Phillies Nation

The Phillies lost a pitchers’ duel on Monday in a very entertaining game that saw Cliff Lee and Bronson Arroyo throw very well and Ben Revere make one of the best catches in team history. Things fell off the rails for the Phillies in the eighth inning, however, when small ball and a defensive miscue broke the 2-2 tie and put the Reds ahead.

The Reds’ two runs in the eighth were credited to Jeremy Horst, who loaded the bases before exiting with one out. His performance drew the ire of many Phillies fans, as this isn’t the first time Horst has been plagued by poor results in a crucial moment this season. However, most of what happened was out of Horst’s control that inning and he shouldn’t even have been pitching in the first place.

In the eighth inning of an important game, with a fully rested bullpen and the starting pitcher removed, Mike Adams should be on the mound. In fact, one could argue that Adams should have been on the mound even if the Reds had a bunch of lefties due up. Adams has faced exactly 745 righties and lefties in his career and has no platoon split whatsoever. His career wOBA allowed to lefties is .260 and it’s .254 against righties. Both are exceptional numbers and, for reference, Antonio Bastardo‘s wOBA allowed to lefties was .254 in 2011-12.

Charlie Manuel said after the game that Horst was the only pitcher warming up because the Phillies trailed 2-0 heading into the eighth. That’s perfectly justifiable, but after Domonic Brown singled and the decision was made to pinch-hit with Chase Utley, Adams or Bastardo should have started warming up as at least a precautionary measure in case the Phillies tied the game or took the lead. Worst case scenario is they sit back down.

Manuel also mentioned that he was hesitant to use Adams because he had thrown in four of the last five games. Another valid point, however, it wasn’t as if Adams really overexerted himself. He threw three pitches to finish off Cliff Lee’s outing against the Mets on April 9. He threw 19 pitches on April 10 against the Mets. He threw 16 pitches against the Marlins on April 12, and another 11 pitches against the Marlins on April 13. Yes, technically, that’s four outings in five days, but we’re talking about an average of 12 pitches per game spread out over that span. These weren’t all consecutive games, and it’s highly unlikely that his arm needed more than a day to recover after throwing 11 easy pitches against Miami.

Mike Adams was signed for that type of situation, just like Jonathan Papelbon was signed for crucial late-inning situations, regardless of any other ancillary factors. The Phillies have not handled Papelbon optimally since acquiring him, and if Monday night’s game against the Reds was any indication, the team might not handle its setup man correctly either.

Horst may have given up the runs and taken the loss on Monday but he wasn’t to blame. To blame was the decision to bring him in over Adams regardless of the results. Even if Horst had thrown a 1-2-3 inning with three strikeouts on nine pitches, the right call in that situation is to use a rested and healthy Adams, as he presented the Phils with the best opportunity to keep the game tied.

Continue reading It Should Have Been Adams

On a day filled with sadness for so many, baseball played on. On Jackie Robinson Day, and only a few hours after the horrifying explosions in Boston, the Phillies and Reds’ starters went toe-to-toe in a terrific pitcher’s duel. Unfortunately, the Phillies came up on the losing end of a 4-2 outing to the Reds.

THE CATCH

Above is one of the greatest catches I have ever seen. It might be one of the greatest any of us have ever seen. Keep your eyes on it. It’s just as incredible the 100th time you watch it as it is the first.

It’s Ben Revere laying out completely to rob Todd Frazier of an RBI and extra bases, turning a sure double into a double play.

It’s up there with the likes of Griffey, Mays, Edmonds, and some of the greatest plays ever made in center field.

As for the game itself….

Continue reading Phils Drop Pitchers’ Duel Late to Reds 4-2

Reinvented is the chic term in Philadelphia. It’s being used to describe what people believe will be the saving grace in the career of Roy Halladay: reinvention. Can Doc learn to pitch with decreased velocity, honing his off-speed pitches when his fastball lacks the same pop it did during a decade-long run as the best pitcher in the world?

No one knows. And quitting and failure aren’t in Halladay’s vernacular, so we’ll be left to take a wait and see approach. Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro are doing the same, they said so themselves on Tuesday. Amaro told reporters that they would give Halladay as long as he would need to become the pitcher they all believe he can still be.

But what kind of pitcher is that, exactly?

Father Time’s win streak will stay intact, but in the case of Halladay, he hopes to push him off just a little longer. Some in the business were able to do it (with or without PED’s) better than others.

Continue reading Who Will Halladay Become?

It was better than terrible but far from keeping Phillies fans from holding their collective breath heading into the season. Roy Halladay allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings in the Phillies 7-2 spring finale victory over the Blue Jays.

Whether the results showed it, Halladay, along with pitching coach Rich Dubee, said following the game that they were happy with the pitchers delivery. The radar gun also showed 88-90 for the better part of the appearance. Regardless of the outcome, Halladay will start the second game of the regular season, Wednesday in Atlanta.

Chase Utley finished off Spring Training with his fifth home run, and Laynce Nix also went yard. With Utley, Ryan Howard, Domonic Brown, and Ben Revere each playing well, there is at least some room for optimism amidst the turmoil of Halladay.

Up next, the On-Deck series Friday and Saturday against Toronto at Citizens Bank Park before the real fun begins on Monday in Atlanta.

Matt Hitt

On March 8, the Phillies signed Matt Hitt, a 23-year old catcher who led Eastern Michigan University in home runs in 2012. Hitt went undrafted  but played professionally with the Arizona Centennials last summer. Hitt comes to the Phillies organization with a reputation for plus defense and the ability to hit for power.

Hitt will likely play along side catchers Cameron Rupp, Justin Dalles, and Gabriel Lino in the Phils Minor League ranks, helping to develop some of the fantastic young pitchers. Matt took some time out of his schedule to answer some questions for Phillies Nation.

Q1: Baseball America reported your signing with Spring Training already underway. What was it like to get a call from the Phillies with camp just about starting and did you know that they were interested at all before they called? Had you made any plans or were you working anywhere else before they or any other team called?

MH: What can I say, but that it was the best day of my life! Up until that day I had no idea of the Phillies interest, but I had been working on other opportunities within Major League Baseball.

Continue reading PN Interview: Catching Prospect Matt Hitt

Happ is unhappy in Toronto. The Phillies may need a starter. Could they trade for Happ? Would they?

The reports out of Clearwater today regarding Roy Halladay were worrisome at best and troublesome at worst – Halladay threw 82 pitches, staying in the high 80s according to Chris Branch, with limited control (2 BB, 1 HBP) and “plenty of hard hit balls“. Halladay’s struggles are well documented but there is reason for optimism: Rich Dubee believes Halladay will be ready with two more Spring starts (including today) and Doc himself told Jayson Stark he is optimistic about the season.

But what if he’s not?

Five miles up the road from Clearwater, the Blue Jays suddenly have rotation full of capable pitchers. The stable of arms includes high-end talent like Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and the reigning NL Cy Young R.A. Dickey, with younger promising arms like Brandon Morrow and former All-Star Ricky Romero rounding out the back end. The acquisition of Johnson, Buehrle, and Dickey leaves the Jays with a great rotation, but also with a disgruntled 29-year old who is now seemingly out of a job and slated to start the year in Triple-A. Last week, CBS’s Scott Miller reported J.A. Happ was unhappy in Toronto with his situation.

Is a return for Happ a viable option for the Phillies if Halladay is not ready for Opening Day?

Continue reading Should the Phillies Pursue Happ?

According to Chris Branch, the Phillies have reassigned pitcher Rodrigo Lopez to minor league camp. Lopez gave up eight runs, seven earned, in yesterday’s 17-10 loss to the Braves. The Phillies now have 35 players in camp: 15 pitchers, 20 hitters.

New York Yankees  vs Philadelphia Phillies

Time: 12:05 pm

Steinbrenner Field – Tampa, FL

Weather: 66, Clear

TV: YES Network (Live), MLB Network (Delay)

Follow Phillies Nation on Twitter

Raul Valdes will start at for the Phillies in a a bullpen game that Jim Salisbury of CSN says is to “look at other pitchers (relievers) in varsity game in Tampa“. Cole Hamels will throw in the 10:00 AM Minor League game to get some work in.

An interesting line-up today, as Jermaine Mitchell (.500/.583/1.000, 2 triples and 1 double in 12 PA, three-for-three in stolen base attempts) gets a look at DH and Yuniesky Betancourt will start at short.

Interesting tidbit: this game will start at noon to clear the area for a Kenny Chesney concert set to take place across the street later today.

Line-Up

1. Revere – CF

2. Young – 3B

3. Utley – 2B

4. Howard – 1B

5. Brown – LF

6. Nix – RF

7. Mitchell – DH

8. Betancourt – SS

9. Lerud – C

Go Phillies!

Morgan was reassigned to Minor League camp but it may not be long before the southpaw is in a Phillies uniform.

Last night, the Phillies reassigned lefties Adam Morgan and Joe Savery, righties Ethan Martin, Jonathan Pettibone, J.C. Ramirez, and Kyle Simon, catcher Tommy Joseph, third baseman Cody Asche, infielder Michael Martinez, and outfielder Zach Collier to minor league camp. Collier, Martin, and Pettibone’s reassignments are active Monday.

None of these reassignments were particularly surprising: in our non-roster guide, the players out of this group that had the best chance to make the club out of camp were Morgan and Joseph at F-minuses. Martin and Pettibone likely had about the same shot but, along with Collier, their chances were not assessed because they were invited as part of the 40 man roster. The rankings were not based on talent but rather purely on odds that they would make the big league club out of camp.

For some players, their Spring performances opened up a lot of eyes: Joseph hit .462 (6-13) with two doubles and a homer while Asche .357 (5 for 14) with two doubles. In an interview with Todd Zolecki, Ruben Amaro believes Joseph and Asche have, at the very least, a shot to contribute to the Phillies next year and left the door open cracked just wide enough if there’s an emergency while pointing out their developmental youth: “Next season, maybe. Maybe. Not 2013 necessarily. It’s a possibility. It’s hard to tell. A lot of it will depend on how they continue to advance. Neither one of these guys have played Triple-A baseball.”

In the same piece, Charlie Manuel was very impressed by Joseph and Asche: “They need a little more experience. But at the same time they’re more advanced than I thought they were … than I expected. Very much so.” Manuel also noted that he believes Martin, Morgan, and Pettibone will be Major League pitchers and that Savery and Martinez were not in consideration for any of the final roster spots.

The moves leave eleven non-rostered invitees in camp and 36 players who are on the 40-man roster. The most intriguing name still in camp from the non-roster invitees may be Justin Friend, whose impressive performance last year in Double-A got him a look in Triple-A. Friend combined for a 1.33 ERA in 50 appearances between Reading and Lehigh Valley last season while setting Reading’s single-season saves record.

The Phillies plated six runs by the third inning but it was not enough to defeat the Twins who overcame the early deficit to win 10-6.

The Good

Honestly, the offense performed about as well as you would have hoped and the Phillies received stellar contributions from back end of the line-up. The Phillies five through nine hitters (Michael Young, Dom Brown, Darin Ruf, John Mayberry, Erik Kratz) all had two hits each including a timely double by Ruf on an off-speed pitch out of the zone that netted him two RBIs. Joe Savery threw 1.2 scoreless innings in relief.

Areas of Opportunity

The story today was the full on assault of Phillies pitching by Aaron Hicks. Hicks smashed three homers off of three different pitchers, including one off of Cliff Lee. Hicks made it easy to see today why both Denard Span and Ben Revere were tradable commodities for the Twins this winter.

The bullpen didn’t protect Lee’s (3.2 IP, 2 HR, 2 ER, 5 Ks) 6-2 lead. Zach Miner allowed four earned on three hits in 1/3 of an inning, while Jeremy Horst allowed one of Hicks’s homers for his earned run. Raul Valdes also allowed two earned via a Hicks homer. Miner, who I thought had a decent shot of making the team, particularly in light of the Michael Schwimer trade, hasn’t been able to put it together for the Phillies thus far in Spring Training. Somewhat surprisingly, Savery has pitched well and has yet to allow an earned run, albeit usually later in the games against lesser hitters.