Phillies Nation

It’s Jamie Moyer bobblehead night! The Phillies are celebrating the team’s first division title in 15 years with a bobblehead of the man who pitched his way to that wonderful final-day victory. Moyer will face young hurler Chris Young. Shane Victorino is not in the lineup again; Jayson Werth starts in center field.

Phillies: Jamie Moyer (1-1), 4.05 ERA
Padres: Chris Young (1-2), 3.77 ERA

Gametime: 7:05 p.m.
Weather: 55 degrees, sunny
Lineup: Werth/Bruntlett/Utley/Howard/Burrell/Jenkins/Feliz/Coste/Moyer

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MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday

Your gamenight beer: The very malty strong ale, Old Chub, is a Scottish ale that goes down very nicely. The can — it’s served in a can — has a nice kilt pattern on it. Couldn’t you imagine Jamie Moyer in a kilt? Go get ‘em, old chub! Have this with some beef barley.

Go Phillies!

It’s always nice when a close edge turns into a bombardment and big lead, and that’s what happened last night in the Phillies’ 7-4 win over the Padres.

The Phils led 3-2 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, when the offense decided to notch a couple more runs on the scoreboard to secure Cole Hamels his third win of the year. Hamels was again very strong, going 7.1 innings while surrendering just two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out six. Again it was tough for Hamels to get to the eighth, as he gave up a double and a walk. This time, however, the bullpen was ready to save him, and Tom Gordon got the final two outs to keep the Phils lead.

Then the offense broke out. The Pedros (Feliz and Ruiz) struck gold with a double and a single, scoring three. Greg Dobbs added an RBI double of his own off Padres’ reliever Kevin Cameron. With a 7-2 lead, the win was in the bag. Even a Scott Hairston home run (his second) off Ryan Madson didn’t strike fear.

It was a solid win by the Phils, who got a great start, good clutch relief pitching and timely hitting. Jayson Werth had a fine game, tripling and scoring in the third, and battling vs. tough sinkerballer Cla Meredith to induce a big sacrifice fly in the seventh. That proved to be the difference if you take away the late runs. Werth – who sees more pitches than anyone in baseball – continues to be an awesome surprise since his addition last season.

Associated Press photo

I would like to think of this game as a passing of the starting pitchers’ torch, but our young phenom has a long way to go before he’s considered within Greg Maddux’s realm of existence. The Phillies are looking to secure a winning April with a victory tonight and are riding the hot bats of Chase Utley and Pat Burrell. Shane Victorino has been activated for tonight’s game, but he’s not starting. Does that mean Jayson Werth is your everyday center fielder?

Phillies: Cole Hamels (2-3), 2.75 ERA
Padres: Greg Maddux (2-1), 3.66 ERA

Gametime: 7:05 p.m.
Weather: 59 degrees, partly cloudy
Lineup: Werth/Bruntlett/Utley/Howard/Burrell/Jenkins/Feliz/Ruiz/Hamels

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MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday

Your gamenight beer: Well, no one quite brews beers like monks. Therefore when playing the Padres of San Diego, it’s only natural to go with an authentic beer made by Trappist monks from Belgium. The most notable (not necessarily best) would have to be Chimay with its many varieties. What better to nosh on than some fine cheese from the same region. Op uw gezondheid!
Go Phillies!

The Daily News reports Mike Lieberthal will retire as a Phillie. The catcher spent 13 seasons with the club, catching the bulk of the time between Darren Daulton and Carlos Ruiz. A .275 hitter with the Phillies, he holds the franchise record for games caught.

“Philadelphia has always been a second home to me, so I’m really looking forward to this,” Lieberthal said in a statement. “I spent half my life there and still follow the team closely on television.”

He’ll officially retire June 1. Classy move by Lieby and the Phils. He was a solid player for his entire Phillies career and is definitely worthy of the sign-and-retire.

The Associated Press reported Shane Victorino went 2-for-4 in his final rehab assignment for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. He finished 3-for-8 in two games with the Pigs, including a nice basket catch.

Victorino is scheduled to be with the Phillies Tuesday night, possibly in the starting lineup, when the Phils play the Padres.

Looks like everyone today is talking about Brett Myers and his arm problems.

Myers – and the Phillies – lost to Pittsburgh 5-1 yesterday. While Paul Maholm was baffling Phillies’ hitters with a two-hitter, Myers was serving up cheeseballs, his fastball hitting the high-80s at their best.

That’s not Brett Myers.

Rich Dubee says its about preparation, not velocity. If Myers were to take more time with long tossing and arm strength exercises, he’d get back to 90+ MPH. Myers says all the exercises in the world won’t help, and oh, he doesn’t like long tossing.

Forgive me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Myers hit the nineties in a previous start this year?

Here’s the point: Brett Myers is a baby. An absolute whiny baby who wants to be closer again. He didn’t like moving back to the rotation (and he said it himself when the Phils signed Brad Lidge, but masked it with “anything to help the team” talk). Now he’s not preparing the way he should. If … if his velocity is an actual problem due to age or wear or something of that ilk, then he has to address that as a pitcher and never will he be able to become a closer.

But the truth lies in the words. Charlie Manuel:

“I haven’t seen a fastball. It topped out today at 89. Myers is usually 92-95, somewhere in there. I haven’t seen the fastball since the start of the season.”

Obviously the fastball was there. As the season has progressed, he hasn’t worked to preserve it. He doesn’t like starting – simple as. And for a guy who says he’s a team leader, for a guy who talks a lot of talk, he’s absolutely being a baby. Put up or shut up, Brett. If something is wrong, let it out. Because right now you’re costing the team innings they thought they’d get for free.

Associated Press photo

The Phillies failed to sweep the Pirates over the weekend by dropping Sunday’s game by a score of 5-1. The lowly Pirates were buoyed by a masterful complete game performance by Paul Maholm. Pat Burrell continued his torrid April with a double and the Phillies only run scored. Taking a step back, we will see that despite the loss the Phillies are positioned to at least go .500 in April – something we can all take heart in.

Since the Phils have off on Monday and Tim is taking a much needed respite to deal with his tragic fire, I will take this opportunity to introduce a new page on Phillies Nation – Phillies Bars! In our never-ending quest to unite Phillies fans around the globe, we have compiled a list of locations where Phillies fans congregate, no matter where you are. At the present time, we have nine cities covered, but we’re looking for your feedback to help fill out the map. Please leave a comment or send us an email with your suggestions.

A well-rounded offensive effort fueled the Phillies to their third-straight victory Saturday night, an 8-4 win over the Pirates.

A five-run attack in the first inning proved the difference. Ryan Howard smacked his fifth home run of the year on his first starting role in three days. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, however – Howard still struck out twice and went 1-for-4. Geoff Jenkins added two hits, including an RBI single, and Chase Utley went 2-for-4.

The effort gave Kyle Kendrick a deserved second win of the season. He went seven innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits. The best number: zero, as in his walk total. Kendrick started the eighth inning, but a Nate McLouth solo homer was enough to being in Rudy Seanez. He and Ryan Madson continued the bullpen’s hot streak, pitching scoreless innings each. Seanez, however, surrendered his first hit of the season.

It was a fine, wire-to-wire win for the Phils. Good hitting and good pitching, together, usually result in a win. The Phils will go for the sweep today as Brett Myers takes the hill.

Associated Press photo

After a nice hold-’em win last night, the offense looks to blow by Pirates’ starter Matt Morris. Kyle Kendrick will try to recoup from an average start against the Rockies.

Phillies: Kyle Kendrick (1-2), 5.59 ERA
Pirates: Matt Morris (0-3), 9.15 ERA

Gametime: 7:05 p.m.
Weather: 70 degrees, showers
Lineup: Werth/Dobbs/Utley/Howard/Burrell/Jenkins/Coste/Bruntlett/Kendrick

MLB TV
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday

Your gamenight beer: I suppose it’s a fitting beer. It’s Lump of Coal. This English beer is strong as hell. Everyone: Drink one for me tonight. I’m hoping I don’t get a lump of coal in my apartment when I hopefully check out the damage tomorrow.

Go Phillies!

It’s not often the Phillies get off to a big early lead. So when they did tonight against Zach Duke and the Pirates, the bullpen made sure it stayed a lead. Though a 6-0 advantage turned to a 6-5 nailbiter, the bullpen pulled together another solid effort, keeping the Pirates 180 feet away from the plate for a win.

Adam Eaton was solid for the first three innings, but the heart of the Pirates order made him pay for easy pitches over the plate. It was 6-3 in no time. Chad Durbin even brought the score to 6-5, but a solid sixth inning from him, followed by strong showings by Tom Gordon, JC Romero and Brad Lidge kept the game out of reach for Pittsburgh.

Chris Coste and Jayson Werth supplied the bulk of the Phils’ offense. Coste had a two-run double in the first inning and an RBI single in the third. Werth homered in the third and singled home Brad Harman in the fourth. Earlier in that inning, Harman collected his first MLB hit, an RBI double, scoring Eric Bruntlett.

For the first time in a while, Chase Utley and Pat Burrell went relatively quiet offensively, but the Phillies still won, thanks to clutch hits by third-tier players (Werth, Harman, Coste) and a huge effort (yet again) by the bullpen. Gordon and Romero escaped their own jams, and Lidge was downright nasty, striking out two thanks to his filthy fastball/slider combination. Clearly, one month in, Lidge is the best offseason addition for the Phils.

It was nice to see the Phils capitalize off the Pirates mistakes. A lazy throw to third by Jason Bay allowed Pat Burrell to take second on a fringe double. A deflection off Brian Bixler’s glove allowed Burrell to score one batter later. That run basically was the difference in the game. Taking advantage of a bad team’s errors: Something you have to do in order to win a division.

Still, it was the bullpen that delivered the futile blow. Kudos to them, again, for shutting down the Pirates after rallying against Eaton and Durbin. And yes, it was a good move by Charlie Manuel to pull Eaton after 3.2 innings. He needs to know he can’t get hit around that easily. He needs to know he has to be more effective than that. The bullpen took care of it in the end.

Associated Press photo