This umpire (Scott Barry) is completely out of pocket. Not only did Howard get called out on a check swing in the 14th with 2 men on, but this douchebag tossed him (and Ross Gload!!! He’s on the DL!!!!) with no position players left in the Phillies dugout. So, this happened:
Roy Oswalt admirably came to the rescue to play left field and actually looked pretty good. He made the first out on a fly ball after entering the game. Problem was though, he also had to bat… He ended the game on a strike out in the 16th inning. Astros won 4-2. Bottom line: both teams sucked. Not shocking to learn that Barry was a minor league replacement. Amateur asshole trying to make a name for himself.
A little Friday fun with Photoshop is just what the doctor ordered. If you got some good Roy photoshops, send them to info@wheresweems.com, and we’ll post them and give you a shout out if they are any good. More after the jump…
Shane Victorino left last night’s game with a strained oblique, and goes for an MRI today. Assuming he’s out for any period of time, it’s probably the best opportunity to bring up Domonic Brown. Dom would get a chance to play in right every day (Werth would move to center) and would likely bring some much-appreciated punch to an offense that until last week was as lifeless as George Steinbrenner (too soon?). (more…)
Who can figure out this team? After struggling against Atlanta and falling behind 6 games in the East, the Phils took the unconventional route to success: a rare combination of strong pitching and late-inning heroics. It started with a solid performance by Cy Kendrick on Thursday and ended with Brad Lidge successfully converting a save on Sunday afternoon… in between, just a pair of walk-off HRs, a spoiled perfect game bid, and resurgence by the Cole Hamels of old. For the first time since April 18-19, 1913, the Phils tossed consecutive 1-0 victories — a streak that now stands at 21 scoreless innings.
The Phils swept the Reds and re-instilled faith for the 2nd half. At the All-Star break, they are in 3rd place in the NL East and only 4.5 games behind Braves for first place. It’s not the start that fans envisioned — coming off 2 straight World Series appearances — but it’s actually pretty respectable considering all the injuries the Phils have amassed. The Fightins are now 47-40; they are 27-18 at the Bank and 20-22 on the road. If they get Polanco, Utley, and Happ back healthy, and the team fixes their road woes, they should be in it until the end.
This Sunday, the MLB All-Star teams will be announced. Player participation is determined by a combination of fan voting, player voting, and coach-selections. Although they have created opportunities to include players that were left off the rosters (roster expansion and Final Vote), the system is still flawed. We throw out that stupid “every team needs a representative” rule and disregard the guys who would only make the game based on rep alone, and just pick the most deserving players. The All-Star teams take 34 guys, so we’ll go with that. Starters are in red.
Rut roh… According to Zolecki, “Chase Utley (sprained right thumb) and Placido Polanco headed to the DL. Greg Dobbs and Brian Bocock are up.”
As per Matt Gelb, Phillies don’t have a timeline on Utley yet. He is officially listed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament of the right thumb. The timetable for Polanco has not yet been reported either. Let’s pray Jimmy’s calf holds up, because an infield comprised of Dobbs-Valdez-Castro would make me cry. The Phillies now have 7 people on the DL. This could turn into the 2009 Mets real fast…
The Phils have had a rough go at it this year. The following players have already spent time on the DL: Lidge, Romero, Happ, Blanton, Bastardo, Durbin, Madson, Castro, Schneider, Rollins, Ruiz, Utley, Polanco.
More on Chase’s injury here and here. “Injuries to it cause instability and loss of function of the thumb.” Not cool.
Damn that Scott Rolen. Ever since his bad breakup with the Phillies, he’s come back to bite them in the ass time and time again. He did it again Monday night. Rolen hit his 300th career HR and knocked in 3 runs to lead the red-hot Reds over Cy Kendrick and the Fightins. Kendrick was cruising until the 4th inning when Rolen broke the scoreless tie with his dinger.
The Phillies offense just couldn’t get on the same page. They managed 8 hits, but left 10 men on base. All 3 runs came via Rauuuuul’s bat. Ibanez was 2-4 with a HR and RBI single. The Big Piece also hit the ball well, going 2-3 with a double and triple; unfortunately, no one was on base. It’s only the Phillies 4th loss in their last 12 games, so there is no immediate need panic. There is, however, reason to be concerned. Chase Utley left the game with an apparent thumb injury, and he will have an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity. He tried to leg out a double in the 4th inning and was thrown out sliding into 2nd, where he appeared to catch his thumb on the bag. A serious injury to Utley would be terrible. Polanco and Rollins are already fighting off ailments, and winning the division with Valdez and Castro playing every day would be tough. Fingers crossed.
The Fightins’ bats were alive on Sunday, and Moyer was stellar once again. While holding the Blue Jays to 2 runs, Dr. Moyer reached 2 personal milestones in the process — 1 good, 1 inevitable. In the 3rd inning, Vernon Wells smacked a 2-run homer over the left field wall and put Old Man Moyer in the record books for most HRs allowed… ever. Wells’ blast tallied #506 on Moyer’s resume, surpassing another Phillie great, Robin Roberts, who’s held the record since 1966. Some things just come with the territory, though. When you pitch in the majors for 24 years, you are going to give up a lot of home runs. It’s equivalent to Brett FaRve owning the all-time interception in the NFL. Time catches up to you.
