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Phillies Best Braves: Player Report and Rotation Rumors

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 7-4 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida on what turned out to be a chilly night. Roy Halladay once again showed that he is as advertised pitching 3 shut out innings. Halladay again had complete control of all of his pitches as he baffled the Braves. Despite getting a hit off of Halladay, Chipper Jones told reporters how impressed he was with Halladay's stuff.

Ryan Madson was much less impressive as he had very little command of his pitches and could not find the strike zone. It is his second less than impressive appearance but it is still very early. With J.C. Romero probably not breaking with the team, the pressure is back on Madson as he will start the season as the only bridge to Lidge. Madson did not look to be pushing off the mound well. Whether it was that or just early spring jitters remains to be seen.

Philadelphia Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson said that he has been working with Ryan Howard to hit the ball the other way. In batting practice the other day, Howard was doing a great job inside outing the ball. Well, the practice paid off in the second inning as Howard went with a pitch and hit an opposite field single. If Howard can perfect this, he will hit over .300 again and teams will second guess using the shift on him making him more dangerous than ever. The next batter, Jayson Werth, showed that they would not be outdone and hit an opposite field homerun and an opposite field single. Greg Dobbs also added an opposite field hit in the fourth inning. Obviously Thompson's teaching method is working.

Danys Baez was close around the plate but also struggled to throw strikes. He looked like he was trying to aim his pitches. He has a strange "herky jerky" delivery. The good news was that his fastball had nice movement on it. Watching him throw over the last week or so has me less sold on this pick up. Again, it is very early, but he just has not been impressive. He was able to pitch his way out of trouble though which showed his experience. 

Andrew Carpenter looked good pitching 3 innings while striking out 2 batters and only allowing 1 hit. He still does not look major league ready though. Shane Victorino saw his first action of the spring and went 1-3 after missing time with a sore shoulder. 

The other buzz around camp is about the number 5 spot in the rotation. Rich Dubee told Kyle Kendrick that he has to win the job over veteran Jamie Moyer. Dubee said that Kendrick would pitch in regular "A" games while Moyer will continue to pitch in "B" games. 

The pitching coach said that the only thing that Moyer has to prove is his health. Kendrick needs to prove that he can pitch well consistently. While Dubee's thought process makes sense, consider this. Kendrick is not a good fit for the bullpen. Moyer is. Moyer showed last season that he can come in the game in mop up situations and give the Phillies a chance to get back in the game. He also would give the Phillies an extra starter if someone gets scratched or the team has a double header. Kendrick certainly needs to prove himself before he earns the rotation spot. But to say that he has to "take the job" from Moyer, other than giving Kyle some additional motivation, is probably not the right thing for the team.

The Phillies head to Dunedin again tomorrow to face the Blue Jays. They will also have a "B" game at Bright House Field.

Phillies vs Braves 3/9/2010 Lineup From Orlando

The Philadelphia Phillies are in Orlando to face the Atlanta Braves in Grapefruit League play. The Braves look to be the biggest competitor for the Phillies in the National League East this year and tonight's game will be a preview of what both teams have to offer. 

If you are not in Orlando, the game can be seen on the MLB Network. Roy Halladay takes the hill for the Phillies as the Braves counter with Kenshin Kawakami.

The Phillies and Braves lineups are below, game chat is in the comments section or in our new discussion forum!

Phillies Lineup:

1. Rollins SS
2. Victorino CF
3. Dobbs 3B
4. Howard 1B
5. Werth RF
6. Francisco LF
7. Schneider C
8. Bocock 2B
9. Halladay P

Braves Lineup:

1. McLouth CF
2. Prado 2B
3. Jones 3B
4. Glaus 1B
5. McCann C
6. Escobar SS
7. Heyward RF
8. Cabrera LF
9. Kawakami P

Highs and Lows of Spring

Here are some highlights from the last 2 Spring games:

3/7 vs. Tampa Bay; final score 5-3, Tampa:  JA Happ started the game and went 2 1/3 scoreless innings; he did walk 2 batters, but overall looked good.  But even better news was that newbie Phillipe Aumont recovered from his Phillies debut, which was a 5-run pounding in less than inning against Florida State.  Against the Rays, he went 2 2/3 scoreless innings with 1 walk and 2 hits.  Time for Aumont to exhale; he is back in top prospect form.

Joe Savery, on the hand, has a rough inning where he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits.  Savery is a former first round draft pick of the Phillies but sadly, The 6’3” lefty has never looked comfortable on the mound.  He has a 4.14 ERA in 3 years of minor league play.

The polar opposite of Savery has been young outfield propect Domonic Brown; he continues to impress this Spring and went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI against the Rays.  He also threw a runner out at home, just for good measure.  New bench piece Ross Gload also went 3 for 5 in the game in the DH role.

3/8 vs. Yankees; final score 7-5, Yanks:  Kyle Kendrick is putting the pressure on Jamie Moyer in competition for the 5th starters spot.  Kendrick went 3 solid innings allowing just one hit and no runs.  But more than that, he looked comfortable and confident.  I suppose sporting that Roy Halladay look-alike beard has given him an ego boost ;o)

And then in the opposite category, Jose Contreras looked horrible today.  He could not seem to throw a first pitch strike, worked behind almost every batter in the count and as a result, he allowed 6 runs on 3 walks and 6 hits over only 1 2/3 innings.  Luckily, the Phillies have very little invested in the righty so if he does not shape up, no big deal.  Then again, Contreras was supposed to be an upgrade over the departed Chan Ho Park; do I smell a huge disappointment on the horizon?  Hmmmm….

Incidentally, Contreras began his career with the Yankees and his signing in 2002 is what precipitated the Yankee nickname, “Evil Empire.”  It is said that the Red Sox were so intent on signing Contreras that they booked every hotel room in the area of Cuba where Contreras was to keep the Yanks away.  In the end, they still lost out to the Yankees and the Sox owner allegedly threw a chair through a window in anger.  This is just a rumor, of course :O)

As for the bat today, Ryan Howard finally got his first, and then second, hit of Spring against the Yankees.  Whew!  But the big blast of the day came off the bat of Jimmy Rollins.  Pitcher Javier Vazquez made his return to the Yankees today since departing in 2005 and his very first pitch was taken out of the park by Rollins.  1 pitch, 1 homer – nice. 

Rollins had 2 hits in the game as did Howard, Chase Utley and John Mayberry Jr., who knocked the second Phillies homer of the game in the 6th inning.  But while the bat were popping, the outing by Contreras put the Phils in a hole they could not climb out of.

Shane Victorino was still missing from the line-up, but it appears he may make his Spring debut tomorrow against the Braves at 7:05pm.  His sore shoulder has been an issue so far this Spring and the Phillies are playing it safe with him.  But hopefully the Flyin’ Hawaiian will take flight again tomorrow night.

And congratulations to reader "Donna" who was the first person to find the mistake on the new Cliff Lee Topps trading card from Saturday's blog.  Topps photoshopped an old Phillies card to change the Phillies uniform to a Mariners uniform but they forgot to remove the "HK" patch from the new Mariners version.  The "HK" patch was a Phillies-only items that the team wore in 2009 in honor of the late Harry Kalas.

 

Photos by ESPN.com

Romero Unlikely For Opening Day

J.C. Romero has looked good in his bullpen sessions so far this Spring. He has been on a throwing program from the mound every other day and his fastball has had pop to it. With that being said, it was a little surprising when he told reporters this morning that he would not be ready for opening day.

Romero is probably just being cautious, but that is a good thing as the team needs him to be 100% out of the bullpen this year. Romero's timetable has now been set to join the team for opening day in Philadelphia or just after. The opening will give Antonio Bastardo, Sergio Escalona, or Mike Zagurski a shot to make the roster for at least the first week of the season. 

It is smart on the Phillies and Romero's part to take baby steps and make sure he is truly good to go. The last thing the Phillies need is for Romero to be down or for him to reinjure his repaired left elbow. As far as replacements go, Bastardo is the only one throwing anything like a major league pitcher so far this spring although even he is a stretch. If the bullpen suffers injuries, the Phillies will need to make a trade as they have no depth in the bullpen in the farm system. Phillippe Aumont has been mentioned, but after seeing his first two appearances this spring, he is another question mark.

Phillies vs Yankees 3/8/2010 Lineup From Tampa, Victorino Update

The Philadelphia Phillies head to Tampa and George Steinbrenner Field to face the New York Yankees in Grapefruit League action. Kyle Kendrick will get the start in his second spring appearance and is scheduled to be followed by Jose Contreras, Chad Durbin, and Scott Mathieson. 

Shane Victorino who has been missing time with a sore shoulder will start his first game tomorrow against the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies have been downplaying the injury. Hopefully this will be the last we hear about it.

The Phillies starting lineup is below. Game chat is in the comments section or in our discussion forum.

Phillies Lineup:

1. Rollins SS
2. Polanco 3B
3. Utley 2B
4. Howard 1B
5. Ibanez LF
6. Werth DH
7. Francisco CF
8. Mayberry RF
9. Ruiz C

Cutter Is The New Rage For Phillies Starters

A cut fastball seems to be all the rage for the Philadelphia Phillies starters this spring. Cole Hamels featured the pitch for the first time in his arsenal this week and today J.A. Happ used it effectively. Happ got into some trouble today but dabbled successfully with the new pitch as he pitched scoreless baseball into the third inning. Happ gave up 2 hits and walked 2 batters in 2 1/3 inning but still looked like he was in control pitching with poise and his deceptive delivery. 

Phillippe Aumont followed Happ and after starting out wild again, finally gained composure going 2 2/3 scoreless innings giving up 2 hits and a walk. Aumont struggled badly in his first appearance this spring as he seems to be pressing as he puts pressure on himself after being the key player in the Cliff Lee trade. Aumont looked markedly better today though and gave Phillies fans a little hope that the trade may work out.

Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley had a hit a piece as Rollins got his first homerun of the Spring. Ryan Howard remains hitless this spring. Domonic Brown went 3 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI's. He is now hitting .538 in the early spring and showing why he is the organization's top prospect. This kid is impressive to watch. Also impressive so far has been new role player Ross Gload. He has a nice bat and will be a good weapon for Charlie Manuel off the bench. Gload got 3 hits on the day. In addition, he runs faster then expected. He doesn't look like a base stealing threat but he certainly showed he can turn it on if needed. 

The crowd at Bright House Field today was the biggest in Phillies Spring Training history as 10,474 fans were at the park. The weather was beautiful after a cold opening week and the fans were out in droves to see the 5-3 Rays win in 10 innings. The Phillies head to Steinbrenner Field tomorrow to face the Yankees.

For all of your Philadelphia sports news check out PhillySportsComplete.com! 

Phillies vs. Rays 3/7/2010: Lineup and Game Chat

Pat Burrell and the Tampa Bay Rays are at Bright House Field to face the Philadelphia Phillies. J.A. Happ will start for the Phillies today and be followed by Phillippe Aumont, Naylor, Sanchez, Herndon, Flande, and Joe Savery. 

Lineups are below, game chat is in the comments section. 

Phillies Lineup 3/7/2010:

1. Rollins SS
2. Polanco 3B
3. Utley 2B
4. Howard 1B
5. Ibanez LF
6. Francisco CF
7. Brown RF
8. Gload DH
9. Schneider C

Happ P

A Few First Looks At Pitchers and Hitters

In the last few Spring Training games, the Phillies have gotten a good look at many new and returning pitchers.  Cole Hamels gave up  a home run on only his 2nd pitch of spring against the Blue Jays, but recovered well and overall, had an good outing.  Hamels allowed two hits and a walk in two innings plus the home run.  He has added a cutter and a curveball to his repertoire of pitches which seems to be giving him a little more confidence in his ability to get outs.

Jamie Moyer also pitched in a “B” game that same day and does not look like a man who had 3 surgeries in the off-season.  He pitched 3 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits and striking out 3 batters.  Clearly, Moyer is not ready to concede the 5th starters spot to one of the younger pitchers.  And with the $8 million dollars the Phillies owe him this year whether he performs or not, that is a good thing.

Three other pitchers who did not make such a great impression on Friday were J.C. Ramirez, picked up in the Cliff Lee trade; Ryan Vogelsong, a Philly-area native who recently spent time playing in Japan; and Bill White, who was picked up off waivers from the Rangers.  Ramirez allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks in 1 1/3 innings.  Both Vogelsong and White gave up 4 runs each in an inning or less.  It is still early in Spring, but the results do not bode well for these pitchers.

Joe Blanton also had a rough outing today against the Pirates; 5 hits and 3 runs in 2 innings plus a number of extra base hits were the highlights.  However, the relievers did very well, including Danys Baez, BJ Rosenberg and Mike Zagurski; they each pitched 2 scoreless innings in the game.

As for the hitters, prospect Tyson Gillies, also from the Cliff Lee trade, hit a solo homer in the sixth inning against the Jays and was 2 for 2 overall with 2 RBI in the game, making a great first impression.  Gillies also has tremendous speed and a great arm from centerfield.  The Phillies top prospect Domonic Brown went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and threw a runner out at the plate from right field.  Brown appears to be on track to take over for Jayson Werth should he depart in 2011 once becoming a free agent.

Ryan Howard remains hitless so far this Spring, but more concerning is the absence of Shane Victorino.  Benched with a sore shoulder since the start of the month, Victorino did not travel to the Pirates game with the team today.  While this may simply be the Phillies being extra cautious with their star centerfielder, it is concerning.  Victorino has had a number of nagging injuries over the last few years that seemed fairly minor, but still kept him out of the line-up for extended periods of time.  All the Phillies can do is hope this does not become one of those situations.

And just for fun, has anyone seen the new Cliff Lee Topps Opening Day trading card?  Generally, when a player is traded, Topps will take one of their old trading cards and paint the new uniform in the photo over the old uniform.  In Cliff Lee’s transition from the Phillies to the Mariners, see if you can spot the error from Topps’ editing job:

Leave your guess in the comment section; the first person to get it right is the winner and be mentioned in my next blog.

Photo by Jenn

Phillies vs Pirates 3/6/2010: Live From Bradenton

The Philadelphia Phillies are in Bradenton to face the Pittsburgh Pirates in Grapefruit League action. Joe Blanton will get his first start for the Phillies. Shane Victorino is still out of the lineup with a shoulder injury. Sources around the team have been tight lipped about his condition.

Lineups are below. Game chat is in the comments section or on our new discussion forum.

 Phillies Lineup 3/6/2010:

1. Wise CF
2. Dobbs 3B
3. Utley 2B
4. Howard 1B
5. Ibanez LF
6. Brown RF
7. Mayberry DH
8. Ruiz C
9. Galvis SS

Amaro's Folly Continues as Ramirez Gets Lit Up: Hamels Features New Arsenal

The Cliff Lee trade again looked like a mistake today in Dunedin as J.C. Ramirez looked nothing like a prospect the team would get in return for someone of Lee's caliber. Ramirez got lit up for 5 runs in 1 1/3 of an inning. He gave up 4 hits and 3 walks and had no command of any of his pitches. 

After seeing Phillippe Aumont have a similar performance against Florida State on Wednesday, one has to wonder if the Cliff Lee deal will be remembered as Amaro's Folly. The only redeeming factor for Amaro was Tyson Gillies. Gillies hit a solo homerun, showed range in the field, and did everything in fast motion. He sprinted around the bases after his homerun like he was going for an inside the parker. If Gillies can learn to hit big league pitching, he has the rest of the tools to be a good major league player.

 Another impressive performance was given by outfield mate Dominic Brown. Brown showed he can run, hit for power, throw, and be aggressive. He went 2 for 4 with a double, gunned out a runner at the plate, showed range in the field, and was called out on a questionable play trying to stretch a double into a triple.

Phillies starter Cole Hamels settled down after the leadoff batter hit a homerun against him to pitch 2 good innings. In addition to his fastball and unfair change up, Hamels mixed in curveballs and a cut fastball. If he can master these pitches by opening day, the one two punch of Cole and Roy Halladay could be the best in baseball. More importantly than the new pitches, Hamels looked poised, confident, and hungry to reclaim his dominance on the mound.

In the "B" game earlier, Jamie Moyer pitched 3 scoreless innings giving up 3 hits and striking out 3. He had good command of his pitches and looked like the Jamie Moyer of old. He has a ways to go to prove that he deserves the number 5 spot in the rotation but today was a good start. Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson did not look as good as both struggled making pitches.

The Phillies face the Pirates tomorrow in Bradenton. Game time is 1:05pm