Phillies Nation

I was a featured guest on New York Baseball Today, SNY’s daily Web show co-hosted by Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.

Check out New York Baseball Today at SNY.tv.

You want Phillies-Mets? Wanna watch it with other Phillies fans in a great atmosphere? How about watching it with Phillies Nation?

Tomorrow night we’ll be at the Grey Lodge to view Phils-Mets. The Lodge will have $3 specials on Sly Fox’s Pikeland Pils and Phoenix Pale Ale.

So join us tomorrow at around 7 p.m. for the game.

This is “Keep the Change,” a new feature by Nick “The Beer Man” Staskin. Nick is a beer man at Citizens Bank Park; he’ll post weekly with observations from the fans at the park, trying to get a good sense of where the Phillies stand in the eyes of those who most matter.

Hello all! Being a Beer man at Citizens Bank Park, I hear a lot while roaming the stands. The boys here at Phillies Nation have given me the opportunity to share with you what other fans are talking, ranting and screaming about on a weekly basis.

We will touch on some of the good stuff, some of the bad stuff and well some of the ridiculous stuff.

Raul Ibanez

I can’t remember one player who has won over the fans in a shorter time than RAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUULLLLLLLL.

Since my sections are primarily in left field, it is hard to not hear the love that is crying out for the Phillies new leftfielder. Ibanez is off to a torrid pace and has given the fans something to talk about.

Going into this weekend’s series against the Mets, Ibanez is first or second in every offensive category on the team…including stolen bases. The excitement behind the new slugger is certainly justified. However, the thing fans need to remember is that Pat Burrell was notorious for putting up some big Aprils.

If Ibanez can contribute throughout the year and give some well needed protection behind Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth in the 5 and 6 spot in the lineup, the Phillies should have no problem topping last year’s run total of 799.

One last tidbit: Ibanez projected totals through April: .359 BA, 57 HR, 138 RBI.
Burrell’s projected totals through last April: .326 BA, 48 HR, 144 RBI.

The Pitching

Comeback wins can definitely make you forget that the team has an ERA floundering close to 6.00. While the wins have been exciting, the Phils’ pitching has been anything but.

The general consensus seems to be that eventually Cole Hamels will stop getting unlucky, settle down and stop leaving games with freak injuries. Brett Myers has already started to turn it around and keep the ball in the stadium and Jamie Moyer is what he is. Joe Blanton and Chan Ho Park? The fans aren’t as optimistic. People seem to think it is only a matter of time before J.A. Happ is in the rotation…but who will he replace? That is anybody’s guess. Blanton and Park have been almost equally awful; with Blanton being a tad worse as his WHIP is an awful 1.97.

Best Thing in the Seats This Week?

A sign in section 141 on Wednesday night that a 20-something year old man was holding:

“Thank You Pat…But Rual Is All That”

I’m not sure who Rual is…but the phans sure did get a good laugh out if it…

In yesterday’s game, Brett Myers ran into a lot of trouble, specifically in the third inning. He walked pitcher Scott Olsen, then walked in a run.

“I got a little upset with myself with missing my spots and kind of let it get to me. I’m better than that. I wasn’t trying to walk the pitcher. I’m trying to throw strikes. It just didn’t happen, and ultimately, it cost me a run.”

Watching that third inning, it’s almost as if Myers got ticked after the Anderson Hernandez double. In getting ticked, he started trying to finely locate his pitches. Olsen was earning strikes on low fastballs; Myers kept gunning for that zone, but missed by two to three inches each time. It was at a point where I was yelling at Myers to stop focusing in on that part of the zone.

Myers can’t be a thrower. But sometimes he needs to just throw to get himself back in a groove. Especially when someone breaks his concentration. We always knew Myers was complex.

Today ends the first month of the 2009 baseball season. The Phillies stand at 11-9, not bad for a month that usually has notorious results. How they did it:

vs. Atlanta: 1-2
at Colorado: 2-1
at Washington: 1-1
vs. San Diego: 1-2
vs. Milwaukee: 1-2
at Florida: 3-0
vs. Washington: 2-1

Here are the top stories of April 2009:

Harry Kalas: 1936-2009
Philadelphia was shocked to learn April 13 that Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas had passed away after falling unconscious in the Nationals press box. Kalas was survived by his wife and three children, and of course, millions of Phillies fans across the world. Remembrances have lived on since, and he was memorialized April 18.

Phillies Honored
Celebration came before tragedy, as the Phillies opened the 2009 major league season, then received their world championship rings as part of the three-game opening series against the Braves. Despite the fanfare, the Phils opened 1-2.

Rauuuuuuul!
Skepticism surrounded the addition of Raul Ibanez, but the left fielder erased all early doubts with a stellar April. Currently Ibanez leads the National League in home runs (7) is among league leaders in runs batted in, slugging percentage and batting average. Add to that a knack for clutch, speed and fine defense, and we’ve been pleasantly surprised.

Poor Pitching
Last season the Phillies got by on great pitching; this year the Phils can barely by a good outing. Starting pitching has been terrible for the most part, headlined by Joe Blanton and Chan Ho Park’s early struggles. The bullpen has had its moments — Brad Lidge blew his first save; Ryan Madson blew a game; Chad Durbin has struggled in spots. At least Clay Condrey has been untouchable.

Hip This
Chase Utley is healthy. Completely. His statistics (.342, 7 HR, 20 RBI) already put him near the front of MVP discussions.

Cold Cole
Cole Hamels hasn’t had a great season. It started with a shellacking by Colorado. Then he shaped up for a while against San Diego, before being handed his butt. Better was a start against Milwaukee, but Prince Fielder’s liner took him out early. He looked even better against Washington, but a John Lannan bunt made him turn his ankle. Hopefully he’ll be at his best starting in May. And hopefully the injuries will cease.

J-Foldin
If any offensive player should wear a dunce cap, it’s Jimmy Rollins. His numbers (.207, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB, 1 CS) are downright bad. He says he’ll hit .400 in May. Can he go three-for-three in bold predictions?

Everything else
Brett Myers is the home run king — at least when it comes to giving them up. … The minor leagues look great — Drabek, Carrasco, Stutes, Knapp and Flande are just a few of the pitchers who are having strong starts. … Shane Victorino is quietly remaining an offensive force. … Ryan Howard’s defense has been superb; can we say Gold Glove favorite? … Carlos Ruiz received a DL stint with ab problems. … Brad Lidge also started to hurt in April.

What’s Next
The Phillies have a tough May ahead. They start at home with the Mets, then travel to Saint Louis and Queens before returning home to play the Braves and Dodgers. A long road trip gives them some rest (Washington, Cincinnati) before opening Interleague play at the new Yankee Stadium. May ends with a homestand against, ironically, the two teams that ended April: the Marlins and Nationals. Early prediction: 17-12.

The Phillies ran into the buzzsaw known as Scott Olsen, losing to the Nationals, 4-1.

Olsen struck out six in 5.2 innings, scattering just six hits. He induced ground outs and escaped jams, including a bases-loaded opportunity for the Phillies that yielded nothing. The Phils only run came from a first-inning home run by Shane Victorino.

Brett Myers couldn’t hold the Nationals as well. He went six innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking five. One of those walks brought in a run. Myers didn’t allow a home run for the first time this season, however.

The Nationals scored twice off Jack Taschner, who seemed to luck his way into outs more than actually record them.

The Phillies end April with an 11-9 record, and will begin May with a three-game series against the Mets.

Washington Nationals (4-15) at Philadelphia Phillies (11-8)
Scott Olsen (0-3, 7.29 ERA) vs. Brett Myers (1-1, 4.91 ERA)

Time: 7:05 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia.
Weather: Partly sunny, 57
TV: MyPhl 17
Twitter: Phillies Nation

The Phillies will try and make it two consecutive sweeps as they meet the Nationals tonight. Brett Myers faces off against Scott Olsen.

We know Olsen, who had a checkered past as Marlins pitcher-cum-antagonizer. He’s had trouble against the Phillies, as our boys have hit him at a .290 clip. The best? Ryan Howard (.458, 2 HR) and Jayson Werth (.462, 2 HR). Chase Utley (.167) and Shane Victorino (.125)? Not so much. Overall, Olsen is 4-5 with a 5.33 ERA against the Phils. Oh, and he seems to hate them, too.

Myers is coming off a better start against the Marlins. He surrendered a three-run blastoff to Dan Uggla but settled down in a Phils comeback win. Home runs continue to plague Myers, as eight longballs have left the park after leaving his right hand. Five Nationals have hit homers off Myers, including the always tough Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn. If he doesn’t give up longballs, chances are Myers will have a sparkling outing. The last time he faced Washington he was dominant, pitching a complete-game shutout against them Aug. 20, 2008 at Citizens Bank Park. A repeat of that would surely help the bullpen, who did get aid from fellow member Chad Durbin, who threw a fine 3.2 innings of relief yesterday.

Your gamenight beer: It’s a little colder tonight, so let’s get back to the darker stuff while there’s still time. Tonight’s offering is from Harpoon, and it’s Harpoon Munich Type Dark Beer. It’s your typical brown ale: Hoppy, malty, roasted. Toffee-like. Coffee-like. A nice beer to have on a cool night, and definitely fitting with some ribs.

Go Phillies!

Quick injury news before gamenight:

• Cole Hamels has a grade 1 ankle sprain, according to Todd Zolecki (via Twitter). He will throw a session Friday, when they’ll know for sure whether he can pitch Monday.
• Brad Lidge is unavailable tonight; he will be available from the bullpen Friday vs. the Mets.
• Carlos Ruiz will start at catcher tomorrow for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, according to Scott Lauber (via Twitter). He was scratched from that position last night.

I’ve noticed a trend with starting pitchers and Lou Marson: A lot of confusion.

It’s likely a rookie or young catcher will have communication problems with his starting pitchers. They have a gameplan; their gameplan might not fit what the catcher is thinking. A lot of times, confusion becomes problem, and problem becomes issue. Especially on the stat sheet. I thought going through starts for Marson, Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste could better help us understand if, maybe, pitching struggles was more of a backstop problem.

Carlos Ruiz: 4 G, 21 R, 15 K, 6 BB, .404 AVG
Chris Coste: 9 G, 28 R, 38 K, 12 BB, .298 AVG
Lou Marson: 6 G, 22 R, 30 K, 16 BB, .304 AVG

These are short sample sizes, but Ruiz had the first run through the rotation, and it wasn’t good at all. Interesting trends: Marson has not caught Cole Hamels or Jamie Moyer, while Chris Coste has not caught Joe Blanton. Meanwhile, Marson has caught Brett Myers twice despite Coste allegedly being Myers’ personal catcher. Coste’s better numbers might be better explained by being Moyer’s catcher (and not Blanton’s). Then again, could Coste make Blanton better?

There’s no way of telling, at least here, if the receivers aren’t calling good games. But it does seem, however, that Coste is benefiting some how.

Currently we’re being told Brad Lidge should be fine and just needs a few days rest. He could be ready to pitch tonight against Washington. Still, there is a sense of paranoia surrounding Lidge, since this knee problem isn’t anything new (it was the body part that received surgery before 2008).

If we remove Lidge from the bullpen, here’s the composition:

Closer: Ryan Madson
Setup: Chad Durbin
LOOGY: Scott Eyre
Middle: Clay Condrey
Middle: Gary Majewski/Mike Koplove/Tyler Walker
Middle Lefty: Jack Taschner
Long: JA Happ

Scared? You bet I am.

It’s nothing against Durbin (who was fantastic in 3.2 innings yesterday) or Condrey (currently ninth in the ESPN Cy Predictor), but their quick overuse has me paranoid. Moreover, while Madson has the physical stuff to save games, does he have the mental stuff? His trial run against the Nationals was a nice preview, but that was the Nationals. What about this weekend against the Mets, a team who knows Madson very well (though he does have a 2.89 ERA against New York)?

Point is, the Phils are already down one reliever (JC Romero) and can’t afford to lose another high-leverage specialist. It might suffice for a week. But a DL stint? No thanks.

So how could the Phils remedy things if Lidge had to hit the DL?

Maybe bringing up a young fireballer (Jason Knapp?) could be the crazy idea that might work.