I live in Vermont which means I don't have the privilege of watching the Phillies on local TV whenever I please. So when they are nationally televised in HD like they were last night, I tend to block off that time so I can enjoy the game uninterrupted. I figured I would be in for quite a treat as the Phillies were looking to make it 10 straight against their division rival, the NY Mets. To say the least, I was somewhat disappointed by their lackluster effort in all aspects of the game. UT Eric Bruntlett was brutal filling in from MVP SS Jimmy Rollins. Bruntlett committed two little-league level errors in the games and looked out of place in JRoll's shoes. 3B Pedro Feliz, AKA Rally Killer maintained his place as the Phillie most likely to end any potential run scoring in the course of a game. He was only saved from grounding into another inning ending doubl-play when the usually surehanded Jose Reyes muffed an easy ground ball. However, not to be undone, Feliz promptly hit a weak popout to second base when he came up to bat in the top of the 8th with the bases-loaded and 2 outs. From here on out, I will never use Rally Killer's true name. He will need to earn that privilege back and I kinda doubt that it will ever happen.
Unfortunately for the Phillies, they got absolutely no support from SP Kyle Kendrick. Kendrick, a second-year player, lacked control for most of the night and got pounded when he did manage throw strikes. Kendrick is somewhat of a mystery. No one ever expected him to make the Major League roster last year, let alone win 10 games. He lacks an true out-pitch and gets by on hitting his spots and not walking anyone. He cannot afford to walk anyone as hitters bat .280 off of him with around a .330 OBP. As he also doesn't strike anyone out, his numbers don't project him having a very long career. I think alot of Phillies fans are going to be greatly disappointed by Kendrick this season. Last night, he threw a decent sinking fastball that stayed in the 89-92 MPH range and hit 93 MPH on occasion but he couldn't locate either his changeup or breaking ball with any consistency. He managed to walk 6 batters (a career high by the way) in just over 2 IP. He loaded the bases in both the 1st and 2nd innings on walks and in the 3rd on hits and errors by his defense. He was pulled in favor of RP Chad Durbin after 2 1/3 innings. Luckily for the Phillies, Durbin was able to stop the bleeding and contributed 3 2/3 strong innings with no runs allowed despite pitching the day before. Durbin also lowerd his ERA to 1.13 over 8 innings in 6 appearances in the Phillies first 9 games. He has thus far shown himself to be Manager Charlie Manuel's best option out of the pen.
Overall, the Phillies bullpen has proven to be very deep early in the season, especially after the return of CP Brad Lidge. Durbin, Lidge, Romero, and Gordon have all been excellent. Gordon's only bad game so far came on Opening Day. Since then he has not given up a run in his past 4 appearances. Rudy Seanez looks to be a fine addition to the back end of the pen and RHP Ryan Madson should also contribute. So far, the 12th pitcher Clay Condrey is the only reliever to be really concerned about and I honestly doubt he'll see much meaningful action for the Phillies.
New and Notes: LF Pat Burrell continued his early season tear going 2 for 4 last night raising his average to .400 on the year with 3 HRs/9 RBI. Much maligned starter Adam Eaton looks for 2 strong performances in a row as he faces off against SP John Maine tonight at 7:10 pm. CF Shane Victorino took a step backwards last night going 0-5 with 1 K lowering his average to .162. 1B Ryan Howard continues to struggle at the plate and is batting .188 so far this year. RF Geoff Jenkins made a spectacular diving catch in the 3rd inning last night to help stop the bleeding and the RF platoon of Jenkins and Werth appears to be working out so far early this year (Combined stats: .278 AVG, .381 OBP, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R)
Showing posts with label Bullpen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bullpen. Show all posts
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Phillies Acquire Relief Pitcher
The Phillies claimed RHP Tim Lahey off waivers from the Chicago Cubs today. Lahey is a Rule V draft pick that failed to make the Cubs lineup and he must therefore be kept on the Phillies 25 man roster all season or be offered back to the Minnesota Twins. Lahey was originally drafted out of Princeton as a catcher but was quickly converted to a pitcher after one season in the Twins minor-league system. He is a prototypical power pitcher; He stands 6'5" tall, weighs 250 lbs and throws 3 pitches. His fastball stays in the 90-95 MPH range hovering around 93 most of the time. He throws a good slider and a decent changeup according to scouting reports. He has struggled with control so far in his career but his strikeout rate is above average.
2007 Stats in AA New Britain:
ERA W L GP GS CG ShO SV IP H R ER HR BB K
3.45 8 4 50 0 0 0 13 78.1 78 42 30 8 33 56
As you can see he was good in AA posting a decent K/9 ratio of 6.45 however his BB/9 ratio of 3.80 needs to drop if he is to be successful in the Majors. Also his WHIP of 1.42 needs to improve but its not horrible. The bottom line is that he can't possibly be worse than J.D. Durbin.
Closing notes: The Phillies are also hoping to add another pitcher off waivers before 3pm tomorrow when rosters need to be set.
2007 Stats in AA New Britain:
ERA W L GP GS CG ShO SV IP H R ER HR BB K
3.45 8 4 50 0 0 0 13 78.1 78 42 30 8 33 56
As you can see he was good in AA posting a decent K/9 ratio of 6.45 however his BB/9 ratio of 3.80 needs to drop if he is to be successful in the Majors. Also his WHIP of 1.42 needs to improve but its not horrible. The bottom line is that he can't possibly be worse than J.D. Durbin.
Closing notes: The Phillies are also hoping to add another pitcher off waivers before 3pm tomorrow when rosters need to be set.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Adam Eaton Sucks and Other Phillies Thoughts
Adam Eaton sucks. He is perhaps the worst signing in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Sadly, barring an unforseen move by the Front Office to cut its losses with him, we have another 2 long seasons of watching him attempt to pitch to MLB hitters. Perhaps the Phillies could hold a raffle every fifth day where a lucky fan is named starting pitcher for that night's start. It couldn't possibly be any worse than trotting Eaton out there to pitch.
The biggest issue with Eaton isn't that he plays poorly, its that he's stupid. He has the ability to pitch in the Majors, he simply doesn't perform. His pitches are good enough, but his selection and poise at key moments always allows 1 run innings to turn into those game killing 5 run innings he is so famous for. Eaton can literally throw 95 pitches in a game and only miss on 5 of them but still lose by 10 runs because he truly is a moron with his pitch selection. He buckles under pressure like a belt. He is absolutely worthless and every time he starts a game this year, it will be another brick in the wall between the Phillies and a post-season berth.
In other news, JD "Real Deal" Durbin was put on waivers. Likely he will stay with the club anyway as I expect that no one in their right mind will be willing to take him off the Phillies hands. This means he will probably start the season in Allentown along with Travis Blackley (who also cleared waivers) playing for the IronPigs. This means that the Phillies could start the season with only 10 pitchers on the 25 man roster and go up to 11 when Lidge is activated from the 15-day DL after the first week of the season. It also means that the Phillies will be able to keep both Chris Snelling and Wes Helms on the 25 man roster at least in the short-term. This will be helpful in efforts to trade Helms instead of outright releasing him and being on the hook for around $3 million in future salary. However, it also means the Phillies are likely expecting to be able to pick up another pitcher off the waivers scrap heap between now and Sunday afternoon when rosters need to be set for Opening Day. This could mean that borderline players like LHP Steve Kline (who was mentioned in earlier trade rumors) may be available on waivers in the next few days, alleviating the need for the Phillies to give anything up for another arm.
Bold Prediction for the year: Pat Burrell will have a huge contract year in 2008. Pat will be looking to sign one final long term deal after this season and he will need to come up huge to make it happen. Likely, the Phillies will not be resigning him for a couple of reasons. First off, he is dreadful defensively in LF and he has never recovered from the series of ankle and foot injuries he has dealt with in the past few years. Secondly, they are leary of long-term deals for 30+ players like Burrell. Finally, it would make sense for Pat to go for a DH role on an AL club which would lengthen his career considerably with far less wear and tear on his already fragile legs. I could easily see him ending up somewhere like Toronto where Frank Thomas's contract will be up or the Yankees who have around $60 million coming off the books next year as well. Burrell has been very underrated as a Phillie and he has provided a very solid right-handed bat for them for the past 7 years. He will be missed in the middle of the lineup. Left field is a different story though. Predicted line for Pat Burrell this season:
G: 151
AB: 525
Avg: .279
OBP: .415
HR: 35
RBI: 109
BB: 110
K: 120
The biggest issue with Eaton isn't that he plays poorly, its that he's stupid. He has the ability to pitch in the Majors, he simply doesn't perform. His pitches are good enough, but his selection and poise at key moments always allows 1 run innings to turn into those game killing 5 run innings he is so famous for. Eaton can literally throw 95 pitches in a game and only miss on 5 of them but still lose by 10 runs because he truly is a moron with his pitch selection. He buckles under pressure like a belt. He is absolutely worthless and every time he starts a game this year, it will be another brick in the wall between the Phillies and a post-season berth.
In other news, JD "Real Deal" Durbin was put on waivers. Likely he will stay with the club anyway as I expect that no one in their right mind will be willing to take him off the Phillies hands. This means he will probably start the season in Allentown along with Travis Blackley (who also cleared waivers) playing for the IronPigs. This means that the Phillies could start the season with only 10 pitchers on the 25 man roster and go up to 11 when Lidge is activated from the 15-day DL after the first week of the season. It also means that the Phillies will be able to keep both Chris Snelling and Wes Helms on the 25 man roster at least in the short-term. This will be helpful in efforts to trade Helms instead of outright releasing him and being on the hook for around $3 million in future salary. However, it also means the Phillies are likely expecting to be able to pick up another pitcher off the waivers scrap heap between now and Sunday afternoon when rosters need to be set for Opening Day. This could mean that borderline players like LHP Steve Kline (who was mentioned in earlier trade rumors) may be available on waivers in the next few days, alleviating the need for the Phillies to give anything up for another arm.
Bold Prediction for the year: Pat Burrell will have a huge contract year in 2008. Pat will be looking to sign one final long term deal after this season and he will need to come up huge to make it happen. Likely, the Phillies will not be resigning him for a couple of reasons. First off, he is dreadful defensively in LF and he has never recovered from the series of ankle and foot injuries he has dealt with in the past few years. Secondly, they are leary of long-term deals for 30+ players like Burrell. Finally, it would make sense for Pat to go for a DH role on an AL club which would lengthen his career considerably with far less wear and tear on his already fragile legs. I could easily see him ending up somewhere like Toronto where Frank Thomas's contract will be up or the Yankees who have around $60 million coming off the books next year as well. Burrell has been very underrated as a Phillie and he has provided a very solid right-handed bat for them for the past 7 years. He will be missed in the middle of the lineup. Left field is a different story though. Predicted line for Pat Burrell this season:
G: 151
AB: 525
Avg: .279
OBP: .415
HR: 35
RBI: 109
BB: 110
K: 120
Monday, March 24, 2008
Weekly Recap
Well, there's good news for Ryan Howard and decidedly bad news for the Philadelphia Phillies as Miguel Cabrera has reportedly signed an 8-year, $153 million deal with the Tigers. Despite being 4 years older, Howard will almost certainly demand that that deal be a starting point for any future long-term negotiations with the Phillies. What does this mean for the Phillies? Well, lilkely it means that the Phillies will end up having to choose between signing either Cole Hamels or Ryan Howard long term and they will go with Hamels. That means that Howard could be on the trading block after this year. Of course, they could also open up their wallets and admit that as a team in the 6th largest media market in the country with a new favorable stadium lease and 3 million plus in attendance they can afford to sign both to long-term deals. I personally doubt that will happen though.
In other news, the Phillies rotation and bullpen situation has become much clearer in the past couple of days. Francisco Rosario has been placed on the DL and will not open the season on the roster. Travis Blackley has likely pitched himself out of the rotation and Eaton has continued to be solid in his last couple of starts. As it stands now, this will likely be our starting rotation and bullpen:
Starters:
1. Brett Myers
2. Cole Hamels
3. Jamie Moyer
4. Kyle Kendrick
5. Adam Eaton
Bullpen:
RHP Clay Condrey
RHP Ryan Madson
RHP Chad Durbin
LHP JC Romero
RHP Tom Gordon
CP Brad Lidge
On paper, both are slightly better than the beginning of 2007. That is, assuming there are no injuries of course. The bullpen, if Lidge is solid, looks much better on paper.
In the field the Phillies will field an impressive lineup and a very solid bench and it will likely come down to staying healthy and performing up to the level that they are all capable of for the Phillies to repeat as NL East champs.
Closing Notes: CP B. Lidge pitched in another minor-league game and his velocity (without radar guns) was estimated around 91 MPH. Otherwise he was very solid. However, he needs to get his velocity back to the 95-97 range to be effective against major league hitters and to help make his slider more effective.
Prediction right now: 2008 Record: 90-72
In other news, the Phillies rotation and bullpen situation has become much clearer in the past couple of days. Francisco Rosario has been placed on the DL and will not open the season on the roster. Travis Blackley has likely pitched himself out of the rotation and Eaton has continued to be solid in his last couple of starts. As it stands now, this will likely be our starting rotation and bullpen:
Starters:
1. Brett Myers
2. Cole Hamels
3. Jamie Moyer
4. Kyle Kendrick
5. Adam Eaton
Bullpen:
RHP Clay Condrey
RHP Ryan Madson
RHP Chad Durbin
LHP JC Romero
RHP Tom Gordon
CP Brad Lidge
On paper, both are slightly better than the beginning of 2007. That is, assuming there are no injuries of course. The bullpen, if Lidge is solid, looks much better on paper.
In the field the Phillies will field an impressive lineup and a very solid bench and it will likely come down to staying healthy and performing up to the level that they are all capable of for the Phillies to repeat as NL East champs.
Closing Notes: CP B. Lidge pitched in another minor-league game and his velocity (without radar guns) was estimated around 91 MPH. Otherwise he was very solid. However, he needs to get his velocity back to the 95-97 range to be effective against major league hitters and to help make his slider more effective.
Prediction right now: 2008 Record: 90-72
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Why Helms For Kline Might Be A Good Idea
Yesterday, I wrote an article giving three good reasons why trading 3B Wes Helms for LHP Steve Kline would be a very bad idea for Pat Gillick and the Phillies. Now I'm gonna flip the coin and give reasons as to why it might be a good idea.
Reason #1: Home/Road Splits - His home/road splits last year and over the past 3 years show him to be a far more effective pitcher outside of San Francisco than inside. Usually this wouldn't make sense but the reason is simple. Steve Kline isn't and never has been a flyball pitcher so having a huge home park doesn't really help him by preventing HRs. Kline is a sinkerball pitcher with extreme groundball tendencies (1.52 GB/FB in 2007, 1.57 GB/FB for 05-07 and 1.79 for his career). Given a good infield defense (i.e. Feliz, Rollins and Utley are all much above average defensively) he should be pretty competitive.
Here are his road numbers over the past 3 years:
By Breakdown
ERA W L SV SVO G GS CG IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
3.20 4 3 2 6 100 0 0 78.2 67 30 28 9 39 39 .233
Reason #2: Experience - Steve Kline is an experienced setup man. He performed this role admirably for the Cardinals from 2001 -2004 so he has plenty of experience pitching in high pressure situations. While it may be nice to give Blackley a shot at the Big Show, maybe Philly in 08 is not the place to be experimenting. Kline has pitched on playoff teams and could easily fill in as a setup man when injuries start piling up in the Pen.
Reason #3: Why Not? - Helms isn't gonna make the team anyway so the Phillies will have to outright him before the start of the season. Feliz is the starting 3B with no arguments and Bruntlet and Dobbs are far more versatile off the bench anyway. Both can play corner outfield and Bruntlet can capably start at 7 positions and has in the course of his career, so there is no room for Helms anyway.
Reason #4: Addition Through Subtraction - Helms is one of the most "beloved" figures in Phillies history. He probably gained this loyal following by hitting well under .200 at home last year. Getting rid of him can't possibly hurt. If someone like Steve Kline is all we can get for him, so be it.
Either way, we need to get rid of Wes Helms.
Reason #1: Home/Road Splits - His home/road splits last year and over the past 3 years show him to be a far more effective pitcher outside of San Francisco than inside. Usually this wouldn't make sense but the reason is simple. Steve Kline isn't and never has been a flyball pitcher so having a huge home park doesn't really help him by preventing HRs. Kline is a sinkerball pitcher with extreme groundball tendencies (1.52 GB/FB in 2007, 1.57 GB/FB for 05-07 and 1.79 for his career). Given a good infield defense (i.e. Feliz, Rollins and Utley are all much above average defensively) he should be pretty competitive.
Here are his road numbers over the past 3 years:
By Breakdown
ERA W L SV SVO G GS CG IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
3.20 4 3 2 6 100 0 0 78.2 67 30 28 9 39 39 .233
Reason #2: Experience - Steve Kline is an experienced setup man. He performed this role admirably for the Cardinals from 2001 -2004 so he has plenty of experience pitching in high pressure situations. While it may be nice to give Blackley a shot at the Big Show, maybe Philly in 08 is not the place to be experimenting. Kline has pitched on playoff teams and could easily fill in as a setup man when injuries start piling up in the Pen.
Reason #3: Why Not? - Helms isn't gonna make the team anyway so the Phillies will have to outright him before the start of the season. Feliz is the starting 3B with no arguments and Bruntlet and Dobbs are far more versatile off the bench anyway. Both can play corner outfield and Bruntlet can capably start at 7 positions and has in the course of his career, so there is no room for Helms anyway.
Reason #4: Addition Through Subtraction - Helms is one of the most "beloved" figures in Phillies history. He probably gained this loyal following by hitting well under .200 at home last year. Getting rid of him can't possibly hurt. If someone like Steve Kline is all we can get for him, so be it.
Either way, we need to get rid of Wes Helms.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Phils Look For Two In a Row
"We won a game today. We win one tomorrow that's two in a row. We win one that next day, that's what's known as a winning streak boys. It has happened before" -Manager Lou Brown, Major League 2
Its pretty sad that I'm desperately hoping for 2 wins in a row in the 3rd week of Spring Training, but I am. The Phillies really need to get moving or its gonna be a long season. Hopefully Myers' strong outing yesterday will energize the rest of the rotation and we'll actually see some respectable Major League pitching instead of the bush league crap the Phillies have been feeding us so far this spring. Chad Durbin (as if it matters which Durbin) will take the ball today and hopefully go several strong innings. Right now, Durbin is looking to be a solid lock for the 6 spot in the Bullpen behind Lidge, Gordon, Madson, Romero and Condrey. The other open spot will likely fall to LHP Travis Blackley or RHP Francisco Rosario. Blackley may have the edge as they are looking for a 2nd Lefty in the Bullpen and he is a Rule V draft pick who has to stay on the 25-man roster or be offered back to the Giants. Neither has exactly wowed the Phils staff so far this Spring.
Its pretty sad that I'm desperately hoping for 2 wins in a row in the 3rd week of Spring Training, but I am. The Phillies really need to get moving or its gonna be a long season. Hopefully Myers' strong outing yesterday will energize the rest of the rotation and we'll actually see some respectable Major League pitching instead of the bush league crap the Phillies have been feeding us so far this spring. Chad Durbin (as if it matters which Durbin) will take the ball today and hopefully go several strong innings. Right now, Durbin is looking to be a solid lock for the 6 spot in the Bullpen behind Lidge, Gordon, Madson, Romero and Condrey. The other open spot will likely fall to LHP Travis Blackley or RHP Francisco Rosario. Blackley may have the edge as they are looking for a 2nd Lefty in the Bullpen and he is a Rule V draft pick who has to stay on the 25-man roster or be offered back to the Giants. Neither has exactly wowed the Phils staff so far this Spring.
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