and three runs batted in.

Jimmy Rollins' sacrifice fly, Alfonso Soriano's error on a fly ball, and Chase Utley's RBI single made it 8-0 in the fourth. Rollins (1-for-3) proved to be a big factor in the win. He led off the game with a single, and when Rollins gets on base and scores runs, the Phillies win.

Ted Lilly's four game winning streak was snapped after getting rocked in his shortest outing of the season. His ERA jumped from 3.18 to 3.59 after the Phillies pounded nine runs in four innings.

Lopez didn't have his most commanding stuff, but in six innings he gave up only one run on five hits and three walks. The only run came on Ryan Theriot's RBI single in the fifth, taking away the shutout. Lopez struck out five.

Everybody in got into the action except Ryan Howard until his "oppo boppo" in the eighth. His 24th home run of the season put the finishing touches on the Phillies 10-1 blowout.

Chad Durbin was able to eat innings out of the bullpen. He allowed one hit in his three shutout innings, earning the save.

The Phillies are finally .500 (23-23) at home. They will attempt 10 in a row tomorrow. The last time they won that many games in a row was in 1991 when they won 13 straight.

Lopez and Lilly Open Series

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Chicago Cubs (47-43) at Philadelphia Phillies (51-38)
Ted Lilly (9-6, 3.18 ERA) vs. Rodrigo Lopez (1-0, 3.18 ERA)

The Phillies had an incredible 9-1 homestand the last time they were home. This homestand will be tougher, but the Phillies have been unstoppable for the past couple weeks, winning eight straight.

Both teams will keep a close eye on both their starters. Ted Lilly was pushed back from Saturday's start with inflammation in his left knee. Rogrido Lopez hasn't pitched in 11 days and he left his last start with right-shoulder inflammation.

Lopez's spot in the rotation is in jeopardy as Pedro Martinez takes steps closer to the big leagues. Lopez allowed eight runs in 4.2 innings in his only career start against the Cubs.

Lilly is coming off his 100th career win. Most of his success has come at home. At Wrigley Field, Lilly has a 1.18 ERA; on the road it is 4.66. Against the Phillies in his career, Lilly is 1-3 with a 4.88 earned run average (4.66 at Citizens Bank Park).

Lopez Removed due to Injury

Originally posted on Phillies Nation.

Rodrigo Lopez was removed after five innings due to inflammation in his right shoulder. Lopez started feeling tightness in the fifth, and the velocity of his fastball dropped down to 82 mph.

“Like when the muscles are really, really tired, where it starts to bother you —
that’s the way I felt,” he said.

Feeling “uncomfortable” Lopez wanted to play it safe and avoid a long term injury. After the game, Lopez said he felt better and no tests have been scheduled at this time.

QUOTE SOURCE: Phillies.com

Call of the Day: Harry called them all. Even R.J Swindle's curveball.

"...There it was. There's that curveball. Lets see what speed that
was. (*laughs*) A 54 mile an hour curve ball. There it was and he struck
him out. Yep, there it is. No runs, no hits, no errors. We go
to the bottom of the eighth. Its 10-5, Mets."

Final Vote In Mind, Victorino Comes Through

Originally posted on Phillies Nation.

Shane Victorino has been around the city promoting his candidacy for the Final Vote. Handing out flyers, shaking hands and signing autographs help, but proving why he should be selected is more important. Shane Victorino (2-for-4, 2 SB) did that in the ninth inning.

In the fourth, the Cincinnati Reds took a 2-0 lead on Lance Nix's RBI single and Ramon Hernandez's sacrifice fly. In the bottom half of the inning, Ryan Howard returned the favor with a RBI single of his own.

Starter Rodrigo Lopez pitched five innings allowing two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out four. Still, the Phillies had trouble manufacturing runs, leaving nine men on base. Additionally, they were 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

The Phillies pitching kept them in the game, and one swing off the bat of Jayson Werth tied it in the sixth. Werth's nineteenth home run of the year made it a new ballgame.

The Phillies bullpen pitched four shutout innings. Ryan Madson's two innings were key, giving the Phillies a chance in the bottom of the ninth.

Pedro Feliz led off with a single. Paul Bako failed to bunt him over, and Eric Bruntlett flied out. Jimmy Rollins worked a two out walk, and Victorino was given the perfect opportunity to make his campaign speech. He singled to center, scoring Feliz. A walk-off single and that was the ballgame. Phillies win 3-2.

Call of the Day: Last April, the Phillies had an exciting walk-off win off the bat of Pedro Feliz.

"Smoked. Down the left field line. Going all the way to the
corner! Here comes Jenkins, being waved around. The throw to the
plate.. he's safe at home plate! Phillies win 4 to 3 with a three run
ninth inning! Pedro Feliz with a big game winning double! Jenkins
was flying around third and scored the winning run. What a comeback by the
Phils, who led the majors in come back wins last year and they had several again
this year as they comeback from 3-0 in the ninth inning and come back to win it
4 to 3. Wow.

Our Chevrolet players of the game; the Phillies offense in this ninth
inning. Pinch hitter Chris Snelling homered. Pat Burrell
homered. And Pedro Feliz the game winning double. The Phillies
offense, our Chevrolet the players of the game."

Phillies And Reds, Take 3

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Cincinnati Reds (41-41) play the Philadelphia Phillies (43-38).

Homer Bailey (1-0, 5.94 ERA) starts vs. Rodrigo Lopez (1-0, 2.84 ERA)

Rodrigo Lopez was impressive in his Phillies debut. In 6.1 innings, he allowed only two runs on six hits and one walk. Lopez will look to duplicate that performance.

Homer Bailey is coming off one of the best starts of his career. He gave up two runs on three hits in 7.1 innings against the Cardinals. Bailey has walked 15 batters in 16.2 innings. The Phillies are going to need to take advantage of his command problems and take walks. The Phillies had no problem getting on base last night. Driving in runs was the problem. With the amount of baserunners that Bailey allows, the Phillies need to bring those runners home. Bailey has struggled against the Phillies in his career. He is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA.

Lopez, Rollins, Lead Phillies

When Jimmy Rollins goes, this team goes. That is exactly what happened tonight in the Phillies 7-2 victory over the New York Mets.

Rollins led off the game with a double, starting the Phillies offensive explosion off Mets’ starter Livan Hernandez. Rollins scored on Chase Utley’s single and Greg Dobbs doubled giving Rodrigo Lopez an early cushion.

The Phillies couldn’t have asked for more out of Lopez, who was making his first Major League start since 2007. Lopez pitched six shutout innings before getting into trouble in the seventh. He limited the Mets to two runs on six hits in 6.1 innings. He walked one and struck out four. It was the type of performance the Phillies needed.

The Phillies continued to pile on runs off Hernandez. In the third inning, Jayson Werth homered and Rollins’ two run double gave the Phillies a 7-0 lead. Rollins finished the night 2-for-5. Two nights will not officially put Rollins out of his slump, but it is a good start.

Victorino also had a decent night going 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Chase Utley chipped in with two hits and two runs batted in. Every hitter in the Phillies lineup roughed up Hernandez, who lasted only three innings.

First place remains safe for one more day. Perhaps this win is something that the Phillies can build on.

Call of the Day: In the highlight reel you can enjoy a complete game by Brett Myers, but the call of the day came on a double play.

"Runner goes on the full count.. struck 'em out. Thow to second is..
in time! Struck 'em out throw 'em out double play!"

Renewed Rivalry

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The New York Mets (39-39) will face the Philadelphia Phillies (39-37) at Citizens Bank Park

Livan Hernandez (5-3, 4.04 ERA) will start against Rodrigo Lopez (5-4, 3.91 ERA in AAA).

Tonight, the rivalry is renewed in a big series for both teams. The Phillies look to turn around their struggles and stay in first place in the National League East. The Mets are only one game out, and they could find themselves in first if the Phillies continue to struggle at home.

Rogrigo Lopez will start against the Mets. With the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Lopez has been inconsistent in his last ten starts. He has only given up one earned run his the last 14 innings he has pitched, however it has been a pattern that after he has success, he struggles in his next start. On the plus side, he has not walked many batters or given up many home runs. In his Major League career, Lopez is 65-65 with a 4.80 ERA.

Hernandez is 10-8 with a 3.36 in 24 career starts against the Phillies. At Citizens Bank Park, Hernandez is 2-2 with a 5.45 ERA. Chase Utley is 8-for-24 in his career against Hernandez. Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard each have homered off Hernandez twice in their careers.

Lopez Starting Friday

For a few days it looked like Carlos Carrasco would make his Major League debut. However, that is not the case. Rodrigo Lopez will start on Friday against the New York Mets.

Lopez is 65-65 with a 4.80 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in his Major League career. In 2007, he had Tommy John Surgery and spent most of the 2008 season recovering. The Phillies signed Lopez to a minor league deal after spring training. In 13 starts with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Lopez is 5-4 with a 3.91 ERA and opponents are batting .292 against him.

I think the Phillies should have given Carrasco a chance. Yes, he has struggled at Triple-A, but he has proven to be a great pitcher in the past. A change of scenery may help him, and that could of been minor leagues to majors.

Lopez has experience, but his numbers do not blow anyone away. He has been very inconsistent in the minors. One day he'll pitch six shutout innings, the next outing he will pitch three innings and give up five earned runs. You never know what to expect from Lopez.

In other news, Raul Ibanez will not be playing at Reading tonight for pre-cautionary reasons. Even though there are no setbacks, it is unlikely he will return this weekend, but should be able to start rehabbing tomorrow.