Game 13: Hot & Cold

11 runs last night. Only 1 tonight.

The Phillies offense couldn’t get anything going tonight as they drop the second game of the series 3-1 to Milwaukee tonight. The Phils only run came via a Jayson Werth solo homer in the ninth. The Phillies threatened later that same inning by putting runners on the corners with two outs. However, Chris Coste struck out to end the game.

Posting may be light through the weekend as I attempt a paint job in my house. For most this would probably be a one-day project. However, judging from my last painting exploits, I have a feeling this may turn into an all weekend project.

Game 8: Blanton Can’t Deliver

Joe Blanton’s Goldberg-like Phillies undefeated streak came to an end tonight as he takes a loss in tonight’s game in Washington, 8-2.

In what has been the recurring theme for the Phils this season, they fell behind from the get-go when Adam Dunn hit a three-run homer in the first inning. It seems as if every time I turn on the game this season, the Phils are already down by two or three runs. Yes, this team is one of the best come-from-behind teams in baseball. However, they need to jump out front more often. This team can’t play catch up all season.

The Phillies return home tomorrow night to start a four-game series with the Pads. Of course the highlight of the weekend will be the planned festivities for the great Harry Kalas. Much like the season’s opening series, we are looking at a pretty emotional homestand for the Phightins this time around. Unfortunately, this one won’t be as cheery.

Harry Kalas 1936-2009

The Phillies won today thanks to a Ryan Howard three-run homer in the 7th. However, that was the secondary story of course. Phillies longtime play-by-play man Harry Kalas died today before the game in Washington.

I never met Harry Kalas personally. However, like a lot of people in this area, Harry served as the soundtrack to my summer for years. So, today's news comes as quite a blow. In my 26 years, I listened to Harry call countless games on the radio and TV. It’s hard to imagine a Phillies game without Harry’s presence.

I can’t really say any more than what has already been said and what will be said over the next couple days. So, thanks to Youtube, I’ll post some of my personal favorite Harry moments.

Game Four: Hamels Roughed Up

Whether we want to admit or not, most of us had our qualms about Cole Hamels’ first start this afternoon in Colorado. After all, he didn’t pitch all that much during spring training as a result of the elbow stiffness he experienced in mid-March. Plus, when we last saw Cole in Saturday’s Spring Training finale against Tampa, he didn’t exactly look sharp.

Well, after today, we can draw one fairly obvious conclusion: Cole Hamels is not ready for regular season baseball. In 3.2 innings, Hamels allowed 7 earned runs on 11 hits and a walk. This wasn’t exactly the outing we had hoped for from our World Series MVP. Hamels’ velocity wasn’t where it needs to be for him to dominate a game like he did last postseason. Couple that with the fact he left a good number of pitches in the middle of the plate today, where I could even hit the ball hard and you have all of the elements that lead to that kind of line.

Cole’s struggles today fit perfectly with the subpar starting pitching we’ve seen all week. This team needs to get this starting pitching conundrum solved before it isn’t ‘early’ anymore.

Next up, Brett Myers tries to even his record when he makes his second start of the season against Colorado tomorrow night.

Game Three: The Comeback Phils

If you turned off the TV or radio or left CBP early today, you missed one hell of a game. We’ll look back at this game as one of the highlights of the 2009 season without a doubt.

The Phillies used an eight run 7th inning to beat the Braves 12-11 and save a game from this opening three game series. Most impressive, the Phils proved they can play small ball. They didn’t hit one homerun within that monster inning. In fact, they used a smattering of singles, walks and a hit batsman to churn out those eight runs. An inning likes this gives me confidence this team can find a way to score some runs even if the big bats aren’t clicking.

Three more quick thoughts after today’s big win:

• He still has a ways to go, but Raul Ibanez certainly has started to win over the extremely tough Philly fans. He contributed 2 hits, including a two-run homer, 3 RBIs and scored three runs in the win today. If he can come through like that on a consistent basis, he’ll surely serve as an adequate replacement for Pat the Bat.
  
• Not to take away from the big win, but for the third straight game the starting pitching turned in a subpar performance. Once again, the Phillies found themselves trailing 2-0 before they even took their first cuts at the plate. These pitchers need to figure out a way to get out of the first inning unscathed. Hopefully, Cole Hamels can jump start the rotation with a solid start Friday in Colorado.


• When did Ryan Howard learn to play defense? He’s played spectacular D through the first three games. Apparently, the Big Boy brought the leather this season.
  
• I might be in the minority here, but I didn’t really understand all of the hype about what the rings looked like. I loved the ceremony and I definitely I wish I was there to see it. However, why do I care how many diamonds the ring has? The Phillies aren’t giving me one. Maybe if the team decided to give me a ring, I’d care.

Now the Phillies head out to Colorado to take on the Rockies in a three game series. Early April baseball in Colorado should be quite the adventure. Colorado shouldn’t play a home game until June.

Game Two: Frozen Bats

Windy and cold. Yup. I love April baseball.

The Phillies left 11 men on base as they lost to the Atlanta Braves 4-0 tonight at CBP. Offensively, the Phillies slugged six hits and created a few opportunities to score. However, as Chris Wheeler pointed out in the telecast, most of those opportunities came with two outs.

In his first start of the year, Jamie Moyer fell behind right from the outset as he let up a leadoff solo homerun to Kelly Johnson in the top of the 1st. From there, Moyer allowed three more earned runs on 8 hits over five innings.

My take: Since it’s only game two, we’ll use the cold as the excuse for the lack of offensive production tonight. However, that excuse will only go so far. The fact is the Phils left 11 men on base tonight. They need to chase some of those runners home.

The Phillies will try to avoid a sweep by the Braves tomorrow in the hyped ring ceremony game.

Game 1: Hands Off the Panic Button

Phillies fans, welcome back to reality.

Brett Myers returned to early 08 form and the offense couldn’t figure out Derek Lowe as the World Champion Phillies dropped their first meaningful game since last October’s World Series 4-1 to division rival Atlanta.

As the radio hosts and bloggers have said all day long, last night’s game was only the first of 162. Clearly, we shouldn’t panic or jump off the bandwagon just yet. Just like one win can’t make a season, one loss won’t kill it either. If you find yourself panicked at this point, relax. This team will be fine.

However, the game turned out to be a letdown coming off the world championship celebration of the past five months. We were amped up and ready to go only to watch Brett Myers let up three homeruns and the Phils offense squeeze out a meager four hits. Perhaps, the Phillies suffered from a bit of a championship ceremony hangover. That’s understandable. As long as it doesn’t extend too far into April, this team will be fine.

Much of the talk today focused on the left-left-left middle of the order the Phils currently feature. This was one of the few concerns a lot of us had coming into this season. Well, it took one game for this potential downfall to rear its ugly head. Braves left-handed closer Mike Gonzalez made Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez look silly in the bottom of the ninth with runners on base. The quick fix is probably to move Jayson Werth down into the 5-hole and move Victorino to the 2-hole. This lineup might not be ideal, but it breaks up those left-handed bats and forces the opposing manager to game plan more instead of sticking with a tough lefty in the late innings.

Problem solved. Now, we must figure a way to get Brett Myers out of the first inning.