Phillies Nation

Good news, Phillies fans. Roy Halladay had successful surgery in Los Angeles on Wednesday, and could begin a throwing program in 6-8 weeks. Here is the team statement and some thoughts below.

Roy had successful shoulder surgery yesterday. He had an arthroscopic evaluation and underwent debridement of his labrum and rotator cuff as well as removal of an inflamed bursa.

He’ll begin a progressive rehabilitation program and if all goes well, he may possibly begin a throwing program in 6-8 weeks.”

It sounds as though everything inside the shoulder was as advertised. There was a risk that the original MRI did not show complete details, but it looks like all went according to plan, which is obviously a good thing. I went out on a limb and said I did not think Halladay would pitch again this year, which is still possible. However, that three month timetable is looking pretty likely.

Good news, and we hope Doc has a strong rehab and a speedy recovery. But the hard part still lay ahead.

Mike Adams said it grabbed him on Sunday. Yesterday, while trying to work it out by playing catch, his aching back grabbed again – bad enough that he had a shot to relieve the pain.

Adams said it was not a cortisone shot, but something to loosen it up. He’s considering himself day-to-day, but also did not rule out the possibility of an MRI soon if it does not improve.

It hasn’t been the type of season Adams had hoped for, although his numbers are still halfway decent. While it’s not the same Adams from 2008-2011, his ERA is still at 3.00, and his strikeouts-per-9 is the highest rate of his career, at 11.9. But his walks-per-9 are also the highest of his career at 3.6, and now to add to the trouble is a back issue.

This problem is not believed to be related to the offseason surgery Adams had to fix thoracic outlet syndrome, which was bad enough that a rib had to be removed.

Philadelphia Phillies (19-21) vs. Cleveland Indians (21-17)

Cole Hamels (1-5, 4.18) vs. Cory Kluber (2-2, 5.64)

TIME: 1:05, Citizens Bank Park
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Weather: 71, Sunny
Media: Twitter and Facebook

The big news of the day is that the Phillies signed former all-star hurler Carlos Zambrano to a minor league contract. No water coolers were hurt during the signing.

What the signing says to me is that the Phillies think they lack organizational depth at the higher levels that can help should another pitcher go down. It also shows a lack of confidence in Tyler Cloyd and a lack of readiness for Adam Morgan.

Continue reading Gameday: Phillies (19-21) vs. Indians (21-17)

Here is the latest episode of Phillies Nation TV with Pat Gallen, Corey Seidman, Ryann Williams, and Jay Floyd.

Pat got a chance to speak with a local doctor about what goes into a surgery like the one Roy Halladay will undergo. Jay spoke with top minor league prospect Jesse Biddle at Reading, and he talked about what it would be like to get the call to the bigs.

Here’s a look at ticket prices for the upcoming Phillies homestand versus Cleveland and Cincinnati with data from our friend Dan Groob at TiqIQ.

The Phillies tickets for the Indians series carries an average price of $68 dollars, 24% less than the Phillies season home average of $89. Wednesday’s game is the lesser expensive of the two, at $62 dollars. With a 1:05 PM first pitch in the middle of the week, it is no surprise that inexpensive tickets are available for Wednesday’s game. Currently, tickets are available for as little as $8 dollars.

5/14 vs Indians: $75 (average) /$15 (low)
5/15 vs Indians: $62/$8
Series Avg: $68 (24% below home avg)

On Friday, the Cincinnati Reds come to town for a three game set that will take the Phillies through the end of the week. The opening game is the least expensive of the series, with an average ticket price of $72 dollars and a get-in price of $14. Saturday’s game is a 4:05 PM first pitch, and checks in at an average price of $84 dollars and a get-in price of $18. Sunday’s 1:05 PM matinee is the priciest of the series at $87 dollars, although it is still priced slightly below the Phillies season home average of $89 dollars.

5/17 vs Reds: $72/$14
5/18 vs Reds: $84/$18
5/19 vs Reds: $87/$19
Series Avg: $80 (10% below home avg)

Following this week’s games, the Phillies take to the road for eight games before returning home for their fourth interleague series on May 29th, this one against the Boston Red Sox. As is typically the case, the Red Sox are a good draw on the road. This series prices in at an average of $92 dollars, 3% above the Phillies home average.

5/29 vs Red Sox: $93/$23
5/30 vs Red Sox: $91/$19
Series Avg: $92 (3% above home avg)

Anthony Rizzo has a .253 average, 25 home runs, and a .765 OPS in 173 career games. For that, the 23-year old Cubs slugger  was awarded with a 7-year, $41 million contract, buying out all his remaining arbitration years, plus two free agent seasons. Steep? Maybe. But that’s now the going rate for a budding player of Rizzo’s ilk.

Cost certainty is a term we’ve become familiar with here in Philly as Ruben Amaro tried it for several years with players of all ages. Teams are no longer letting their players inch through arbitration and get closer to free agency.

Because of the arbitration rules, and the rising cost of star players, Rizzo’s contract is almost a must. Instead of seeing Rizzo turn in great season after great season, and see his pay skyrocket due to those arbitration rules, the Cubs decided to give him a long-term deal at a fair value – and one that still makes him a very rich man at 23.

Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki, and Ryan Braun all inked similar deals at similar stages in their career, and the teams they play for were happy to do it. There’s obvious risk involved for both sides – if a player turns out to be a bust, you’re paying out the nose several seasons down the road. From the players perspective, he could be giving up tens of millions toward the back end of the deal if he turns out to be the real deal.

No longer can teams rely on building through free agency. As you saw this past season, lots of past-their-prime players hit the market; Josh Hamilton got $25 million per season, B.J. Upton got a ridiculous $75 million contract.

Add to it that players on the wrong side of 30 are seeing a rapid decline due to the crackdown on performance enhancers, free agency is no longer as appealing as it once way.

Ruben Amaro’s job now, as long as he has one, should be to build through the farm system. They’re no longer in a position to expend generous heaps of minor league talent to supply the big league team with star players from other teams. At least not for the time being. Amaro and company will have to find the next group, just as Ed Wade found Ryan Madson, Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard once upon a time.

Take a look at next year’s free agent crop. There is only one position player under the age of 30 – Alexi Casilla. It’s filled with early-to-mid 30′s players dying for a multi-year deal, and one in which they’ll likely underachieve in its final season or two. It’s the nature of the game as it’s now constructed. There are few game-changing players becoming available. It now comes down to what you have in your system.

That’s where Jesse Biddle, Adam Morgan, Cesar Hernandez, Freddy Galvis, and Domonic Brown become so important. They’re young and cost controlled. And the Phillies have to hope they blossom.

According to CSN’s Jim Salisbury, Mike Adams sat out of yesterday’s finale with the Diamondbacks due to back spasms. Salisbury states Adams informed the team in the sixth inning and will be day-to-day. The issue is only anticipated to last a few days and might explain why Adams’s last seven outings where he wasn’t quite himself (4.50 ERA, .304/.407/.478 against). However, back spasms are a tricky thing, especially when a disc is aggravated or a nerve is being pinched. After a successful 4-3 road trip against two of the top teams in the NL West, how worried are you that this could derail the positive developments?

Justin De Fratus was quietly added to the roster on Saturday and looked phenomenal on Sunday against the only batter he faced, NL All-Star candidate Paul Goldschmidt. De Fratus went right at the righty and struck him out in the ninth inning to keep the game knotted at two. De Fratus has undoubtedly earned his call-up, posting a 1.89 ERA in 19 IP with 17 Ks for Lehigh Valley and appears ready to take the reigns. If he continues to pitch like this until the Phillies need a fifth starter, the panic will be lessened and he may even convince the Phillies to send down or designate someone else. Don’t answer the phone, Chad Durbin (6.17 ERA, 1.8 WHIP, 5.4 BB/ 9 IP).

Will De Fratus be enough to cover for Adams? Are you about to panic or are you ready to press on?

Just the way they drew it up, I’m sure.

The Phillies somehow, someway, come away with a 4-2, 10-inning victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, finishing off their seven-game road trip 4-3.

Kyle Kendrick threw seven strong innings, again, but did not factor in the decision. He was hurt, as Phillies pitchers seem to be so often this season, by the lack of an offense. However, KK lowered his ERA to 2.47.  Brandon McCarthy, he of the 6.75 ERA going into the game, shut them down over eight innings. But everything changed when Arizona went to the bullpen.

Heath Bell allowed two runs on doubles by Chase Utley and Delmon Young, then an RBI single by Dom Brown to tie it at two. Then in the 10th, off a lefty who had not allowed a run all season – Matt Reynolds – Ryan Howard deposited a two-run single for the W.

Maddening. Frustrating. It all applies to the team. They win the first two of the road trip, the first against Cy Young candidate Madison Bumgarner, then lose three straight, then win the final two. They scored 12 runs the first two games, then 13 runs over the final five.

This team is impossible to figure out right now. But alas, they do what they had to do, and that’s win more than they lost on a tough road swing out west.

The Phils were swingin’ well early. Unfortunately they forgot games are nine innings. (Photo: AP)

One pitch. That’s all it took for Mike Adams to serve up a line drive home run to Miguel Montero in the eighth inning of a 2-2 game. The bomb down the rightfield line would be the difference in tonight’s game, as the Phils dropped their second straight to Arizona and third straight overall losing.

In a lot of ways, the homer seemed inevitable. After the Phils started fast, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, the bats went cold. From riches to rags in an instant. And while the pitching did its part, desperately trying to nurse a one-run lead as it became apparent the offense had nothing more to contribute, the ominous feeling that eventually the bottom would drop out crept over the Phillies dugout. When Montero tagged Adams, destiny had been fulfilled. The Phils are now five games under .500 for the second time this season. After tonight’s 3-2 loss, they’ve lost three one run games in a row.

ROLLINS SPARKS THE BATS…BUT NOT FOR LONG

Jimmy Rollins jumpstarted the offense in a hurry tonight when he sent the first offering from Ian Kennedy over the wall in right center for his 44th career leadoff home run. It looked to be  the start of a big inning when Chase Utley hit one off the wall in center, but he was gunned down trying to stretch a double into a triple for the first out. The play seemed to sap a lot of the energy from the inning. However, the Phils would continue to battle, getting another run when Domonic Brown drove in Michael Young. It marked the first time the Phils managed two runs in the first since April 21. The good times would not last. Continue reading After Early Rally, Phils Bats go Silent In Loss

Philadelphia Phillies (16-20) at Arizona Diamondbacks (20-15)

Tyler Cloyd (0-0, 0.00 ERA) v. Ian Kennedy (1-3, 5.19)

TIME: 9:40, Chase Field
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Weather: Arizona
Media: Twitter and Facebook

After seemingly finding their stride in San Francisco, the Phillies once again stumbled, dropping the series opener to Arizona by a score of 2-1. Consistency has eluded the Phils so far. Whenever they seem like they’re about to get rolling, they find a way to lose a few games in a row, usually because the offense disappears again.

Tonight’s matchup will feature the 2013 debut of Tyler Cloyd, pitching in place of the inactive Roy Halladay. Cloyd made waves in the organization last season when he had a superb season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. However, he was underwhelming when he was called up in late August, starting six games and going 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA and a 5.25 FIP. The decision to give Cloyd the start was a curious one, as many with knowledge of the organization thought Adam Morgan would get the call. In six starts at Lehigh Valley this season, Cloyd has gone 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA. He did notch ten strikeouts in his last start, however.

Countering Cloyd will be Ian Kennedy. 2013 has been no picnic for Kennedy so far, and he seems like he may never rediscover the form that made him so dominant in 2011 when he won 21 games and finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. He has quite a bit of success against the Phils in his lifetime, going 2-1 with a 2.42 ERA in four starts.

Charlie Manuel has once again tinkered with his lineup, benching Delmon Young in lieu of John Mayberry and batting the struggling Carlos Ruiz fifth.

Lineup: Rollins SS, Utley 2B, M. Young 3B, Howard 1B, Ruiz C, Brown LF, Mayberry RF, Revere CF, Cloyd P

GAMEDAY BEER: Kona Brewing Co’s Longboard Island Lager

It’s a steamy one in Arizona, and a warm and humid day here in Philly. What better time to bust out a summertime beer. Tonight’s selection comes from the Kona Brewing Co., based in Hawaii. The Longboard Island Lager is a smooth beer with no abrasive tastes at all and an absence of hoppiness. It is slightly sweet with a hint of vanilla. Fire up some hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill and crack open one of these delightful brews.  – RD

GO PHILLIES