Wolf To Face Former Club

For full gameday, visit Phillies Nation.

Milwaukee Brewers (62-73) at Philadelphia Phillies (78-58)

Randy Wolf (10-10, 4.76) vs. Kyle Kendrick (9-7, 4.72)

In Saturday's 5-4 victory, Roy Halladay surrendered four homers, but the Phillies offense rallied, en route to their fifth straight win. The Phillies become a scary team in September, and they're just a game back in the National League East.

Former Phillie Randy Wolf will take the mound for the Brew Crew, but don't expect a Wolf Pack reunion. This is Wolf's second appearance at Citizens Bank Park in an away jersey. Phillies fans know what Wolf brings to the table. Sometimes he can be on his "A" game; other times he can get rocked. That sounds very familiar to Wolf's counterpart, Kyle Kendrick.

The offense is starting to pick it up, especially Chase Utley, Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard. Howard is always a scary hitter late in the season, thus taking the name Mr. September. Howard does not have good career numbers against Wolf, but the Phillies need Howard to continue to have his September push.

Madson Saves the Nailbiter

As seen on Phillies Nation.

It’s never easy. The 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers lowered the Phillies’ magic number to three. In addition, they eliminated the Florida Marlins from National League East contention.

Like he did in the 2008 NLDS, Jimmy Rollins set the tone with a lead-off home run. Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino each doubled in runs. For the second straight night, the Phillies jumped to a 4-0 lead. Unlike Saturday, the Phillies were able to provide an extra run — a Pedro Feliz RBI single — that was the difference.

The Phillies led 6-1, but the Brewers continued to fight back. Mat Gamel’s three-run home run off Joe Blanton made it a ball game again. Blanton, who expressed his anger in Dana DeMuth’s inconsistent strike zone, gave up five earned runs in 5.2 innings. He allowed seven hits, walked four, and struck out four.

After Ryan Braun’s RBI single in the sixth, Sergio Escalona was asked to escape a jam. With a runner on, Escalona was able to get Prince Fielder to ground into a fielder’s choice. Chad Durbin pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, before Ryan Madson entered the eighth inning with a runner on. Madson picked-off Corey Hart, and Howard applied the tag. After throwing one pitch in the eighth, Madson would attempt the four-out save. However, he’d have to get through the meat of the order.

Madson allowed a double to Fielder, but Mike Cameron was rung up to end the game. Madson pumped his fist, securing his ninth save of the year, and the big win.

The Phillies and Brewers split the series, two games apiece. They end the road trip an even 5-5. The Phillies return home for a big series against the Houston Astros, who swept them earlier this month. They’ll look to clinch as early as Tuesday.

Phils Need to Split Series

For full gameday, visit Phillies Nation.

Philadelphia Phillies (89-65) at Milwaukee Brewers (77-78).
Joe Blanton (11-7, 3.82) starts vs. Dave Bush, RHP (5-8, 6.22).

After dropping the last two games to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Phillies will try to rebound with Joe Blanton on the mound. However, even if Blanton pitches well, the back end of the bullpen is still a major question mark.

Blanton will try to extend his 13 consecutive scoreless innings streak. Blanton started the 2009 season poorly, but May 21 was his turning point. Since that date, Big Joe Blanton is 9-4 with a 2.78 ERA in his last 21 starts. Blanton pitched a quality start in his last outing against the Brew Crew.

Conestoga graduate Dave Bush will make his second start against the Phillies this season. On April 23, the right-hander took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. Matt Stairs homered to break up the no-no and the shutout. In his last start, Bush gave up five earned runs in 1.1 innings.

This is a big game for the Phillies as they try to split the series. With the Braves and Marlins still in the picture, Blanton can put the Phillies in better position to clinch this week. The Brewers have nothing to lose. All they have to do is player spoiler.

Sloppy Defense Leads to Walk-Off Loss

As seen on Phillies Nation.

When Jimmy Rollins failed to make a basket catch in the sixth inning, Jamie Moyer put his hand over his face. It summed up the night for the Phillies. Sloppy defense was the biggest issue in the 7-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Paul Bako opened the scoring with a two-run shot in the second inning. By the third inning, the Phillies led 4-0. In addition, Ryan Howard hit an upper-decker in the fifth inning.

Kyle Kendrick made a spot start for an ailing Pedro Martinez. In four innings, Kendrick allowed three runs (2 earned). Moyer pitched four innings in relief, and gave up two runs. Braden Looper allowed five runs (3 earned) in six innings.

The game was highlighted with four errors, two committed by each team. Raul Ibanez couldn’t keep a ball in front of him. Kendrick made an overthrow. Jayson Werth and Chase Utley miscommunicated on a blooper down the right field line. To top it off, Craig Counsell’s flair bounced off Rollins’ leg, tying the game at five.

The ninth inning must be cursed. Tyler Walker hoped to send the game into extra innings. With a runner on, Walker threw a meatball down the middle of the plate. That’s not something you want to do with Ryan Braun batting. Braun’s walk-off home run cleared the right center field wall.

The bad news doesn’t end. The Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins each won, cutting the division lead to five. The magic number remains at four. Monday is the earliest the Phillies can clinch.

This ball club has been looking lifeless. They need to stop worrying about clinching. Instead, take it game by game and clean up their act. They’ll try to rebound tomorrow with Joe Blanton on the mound.

Baseball Players Get Scared Too

There is a hotel in Milwaukee that opposing players stay in. They claim it is haunted.

The Milwaukee Pfister hotel has hosted every US President since William McKinley, celebrities, and businessmen. It is not a popular choice of lodging for several Major Leaguers.

Carlos Gomez heard voices. Then his iPod mysteriously turned on, forcing him to scramble to lobby without any pants.

A rookie closed his blinds, woke up with the shades open. Closed the shades, went back to sleep, and woke up to the same thing.

Sure, they could be pranks.. or a ghost. Guest claimed to see a "portly, smiling gentleman" on the elevator, roaming halls, and walking a dog. The man resembled the original owner Charles Pfister.

The "ghost" leaves all other guest alone, but it is something about those MLB players. Why? He is a Brewers fan, of course.

7 Down, 1 To Go; Other Updates

The Phillies avoided arbitration with reliever Chad Durbin on Wednesday, signing him to a one year, $1.635 deal.

For Durbin, a little over $1.5 million is reasonable. Durbin made just $900,000 in 2008, but his due to his performance, he deserved a raise. Giving Durbin too much money would not make much sense since 2008 was a career year for Durbin. He still has a high career ERA over 5. In 87.2 IP, Durbin was 5-4 with a 2.87 ERA during the 2008 season. The deal was just right. Not to high, not to low.

Toward the end of the season, Durbin faced a "dead arm" period and started to struggle. He managed to pitch through it.
The Phillies signed all their arbitration eligible players but one: Ryan Howard, who is still pushing for $18 million.

Prince Fielder is a similar player to Howard. Both have extreme power. The Milwaukee Brewers are close to signing the arbitration eligible Fielder to a 2 year deal that would be worth at least $18 million. Hear that Howard? Fielder is getting two years out of $18M.

Cole Hamels threw 3,914 pitches in 2008, leading the Majors. CC Sabathia, who was the 2007 leader (3,892), threw 3,912 pitches, finishing second. Brett Myers (3,718) was third. Joe Blanton (3,547) was 11th. The number of pitches includes the postseason, and for Myers, Minor Leagues.

Throwing as many pitches as these guys, it increases risk of injury. 10 out of 18 pitchers who reached the 3,400 pitch mark in 2007 had a serious injury in 2008.

Remember Freddy Garcia? Remember the hype around him when the Phillies got him?Remember how he made just 7 starts with the Phillies in 2007? Remember his ERA was over 5 in those starts? Remember how the Phillies gave him $10 million for one year?

Well, both New York teams are interested in him. The Mets and Yankees are the top front runners for him.

The Texas Rangers are close to signing Omar Vizquel. He agreed to a Minor League contract with a base salary of $1 million. The 41 year old is an 11 time Gold Glove Winner, and has played the most games at shortstop than anybody in MLB history.

Jeff Kent officially announced his retirement today. In 17 Major League seasons, Kent batted .290 with 377 homeruns. He had a career OPS of .856.

Red Sox Signings; Other Updates

The Boston Red Sox signed outfielder Rocco Baldelli to a one year deal. The deal has a base off $500K and could go up to as much as $5.25 million depending on roster and performance bonuses.

Baldelli, who was misdiagnosed with mitochondrial disorder, grew up a Red Sox fan. Baldelli has suffered through fatigue, was underwent further test which showed he had a treatable channelopathy condition rather than the fatal disorder.

Badelli played just 80 games in 2008 and batted .263 with 4 HR. He is a career .281 hitter with a .769 OPS.

The Red Sox are also close to signing 41 year old, John Smoltz. Smoltz stuck out his 3,000th batter early in the season, but ended up making just 6 starts, missing the rest of the season due to injury.

The deal could start at $5 million, going up to as much as $10 million.

The future Hall of Famer spent his entire career with the Atlanta Braves. He is 210-147 in his career with a 3.26 ERA and 154 saves. Smoltz is an 8 time All Star, and 1996 Cy Young Winner.

The Milwaukee Brewers signed the all time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman. The deal has a base of $6 million, with $1.5 in incentives.

Hoffman has a 2.78 career ERA, 554 saves, 1,055 strikeouts in 998 IP, spending almost his whole career with the San Diego Padres.

The Oakland Athletics signed Jason Giambi to a one year deal worth $4 million. Giambi is 4 HR shy of 500 for his career.

Year In Review: NLDS

The Philadelphia Phillies had unfinished business to finish. They'd start out by taking on the Milwaukee Brewers, who made the playoffs for the first time since 1982, in round one of the playoffs, the National League Division Series.

Since the Phillies clinched the NL East a day prior to the end of the season, the Phillies had a chance to rest their ace, Cole Hamels. Hamels would be opposed by the young Yovani Gallardo, who missed almost the entire season due to injury.

A double off the bat of Chase Utley, and over the glove of center fielder Mike Cameron would be all Cole Hamels needed, shutting the Brewers out over 8 innings.

In game 2, the Phillies faced the hottest pitcher in all of baseball, CC Sabathia... that was until Brett Myers stepped up to the plate.

Myers escaped a 1-0 jam, exiting the first inning. A self proclaimed "terrible hitter," Myers fouled pitch after pitch off Sabathia, eventually drawing a walk in the second inning. The crowd roared after each foul ball, but erupted when Myers reached first. It got louder. Much louder. Shane Victorino hit a grand slam homerun off Sabathia. The Phillies won the game 5-2.

After Jamie Moyer was roughed up in game 3, the Phillies came out quickly in game 4. Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a solo homerun.

Pat Burrell chipped in with 2 homeruns of his own. Jason Kendall grounded out to Rollins as Brad Lidge nailed down the save.

The Phillies were headed to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 1993. The Phillies would face an old NLCS nemesis, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Year In Review: September

It was a September to remember. Coming into the month a game behind the New York Mets, the Phillies hoped to become National League East Champions for the second year in a row. The race was tight, so it would be tougher for the Mets to collapse with just a one game lead. It would not be hard for the Phillies to pull out in front.

Ryan Howard had a torrid month of September getting himself mentioned in the National League Most Valuable Player talks. He batted .352 with 11 home runs. His 32 RBI set a Phillies franchise record for most runs batted in during a month. His OBP was .422 and his SLG was an unbelievable .852 in 25 games, totaling a 1.274 OPS.

The big games:

September 11-14: The Milwaukee Brewers led the NL Wild Card by 4 games prior to the series with the Phillies. On the other hand, the Phillies were trailing the Mets by 3.5 games in the division. The Phillies took the first two games easily. In game 3, the first half of a double header, the Phillies and Brewers found themselves tied at 3 in the 8th inning. Pat Burrell drove in Jayson Werth at a close play at the plate for the go ahead run. The Phillies put 4 runs on the board in that 8th inning, and beat the Brewers. The Phillies finished the night cap of the double header in another victory, sweeping the Brew Crew, tying themselves for the Wild Card, inching 1 game back from the division. After the series, the Brewers manager was fired.

September 16: In the 8th inning, the Phillies were down 7-6 in Atlanta against the Braves. That was before Ryan Howard drove a homerun giving the Phillies a go-ahead lead. First place of the division was now in the Phillies hands. In the series, the Phillies ended up sweeping the Braves, going a perfect 9-0 at Turner Field.

September 22: Tied at 2 a piece in the 8th inning with a runner on third base, Jimmy Rollins threw out Kelly Johnson at home to keep the game tied. In the bottom of the inning, Jayson Werth grounded to third base. Greg Golson beat the throw to the plate to score the go ahead run. The Phils put up 3 more runs in the inning to beat Braves.

Other highlights:

On September 2nd, and September 5th, Cole Hamels and Brett Myers each pitched shut out baseball to give the Phillies wins. Hamels lasted 7.1 innings, and Myers lasted 8 innings. On the 6th, Jamie Moyer pitched 7 shutout innings, and Greg Dobbs helped put away a Phillies win with a homerun.

September 24: The Phillies lost, but the benches cleared. Shane Victorino took a lead a little to far off third base, and Braves pitcher Julian Taverez ran him back to third. Victorino said something to Taverez, and the benches cleared. Warnings were issued, but nothing serious broke out.

On the 26th of September, the Phillies had a 2 game lead over the New York Mets. All the Phillies need was one more win, and they would be crowned 2008 National League East Champions for the second straight year.

NLCS Bound

The Philadelphia Phillies are headed to just their 7th all time National League Championship Series, with their 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The last time the Phillies were in the NLCS was back in 1993, when the underdogs beat the Atlanta Braves to move onto the World Series.

The Brewers prevented a sweep on Saturday, but the Phillies came right out of the shoot today.

Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a solo homerun. All year, the Phillies go as JRoll goes, and that was the case again today.

Prior to the game, Burrell teased Rollins to get things started, and he would follow. It turned out to be no joke.

In the 3rd inning, Jeff Suppan intentionally walked Ryan Howard to get to Pat Burrell. Burrell had been 0-8 in the series. However, in his career, Burrell was a .450 hitter against Suppan.

Burrell increased those numbers. He hit a 3 run homerun to give the Phillies a 4-1 lead. Following Burrell, Jayson Werth his a solo homerun that gave the Phillies a 5-1 lead. Burrell later hit another homerun.

That was it for Suppan, the 2006 NLCS MVP with the Cardinals, as he lasted just 3 innings. That was all Joe Blanton would need as the Phillies never looked back.

Blanton pitched 6+ innings allowing just 1 run on 5 hits. He did not walk a batter, and struck out 7. The lone run came on a Prince Fielder homerun, his first hit of the series.

Madson pitched 2 innings in relief to help "build the bridge to Brad Lidge." Lidge finished off the game, and was hugged by his teammates after the final out to Jimmy Rollins.

Champagne corks pop, beer was poured over heads once again, but the Phillies still know they are still 8 wins away.

Photo Courtesy of Phillies.com

Game 3: Preview

The Phillies are 2-0 in the postseason this year. The last time the Phillies were 2-0 in the postseason was in the 1980 World Series, when they won it all. Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Shane Victorino, as well as others, put the Phillies in the situation they're in now. Tomorrow they'll give the ball to Jamie Moyer for his turn.

Moyer finds himself in a familiar place, a chance for the Phillies clinch. This time, its not for the division, its for the division series, and to the National League Championship Series.

The Brewers' lineup is the type of lineup Moyer usually has success against: young hitters, who he'll get to swing out in front. Moyer has faced the Brewers twice this year.

Line against Brew Crew in April:
6 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO

Line against Brew Crew in September:
5.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 SO

J.J Hardy and Prince Fielder each hit a homerun off him.

If Moyer can do something similar to these two starts, and keep the Phillies in the game like he has all year, the Phillies should be fine.

Moyer's opponent will be Dave Bush. Bush grew up watching the Phillies, so he's gonna want to give the Phillies the same pain they brought him.

Line vs Phils in April:
6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Utley, Dobbs, Burrell each hit a homerun off him.

Line vs. Phils in September:
6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

Howard hit a homerun off him.

The Phillies haven't done too much off him, but have did a little damage. They need to get some more hits with runners on base, and they should be good to go.

Photo Courtesy Phillies.com

Brew Crew/ Phils NLDS

The Milwaukee Brewers clinched the National League Wild Card. The Mets missed their chances and were eliminated for good. The Brew Crew is in the post season for the first time since 1982. They'll play the Phillies in the first round of the playoffs, the National League Division Series.

The Brewers can make the same mistake the Phillies made last year when they clinched: over celebrate.

Obviously, the city of Milwaukee is going to be pumped, and should be, especially since its been so long since they've made the playoffs. That was the Phillies case last year. They pretty much celebrated like it was the World Series, minus the parade.

The Phillies celebration this year was much shorter. Last year, they used twice as much champagne as they did this year. They know there is still baseball left and some unfinished business. The Phils have some playoff experience now, so they learned from last year.

Also, the Phillies had a chance to rest players this year for at least one extra day. The Brewers had to use their star players today. CC Sabathia started today, therefore will not pitch in the playoffs until the second or third game. The Phillies were in the same exact position last year, and got swept in the postseason.

Therefore, the Brew Crew is in the same boat the Phils were in last year, while the Phillies have a little more experience, and know what is in front of them.

Playoffs start on Wednesday.

You're Fired!

The Brewers have had enough. With 12 games left, the Brewers dismissed manager Ned Yost.

The Brewers started September 3-11, including being swept by the Mets and Phillies.

It looked as if it were Deja Vu for the Brewers, as they blew it down the stretch last year missing the playoffs. The Brewers have not made the post season since 1982.

Bench coach Dave Simmons was also fired.

Third base coach Dale Sveum will take over as manager for the remainder of the season.

Brewers general manager wasn't quite sure why he made the move at this time. He explained:

"The club is just not performing close to the way they performed earlier.
We
have 12 days left and we don't know what could jump-start the club.
This
was,
I guess, the only thing we thought had a chance of jump-starting
the
club."

QUOTE SOURCE: MLB.com

In words of Donald Trump: "You're Fired!"

A Sequel?

7 up, 17 to go. By now we all know the story. Could something similar happen again this year?

The Phillies move to within 2 games back of both the Divison and Wild Card with todays 7-3 win against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Phillies offense jumped quickly on Manny Parra. Parra last just 1.1 innings and gave up 5 earned runs. Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, and Ryan Howard each drove in runs off Parra.

Jimmy Rollins was a triple away from the cycle. He homered and drove in 2 runs. He also scored 3 runs. This was the 18th time in Rollins' career that he missed the cycle by one hit.

Hamels pitched 6.1 innings and gave up 2 earned runs. He gave up 6 hits, walked 3 and struck out 4.

Chad Durbin gave up a solo homerun to sophomore Ryan Braun in the 8th inning. The Phillies have had some trouble getting through the 8th, but they managed to survive today.

Up in Flushing, New York, the Mets flushed another win down the toilet. Johan Santana pitched 7 shutout innings. The Mets bullpen gave up a 2-0 lead as the Atlanta Braves won 3-2.

Wagner Crying
by TheFightins

The Mets are without Billy Wagner due to an injury. Wagner almost broke into tears as he said that he "pitched his last game as a Met." He will be out the rest of the year, and will not pitch in 2009. The Mets have an option for 2010, but its unlikely they will pick it up.

The Mets bullpen isn't very strong, and the question is, will they hold up? The Brewers haven't made the playoffs since 1982. They had a bit of a collapse as well last year. A sequel is all in the making.

As proved by the 2007 Colorado Rockies, 2006 St. Louis Cardinals, 2007 New York Giants, as well as other teams, the best team doesn't always win the big game. It's all about getting on a roll, getting hot at the right time. All you have to do is get to the playoffs, then go from there.

Time to Press the Panic Button?

With today's loss against the Marlins, the Phillies fell 3 games out of the division, and could possibly fall as far as 3.5 games back with a Mets win.

The Phillies also fell to 4 games out of the Wild Card. The Phillies have a crucial series with the Milwaukee Brewers, the current Wild Card leaders, coming up. A 4 game sweep would tie the Phillies and Brewers for the National League Wild Card lead.

The Phillies bullpen pitching has struggled as of late. The 8th inning has given the Phillies many troubles lately. Romero, Durbin, and Madson have all had their struggles during this time.

Kyle Kendrick and Joe Blanton had also had their struggles in the starting rotation over the past few weeks. Both of their troubles has been their command.

The offense has picked it up lately, especially Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard, and Jimmy Rollins.

Over the past 10 games, Werth is hitting .297 with 4 HR and 10 RBI.

Howard is hitting .390 with 5 HR and 13 RBI in his last 10 games. His strike out rate has alos cut down a bit.

Rollins is batting .364 with a HR and 6 stolen bases in his last 10 games.

However, Pat Burrell has been struggling. He has been about a month long slump. After a hot start, he has finally cooled off.

Jamie Moyer will face Ben Sheets tomorrow. Both are 13-7, but Sheet's ERA is a low 2.82. However, Sheets has had some a couple starts ago.

The good news for the Phillies is that they will not have to face CC Sabathia in the 4 game series.

Fielder, Parra, Dugout Fight.

The Milwaukee Brewers who were once tied with the Cubs this year, dropped to 5 games behind in the NL Central.

Yesturday, Manny Parra exited the game after allowing 6 earned runs in 6 innings. Russell Branyan pinched hit for him. Walking in the dugout, Prince Fielder had some words for him. And it turned out to be more than just words.

Prince Fielder shoved Parra, not once but twice. On the third shove attempt, Fielder was restrained from his teammates.

After the game, manager Ted Yost and the rest of the Brewers team downplayed the situation. They were focused on the team's loss to the Reds, and not the situation. Most of them said that it's not a big deal, and things like this can happen all the time. Everybody gets frustrated at times.

Parra said that the situation was settled, as Fielder refused to comment after the game.