Phillies Nation

Cole Hamels did what Roy Halladay, Kyle Kendrick, Cliff Lee and Joe Blanton couldn’t do before him — won a game for the Phillies to end a four-game losing skid.

Hamels pitched eight shutout innings as the Phillies won, 4-1, in the final game of a three-game home series with Washington. The Phils will now travel to St. Louis for four games.

Some observations from Wednesday’s game:

- The Phillies have won two games against the Nationals since last August 20, and both of them have been gems pitched by Hamels. He beat the Nats on May 6 in a game remembered more for his plunking of Bryce Harper than his eight innings of one-run baseball.

- Hamels is obviously very, very good. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth and looked absolutely dominant in all but one inning.

- Hamels leads the majors with seven wins.

- Carlos Ruiz had three hits in his first-ever appearance in the four-hole. So it doesn’t look like his spot in the batting order will affect a swing that refuses to go cold.

- In the last four or five days, Shane Victorino has looked the best he has all season. He homered and doubled to drive in two on Wednesday and is now batting .267/.330/.439.

- The Phillies bunt a lot and run a lot. Maybe it’ll end up being a positive. Maybe it won’t net them anything. Wednesday’s suicide squeeze was exciting, as Juan Pierre sacrificed in Mike Fontenot from third base. But Pierre was also easily out at first base earlier in the game retreating after a hit-and-run resulted in a shallow flyout. That’s the danger of playing too much small ball.

- Jonathan Papelbon is filthy. The Phillies shouldn’t have committed that much to a closer, but if you’re going to, this was the guy. His fastball and splitter can disappear in any count to seemingly any batter.

- It’s pretty amazing that the Phillies have ONE complete game this season, and it was from Blanton.

Washington Nationals (26-17) at Philadelphia Phillies (21-23)

Edwin Jackson (1-1, 3.31) vs. Cole Hamels (6-1, 2.48)

Time: 7:05, Citizens Bank Park
TV: CSN, ESPN2
Weather: Cloudy, 74, chance of t-storms
Media: Twitter and Facebook

The Phillies, who are already on a season high four game losing streak, hope to avoid a sweep at the hands of their new rivals the Nationals. The Phils nearly got swept earlier this season in Washington, but a solid start by Cole Hamels and a mini offensive explosion helped the Phillies to victory.

Hamels will be on the mound again tonight, which means the highly anticipated round two of Hamels v Harper will indeed happen. As for the other hitters that Hamels will face, most have not fared well against him in the past.

Continue reading Gameday: Phillies (21-23) vs Nationals (26-17)

Galvis has played a role in the Phillies success this season. (AP)

The Phillies have played just over 1/4 of their games. So, we give out the awards for what has gone down thus far.

MVP AWARD: Carlos Ruiz

-This is an easy one. Chooch has been phenomenal from the minute the season began. In spring training, he knew he would have to take on a larger role within the offense. No way he – or anyone else for that matter – thought he’d be this good, right? Chooch has been the saving grace for this offense. Over the last month, Ruiz has a 1.132 OPS and has been moved up to fifth in the order. Thank the Lord for Chooch.

CY YOUNG AWARD: Cole Hamels

-Jonathan Papelbon certainly deserves a look too, but he only pitches one inning at a time. So the award goes to Cole, and rightfully so. Hamels is tied for the league lead in wins with six and ranks high in pretty much every other category. He has been the horse this season. Not that Halladay and Lee haven’t been good, it’s just that Hamels has been excellent.

GUY YOU WEREN’T SURE ABOUT AND STILL AREN’T SURE ABOUT BUT ARE HAVING FUN WATCHING AWARD: Freddy Galvis

-Galvis can play the field. He’s one of the smoothest son-of-a-guns on a diamond this team has seen in a while. Like a young Young James. But, we’re still not sure about his bat. Galvis has had some really big hits, but he’s also looked completely over matched. Either way, it’s been cool watching him make it in the majors.

Continue reading Phillies Nation Quarter Pole Awards

Throughout the 1990’s and into the 2000’s, Bob Stumpo, a resident of Wilmington, DE, grew up rooting for his local Major League Baseball team, the Philadelphia Phillies. Currently, Stumpo is a catcher/first baseman for the Phillies Class A affiliate, the Lakewood BlueClaws in the South Atlantic League, where he is developing into a player worthy of wearing a Philadelphia uniform.

Through 14 games with Lakewood, the switch-hitting Stumpo has posted a .314 batting average with 2 doubles, a triple and 7 RBI. Prior to joining Lakewood, Stumpo sported a .313 average in 4 games with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers. In the two seasons prior, Stumpo combined to bat .243 with 1 HR and 26 RBI in 67 combined games at three levels.

Back in June, 2010, Stumpo, a West Chester University graduate, was stunned to hear his name selected by his favorite club during the annual Major League Baseball amateur draft (33rd round). He describes that draft day as one of the most remarkable moments of his life.

“When the Phillies called my name on draft day, I was really excited,” Stumpo, whose father is a Phillies season ticket holder, recently told PhilliesNation.com’s Jay Floyd. “I talked to them before the draft and I thought it might happen, but getting drafted by the team you’ve been following your whole life is really exciting. Hopefully, I can keep moving up and up and be out in Citizens Bank Park one day. It’s almost a dream come true.”

Almost is a meaningful element to that statement for the 6-foot-3-inch 225-pounder. His ultimate goal is to one day don the catcher’s pads for his big league parent club. Continue reading True Phillie Material: Bob Stumpo

Doc says guys are pressing (AP)

Roy Halladay owned up Tuesday night and admitted that a lot of the guys in the Phillies clubhouse are putting added pressure on themselves. As you can tell, it’s not working.

Halladay had one of his best post-game press conferences since joining the Phillies. Here are some audio excerpts. If you have time, take a listen:

Halladay May 22 – On Chooch getting tossed “I didn’t see anything wrong”

Halladay 2 – May 22 – Losses are definitely frustrating

Halladay 3 – May 22 – Guys are trying to carry the weight of the team, including him

Halladay 4 – May 22 – “You do it cause you want to, not cause you have to”

Halladay 5 – May 22 – Finding the right time to talk to the team is tough

Halladay 6 – May 22 – Matter of going out and enjoying it

Halladay 7 – May 22 – Different than Toronto

Halladay 8 – May 22 – Have such a good team, they do press more

Halladay 9 – May 22 – Leadership on the team

Halladay 10 – May 22 – Charlie is the leader, you dont want to interfere with him too much

Halladay 11 – May 22 – Feels like he needs to be a little better

Halladay 12 – May 22 – Not Happy with results

Photo Credit: Philly.com

With tonight’s 5-2 loss, the Phillies dropped their second straight to the Washington Nationals. Their fourth consecutive loss drops them two games below .500. Just when it seemed like the Phillies turned things around, they go back to their losing ways.

HALLADAY NOT HIS BEST

-Roy Halladay struggled through six innings. He allowed five earned runs on nine hits. He walked one and struck out six, but he surrendered two home runs.

-The month of May hasn’t been pretty for Doc. In 33.1 innings, Halladay has given up 40 hits. In five starts, he has allowed 20 earned runs. That’s a 5.40 ERA in the month of May.

-Halladay’s ERA is now 3.58 this season. At the end of May in 2007, Halladay had an ERA of 3.90: that would be the last time Halladay had an ERA this high through the first two months of the season.

BIG THIRD INNING FOR NATS

-Halladay ran into most of his trouble during the third inning, where he allowed four earned runs. Jordan Zimmermann and Steve Lombardozzi led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Bryce Harper continued to hurt the Phillies, smacking a triple over Shane Victorino‘s head. Two runs scored on the play, giving the Nationals the lead. Harper would then show off his speed by scoring on a sacrifice fly.

Continue reading Phillies Lose Their Fourth Straight Game

Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. issued the following medical updates today:

Right-hander Vance Worley met with Dr. James Andrews yesterday.  Dr. Andrews confirmed the Phillies original diagnosis of right elbow inflammation.

Right-hander David Herndon received a PRP injection today in his right elbow by Dr. Ciccotti.  He will be re-evaluated again in two weeks.

Right-hander Michael Stutes will be shut down for another 10 days to two weeks, at which point he will be re-evaluated to see if he can begin a throwing program.

Right-hander Justin De Fratus has been cleared to begin a throwing program this Friday, May 25.

Washington Nationals (25-17) at Philadelphia Phillies (21-22)

Jordan Zimmermann (2-4, 2.58) vs. Roy Halladay (4-3, 3.22)

Time: 7:05, Citizens Bank Park
TV: CSN
Weather: Showers, 69
Media: Twitter and Facebook

Injury news: Vance Worley is back from his trip to see Dr. James Andrews and the news stays the same for the Phillies righty. He has loose bodies in his elbow, so it’s likely he’ll try to pitch through the pain, a la Cole Hamels last season.

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No Jimmy Rollins again for the Phillies. He’s been placed on paternity leave following the birth of his daughter, so Erik Kratz has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his spot on the roster. Rollins should be back in a couple of days.

Jordan Zimmermann is the man the Phillies will be facing tonight. Have to hope for an opposite performance than that against Gio Gonzalez. The Phillies had him on the ropes a few times throughout, but as has been the case all year, they were unable to capitalize with men in scoring position. It’s been their knock all year. And it won’t be any easier with Zimmermann on the hill, either, although recently the 26-year-old has been touch and go.

The right-hander has faced the Phillies once this year, giving up three runs in six innings. In his last start, he allowed four runs in six innings in a loss to the Pirates. However, in four starts total this year, he’s allowed one run.

Roy Halladay looks to continue his string of nice outings. You’ll notice the 3.22 ERA, which stands out next to Halladay’s name. That’s basically a byproduct of the 8 run outing back on May 2 that inflated those digits. Since that shellacking by the Braves, Halladay has seven, seven, and eight innings, respectively, giving up no more than three earned runs in any of those starts. His strikeout stuff is back, too, as he’s fanned 21 in the last three outings.

Once again, expect a low-scoring, close game with two very good pitchers dueling.

Lineup: Pierre LF, Polanco 3B, Victorino CF, Pence RF, Ruiz C, Luna 1B, Galvis SS, Fontenot 2B, Halladay P

Your gameday beer: Victory Prima Pils

Prima Pils is a great beer for anytime of the year. It’s got a little bit of a bite on the end of it, which I like with my microbrew pilsners. Victory says it’s an herbal bite over layers of smooth malts. I’d say that’s accurate. Prima Pils is both refreshing and thirst-quenching for a beer. It’s a little heavier at 5.3%, so go easier on it. I’d have some pasta with chicken and a tall glass of this tonight. – Pat

GO PHILLIES!

On the latest edition of Phillies Nation TV, our special guest is David Hale from the Wilmington News Journal. He sticks around for segments one and two, discussing the Phillies handling of Ryan Howard’s rehab, the Kevin Youkilis rumors, and much more.

Natalie Egenolf is back with reader comments and questions, including who would be the MLB player most likely to front a boy band. Hard-hitting stuff!

And, we dive into the Roy Oswalt rumors – would he be a fit for the Phillies with Vance Worley injured?

Gio was too much for the Phillies (AP)

Washington came out on top in the opener of the set, winning 2-1.

KENDRICK KEEPS PHILS IN IT

-Kyle Kendrick really struggled to throw strikes early, yet kept his team well within striking distance. His best inning was the fifth when he retired the Nationals on just seven pitches.

-Somehow, someway, Kendrick was able to finish seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits. KK struck out four and walked two. His final three innings were much better than the first four, which is what kept him in the game long enough. Overall, not a terrible effort overall.

-To end the game, the Phillies retired the final 17 Nationals that stepped to the plate after Ian Desmond’s RBI single in the fourth and Danny Espinosa’s walk right after.

OFFENSE KEEPS THEM OUT

-No surprise here, the Phillies offense could not completely figure out Gio Gonzalez. In the third, they had the bases loaded and got nothing out of it. In the sixth inning, they had runners at second and third with nobody out and again managed zero runs.

Continue reading Phillies Squander Many Opportunities in Loss to Nationals