Oswalt, Phillies can take one more big step in Game 6.


Believe it or not, the Phillies could actually have the upper hand in their latest quest to be crowned champions of the National League.

After falling behind to the San Francisco Giants three games to one, the Phillies pulled out a very close win in Game 5 by a score of 4-2. But even though they got the win, it wasn't pretty. Roy Halladay was off his game, the Phillies' offense continued to look incompetent, and the Giants' home crowd was at a roar for most of the game.

But thanks to some great pitching out of the bullpen by Jose Contreras, Ryan Madson, and Brad Lidge (who closed out the game), the Phillies are down one game to the Giants and must win the remaining two games if they want to make it to their third straight World Series.

So how, exactly, does that give them the upper hand?

For starters, they still have the remaining two of the Big Three. Halladay, even though he wasn't his usual dominant self, did enough to get the job done. Now, the Phillies will turn to Roy Oswalt in Game 6 and, hopefully, Cole Hamels for Game 7.

Of course, none of that matters if the offense continues its funk. The numbers have been tossed around enough and, quite honestly, are difficult to repeat. But anyone who has paid attention knows how awful the bats have been not only in this series, but throughout the postseason.

Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez have been especially disappointing as of late. They are counted on to be run-producers, and so far they haven't played their roles.

But at least Ibanez and Howard (for the most part) haven't been liabilities in the field. Utley, on the other hand, has been messing up every time the ball heads his direction.

Most recently, in Game 5, Utley could have ended the first inning on a very easy double-play ball, but he didn't scoop the ball into his glove before attempting to make a tag and allowed a run to cross because of it.

Had the Phils dropped this game by one run, the mostly-popular Utley likely would have needed extra security to go anywhere in Philadelphia.

But, fortunately for him, the offense was able to muster one big inning and an insurance home run by Jayson Werth in the top of the ninth.

Alright, enough of the digression into a rant about the offense. We're talking about why the Phillies could be in good position to pull the comeback. We've already discussed the starters they have lined up, so what else could be in their favor?

They're coming home. The final two games -- both of which are must-win for the Phils -- will be played at Citizen's Bank Park.

Hopefully being at home will make the offense more comfortable and the entire team can feed off the crowd as they always seem to do. The fact that CBP is a hitter's park also doesn't hurt a team that relies mostly on the long ball to put runs on the board.

Having to win the final two games to cap an incredible comeback is certainly not an ideal situation, but if it's a situation a team finds themselves in, they would definitely want to have two aces lined up to pitch at home.
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It wasn't a no-hitter, but a shut-out isn't bad I suppose.


I would have never believed that as a Philadelphia Phillies fan a sweep in the NLDS would feel about the same as a win in mid-June.

There's certainly excitement over the series win, but this is an expected step back to the World Series at this point. The Cincinnati Reds are a good team, but there was never any real anxiety that the series would turn out any other way.

The Phillies top three starting pitchers couldn't allow it. Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels were absolutely lights out, and even though Roy Oswalt looked very uncomfortable at times during his Game 2 start, he pitched well enough for the Phils to roll and get an early start preparing for whomever they might face in the NLCS.

At this point, it looks like a re-match of NL East foes isn't going to happen and the Phils will face off against a team that has the same type of feel in the San Francisco Giants.

Both teams rely on great pitching and have been able to count on their offenses to do just enough this season to allow them to win games.

But for as great as the Giants' pitchers can be, they just don't match up with the Phillies' staff.

Even if we call Halladay vs. Tim Lincecum a wash, I don't think many people would argue that Matt Cain is better than Oswalt or that Barry Zito or Jonathan Sanchez are better than Hamels at this point.

Hamels has been a bit erratic throughout his career, but he's been spectacular this season and is coming off a complete game shut-out to send the Phils into the next stage of the playoffs.

And if the Atlanta Braves happen to steal the series from the Giants, we've seen what the Phils can do to Bobby Cox and his squad. The Phillies' offense has to be a cause for concern at this point, and Charlie Manuel must make sure they aren't becoming complacent, but they can stand with either the Braves or the Giants.

Anything other than a World Series appearance will be a disappointment. In fact, just appearing in the World Series for a third consecutive season likely won't be enough for the fans of Philadelphia. The talk is of a Phillies dynasty, and it's what everyone wants to see.

If Oswalt can pick up his play another notch, there isn't anything other than themselves standing in the way of that dream becoming reality.
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How long can Cole Hamels keep this incredibly hot hand?


Well, the scoreless streak was certainly impressive and fun to watch while it lasted, but sadly it had to come to an end eventually and it didn't take long against the Florida Marlins Tuesday night.

Hamels gave up his first run in 25 innings in the first inning, but to the delight of everyone in Philadelphia and Phillies fans everywhere, it was the only run he would give up. It's a good thing too, since his offense was only about to score two runs.

The latest terrific outing by Hamels included 13 strikeouts, the most by any NL pitcher this year, and a career-high 127 pitches. Charlie Manuel will give Hamels an extra day of rest so he can be the first guy to pitch when the Phils begin a three-game series with the Atlanta Braves on September 20th.

Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt will follow Hamels in the series.

Hamels is tied for second in the NL with 201 strikeouts -- oddly enough with teammate Roy Halladay. Those strikeouts are a big part of why he's been so great this year. He's striking guys out in key situations and getting ahead of nearly every batter he faces.

Adding the cutter has certainly helped, as well. Not only because it has given him an extra weapon in an already-strong arsenal, but it gives batters something else to think about when they step up to the plate.

Halladay and Oswalt dominating is all but a given, but now that Hamels is dominating as well, the Phils are set up nicely to put the Braves away once and for all and enter the playoffs as perhaps the most feared team in any league.
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Another Rollins injury killed the mood Wednesday.


Cole Hamels, the subject of a lot of warranted scrutiny in 2009, has bounced back something fierce in 2010. Anyone who has seen him pitch can see he's a guy who has been playing with a chip on his shoulder and has absolutely no thoughts of slowing down.

He continued to show that Wednesday night as the first-place Phillies took on the Florida Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. They needed to win to stay on top of the division, and they did just that behind Hamels and seven scoreless innings.

Over those seven innings, Hamels allowed only four hits, one walk, and struck out five. He also extended his streak of scoreless innings pitched to a very impressive 25. It's the longest streak by a Phillies starting pitcher since 2002, and is only three and a third innings away from tying J.C. Romero's 28.1 scoreless innings pitched in the 2007 into the 2008 season.

Something tells me Hamels won't allow himself to fall short of breaking Romero's streak. He's a man on a mission this season and this streak clearly means a lot to him. He made that very evident when, even with a 9-0 lead, he was pitching for strikeouts as opposed to throwing fastball after fastball and pitching to contact.

Not to be outdone by a pitcher, Ryan Howard had one of his best games of the year, driving in six runs -- including a three-run shot in the fourth, his 28th of the season.

But in a stroke of bad luck expected by the 2010 version of the Phillies, Jimmy Rollins left the game with what appeared to be a pulled hamstring. He's officially day-to-day, but Rollins has had awful luck with leg injuries this year, so it's a cause for concern.

I would expect Charlie Manuel to hold Rollins out of a few games until he's absolutely positive Rollins is good to go, but it's also possible things take a turn for the worse. Neither of Rollins' other two injuries were supposed to be all that bad, but we saw how that turned out.

The Phils have Thursday off before starting what is sure to be a very difficult series with the New York Mets, so they'll need Rollins back sooner rather than later if they're going to keep their spot at the top of NL East.
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The Phillies' offense is taking Cole Hamels for granted.


What else is there to say about the starting pitching and, more specifically, Cole Hamels?

The guy has been lights out for most of the season and appears to be more focused than he's ever been during his time in Philly. The immature side-issues seem all but gone, he appears to have grown up, and he seems to really be hitting his stride as a consistent pitcher.

I don't think it's a stretch to say that there are more than a few teams that would do back-flips if Hamels were their ace, and it's possible he's not even the second-best pitcher on this staff.

Pitching has kept this team from a complete meltdown, and with Hamels pitching seven scoreless innings and the Phils pulling one out from the Brewers 1-0 on Friday night, they have moved to only one game behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.

They've said their goal is not only to make the playoffs, but to do it as NL East champs. For them, they say, nothing else matters. A wild card spot is not acceptable.

However, it seems like the pitchers are the only guys who truly feel that way.

Putting aside the team's unbelievable win against the Colorado Rockies Thursday night, the pitching staff has been the only thing preventing a Cardinals-like fall from contention.

Even the one run the Phils were able to score should have been an out. Everyone and anyone watching the game could see that. I bet even those of you watching with your girlfriend got a nudge on the shoulder and a rather confused "shouldn't he have caught that?"

Yeah, he should have.

And, of course, by "he" I mean either one of them.

For now the Phillies will take the one run, take the win and move on to the next game, but they're not going to get by on one run come playoff time. The offense seems to just show up whenever it feels like it and doesn't truly start hitting until Joe Blanton backs them into a corner by giving up five runs with one swing of the bat in the first inning.

Don't laugh (or call me a moron). If anyone can do it, it's Blanton.

They'll all celebrate the win for now, but the lack of offense will become a serious problem very soon if it's not addressed and fixed permanently.
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Hamels could be the key to the Phillies' playoff push.


If the Phillies can continue their usual strong play in the latter portion of the season, they will most likely wind up in the playoffs. Whether it's after they overtake the Atlanta Braves and win the NL East, or via the consolation prize of a wild card berth, most expect the Phils to be playing in the MLB's second season.

And if or when the Phils do make it past the regular season, their super trio of starting pitchers has to make them a favorite in the NL.

Most of the hardships this season have come from the erratic and unpredictable play of Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick. Both guys have had some gems, but both guys have also had their fair share of games that make any observer wonder why in the world either of them are in the majors.

Of course, the incredible numbers of injuries doesn't help, but that hasn't seem to have affected Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, or Roy Oswalt. Granted, Hamels record doesn't look so hot at 7-10, but with some hitting it's not out of the question for him to be sitting at 12-5 or better.

Even Halladay, who sits at 16-8, could probably be 20-4 were it not for the injuries, and the other Roy hasn't pitched a bad game for the Phils since his debut back on July 30th.

And when the playoffs roll around, the chances of Blanton or Kendrick seeing too many starts at slim. Each could possibly see a start in the first series, but after that the Phils would likely go to a three-man rotation depending on when their days off land.

Then Blanton and Kendrick can move into the bullpen as long relief guys to compliment the rest of the bullpen and all of a sudden Philly looks set.

This is a club with a healthy mix of guys who have played and won in the playoffs, and guys who would love nothing more than to finally get into the playoffs and do some winning.

Impressive pitching, along with a healthy lineup, could mean trouble for the other three NL teams entering the October tournament, and perhaps set the stage for a 2009 World Series rematch between the Phils and New York Yankees.
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Has Manuel been pulling his weight for the Phillies?


No Phillies team for the past decade or so, and I truly mean no team, has been more frustrating to watch than this year's squad.

They could very easily be the most talented group the Phillies have had since getting back to the playoffs back in 2007. They finally found a great No. 2 hitter, had a guy settle into the six spot, were able to get some speed at the seven spot, and returned with All-Star quality guys at nearly every other spot in the lineup.

But then there were the injuries. Other than Jayson Werth, every other Phillies starter has done at least one stint on the DL. Even the resilient Ryan Howard couldn't afford the bug. So because of that, the Phillies have had (I believe) a measly seven games with their complete lineup intact.

Seven games. That's it. That number would be low if we're talking about an NFL team that plays only 16 games. These guys play 162 games, have played 120 to this point, and can't get the entire group of starters together for more than seven games.

Frustrated yet? Well, it gets worse.

The backups come in and, to the delight of everyone around the team, actually play well. They're not playing with All-Star numbers, but certainly well above anyone's expectations.

That is, of course, when they seemingly feel like it.

More than any other season in the past three years, it seems like pitching gems were going to waste left and right. And it didn't matter whether it was Roy Halladay or Kyle Kendrick or any guy in the middle, the Phillies offense just could not take advantage and, because of that, have lost more 1-0 or 2-1 games than I can recall in recent memory.

And if they couldn't come through when their guys were pitching a gem, forget about being able to actually pick their guy up and give him some help when he needs it. In '08 and '09, it wasn't really a cause for concern if Joe Blanton came in and gave up three first-inning runs. The Phils' offense would back him up and they'd usually be able to come out with a win.

This season, however, games were lost in the first inning. It seemed like the lineup would start to press as soon as they fell behind, and then it was just all downhill from there. Once their slumps began, they were hard to reverse.

But then, something wonderful happened -- they started hitting.

Hitting coach Milt Thompson was the guy picked as the scapegoat and promptly fired. Greg Gross took over and has been given credit for the turnaround the offense had, but anyone paying attention can tell it was more about the shock of their coach getting tossed than it had to do with the new guy coming in.

After some great stretches of winning the games that had to be won, the Phillies found themselves two games out the division lead with a two-game lead on the final wild card playoff spot after back-to-back blowout wins over the Giants.

And then the unthinkable happened last night as the Phillies were shut out over eight innings, only managed four hits, and were unable to pick up a somewhat shaky Hamels and take advantage of an Atlanta Braves loss.

How, exactly, is it possible for a team like the Phillies to blow a team out in back-to-back games, and then just fold when the opportunity for a sweep is presented?

It took a little while to get to this point (and thanks for sticking with me here), but the only answer I can come up with is that Charlie Manuel is not preparing these guys properly. When a team is on a hot-streak, it's up to the manager to make sure their heads are in the right place.

Instead, it seems as though he's content to lay back and let them figure things out. Manuel probably hasn't had to do a whole lot over the past few seasons and I'm not sure if it's made him lazy or what, but he doesn't seem to be doing what he needs to do.

And make no mistake, this isn't just about the losing. If they came out and dropped a game even 5-4 but were hitting fairly well and just happened to get outplayed, that's one thing. But the guys are coming out, they look flat to begin with, and then can only muster four hits and not a single run until what is essentially garbage time down 5-0 in the ninth inning.

I understand these guys are professionals and adults and should be able to get themselves right without Manuel's help, but when they've proven that they can't it's time for Manuel to step up and doing something other than blow bubbles in the dugout.
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Cole Hamels does his best Roy Halladay impression.


For the second game in a row, the Philadelphia Phillies have pulled off a 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds and, for just the first time since 1975, have swept the Reds in a four-game series.

And for the second game in a row, it came down to great pitching and a clutch base knock by Jimmy Rollins. It wasn't quite as dramatic as an 11th inning walk-off hit, but Rollins came through in the third inning to drive in what would turn out to be the game-winning run.

Not surprisingly, it was Carlos Ruiz coming home from third with two outs. If anyone was doubting the impact Rollins could make on this lineup, they're not anymore.

But even more important than Rollins was Cole Hamels and his rough-looking-but-effective 7.2 scoreless innings with six scattered hits, three strikeouts, and three walks in 112 pitches.

Hamels was around the plate all day, but wasn't getting a lot of the calls and had to work himself out of a jam a couple times. He then gave way to Jose Contreras for the final out in the eighth inning with a man on second. Contreras walked the first man he faced, then forced a ground ball to get out of the inning.

Then in the ninth, a perfect combination of J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge finished off the game.

Romero came in to first the first batter -- left-hander Jay Bruce -- and struck him out in four pitches. Charlie Manuel then made a decision unpopular with the sell-out crowd at Citizen's Bank Park and took Romero out to make way for Lidge to face two consecutive right-handed batters.

But the crowd got behind Lidge as he struck out Drew Stubbs and got Miguel Cairo to fly out on the very first pitch, ending the game and completing the four-game sweep.

Great teams win the close games, but the Phillies' bats are still a cause for concern. Only four hits is not going to get the job done on a normal day. They've benefited from outstanding pitching the last 21 innings as the pitching staff held the Reds scoreless, but sooner or later this team is going to have to win with their offense.

That's how they've won in the past, and that's how they're going to have to win this season.

Hopefully Chase Utley and Placido Polanco can come back strong and this lineup can be complete for more than a couple weeks and start making their annual late-season push. But without a lot more offense than we've seen over the past week or so, the Phillies are still going to struggle to stay in the middle of the pack in a competitive NL East.

But, for now, it's at least good to see the Phightin' Phils back to their winning ways.
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With Utley playing well, the Phils could start rolling.


The Phillies lost one of the most up-and-down games I've ever seen to the Minnesota Twins by a score of 13-10, but there were a lot of positives to take from the game.

For starters, the Phils scored 10 runs -- something they haven't been doing a whole lot of recently as they fight to fully escape their offensive funk. It's still too soon to proclaim it over, but with 14 hits and a double-digit run total, they're certainly making strides.

They also did all that without Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz -- both of whom are expected back in the lineup sometime in the middle of next week.

And to keep with the recent trend, the starting pitcher looked very good for the most part. Cole Hamels had a difficult start to the game, allowing three runs in the first inning, but he turned it around and allowed only one more run in the next six innings he pitched.

Overall, Hamels finished with seven innings pitched, five hits, four runs, three earned, walked two, struck out seven, allowed one homerun, and had one error.

Chase Utley was the star of the game on offense going 3-5 with three RBIs and a couple extra-base hits. Utley, like the rest of the offense, appears set to pull out his funk once and for all and make a push in the latter portion of the season.

Any negatives there were to find with this team came from the bullpen.

The Phillies were leading 9-4 heading into the ninth inning after seven very good innings from Hamels and a great eighth inning by J.C. Romero, but a combination of Jose Contreras and Brad Lidge gave the game away.

Contreras walked a man, allowed a base hit which turned into a run, and then gave up a pinch-hit homerun to Jim Thome to make the game 9-7. With no outs, he was replaced by Lidge who, after getting two outs, gave up a homerun to Joe Mauer with a man on base to tie the game at nine heading into the bottom of the ninth.

The wheels fell off from there as Chad Durbin and Danny Baez took their turns messing things and eventually losing the game, even after Ross Gload brought the Phillies back with a pinch-hit homerun in the 10th to tie the game at 10.

So, for once this season, it wasn't the offense getting knocked around. But the play of the bullpen is more than alarming. If they don't pick it up tomorrow, we could see a bit of a shake-up from Charlie Manuel in that 'pen.

Losing a game they should have won is certainly going to hurt, but if they can rebound and beat the Twins in the finale to take the series, they should be able to get on a roll as they'll have six more consecutive home games, three of which come against the cupcake Cleveland Indians.
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