Mailbag: Phillies/Giants Matchup

In this post, I answered questions presented by Pat Gallen of Phillies Nation. Click the link to see answers from other bloggers. If you have a question, please e-mail me at amanda@swingandalongdrive.com.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how worried are you to face the Giants (10 being most worried, 1 being least worried)?

I'd give it an 8. Comparing offenses, the Reds are superior to the Giants. However, when it comes to pitching, there is no argument; the Giants have one of the best staffs in the league. They led the majors with a 3.36 team ERA, .236 batting average against, and 1331 strikeouts.

Tim Lincecum had a "down year," but his 14 strikeouts/complete game shutout in the NLDS indicate what he is capable of. He'll remain a top pitchers for several years. It goes beyond Lincecum, though. Actually, Matt Cain was better, posting a 3.14 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. The pitching doesn't stop there. Jonathan Sanchez, another strikeout pitcher, had a 3.07 ERA this season. The Phillies arguably have the edge with a 1-2-3 punch of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels, but the Giants are not too far behind.

The Phillies clearly put up the better offensive numbers. The Giants no longer have Barry Bonds, or anybody that puts up a huge power display, although they do have a good core of players that can hurt opposing pitchers. This year's Giants offense is much improved as opposed to the past few years. Pablo Sandoval didn't live up to his expectations this year, but he is always a threat. Aubrey Huff had a very good year. Rookie Buster Posey has yet to let anybody down. While the Giants may not have the best offensive numbers as a team, they do have guys then can cause some damage.

What one player do you fear the most?

Tim Lincecum is an obvious pick, but I'll go with Jonathan Sanchez who is 3-1 with a 2.86 ERA in nine career games against the Phillies. He has 40 strikeouts in 34.2 innings. As a whole, the Phillies have collected a batting average of .175 against Sanchez.

Phillies Aim To Sweep Giants

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San Francisco Giants (67-54) at Philadelphia Phillies (68-51)
Jonathan Sanchez (8-8 3.60 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (7-9, 3.33 ERA)

Two days ago, the Philadelphia Phillies trailed the San Francisco Giants in the National League Wild Card. Now, the Phillies are on the verge of sweeping them.

Too many times, Cole Hamels has fell a victim of lack of run support. Hamels is coming off an outing in which he only allowed one run, however the Phillies only managed one hit off R.A Dickey. It has been a reoccurring theme for Hamels. The Giants have a tremendous pitching staff, and have another solid starter today, but the Phillies have been tacking on runs throughout this series. Hamels hopes to get more run support so he can get a win for a change. He is in the midst of a hot streak, posting a 1.82 earned run average in his last five starts.

Sanchez has had a decent year for the Giants. Recently, he has had some trouble making it through six innings, but he still has good numbers for the year. He is a strikeout pitcher, but occasionally can get wild.

Moyer's Gem Can't Make Up for Bats

As seen on Phillies Nation.

There aren’t too many complaints about the Phillies’ pitching of late. The starting pitchers and bullpen have dazzled hitters over the past couple of weeks. Jamie Moyer continued his success against the Florida Marlins, but unfortunately wasn’t perfect.

Moyer limited the Marlins to just one run on four hits over six innings of work. He struck out two.

The lone run came off the bat of Ronnie Paulino, who singled on a ground ball to right field, bringing in Hanley Ramirez. The sixth inning run broke the tie, but the Phillies were never able to produce runs offensively.

Anibal Sanchez limited the Phillies to just three hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out seven. The Phillies did not have any luck against the Florida bullpen either.

The Phillies left eight men on base, and were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The 1-0 loss makes it the fifth time the Phillies have been shutout in the last eight games.

The Phillies still managed to take two out of three from the Marlins, but they are still lost offensively. The Phillies despertely need to find their bats.

Moyer Looks to Continue Filet-ing of Fish

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Philadelphia Phillies (28-20) at Florida Marlins (24-26).
Jamie Moyer (5-4, 4.55 ERA) vs. Anibal Sanchez (4-2, 3.23 ERA).

No, it wasn't a dream. That really happened. Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game!. It's still unbelievable.

Many would assume that the Marlins would be bummed after getting no-hit, but Cody Ross had a different approach to the perfect game. "It's the best pitcher in baseball. It's not embarrassing," Cody Ross said. The Marlins are probably going to come out swinging today.

While we are all still thinking about perfection, Jamie Moyer will take the hill against a team he has had so much success against. Moyer is 13-5 with a 3.18 ERA against Florida. At Sun Life Stadium, his ERA is a minuscule 1.66.

Moyer will be opposed by Anibal Sanchez, who has a no hitter on his resume. Sanchez has struggled against the Phillies, going 2-5 with a 5.70 ERA against the Phillies. When he is on, Sanchez has no-hit material, but is wild when he is off. The way the Phillies offense has been going, the edge could go to Sanchez.

This would be a perfect time for the Phillies to turn around their offensive struggles. It would also be a nice time for a sweep.

Halladay Tries to Stop the Bleeding vs. Giants

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The Philadelphia Phillies (11-7) face the San Francisco Giants (10-8). Roy Halladay (4-0, 0.82 ERA) starts vs. Jonathan Sanchez (1-1, 1.86 ERA)

The Phillies are coming off a frustrating loss, and hope that Roy Halladay can stop the bleeding. He's done it a few times this year. Halladay will open the series in San Francisco against Jonathan Sanchez and the Giants.

The bullpen has been shaky of late, however Halladay likes to give the bullpen a rest. Including his last few starts in Toronto, Halladay is 6-0 with 0.53 earned run average, four complete games, and three shutouts in his last six starts. The Giants have scored a few runs off Halladay thus far, but Halladay has proven that he can settle down and pitch a gem.

Ryan Howard is fresh off his 5-year, $125 million contract, and would like to show fans why he's worth that amount. Howard has faced Sanchez 12 times in his career, collecting a .250 average against him.

Overall, Sanchez is starting the year off on the right foot. He's been collecting strikeouts right and left. Sanchez has a tendency to become wild though. Working the count and drawing walks will be key for the Phillies against Sanchez.

Phils Attempt to Clinch Home Field

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Florida Marlins (86-74) at Philadelphia Phillies (92-68)

Anibal Sanchez, RHP (3-8, 4.10 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels, LHP (10-10, 4.25 ERA)

The regular season is quickly coming to a close. The Phillies already clinched, but it will still be an intense series at The Bank. In game 161, the Phillies continue to fight for home field advantage. The Phillies dropped last night's game to the Marlins, so this is a "must win" in order to win to keep their home field hopes alive.

Cole Hamels will make his last tuneup before the postseason. Hamels would like to end his roller coaster season on a positive note. Against the Marlins this season, Hamels is 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA in 17.1 innings. Marlins hitters are batting .254 against him. Chris Coghlan is 4-for-7 with two home runs against Hamels.

Hamels will be opposed by Anibal Sanchez. In the second game of a double header, Sanchez tossed eight scoreless innings against the Phillies. If Sanchez is on, he can be really good. However, if he is off, he can be very wild.

Today's lineup: All the regulars are in. On a side note, the Phillies added some pitching depth, recalling Antonio Bastardo.

Rollins SS, Victorino CF, Utley 2B, Howard 1B, Ibanez LF, Werth RF, Feliz 3B, Ruiz C, Hamels P.

September Starts With Giants

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San Francisco Giants (72-59) at Philadelphia Phillies (75-53)
Jonathan Sanchez (6-10, 4.27 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (7-8, 4.52 ERA)

The calender turns to September 1. The dog days of summer are coming to a close, but the pennant races are just getting started. Before we know it, we'll be breaking out the rally towels. It's crunch time.

A team could make a magical run like the Rockies in 2007, or an embarrassing collapse like the Mets did that same year. With a comfortable lead, the Phillies are in a good position, but anything can happen. On the flip side, the Giants are fighting for a playoff spot, tied with the Rockies in the Wild Card.

The Giants took three games out of four when these two teams met about a month ago. The Giants pitching was able to silent the Phillies offense. The offense still is having problems driving in runners in scoring position.

Sanchez gave up two runs in 5.2 innings against the Phillies. Since he threw his no-hitter on July 10, he is 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA and opponents are batting .168 against him. Chase Utley is 3-for-6 in his career against Sanchez, including a home run off him.

Hamels got lit up when he faced the Giants earlier this year. He gave up seven runs (6 earned) on ten hits in five innings. However, Cole will try to build consistency coming off an eight inning shutout against the Pirates.

Phils Drop 2nd Straight To G-Men

Originally posted on Phillies Nation.

Cole Hamels is supposed to be the stopper. The Phillies offense is supposed to score many runs. It didn't work out in the series finale with the San Francisco Giants.

In the bottom of the second, Aaron Rowand's RBI triple gave the Giants a 1-0 lead. Jimmy Rollins tied the game with a solo home run down the left field line. Jayson Werth's infield single led to a throwing error by second baseman Freddy Sanchez. On the play, Chase Utley scored to give the Phillies the lead. Carlos Ruiz's RBI single made it 3-1 in the fifth inning.

It appeared that the Phillies were in good position to win, but the Giants fought back and scored six unanswered runs. Sanchez, who was making his first start since being traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates, doubled in a run which tied the game at three.

With two outs in the fifth, Hamels could see his way out of the inning. Pablo Sandoval placed the ball perfectly in between the mound, first, and second. Since Sandoval is a slow runner, Ryan Howard had a chance to throw him out because he fielded the ball cleanly. Instead, he threw the ball away and the go-ahead run scored. The Giants did not look back.

Hamels pitched five innings and allowed seven runs, six earned, on ten hits and two walks. He struck out two, but it was not a pretty line for Hamels.

Hamels was not backed by his offense either. During the current road trip, the Phillies have had trouble hitting with runners in scoring position. Today, they could barely get runners into scoring position.

The Giants won, 7-3, taking three out of four games against the Phillies. The west coast is no joke, as they are surprisingly one of the stronger divisions in baseball.

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)

Pirates Sellers At Deadline

With all the hoopla surrounding Cliff Lee, the Pittsburgh Pirates moves were overshadowed.

The Giants just finished a three game sweep of the Pirates. Moments later, a Pirate switched clubhouses, joing the G-men.

The Pirates traded Freddy Sanchez to the San Francisco Giants for minor league pitcher Tim Alderson. The 20 year old Alderson was ranked the Giants fourth best prospect and 26th best prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America.

Because of a knee injury, Sanchez proposed a 3 year $20 million offer to the Pirates, which they turned down.

Sanchez is batting .296 with 6 HR and 34 RBI. He won the 2006 batting title.

It wasn't the only move the Pirates made. The Pirates and Seattle Mariners made a seven player deal.

The Mariners acquired Jack Wilson and Ian Snell for Ronny Cedeno and minor leaguers Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin and Nathan Adcock. The Pirates will also pay almost all of Snell's and Wilson's contract for the remainder of the season.

Sanchez Throws No-No

Tim Lincecum came close to a no hitter a few days ago. However, it was another member of the San Francisco Giants that pitched a no-no.

Jonathan Sanchez was making his first start since June 22 after being moved to the bullpen. He threw the first no-hitter of the 2009 season in the Giants 8-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Sanchez was replacing Randy Johnson's spot in the rotation after he was placed on the disabled list with a straiend his shoulder. Coincidentilly, Johsnon threw the Major's last perfect game.

In the ninth inning, Aaron Rowand saved both the no hitter and the shutout with a leaping catch over the ball robbing Edgar Gonzalez.

The final out came on a strikeout to Everth Cabrera. Appropriate since Sanchez set a career high 11 strikeouts.

Call of the Day: In 1990, Terry Mulholland threw a no hitter.

"Line drive. Great grab! Charlie Hayes! And Mulholland has pitched
the first nine inning no-hitter in the history of the Vet."

Team Effort

The Philadelphia Phillies took game two of the series against the Flordia Marlins. The Phillies shut out the Marlins 5-0.

Kyle Kendrick earned the win while pitching 6 shutout innings. Kendrick did give up 5 walks, but got out of jams without being touched up. He gave up just 4 hits, and struck out 4.

Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson finished off the game allowing just one hit, and no runs.

With Jeff Karstens flirting with a no hitter (well, perfect game) in Pittsburgh earlier today, the Phillies would have to face Anibal Sanchez, who threw a no hitter of his own two years ago. Sanchez' no hitter was against the Diamondbacks, and Karstens near pefect game was against the Diamondbacks. Chris Young broke it up with a double after 7.2 scoreless innings. Karstens was apart of the Xavier Nady trade which sent Nady to the Yankees.

But the Phillies offense started off quickly. No no-no tonight. Chase Utley quickly extended his hitting streak to 11 games as he doubled in the first inning to drive in Shane Victorino.

In the second inning, Eric Bruntlett would also hit an RBI double to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. The next batter would be pitcher Kyle Kendrick. Not only did he do in on the mound, but he did it at the plate. He also drove in a run on a fielders choice.

In the fourth, Ryan Howard would hit his 32nd homerun to left center field to give the Phillies a 4-0 lead. He is now tied for the major league lead in homeruns with the Cincinnati Reds' Adam Dunn. When Howard is going the other way, that's a great sign. That's when he is hitting his best.

Mike Cervenak also got into the action. He got his first major league hit and RBI in his 3rd major league at bat.

Not only did the Phillies hit and pitch, they also played great defense behind Kendrick. They made all the plays.

With the good news, there is always some bad news for Tom Gordon. In his rehab appearance in Single A Clearwater, he was removed from the game with right elbow discomfort.

The Phillies take a 2.5 game lead in the National League East. Cole Hamels will try to rebound tomorrow from a rough outing his last time out.