Phillies Nation

Carlos Ruiz has guided Roy Halladay through many memorable games. Is his absence hurting the Good Doctor? (AP)

Everyone’s got a theory for what’s wrong with Roy Halladay.

The prevailing argument is Halladay is a victim of the unrelenting perpetual forward motion of time, and the effect it has on the body. That, physically, he is no longer the person he once was.

Rich Dubee and Halladay himself have come up with a bevy of excuses as to why Doc has not been himself. Everything from a wet mound to a stomach virus has been thrown out there as a reason for the lack in results. Just yesterday, Dubee pinned Halladay’s shaky start on Wednesday on a lower arm slot.

Whatever ails the once preeminent pitcher, one thing is clear: He is struggling mightily to adapt to his new-found deficiencies. What once was considered a strength for Halladay–the ability to think ahead of hitters–is now something he is lacking.

Everyone can see that Halladay has lost a few ticks on his velocity, yet he continues to pitch with the same strategy as the guy who once could touch 94 on the radar gun. Maybe it’s sheer stubbornness. But without his dominant fastball, he seems lost.

Continue reading How Much Does Doc Miss Chooch?

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.

Baltimore Orioles vs Philadelphia Phillies

Time: 1:05 pm

Ed Smith Stadium – Sarasota, FL

Weather: 78, Cloudy

TV: MLB Network (On Delay)

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Aaron Cook looks to continue his strong Spring (3.21 ERA) and make his case for a spot on the Phillies roster as he and the Phils lock up with the Orioles in a rematch of the 1983 World Series.

But the big story today is not Cook’s quest to make the Phillies – instead it is that of Roy Halladay, who labored through 4 innings in a Minor League game, throwing 81 pitches and giving up 2 ER, while topping out at 90 MPH on the radar gun and settling in between 86-89 MPH. Keep it here for any updates on Halladay and the latest roster news.

Line-Up

1. Revere – CF

2. Rollins – SS

3. Utley – 2B

4. Howard – 1B

5. Young – 3B

6. Brown – RF

7. Mayberry  – LF

8. Lerud – C

9. Cook – P

Go Phillies!

Horst was a great find by the Phils. (US PRESSWIRE)

Quick thoughts on 2012 with the relief pitchers up next. Coming up, position players. Click here for the starting rotation. Phillies Nation will also have a more thorough breakdown of each player coming later this month.

-Let’s begin with the highest paid relief pitcher on the team, and in baseball, Jonathan Papelbon. I’ve struggled with what to think about his season, but much more negative stands out for me. I guess that’s because the Phillies were not a winning ballclub, so the negatives overshadow the positives.

Focusing on Papelbon, you can’t help but notice his inabilities in non-save situations. His 3.90 ERA in those games with four losses, some of them crushing, were tough to swallow. No pitcher is going to be perfect, but he was asked to keep games tied or close and couldn’t do it some of the time. In normal save situations, he was one of the best relief pitchers in baseball, sporting a 0.87 WHIP and a 1.49 ERA. Papelbon was able to save 39 games this year, so he did more right than wrong. But when you’re the highest paid guy that anchors an overall subpar bullpen, failures stand out. He’s gotta’ be a little better next year.

-I’m really excited about the youthful explosion in the pen this season. Players that maybe wouldn’t have been utilized had it been a “normal” Phillies season saw plenty of action, which can only serve them well for the near future. Let’s start with the lefties:

-Jeremy Horst, Jake Diekman, and Antonio Bastardo could provide the Phillies a stable of quality left-handed pitchers for a long time. Horst was perhaps the Phillies best relief pitcher this season. His minuscule 1.15 ERA stands out, as does his 11.5 K/9 rate. Horst still needs to work on walks, but he looks like an absolute steal in the trade with Cincinnati for Wilson Valdez.

Continue reading Thoughts From a Lost Season: The Bullpen

Tyler Cloyd has taken the International League by storm this season. Now he'll have a shot in the big leagues.

For months now, Phillies fans have yearned to see Tyler Cloyd in red pinstripes, standing on the mound for the big league club. After a seemingly endless wait, they’ll finally get their wish, albeit probably not in the circumstances they envisioned.

Cloyd will start tonight against the New York Mets in place of left-hander Cole Hamels, who is reportedly on the shelf with a gastrointestinal illness.

Cloyd, 25, is having what has been, without question, his best year as a professional baseball player. In 22 starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he has posted a 12-1 record, with a 2.35 ERA and 93 strikeouts to 38 walks. He was recently named the International League’s Most Valuable Pitcher. He has pitched remarkably, to be sure. Over the course of this season, he’s gone from relative unknown to an obsession.

The success Cloyd has had has caused many fans and pundits to suggest he should be pitching in the big leagues. Most have argued that, with the team all but eliminated from playoff contention, it’s a no-brainer to slide him into the injured Vance Worley’s spot in the rotation and see if Cloyd can be a legitimate contributor on this team in the future.

Continue reading Cloyd To Start In Place Of Hamels

They didn’t have much to do with the win, since the runs were put up early and often by the NL, but Carlos Ruiz and Cole Hamels did take part in the midsummer classic. As the National League lit up the American League, winning their third straight match up 8-0, Ruiz played his part behind the dish.

Chooch entered in the sixth to catch knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, doing an admirable job with a pitch that’s hard to corral. In the seventh, Ruiz caught his every-fifth-day battery mate Hamels, teaming up for a 1-2-3 inning.

Hamels was bringing the goods, touching 96 on the radar gun. The radar did not seem juiced, either, because Stephen Strasburg was hitting 97, which is normal for him. It took Hamels just 14 pitches to get through the seventh.

Jonathan Papelbon closed out the game, getting the final out as Tony LaRussa elected to use three pitchers to get the final three outs of the game Papelbon got Matt Wieters of the Orioles to fly out to right field.

At the plate, Ruiz finished up 0-for-1 with a flyout to left field.

Notes:

-Mike Trout is just ridiculous. It’s a shame the South Jersey native plays on the west coast, because he’s fun to watch.

-Hat tip to Chipper Jones in his final all star game. The man had a hell of a career and made it hell on the Phillies for many of those 19 seasons with the Braves. Cool moment with his single through the right side.

-If you’d told me before the game that Justin Verlander would give up five runs in the first inning, I’d have slapped you. But it happened.

-Melky Cabrera and Pablo Sandoval go 3-for-5 with 5 RBI. Yeah, you saw that coming, too.

-I’ve driven by Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and it looks very cool from the outside. Also looks like a great place to be on the inside.

Doc came away with a no-decision. (AP)

Ugh. The Phillies looked great early, then gave up five unanswered to the Mets as they took game one of the series, 5-2.

PAPELBON BLOWS IT

-Until this point, Jonathan Papelbon’s 2012 season had been going swimmingly. Then, he let up a three-run home run to a guy named Jordany Valdespin. Yeah. It was Paps first blown save of the season. Your Phillies season in a nutshell.

-Papelbon had not been used in a game since last week in Atlanta.

HALLADAY RETURNS TO FORM

-His line: seven innings, five hits, two runs (both earned), one walk, seven strikeouts. He certainly returned to form after a disaster in Atlanta. Only problem, the offense couldn’t help him out. Halladay deserved better than a no-decision.

-Early on, Halladay’s velocity was strong. At times, his fastball reached 93 on the radar gun both in the ballpark and on MLB.com’s pitch f/x. Clearly, his demise was premature.

-He threw his curveball for a strike often. In a second inning at-bat against Ike Davis, he made the lefty look silly throwing him back to back curves to fan him. Halladay mixed his pitches well throughout. Davis then looked helpless against Halladay again in the fifth inning as Halladay went curve, cutter, cutter, changeup, curve for a strikeout.

Continue reading Papelbon, Offense Have Hand in Brutal Loss

The Phillies took Strasburg deep twice, it just wasn't enough.

There is indeed something special about these Washington Nationals. They remind me a lot of the Phillies when they finally gave into the call for the youngsters.  The Phillies fought back all night but ultimately fell short 4-3 in the 11th inning.

Strasburg’ed – Hunter Pence homered off Stephen Strasburg in the fourth inning to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.  It was the first home run given up by Strasburg since August 2010.  Carlos Ruiz, who has been on an absolute tear, also took the righty deep in the fifth inning.  Ruiz’s fifth home run of the year gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead.

KK – Kyle Kendrick, making another start in place of injured Cliff Lee, pitched very efficiently for five innings of work.  He allowed only one run on seven hits and struck out two.  The radar gun had him topping our at 94 tonight.  But then again it says Nats reliever Henry Rodriguez was hitting triple digits, so who knows.

Continue reading Free Baseball Not Friendly To Phils

Big Joe had one of his best outings in a long, long time.

Joe Blanton was jacked and ready to go when he stepped on the mound. After all, he hadn’t started a game that meant something since September 2011. And even then, the Phillies had the division locked up and he was pitching just to see if he still could.

But against the Miami Marlins Thursday night, Blanton came out firing bullets in a way I’d never seen before. Routinely through the first few innings, Big Joe registered 91 on the radar gun; even touching 92 a handful of times. Were the juices flowing? Or is this a new/improved Joe Blanton?

According to Fangraphs.com Pitch F/X, Blanton’s average fastball throughout his career is 89.6. It’s hard to imagine him gaining two miles per hour on his fastball, however, it’s not completely inconceivable. After a full offseason to return to normal following elbow trouble, maybe Blanton just feels healthy once again.

Eventually, Blanton’s fastball leveled off at 90 for much of the night, but it was nice to see him ramp it up early and prove that elbow is whole.

“It feels good,” said Blanton. “It’s fun to be back out there and not have anything weighing on my mind – if this pitch is going to hurt or if I’m going to be able to make it through.” Continue reading Blanton Velocity, Spirits High

PHOTO: AP

The San Francisco Giants needed a stopper and they got one. Tim Lincecum spoiled Roy Oswalt’s return to the mound as the Giants beat the Phillies, 3-1, to avoid a four-game sweep.

Oswalt wasn’t sharp in his first game since June 23, giving up 12 hits in six innings, tying a career high, but the radar gun showed positive velocity on many of his pitches. Often times, the radar read 91-92 mph, meaning the Phillies 4th Ace is seemingly healthy once again. He also kept his team well within striking distance, although that’s easier said than done when facing Tim Lincecum.

Lincecum scattered seven hits over 7 2/3 innings to run his record to 5-0 with an ERA of 0.90 when matched-up against Oswalt in his career. Brian Wilson came on for his 34th save of the season in the ninth.

Ben Francisco smacked a one-out double in the final inning, but was left in place – as were eight other Phillies on Sunday.

Continue reading Lincecum Stops a Phillies Sweep