Week 20: Antonio Bastardo and Barry Jones

The 2012 Phillies finally looked like the playoff-worthy team we have come to expect over the past few seasons.  Facing the two best teams in the National League, they went 5-2, including a sweep of the first place Nationals.

Unfortunately, this seems to be a case of too little, too late, as the team is still buried in the standings.  It would take a miracle to capture a playoff spot at this point.

Still, the recent results are encouraging, as there's no reason to believe that with a mostly healthy core, this team shouldn't be in playoff contention in 2013.

If they do want to be contenders in 2013, they will need better performance from their relief pitching.  One player who the team expected to be a key bullpen cog has had a mostly dreadful season, but this week gave hope that he might be turning things around.

 

Featured Phillie of the Week: Antonio Bastardo

In 2011, Bastardo was a revelation.  At first he was used as a lefty specialist, but due to injury, he was soon elevated into the eighth inning setup role.  He excelled in that spot, and looked near unhittable at times.

And then, the calendar turned to September.  Bastardo suddenly became ineffective.  There were several theories for his sudden downturn: He was tipping pitches, he was tired, he lost his confidence.  The 2011 Phillies didn't have many obvious weaknesses heading into the postseason, but Bastardo was becoming a bit of a concern.

As it turned out, Bastardo wasn't a factor in the postseason, but unfortunately for the Phillies, his late 2011 struggles carried over into this season.

He hasn't seemed to be able to find any sort of groove this season.  Just when it looked like he might be getting back on track, he would go out, walk a couple of hitters and give up two or three runs.

This past week provided hope that he might be returning to his form of last year.  He came in to face one batter in Saturday's win against the Nationals, and promptly struck him out.  On Sunday, he followed that up by striking out the side in his one inning of work.  Bastardo has actually struck out the last five batters he has faced.

If Bastardo truly has turned the corner, then the Phillies relief situation looks much brighter than it has for most of the season.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Barry Jones

Heading into the 1992, the Phillies felt very comfortable with their relief pitching.  They already had Mitch Williams as their established closer, and to supplement him, they brought in righthander Barry Jones from Montreal to handle setup duties.

Jones had long been regarded as one of the best relievers in baseball.  While he hadn't had his best season in 1991, that was believed to be partially because the Expos' uncertain relief situation forced him into a part-time role as closer.

It was thought that if he was used solely as a setup man, he would return to his former steady self.  Sadly, that was not the case.

Jones continued to struggle.  The 1992 Phillies were a disappointing last place team, and it seemed like on the few occasions that they actually had a lead in the eighth inning, Jones would blow it.

Midway through the season, the Phillies traded Jones to the Mets.  It was a small consolation that he somehow pitched even worse for them.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

The Phillies' chances of making the postseason are slim.  But at least this week gave them a small glimmer of hope.  And so, this week's song comes from 1993: Reason to Believe by Rod Stewart

Phillies Related Tweet of the Week

From Dan Steinberg @dcsportsblog

Dave Jageler: "The Phillies, out of contention. All they have left to do is boo Jayson Werth."

This is so not true.  Phillies fans also have to boo Scott Rolen and J.D. Drew.

And give Phillies fans a break.  We're not used to our team being out of contention.  Maybe Nats' fans could give us advice on how to handle it?

Final Analysis

The Phillies have to hope that Bastardo can once again be a dependable relief pitcher.  If he turns in another Barry Jones-like performance in 2013, their chances of contention will be greatly damaged.

Week 19: Kyle Kendrick and Mike Maddux

As the Phillies continue to muddle along, the season has become somewhat of a tryout for next year.  The team is taking a look at some players to see if they could be viable components of the 2013 squad.

One player who is getting an extended look is someone who the Phillies really should have a good idea about considering he's been with the team since 2007.  And yet, they still don't seem to know if they can count on him as a reliable contributor going forward.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Kyle Kendrick

Last week, most Phillies fans would have said that there was no way that Kendrick should be a part of the 2013 club. 

He was coming off of a couple of abysmal starts where he looked passive on the mound and got knocked around.  Worse, after he received criticism for the poor starts, he whined that he wasn't being afforded the proper respect for his past accomplishments. 

Most Phillies fans were ready to show Kendrick the door.  Hadn't we seen enough of Kendrick over the past few seasons to know that he's never going to be anything more than a fringe major league starter?

Naturally, Kendrick has answered the criticism with two sparkling starts.  On Tuesday, he pitched seven shutout innings, and he followed that up with eight shutout innings on Sunday.

In those two starts, Kendrick looked nothing like the passive wreck who we witnessed before.  He was aggressive, he used his best pitch (the sinker) often instead of relying too much on his subpar cut fastball.

It should be said that before his struggles as a starter, Kendrick had been pitching effectively in relief.  He was getting people out on a regular basis and even put up an impressive scoreless streak.

It is possible that some of Kendrick's stuggles were due to being moved back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen all season.  He should remain in the rotation all season, so we'll see if he can maintain some consistency in this role.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Mike Maddux

This guy pitched for the Phillies

In 1988, Mike Maddux was another pitcher who was used in both the rotation and in relief without being especially effective in either role.

In case you were wondering, Maddux is the brother of future Hall-of-Famer Greg Maddux.  It shouldn't be a huge surprise that the Phillies had Mike and not Greg.  Throughout the team's history, they have had the unfortunate knack of obtaining the inferior brother of a star player.

Jason Gimabi didn't play for the Phillies, but Jeremy did.  The Phillies didn't have the legendary Joe DiMaggio.  They didn't even have his brither Dom, who was a multiple-time All Star.  They had to settle for Vince DiMaggio.

I'm just shocked that they never bothered to pick up Ozzie Canseco.

After he left the Phillies, Mike Maddux went on to have a decent enough career, mostly as a reliever.  But he certainly never came close to matching the accomplishments of his brother.

This guy did not pitch for the Phillies

Pennant Year Song of the Week

The Phillies knew that the remainder of this season would be seeing who is worthy of a spot on next year's time.  The process requires a bit of patience.  So this week's song comes from 1993: Looking Through Patient Eyes by P.M. Dawn:

Random Phillies Image Found on the Web

This is a picture of Philadelphia Phil and Phyllis.  They were the Phillies' unofficial mascots when the team first moved into Veterans Stadium in 1972.  They failed to catch on and were replaced a few years later by the large green mascot who we all know and love.

Final Analysis

Has Kendrick's recent performance been indicative that he'll be a viable member of the starting rotation?  Or is it just another tease, and next week we'll get another 4 inning, 6 run stinker of a performance?  Kendrick's future with the team likely depends on the answer.

Week 18: Eric Kratz and Mark Parent

Despite another 3-3 week, the Phillies' fortunes have improved slightly. 

They are no longer in last place, having passed over the fading Miami Marlins.  More importantly, some of their key players seem to be rounding into form.  Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard have looked closer to their pre-injury selves, and Domonic Brown has shown some indication that he may indeed live up to the hype he once carried as a minor leaguer.

It has also helped that they've gotten a large offensive contribution from a very unlikely source.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Eric Kratz

Heading into this season, most Phillies fans had no idea who Eric Kratz was.  Actually, throughout most of the season, most Phillies fans had no idea who Eric Kratz was.  He just seemed like a journeyman minor league catcher who the Phillies kept calling up and sending back down to the minors.

When starting catcher Carlos Ruiz went down with an injury a couple of weeks ago, there was reason to believe that the Phillies offense would suffer.  After all, Ruiz has been the Phillies' best hitter this season.

But surprisingly, Kratz has gone a long way towards replacing Ruiz's offense.  He is batting .308 in the month of August, and more importantly, has contributed some big home runs.

In Sunday's win over the Cardinals, his three run homer in the eighth inning tied the game and allowed the Phillies to win in extra innings.  Earlier in the week, a Kratz home run had provided the Phillies the margin of victory in another win.

While Ruiz will certainly reclaim the starting job when he returns, it looks like Kratz has earned himself a chance to be his backup next season.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Mark Parent

Parent in his post-playing coaching days

Teams generally don't expect much out of their backup catchers.  They usually hope for a solid defender who can avoid being too much of an offensive liability when he makes his one or two starts each week.

Mark Parent was the Phillies' backup catcher in 1997 and 1998, and while he was serviceable enough on defense, he was  futile with the bat.

Parent actually hit 15 home runs in the 1995 season.  That was 15 more than he managed in 1997.  He didn't compensate by hitting for a high average, as he only batted .150.

While he improved those numbers ever so slightly in 1998, the Phillies had seen enough, and replaced him for the 1999 season with the just as forgettable Gary Bennett.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

The Phillies are no longer in last place.  And while they're still a far way from first, sometimes you have to just take it one step at a time.  And thus, this week's song is One Step at a Time by Jordin Sparks:

 

Phillies Related Tweet of the Week

Fightin' for Philly @philly_sports_

2012 has been productive in the sense that all the bandwagoners are gone. Only the faithful are left now

Is this true?  Has everyone hopped off the bandwagon?  I'm sure that if the winning resumes next season, the bandwagon will still be plenty full.

Final Analysis

Mark Parent was a borderline major league player who hung around for awhile as a backup.  Kratz has never even had that much of an opportunity, but it looks like he's going to get his chance to stay on a major league roster next season.  We'll see if he takes advantage.

Week 17: Ryan Howard and J.R. Phillips

The white flag has officially been raised.

Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, and Joe Blanton have all been traded away for a variety of prospects.  Players like Dom Brown, Nate Schierholtz, and B.J. Rosenberg are essentially getting tryouts at the major league level to see if they will be a part of the team's plans moving forward.

Despite the exodus of talent, the team ended up having one of its better weeks.  They won two out of three games over both the Nationals and the Diamondbacks.  Perhaps the team is more relaxed now that the pressure is essentially off.

Despite the team's success, there was one player who was not having a good week.  In fact, he was suffering through one of the worst slumps of his career.  But hopefully, what happened in the final at bat of Sunday's game will change that.

 

Featured Phillie of the Week: Ryan Howard

Ryan Howard is no stranger to slumps.  In just about every season he has spent as a major leaguer he has gone through a rough patch where he strikes out frequently and looks absolutely lost at the plate.

The slump typically comes early in the season.  But since Howard missed the first three months of the season, the slump was a bit delayed this year.

Heading into the final at-bat of yesterday's game, Howard had been struggling.  He was only batting .208, and had been striking out in almost half of his at bats.
 
Of course that meant nothing on Sunday when he came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning with the score tied.  The bases were loaded with one out, so all Howard had to do was hit a semi-deep ball.  He did even better than that, lacing a game-winning single into right field.

Howard has been notoriously streaky in his career.  If Sunday's heroics signify the start of a hot streak, then the Phillies offense may become very dangerous.

 

Ghost of Phillies Past: J.R. Phillips

My mother actually liked J.R. Phillips.  She thought he was a very good first baseman due to the way he would stretch for balls.  Unfortunately, first basemen are expected to do more than merely stretch effectively.  They also have to be able to hit a little.

Phillips didn't hit a little.  He barely hit anything at all.
He had once been a highly touted prospect for the Giants.  But after hitting just .195 in his rookie season, the Giants traded him to the Phillies.  The Phillies were hoping that a change of scenery might help him.  It certainly wasn't unheard of for a once touted rookie to fail with his original team and then find success elsewhere.

Phillips did not find success elsewhere.  Aside from one game in which he somehow hit two home runs, his offensive production was just as pathetic with the Phillies as it had been with the Giants. 

At the end of the season, the Phillies released him.  He continued to float around the majors for a few years, but he never developed into a major league quality hitter.

 

Pennant Year Song of the Week

Some people considered Shane Victorino to be the heart and soul of the Phillies.  He was involved in countless big moments over the past few years.  But he is now an ex-Phillie.

In his honor, this week's song is from 1983.  It is Separate Ways by Journey.

Phillies Related Tweet of the Week

From Matt Gelb (@mattgelb):

In one week, the Phillies changed 28 percent of their 25-man roster.

Yes, there has been a lot of turnover on the roster recently.  And I expect there to still be more to come.

 

Final Analysis

Hopefully, Howard will soon snap out of his offensive funk.  The Phillies need him to produce like the Ryan Howard of the past, and not like J.R. Phillips.

Week 16: Cole Hamels and Don Carman

The Phillies took on the Milwaukee Brewers at the beginning of last week, and thanks to some late game heroics, they actually emerged with their first three game sweep of the season.

It looked like maybe - just maybe - the team had finally found its rhythm, and would be a force to be reckoned with in the second half of the season.  For a second, those dreams of somehow winning a playoff spot didn't seem quite so impossible.

And then, just as soon as it had arrived, momentum was lost.  The Phillies were swept by the Atlanta Braves in a series that pretty much caused the team's focus to switch towards the future.

The Phillies will almost assuredly be trading away some of their players in the coming weeks, either for prospects, or simply for salary relief from the luxury tax.

But there is one Phillies who, despite much speculation earlier in the year, will definitely not be traded.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Cole Hamels

Cole Hamels could have waited a few months and become a free agent.  He assuredly would have received a monumentally large contract.  Instead, he signed an only slightly less monumentally large contract extension to stay with the Phillies.

He received the largest contract in team history, and the second largest contract ever awarded to a pitcher.

While there is obviously some risk involved for the Phillies, they've assured themselves that their best homegrown pitcher in over fifty years will be with the team for the foreseeable future.  Hamels should be in his prime throughout the length of the deal, and if all goes well, he will be anchoring the Phillies rotation for years to come.

Unfortunately, Hamels didn't go out and celebrate his new deal with a shutdown performance.  Instead, he was uncharacteristically wild, and lost to the Braves.

Thankfully for Phillies fans, Hamels will have plenty of chances to redeem himself over the next few years.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Don Carman

The Phillies once had another homegrown lefthander who they thought was going to be a rotation mainstay for years to come. 

Don Carman went 9-5 as a rookie in 1985 and followed that up with 10-5 and 13-11 records in 1986 and 1987.  They thought he was going to develop one of the National League's top lefthanders.

Much like the rest of the team, Carman's performance dropped off severely after the 1987 season.  He went 10-14 in 1988, and then suffered a National League leading 15 losses in 1989.  His ERA went up every season, topping off at a dreadful 5.24. 

In 1990, the Phillies tried moving him to the bullpen.  He was slightly improved, but far from a standout.  The next year, they finally gave up on him and traded him to the Reds.

In addition to his poor pitching, Carman was also one of the worst hitting pitchers to ever step foot in a batter's box.  He started off his career 0-42, and ended up with a lifetime .057 average.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

Heading into their series against the Washington Nationals, the standings are a little different from last year.  The Nats are in first place, and the Phillies are in last.  Most Phillies fans would consider that to be upside down.  And so this week's song is Upside Down by Diana Ross.

 

Random Phillies Image Found on the Web

This pretty much sums up how the season has gone for General Manager Ruben Amaro.

Final Analysis

While there are no guarantees in baseball, the Phillies can feel quite confident that they will have one of the best pitchers in baseball anchoring their staff for the next few years.  If they are going to rebound from this year's disappointment, Hamels will likely be a big part of it.

 

Week 15: John Mayberry, Jr. and Wes Chamberlain

Surely, Saturday was the death of all hope for the 2012 season.  The lineup was complete with both Chase Utley and Ryan Howard batting in their familiar third and fourth spots.  Both players homered, contributing to the team's five run output.

That should have been enough to win.  After all, Cole Hamels was on the mound, and he has been the team's best pitcher all season.  But Hamels faltered.  He gave up three home runs, including one to the opposing pitcher.

With the game tied in the ninth, closer Jonathan Papelbon - another player the team has largely been able to depend on this season - was brought into the game.  He pitched one successful inning, but when forced to go back out in the tenth, he too faltered.

When even Hamels and Papelbon fail, what chance does the team truly have?

On the bright side, the team did rebound on Sunday, thanks in part to a very surprising source.

Featured Phillie of the Week: John Mayberry, Jr.

John Mayberry's two homers on Sunday were very surprising, mostly due to how horrible Mayberry has been for most of the season.

The team was hoping Mayberry could adequately replace Raul Ibanez in left field.  At the very least, he was expected to provide some right handed power as part of a platoon to help compensate for the absence of Howard.

Based on last year, this was not an unrealistic expectation.  After a demotion to the minors, Mayberry had a strong second half.  He hit 12 home runs, and looked like he had finally put it all together after a inconsistent start to his career.

Instead, Mayberry showed that inconsistency might be the best the team can ever expect to get.  He disappointed the team with a .237 batting average, six home runs, and 23 home runs.  In addition, he managed to walk only 11 times against 67 strikeouts. 

Instead of helping to compensate for the loss of the team's power hitting stars, Mayberry turned out to be another disappointment in a season full of them.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Wes Chamberlain

Wes Chamberlain was another young outfielder who the Phillies had high hopes for.  The Phillies received him in a trade from the Pirates, and in 1991 he showed great flashes of potential.  He hit 13 home runs, and the Phillies were counting on big things from him in 1992.

Much like the entire team, Chamberlain disappointed during the 1992 season.  Instead of developing into a star, he struggled so much that he was demoted to the minors in the middle of the season.  The team was hoping he could become a power threat, but he only hit nine homers that year.

Chamberlain did rebound somewhat in 1993.  He was the right handed component of a successful right field platoon with Jim Eisenreich.  But he never lived up to the future star billing that was once placed on him.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

Saturday's loss pretty much eliminated any hope anyone could have for the 2012 Phillies making the playoffs.  In addition, it might have been Cole Hamels' last appearance as a Phillie.

For Phillies fans, this song sums up how we're feeling:  Hurt So Bad by Linda Ronstadt

Phillies Related Tweet of the Week

From Todd Zolecki @Toddzolecki:

Today was the Phillies' first win at home since June 26 vs. PIT. Snapped a 7-game losing streak.

Yes, the Phillies have been truly awful at home this season.  Is there a reason why they can't seem to win at home?

Final Analysis

Much like Chamberlain, John Mayberry looks like he is never going to develop into a true star.  His best case scenario is for his to become a valuable bench player who can provide some right handed pop.

Week 14: Cole Hamels and Tyler Green

Due to the All-Star break, the Phillies only played three games this week.  And they actually managed to win a series!

The opponent might have been the unimposing Colorado Rockies, but at this point, the Phillies can't turn their noses up at any wins.

Despite the team's poor showing thus far, they still had three players named to the National League All-Star team.  One of those All-Stars picked up where he left off on Sunday with a sterling performance to lead the Phillies to victory.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Cole Hamels

Due to his impending free agency, Cole Hamels has been the subject of multiple trade rumors.  While he might not be a Phillie through the rest of the season, the team is certainly glad that he is currently on the team now.

Hamels pitched one scoreless inning in the All-Star game, helping the National League to a shutout victory.  He followed that up with a brilliant performance on Sunday.

Hamels pitched eight innings, giving up only one run on six hits.  He struck out seven Rockies, and with five runs of support behind him, the Phillies came away with one of their easier wins of the season.

Now the question is: Was this Hamels' last start as a Phillie?  While the team would certainly love to re-sign him, it will certainly take a long, expensive contract to do so.  If he reaches free agency, he'll have no shortage of teams bidding for his services.

Considering the Phillies hopes of making the playoffs this season are slim, many want the team to trade him, and pick up some good prospects in return. 

Personally, I would keep him and do whatever it takes to sign him to a new contract.  With so many expensive players already signed for 2013, it doesn't make sense to start a rebuilding phase.  The team should still be in "win now" mode, and the team obviously will have a better chance of winning in 2013 with Hamels, than without him.

Whatever happens, if this was Hamels' last start as a Phillie, he certainly made it a good one.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Tyler Green

In 1995, the Phillies had another pitcher they drafted in the first round make the All-Star team.

Tyler Green was the Phillies first round pick in the 1991.  He instantly became their top prospect and quickly ascended to the major leagues. 

He started the 1995 season in the Phillies rotation, and he lived up to the hype.  He started out with an 8-4 record, and helped the Phillies stay near the top of the standings for the first half of the season.

In the second half, things went quickly downhill for both Green and the Phillies.  His control - never great to begin with - deteriorated, and opponents began to regularly knock him out of games early.

The team lost eight consecutive games started by Green, and his poor performance was the main factor in most of them.  Eventually, things got so bad that the team was forced to drop him from the rotation.

Part of Green's problems may have been due to injury, as a sore shoulder caused him to miss the entire 1996 season.

When he returned the following season, his fortunes didn't improve.  He went 4-4 in 1997 and 6-12 in 1998 to end his career.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

Finally winning a series was a good step for the Phillies.  It is clear that if they are going to climb out of the massive hole they have dug for themselves, it is going to be a slow process.

In that spirit, this week's song is from 2008.  It is One Step at a Time by Jordin Sparks:

Random Phillies Image Found on the Web

This is an Irish themed Phillies flag.  Perfect for St. Patrick's Day!

Final Analysis

While both Tyler Green and Cole Hamels were highly touted prospects, their major league careers turned out quite differently.

Green had one successful half season.  Hamels has already established himself as one of the greatest pitchers in team history.

We can just hope that Hamels will continue to pitch well for the Phillies for years to come.  It would be a shame to see him continue his career elsewhere.

All-Star Break: Cliff Lee and Kyle Abbott

Sorry for taking last week off.  I was left without electricity until Tuesday, so I was unable to do much on the computer.  Sadly, in my absence, the 2012 Phillies season took a turn for the worse.

Wasn't the return of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard supposed to make everything better? 

The Phillies certainly weren't doing all that well before Utley returned, but since he has come off the disabled list, the team has been a disaster, losing 10 out of 11 games.  I suppose that it was unrealistic to expect Utley to immediately perform at his former All-Star level, but the way the team has collapsed is inexplicable.

Many thought that with the return of the team's stars, supporting players like Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino would be able to settle into their more familiar roles, and as a result, they'd perform as they had in years past.

That has not been the case.  The starting pitching remains inconsistent, the lineup is still failing with runners on base, and the bullpen has been a complete mess.  It has gotten so bad that even one of the team's dependable pieces - closer Jonathan Papelbon - has had some poor outings.

So was there any good news this week?

Featured Phillie of the Week: Cliff Lee

It may have taken longer than expected, but Cliff Lee finally earned his first win of the 2012 season.  I'll admit that pitcher wins might be overrated, but it certainly seems ridiculous that Lee only has one win at this point in the season.

I think some sabermetrics experts are understating the disappointment that Lee has been this season.  Maybe his peripherals indicate that he's performing as well as ever, but the results simply haven't been there.  He's blown leads, given up poorly timed home runs, and basically he has not come through when the Phillies needed him most.

As one of the five highest paid players in baseball, you'd expect Lee to be one of the players the team could depend on to help lift them out of their malaise.  You certainly don't want to hear excuses about how the team isn't supporting him well enough, or how he's the victim of bad luck.

When Roy Halladay went on the disabled list, it was clear that they would need to rely heavily on the rest of the team's star pitchers.  But instead of stepping up his game, Lee has seemed to sag under the pressure.  Instead of being one of the players to help step up in his absence, Lee has been part of the problem.

If most of his problems were indeed due to luck, maybe this week's win is a sign that his fortunes are turning around, and we're going to see the type of results that we are used to.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Kyle Abbott

In 1992, the Phillies had another pitcher who had to wait quite awhile before he earned his first victory of the season.

Abbott didn't pitch horribly in the 1992 season.  He often delivered performances that given a little more run support, or a little better defense behind him, might have resulted in a win.  But he did not win.  And neither did the Phillies.

The Phillies lost the first 13 games that Abbott started that season.  The team hoped that a demotion to the minors might help get him turned around.  But those hopes proved unfounded, as he resumed his losing ways upon returning to the majors. 

Finally, on July 18th, Abbott had the breakthrough he was looking for.  It was far from a brilliant performance, as he gave up three runs in 5.2 innings.  But he was finally the recipient of some good luck as the Phillies scored 14 runs.  I can remember an overjoyed Abbott receiving a Gatorade bath after the game.

Unfortunately, the win did not signify a change in his overall fortunes.  After losing two more games, the team dropped him from the rotation.  He didn't fare much better as a reliever, losing yet another game to end the season with a 1-14 record.

Abbott was sent to the minors the following season, and only had a couple of brief major league cameos as a reliever before his career came to an end.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

The Phillies are mired in last place.  The reinforcements have arrived, and sadly they don't seem to have made much of a difference.  This song from 1993 describes their situation perfectly:

Phillies Related Tweet of the Week

From Phils-ville (@phillsville):

Overheard in the press box: "What's Pridie's first name?" Ladies and gentleman, your 2012 Philadelphia Phillies.

Final Analysis

What a difference a year makes.  Last year, the Phillies were dominating the National League en route to an easy division title.  This year, the Phils will have to have a historic second half just to reach the playoffs.

If Cliff Lee truly has turned around his season, then maybe they've got a chance.  If like Abbott, he only earns one victory this season, then they will definitely be sitting out the 2012 playoffs.

Week 12: Jimmy Rollins and Steve Jeltz

The past week was almost a positive one for the Phillies.  Things started off well enough when they won the first two games against the Rockies.  But then they lost the series finale in a familiar fashion: A decent outing by the starter, but the offense struggles to score, and the opponent adds some late runs against the bullpen to put the game away.

After Jim Thome's walkoff homer secured a win against the Rays on Saturday, they failed to capitalize on the momentum, and suffered a very disappointing sweep on Sunday's doubleheader.  Setup man Antonio Bastardo blew the game in the opener, and Cliff Lee gave another subpar performance in the second game.

So despite the potential for a big week, the Phillies had to settle for a 3-3 record.  Considering their position in the standings, they're going to have to do much better than that if they want to contend.

On the positive side, one of their stalwarts does appear to be heating up after a season-long slump.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Jimmy Rollins

When Rollins re-signed with the Phillies in the offseason, most people praised the deal.  The Phillies were able to retain one of their franchise's all-time greats for a reasonable price.

While Rollins wasn't the same offensive player he had once been, he was still an excellent defender at shortstop, and still more than capable of doing some damage with the bat.

Heading into the 2012 season, the team hoped that with Chase Utley and Ryan Howard injured, Rollins would be able to help compensate for their absence.  He started off hitting third in the lineup, but after beginning the season in a deep slump, he was moved to his more familiar leadoff spot.

He didn't fare much better at leadoff, and the usual complaints that people have voiced about his offense over the years - mostly his lack of plate discipline - resurfaced.  Rollins was pointed to as a major reason why the Phillies were doing even worse than expected in the absence of Howard and Utley.

Recently, Rollins has shown signs of improvement.  In the past week, he hit .391 and hit home runs in three straight games.

There's no question that when Rollins is hot, the Phillies offense looks a lot better.  If his recent hot hitting is indicative of how the remainder of the season will go, then the Phillies might have a very dangerous offense soon.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Steve Jeltz

The Phillies once believed that Steve Jeltz would hit well enough to be a regular starter at shortstop.  They were wrong.

To his credit, Jeltz was a strong defender.  And in the 1980s, shortstop was generally thought of as a position where teams emphasized defense.  If they received any offense out of the position, it was considered to be a bonus.

But even according to those lower standards, Jeltz was a poor hitter.  He didn't hit for average, and he didn't have much (any?) power.  He was a switch hitter, but that just meant that he hit poorly from both sides of the plate.

He bottomed out with a .182 average in 1988, prompting the team to replace him as the starter with Dickie Thon.

Oddly enough, the move to a backup position somehow inspired a modest offensive surge from Jeltz.  Despite having one career home run entering the 1989 season, in one memorable contest against the Pirates, Jeltz somehow homered from both sides of the plate.

The power surge was not enough to convince the Phillies to keep him for another season.  Somewhat miraculously, they actually got a decent prospect from the Kansas City Royals in exchange.

Jeltz did have one positive going for him: He rocked one of the best jheri curls ever seen in the game of baseball.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

The Rays weren't satisifed winning just one game on Sunday.  They topped off their emotional victory in the early game by taking it right back to the Phillies in the late game.

And so this week's song comes from 1980.  It is Do That to Me One More Time by Captain and Tannille:

Phillies Related Tweet of the Week

From Phils-ville (@Phillsvilleblog):

Juan Pierre has a home run before Cliff Lee has a win. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2012 Phillies!

Final Analysis

The Phillies have come to expect more offense from Rollins than what they've received this season.  They are not in a position where they can have a good fielder who can't contribute much with the bat.

If they are to make any sort of move, they have to hope that the past week was representative of what they can expect for the rest of the season.  Otherwise, the team will likely continue to have some trouble scoring runs.

Week 11: Jim Thome and Mike Easler

Have the Phillies hit rock bottom?

This weekend's series against the Blue Jays might have been the worst series for the Phillies in quite some time. 

In Friday's game, the opposing starter had to leave with an injury in the first inning.  Naturally, the Phillies took full advantage, by accumulating only five hits in the shutout loss.

On Saturday, the team once again provided Cliff Lee with a three run lead.  And once again, the opponent came back to tie the game.  It certainly wasn't all Lee's fault.  Jimmy Rollins committed an error, and Chad Qualls did what he does best: Allow inherited runners to score.

After blowing the lead, the team found itself in a familiar position: An extra inning game on the road.  The result was also familiar: Their opponent celebrated a walkoff victory.

In Sunday's game, starter Kyle Kendrick never really gave the team a chance to win.  But when Kyle Kendrick is the team's hope for avoiding a sweep, something has gone dreadfully wrong.

We can only hope that the Phillies have hit bottom.  Because while I've given up hope of this team contending in 2012, it would be nice if they could avoid embarrassing themselves.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Jim Thome

Thome was last week's featured Phillie, but considering how he's continued to hit well, (along with the lack of better options) he seemed like the best choice.

Thome continued to assault the Phillies' American League opponents.  He hit three homers this week, including his 100th in a Phillies uniform.

That made him the fourth player in major league history to hit 100 with three different teams.  That's a testament to his greatness and longevity.

It also shows just how well-liked Thome is.  After homering against the Twins, their fans gave him a hearty round of applause.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Mike Easler

In 1987, the team brought in another accomplished, but past-his-prime slugger. 

While Mike Easler was far from a future Hall of Famer, the "Hit Man" had been a feared hitter throughout his career.  He had twice hit over 20 home runs in a season, and was named to the 1981 All-Star team.

The Phillies thought that he might be able to help them in a part-time role.  At the very least, they figured his power bat would be a good addition to their bench.

Unfortunately, by 1987, Easler didn't have much left.  He struggled with the limited playing time, and only hit one home run.  The team quickly traded him to the Yankees so that he might play more often as a designated hitter.

Awesomely Obscure Song of the Week

This week, I'm bringing you another great, yet largely unheralded song: Spanked by Van Halen:

The song was on the band's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album, and has largely gone unnoticed in favor of more popular hits like Poundcake and Right Now.

Perhaps if Crystal Pepsi had used Spanked as the center of their marketing campaign, both the song and the beverage would be remembered more fondly today.  But probably not.

Regardless, this is one of my favorite songs from my favorite Van Halen album.

Final Analysis

Thome's two week outburst has been a pleasant surprise, but now that the games in the American League parks are done, will he still be able to help the team? 

So far, he has not done well as a pinch hitter, and he doesn't appear to be able to play first base without his body breaking down.

He has said he has some ideas about how to stay sharp during games in case he is called upon as a pinch hitter, but it is far from a certainty that he will be any more successful in that role going forward.

Sadly, much like Easler, there is a good chance that Thome will soon be traded to an American League team where he could serve as a designated hitter.

Week Ten: Jim Thome and Eric Valent

When I started this blog, my goal was to illustrate how good the current era of Phillies baseball is in comparison to the franchise's mostly horrific past.

But what do you do when the present turns out to be much worse than you had expected?

While it was clear from the beginning that the 2012 season wasn't going to go as smoothly as 2011's "Season of No Angst" I certainly didn't forsee the team falling apart.  Coming off of a 102 win season, there was no reason to expect the team to look so bad.

While the Phillies are far from eliminated, I think I've lost hope for them.  The team, as currently constructed, just does not look like a playoff team.

Is there anything about the current Phillies roster that should make me believe otherwise?

While they still have two ace pitchers in the rotation, neither has been performing at a top level over the past few weeks.  Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee have both been victimized by poor defense and poor run support, but they also haven't gone out and delivered the type of dominating gems that we saw so often in 2011.

Maybe those guys are feeling too much pressure, especially without Roy Halladay.  But if the team has a strength, it is the top of the rotation.  Those two have to perform accordingly, and start lifting the team rather than getting dragged down by it.

Aside from the aces, the rotation has one mediocre starter (Joe Blanton), one fringe starter (Kyle Kendrick), and one wild card who is working his way back from an injury. (Vance Worley)  While they all would be nice complements to a rotation headlined by three aces, none of them are the type of pitcher who will help carry a team to the playoffs.

Of course, the struggles of the rotation are nothing compared to what we've seen from the bullpen.  The relief corps currently consists of Jonathan Papelbon, Antonio Bastardo, and a whole lot of hopes and prayers.  Aside from the closer and setup man, they don't have any pitchers who can be brought into a tough situation and expect success.

The lineup is full of supporting players who look like they're either pressing too hard...or aren't that good to begin with.  Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino are great guys to have in a lineup, if they're your third and fourth best hitters.  They certainly don't seem to be capable of carrying the offense.

Even Carlos Ruiz, who had been the team's best hitter so far in 2012 seems to be coming back down to Earth lately.

And the bench would look pretty good...if most of the guys they had projected for reserve roles weren't being used in every day roles.

With the returns of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Roy Halladay still weeks away, the team might be too buried in the standings by the time they rejoin the team.  And that's assuming that they can come back and play anywhere near their old levels.

So yeah, there's not much reason to hope.

While the past week was mostly horrific, there was one positive that emerged: One player who many (including myself) thought was finished experienced a bit of a resurgence.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Jim Thome

In the past, Jim Thome has struggled when used as a pinch hitter.  The general rule was that if he wasn't getting regular at bats or playing time, he would struggle.

The Phillies hoped that he might be able to change that this year.  They also hoped that he might be able to play a game or two at first base each week.

Neither of those happened.  Thome's back didn't hold up well enough to play first, and he's looked awful in his pinch hitting appearances.

But in this weekend's series against the Orioles, he got to serve as the designated hitter, and he looked rejuvenated.

On Friday, his three hits helped fuel a nine-run outburst by the Phillies offense.  He followed that up with his first homer of the season on Saturday, as well as a late game-tying RBI.  On Sunday, he added another RBI double.

With more interleague play coming up, Thome should have plenty more opportunities to continue his hot hitting.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Eric Valent

After the Phillies drafted and were unable to sign J.D. Drew in the 1997 amateur draft, they were awarded a compensation pick in the 1998 draft.  They used the pick to select UCLA outfielder Eric Valent.

Valent steadily rose through the Phillies minor league system.  In 2001, with the team in need of a designated hitter in American League parks, the team called up Valent to serve in the role.

Valent failed to make much of an impression.  In 41 at bats throughout the 2001 season, he batted a measly .098 with no home runs.

In 2002, he made another cameo appearance on the Phillies roster, and once again, he was unimpressive.  By the middle of the 2003 season, the team gave up on him and traded him to the Reds.

He eventually rejoined the major leagues as a member of the Mets, and actually hit for the cycle in one game.  Despite that brief flash of ability, Valent's career never amounted to much, and he soon retired and began a career in coaching.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

The Phillies keep slipping further behind the pace in the National League East.  And to reflect that position, this week's song comes from 1993.  It is Deeper and Deeper by Madonna.

In theory, Madonna has produced a lot of hit songs since the 80's.  But I could probably only name one of two of them.  I'll give her credit for somehow managing to stay relevant as a musician.

Random Phillies Tweet of the Week

From Matt Gelb (@magelb):

Right now, Phillies are worst situational hitting team in at least 64 years. This will blow your mind: http://bit.ly/JX82PB

Final Analysis

This was a bad week for the Phillies.  They're falling further and further behind in the standings, and the rallying cry of "Wait for Howard and Utley" is starting to ring hollow.

Even the resurgence of Thome doesn't provide much hope.  Even with him hitting well, the team still lost two out of three in Baltimore.  And he won't have too many more opportunities to serve as the designated hitter going forward.

Unless something changes dramatically, 2012 is looking more and more like a lost season.

Week Nine: Ty Wigginton and Randy Ready

In the first week since Roy Halladay was lost to injury, the Phillies' starting pitchers have been somewhat inconsistent.  Cliff Lee is still winless, Joe Blanton's struggles continued, and even Cole Hamels had a subpar week.

Unlike last season, it has become clear that the team can't simply depend on their starting pitcher throwing a gem each and every night.

If this team is going to return to the playoffs, they are going to need more contributions from the offense than they have gotten so far.

It remains to be seen if that is going to happen, especially with the continued uncertain status of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.  But one hitter did have a solid week, and he is this week's featured Phillie.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Ty Wigginton

In the series against the Mets, Wigginton got a chance to face one of his former teams.  And he came through in a big way.

In Monday's game, the versatile Wigginton went 3-3 with 6 RBIs to carry the team to victory.  He had another big game on Wednesday with his home run powering the Phillies to victory.

In a perfect world, Wigginton would be serving the role that the Phillies had envisioned for him when the signed him: A utility player who can fill in at multiple positions and provide a dangerous bat off the bench.  But due to injuries and the ineffectiveness of others, Wigginton has essentially become a regular for the Phillies.

If he continues in this semi-regular role, delivering more big weeks like this one will be crucial for the Phillies' postseason chances.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Randy Ready

In June of 1989, the Phillies decided to break up their struggling team.  In three separate transactions, they acquired players like John Kruk, Terry Mulholland, and Lenny Dykstra.

In the Kruk trade, the Phillies also acquired a player who would have a much less prolific major league career: Randy Ready.

Ready was considered a utility player in that he could play multiple positions.  The problem was, he couldn't play any of them especially well.

He made appearances at second base, third base, and the outfield.  And he played poorly at all of them.  While he was a decent enough hitter, the Phillies soon realized that his contributions with the bat weren't enough to overcome his shakiness in the field.

Ready eventually settled in to the role he was best suited for: Utility bench player.  When left in that role, he was an asset.  But if he was given too much time in the field...that usually didn't  turn out so well.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

Without Roy Halladay, the team is missing a player who might be considered the team's heart and soul.  In that spirit, this week's song is from 2009.  It is Heartless by Kanye West:

This is from the album 808s and Heartbreaks in which Kanye inexplicably thought he could sing well.

Even more inexplicable was the way critics applauded this effort.  I was a big fan of Kanye's rap albums, and I absolutely hated this album.  But for some reason, the mainstream media acted like this was a masterpiece.

Naturally, the album was a huge seller, which means we'll probably get more of this from him in the future.

I'm just happy that on his next album - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - he went back to his specialty and started rapping again.

Random Phillies Image Found on the Web

I assume that this image was in reference to the 2009 controversy where the Phillies were supposedly stealing opponents' signs.

You know, considering how the Phillies offense has declined since that controversy, maybe they had a point?

Final Analysis

Much like Randy Ready, Ty Wigginton would probably be better served as a bench player who might get a couple of starts each week. 

But until the team regains full health, Wigginton is going to be counted on as a regular.  The team just has to hope that he gives them more weeks like this one.

Week Eight: Roy Halladay and Ken Howell

The week was going rather well for the Phillies.  After taking the first three games against the defending World Series champions, they had Roy Halladay set to face the Cardinals in the series finale on Sunday.

In the past couple of seasons, sending Halladay out to complete a sweep was about as sure a thing as there was in baseball.

But instead of ending the week with a happy feeling, Phillies fans were left with a feeling of despair.  The Phillies lost the game thanks in part to a first inning grand slam surrendered by Halladay.  But the truly bad part was that Halladay left the game in the second inning due to shoulder soreness.

 

Featured Phillie of the Week: Roy Halladay

There were rumors during Spring Training that there might have been something wrong with Halladay.  He was struggling a bit in the exhibition games, and his velocity was decreased slightly from last season.

Halladay and the Phillies both maintained that he was fine, and when he pitched eight shutout innings on Opening Day, all of the concerns seemed unfounded.  He continued to pitch well throughout April.  He suffered some losses, but those were due more to lack of support rather than any great failing on Halladay's part.

But since the beginning of May, Halladay has not looked quite the same.  In his start on May 2nd against the Braves, he blew a six-run lead, an event that most Phillies fans would have thought was impossible.

Over his next several starts, something seemed a bit off.  Halladay certainly wasn't pitching poorly, and given a little bit more run support, he probably would have won most of the games.  But this also wasn't the dominating Roy Halladay that Phillies fans had come to expect.

Phillies fans don't expect Roy Halladay to need a lot of run support.  If the team can only score two runs behind him, then he only gives up one.  That's how it has worked for most of his Phillies tenure.

When he faced the Nationals and gave up five runs in six innings, the level of concern rose.  The velocity on Halladay's pitches was still down from previous seasons.  Could Halladay be suffering from an undisclosed injury?

When he had to leave Sunday's game after two innings, Halladay confirmed that there were indeed physical issues behind his (relatively) poor performance.  Apparently he has been suffering from a sore shoulder.  It isn't clear how long that his shoulder has been bothering him, or how much it has affected him.

What is clear is that if Halladay is going to miss much time, or if the injury will prevent him from pitching like the Roy Halladay of the past two seasons, then the Phillies may be in trouble.

 

Ghost of Phillies Past: Ken Howell

In the 1989 season, the Phillies took a chance on quite a few reclamation projects, such as their Opening Day starter Floyd Youmans.  While Youmans might have been a failure, they had much better luck with another starting pitcher.

Ken Howell had been a decent prospect for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the mid-80s.  He had talent, but his mental approach wasn't where it needed to be.  When faced with adversity, he reacted by just trying to throw the ball past hitters. 

When an arm injury forced him back to the minors, Howell used the time to actually learn how to pitch.  His improved mental approach paid dividends for the 1989 Phillies.

Howell became the leader of the Phillies pitching staff, winning 12 games with a 3.44 ERA.  His success continued into the early part of the 1990 season, when his progress was halted by injury issues.

Unfortunately, the injuries never went away.  It felt like every season, the Phillies would be counting on Howell to come back and lead the staff, only to have him hit a snag in his rehab.  As a result, Howell was never able to return to the majors.

I doubt Howell's presence would have made those early 90's Phillies teams into contenders.  But not having the guy they counted on as their ace certainly didn't help.

 

Pennant Year Song of the Week

The Phillies are designed to win with elite starting pitching.  Unfortunately, without Roy Halladay, the rotation is missing its most important piece.

Therefore, this week's song is Biggest Part of Me by Ambrosia.

Random Phillies Tweet of the Week

 

From Base'Ball (@BASEBAAL_GOD):

I am preparing to judge your Roy Halladay and am accepting burnt offerings. The aroma pleases me.

Final Analysis

Ken Howell was a good pitcher.  But with or without him, those Phillies teams likely weren't going anywhere.

On the other hand, Roy Halladay is on the short list of the best pitchers in baseball.  If he has to miss a significant amount of time, the 2012 Phillies might be in real trouble.



Week Seven: Jonathan Papelbon and Heathcliff Slocumb

Despite two weekend losses to the Red Sox, the Phillies have looked better this past week than at any other point in the 2012 season.  They won six straight games, and have played more like the winning team that we've come to expect over the past few years.

Despite the strong week, injuries continue to create an aura of uncertainty around the team.  There have been inconsistent reports about the health of injured stars Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, and when the team expects them back in the lineup. 

Adding to the injury woes is the news that pitcher Vance Worley has bone spurs in his elbow and was placed on the disabled list.

But throughout all of the uncertainty, one thing that the Phillies have not had to worry about thus far has been the closer role.  Thus far in 2012, if the team has had a lead entering the ninth inning, they have come away with a victory.

Therefore, this week's featured Phillie will be the team's closer.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Jonathan Papelbon

I'll admit that I was skeptical when the team signed Jonathan Papelbon to a four year deal that would pay him over 50 million dollars.  That is a lot of money to pay any pitcher, especially a reliever.  Relief pitchers are generally not known for their consistency from season to season. 

I was also a big fan of the team's former closer Ryan Madson, and was unhappy that they didn't bring him back.  As it turns out, the Phillies might have dodged a bullet there.  After signing a one-year deal with the Reds, Madson suffered an arm injury in Spring Training, and will miss the entire season.

While it is still early in his Phillies tenure, so far Papelbon has lived up to expectations.  Despite performing poorly in a couple of outings where he didn't have a lead, (which is not all that unusual for a closer) so far he has been perfect in save situations.

The series against the Red Sox was a big one for Papelbon.  Facing his former team, you know he would have loved the opportunity to have closed out all three games in the series.  Unfortunately, the Phillies were only able to present him with one save opportunity.  And like all the other save opportunities he has faced this year, Papelbon closed it out successfully.

Despite his perfection in save situations, there has been a feeling that Papelbon has been under-utilized this season.  There have been multiple extra inning losses in which Papelbon wasn't used, despite the situation calling for the Phillies' best reliever. 

Manager Charlie Manuel doesn't believe in using his closer unless his team is leading and the other team is in their final inning.  Personally, I feel that a manager needs to identify the "key" situation in the game, and use his best reliever then.  Conforming to the "closer pitches the final inning" rule is too limiting.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Heathcliff Slocumb

The Phillies closer role has been a mixed bag over the years.  They've had absolute perfection, (Brad Lidge in 2008) as well as absolute disaster (Lidge in 2009).  And in 1995, they had the inconsistency of Heath "Heathcliff" Slocumb.

Acquired in 1994 (in exchange for the team's current General Manager Ruben Amaro) Slocumb served as an effective setup man for ancient closer Doug Jones.

When Jones became a free agent after the 1994 season, the Phillies - as was their custom in that time - went with the much cheaper option and promoted Slocumb to the closer role.

In the first half of the 1995 season, the Phillies were a first place team, and many a Phillies victory was capped off by a Slocumb save.  His performance was so good that he was even named to the All-Star team.

However, in the second half of the season, both Slocumb and the Phillies fell on hard times.  The Phillies didn't have many leads to preserve, and when Slocumb was presented with a rare save opportunity, he tended to blow it.

At the season's end, the Phillies once again decided that the younger, cheaper setup man would make a perfectly good closer, so they traded away Slocumb and made Ricky Bottalico their closer.

Slocumb went on to have uneven success in the American League, eventually having one of the worst seasons for a reliever ever for the 1997 Mariners.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

Since the Phillies finally worked their way back to a winning record, for this week's song, I went with The Spinners' 1980 hit Working My Way Back to You:

The Spinners' version is a cover of the song originally performed by the Four Seasons in 1966.

Random Phillies Tweet of the Week

Instead of finding a random Phillies related image, this week, I'll look through Twitter and find a Phillies related tweet.

This week's tweet is from Delaware County Times beat reporter Ryan Lawrence (@ryanlawrence21):

Current tally, extra-base hits: Freddy Galvis, 15. Albert Pujols, 11.

Final Analysis

If the 2012 Phillies are going to reach the postseason, they'll need Papelbon to continue to excel in the 9th inning.  If he has a second half collapse similar to the one suffered by Slocumb in 1995, they not only will likely fall short of the postseason, but they will be hampered by his immense contract for years to come.

Week Six: Cole Hamels and Reggie Harris

Cole Hamels was the big story for the Phillies this week.  (Well, Cole Hamels and the complete disaster that was the Phillies bullpen in the series against the Mets)

After hitting the Nationals' Bryce Harper in last Sunday night's game, he didn't provide any of the usual coy "That one got away from me" explanations that pitchers usually give when they bean someone.  No, Hamels bluntly admitted that he had hit Harper on purpose.

Naturally, this became a huge national story and drew both praise and scorn from members of the national media.  It also earned Hamels a five-game suspension from Major League Baseball.

As a result, Hamels is this week's featured Phillie.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Cole Hamels

Despite his honesty about the situation, Hamels hasn't made his motivation for the plunking completely clear. 

He seemed to feel that Harper wasn't showing the proper amount of modesty for a rookie.  There were allusions to Harper's cockiness in the minor leagues, as well as some complaining about the strike zone.

Whatever the motivation, Hamels felt that old school baseball code dictated that Harper should be "welcomed" to the major leagues.  This is nothing new.  Harper isn't the first rookie to be treated in this fashion, and he surely isn't the last. 

The unusual part about it was that Hamels openly admitted what he did.  I guess he felt that the message wouldn't get across otherwise?

Naturally, his admission got quite a few people up on their soapboxes to declare him a horrible person.  Most notably, Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo unloaded on Hamels calling him "fake tough" and other unflattering names.

Who determines if a player is tough or not?  Mike Rizzo does!

Oddly, some people seem more upset about Hamels' admission rather than the act itself.  I guess it is somehow better to lie about hitting someone rather than being a man and admitting it?

I'm not sure where Rizzo is coming from.  After all, later in the game, Hamels had to come to the plate and bat.  And sure enough, a ball "got away from" Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann and hit Hamels.

For his part, Hamels seemed perfectly okay with the retaliation.  He also seemed fine with Harper getting a little revenge of his own by stealing home against him.

The suspension that Hamels received was essentially meaningless.  Due to an off day in the schedule, Hamels didn't have to miss a start.

More importantly, after his suspension was complete, Hamels turned in yet another dominant outing.  He held the Padres to one run in seven innings.  The win allowed the Phillies to win the series, and gain some momentum after what had mostly been a bad week.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Reggie Harris

In 1997, the Phillies had another pitcher intentionally hit an opponent with a pitch.  And much like Hamels, the pitcher openly admitted it after the fact.

In June of 1997, the Phillies were in a huge slump.  In one particular game, the Braves were absolutely crushing them, and reliever Reggie Harris had had enough.  He wanted to send a message, and so he beaned the Braves' Andruw Jones.

Unlike the Harper incident, people didn't make a big deal about this plunking.  That was mostly due to Harris being a journeyman relief pitcher and not a multiple-time All-Star like Hamels.

After the game, Harris admitted that his beanball was intentional.  People were absolutely shocked by this.  They weren't necessarily shocked by Harris' honesty, but rather because Harris was actually able to hit his intended target.

Harris was not known for his control.  In fact, he might have had some of the worst control ever witnessed.  In the 1997 season, Harris managed to walk a whopping 43 batters in 55 innings.  During one particularly bad outing, he threw 14 pitches, and only two of them were strikes. 

The most telling sign of how bad the 1997 Phillies were is that Harris actually pitched 55 innings for them.

If he had just given the standard "that one got away from me" excuse after hitting Jones, I don't think anyone would have doubted him.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

This week's song might have been sung by Bryce Harper to Cole Hamels this week.  From the year 1983, it is Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? by Culture Club.

Random Phillies Image Found on the Web

This is a picture of Turkey Hill's Phillies themed flavors:

Final Analysis

The Phillies have to hope that Hamels can continue to turn in dominant performances like the one on Sunday.  They also probably hope that he is less honest the next time he hits someone on purpose.

Week Five: Joe Blanton and Bobby Muñoz

The Phillies had another inconsistent week.  The inconsistency seems to be partially caused by their struggles in extra inning games.  They lost two more games which went longer than regulation. 

In a somewhat amazing turn of events, they even lost a game in which ace Roy Halladay was given a six run lead.  But they were able to rebound from that loss thanks to the efforts of this week's featured Phillie.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Joe Blanton

After Roy Halladay was roughed up in Wednesday night's extra inning loss, the Phillies needed a strong performance from the man affectionately known by some as Fat Joe.

What they received on Thursday afternoon was better than they could have ever hoped for.  With both sides tired from the night before, Blanton threw strikes, and simply shut down the Braves' hitters.

Blanton shut out Atlanta and the Phillies won by a score of 4-0.  This was Blanton's first shutout since June of 2007, and his first complete game as a member of the Phillies.

For a man considered to be the 5th starter, it would be a huge boost to the team's chances if he can continue to deliver performances like that.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Bobby Muñoz

In the early 90s, Phillies general manager Lee Thomas was obsessed with finding large bodied pitchers.  Thomas believed that larger pitchers were capable of greater velocity and less prone to injury.

Whenever Thomas sought to acquire a pitcher, it seemed like the first thing he checked was the man's size.  Fitting with that profile, when the team traded Terry Mulholland to the Yankees following the 1993 season, the prize prospect they received in return was the 6'7" Bobby Muñoz.

In 1994, Muñoz showed some signs that he would live up to his potential.  He compiled a 7-5 record, and seemed to be hitting his stride just as the strike ended the season.  Unfortunately, that success did not carry over to the next season.

Muñoz did his best to disprove Thomas' theory that large pitchers were less likely to suffer injuries.  Throughout his career, Muñoz was simply unable to stay healthy.

A variety of injuries cost him most of the 1995 season.  He made sporadic appearances over the next few seasons, but even when healthy, he failed to pitch very effectively.

Muñoz's failures meant that Thomas had essentially shipped out a key part of the 1993 Phillies for nothing.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

The Phillies travelled to Washington this past weekend to take on the Nationals.  And according to the marketing done by the Nats, the series was a VERY BIG DEAL.  The team was going to "Take Back the Park" and show the Phillies that they weren't going to be the doormats of the National League East anymore.

To the Nats and their fans, I'm sure that winning two out of three was indeed very special.

To the Phillies and their fans, the series felt a little less important.  After watching so many postseason games over the past years, it is hard to get that worked up about a series in May.

In that spirit, this week's song is So What? by Pink.

Random Phillies Image Found on the Web

Someone showed both Phillies and Halloween spirit with this Phillies jack-o-lantern.

Final Analysis

It is probably unfair to compare Joe Blanton to Bobby Muñoz.  While both are large bodied pitchers, the comparison really ends there.

Blanton is an established major league pitcher who has had a successful, if unspectacular career.  Muñoz was a prospect who never panned out.

The Phillies have to hope that Blanton continues to perform at a high level.  If he does, the games they play later in the season - unlike this past series with the Nationals - will indeed have great importance.