The Phils took the lead in the bottom of the second as Ryan Howard hits a lead-off solo blast to right field, his fifth home run of the season, and his second home run in as many games, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead four batters later as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Ben Revere hits an RBI single, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier singled, then stole second base.  The Phils increased their lead in the bottom of the third as Chase Utley hits a lead-off home run, his sixth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Marlins cut the Phils’ lead in the top of the fourth as Donovan Solano hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the year, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. The Phils then got the run back in their half of the fourth as Dom Brown hits a lead-off home run, his fifth home run of the year, and his second hime run in as many nights, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. The Marlins tried to get back into the game in the top of the seventh as they loaded up the bases, via a single by Marcell Ozuna, and walks to Rob Brantley and Adeiny Hechavarria, and with one man out, before Antonio Bastardo ended the threat by first striking out pinch-hitter Austin Kearns, swinging, for the inning’s second out, and then striking out pinch-hitter Matt Diaz, looking, for the inning’s final out. After Mike Adams put down a two-on, one-out threat in the eighth, Jonathan Papelbon came in and recorded his fifth save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Jonathan Pettibone (2-0, 3.24) got the win as he pitched six and one-third innings, giving up a run on five hits, as he struck out three. Antonio Bastardo collected his fourth hold of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two walks, while striking out two. Mike Adams received his third hold of the season as he threw a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon recorded his fifth save of the season as he threw a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Ricky Nolasco (2-3, 4.14) took the lost as he threw six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out four. Ryan Webb threw two scoreless inning, walking a batter, while striking out two.

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Ryan Howard (Double, Home Run, RBI) leading the team with two hits. Jimmy Rollins (Single), Chase Utley (Home Run, RBI), Delmon Young (Single), Dom Brown (Home Run, RBI), Carlos Ruiz (Single) and Ben Revere (Single, RBI) had the other six Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two walks (Howard, Jonathan Pettibone) and a stolen base (Ruiz (1)) in the game.

The Phils (14-16, 3rd) continue their series with the Marlins (8-22, 5th) with a night game tonight. The game is to be played at Citizens Bank Park and is to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (1-3, 4.78) who is coming off a win against the Mets on April 28, as he went six innings, giving up a run on two hits and six walks, while striking out eight, in the Phils’ 5-1 win. He will be going for his second straight win. The Marlins will counter with Jose Fernandez (0-2, 4.50) as he is coming off a no-decision against the Mets on April 29, as he pitched just four innings, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out four, in the Marlins’ 4-3 win. He is still looking for his first win of 2013. The Phils hope to make it three straight wins against the fish.

Pettibone (2-0) allowed one run and five hits in 6 1-3 innings in his third start filling in for injured lefty John Lannan. The 22-year-old righty lowered his ERA to 3.24 and he’s only walked two batters in 16 2-3 innings.

“I want to give my team a chance to win,” Pettibone said. “I stuck to the same things, build off each start, stay aggressive.”

The Phillies are 9-3 when Pettibone, Lannan or Kyle Kendrick start and 5-13 when aces Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee take the mound.

“With those other guys, there’s nothing to worry about,” Pettibone said. “You see what they’ve done in their careers.”

Donovan Solano hit a solo homer for the Marlins, who’ve lost three in a row after winning three straight.

Ricky Nolasco (2-3) gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings.

“I thought Ricky did a nice job, kept us in the game,” Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. “He executed his pitches and gave us a chance. We’ve got to do a better job of putting some runs up. It’s tough for our pitching when we’re just scoring one run a night. We’ve got to find a way to put some crooked numbers on the scoreboard.”

The Phillies improved to 9-2 combined against the Marlins (8-22) and New York Mets (11-15), but they’re 5-14 against other teams.

Pettibone left after allowing a one-out single in the seventh. Antonio Bastardo entered and walked two batters to load the bases. Bastardo then struck out pinch-hitter Austin Kearns swinging at a 3-2 pitch out of the strike zone and fanned pinch-hitter Matt Diaz looking.

Mike Adams worked the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon finished for his fifth save in five tries.

“He’s pitched real good,” manager Charlie Manuel said of Pettibone. “I like that he can take his fastball and hit both sides of the plate with it.”

Howard led off the bottom of the second by lining one out to right for his fifth homer and second in two nights. Two outs later, Carlos Ruiz singled and stole second base. He scored on Ben Revere’s single to right for a 2-0 lead.

Utley connected in the third, putting a short, compact swing on a low fastball and driving it out to right for his sixth homer to make it 3-0.

One batter later, Howard ripped a ball into the right-field corner but was thrown out on a headfirst slide trying to stretch the double into a triple. The slow-footed slugger hasn’t hit a triple since April 22, 2011.

“He’s more patient, he’s starting to get good balls to hit and he’s staying on the ball better,” Manuel said.

Solano hit his first homer of the season out to left-center leading off the fourth to cut it to 3-1.

Brown drove a shot off the right-field foul pole for a 4-1 lead in the bottom half. Brown has homered on consecutive nights and has five this season.

“I think I’m a little more aggressive now,” Brown said. “I’m just trying to square balls up and keep it going.”

Philadelphia’s Delmon Young, playing just his second game in right field since 2007, made a leaping catch in front of the fence on Justin Ruggiano’s drive in the second.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press

The Marlins took the lead in the top of the first as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Placido Polanco hits into a 5-4-3 doubleplay, wiping out at second base, for the inning’s first out, Donovan Solano, who had just singled, as he knocked in Juan Pierre, who had started the game off with a walk, moved up to second base on Solano’s single, then stole third base, the 600th steal of his career, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead. The Phils would tie the game up at one-all in the bottom of the second as, with one man on, Dom Brown hits a solo home run to right field, his fourth home run of the season. The Phils took the lead in the bottom of the fourth as, with one man out, Ryan Howard, after a frustrating two days in Cleveland where his monster shots would die between the warning track and the wall, hits a solo bomb of his own to left field, his fourth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Phils increased their lead in the bottom of the fifth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Erik Kratz, who had earlier walked, moved up to second base on Kyle Kendrick’s sacrifice bunt, 1-4, then stopped at third base on second baseman Solano’s fielding error of Jimmy Rollins’ grounder, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead. The Phils two batters later, after Michael Young’s single sent Rollins on to third base, and with still two men out, would add to their lead as Rollins would score on catcher Rob Brantley’s passed ball, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead, while sending Young, who had just singled, up to second base. The Marlins would get a run back in the top of the sixth as Justin Ruggiano hits a lead-off home run, his fourth home run of the season, making it a 4-2 Phils’ lead. The Phils would get that run back in the bottom of the eighth as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Brown hits an RBI single, knocking in Howard, who had started the inning off with a walk, then moved up to second base on Laynce Nix’s walk, giving the Phils a 5-2 lead, while sending Nix, who had just walked, over to third base. Two batters later, after Brown had moved up to second base on John Mayberry Jr’s ground out, 1-3, and now with one man out, the Phils made it a 6-2 lead as Nix scored on pitcher Tom Koehler’s wild pitch, while Brown would move up to third base. The Phils then made it a 7-2 lead as Kratz hits an RBI single, scoring Brown. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Kyle Kendrick (3-1, 2.43) got the win as he threw another quality start as he went seven strong innings, giving up two runs on seven scattered hits and two walks, while striking out five. Mike Adams collected his second hold of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Jonathan Papelbon threw a 1-2-3 inning. Alex Sanabia (2-4, 4.67) took the lost as he went five innings, giving up four runs, only two of which were earned, on six hits, two walks and a passed ball, while he struck out four. Jon Rauch pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter. Tom Koehler pitched two innings as he gave up three runs on two hits, two walks and a wild pitch.

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Dom Brown (2 Singles, Home Run, 2 RBIs) leading the team with three hits, followed by Michael Young (Single, Double) with two. Ryan Howard (Home Run, RBI), Erik Kratz (Single, RBI) and Kyle Kendrick (Single) had the other three Phils’ hits. The other three Phils’ runs came in on a sacrifice fly, a passed ball and a wild pitch. The Phils also had five walks (Howard (2), Laynce Nix (1), John Mayberry, Jr. (1), Kratz (1)) in the ballgame.

The Phils (13-16, 4th) continue their four-games series with the Marlins (8-21, 5th) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and is supposed to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Jonathan Pettibone (1-0, 4.35), who is coming off a win against the Mets on April 27, as he pitched five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 9-4 rout. Pettibone will be looking for his third straight quality start and his second straight win. The Marlins will counter with Ricky Nolasco (2-2, 3.82) who is coming off a win against the Cubs on April 24, as he went seven innings, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks, while he struck out two, in the Marlins’ 6-4 win. He will be going for his third straight win. The Phils will be out to win their second straight game.

The Phillies coming off a terrible series against the Cleveland Indians where they were outscored 20 to 2, came home to the lowly Miami Marlins and took their frustrations out on them. The Phillies went on a scoring rampage and beat the Marlins 7 to 2 behind a good game behind the new Phillies ace, Kyle Kendrick. Kendrick was a little shaky in the first couple of innings but settled down and threw the ball very well. “I’ve always kind of expected this out of me,” Kendrick said. “I know it hasn’t been there in the past like I’ve wanted, the fans have wanted it, my teammates, the coaches, the organization. But I expect this out of me. Hopefully now I can be consistent like that and every time out give us a chance to win the game. That’s the main thing as a starting pitcher. I’m feeling comfortable and confident I can do that every time out.” (1). Kendrick got some early help with two solo home runs by Domonic Brown and Ryan Howard. Delmon Young played his first game in right field since 2007 and after the game said, “You said we’re struggling and we’re 4 1/2 games back, so that’s pretty good, if you said we’re hot and we’re 4 1/2 games back, that would be a bad thing. No one has really taken off yet. That’s what happened last year in Detroit. We were picked to win it. We were under .500 most of the year, and then we got hot. It’s six months. You just want to stay within striking distance. If you can stay within striking distance and be in a pennant race on Sept. 1, you still have a chance to win the division.” (1). The Phillies opened up the game in the 8^th when they scored 3 runs and sealed the game for the Phillies; Papelbon came in and got them 1-2-3. This win was crucial for the Phillies to stay in the same area with the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves. The Phillies are now only 3.5 behind the Braves and 1.5 behind the Nationals. The season is still early and the dog days of summer will be soon upon us and then the real games will begin. The Phillies continue their series against the Marlins tonight at the Ballpark and will send new ace Jonathan Pettibone, who is coming off his first ever Major League win against the New York Mets. The Marlins will counter with Ricky Nolsaco who is 2 and 2 this season with a 3.82 ERA. The game is at 7:05 pm and will be seen on Comcast SportsNet.

(1)- http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_05_02_miamlb_phimlb_1&mode=recap_home&c_id=phi#gid=2013_05_02_miamlb_phimlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=phi

Photo- http://www.zoowithroy.com/2013/05/5213-vs-miami-marlins-of-florida-one.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IWantToGoToTheZooWithRoyHalladay+(I+Want+to+Go+to+the+Zoo+with+Roy+Halladay)

Trevor Bauer warming up before his first start at Progressive Field

When Trevor Bauer made his debut with the Cleveland Indians on April 6^th against the Tampa Bay Rays he was less than stellar. In five innings he allowed three earned runs on only two hits. However, he walked seven hitters, four of which came consecutively to open the first inning. He received no run support as the Indians were shutout 6-0, earning Bauer the loss in his first start for the Tribe. He was subsequently shipped back to the Columbus Clippers for more work in the minors.

Last night the 22-year-old from UCLA was recalled to make another spot start. This time he made his Progressive Field debut against a tough Philadelphia Phillies lineup. Thanks to a good twitter friend, I had the pleasure of being in attendance for the game with a bird’s eye view of the action.

Bauer was the textbook definition of effectively wild. Though once again he only lasted five innings, walked six hitters, and only threw his pitches for strikes at a 59 percent clip, he was able to keep the Phillies off the scoreboard and allowed the Tribe bats to support him en route to a 6-0 final score and his first victory as an Indian.

I arrived at the Jake just in time to see the long toss session I heard so much about. Trevor Bauer stretched himself all the way to the First Energy sign in right centerfield around the 375 foot mark. Pitching coach Mickey Callaway, throwing from the left field corner, needed a cutoff man to play “pickle in the middle” and complete his return throws.

Bauer flirted with danger in four of his five innings on the hill. He was rarely ahead in the count. Many of his pitches were all over the place, often times wild high. Like his first start against Tampa Bay, he was not very efficient. However, he threw strikes when he needed to.

Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a walk, but was promptly thrown out trying to take second by Yan Gomes. Michael Young struck on the following pitch. Ryan Howard, one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball, struck out looking to end the first after a walk to Chase Utley.

With a runner on third in the third inning, Bauer caught Michael Young looking for his second strikeout to preserve a 1-0 lead.

The Phillies posed another scoring threat with two runners on with two outs in the fourth inning. With his pitch count rising, Bauer got himself out of the jam again, striking out Carlos Ruiz for the second time.

In Bauer’s final frame he walked the first two hitters but walked the tight rope and retired the next three hitters, leaving the game to a standing ovation.

Watching live in person, it was clear Trevor Bauer still has control issues to work out. However, most of the pitches he missed on appeared to be fastballs. His off-speed stuff was downright nasty. To counter the six walks, Bauer struck out five and allowed only one hit to a lineup that boasted four all-stars, two MVPs, and one potential future star.

Today Bauer was shipped back to Columbus, where he holds a 2.50 earned run average and 24 strikeouts compared to only six walks in 18 innings. While those numbers show that he is dominating the International League, one could make the argument after his erratic pitching in two starts for Cleveland that he still needs more seasoning. On the other side of the coin, after his effective wildness against Philadelphia, others would suggest that he stay with the Indians and take his lumps in the Majors.

This early in the season the former may be the better decision. That would allow the Indians to see exactly what they have in their current starters at the Major League level while allowing Bauer more time to gain more confidence as a whole pitcher.

The suggestion has been made that the ping ponging between the two levels may hurt the youngster’s confidence. However, Bauer is extremely intelligent and understands what the organization is trying to do.

Whatever the case may be, after watching his first start at home live in person last night, it seems once he gets his control down, Trevor Bauer’s hype as a future star could very well come to fruition and the Cleveland Indians will pay dividends.

The Delmon Young experiment in right field begins tonight in South Philly. Young looks to be the savior that the Phillies outfield needs, oh by the way its the worst in baseball according to the numbers. Young will play the spot he vacated in 2007. Yes 6 years since he has played right field, but we had Pat Burrell for all those year in right field, he was terrible back there, so how bad can Young be? Young will be batting fifth in the lineup. Ruiz gets the night off.

Here is tonight’s lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS

2. Chase Utley, 2B

3. Michael Young, 3B

4. Ryan Howard, 1B

5. Delmon Young, RF

6. Domonic Brown, LF

7. John Mayberry, Jr., CF

8. Erik Kratz, C

9. Kyle Kendrick, P

Photo-http://www.thegoodphight.com/2013/4/15/4227414/delmon-young-closes-in-on-rehab-assignment

Chip Kelly’s Picks

So far, I like Chip Kelly. I particularly like the way he talks. No nonsense about him. For instance, he recently said when talking about his first round draft pick, Lane Johnson, “The game of football is won up front. Lane Johnson is another tough, physical guy.” That’s why he expects Johnson, an offensive tackle from Oklahoma, to help the Birds. “That’s what we were looking for as we went into this draft,” Kelly explained. He thinks that’s what he’s got.

Lane Johnson, 6/6″, 303 lbs., said he came into the draft thinking the Eagles were among a handful of teams – along with Arizona, San Diego, Detroit and Miami – who might take him. When Miami traded up, he thought that was his destination but soon afterwards a 215 Area Code call showed up on his phone and then his situation was quickly clarified. Johnson said he knew that Oregon under Kelly ran a very fast-paced offense and he said, “I think I fit with what they need.” At the end, the Eagles’ draft lined up like this:

1. Lane Johnson – Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma
2. Zach Ertz – Tight end, Stanford
3. Bennie Logan – Defensive Tackle, LSU
4. Matt Barkley – Quarterback, USC
5. Earl Wolff – Defensive Back, N.C. State
6. Joe Kruger – Defensive End, Utah
7. Jordan Poyer – Defensive Back, Oregon State
8. David King – Defensive Back, Oklahoma

The Kelly Draft indeed represented a comforting change from the Eagles’ drafts of the recent past. It leads me to believe that the new coach really is the captain at the wheel rather than the general manager, though that observation might be a bit premature. A more reasoned review and analysis will come sometime in October or November, when we see what this new coach has put together. As for the draft, Kelly said, “It’s over and done within three days. You’re on the plane with sixteen-year-old kids in that area for a few years. Three days and it’s done. There’s nothing else you can say about it.” It took Chip Kelly about the same amount of time to decide who would play for him at Oregon. The kids are a bit older here. But the question is the same: mainly, can he play or can’t he? Kelly picked eight players in three days. Their true value won’t be realized till the season starts. Bet there was a big difference in his method and that of Andy Reid. No hesitation or waiting to see if there was one more option out there. He was decisive and sure. Is it possible that the coach made it clear to the Howie Roseman and Jeff Lurie who would run the draft and the kind of players he wanted on the field? It sure looked that way. Kelly seems to think in terms of size, weight, height, speed length, hand size. He focuses on the basics. And he seems to carry the wisdom of that old adage about the advantage of big people – they beat up little people. He wants the big guys, the right big guys, on the field.

The NFL Draft Overall

We’ll remember the 2013 draft, for a long time, as the draft that was dominated by linemen. The first round included 18 linemen, one quarterback and – for the first time since 1963 – no running backs.

The Minnesota Vikings went all out by the numbers with three first round picks. Based on their picks, the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens made up their minds to replace Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. The New York Jets added another quarterback to a position that has haunted them for a long time by picking up Geno Smith in the second round – and Tim Tebow has been sent packing. The Kansas City Chiefs, now coached by Andy Reid, chose as its number one overall pick an offensive tackle from Central Michigan, Eric Fisher. But overall, teams loaded up on linemen making big and beefy guys the stars of this draft.

No team caused more chatter, however, than the Minnesota Vikings who got to the playoffs last year led by MVP Adrian Peterson. They traded four selections to New England to move up into round one and take Tennessee receiver Cordarrelle Patterson after grabbing Florida defensive tackle, Sharrif Floyd, and Florida State corner back, Xavier Rhodes. The Vikings may have the make-up of a playoff team again.

So the NFL went light on glamour at the skill positions and the big guys, able either to get their guy down or to protect those precious, speedy passes, were the most coveted players. Former Denver Bronco, John Elway, called this draft “deep in the trenches”, suggesting that it contained a lot of good players to fill the “trench” positions with little glitz but a lot of guts. We’ll see how it all works out.

The Flyers

Having already been eliminated from playoff consideration, the Flyers cleared out their lockers on the last day of the regular season vowing to return a bigger, better team next year. According to General Manager, Paul Holmgren, they also will return with the same coach, Peter Laviolette, who has two years remaining on his contract. Holmgren said that Laviolette will be back despite a poor 2013 season.

Before season’s end, however, the team paid a fitting, emotional tribute at the Wells Fargo Center last Tuesday night to the city of Boston before facing off against the Bruins. The Flyers posted a sign which read, “From One Tough Town to Another” and honored the first responders and police who had rushed to the scene of the Boston Marathon bombings. The Flyers wore “Boston Strong” patches on their jerseys and stickers on their helmets and the crowd united in supporting our New England neighbors. A class act, for sure.

The Flyers finished 23-22-3, missing the playoffs for only the second time and for the first time since 2007. Holmgren said he had no doubt that the coach was still getting his message through to the players after nearly four seasons. “I think our players played hard till the end,” he said, “I think Peter is a strong motivator, a strong tactician, and I expect him to lead our team back into the playoffs next year.”

Winger Scott Hartnell made another plea for management to improve their defense during the off-season, saying. “We didn’t score as many goals as we did last year but we gave away too many 5-on-4 goals.” Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov is still upset over reports that she spelt during a recent team meeting and again criticized the media, saying, “You guys just have to blame someone. You never look yourselves in the mirror, eh? You never make mistakes? Your articles are always perfect. In reality, what have you done for this city? If you ask yourself, what have you done besides only criticize? Not much.” Sounds like the goalie is ready for a rest. Danny Briere expects to be dealt or have the Flyers buy out his contract but the club hasn’t approached him about waiving his no-trade clause. He commented, “I’ve said all along, my family is here, my kids are here. This is my first choice. This is where I want to be but I understand it’s a business so we’ll see what happens.”

One of the Flyers’ big problems this season was inadequate replacement players. The offense missed Scott Hartnell, who had produced 37 goals in the previous season but missed this one after suffering a broken foot in the third game of the season. He missed sixteen games and never regained his form and there was no one as effective to replace him. Looking ahead, Coach Laviolette said, “I still think that is a good hockey team. It’s a young team but will continue to learn and, hopefully, over the summer will heal from injuries and come back a year older and wiser.”

In the rest of the NHL, the Ottawa Senators grabbed the seventh seed in the East. Montreal and New York will match up into eighth and a first round series against Pittsburgh. The Colorado Avalanche fired coach, Joe Sacco, after the season ended with Colorado missing the playoffs for the third straight season. They never got anything out there in this shortened season and felt a change was needed. So it’s on to the playoffs, which we’ll be watching on television.

Carlos Ruiz

Carlos Ruiz, better known as “Chooch”, has the chance to really help the Phillies and in more ways than one. His return to the daily line-up will have an obvious impact. But in their first thirty games the Phillies have shown a void in leadership. Last year, Ruiz seemed to take on that role to a degree. I’m hoping his return will cause him to do the same. He works hard, has a good sense of humor and he shows a real respect and affection for the game. He keeps himself in good physical condition, in season and off. All qualities of a real leadership. He just might be the missing piece the club has been searching for. The twenty-five game suspension for using Adderall, a banned substance, without a doctor’s prescription became a bit of a dagger point for a team that staggered out of the gate for the second consecutive season.

Remember when the Phils played the early part of the 2010 season without Jimmy Rollins, followed by 2011 and Chase Utley’s mysterious knee problems? Then last year both Utley and Ryan Howard opened the season on the DL which pretty much sealed the Phillies’ season. They were out of contention by the All Star break. The run of five straight National Leage East titles ended due to missing injured players who could not be replaced. Ruiz meant a lot to the pitching status – both the rotation and the bullpen – and Chooch had his best year in 2012 with his bat. Over the last two years, the Phillies rarely had Ruiz, Utley and Howard on the field at the same time and those absences were costly. They started only twenty-three games together last year because, shortly after Utley and Howard returned, Ruiz went out with a foot injury. The team has a winning percentage of 602 when the trio plays together – 539 when they don’t. So once you do the math, you can see how essential Ruiz’s return is in so many ways.

It was expected that Chase Utley’s questionable knees would affect his future more than that of anyone but Utley is playing well. Howard has become the position player or most concern, running as he once did before his major surgery for a torn Achilles more than a year ago. On the pitching front, Roy Halladay appeared to have been pitching better coming off a brutal Spring until he got pummeled by Cleveland last night. The failings of the bullpen haven’t helped him so far. The biggest shock in April was the poor start of Cole Hamels who only got his first win a few days ago. Overall, pitching handed the Phillies a sour apple to chew on for the month and they’re glad to turn the calendar to May.

As for Ruiz, he’s thirty-four years old and will be potential free agent after this season. Some may speculate whether he can perform as well without Adderall as he did while using it. I’m going to leave that to the speculators and hope that he will come back, play like he can play and lead.

[listicle id=55129 align=left show_title=true]

[cbs-olapic gallery_id="1608317006"][/cbs-olapic]

Well this game wasn’t as bad as the 14 to 2 game the other night, but when you mustard out 3 hits and get shutout by a pitcher you probably never heard off, I guess that is just as bad. The Phillies lost to the still below .500 Cleveland Indians 6 to 0 and made the Indians look like a World Series contender. Cliff Lee, who was making his first in Cleveland since he was traded in 2009 to the Phillies, probably wanted a better outing than the one he gave last night. Lee gave up 5 runs, 4 earned and 9 hits in 6 innings. Lee after the game summed up the series like this, “They pretty much pounded us both games, there’s no way around it. They crushed us both games. It was never really close, either one of them. We have to have a little more pride than that and figure out a way to at least get back into games and make it somewhat competitive. Both games, it was never close.”  (1). The Phillies were outscored in 2 games, 20 to 2. The Indians outfielder Ryan Rayburn had more hits last night than the Phillies combined, and Domonic Brown had 2 of the hits. The Phillies were a combined 3 for 29 last night with Rollins, Young, Utley and Howard going 0 for 13 with 3 walks.  The Phillies are probably happy to leave Cleveland and await the 8 and 20 Miami Marlins tonight at home. The Phillies send Kyle Kendrick to the mound tonight and try to start a new win streak. The Marlins will counter with Alex Sanabia. Kendrick is coming off his best game when he threw a complete game shutout against the New York Mets. The game is at 7:05pm and will shown on the MLB Network and Comcast SportsNet.

(1)- http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_05_01_phimlb_clemlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=phi#gid=2013_05_01_phimlb_clemlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=phi

Photo- http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20130502_Indians_tear_into_another_Phillies_ace_in_6-0_win.html

Usually when a game has 7 home runs, it’s usually the home run derby, but last night it was a Cleveland Indians Home Run Derby served up by Phillies pitching.  The Phillies lost to the, 11-13 now, Indians after Roy Halladay served up 3 home runs and 8 runs to make the Indians look like the 1995 Indians with Belle, Thome and Ramirez. The Phillies did mustard out 2 home runs to try to keep up with the Indians but they had ”SOLO” home runs. The only bright spot of the game was a Delmon Young home run in his first at bat as he 2 for 3 as the DH. Roy Halladay’s line for the night: 3.2 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 3 K. A very awful game for a pitcher that was looking regain his dominance and was doing it one start at a time. The Indians had 17 hits while the Phillies had 5. Between the Indians centerfielder Drew Stubbs and right fielder Ryan Rayburn, they both out hit the Phillies 6 to 5. Just a terrible night for the Phillies, but especially their pitching, Halladay, Chad Durbin and Raul Valdes: 14 runs, 15 hits and 7 Home Runs. Halladay after the game was not going to let this game ruin his comeback to dominance, “I’m not discouraged at all. I feel like we’ve really come a long ways, and I feel good about where I am. The location could be better at times, and I think that’s been coming, but like I said, you know, I had to be really good today, and I think that was kind of obvious throughout the whole game.” (1). The Phillies look to tie the short series tonight in Cleveland when they send Cliff Lee, who is making his first start in Cleveland since the trade to the Phillies in 2009. Lee said about his return to Cleveland, “Really doesn’t seem like it’s been as long as it has. It’s been since ’09, doesn’t feel that long, but yeah, good to be back and see some familiar faces. I stopped by and talked to the trainers over there and [home clubhouse and equipment manager] Tony Amato and some of the guys behind the scenes who were a huge part of my career. It was nice to see them and reminisce about some old times and just catch up a little bit. I’ve only been here maybe an hour or so but it’s been good so far.” (2). Lee is coming off  a no decision against the Pittsburgh Pirates when he pitched 7 innings and gave up 3 runs. The Indians will counter with Trevor Bauer. Bauer is 0 and 1 this season, with a 5.40 ERA. The game is at 7:05pm at Progressive Field and will be featured on Comcast SportsNet.

(1)- http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_04_30_phimlb_clemlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=phi#gid=2013_05_01_phimlb_clemlb_1&mode=preview

(2)- http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_04_30_phimlb_clemlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=phi#gid=2013_05_01_phimlb_clemlb_1&mode=preview

Photo- http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/34382/roy-halladay-is-no-longer-roy-halladay

Here is tonight’s lineup, featuring the biggest offseason acquisition since Roy Halladay (laughter filled in) Delmon Young! He will be batting fifth hopefully protecting Ryan Howard. The lineup, barring any health problems will be the lineup for the rest of the year, minus John Mayberry.  Roy Halladay will take the mound tonight for the Phillies.

Rollins SS

M. Young 3B

Utley 2B

Howard 1B

D. Young DH

Brown LF

Ruiz C

Mayberry RF

Revere CF

Photo0http://sportpeaks.com/roy-halladay/

According to Jason, who were the winners and losers of the 2013 draft? Also, what will be
the Eagles’ record this season, and do they have enough to win the NFC East?

Through the first month of the season, Ryan Howard is performing better than most thought
he would. Even though Howard has historic numbers during his first eight years, he is still the
most unappreciated athlete in the city. Why the unwarranted dislike? Chris and Jason ponder
this subject while sticking up for The Big Piece!

Let Chris and Pop-Pop know what you want to hear about. Leave a comment on their page,
or contact Chris through Twitter at @CDiFrancesco86.

The Chris & Pop-Pop Show on Olio.fm | Olio.fm on Facebook | @oliofm on Twitter

———

Chris & Pop-Pop will smack you right in the face with their own dose of reality on the Flyers,
Eagles, Phillies and Sixers. The Chris & Pop-Pop Show on Olio.fm delivers Philadelphia
sports talk in a way that you haven’t heard before, over the air OR online. Join the revolution
every Tuesday, only on Olio.fm.

The Mets took the lead in the bottom of the first as, with a man on third, and with one man out, David Wright hits an RBI single, scoring Ruben Tejada, who had started the inning off with a double, then stopped at third base on Daniel Murphy’s ground out, 4-3, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. The Mets tried to increase their lead in the bottom of the fourth as they loaded up the bases, with two men out, via walks to Lucas Duda, Ike Davis and Juan Lagares, as Phils’ starter Cole Hamels for a time seems to have lost control of the strike zone, but Hamels then got out of the inning by striking out Jon Niese, looking, for the inning’s final out. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in the top of the fifth as Freddy Galvis hits a solo bomb to left field, his second home run of the season. The Phils took the lead in the top of the seventh as, with two men on, and with two men out, pinch-hitter Ryan Howard hits a two-run double, knocking in pinch-hitter Laynce Nix, who had earlier singled, after Mets catcher John Buck had committed a foul pop error as he is unable to catch a pop foul ball hit by Nix, and then moved up to second base on Jimmy Rollins’ single, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead. The Phils then took a 4-1 lead one batter later as Chase Utley hits an RBI single, scoring Howard. The Phils added to their lead in the eighth as, with one man on, and with one man out, John Mayberry, Jr. hits an RBI double, knocking in Dom Brown, who had earlier singled, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Cole Hamels (1-3, 4.78) got the win, his first for 2013, as he pitched six innings, giving up a run on two hits and six walks, while striking out eight. Antonio Bastardo collected his third hold of the year as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Mike Adams and Jonathan Papelbon combined for two 1-2-3 innings. Jon Niese (2-2, 3.31) took the lost as he pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out three. Scott Atchison pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits. Brandon Lyon pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two hits. Scott Rice pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Bobby Parnell pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, a single by Jimmy Rollins, a single by Kevin Frandsen, a single by Chase Utley (RBI), a single by Michael Young, a double by a returning Carlos Ruiz, a single by Dom Brown, a double by John Mayberry, Jr. (RBI), a solo home run by Freddy Galvis (RBI), a single by pinch-hitter Laynce Nix, and a double by pinch-hitter Ryan Howard (2 RBIs). The Phils also had a walk (Young) in the game.

The Phils (12-14, 3rd) have the day off today.

For a while there the Phillies were looking like they were going to repeat what happened last year and just fold to the rest of the NL and find ways to lose games after the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but once again the New York Mets were here to save the day. The Phillies completed a sweep of the New York Mets yesterday behind a great start by Cole Hamels and finally earning his first win of the year! The Mets jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first after a David RBI single, but the Hamels would settle down and become the pitcher the Phillies need him to be. The Phillies tie to game when Freddy Galvis, who was getting the start in left field, homered to left making it 1-1. Cole Hamels continued to deal; he did not give up a hit after David Wright’s RBI single in the first. Hamels pitched 6 innings, struck out 8 and his only bad stat of the game was he walked 6 Mets. In the top of the 7th the Phillies broke the game wide open, Mayberry and Galvis get two quick outs, but the Phillies who are never scared of pressure, get two straight singles from Laynce Nix and Jimmy Rollins. Ryan Howard, who had the day off, pinched hit for Kevin Frandsen, who got the start at first base, doubled to center, scoring both Nix and Rollins, making it 3-1 Phillies. Chase Utley, who did not want to be the odd man out, singled to center, giving plenty of time for Howard to score, making it 4-1 Phillies. In the 8^th the Phillies get some more insurance runs, when John Mayberry doubled to left, scoring Domonic Brown, who singled to center in the previous bat. The Phillies won 5-1 after a 1-2-3 inning by Mike Adams in the 8^th and a 1-2-3 inning by Jonathan Papelbon in the 9^th, competing the sweep. The Phillies went on an offensive explosion in this series, scoring 18 runs total in 3 games. It also marked the return of Carlos Ruiz, who went 1 for 4 with a double. Charlie Manual after the game said “Chooch has become a good hitter over the last two years. He is a big player in our lineup. With Delmon Young [rehabbing a surgically repaired ankle in the Minors], that can give us a different look. We can throw more right-handed hitters at left-handed pitchers. (1). The Phillies have an off day and travel to Cleveland to play a two game series against the Indians, before heading back home later this week to play the Miami Marlins. Roy Halladay will get the start tomorrow against the Indian Zack McAllister. Halladay is coming off a great game against the Pirates, where he gave up 1 run and one hit, but received a no decision. Halladay is 6-2 with a 3.52 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) against the Indians, but he hasn’t faced them since 2009. (2). The game will be at 7:05pm at Progressive Field and will be seen on Comcast SportsNet.

(1)- http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_04_28_phimlb_nynmlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=phi#gid=2013_04_28_phimlb_nynmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=phi

(2)- http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_04_28_phimlb_nynmlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=phi#gid=2013_04_30_phimlb_clemlb_1&mode=preview

Photo- http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2013/04/7306904.jpg

Freddy Galvis homered, Chase Utley had an RBI single and Hamels (1-3) overcame six walks, which matched his career high. The left-hander held the Mets to two hits and struck out eight over six innings in his fourth consecutive solid outing.

All-Star catcher Carlos Ruiz went 1 for 4 with a double in his return to the Phillies from a 25-game amphetamine suspension. Even on the road, the popular Ruiz was greeted warmly with a chorus of “Choooooch,” and one fan held a sign welcoming him back.

Working with his regular batterymate for the first time this season, Hamels helped Philadelphia to its first series sweep since last September — also at Citi Field. The Phillies have won six road games in a row, and 10 of 13, against the rival Mets.

Jonathon Niese (2-2) allowed one earned run in 6 2-3 innings for New York, showing no ill effects from the comebacker that hit him near the right ankle and knocked him out of his previous start Tuesday.

The left-hander was lifted after 117 pitches, and once again Philadelphia immediately jumped all over an awful Mets bullpen that entered the day ranked next-to-last in the majors with a 5.28 ERA.

Hamels was pulled for pinch-hitter Laynce Nix with two outs in the seventh and appeared headed for a no-decision when Nix hit a twisting popup in foul territory. The ball came down near the Phillies dugout, but Mets catcher John Buck was never able to settle under it. He tried to make a basket catch and the ball popped out of his mitt for an error.

Nix and Jimmy Rollins followed with sharp singles, chasing Niese. New York manager Terry Collins called on right-hander Scott Atchison, so Phillies counterpart Charlie Manuel brought Howard off the bench.

Howard, given a rest by Manuel in the midst of a hitting tear, drove a 2-0 pitch off the center-field fence for a two-run double that gave Philadelphia a 3-1 lead.

Utley followed with his run-scoring single, and John Mayberry Jr. added an RBI double in the eighth off Brandon Lyon.

Antonio Bastardo, Mike Adams and Jonathan Papelbon finished with scoreless relief for the Phillies.

Ruben Tejada hit a leadoff double in the first against Hamels and scored on David Wright’s single.

Galvis reached down and golfed a low curveball over the left-field fence in the fifth for his second home run of the season.

NOTES: Howard, riding a 10-game hitting streak, has 10 RBIs in his last five games after driving in six runs over his first 19 games. He has 23 RBIs in his last 13 games against the Mets, including seven in this series. Despite all that, Howard was rested ahead of the team’s off day Monday to give him an extra breather. Kevin Frandsen started at first base and made a nice play to end the first inning. … Wright bobbled Ruiz’s easy grounder in the first, ending a 77-game errorless streak that was the longest by a Mets third baseman. It also had been the longest active run for any third baseman in the majors. New York finished with three errors, one by Niese. … To create roster room for Ruiz, the Phillies designated backup catcher Humberto Quintero for assignment. … Slumping Phillies CF Ben Revere was out of the lineup for the fourth straight game while resting a sore quadriceps. … Wright was back in the No. 3 spot in the lineup after batting cleanup the previous two games. … Mets RHP Matt Harvey (4-0, 1.54 ERA) faces Miami rookie Jose Fernandez (0-2, 4.50) on Monday night in a matchup of elite young arms. … The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by actor Don Cheadle, who short-hopped Mets backup catcher Anthony Recker.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

[listicle id=221535 align=left show_title=true]

Perhaps it is fitting that Cole Hamels did not get his first win of the season until the day Carlos Ruiz returned from a 25-game suspension.  Throughout the weekend, the Phillies suddenly began to show signs of life.  Maybe a lot of that had to do with the anticipation of Chooch’s return.

After losing 3 of 4 to the Pirates, the Phils proceeded to storm New York and sweep the Mets in 3 games.  Kyle Kendrick shut them out on Friday and Jonathan Pettibone collected his first major league win on Saturday.  Then Sunday afternoon, Hamels held the Mets to 1 run to complete the sweep.

While Ruiz did not have a huge impact on the game, going 1 for 4, his mere presence did seem to have everyone in high spirits.  The game was tied 1-1 going into the 7th; in previous games, this lack of offense would have had the entire team tied up in knots, pressing at the plate.  But today, everyone was a little more relaxed.

That 7th inning was the key; Laynce Nix came through again as a pinch-hitter with a 2-out single and Jimmy Rollins followed with a single of his own.  Then Ryan Howard, who did not start the game, smacked a 2-run, pinch-hit double to put the Phillies on top.  Chase Utley singled to score Howard and add to the lead.

Even the bullpen finally looked normal.  Antonio Bastardo, Mike Adams and Jonathan Papelbon each pitched a scoreless inning to nail down the 5-1 win.  This is the team we have all been waiting to see.  The question is, can they keep the momentum going?

Monday is an off day and Tuesday, the Phillies will be in Cleveland to take on the Indians at 7:05pm.

Photoshopping by Jenn Zambri Photography

The Mats took the lead in the bottom of the second as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Jordany Valdespin hits an RBI double, scoring Ike Davis, who had earlier doubled, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in the top of the third as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Chase Utley hits a ground-rule double, knocking in Jonathan Pettibone, who had earlier singled, his first major league hit, then stopped at second base on Jimmy Rollins’ single, while Rollins, who had just singled, would stopped at third. The Phils then took the lead as, with Michael Young batting, Rollins would score on a Shaun Marcum wild pitch, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while Utley would move up to third base. Two batters later, after Young strikeouts for the inning’s first out, Ryan Howard hits a sacrifice fly to left, knocking in Utley, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead. The Mets would get a run back in the bottom of the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via singles by David Wright and Lucas Duda, sending Wright to third base, and a walk to John Buck, sending Duda up to second base, and with nobody out, Davis hits a sacrifice fly, for the inning’s first out, bringing in Wright, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 3-2. Pettibone then got out of the inning by first getting Valdespin to hit into a force out, 6-4, wiping out Buck at second base for the inning’s second out, while sending Duda up to third base, while Valdespin was safe at first, then striking out pinch-hitter Justin Turner, looking, for the final out. The Phils added to their lead in the top of the fifth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Howard hits an RBI single, knocking in Rollins, who had started the inning off with a double, giving the Phils a 4-2 lead, while sending Young, who had just walked, up to second base. The Phils then busted the game wide open as Dom Brown hits a three-run home run, his third home run of the season, knocking in Young and Howard, giving the Phils a 7-2 lead. The Phils then made it an 8-2 lead as John Mayberry, Jr. followed with a solo blast of his own, his second home run of the season. The Mets got the run back in their half of the fifth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Wright hits an RBI double, knocking in Ruben Tejada, who had earlier doubled, making it an 8-3 Phils’ lead. The Phils increased their lead in the top of the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Laynce Nix hits an RBI single, knocking in Young, who had started the inning off with a single, then reached third base on right fielder Mike Baxter’s fielding error of Howard’s fly ball, giving the Phils a 9-3 lead, while sending Howard, who had reached based on Baxter’s error, up to second base. The Mets would get a run back in the bottom of the ninth as Buck lead off the inning with a home run, his eighth home run of the season, making it a 9-4 Phils’ lead. That would be the final score as Jeremy Horst would get out the next three batters to end the game.

Jonathan Pettibone (1-0, 4.35) got the win, the first of his major league career, as he pitched five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, two walks and a hit batter, while striking out four. Raul Valdes and Chad Durbin combined for three 1-2-3 innings, striking out three batters (Valdes (2), Durbin (1)) between them. Jeremy Horst pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Shaun Marcum (0-1, 6.75) took the lost in his first start for 2013, as he went four innings, giving up three runs on five hits, two walks and a wild pitch, while striking out three. Robert Carson pitched an inning, tagged for five runs on four hits and a walk, while he struck out a batter. LaTroy Hawkins pitched two innings, giving up a run on two hits, striking out a batter. Scott Rice pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk, while he struck out two.

The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Michael Young leading the team with three hits (Singles), followed by Jimmy Rollins (Single, Double) and Dom Brown (Single, Home Run, 3 RBIs) with two hits each. Chase Utley (Double, RBI), Howard (Single, 2 RBIs), John Mayberry, Jr. (Home Run, RBI), Laynce Nix (Single, RBI) and Jonathan Pettibone (Single), had the other five Phils’ hit, with Pettibone’s hit being his first career hit. The Phils’ other run came in on a wild pitch. The Phils also had four walks (Rollins, Young, Mayberry, Nix) in the game.

The Phils (11-14, 3rd) will conclude their series with the Mets (10-12, 3rd) with a daygame that is in progress.