Phillies Nation

With plenty of storylines surrounding the 2013 Phillies, Pat and Corey break down the most pressing issues in the latest episode of Phillies Nation TV. The guys cover topics like how to explain Cole Hamels’ season, what it means to trade an ace like Cliff Lee, Ben Revere’s resurgence, and why Kevin Fransden deserves more playing time.

Jay Floyd talks with Kyle Simon, the rightly closer currently in Reading who was traded for future Hall-of-Famer Jim Thome last season. And local Quizmaster Johnny Goodtimes corrals some tailgating fans for two hilarious rounds of trivia and physical challenges the inaugural edition of Parking Lot Challenge.

Philadelphia Phillies (32-35) vs. Colorado Rockies (35-32)

Kyle Kendrick (6-4 3.22 ERA) v. Juan Nicasio (4-2, 4.61 ERA)

Photo: me

Pregame: Phillies Nation TV at 7:30pm on CSN
Time: 8:40pm , Coors Field
TV: PHL17
Weather: 82, Mostly Cloudy
Media: Twitter and Facebook

The Phillies are in Denver to take on the Rockies for 3 games to close out their 3-city tour of the Midwest.  They are 2-5 on the road trip thus far, which is not surprising given that the Phils are averaging a paltry 3.06 runs per game on the road this season, worst in the majors.  On the flip side, they are 23-7 in games in which they have scored four or more runs and were 7-2 versus the Rockies last season.

Opposing the Phillies on the mound tonight will be Juan Nicasio, a 26-year old righty from the Dominican Republic.  This will be his first career start against Philadelphia and has just one win in his past eight outings.  You may recall back in 2011, he was drilled in the head with a batted ball and fractured a vertebrae in his neck.

Speaking of injuries, Rockies star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right rib fracture sustained in yesterday’s game against the Nationals.  Utilityman Josh Rutledge was recalled to take Tulo’s place and is hitting .242 in 43 MLB games this season.  In addition, two of Colorado’s hottest hitters, Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler, are listed as day-to-day after being injured in yesterday’s game as well.

Pitching for the Phillies is Kyle Kendrick who has has allowed two earned runs or less in 15 of his last 21 road starts dating back to 2011. He is 8-6 with a 2.84 ERA in those 21 starts.  Michael Young is 3 RBI away from 1,000 in his career, while Jimmy Rollins has the night off.  And finally, vote for Domonic Brown to start the All-Star Game!

Lineup: Revere CF, M Young 3B, Brown LF, Howard 1B, Frandsen 2B, Mayberry RF, Galvis SS, Quintero C, Kendrick P

Gameday Beer: Chocolate Rain

This imperial stout is carefully brewed by The Bruery out of Orange County, CA. The jet black beer is aged in bourbon barrels along with cocoa nibs and vanilla bean. It comes in both cans and bottles and has great stats – 19.5% ABV and 99/100 score from Beer Advocate.com. Try one with some grilled venison.

We know the Phils are on a bit of a slide, but cheer up, we’re giving away an easy $100 to be used on tickets to a Phillies game or just about any event.

Following the weekend series in Milwaukee, the Phillies continue their road trip with visits to Minneapolis and Colorado. The Phillies will then return home for a week-long homestand against the Nats and Mets. The Nationals have struggled enormously lately while injuries have continued to pile up as star ace Stephen Strasburg was sent to the DL with a strained muscle in his back. Similar to the Phillies, the Mets have had a lot of concerns with their offense, best displayed by the recent 20-inning loss to the Marlins in which New York was only able to garner one run despite the extended play.

There are still many Phillies tickets available at Citizens Bank for games against both the Nationals and Mets. For the series opener on Monday, June 17th, the get-in price is only $17 against the Nationals while the average price is $72.08. The next two games against Washington will be even more affordable as the average price for Tuesday is $53.84 and for Wednesday $61.29. The get-in price for these games are at $11 and $9 respectively.

The weekend series against the Mets will be even more expensive than when the Nationals are in town. This is typical – despite what the standings say – as the weekend games have higher demand than mid-week day games. Friday’s opener has an average price of $76.32 and is the least demanding on the wallet of the series. The get-in price for this game is still a reasonable $22. The two weekend games have an average price of $88.78 for Saturday and $92.67 for Sunday yet the get-in price for these games are $16 and $22 respectively.

Pat and Corey are back this week with their unique perspective on Phillies baseball. They make a case for Dom Brown starting the All-Star game, preview the Phillies current road trip (and why now is the time to bury the Nationals), plus figure out what’s going on with Mike Adams. Ryann relays some of the best fan questions of the week, like when is the right time to promote Darin Ruf and should the Phils trade Cliff Lee (gasp!)?

Corey sits down with Sean Forman, founder and president of the “cathedral of baseball statistics” Baseball-Reference.com. They discuss the origins of the web site, the usefulness of the Play Index tool and how Chase Utley is an underrated player.

Then Ian is shown the ropes – both literally and figuratively – by pro wrestler and South Philly native, The Blue Meanie.

Father’s Day is June 16th and let’s face it, you probably haven’t gotten dear old dad anything yet. If you’re a Phillies fan, there’s a good chance you can thank your dad for that. That’s why we’re making it easy for you to get him a quality present and get 20% off your order. And you know he’ll appreciate that deal!

We’ve totally revamped the Phillies Nation store to make your shopping experience smoother. We’ve also partnered with the guys at Dynasty Sports to sell officially licensed Phillies autographs, novelties and memorabilia from their shops in the King of Prussia, Willow Grove and Oxford Valley malls. We now have stuff like an autographed Jim Bunning Perfect Game Framed Photo, a Phillies beer mug, an autographed Pete Rose/Bob Boone Framed Photo, even a Phillies Steering Wheel Cover. We also put together an entire Father’s Day category with gifts specifically for dad.

We still have great items like Dan Duffy’s Lionword prints (which now have framed and canvas wrapped options) and our classic PHILS stickers.

To redeem the 20% off offer, visit the Phillies Nation store using this link or use the promo code “dad” at checkout.

Jenny Dell of NESN

Phillies Nation TV is back after a Memorial Day break and the crew has some fresh Phillies analysis for you. Pat and Corey decide if the Phillies are .500 team or better, break down Domonic Brown’s torrid hitting stretch and figure out what’s wrong with Cole Hamels.

Jay and Ian are in Lehigh Valley where they speak with Phillippe Aumont on getting demoted, Darin Ruf on living up to expectations and Cody Asche on moving through the Phillies minor league system. As always, Ryann brings questions from viewers like you.

Plus, Pat talks with Jenny Dell of NESN while she was in town for the Red Sox series last week.

With the All-Star game fast approaching, we all know which Phillies are likely to make the team. But how good are you at spotting All-Stars on other teams?

Here’s a chance to show off your own All-Star skills by participating on our 1-day Fantasy Baseball league. Sign up for free today and select your roster before 7pm on Friday (it only takes a few minutes) and you’ll have a chance to win cash prizes! Thanks to DraftStreet.com, we have $300 to give away to players in this week’s competition. Build your team now.

In honor of Philly Beer Week, we have an article from local quizmaster Johnny Goodtimes on the history of beer in Philadelphia ballparks. Most of this info comes from this excellent piece on the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society as well as Beer and Whiskey League and Baseball Hall of Shame 4.)

William Hulbert, the man who helped form the National League in 1876 and served as 2nd president, enforced harsh anti-drinking rules right off the bat. He wanted “classy” people to come to baseball games, not drunks, so he made drinking illegal at the ballpark. This didn’t go over well in some cities, particularly Cincinnati. They had a large German population that enjoyed drinking beer at the ballpark, and in 1880 they broke league rules and started serving brews. They were subsequently kicked out of the NL.

In 1882, 6 cities started playing in a new league called the American Association, including Cincinnati and a team in Philadelphia called the Athletics (below, not affiliated with the current A’s). Several of the early owners were brewers who were happy to serve booze at the ballpark. The haughty-taughty National League saw baseball as more like polo, with rich d-bag fans wearing popped collars to the games, drinking sparkling water, and talking about their stock portfolios. They referred condescendingly to this new league as the “Beer and Whiskey League”. The fans of the AA didn’t seem to mind.

Continue reading A Brief History of Booze and Baseball in Philadelphia

The Phillies’ odds to win the World Series and NL Pennant have not changed much since the last the couple of weeks, but the oddsmakers have tinkered with them slightly.

Two weeks ago, the Phillies’ odds of winning the NL Pennant were at +2000 and those have not changed. However, the Phillies to Win World Series odds have. Previously, +3500, the Phillies are +3300 at Bookmaker.eu. So, they have impressed the sportsbooks – at least a little bit – with their play over the past few weeks. During the playoffs the MLB betting markets become far more liquid due to increases in betting volumes. While one is tempted to back the Phillies for World Series glory should they make the playoffs – it becomes a trade off on how much their price will potentially shorten if they do make it through to the play-offs. Continue reading Early Season Check Up: 2013 Philadelphia Phillies Odds