Phillies News

"It was a showdown between two Opening Day starters who have headed in opposite directions since their initial starts: Brandon Webb, the 2006 National League Cy Young winner, recorded his eighth straight victory to start the season, stymieing a Phillies lineup that couldn't seem to make solid contact with a variety of pitches that hitters say you can't appreciate unless you're standing in the box. And there was Brett Myers, again trying in vain to put together back-to-back solid outings. That combination resulted in an 8-3 Diamondbacks win yesterday..."

"In the first inning of yesterday's 8-3 loss to the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, Shane Victorino provided an excellent example of just how much the Phillies have missed the speed and playmaking ability of a player like Jimmy Rollins, who was scheduled to meet the team in San Francisco today."

"White Sox righthander Gavin Floyd took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Twins this week. Last month, he had a no-no going into the eighth against Detroit. And you just know that's causing some indigestion down at One Citizens Bank Way. Floyd, of course, is the former Phillies No. 1 draft choice (fourth overall in 2001) who was disappointing in pinstripes and gladly traded to Chicago for Freddy Garcia before the 2007 season."

"Jimmy Rollins is back. Well, almost. Rollins flew to San Francisco yesterday and will join the Phillies today at AT&T Park, where they open a three-game series against the Giants tonight. Rollins, who has been on the disabled list since April 20 with a sprained left ankle, played three games this week on a rehab assignment in Clearwater, Fla."

"Brett Myers could not really explain what happened yesterday at Chase Field. He walked a couple of batters here. He surrendered a few broken-bat hits there. He made some good pitches the Arizona Diamondbacks hit. He made some bad pitches they crushed. It added up to another frustrating start for Myers, who allowed seven runs and nine hits in five innings of an 8-3 loss as the Phillies split the four-game series."

"Eight runs of support is plenty for Brandon Webb. The only drama left to unfold in the ninth inning on Thursday was whether Webb would actually finish what he started. The Phillies touched the Arizona right-hander for a pair of runs in the ninth, but he started a game-ending double play immediately after a meeting on the mound with manager Bob Melvin as Arizona won 8-3 at Chase Field."

"First, Chris Snyder tried to keep Bob Melvin from even visiting ace Brandon Webb on the mound in the ninth inning on Thursday afternoon, motioning toward the dugout that everything was fine. That didn't work. So when the Diamondbacks manager got there, Snyder did whatever it took to get Webb a chance at a complete-game victory. "Yeah, I was begging," Snyder admitted after Webb finished the job, getting Geoff Jenkins to hit into an unusual double play to wrap up the Diamondbacks' 8-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field."

"It was hardly a birthday Conor Jackson will cherish — he received a mouse under his right eye, a headache and some feelings of nausea after a collision at first base Wednesday. That was just the beginning of an eighth inning the Diamondbacks would just as soon forget. Shane Victorino reached first base on a strikeout and a passed ball after running into Jackson, and Eric Bruntlett and Chase Utley followed with run-scoring hits as Philadelphia scored twice for a 5-4 victory at Chase Field."

"Conor Jackson will remember his 26th birthday for quite a while. The Diamondbacks first baseman was involved in a vicious collision Wednesday night that played a pivotal role as the Philadelphia Phillies rallied for a 5-4 victory in front of a crowd off 21,260 at Chase Field. "

"On back-to-back nights, the Phillies have made someone in the Delaware Valley $1,000 richer. This time, the lucky recipient was Susan Fryer, of Little Egg Harbor, N.J., who has third baseman Pedro Feliz to thank. His one-out, two-run blast in the seventh inning last night momentarily tied the third game in a four-game series with Arizona at 3-3 in a game the Phils won, 5-4. Fryer, who could not be reached for comment, is the fourth winner of the Daily News Home Run Payoff this season and joins Philadelphia resident Gregory Fields as the second winner this month. Fields won Tuesday night on a Jayson Werth bomb."

" For the second time this season, a crucial late-inning run reached base on a strikeout, and for the second time the Phillies capitalized. They did not hit often, but they hit at the right times. Eric Bruntlett continued to seize his waning days as a regular, driving in the game-tying run with a double and scoring the game-winning run on a single by Chase Utley as the Phillies rallied in the eighth to beat Arizona, 5-4."

"AWELL-OILED baseball offense calls to mind Chinese water torture, with runs coming at a steady, even pace as hitters reach base and are subsequently cycled around toward home. For the first 5 weeks of this season, however, the bulk of the Phillies' production has come in the form of a pair of tidal waves named Pat Burrell and Chase Utley. But that can't last forever. Burrell has already cooled off slightly, with six hits in his last 29 at-bats heading into last night. And it's unreasonable to expect Utley to hit .360 with 60 home runs this season, his current homer pace."

"Adam Eaton opened the season with three consecutive quality starts and a 4.12 ERA, but his last four haven't been as good, and that could be reason to worry, considering his track record with the Phillies. Eaton has a 7.23 ERA in his last four starts. "Concerned? Yes. Worried? No," manager Charlie Manuel said after Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Diamondbacks."

"Jimmy Rollins could be back in the Phillies' lineup as early as tomorrow night against the San Francisco Giants. Finally. The Phillies have missed Rollins, who sprained his left ankle April 8 against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. He has been on the disabled list since April 20. Last night, he went 0 for 3 with a walk and turned two double plays in a rehabilitation game for single-A Clearwater. Unless he suffers a setback before tomorrow night, he seems likely to return."

"Shane Victorino looked a little like professional wrestler Rey Mysterio last night at Chase Field. First, they are a similar size. Mysterio is listed at 5-foot-6, 165 pounds, while Victorino is 5-8, 180. Second, they wear distinct headgear. Mysterio wears a mask, while Victorino is one of the few big-leaguers to don a double-flapped helmet. But perhaps most important, both can take a clothesline hit. Victorino survived first baseman Conor Jackson's inadvertent clothesline in the eighth inning of a 5-4 comeback win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, which kept the Phillies in a first-place tie with the Florida Marlins in the National League East."

"The Diamondbacks won the NL West on the strength of their bullpen last season, and their new relief corps is even better. Chad Qualls, Tony Pena and Brandon Lyon preserved Randy Johnson's 286th career victory with three scoreless innings in a 6-4 triumph over Philadelphia, with Johnson's bases-loaded walk and Stephen Drew's three-run home run in a five-run fifth providing the impetus."

"Shortstop Stephen Drew's name was second on the Diamondbacks' lineup card Tuesday night, a jump in the order, but his mind-set remained the same: Make something happen. Drew did just that in the fourth inning, belting a three-run home run that triggered a 6-4 Diamondbacks victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. "

"Mr. Evil Eye became Mr. Eagle Eye on Tuesday night. Randy Johnson, known for peering menacingly from behind his glove before going into his pitching wind-up, showed he also can judge pitches from the batter's box. Johnson walked on four pitches with the bases loaded in the fourth inning, forcing in a run to tie the score and paving the way for a three-run home run by shortstop Stephen Drew as the Diamondbacks defeated Philadelphia 6-4 in front of 26,234 fans at Chase Field."

"Bottom of the ninth. Tie game. Man on second. Two out. You need a hitter who will win you the game. Here's the catch: You have to pick a Phillies pitcher. Who's it going to be? "Hamels," manager Charlie Manuel said. "Eaton," reliever Chad Durbin said. "[Monday] night," hitting coach Milt Thompson said, "I'd send Moyer." "Wow," catcher Chris Coste said. "I could get in trouble with this." With the Phillies set to face hot-hitting Diamondbacks righthander Micah Owings tonight in the third of a four-game series, it seems as good a time as any to talk about that rarest of baseball arts: hitting as a pitcher."

"Ryan Howard will have to wait for his chance to face Arizona Diamondbacks lefthander Randy Johnson. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel held Howard from last night's starting lineup against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field because he thinks Howard has made progress lately against righthanded pitchers, but a bad night against Johnson, whom Howard has never faced, could push back that progress. "Ryan Howard has been staying on righthanders real good, and he's starting to swing better," Manuel said."

"Adam Eaton finally got a decision. He took the loss. Eaton had not earned a decision after his first six starts, becoming the first pitcher in Phillies history to go six starts into a season without a decision. But he ended that run the wrong way after he allowed five hits, six runs and three walks in four innings of last night's 6-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The loss dropped the Phillies into a first-place tie with the Florida Marlins in the National League East. Is there reason to worry about Eaton? "Concerned? Yes. Worried? No," manager Charlie Manuel said. "

"Phillies rightfielder Geoff Jenkins is a Brad Lidge expert, if you consider that no one has faced Lidge more than him. The former Milwaukee Brewer has six hits in 18 at-bats against Lidge. He has walked twice. "Most of those hits came off fastballs," Jenkins quickly pointed out before last night's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field."

"Three days ago, Jimmy Rollins said he's aiming to return to the Phillies' lineup before Mother's Day. Monday, he moved closer to that goal. Rollins, the MVP shortstop who has been sidelined with a sprained left ankle, played four innings of an extended spring training game in Clearwater, Fla. According to a team official, Rollins went 4-for-4 with three doubles, ran sprints after leaving the game, and most importantly, reported no pain. "

"Jamie Moyer signed his first professional contract 51 days before Max Scherzer and his 98-mph fastball were born in 1984, and Moyer chuckled Monday when asked how fast he threw when he broke in. "They didn't have radar guns back then," he deadpanned. Moyer, 45, showed again Monday that there is a place in the major leagues for command and control, limiting the Diamondbacks to six hits in seven innings in Philadelphia's 11-4 victory to spoil Scherzer's first major league start."

"Max Scherzer has a powerful fastball, one he used to dazzle fans in his major-league debut last week in a relief role. On Monday night, the 23-year-old was matched against a veteran almost twice his age, Jamie Moyer, a master of deception. Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin put the situation into perspective after Scherzer, making his first major-league start, lasted only four innings in an 11-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night before a crowd of 21,266 at Chase field."

"Jamie Moyer doesn't throw 95 mph, isn't 23 years old, and doesn't have two different colored eyes. So it's understandable that the veteran lefthander wasn't the marquee attraction in last night's series opener against the Diamondbacks, who sent highly touted - and heterochromatic - rookie Max Scherzer to the mound for his first-ever, big-league start. But what Moyer lacked in pregame billing - Come watch a guy throw 82 mph in his 558th career start! - he more than made up for in performance, pitching seven innings and going 2-for-3 with an RBI double while leading the Phillies to a 11-4 win."

"On the first day Jimmy Rollins was eligible to be activated from the disabled list, the Phillies received the first significant sign that the MVP shortstop's stay on the shelf could be drawing to a close. Rollins went 4-for-4 in an extended spring-training game in Clearwater, Fla., and, most importantly, reported no ill-effects from his four innings of work."

"WHEN I'M King of the World . . . More major league clubs will investigate "momentum pitching" as a viable alternative to the arm-killing, paint-by-numbers, minimalist style that gradually took over after the "no windup" motion was adopted in the 1960s . . . Briefly, former Red Sox journeyman Dick Mills has developed a delivery he claims increases velocity while decreasing arm strain. If you watched Tim Lincecum matching up with Phils No. 1 Cole Hamels, you saw the momentum delivery in action. The Giants' vest-pocket ace towers 5-11 and tips the scale at a robust 170. Take a look at Lincecum's delivery (videos available on MLB.com) and pay attention to four things: 1. His length of stride. 2. His three-quarter arm slot. 3. The low position of his hands as he begins a slow turn and the arm speed enhanced by the momentum generated by the long stride. 4. The high right leg whip on his follow-through."

"It seemed as if Ryan Howard had found his stroke Thursday, when he hit a home run to beat the San Diego Padres. Maybe not. He entered last night's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in an 0-for-11 slump with three walks and six strikeouts. Howard is hitting just .167 with six homers and 14 RBIs as the Phillies enter the sixth week of the season. But Charlie Manuel is in no rush to shuffle the lineup. Howard hit fourth last night, just like he has in every game since April 4, 2006, when he hit third. "I've thought about it," Manuel said. "I've thought about splitting [Chase Utley and Howard] up.""

"Jamie Moyer said he got what he deserved Wednesday in a loss to the San Diego Padres. He fell behind in the count often. He served up a lot of pitches right over the plate. He had no such problems last night in a 11-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Moyer (2-2) allowed just two runs and six hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out five. "It's still a work in progress," Moyer said. "I feel like I've taken some small steps, but the consistency that I would like is just not where I want it to be."

"Pat Burrell has been pounding the baseball since July, and everyone has a theory why. He's staying back on the ball and seeing it longer. He's not jumping out at pitches and becoming off-balance when he swings. His pitch selection is better. He's trying to use the whole field more. He's healthy. He wants to stay in Philadelphia beyond this season. He smells big free-agent dollars. He's a happy newlywed. Burrell downplayed this confluence of factors as he sat in front of his locker the other day."

"Pat Burrell hasn't won over tough-love sports fans of Philadelphia as much as he has won them back. Less than a year ago, Phillies fans booed their left fielder at every opportunity and couldn't wait for a trade that would send him out of town. Now, some of the biggest cheers at Citizens Bank Park are reserved for the former Bellarmine College Prep star, whose second-half revival helped carry the Phillies to the playoffs last season and who continues to be a driving force for the East Division leaders."

"The Giants did enough to beat Philadelphia Phillies emerging ace Cole Hamels on Sunday. They just did more damage to themselves in a frustrating 6-5 loss. Three errors led to five unearned runs, including the winner when a routine grounder went under rookie second baseman Eugenio Velez's glove, allowing Ryan Howard to score from second base with two out in the ninth inning. "We didn't play well," Manager Bruce Bochy said after the Giants' eighth one-run loss of the season and their second in three days against the Phillies. "We did offensively, but we've got to catch the ball."

" Aurilia had three extra-base hits for the first time in his 14-year career, including a tying two-out, two-run home run, and Castillo contributed a pair of run-scoring hits, the second a go-ahead RBI triple in the eighth inning. But Vinnie Chulk, after working out of a one-out, first-and-second jam in the seventh, allowed a tying home run to Carlos Ruiz in the eighth inning, and then second baseman Eugenio Velez's error with two out in the ninth allowed the Phillies to earn a 6-5 victory."

"Any team that pushes youth makes a Faustian bargain. There will be moments of uninhibited enthusiasm and excitement, but the payback will be lots of mistakes. When they come in bunches, the results can be cruel and painful, as the Giants sorely can attest. They lost to the Phillies 6-5 Sunday when rookie second baseman Eugenio Velez let Geoff Jenkins' easy grounder with two outs in the ninth inning slide under his glove into right field. Ryan Howard scored from second base, ending a series the Giants easily could have swept, but instead lost two games to one."

"With two outs in the ninth of a tied game, Eugenio Velez, in his 44th major league game, failed to field Geoff Jenkins' routine ground ball to his left. Rumbling Ryan Howard scored from second base, Randy Winn's throw from rightfield a tad late. It gave the Phillies a 6-5 win yesterday, their second walkoff win of the three-game series, in which they won two of three. "

"IMAGE MIGHT NOT be everything, but, apparently, it's something. In their second head-to-head matchup, so to speak, Phillies ace Cole Hamels, a 24-year-old portrait of San Diego suaveness, was outpitched by Giants cornerstone Tim Lincecum, a baby-faced, 23-year-old charcoal sketch of Northwest grit. "To me, he looks like a little clubhouse guy or something," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said, good-naturedly. "Or a bat boy, with long hair. I wouldn't say he's real pretty, neither." Lincecum pitched pretty."

"The Phillies are in the midst of a stretch in which they will face some serious pitching. Capital S. Capital P...Arizona will send rookie Max Scherzer to the mound against Jamie Moyer in the opener tonight. The 23-year-old righthander, a first-round pick in the 2006 draft, debuted in relief Tuesday night and retired all 13 batters he faced, seven on strikeouts. Scherzer's fastball topped out at 98 m.p.h. Tomorrow night, the Phils will face 44-year-old Randy Johnson, and while he's not the pitcher he used to be, he still has five Cy Young awards and is capable of dialing up a gem from time to time. On Wednesday, Arizona will send righthander Micah Owings (4-1, 4.42 in six starts) to the mound. The Phils will see righthander Brandon Webb in Thursday's series finale. "

"Geoff Jenkins was not exactly Carlton Fisk, waving that home run fair in the 1975 World Series, but he did do a pretty good job encouraging the baseball to find its way into the outfield in the bottom of the ninth inning yesterday at Citizens Bank Park. "Get through, get through," Jenkins shouted as he ran up the first-base line after hitting a ball to the left of San Francisco Giants second baseman Eugenio Velez. The ball did get through, but that was only half of the deciding play that earned the Phillies a 6-5 walk-off win over the Giants."

"One of the most captivating baseball careers of the last 20 years took another twist last week. John Smoltz's decision to remove himself from the Atlanta rotation and return to the bullpen could have major repercussions in the National League East race. Plagued by right shoulder problems that have pushed him onto the disabled list, he announced last week that his days as a starting pitcher are over. He no longer thinks his 40-year-old pitching arm can handle the rigors of 200-inning seasons and 100-pitch outings. Smoltz should know."

"Chase Utley stood at his locker before Saturday's game primed to answer questions about being named the National League player of the month. As expected, his facial expression barely changed -- that is until he heard what he would be honored with -- a 52-inch Sharp AQUOS high definition television. ''Really? Awesome,'' the Phillies second baseman said. ''That's a first. I'll probably find a space for it.''"

"On Friday, the Phillies examined their top-ranked bullpen and, realizing that it has just one left-handed reliever, decided to rearrange their priorities. So they released lefty Vic Darensburg and infielder Chris Woodward from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and promoted Antonio Bastardo -- the minor league pitcher of the month with a 2-0 record and 1.17 ERA at Class A Clearwater -- to Double-A Reading. By doing so, the Phillies sent a message that their bullpen needs some versatility."

"Aaron Rowand trotted out to center field in the bottom half of the first inning of Friday night's game between his San Francisco Giants and the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park and did that familiar head bob to say thanks for the ovation from a mostly appreciative Phillies' crowd. That doesn't mean he should have been re-signed by the Phillies this past December. Rowand stepped out of the batter's box one half inning later and tipped his helmet to a much larger ovation from a fan base long seen as tough on visitors, but certainly thankful for the two seasons Rowand spent with the team."

"By almost any measure, Pat Burrell is in the midst of the greatest offensive tear of his career. And before Saturday night's game, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel ran down a checklist of reasons for the left fielder's success. "It's the best I've seen him hit because he's been driving the ball to right field," said Manuel, a hitting guru. "He's got a better setup. He's got a little rhythm going. And he's got a quick bat. Right now, his swing is powerful." Then, there's that other, less overt, explanation. For the first time in his career, Burrell is playing for a new contract."

"Almost a year to the day of his big league debut, Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum has an opportunity at a do-over of sorts against the Philadelphia Phillies. Last May 6 at AT&T Park, Lincecum faced virtually the same Phillies lineup he'll see today at Citizens Bank Park. His pitching counterpart is the same guy: Cole Hamels."

"The 10th inning couldn't have gone much better for Giants closer Brian Wilson on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. Wilson, who less than 24 hours earlier allowed a walk-off, two-out, two-run 10th-inning homer to Philadelphia's Pat Burrell, got the three outs he needed to preserve the Giants' 3-2 victory."

"For the second game in a row, they grabbed a one-run lead in the 10th inning, this time on an RBI single by their one tried-and-true money hitter, Bengie Molina. They had a chance to break the game open, but for the second time left the bases loaded. That forced Brian Wilson to save a one-run lead one night after he blew one. He did it, the Giants won 3-2 and their rookie closer got a 50,000-watt jolt of confidence. Wilson was desperate to atone, too."

"For having performed so well during the month of April, Chase Utley has to find a place in his home to fit a large, high-definition television. That's the prize Utley received for winning National League player-of-the-month honors yesterday. The Phillies second baseman hit .352 in April, with 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 21 RBIs and a .741 slugging percentage. As is his custom, Utley preferred to look at the team's success during the month instead of his own. But he said the key for him is to work at his game every day."

"Cashman is in the final year of his contract and missing the playoffs could surely result in a change of GMs. That would make Cashman a free agent. And that would put him in play in Philadelphia, where there will be a job opening when Pat Gillick retires in the fall. Cashman was between contracts when Gillick got the job in the fall of 2005. The Yankees GM was thinking about where he might end up if he was not renewed, and the Phillies job appealed to him. He admitted that in this space in 2005."

"Myers had the stuff. He pitched seven solid innings and struck out a season-high 10 against the San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, the Phillies managed just three hits - none after the fifth inning - and lost, 3-2, on a Bengie Molina RBI single in the 10th, in front of a chilled sellout crowd of 43,804 at Citizens Bank Park. Chase Utley and Geoff Jenkins accounted for the Phillies' runs with solo homers."