Texas Headlines Day 3 of Winter Meetings

The Texas Rangers made the most headlines during day three of the Winter Meetings:

Rich Harden is close to a deal with the Rangers, which would be a terrific move. When healthy, Harden can be a great pitcher. The Rangers have a great offense, however their pitching could use a boost, although they have a lot of up and coming talent in Scott Feldman and other starters. Their bullpen was toward the top in ERA (3.95) last season. With their potent offense and improved pitching, the Rangers could finally get over the hump and be in the playoffs.

Speaking of the Rangers and pitching, they traded Kevin Millwood to the Baltimore Orioles for Chris Ray. I'm not sure how much of an upgrade this is. Ray was great in 2005 and 2006. He had Tommy John Surgery in 2007 and hasn't returned to his old form. He had an awful 2009: an ERA over seven. Millwood was one of the Rangers best pitchers in 2009, but he has had a history of injuries. The move serves as a salary dump more than anything. Millwood had a 3.67 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 2009.

The Rangers are done yet. They're also discussing a deal with the Red Sox for Mike Lowell.

Staying in the state of Texas, the Houston Astros acquired Matt Lindstrom from the Florida Marlins. The Marlins will receive Robert Bono and Luis Bryan.

Francisco's Homer Makes Up For Lidge

It was fitting that Ben Francisco caught Alfonso Soriano's fly ball to end the game. After all, Francisco played hero by picking up the pieces for an offense that continued to struggle with runners in scoring position, and a closer that failed at a save attempt.

The Cubs were the first to get on the board. Jake Fox's RBI single in the third and Soriano's sacrifice fly gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead.

J.A Happ allowed only two runs, but wasn't the J.A we're used to seeing. He lacked command, but wiggled out of jams. He gave up seven hits, walked four, and struck out three in six innings. A couple key double plays helped Happ avoid further damage as the Cubs left a total of 12 men on base throughout the evening.

On the other hand, Rich Harden was dealing. He was perfect through five innings. In the sixth, Carlos Ruiz drew a huge walk. Not only did it end the perfect game, but Jimmy Rollins followed with a home run to end the no-hitter and the shutout. The homer tied the game at two.

The Phillies were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base. However, an important run came without a hit. Ruiz drew another big walk. Shane Victorino was plunked, and Chase Utley walked to load the bases.

Surprisingly, Lou Pineilla did not have a left-handed pitcher ready to face the Phillies lefties. Instead, he left it up to Carlos Marmol, who was having trouble finding the strike zone. Patient, Ryan Howard drew a walk to bring the run home. The Phillies took a 3-2 lead.

Lidge has the highest earned run average and the most blown saves among any reliever in baseball. The Phillies would have liked some insurance. Ruiz came close to it-- well, not really. Ruiz hit a fly ball to left field that was clearly foul. Originally, the umpire ruled it fair, but it was reviewed and overturned. Ruiz grounded out to end the inning.

Lidge started the ninth by walking Kosuke Fukudome. With the wind blowing in, the Cubs played small ball, and Ryan Theroit bunted him over. Next, Milton Bradly singled which drove in Fukudome. It tied the game at three, and Lidge blew another save. Lidge didn't give up anything else, so the game headed to extra innings.

Tyler Walker and Scott Eyre did a tremendous job keeping the game knotted at three. In the 11th, it looked like Milton Bradley won the game for the Cubs as he started his trot around the bases. Victorino lined up against the ivy wall and made the catch. Walker and Eyre got hitters out and gave the offense a chance.

Kevin Gregg left a curveball in Francisco's wheelhouse, and he drove a bomb into the left field basket. The Phillies took a 4-3 lead in the twelfth inning on Francisco's twelfth home run of the year. Francisco now has more homers in the month of August (2) than Utley, Howard, and Raul Ibanez combined (0).

Chad Durbin finished with the save to secure the 4-3 win. It was a long night filled with a range of emotions, but the Phillies pulled this one off.

Phils Open Series at Wrigley

For full gameday, visit Phillies Nation.

Philadelphia Phillies (61-48) at Chicago Cubs (58-52)
J.A Happ (8-2, 2.74 ERA) vs. Rich Harden (7-7, 4.41 ERA)

The Phillies start their road trip at Wrigley Field. They'll take on the Cubs, who are three games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. The Cubs and Phillies last met in July. The Phillies took two out of three, however, the Cubs ended the Phils 10 game winning streak.

Rich Harden pitched well in his pitchers' duel against Joe Blanton. Harden pitched seven innings, allowed one run and struck out six, receiving the no-decision (Jayson Werth's walk off home run against tomorrow's starter, Jeff Samardzija). Harden has been a hot pitcher of late; he is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 41 strikeouts in his last five starts. His seven solid innings isn't the only dominance he has had against the Phillies. Overall, he has given up two runs and struck out 22 in 20 innings against the Phillies in his career.

The Phillies will send J.A Happ to the mound, who has been solid all year. The rookie is coming off a complete game shutout against the Colorado Rockies.

Although manufacturing runs off Harden may not be easy, Wrigley is a perfect place for the offense to resurrect. Chances are, the wind will be blowing out, perfect for a team that likes to hit the long ball.

Werthy of a Walk Off

As seen on Phillies Nation.

Last month, the Phillies were finding different ways to lose each game. This month, the Phillies are finding new ways to win.

It was an Oakland Athletics reunion as former teammates Joe Blanton and Rich Harden were in the midst of a pitcher’s duel. Blanton allowed one earned run on five hits in seven innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out five. Harden also pitched seven innings and allowed one earned run. He allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out six.

The runs came on Jimmy Rollins’ solo home run in the third inning and Kosuke Fukudome’s RBI double in the fourth. Blanton and Harden took care of the rest.

Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge combined for two hitless innings out of the ‘pen. Lately, everything has been falling the Phillies way. Aramis Ramirez attempted to steal, but Fukudome grounded into a double play. The ball bounced off Lidge's leg. In perfect position, Rollins caught the ricochet and turned the twin-killing. An inning later, Raul Ibanez made an unbelievable diving catch. The defense was key.

Chan Ho Park was a big factor in the win, eating three innings. He did not allow a baserunner and struck out five. His spectacular performance gave the Philliesa chance to win. The bullpen was tremendous. The problem was the nine men the offense left on base.

After Clay Condrey tossed a 1-2-3 top of the 13th, Jeff Samardzija got two easy outs to start the bottom half of the inning. Walks to Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez gave Jayson Werth a chance for his first career walk-off home run. He didn’t disappoint. He crushed a fly ball to deep left. He knew it; the crowd knew it. Game over!

The exciting 4-1 win was the Phillies tenth consecutive win. It has been eighteen years since the Phillies won ten straight. There couldn’t have been a better site in Philadelphia tonight than watching Werth being mobbed at home plate by his teammates.

2nd Chance for Blanton After Washout

For full gameday, visit Phillies Naiton.

The Chicago Cubs (47-44) play the Philadelphia Phillies (52-38) tonight.

Rich Harden (6-6, 5.06 ERA) is the starter vs. Joe Blanton (6-4, 4.44 ERA).

The Phillies will attempt their tenth straight victory. They haven't won ten in a row since 1991 when they won 13 straight.

The rain wiped out Joe Blanton's last start after 1.1 innings. He gave up two runs on 24 pitches, but luckily for him, the game was postponed. The rescheduled game will not be until September, but Blanton will start today, three days after the washout. In his last nine starts, Blanton is 4-1 with a 2.44 earned run average.

After blowouts, the Phillies always seem to have trouble scoring in the following night. After a ten-run outburst, the Phillies need to keep up their offense against a struggling Rich Harden. Harden has a 5.06 ERA, but was better in his last start. Granted, he faced the Nationals, but on the road he is 5-1 with a 2.17 ERA.