The Mighty Hurka's Sports World

Let's Blow Off The Dust...

2011-11-27T22:59:00.002-05:00

Wow, how long has it been since I've posted anything? September, you say?

The Phillies, they must have won the World...lost in the NLDS? Really?

But the Eagles, they must have come through...4-7? Andy Reid is done? Wow.

How about the Sixers? That season must be over...starting on Christmas? The NBA is back? Love it.

The Flyers, they took a step back, right? No Richards, no Carter...they're one of the best teams in the East? I need to quit drinking.

So, yeah, it's been a while. Things have changed. Seasons have gone down in flames. The Sixers are back. Shoot, I wish I could have done more during the last two and a half months, but work has kicked my ass and not even asked me for money. That's where I've been. Work and real life have been in the way. I'll be back soon. This Eagles season is making me come back. Someone has to show some life.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-3, Braves-2

2011-09-07T23:38:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:

Down 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Phillies scored off of Jonny Venters, and Ross Gload plated Raul Ibanez in the ninth inning to give the Phils a sweep of Atlanta and push them to 10.5 games up in the division.

What went right?

Placido Polanco was 2-4 with the game tying RBI.

Raul Ibanez went 1-3 and scored the game winning run. He also homered in the second inning.

John Mayberry pinch hit in the eighth inning and scored the tying run.

Ross Gload had a pinch hit walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth.

Roy Oswalt had a no-hitter going through five innings and finished the game allowing just two runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out seven.

Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson came in for the eighth and ninth innings and did well, allowing just two hits.

What went wrong?

Shane Victorino went 0-3 with three strikeouts.

Ryan Howard was 0-4 and struck out three times.

Chase Utley was 0-2 and left the game after being hit in the head by a ball in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Hunter Pence went 0-4 and struck out twice.

Game Analysis:

After two games of avoiding the best part of Atlanta's bullpen, the Phillies took it on tonight, and came out with another win. Their come from behind, walk-off win gave the Braves their first three game sweep of the entire season and pushed the Phils to ten and a half games up in the National League East. The magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now down to five for the Phillies, while the division magic number is 12.

While the last two games had the offense getting out to a quick start against the Atlanta starting pitching, tonight was a little bit different, as Raul Ibanez was able to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo home run. From there, Brandon Beachy was solid, and Eric O'Flaherty kept the Phils off the board until the bottom of the eighth inning, when Jonny Venters was brought in to keep the lead for Craig Kimbrel. The Braves boast one of the best bullpens in baseball, and while O'Flaherty did his job tonight, Venters couldn't finish things off. The back end of the lineup managed to string together a hit by John Mayberry and a sacrifice bunt from Wilson Valdez, and then Placido Polanco did his part with a two out single that scored the tying run. It wasn't the most pretty inning, but it was good enough to get the run home, and that's all that matters.

The ninth inning was more of the same. Raul Ibanez walked with one out, and Carlos Ruiz singled him over to second base. Ross Gload came in to pinch hit, and considering his lack of success of late, I doubt people were expecting much. Instead, Gload grounded a shot past the first base bag and into right field that scored Ibanez and gave the Phillies a sweep over the Braves. The entire game summed up this series. It wasn't the best played, but it may have made the biggest difference in the regular season.

With the limited offense tonight, you can't take away from how the pitching did, either. Roy Oswalt took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, and while he allowed two runs in seven innings of work, he still looked solid, and was every bit the pitcher that the Phillies want him to be down the stretch. It's still a question of whether it's going to be him or Vance Worley as the fourth pitcher in the playoff rotation, so every last start helps right now. I'm keeping my mouth shut on that one for the moment.

The bullpen was solid once again tonight, too. Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson pitched the eighth and ninth innings and were excellent once again, with Bastardo using the double play to get out of a jam, and Madson picking up his fourth win of the season in walk-off fashion. The Phillies don't have the same buzz that the Braves do out of their bullpen, but when you look at Ryan Madson and Antonio Bastardo and link them up with the pitching that the Phillies have, it's almost a light's out situation. Every starting pitcher for the Phillies can go seven innings. If they leave at that point, the Phils can bring in Bastardo, who closed for a bit this season, and then Madson, who is the closer now. That takes care of the last two innings. The Braves might have a better overall bullpen, but the entire pitching staff makes the Phillies that much better.

The National League East race isn't over yet, but it's pretty damn close. The Phils did what they have done over the last five years and made a statement in a big series against a division rival. Usually, it's been against the Mets, but this year, the Braves will have to do. Now, the Phillies have 91 wins in the fewest games in team history, and are looking to set a team record for wins. It's likely going to happen, and there is not a fan around that would complain about it.

Enjoy the ride, everyone. It's going to be a fun one.

Tomorrow, the Phillies take their talents on the road to Milwaukee for a four game series with the Brewers. Their "prove it" week continues, as Cole Hamels (13-7, 2.63 ERA) pitches against Chris Narveson (10-6, 4.26 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-6, Braves-3

2011-09-07T00:12:00.003-04:00

Game Recap:

Despite an almost two hour rain delay, Vance Worley pitched six innings to get his 11th win of the season as the Phillies took their second straight in a huge series against the Atlanta Braves. The National League East lead for the Phils is now nine and a half games.

What went right?

Chase Utley had a solo home run in the first inning, then reached base and scored the final run of the game in the seventh inning.

Ryan Howard went 1-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Raul Ibanez was great tonight, going 3-4 with three RBI.

Vance Worley didn't have his best outing, but he still pitched well, allowing two runs on seven hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out six.

Brad Lidge gave up a hit in the eighth, but struck out three in a rare four out inning.

Ryan Madson worked the ninth and picked up his 28th save with a quick inning.

What went wrong?

Brian Schneider was 0-3.

Michael Stutes had another rough outing, allowing a run in the seventh inning on a hit and a walk.

The Phillies left nine men on base.

Game Analysis:

One night after Cliff Lee shut down the Braves for his sixth shutout of the season, Vance Worley took his turn on the mound. While he didn't have the same stuff that Lee did, he had enough to hold the Braves to two runs in six innings, and the Phils did the rest. Raul Ibanez drove in three runs as the Phillies won their 90th game of the season with a 6-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

In two games in this series so far, the Phillies have outscored the Braves by a 14-3 margin. That's about as good as you can get for the two best teams in the National League. Though the Phils have had the edge in starting pitching, the Braves have countered with Tim Hudson tonight and Derek Lowe, two pitchers that aren't exactly scrubs. Tonight, Vance Worley pitched through some middle inning struggles and the Phillies scored runs when they needed to in order to get him a win. Without the offense, the Phils wouldn't have won tonight's game, it's that simple. They took advantage of Atlanta's mistakes and made them pay. It's what good teams do all the time. Last year, it's what the Giants did to the Phillies.

Just as they did the night before, the Phillies jumped on the Atlanta starting pitching early. Before the Braves hardly had a chance to react, the Phils were up 2-0, and it should have been more. Tim Hudson was able to pitch out of trouble and keep the Braves in the game, but after Atlanta tied the score, the Phillies took action with a two run bottom of the sixth inning that gave them the lead for good. Raul Ibanez just missed a two run home run in the inning, and he would drive in another run in the bottom of the seventh that would give the Phillies even more insurance against a potential Atlanta comeback.

The heart of this lineup has just been great in this series so far, but there's still a lot to do. Ryan Howard is playing hurt, and needs a few games off, and Hunter Pence is just coming out of a slump in which he was 0-10. Raul Ibanez is starting to show signs of life once more, which is a good sign, but there's no telling whether or not he's going to be able to keep this up throughout the rest of September and the playoffs. However, at the moment, this team is playing like most people thought that it would, and that's a very good thing.

The only question mark that I have about tonight has to do with Michael Stutes, who struggled again on the mound. Stutes has pitched more innings this year than he has in any other season since he was drafted, and fatigue has to be settling in. If the Phillies bring him with them to the playoffs, he could be a problem on the mound, especially in a tight situation. Tonight, he allowed a run, but the Phillies countered with two of their own in the bottom of the seventh inning. That's not always going to happen. If he struggles the rest of the way, having him in the playoffs might do more harm than good for this team. They need whatever help they can get in the bullpen.

Regardless of that, the Phillies are the best team in baseball right now. They have reached 90 wins in the shortest amount of time in team history, and are nine and a half games up in the National League East. This week is supposed to be their toughest coming down the stretch and so far, they've won both games, without Roy Halladay or Cole Hamels pitching. I like what I see at the moment.

Tomorrow, the Phillies try and sweep the Braves for the first time this season. Roy Oswalt (7-8, 3.80 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies against Brandon Beachy (7-2, 3.37 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-9, Reds-0

2011-08-30T22:43:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:

Roy Halladay won his 16th game of the season and the Phillies recorded their 18th team shutout, winning the second game of their series against the Reds by a 9-0 score.

What went right?

Ryan Howard was 2-5 with two home runs and three RBI, giving him 100 RBI for the sixth time in this career.

Hunter Pence was 2-5, scoring two runs and hitting a solo home run.

Raul Ibanez started for the first time in almost a week, going 3-5 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI.

Roy Halladay pitched seven shutout innings, getting his 16th win of the season. He allowed two hits, walked two and struck out nine, while also hitting a three run double in the sixth inning to completely blow the game open.

Brad Lidge and Michael Schwimer worked clean innings in the 8th and 9th innings to hold the shut out.

What went wrong?

Placido Polanco was 0-5.

Yep, that's all I've got.

Game Analysis:

When you give Roy Halladay an eight day rest and put him up against the Cincinnati Reds, good things tend to happen. The last time it happened, Halladay pitched the second ever no hitter in playoff history, and tonight, while he didn't throw a no hitter, he did keep the Reds from crossing the plate and drove in three runs of his own to give the Phils their second straight win and push them to 39 games over .500.

After two straight starts without a win (neither of which was really his fault), Roy Halladay came out again tonight and showed how good he can be. The Reds mounted a little bit of offense in the first inning, but after that, Roy was cruising, and he had little problems through the rest of the game. He struck out at least one batter in each inning he pitched, and added to his own cause in the sixth inning with a bases clearing double that drove in three. The RBI were the first of the season for Halladay and put the final touches on Bronson Arroyo's night as well.

The rest of the offense did a good job tonight as well, giving Halladay more than enough runs to take care of business. After a lackluster game last night, Ryan Howard hit two home runs and reached 100 RBI for the sixth season in a row. He still strikes out a ton, and his batting average is on pace for a career low, but the fact still remains that Howard drives in runs and hit home runs. During the late months, he always seems to be able to put the offense on his back for stretches, and he can turn his power on like a light switch. Meanwhile, Hunter Pence has been simply outstanding as a member of the Phillies, hitting his sixth home run with the team tonight and driving in another run. Since he was traded, Pence has hit those six home runs, driven in 15 runs and scored another 16. Not bad for someone who had the weight of an entire city weighing on him when he got to Philadelphia.

Raul Ibanez had a good night as well as he returned to the starting lineup. Ibanez has struggled this season, and is going to see more of his playing time going to John Mayberry, but tonight, he looked like the Raul of old, hitting a home run and scoring twice while driving in two runs of his own as well. Though Ibanez isn't going to be the same hitter than he was when the Phillies signed him, they still need him to produce when he's in the lineup, especially against pitchers that he can hit. Tonight was one of those occasions, and Ibanez rose to the challenge. That's what the Phils need out of his bat the rest of the way. If they can get that, as well as production from Mayberry when he's in the lineup, then the offense is going to be just fine.

So far, so good when it comes to this series in Cincinnati. The Phils have held the highest scoring team in the National League to just two runs in two games, while scoring 12 themselves. Cole Hamels looked good in his first start off the DL last night and Roy Halladay was simply Roy Halladay on the mound tonight. With the Braves losing today, the lead in the National League East grew to 7.5 games, and with 30 games to play, the Phillies can go .500 the rest of the season and still win 100 games.

Sometimes, it's nice to be on top.

Tomorrow, Cliff Lee (14-7, 2.71 ERA) goes against Dontrelle Willis (Hey Remember Him? 0-3, 4.10 ERA). Seriously, this almost isn't fair right now.

No Baseball This Weekend

2011-08-27T19:12:00.003-04:00

So, if you've been living under a rock this past week, the weather in the Philadelphia area isn't exactly that great right now. First, there's a hurricane and now, we're in the middle of a hurricane. Plus, you throw in the Phillies losing the last game of their series to the Mets, and losing last night to the Marlins, and it's not that good of a week.

Luckily, the Phillies already landed in Cincinnati for their series with the Reds after the double-header that was scheduled for today was called off, due to the hurricane. The rest of the weekend is going to be interesting for all of us in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Hopefully, all of you stay safe, and are good to go once this whole thing goes past.

This will likely be my last post of the weekend. I'm expecting to lose power tonight at some point, and I'm not using my phone unless I have to. Be safe out there, and let's be ready for the Phils and the Reds on Monday. Cole Hamels is off the DL and pitching in the first game of the series. I'll be ready.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-10, Mets-0

2011-08-22T23:41:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:

Cliff Lee's seven shutout innings were the icing on the cake, as the Phillies scored ten runs against the New York Mets to move their record to 82-44 on the season.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was 1-4 with a two run triple.

Placido Polanco made his return from the disabled list and went 2-4.

Hunter Pence was 2-3 on the night with two walks, a two run home run and four runs scored.

John Mayberry went 1-3 with a two run home run and a bases loaded walk.

Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 and drove in two runs.

Wilson freaking Valdez continued to be one of the most clutch hitters that the Phillies have, going 1-3 with the game winning RBI. Sure, it happened in the second inning, but it still counts.

Cliff Lee pitched seven shutout innings to earn his 14th win of the season. He walked three, struck out seven and allowed three hits. He also went 1-4 at the plate and scored a run.

David Herndon pitched the last two innings of the game, giving up two hits while striking out one.

What went wrong?

Chase Utley went 0-4.

Ryan Howard was 1-4 with three strikeouts.

Game Analysis:

What the Phillies needed tonight was a good game against the Mets to follow their disappointing series against the Nationals this past weekend. What they got was not just a good game, but a great one, as the Phils blasted rookie Dillon Gee for eight runs in less than four innings for what turned out to be a 10-0 win.

Even with Jimmy Rollins going on the disabled list today, the offense was more than ready for the Mets. Shane Victorino had a two run triple in the second inning, and every Phillie, save for Chase Utley, had a hit in the game. Placido Polanco came off the DL and had two hits, and John Mayberry continued his incredible hot streak with a two run home run, giving him 11 on the season now, which is good for fifth on the team. That's not too bad considering he's only played in 75 games this season. The best part about that is that Mayberry only got the start tonight because Raul Ibanez was scratched from the starting lineup with a sore groin. At least Mayberry made it pay off.

Cliff Lee was on the mound tonight, and he pitched another solid start, making this August look like June did for him. While Lee did walk three batters tonight, he added to his career high in strikeouts for a season, and won his fourth game in the month of August and fifth game in a row. Even with his poor July showing, there's nothing to suggest that Lee won't be ready for the playoffs, and even if he does struggle in September, he's been great in every other month, so October will be right up his alley. That being said, giving up two runs in the entire month of August isn't too bad. Having 14 wins as the number two pitcher doesn't hurt, either.

All things considered, tonight was the best possible outcome for the Phillies. They not only bounced back from a bad series against Washington, but they completely destroyed the Mets, at home, and had Cliff Lee pitch seven shut out innings. Jimmy Rollins is on the disabled list for at least a few weeks, but with the way Wilson Valdez is hitting in the clutch, it might not matter right now. The night wasn't perfect, but very few are. With the win, the Phillies are still six and a half games up on the Braves for the division, and 15 games up in the Wild Card, if it comes to that.

Yeah, I think that this team is going to make the playoffs.

Tomorrow, the Phillies and Mets square off in game two of this three game series. Vance Worley (8-1, 2.76 ERA) will go against Jonathan Niese (11-10, 4.05 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Nationals-5, Phillies-4

2011-08-21T18:42:00.003-04:00

Game Recap:

The Phillies had the Nationals down to their last strike, but Ian Desmond hit a game tying home run off of Antonio Bastardo, and then Jonny Gomes was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 10th, giving Washington their second walk off win of the series against the Phillies.

What went right?

Chase Utley was 1-5 with his ninth home run of the season.

Raul Ibanez went 1-3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 with a two run home run.

Michael Martinez was 1-4 and put the Phillies ahead with his RBI single in the top of the ninth inning.

Michael Schwimer gave up a home run to the very first batter he faced in the major leagues, but then worked three innings of two hit baseball, including striking out the side in the seventh inning.

What went wrong?

Jimmy Rollins was 0-2 before leaving the game with a right groin strain. He's day to day at the moment.

Hunter Pence was 0-4 with a strikeout.

Antonio Bastardo struck out the first two batters he faced, and had Ian Desmond down to his last strike, but gave up a game tying home run in the ninth inning for his first blown save of the year.

Brad Lidge was in trouble early in the 10th and never got out of hit, giving up the rare walk off hit by pitch to end the game.

Game Analysis:

Boy, there haven't been many of these games for the Phillies this year, have there? I mean, aside from Friday's game, that is. The Phillies went into the ninth inning today with Antonio Bastardo having struck out the first two National batters that he faced. The remaining, rain soaked crowd was mostly Phillies fans, who were on their feet, ready for a final strikeout. The only problem was that Bastardo threw one bad pitch in the inning, and Ian Desmond hit it into the left field seats for a game tying home run. Brad Lidge did next to nothing in the 10th inning, loading the bases before recording a strike out of his own, and then hitting Jonny Gomes to end the game. It wasn't a good way to end the series for the Phils, that's for sure.

The weather played a factor once again, limiting Roy Halladay to just five innings of work. Halladay wasn't as sharp as he usually is, allowing seven hits and two runs in those five innings, but he was still pitching well enough to go another inning or two without a problem. Instead, the rain came in, and rookie Michael Schwimer got to make his major league debut. Two pitches into it, Danny Espinosa greeted him with a home run that tied the game.

Fortunately for the young kid, things only got better from there, as Schwimer retired eight Washington batters in a row, including striking out the side in the seventh inning. He didn't look bad at all out on the mound, giving up just two hits, both to Espinosa, and striking out four. All in all, it was a good first showing, and he was in line for the win today before the bottom of the ninth.

Just like they did the entire series, the offense did a little bit, but had the Phillies in the lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Carlos Ruiz tied the game up in the second inning with a two run home run before Chase Utley gave the Phils the lead in the third with a solo home run of his own. Ruiz would help out again in the ninth, singling Raul Ibanez into scoring position for Michael Martinez. Mini-Mart singled back up the middle, scoring Ibanez and putting the Phillies on top once again.

Just the other day, I was praising both Ryan Madson and Antonio Bastardo. Well, in this series against the Nationals, Madson and Bastardo both blew saves and the Phillies lost both of those games. I don't think it's going to become a trend, since both pitchers have had stellar years, so I'm not too concerned. However, those two are going to be the back end of the rotation in the playoffs, so if they do struggle, it won't be pretty. For now, I'm willing to give them a pass on this series. The Nationals, for whatever reason, always have played the Phillies tough, and they now have 19 wins in their last at bat, so they don't give up easily. A series like this was bound to happen.

The bigger concern is about Jimmy Rollins and his strained groin. He's scheduled for an MRI tomorrow, and hopefully it won't reveal anything too major. Even with Placido Polanco coming off the DL tomorrow, the last thing that the Phils really need is another starter going out for a month or so. Rollins has battled through injuries before, so hopefully he can do the same with this one, but a groin strain isn't just something you can play through without discomfort. If he can't go, Wilson Valdez or Michael Martinez will obviously play in his place. For now, Rollins is day to day.

Everyone needs to just step back and breathe a little bit. Did the Phillies blow saves in two of the three games in this series? Yes they did, but before that, they had only blown one save all season long. Having three blown saves near the end of August isn't too bad, right? Besides, the Braves are still a way's back in the division, and this series should prove to have been a launching point for the rest of season. This isn't the end of the world, just remember that.

Tomorrow, the Phils are back at home to take on the New York Mets. Cliff Lee (13-7, 2.82 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies, while Jonathan Niese (11-10, 4.05 ERA) goes for the Mets.

Phillie of the Week: August 14-20

2011-08-21T18:29:00.002-04:00

Due to weather, the Phils had a shortened schedule over the past seven days, only playing five games and going 3-2 in those five. While not that impressive compared to the rest of the season, the team still put up solid numbers. A few players stood out, including one young man who is looking for some more playing time. This week's Phillie of the Week is:

John Mayberry

Mayberry has been lights out since he came back up from the minor leagues, and this week was no different. In the five games he played, Mayberry had seven hits in 15 at bats, good for a .467 batting average, as well as driving in four runs and hitting a home run. He also walked twice and scored five runs. Not bad for a platoon player, right?

Want To Own Hunter Pence's Shoes? Now You Can!

2011-08-20T22:35:00.005-04:00

Everyone's newest favorite Phillie, Hunter Pence, made quite a first impression with his new team when he showed up at the plate wearing his old Houston Astros spikes, only spray painted red to fit the requirements that the Phillies have about red spikes. Luckily, the Phils got him some red spikes after a few games, but Pence did wear them out onto the field for a few games against the Pirates.

Now that Pence has settled in with the Phillies, he's placed his old spikes on eBay, with the proceeds from the auction going to his baseball academy. The listing itself is great, so I'll let you check that out. Trust me, it's worth the read.

Anyone got $1,100 that they don't need so I can buy these bad boys? They'd make a great conversation starter.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-5, Nationals-0

2011-08-20T22:07:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:

Roy Oswalt pitched eight shutout innings, striking out nine, and the offense plated five runs against John Lannan, giving them a win in the second game of their series in Washington.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins went 2-4 and drove in two runs.

Hunter Pence was 1-4 with a home run.

John Mayberry had two more hits and scored a run.

Carlos Ruiz went 2-3 with two runs scored.

Wilson freaking Valdez did his job again, driving in two with a triple in the fourth inning.

Roy Oswalt looked like the pitcher the Phillies traded for last year. He went eight innings, giving up eight hits and no runs. He struck out nine and walked one.

Michael Stutes pitched a scoreless ninth inning to finish the game.

What went wrong?

Chase Utley was 0-3 with a strikeout.

Ryan Howard went 0-4 and stuck out once.

Game Analysis:

After the implosion by the bullpen in the ninth inning last night (that's all I'm going to say about that), the Phillies needed not only a bounce back game, but a good effort from Roy Oswalt to help keep the bullpen fresh. Tonight, they got both of those things, as Oswalt found his Fourth Ace form, pitching eight shutout innings and striking out nine as the Phillies beat John Lannan once again, this time by a 5-0 score.

Oswalt looked better in his last start against the Nationals, but tonight, he was on a totally different level. His nine strikeouts were the most since he was traded to the Phillies last season, and were the most he had in a single game since the 2008 season. He still gave up some hits, but was rarely in a lot of trouble, and looked excellent out on the mound. It's the kind of performance that reminds you why the Phils wanted to trade for him last year, and it makes you more confident going into this last month and a half of the season. Since coming back off the DL, Oswalt is 2-1 and has 18 strikeouts in 21 innings of work, compared to just four walks, and he's looked better in each start. He's getting his feel back out there on the mound, and it's only going to get better with every start from here.

At the plate, the Phillies still took advantage of the big inning, like they did last night, but this time, they had two innings with two or more runs. The first came in the top of the fourth, when Wilson Valdez drove in John Mayberry and Carlos Ruiz on a triple. Just like Oswalt's last start, the Phils took advantage of a mistake by Washington, as Ian Desmond committed an error when Mayberry attempted to steal second base. Without that error, Mayberry is out, and the inning is over. Instead, Ruiz walked, and Valdez brought them both in. Mayberry had a solid defensive play in the bottom of the fourth, throwing out Ryan Zimmerman at the plate and ending the last real threat that the Nationals mounted.

The sixth inning started out well when Hunter Pence led things off with a home run and Mayberry and Ruiz followed with back to back hits to chase John Lannan from the game. Wilson Valdez grounded into a fielder's choice, luckily avoiding grounding into a double play before Oswalt sacrificed Ruiz and Valdez over. Jimmy Rollins did the rest, driving them both in with a two run single that capped the scoring. Even though the Phillies didn't need any insurance runs, it was nice to see them added to the board, especially following last night.

This was exactly the type of game that the Phillies needed tonight. They bounced back well against a pitcher that they usually own, and they got a great showing out of their starting pitcher, which helped save the bullpen a lot of work. With the win, the Phillies move to 81-43 and still have a 7.5 game lead on the Braves in the division.

Tomorrow, Roy Halladay (15-5, 2.53 ERA) goes for his 16th win of the season as he faces off against Chien-Ming Wang (2-2, 4.22 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-4, Diamondbacks-1

2011-08-19T12:47:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:

Rain kept Vance Worley from going more than three innings, but David Herndon and John Mayberry did the heavy lifting last night, leading the Phils to their 80th win of the season.

What went right?

John Mayberry was 1-4 with a two run home run.

Chase Utley was 2-4 and scored a run.

Raul Ibanez went 2-4 with two doubles and an RBI.

Wilson freaking Valdez went 1-3 with a walk and an RBI double.

Jimmy Rollins was 1-3 with a walk and a run scored.

For the three innings that he pitched before the rain came, Vance Worley looked excellent. He didn't allow a run while giving up just one hit and striking out two.

David Herndon pitched extremely well after the rain delay. He pitched three shutout innings while allowing one hit and striking out four.

Antonio Bastardo needed just eight pitches to get through the eighth inning, striking out one.

Ryan Madson worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 23rd save of the season.

What went wrong?

Hunter Pence went 0-3 with two strikeouts.

Ross Gload was 0-4.

Brian Schneider was 0-3.

The Phillies left seven men on base.

Game Analysis:

In a game with a two hour rain delay, no Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Placido Polanco or Shane Victorino, you wouldn't have been too upset if the Phillies had taken a loss last night. Instead, using a lineup that resembled more of a Spring Training lineup and a bullpen pitcher that has struggled this season, the Phils took out Ian Kennedy with three early runs and won their 80th game of the season.

You can't really look into how Vance Worley pitched last night, because he only went three innings due to the rain delay. However, while he was in the game, he was solid. He struck out two and gave up just one hit and once again looked like a potential Rookie of the Year candidate. Last night's biggest story was David Herndon, the oft-maligned long relief pitcher who normally only comes into a game when the lead is too big for him to lose. Against Arizona last night, Herndon looked like a great pitcher, striking out the side in the fifth inning and working three scoreless innings of his own to keep the Phillies in front. It was very comforting to see Herndon pitch like that, because the Phils are going to need him more and more down this final stretch of the season. When other pitchers can't go, Herndon will need to step up again and again. Last night was a good start.

There's little else that needs to be said about Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson. The two of them have taken their roles as the eighth inning man and closer and ran with them this season. Bastardo has come into his own, allowing just seven earned runs so far this season while stranding 93% of inherited baserunners. Madson, meanwhile, has given up just ten earned runs this season and is 23/24 in save chances. When a team can have a rotation like the Phillies and then have the back of the bullpen like Bastardo and Madson, all the offense really needs to do is score three to four runs a night, and they're going to win. It's a good feeling seeing this pitching staff, especially compared to where they were not that long ago. The emergence of Bastardo and the dominance that Madson has had in the closer role this year have been two surprises that I'm very happy about.

The John Mayberry bandwagon got a few more supporters on it last night as well. Mayberry, who is an extra base hitting machine, had another one last night with a two run home run in the third inning. Since he was called up from AAA at the start of July, Mayberry has hit seven home runs in just 75 at bats. With Raul Ibanez struggling this season, there's going to be more of a ground swell for Mayberry to get more time in left field, and he probably should, but I'm not sure how well he can perform as an every day starter. For the moment, at least, he's a very good option off of the bench or in a spot start situation, like he had last night for Shane Victorino. He's going to get some more time as the season finishes up, and that's going to help him for the playoffs and going into next year. However, Ibanez can get hot over stretches, and he needs to play for those stretches to happen. Plus, the Phillies have won 80 games with him hitting under .240 for the season, so he's not hurting the team that much at the plate. His defense leaves a lot to be desired, there's no questioning that, though.

It's difficult to break down rain delayed games, especially one that was delayed by almost two and a half hours. The Phillies didn't go out there with a full deck at the plate last night, but they still got the job done. They've already reached 80 wins on the season, and are still holding an eight and a half game lead in the NL East over the Braves. Their series winning streak continued, as they took two out of three from Arizona and now they have to wait and see if they meet up with the Diamondbacks again in October.

Tonight, the Phils head down to Washington, D.C. for a three game series with the Nationals. Roy Oswalt (5-7, 3.84 ERA) will be on the hill for the Phillies. Livan Hernandez (7-11, 4.21 ERA) will go for Washington.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-9, Diamondbacks-2

2011-08-17T23:26:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:

The Phillies took advantage of mistakes by Arizona in the seventh and eighth innings to break away and win the second game of their series, 9-2. Cliff Lee pitched seven strong innings to pick up the win, his 13th on the season.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins started the game with a home run on the very first pitch he saw, and finished by going 2-3 with two RBI, a run scored, a walk and a stolen base.

Shane Victorino went 2-4.

Hunter Pence was 2-2 with two walks and three runs scored.

John Mayberry went 3-4, scoring twice and driving in one.

Wilson freaking Valdez went 1-4 with a huge two run double in the seventh. He also scored twice.

Cliff Lee pitched very well, going seven innings and allowing just two runs on three hits. He struck out seven and walked two.

Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson worked the eighth and ninth innings and kept Arizona from coming back.

What went wrong?

Chase Utley was 0-5.

Yep, that's all tonight.

Game Analysis:

Those of you that were worried about the Phillies on offense after last night, please sit down. Tonight, the Phils only scored two runs in the first six innings, but came alive when the Diamondbacks made mistakes, scoring seven runs between the seventh and eighth innings for a 9-2 win. Couple that with the Atlanta loss, and the Phillies are once again eight and a half games up in the National League East.

It was just another good night at the ballpark for Cliff Lee, who has followed up a shaky July with a great August. Aside from a walk and home run that he gave up in the second inning, Lee was lights out all night long, and looked just like the pitcher who is second in the National League in strikeouts this season. Yes, believe it or not, Lee has somehow become even more of a strikeout pitcher this year, while still keeping his walk total down. Lee has struck out 184 batters this season while walking only 36. Think about that for a second. Tonight, Lee struck out seven and walked just two. That's not quite on par with his numbers for the season, but it's more than good enough for me. He's pitched well enough to win at least two or three more games than he has this year, and is two strikeouts away from a new career high. It's safe to say he's going to get there.

Aside from Lee, the bullpen pitched well once again tonight. Antonio Bastardo might be the most unrecognized great setup man in baseball at this point. When Bastardo comes into a game, you might as well start planning for the next inning, that's how good this guy has been this year. In 45.2 innings this year, he's struck out 51, walked just 16 and given up 18 hits. That's a WHIP of 0.74. Couple that with his eight saves, and you have a man that can pitch the ninth inning if he has to, and the eighth inning any day of the week. Ryan Madson pitched the ninth tonight to stay loose, and while he allowed a base runner, nobody crossed the plate, so it was a good night for him as well.

The offense had some issues in the middle innings, but was alive to start. Jimmy Rollins swung at the first pitch and took it into the stands for a lead off home run. After Arizona took the lead in the top of the second, Hunter Pence doubled to start the bottom of the inning, and John Mayberry drove Pence home, despite Pence's slide into third base. After that, it came down to taking advantage of the mistakes Arizona made. The Diamondbacks are a young team, and they'll slip up from time to time. Tonight was no different. In the bottom of the seventh, Pence started things with a walk, and went to third on Mayberry's single. Wilson Valdez drove in the eventual game winning run with a two run double, and Ben Francisco hit a near home run that ended up being a sacrifice fly that scored Valdez. It wasn't as pretty as home runs, but it worked. The Phillies had a 5-2 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, it was more of the same, as the Phillies scored four runs, with only one of them being earned. That's what good teams do when they have to win. They take advantage of mistakes by the opposing team. Tonight, Arizona had two errors in the eighth inning that the Phillies turned into four runs to put the game out of reach. That's the killer instinct that this team was somehow missing last year against the Giants. This year, they seem to have found it again, at least right now anyway.

Save for the Brewers, the Diamondbacks are the hottest team in the National League, and the Phillies may have just cooled them off a little bit. We'll see what happens the rest of the season, but I'd rather see them in the playoffs than the Giants.

Tomorrow, Vance Worley (8-1, 2.85 ERA) tries to lead the Phillies to their 80th win of the season. He'll face off against Ian Kennedy (15-3, 3.12 ERA). Where the hell did Kennedy come from?

Phillies Recap: Diamonbacks-3, Phillies-2

2011-08-17T12:04:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:

Roy Halladay struck out 14 in a complete game effort, but didn't get much support at the plate as Arizona scored twice in the top of the ninth to beat the Phils in the first game of a three game series.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was 1-4 with a two run home run, providing the Phillies with their only runs of the game.

Chase Utley went 3-4.

Roy Halladay was tagged with his 5th loss of the season, but it wasn't his fault. He allowed three runs on eight hits while pitching a complete game. He struck out 14 and walked just one while going 2-3 at the plate with his first career double.

What went wrong?

Jimmy Rollins scored on Shane Victorino's home run, but was 1-5 with two strikeouts, including a strike out to end the game.

Ryan Howard went 0-3 with two strikeouts.

Hunter Pence was 1-4 and struck out three times.

Michael Martinez was 0-3 with a strikeout.

Raul Ibanez was 0-4.

The Phillies left eight men on base, and only scored two runs on nine hits.

Game Analysis:

At first glance, you want to blame this loss on Charlie Manuel. After all, he let Roy Halladay go back out onto the mound after throwing almost 110 pitches through eight innings. By any stretch now in baseball, that's more than good enough for the win. After all, Halladay had already struck out 12 batters and hadn't given up a hit since the fifth inning. The Phillies were in great shape, right?

Well, not so much last night. The Diamondbacks have made a season out of late inning comebacks, and last night they did it against one of the best pitchers in baseball. Halladay managed to strike out another two Arizona batters in the ninth, but not before Lyle Overbay drove in the game winning run with a double into right. You can see why people would be upset with Charlie today. Halladay was gassed after throwing eight excellent innings, and after giving up back to back hits to start the ninth, Ryan Madson should have been warming up as quickly as possible in the bullpen. However, I'm not blaming Charlie or Halladay for this loss. Honestly, this loss falls on the offense, and their lack of run support.

When a team manages to get eight hits off of a pitcher in under seven innings, you would expect that pitcher to be out of the game fairly quickly, right? That wasn't the case last night, as the Phillies got eight hits and one walk off of Josh Collmenter in 6.2 innings, and only were able to score two runs. Both runs came on a home run by Shane Victorino, as he continued his excellent season. The problem wasn't Victorino or the top of the lineup, as Chase Utley went 3-4 in the game, but it was the middle of the lineup that had it's issues last night. Ryan Howard, Hunter Pence and Raul Ibanez went a combined 1-11 with five strikeouts.

The first lost chance game in the bottom of the third, when Pence struck out swinging with the bases loaded and two outs. In the bottom of the fifth, following Victorino's home run, Chase Utley singled, but Howard and Pence both struck out. Inning over. The bottom of the seventh started well, with Roy Halladay doubling and Jimmy Rollins advancing him over to third. However, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley couldn't drive home Halladay, and that lost chance ended up being the worst one of all. Just scoring Halladay there would have given the Phils an insurance run, and Overbay's double would have tied the game, rather than given Arizona the lead.

Despite the poor showing by the offense last night, everyone just needs to remember that this was one game in a long season. Even with the Braves winning last night, the Phils still hold a 7.5 game lead over Atlanta, and there's still a lot of time left to play this season. Tonight, Cliff Lee (12-7, 2.83 ERA) will try and get the bounce back win for the Phillies, as he faces off with Joe Saunders (8-9, 3.76 ERA).

The State of the Eagles

2011-08-11T14:09:00.002-04:00

Admit it, it's ok. Going into the NFL offseason, you had no idea what was going to happen with the Eagles this coming season. It's alright to say it, because no one did. No one was sure that the season would even start on time, and if it did, what players the Eagles would try and pick up. Luckily for us fans, a deal was made, the NFL only lost the Hall of Fame Game, and tonight, the Eagles start up their preseason with a new look team that no one expected to see on the field even a month ago.

The first step was taken in the NFL Draft, when the Eagles took offensive guard Danny Watkins with their first round pick. There were a lot of issues that arose right away, specifically, the fact that Watkins is 26, and will be 27 in November, making him one of the oldest rookies in NFL history. However, Watkins is also very talented, and should be able to pick up his blocking schemes right away. The Eagles needed an interior lineman badly to help with the running game and protect Michael Vick, so Watkins, if you can look past his age, is a solid choice. They addressed a lack of depth at safety by picking Temple's Jaiquwan Jarrett in the second round. Jarrett's a good safety net to have if either Kurt Coleman or Nate Allen have any injury issues, especially Allen, who is coming off of a nasty knee injury that ended his rookie season.

The next two impact picks came in the fourth round, where the Eagles took Casey Matthews, brother of Clay Matthews. You know who he is. He's the guy that knocked Kevin Kolb out of the first game of last season and allowed Michael Vick to get going. If he's anything like his brother, this was another good pick, and from where he is on the depth chart (more on that later), he's already looking like a steal. The other pick was Alex Henery, a kicker out of Nebraska. He's the highest kicker taken since Stephen Gostkowski by the Patriots, but he certainly could be worth it. First and foremost, Henery's selection spelled the end for David Akers as a member of the Eagles. However. Henery has a great leg, hitting a 57 yard field goal last season for Nebraska, and is the most accurate kicker in NCAA history. It's not a bad start, even for a rookie. The rest of the draft helped the Eagles fill a few more needs, such as a backup running back in Dion Lewis and a solid backup fullback from USC named Stanley Havili.

Then came the lockout, and a long period of waiting. Everyone wanted to see what the Eagles were going to do with Kevin Kolb, how they would address their pass rush and whether or not they could land Nnamdi Asomugha, the biggest free agent to be on the market. Three long months went without any sort of deal, and then it happened. Finally, the players and the owners reached an agreement, and the NFL was back on schedule. Now we don't have to deal with any sort of labor situation for ten years, and that's good enough for me. The salary cap for the season was set at $120 million, and with the Eagles only having about $80 million in contracts on the books, they had room to work. Everyone expected them to come out and make a big splash, considering they pretty much said that they were going to once free agency began.

On July 27, free agency began, and the moves started coming in. Not one involved the Eagles, save for their announcement that they would not be bringing back any of their unrestricted free agents, meaning that players like Stewart Bradley, David Akers, Quintin Mikell and Sav Rocca would be finding new homes. Leonard Weaver was also let go after he could not pass his training camp physical. The NFL year was only one day old, and fans were already getting restless. Why hadn't Kevin Kolb been traded? What was taking so long bringing in a big name free agent? The team has money to spend, why aren't they spending any?

After another day with no big moves, things started to come into focus for the Eagles. Talks were in place for a Kolb trade, and there were rumbles about a few of the bigger free agents possibly coming to Philadelphia. What Eagles fans got instead was a tidal wave of moves that hasn't stopped yet. Let's break them down, one by one.

Jason Babin signs a five year, $28 million deal.

This was a great first move by the Eagles, and was probably one of the ones that a lot of people saw coming. The Eagles had a need for another pass rusher opposite Trent Cole, and Babin had his best success last year with the Titans, where current Eagles D-line coach Jim Washburn was last year. Babin is 31 years old, but the contract only has $5-6 million worth of guarantees, which means it won't cost that much to let him go if he does turn out to be a one year wonder or he starts to slow down in three or four years. Regardless, Babin fills a huge need for this team, and as one of the best pass rushers on the market, the Eagles got him for a great price. Just look at what the Panthers paid to keep Charles Johnson in Carolina.

Eagles trade Kevin Kolb to Arizona for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie & a 2^nd round pick.

Now, this was what every Eagles fan was waiting for. The only questions about this trade were where Kolb was going to end up, and how much would the Eagles get back for him? Arizona was the most likely destination, and the Eagles managed to get not only a second round pick for Kolb, but also Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a Pro Bowler back in 2009 who is only 25 years old. DRC is a tall, fast corner, though he does have some issues with tackling. In that regard, he's more like Asante Samuel, who goes for the pick and the big play rather than the tackle. There's nothing wrong with that, but it does put more pressure on the safeties to make sure that they can make a play if the corners don't. I like Kolb, I really do, but the fact remains that he's still an unproven quarterback. He's struggled at times during his few starts, and he's looked great in others. No one's sure what he's going to be, but he'll figure it out in Arizona. This was a good trade for both sides in my mind.

Vince Young signs a one year deal.

Who better to have back up Michael Vick than Michael Vick, Jr.? Young was released by the Titans at the start of free agency and quickly found a home with the Eagles. The deal is only for a single year, but Young has a chance to learn the West Coast offense, or whatever it is that the Eagles are running now, and mature more as a player. Young has looked great at times, but he can be a bit of a head case as well. Signing him as a backup puts little pressure on him, and allows him to relax more and fit into the system that the Eagles have going. This was a nice, low risk pick up by the Birds.

Just these three moves made fans happy, but the Eagles weren't done yet. The very next day...

Nnamdi Asomugha signs a five year, $60 million deal.

Just when everyone thought that the Eagles were out of the running for Asomugha, they swoop in and steal him away from the Cowboys and Jets. After getting DRC in the Kolb trade, no one thought that the Eagles would make a move for Asomugha, because they didn't think they needed him. The fact of the matter is that Asomugha wanted to come to Philadelphia. He left money on the table to sign with the Eagles for a chance to win right now. Where Samuel and DRC are more big play corners that can shut down opposing receivers, Asomugha is the best shut down corner in the NFL, save for maybe Darrell Revis. He's strong and can bang with bigger receivers, meaning that the Eagles can put him in the slot to face off against the strong tight ends that the NFC East just loves to have. Asomugha does give up big plays from time to time, but other teams just don't even throw at his side of the field in some games. He's that good. When you look at the Eagles' depth at corner, aside from Samuel and DRC, you were looking at players like a Trevard Lindley or Joselio Hanson. They're not bad players, but compared to Samuel, DRC and Asomugha, a lot of corners look weaker. In this more vertically based offense that is running through the NFL right now, there's nothing wrong with having three Pro Bowl cornerbacks.

Cullen Jenkins signs a five year, $25 million deal.

Another day went by, and the Eagles made another huge move in free agency, picking up Cullen Jenkins. Jenkins played on the end in Green Bay's 3-4 defense, but will be moved to DT with the Eagles in the 4-3. Either way, it doesn't really matter. Jenkins is a beast of a player that can get after the quarterback very well. His biggest issue is staying healthy, but even in just 11 games last year, Jenkins had seven sacks, a new career high. Jenkins was also one of the leaders on Green Bay's defense and helped the Packers win the Super Bowl last season. When you stack him up against Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley, there's not much to compare, which leads to the next move the Eagles made.

Eagles trade Brodrick Bunkley to ~~Cleveland~~ Denver for a 2013 late round pick.

The original trade for Bunkley was to the Cleveland Browns, but Bunkley refused to report, so the Eagles sent him to Denver for a late pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. The plus to this is that the Eagles got anything of value for Bunkley, who had worn out his welcome with the Eagles and never really played up to his potential. He looked like a stud coming out of Florida State, but could never put it all together when he was with the Eagles. Maybe a change of scenery is what he needed. Good trade by the Eagles, just to get anything out of it.

Ronnie Brown signs a one year deal.

After letting Jerome Harrison walk, the Eagles turned around and signed former Miami starter Ronnie Brown to a one year deal. Brown is a good power back, but he's had injury issues in the past, and had his worst season as a pro last year. However, as a backup to LeSean McCoy, there's not many people that you could find out there that would be better. Not getting as many carries should help him stay healthy, and he'll be great down at the goal line and in short situations. He can start in a pinch as well and can be used in the Wildcat formation if need be. This was another out of nowhere signing, but this free agency period was full of them for the Eagles, and they weren't done yet.

Ryan Harris signs a one year deal.

Not many people noticed this move, but it might be one of the best ones that the Eagles made in their spending spree. Harris was a starter in Denver and was pretty solid, but had some injury issues and has missed ten games in the past two seasons. However, when he's been healthy, he's looked like one of the best young offensive tackles in the league. This is a one year deal, which means he could just be here for this season, or, if he impresses, he could sign an extension and be in Philadelphia long term. Right now, the Eagles already have him as their number one right tackle, ahead of King Dunlap and the PUP Winston Justice. He's fitting in well with new offensive line coach Howard Mudd's scheme, and looks like a steal already.

Steve Smith signs a one year, $4 million deal.

This move just happened last night, and shocked more Giants fans than Eagles fans. Smith was expected to stay with the Giants, even after having micro fracture knee surgery in the offseason. However, last night the Eagles managed to sign Smith, leaving Giants fans angry and scratching their heads. While Smith probably won't be able to play for six weeks at least, he's another solid pick up, especially if he can come in at even close to what he was with the Giants. Smith is another great slot receiver, and if you pair him up opposite Jason Avant, opposing teams are going to have a hell of a time trying to stop both of them going over the middle. There's two trains of thought on this deal right now. There's people that love it and those that hate it. As you can tell, I love it. Smith is only guaranteed $2 million, so if it doesn't work out, there's no big loss. If he's healthy, the Eagles just stole another Pro Bowl player.

Those were just the biggest moves that the Eagles made, but there were more. Evan Mathis, Donald Lee, Jarrad Page, Akeem Jordan and Johnnie Lee Higgins all signed as well. Mathis is a solid backup guard, Lee is a good backup tight end and can provide insurance for Brent Celek, and the same goes with Page at the safety position. Jordan was the only free agent that the Eagles actually did bring back, and Higgins might be one of the fastest players in the NFL. He's a good kick returner and will help take DeSean Jackson out of those plays. Higgins is certainly an upgrade from Ellis Hobbs last year.

With all of these moves, the Eagles certainly do look like a completely different team. However, there are still some questions that surround them that could throw the entire season off the rails.

Is there enough depth on the defensive line?

Just after the trade that sent Brodrick Bunkley out of town, Mike Patterson had a seizure during a practice. An MRI revealed that he has a tangled cluster of blood vessels in his brain. While there are thoughts that he might be able to come back soon, his health has to be his number one priority. Cullen Jenkins also has had injury issues, leaving third year man Antonio Dixon as the potential last man standing at DT. The depth doesn't get much better after that, with Trevor Laws being pretty much the only name that most people have heard of, and that's not a good thing. Laws hasn't exactly panned out with the Eagles either. Hopefully, Dixon and Jenkins can stay healthy, and Patterson can come back, but if more injuries to happen, the Eagles will need to address that depth.

What is going to happen with the linebackers?

Right now, according to the Eagles depth chart, the starting linebackers are set to be Jamar Chaney, who played well at the end of last season, starting the last three games, including the playoffs. However, that's the start and finish of his starting time with the Eagles. Chaney was a seventh round pick just last season, and still has a lot to prove. On the other end is Moise Fokou, a seventh round pick from 2009 that started 11 games last year and picked up 51 tackles. In the middle is rookie fourth round pick Casey Matthews, who is slower than Chaney and Fokou, but has shown good ability in camp so far. Out of every position on the Eagles, linebacker scares me the most. There's potential in the three starters, but potential doesn't win games or pay the bills. Sometimes, having “potentially” good players out on the field can lead to more problems than anything else.

There's still a few options out on the free agent market, like Lofa Tatupu, who would be the best fit for this team right now. Tatupu would bring more experience and some leadership to the Eagles at linebacker, which is something that they do need. I like Matthews, but I'm never sold on a rookie being the leader on offense, unless it's a Ray Lewis or a Brian Urlacher type of player. These three guys in the middle of the defense are going to be the glue that holds the unit together, so they need to play well. If they don't gel, things could get bad.

Are DeSean Jackson and Asante Samuel going to be happy all year?

Jackson just reported to camp this week, and the Eagles are hopefully going to get negotiations going on a new deal with him. Honestly, Jackson has outplayed his current contract, which is paying him the veteran minimum without incentives this year. He's worth more than that, just as a returner. While having him back in camp is a good thing, you have to wonder how much he's bothered by the Eagles spending all this money on other players. He knows he's worth more than what he's making, and to see the Eagles, who have never spent like this before in free agency, break the bank for a lot of players could be seen as disrespect. I'm not saying that anything bad will happen, and hopefully a deal gets done, but we've all seen what happens when a wide receiver makes a stink about a contract. I don't want to go down that road again.

As for Asante, the additions of DRC and Asomugha have started rumors that he might be traded for a linebacker or draft picks. To say that he wasn't happy about the rumors might be a bit of an understatement, but for the moment, things seems to have died down on that end. The Eagles haven't made a deal to send him out, and they seem happy to keep all three Pro Bowl corners on the roster. On the depth chart, Samuel is positioned as a number one, opposite Asomugha. That's just amazing to look at, so I wanted to point it out. DRC is on the second team, but he'll see plenty of time on the field. Managing these egos at that position will be tough, but if all three can stay happy all season, then opposing defenses are going to have a rough time.

What's going on with Jeremy Maclin?

Maclin was late to camp because he's battling an undisclosed illness. Today, he left camp again to get more tests done to see what can be done to make him better. When you combine that with DeSean Jackson just getting into camp, the wide receiving corps looks a little thin. Steve Smith can't play yet, and there's talk that he was brought in as insurance in case Maclin's issues are worse than expected. Hopefully, he can get back on the field at 100% this season, because he was the best receiver that the Eagles had last year. Plus, if he can't, and Jackson goes down with another injury, the depth chart suddenly turns to Jason Avant and Riley Cooper as the starters if Smith isn't healthy yet. I like Avant and Cooper, but not as the two starting wideouts. At this point, I just want Maclin to get healthy and fix whatever's going on with himself.

How do the Eagles do this season?

That is the biggest question on everyone's mind right now. After adding all of these pieces and hoping they fit, all anyone has been hearing about is the Super Bowl. Honestly, it should be what people are talking about. The front office, after years of hearing about how they don't spend money, went all in at the table this year and brought in free agent after free agent after free agent. The offensive line looks a lot different than last year, and Howard Mudd was brought in to help fix that unit, while the defense is completely overhauled. The talent is there, that's for sure, but now it's up to the team to come together and win games. Chemistry usually isn't an issue with the Eagles, but this year, they might have some problems. There's just so many new players, none of us have ever seen this kind of movement with this team before. Can they all gel right away? Of course, but there could be issues along the way as well.

Then there's the regular season. Signing all of these players is one thing, but you don't win a Super Bowl in the offseason. If you did, the Redskins would have five in the past decade. The real test comes in September, when the games count and everyone plays four quarters. Looking at the Eagles schedule, it does seem pretty favorable. Before all of these moves, I would have pegged the Eagles as a 9-7 or 10-6 team this year. They'd probably have gotten into the playoffs through the backdoor and then gotten knocked out in the first round, like last season. Now, after all the moves, I see something different.

The biggest challenges on the schedule should be Week 2 in Atlanta against the Falcons, Week 12 at home against New England, Week 15 at home against the Jets and Week 16 in Dallas against the Cowboys. Of course, that doesn't mean that the Eagles can't win all of those games and lose others. The week after the New England game, the team travels on a short week to Seattle to play the Seahawks. That could be a trap game right there. Then, there's the fact that they play in the NFC East, one of the toughest divisions in the NFL where any team can take out one of their rivals any time. The Giants have more motivation now that the Eagles signed Steve Smith, Rex Ryan is already flapping his gums down in Dallas and Washington has Rex Grossman...who thinks the Redskins can win the division. He's so cute when he's delusional. The schedule does benefit the Eagles as well, as they only go out west one time for the Seahawks. The 49ers and Cardinals both come to Philadelphia, as do the Patriots and Jets, the two toughest AFC opponents the Eagles have this season.

So, how will the Eagles do this year? I have them at 12-4, with 13-3 not out of the picture. If everyone can stay healthy enough, and the linebackers find their way, this is going to be a good season. I'm not going to tell you all to expect a parade in February, but it's certainly in the back of my mind. One thing is certain, though. It's going to be a hell of a ride, and it starts tonight.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-9, Dodgers-8

2011-08-10T19:15:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:

Vance Worley had his worst start of his young career, putting the Phillies down 6-0 by the third inning. The Phils came back with runs in the next three innings and completed their biggest comeback of the season by holding on for a 9-8 win.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins started the game with a 15 pitch at bat, and went 2-5 with a run scored.

Shane Victorino was 2-4 and scored a run.

Chase Utley only had one hit, but it was a two run single in the sixth inning that tied the game at 7-7.

Ryan Howard scored three times, walked twice and had the game winning two run home run in the sixth inning.

Hunter Pence went 1-4 with a two run home run.

Raul Ibanez was 1-5 with an RBI and had a great catch in the ninth inning that possibly saved the game for the Phillies.

David Herndon needed just five pitches to get through the bottom of the sixth inning.

Antonio Bastardo came in for Brad Lidge in the seventh inning and pitched very well, allowing no hits and striking out a batter in 1.2 innings of work.

Ryan Madson looked like someone that had pitched the previous two nights, but he closed out the Dodgers for his 22nd save of the season.

The Phillies went 9-1 on a ten game road trip for the first time in team history.

What went wrong?

Vance Worley got rocked today, allowing six runs on seven hits in just four innings of work. He struck out six and walked three.

Brad Lidge only managed to record one out in the seventh inning before being taken out. He walked a batter, allowed a hit and struck out one.

Game Analysis:

Just take a minute to sit back and think about this game. After having Chad Billingsley throw 30 pitches in the first inning, the Phillies couldn't score a single run. Vance Worley had an even rougher go in the first, allowing five runs in the frame before finally recording three outs. The Dodgers would add another run in the third inning, and the Phillies were looking at a 6-0 hole early.

If there's one thing about this team that makes them even that much better than the last two years, it's the fact that no one even seems to give up. Today, Hunter Pence, the newest Phillie, got things started with a two run home run in the top of the fourth. Michael Martinez reached base on an error and Vance Worley added an RBI single of his own, and the lead was cut in half. Another error in the fourth inning turned a potential double play into a fourth run for the Phils, and Raul Ibanez made it 6-5 with an RBI single of his own.

Los Angeles got one back in the bottom of the fifth, but the game belonged to the Phillies after that. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard did what the number three and four hole hitters are supposed to do, driving in two runs each in the sixth inning, and just like that, a 6-0 deficit had turned into a 9-7 lead. That's what makes this team the best in baseball this year. Not the pitching staff, or the offense that people still think isn't that good, but really is. It's the heart that these guys have. They never give up, and never think that they're out of a game.

All you have to do is look back to the first game of this road trip, when they were down to their last strike. John Mayberry drilled a two run home run that tied the game in Colorado. Shane Victorino led off the next inning with another home run, and the Phils never looked back. They swept the Rockies, took three of four from the Giants and swept the Dodgers in Los Angeles for the first time since 1995. That's one hell of a good road trip.

Anyone that thinks that this team isn't at least the best team in the National League needs to get their head checked. The Phillies just wrapped up a 20 day stretch of games, and finished 16-4, with three of those losses coming against Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, and Lincecum has two Cy Young Awards to his name. Since the All Star break, the Phillies have gone 19-6, and have taken every series but one. That's amazing, but the World Series isn't won in the regular season. The last time the Phils were 37 games over .500, like they are now was 1977, and they didn't win the World Series that year. Anything can still happen, but with the heart and skill that this team has, it's just fun to be along for the ride. For most of us fans, this is the first time we've ever seen a Phillies team play this well in the regular season, and it's a damn good time.

The Phils have a deserved off day tomorrow, and then take on Jayson Werth and the Nationals on Friday. Cole Hamels (13-6, 2.53 ERA) goes against Livan Hernandez (6-11, 4.41 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-5, Dodgers-3

2011-08-09T12:46:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:

Roy Halladay won his 15th game of the season as the Phillies took care of the Dodgers to win their 75th game of the season. They're 7-1 on this ten game road trip.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 with a two run double.

Shane Victorino went 3-5, scoring three times and driving in one with a solo home run in the ninth.

Ryan Howard went 2-5 with two RBI.

Hunter Pence was 2-3.

Roy Halladay didn't have a great start by his standards, but it was still good enough to win another game. He allowed one run in 6.1 innings while giving up nine hits. He walked two and struck out four.

Ryan Madson worked a scoreless ninth inning for his 20th save of the season.

What went wrong?

Raul Ibanez went 0-4 with a strikeout.

Michael Stutes had a rough night, getting charged with two runs and an error while recording just a single out in the eighth inning.

Brad Lidge pitched the rest of the eighth, but he looked more like the 2009 Brad Lidge, giving up a walk and a base hit.

Game Analysis:

It wasn't always pretty, but the Phillies won their 75th game of the season last night behind Roy Halladay and some big hits by the offense. Halladay didn't have his best stuff and allowed nine base hits, but they were all singles, and just one Dodger was able to score with him on the mound. So it wasn't a perfect Roy Halladay start, but it was still pretty damn good.

Considering the lack of success that the Phillies have had against Hiroki Kuroda in the regular season, it was very nice to see them jump on him in the first two innings. Shane Victorino set the table in the first, and Ryan Howard brought him home with a single, and then Carlos Ruiz and Michael Martinez came around in the second inning on a double by Jimmy Rollins. Howard would drive Victorino in again with the eventual game winning run in the seventh inning, giving the Phils four runs off of Kuroda last night, which was a good showing for them. Kuroda normally has the Phillies' number, so to get three runs early off of him and another one late was a nice bounce back after facing Tim Lincecum on Sunday.

Like I said before, Halladay didn't have his best stuff last night, but he still pitched well. Just like in his last outing against the Rockies, Halladay gave up a lot of hits, and last night, he had just one 1-2-3 inning. The good thing about Halladay is that he can pitch himself out of trouble very easily, and he did that last night. The Dodgers couldn't get a real rally going until the eighth inning, and by then, Halladay had been lifted and Michael Stutes and Brad Lidge were doing their best to let the Dodgers back into the game. Fortunately, Lidge got out of the eighth inning jam, and Ryan Madson shut the door in the ninth. It was a good team effort from the pitching staff, who did exactly what had to be done to ensure another win.

Through 115 games, the Phillies stand with a 75-40 record. That's not just good, that's franchise record good right there. Their 8.5 game lead on the Braves is by far the largest in baseball, and with the way the pitching staff is working and the offense is getting together, things are only going to get better as the rest of the season goes along. There's still 47 games to go in the regular season, so buckle up. It's going to be a fun ride.

Tonight, the Phillies play their last 10:10 game of the season. Cliff Lee (11-7, 2.96 ERA) goes against Ted Lilly (7-11, 4.86 ERA).

Phillie of the Week: July 31-August 6

2011-08-07T19:12:00.000-04:00

Last week was one of the best all season for the Phillies, as they carried their winning streak up to nine with a 2-1 victory over the Giants. There are plenty of candidates for the Phillie of the Week this time around, but I'm going to give it to the newest member of the team. This week's Phillie of the Week is:

Hunter Pence

Since being traded to Philadelphia by Houston, Pence has made himself right at home in the number five spot in the lineup. He had a hit in every game last week and has already become a fan favorite. In the seven games the Phils played this past week, Pence hit .413 with two home runs and six RBI. Not too bad for the new guy in town.

Phillies Fight Night Recap: Phillies-9, Giants-2

2011-08-06T11:10:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:
The benches cleared in San Francisco last night, and when all was said and done, Hunter Pence, John Mayberry and Shane Victorino hit home runs, and Vance Worley won his eighth game of the season as the Phillies won their season high eighth in a row.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 with two RBI and two stolen bases.

Placido Polanco was 2-4 with an RBI and one takedown defended.

Shane Victorino went 2-3, hit a home run and was ejected in the sixth inning for his part in the fight.

Hunter Pence was 2-5 and hit a home run for the second straight game.

John Mayberry went 2-5 with a two run home run and two runs scored.

Brian Schneider was 1-3, scored a run and drove in one.

Vance Worley pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out six.

What went wrong?

Aside from Victorino getting tossed from the game and likely suspended, nothing went wrong last night.

Game Analysis:

Well, where do I start with this one? I was all set to write about how the Phillies had dominated the Giants for a second straight night when Shane Victorino gets hit by a Ramon Ramirez pitch in the top of the sixth inning. Next thing you know, the benches clear, Eli Whiteside fails to tackle Placido Polanco and all hell has broken loose. At least the Phillies still won.

I'm only going to say a little bit about the fight, since so much has been made about it already. The blame for this has to lie with the Giants. Just because Ramirez was getting hit doesn't mean that he should throw at the last batter he's going to face in the game. Yes, the pitch to Shane was intentional, don't even try and say otherwise. It was a cheap shot, and Ramirez should be suspended for it. The Giants turned around and blamed the whole thing on Jimmy Rollins stealing second base with the Phillies up 8-2, saying that Rollins violated some "unwritten rule" of baseball. Don't even start with that. First of all, this was the sixth inning, not the top of the ninth. The Giants still had 12 outs to work with. Just because their offense sucks doesn't mean that they should start throwing at the Phillies.

Just yesterday, I was saying that this matchup was becoming a rivalry. Well, I was wrong. It's a rivalry now. These two teams just don't like each other any more. The Giants try to show you up each and every time one of those bearded freaks takes the field, while the Phillies just go about their business. There was a time when I actually respected the Giants, because they hadn't won a championship since the Willie Mays era. That time is well past now. The Giants are quickly moving up my list of teams I can't stand, and it's the same with a lot of Phillies fans this morning.

Honestly, this is a worse situation for the Giants than it is the Phillies. Victorino is likely going to miss some games because of the way he got back into the fight, but the Phils have the best record in baseball and are eight and a half games up on the Braves. The Giants are locked in the middle of a race for the NL West or the Wild Card. They can't afford to have anyone get suspended, especially their hopped-up little catcher that can't even tackle Polanco.

Anyway, that's enough about that. Other than the fight, it was another great showing by the Phillies, who have done nothing but win since Hunter Pence arrived in town. Pence hit the exclamation point home run last night to put the Phillies up 9-2, but it was Victorino and Mayberry's home runs in the fourth inning that put the Phils ahead to stay. Before the fourth, Jonathan Sanchez was pitching a gem, but, as has been the case for him throughout his career, he came undone in the fourth inning, allowing four runs to cross the plate. After Polanco drove in Jimmy Rollins in the fifth inning, Sanchez's night was over.

The Phillies were just getting started, as they scored three times in the previously mentioned sixth innning off of Ramon Ramirez. Every starting player, including Vance Worley, had a hit during the game and everyone helped produce last night. That's the kind of effort at the plate that you want to see from a team coming down the stretch. You don't want to always have to rely on home runs, though they are nice. You want to be able to produce runs with hits, bunts and stolen bases. That's what the best of the best do.

What else can be said about the way Vance Worley has pitched this year? He came into this season, unsure if he would even be on the team, and he's gone 8-1 with an ERA of 2.35 as a fifth starter. Some of his success is likely due to teams not seeing him yet, but the majority of it is because of the fact that Worley is just a good pitcher. You can't teach talent, and Worley has that. With Roy Oswalt coming back off the DL on Sunday, the Phillies are going to have the best starting rotation in baseball. Forget the Four Aces, they might have to make room for Worley.

Worley pitched well again last night, bouncing back from a rough start against the Pirates his last time out. Though he gave up a run in the first inning, he came back and shut down the Giants for the rest of the game, allowing only a solo home run by Eli Whiteside in the fifth. Michael Stutes and David Herndon did the mop up work in the eighth and ninth innings, and the meat of the Phils bullpen hasn't even seen the pitcher's mound in this series yet. That's a good thing.

Later on today, the Phillies and the Giants will be playing some afternoon baseball. Cole Hamels (12-6, 2.62 ERA) will try for his 13th win of the season as he takes on Matt Cain (9-7, 3.10 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-3, Giants-0

2011-08-05T11:12:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:
Hunter Pence hit his first home run as a member of the Phillies, and Cliff Lee pitched a complete game shutout, giving the Phils the first win in their four game series against the Giants.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was 2-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Hunter Pence went 3-4 with a home run and a double. He finished the game with two RBI and a run scored.

John Mayberry went back to back with Pence in the second inning, hitting his eighth home run of the season.

Cliff Lee was outstanding, pitching a complete game shutout in only 106 pitches. He allowed seven hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out eight.

Cody Ross went 0-4 with four strikeouts. Why am I putting this here? I don't like Cody Ross.

What went wrong?

Ryan Howard was 0-4 with two strikeouts.

Carlos Ruiz was 0-3 and grounded into a double play.

Wilson Valdez was 0-2 and was caught stealing once.

Game Analysis:

Almost two years to the day that Cliff Lee made his first Phillies debut with a complete game effort in San Francisco, he did it again last night. Lee looked every bit like the top free agent pitcher from last offseason, and the Phillies gave him just enough offense to pick up the win against the, dare I say it, rival San Francisco Giants in the first of a four game series.

Quite simply put, Lee was outstanding last night. He didn't have a rough inning until the eighth, when he allowed two men to reach base with just one out and the Phillies holding on to a two run lead. What did Lee do? He struck out the next batter and got the following one to ground out to second to end the inning. That was the most trouble that he had in the entire game. No Giants player reached third base in the entire game, and the only extra base hit that Lee allowed came with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. That's not exactly the ideal time to be getting your first double of a ballgame.

Cliff Lee has always been known for pitching fast games when he's got his best stuff, and last night was another example of that. He needed just 65 pitches to get through six innings, and until the trouble in the eighth, he was averaging just over ten pitches per inning. That's not just good, that's amazing. The Giants have had plenty of problems on offense this season, but they handled Lee during the World Series last year, and I think a lot of their fans were expecting to see more of the same this time out. Instead, what they got was the Cliff Lee from the regular season against the Giants, where he's 4-0. Lee also threw his fifth shutout of the season, which is more than the Giants have as a team. Last night showed why the Phils went out and spent all that money on Cliff Lee during the offseason. He's worth it.

Right now, Hunter Pence is worth it, too. The newest member of the Phillies continued his hot streak in red pinstripes, going 3-4 last night. Madison Bumgarner has had issues with getting started in games, and the Phils jumped on him early in the first, but were unable to produce any runs. Pence changed that on the first pitch of the second inning, hitting his first home run as a member of the Phillies and giving his team a 1-0 lead. John Mayberry only needed four pitches to take Bumgarner out with his eighth home run of the season in the next at bat, and just like that, the Phillies had all the runs that they would need on the night. Pence would strike again in the ninth inning, as he drove home Shane Victorino with a single to add an insurance run. Remarkably, it was the first earned run given up at home by Santiago Casilla all season long. That's why Pence is so important for this Phillies team. He is the right handed bat that was missing from this lineup, and his production so far is proving it.

The offense did struggle last night, but that was to be expected against the Giants, who have allowed the second fewest runs in baseball, behind the Phillies. On a night where Cliff Lee pitched like he did, you could tell that only a run or two would be enough, and that's what the Phillies got. This game was a pitcher's duel, and last night, the Phils were the last team standing.

Tonight, Vance Worley (7-1, 2.33 ERA) tries to make it eight wins in a row for the Phillies as he faces off against Jonathan Sanchez (4-5, 3.81 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-8, Rockies-6

2011-08-03T23:08:00.003-04:00

Game Recap:
The Phillies completed their three game sweep of the Rockies this afternoon behind a four RBI game from Ryan Howard and seven innings on the mound from Roy Halladay.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins went 1-4 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI.

Shane Victorino was 1-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.

Chase Utley was 2-3 and scored twice.

Ryan Howard had an interesting day playing defense, but went 2-4 with a two run home run and a two run double. He finished with four RBI.

Hunter Pence continued his modest six game hitting streak, going 1-4 with an RBI.

Roy Halladay didn't have his best stuff, but still got through seven innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits. He walked one, struck out seven and scored a run on a wild pitch.

Brad Lidge kicked it old school and recorded a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 1ooth career save with the Phillies.

What went wrong?

Ryan Howard was an adventure at first base in the first inning, recording a rare double error on one play that allowed an unearned run to score.

The Rockies stole two bases in three attempts off of Roy Halladay and Carlos Ruiz.

Antonio Bastardo had a rough eighth inning, allowing a Todd Helton home run to put the Rockies within two.

This game shouldn't have been nearly as close as it turned out. The Phillies left seven men on base.

Game Analysis:

Five games with Hunter Pence, and all of them have been wins. Now, I'm not saying that it's a coincidence. After all, the Phillies have played the Pirates and Rockies since he was traded to Philadelphia, but it's still a good sign for the rest of the season. Pence contributed again today with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and Ryan Howard did the rest of the heavy lifting at the plate, driving in four more runs to pace Roy Halladay's 14th win on the season and put the Phillies 32 games over .500.

Let's just get one thing out of the way right now: today was a sloppy game from both teams. Jason Hammel walked the bases loaded in the first inning, only for the Phillies to score just a single run. Roy Halladay wasn't much better in the first inning, but he got little help from his defense. Ryan Howard recorded two errors on the same play, first while trying to field a Dexter Fowler ground ball, and then when trying to throw the ball to Halladay at first. Eric Young scored on the play, and Fowler would come around later in the inning. Halladay couldn't get out of the weeds for much of the game, but the best part about having a pitcher like Halladay on your team is that, even when he doesn't have his best stuff, he can still go deep into the game. He did that today, pitching seven innings and keeping the Rockies at bay every time they seemed to get close enough to take the lead.

Fortunately, Howard was able to make up for his defensive miscues with his bat once again. He broke open the game in the second inning with a two run double that made everyone forget about his two errors, and then finished the scoring off for the Phils with a blast in the sixth inning. Howard's home run in the sixth was his first all season against a left handed pitcher and was to the opposite field, another sign that he's getting hotter at the plate at just the right time again this year. He has four home runs in the last five games, as well as nine RBI, and he's looking more and more like that work horse the Phils turn to every September. I don't know what it is about the end of the season, but something switches on in this guy. It's a good thing, regardless.

The top of the lineup performed well today, scoring five of the eight runs for the Phillies and recording three walks. That's what the top three hitters in this lineup, Chase Utley included, need to do. They need to get on base, with Utley driving in Rollins and then let Howard, Hunter Pence and Raul Ibanez drive them in. They've done that these last six games, and the Phillies have won them all. It's the kind of play that this team wasn't getting last year, and they've been getting it much of this season. The proof is in the results, and a 71-39 record speaks for itself.

There were some nervous people out there today when Brad Lidge came in to close the game out, instead of Ryan Madson, but Madson was not available for personal reasons. Luckily for the Phillies, Lidge pitched like it was 2008 once again, recording a perfect ninth inning for his 100th save with the Phillies. It was good to see Lidge back out there in the ninth, doing what he needed to do. In his limited appearances this season, Lidge has only allowed a run in one showing this season, and it looks like he's got a good bite on his slider this year, which is a very good thing, especially if he needs to step into the closer role at any point during the rest of the season.

This team is on a roll right now, there's not much else to say about that. The offense is clicking and the pitching is on another planet. The next series is going to be a really big test to see how the rest of the season is going to go. It's time to return to San Francisco.

Tomorrow night, Cliff Lee (10-7, 3.14 ERA) faces off against the Giants and Madison Bumgarner (6-10, 3.80 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-5, Rockies-0

2011-08-03T10:34:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:
Behind Kyle Kendrick's eight shutout innings, and Ryan Howard's two home runs, the Phillies took their second straight game from the Rockies last night and moved eight games up in the National League East.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was 1-4 with a walk and a run scored.

Ryan Howard was 2-4 with his two solo home runs, giving him 23 on the season.

Hunter Pence was 2-3 with an RBI double and a walk.

Raul Ibanez went 1-4 and scored a run.

Kyle Kendrick pitched his best game of the season, throwing eight shutout innings while allowing just four hits. He walked two and struck out a career high seven. He also went 1-3 at the plate.

Even though Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Brian Schneider didn't get base hits, they all either scored or drove in runs.

What went wrong?

Last night, nothing went wrong. It was a good game by the Phillies, and any time you can shutout the Rockies, in Coors Field, you're doing something right.

Game Analysis:

Someone needs to tell Roy Halladay that he's pitching again today. Last night, Kyle Kendrick made probably his last start for a while, and he made it count, going eight innings and allowing just four hits and two walks while shutting out the Colorado Rockies. Ryan Howard hit two solo home runs and the Phils got to Aaron Cook early on their way to a 5-0 win.

After their struggles at the plate the night before, last night the Phillies looked much better. Jimmy Rollins walked to start the game, and Chase Utley brought him home with an RBI groundout. Hunter Pence drove in Shane Victorino with an RBI double, and just like that, the Phils had a 2-0 lead before the Rockies even got to the plate. That's what this team needs to do. They need to jump out on teams early and often and put up crooked numbers. If they can do that, with the pitching that they have, they can win just about every game. Ryan Howard would add his first home run of the game in the fourth inning, and a Brian Schneider sacrifice fly would be the finishing blow for Aaron Cook, who left after just four innings with a neck injury.

People have been questioning this offense all season long, but the numbers don't lie. This offense has been getting better as the season has gone along. Their 476 runs scored is more than the Braves, and just four behind the Brewers, and I haven't heard anything negative about their offense all season long. Ryan Howard is starting to get his swing back into shape again, as evidenced by that opposite field shot he hit last night in the eighth inning, and Chase Utley has been hitting very well at the plate since coming off the disabled list. The majority of the players in this lineup have been around since the Phillies started this run that they're on now back in 2007, so they can still produce runs. It's just with the pitching that this team has now, they don't need to produce nearly as many. They can still do it, though.

You have to take your hat off to Kyle Kendrick for how well he pitched last night. With Roy Oswalt likely coming back over the weekend, this was probably Kendrick's last start in the rotation for a while. Well, the young man made it count. He struck out a career high seven batters, and had it not been for a pitch count that was close to 120 pitches through eight innings, he would have gone back out there for the complete game in the ninth. Despite all the hype with the "Four Aces" this season, Kendrick has had a solid year of his own. He's done everything that the Phillies have wanted him to do. He's come out of the bullpen, he's done spot starts, he's filled in when a pitcher has gotten hurt and he's done it all with an ERA of 3.19. That's not a typo. Kendrick may only have a 6-5 record, but he's also boasting a 3.19 ERA. The way that he's been pitching lately, he's been good enough for most teams to have in their starting rotations. Unfortunately for Kendrick, the Phillies have Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Worley and now Oswalt in their rotation, and he's the odd man out.

Hey, as long as Kendrick can still pitch well out of the bullpen, he'll be fine. Phillies fans love to hate on Kendrick, but he's done a lot for this team this year. I've got no problem with him at this point. Keep it up, kid.

Today, the Phillies go for their second straight series sweep, as Roy Halladay (13-4, 2.44 ERA) looks for his 14th win against Jason Hammel (6-10, 4.65 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-4, Rockies-3

2011-08-02T00:09:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:
John Mayberry hit a game tying, two run home run with two outs in the ninth inning, and Shane Victorino hit a game winning home run in the tenth to give the Phillies a come from behind, extra inning win over the Rockies.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was 2-5 with that solo home run.

Chase Utley was 2-4 with a double.

Raul Ibanez went 1-3 with an RBI double and a walk.

Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 and scored a run.

John Mayberry hit his seventh home run of the season, this one being a game tying, two run shot into left field.

Cole Hamels pitched well enough to win, going six innings and allowing two runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out five.

Ryan Madson needed only eight pitches to record his 19th save of the season.

What went wrong?

Jimmy Rollins, despite several solid defensive plays tonight, was 0-4 at the plate.

Ryan Howard went 0-5 with a strikeout and only saw 15 pitches.

Michael Stutes pitched two innings, but he looked a little shaky out there, allowing a home run to the first batter he faced. He finished with that home run allowed and two walks.

The Phillies left seven men on base, and had a few plays where they didn't seem to be hustling as well as they could.

Game Analysis:

Boy, the Phillies sure have had a flair for the dramatic over the last 48 hours, haven't they? First, Raul Ibanez has his first two home run game in almost two seasons, then drives in the game winning run in the 10th inning against Pittsburgh. Tonight, John Mayberry, with a full count and two outs in the ninth inning, hits a game tying, two run home run off of Huston Street, making the way for Shane Victorino to leadoff the 10th inning with a home run of his own and giving the Phils a win in their first game of their series against the Rockies.

It wasn't a great night for the offense, but they got done what they needed to do. Mayberry and Victorino provided the late inning heroics, and Raul Ibanez continued his little hot streak, driving in Hunter Pence from first with a double in the seventh inning. Victorino has just been solid all season. He's leading the team in batting average and is, surprisingly, the team leader in slugging percentage as well. Yes, Shane Victorino, not Ryan Howard, leads the Phillies in slugging. However, even Victorino had some issues on the basepaths tonight.

The third inning is where the baserunning woes stand out. After Jimmy Rollins was hit by a pitch, Victorino hit a ball that glanced off of pitcher Jhoulys Chacin. Troy Tulowitzki managed to get to the ball and threw to second to retire Rollins on a close play. The problem was that Rollins should have already been at second base, had he been hustling off of first. The close out never would have happened, and then, when Chase Utley came to the plate next and smacked a double off of the right field wall, Rollins would have scored easily. Instead, Victorino didn't seem to be running at full speed, and was tagged out at the plate. To be fair, the ball was played well in the outfield by Seth Smith, but on a double like that, Victorino should be able to score. Combine that with the bottom of the order leaving Ibanez on second base with no outs, and it was a little frustrating to watch the offense work tonight. These were some of the same problems that they had last year against the Giants in the NLCS.

The fact of the matter is still that the Phils won the game tonight and continued their great play that's followed them all season long. Cole Hamels had another solid start, going six innings and allowing only two runs on six hits. He did leave a few pitches over the plate, including one that Seth Smith hit for a two run home run, but that was the only damage he allowed. The fifth inning had it's moments, as Cole loaded the bases with just one out, but he struck out Mark Ellis and Tulowitzki to get out of the jam. Once again, Hamels pitched well enough to win, but he was plagued by the lack of run support. Out of his six losses this season, Hamels has allowed more than five runs just twice, and both times he was pitching against the Mets, a team that he doesn't do well against for whatever reasons. In those same six losses, the offense has only scored seven runs. Hamels should have one of the best records in baseball, and the amazing thing is that he still almost does. That's how good he's been pitching this season.

The back of the bullpen, save for a rough spot by Michael Stutes, was solid once again. Antonio Bastardo worked around a base hit to get through the bottom of the ninth, and Ryan Madson shut the door with just eight pitches to get through the 10th. That's what the back end of this bullpen has been doing all year long, and when you have starting pitchers that go six or seven innings, at least, most nights, that's all that you really need.

Come from behind wins are always fun, especially when they involve pinch hit, two out home runs in the ninth inning. Couple that with the fact that the Phillies are now 30 games over .500 and seven games up in the National League East, and it was a very good night. Not everything went right, but enough certainly did.

Tomorrow night, Kyle Kendrick (5-5, 3.52 ERA) goes for the Phillies against Colorado's Aaron Cook (2-5, 5.05 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-7, Pirates-4

2011-07-30T23:55:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:
Behind a four hit game from Ryan Howard, the Phillies scored seven runs and took their second game in a row from the Pirates. Cliff Lee pitched seven and two thirds innings for his tenth win of the season.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins was 2-5, scoring two runs and hitting his 13th home run on the season.

Shane Victorino was 2-5 and scored twice.

Ryan Howard went 4-4, finishing a triple short of the cycle, and had three RBI.

Hunter Pence made his debut as a Phillie, and went just 1-5, but was robbed of a hit by the first base umpire and drove in an insurance run in the eighth inning.

Cliff Lee pitched seven and two thirds innings, allowing four runs on eight hits. He struck out 11, walked two and went 2-4 at the plate with a run scored.

Ryan Madson struck out the side in the ninth inning for his 18th save of the season.

Every starter reached base at least once.

What went wrong?

Cliff Lee was left in for one inning more than he should have been, but that's all.

Really, that's it. It's a nice day to start these things again.

Game Analysis:

Tonight was all about Hunter Pence and his debut with the Phillies, but the old guard decided to show up once again, as Ryan Howard went 4-4 with three RBI to pace the Phillies to their second straight win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cliff Lee pitched seven and two thirds innings to pick up his 10th win of the season, and the Phillies moved to 28 games over .500.

While the Phillies should have been able to take care of Pittsburgh by themselves, the fact of the matter remained that this weekend is the trade deadline, and someone was coming to play for the Phillies before everything was said and done. While the last three years had brought Joe Blanton, Cliff Lee (the first time) and Roy Oswalt, this year brought a position player, Hunter Pence, to the Phils. Tonight, he made his first start with the team. The spotight was shining on him, and he responded by loving the Philadelphia fans, but tonight ended up being about Ryan Howard.

Howard did was he does best tonight, and that's drive in runs, regardless of the situation. In the second inning, he hit his 21st home run of the season to dead center field to give the Phillies a lead that they would never give up. After Jimmy Rollins homered in the third inning, Howard answered with his 1,000th career hit, a double into left that scored another run and put the Phillies ahead 3-0. The next time he came to the plate, he singled to right, beating the shift and scoring Rollins, giving him 1,001 hits for his career and another RBI for tonight. It's just what the Phillies need. Hunter Pence is a nice addition, but without Howard and Utley putting up numbers in the middle, this team can not win at the plate. Tonight, it was Howard's turn.

Then, there was Hunter Pence. In his first at bat as a Phillie, Pence was robbed of a hit by the first base umpire, and almost threw his helmet. Charlie Manuel came out to argue, but there was no sense in losing your new right fielder and your manager in the second inning, so nothing happened. Pence went 0-4 to start the game before driving in a run in the bottom of the eighth inning for insurance purposes. Sure, the run wasn't needed, but it was Pence's first hit with the Phillies, a team that he's going to be with through 2013, at least. It's a good start.

The rest of the offense did well tonight also, putting out 16 hits and getting three walks and two errors as well. That's the kind of offense that this team should be putting up every night. Placido Polanco came back from the disabled list as well, and had two hits in the late innings, but now he needs to keep things up. Getting Polanco back is like getting another player in a trade without giving anything up, and that's amazing. You throw that in with Roy Oswalt coming back from his injury, and it's like the Phillies are getting two all-stars back in trades, and all that's happening is that they're coming back from injury.

Cliff Lee was solid tonight, but he was left in for an inning too long. He should have been taken out after the seventh inning, and the eighth inning did him in, as he allowed two runs in that inning and was relieved by Antiono Bastardo. Bastardo did get the last out, so everything worked out, but it never should have happened. In my mind, Bastardo should have been out there to start the eighth inning without Lee even coming out there. Charlie Manuel loves this starting rotation, and who can blame him? However, the starters have limits, and Lee had clearly reached his by the end of the seventh inning. Fortunately, the Phillies managed to hold on for a win, as Ryan Madson stuck out the side for his 18th save this season, but this is something that could come back to bite this team in the playoffs, as long as they make it.

Tonight is a good night, though. Hunter Pence got a hit and an RBI in his first game with the Phillies, Cliff Lee got his 10th win, and Ryan Madson pitched a perfect ninth inning for the save. Tomorrow, Vance Worley (7-1, 2.02 ERA) goes for his eighth win of the season against Jeff Karstens (8-5, 2.41 ERA).

Phillies do it again, bring in Hunter Pence

2011-07-30T18:05:00.004-04:00

This is old news at this point, but it's the first time that I'm getting a chance to sit down and write about it. As you all know by now, Ruben Amaro did it again on July 29, getting right fielder Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros for four prospects.

First, and most importantly, Pence fills a big need for the Phillies this season. He's a right handed bat that can hit in the middle of the lineup, which is something that hasn't been there all season long. His .308 batting average with Houston would lead the Phillies, and he also has 11 home runs and 62 RBI for an Astros team that is one of the worst in baseball. He can also play solid defense in right, something that Ben Francisco and Domonic Brown were not able to do each game.

Secondly, the Phillies did well in not giving up two of their better prospects at the major league level. Neither Brown, nor Vance Worley were involved in the deal, which sent Jarred Cosart, Jonathan Singleton, Josh Zeid and a player to be named later to the Astros. While Cosart and Singleton are two of, if not the best, prospects that the Phillies had, they're just that: prospects. Kyle Drabek was once considered the best pitching prospect in Philadelphia, and he's been struggling with the Blue Jays. J.A. Happ was considered a pitcher of the future, and he's had a horrible season in Houston. Prospects are never a sure thing, that's why they're prospects. Meanwhile, Pence is a sure thing. He's an all-star caliber right fielder that can fit into this lineup right away without a problem.

The aftermath of this is what is going to happen to Domonic Brown. For the moment, Brown has been sent back to Triple A Lehigh Valley, where he'll be playing in left field for the Iron Pigs. That seems like the best move at the moment, because with Pence and Ibanez playing the corner positions, the chances of Brown seeing much playing time is very slim. With a young player like Brown, you want him to get as much playing time as possible, and he can get that down in the minor leagues. It gives him a little time to learn how to play left field and keeps him in a starting lineup every night. Come September, he'll be called up again, and once Raul Ibanez's contract expires at the end of this season, he'll become the every day left fielder for the Phillies. It's not a bad thing that he was sent down, it was needed.

Now, is this the move that's going to put the Phillies over the top and give them another World Series title? It's certainly possible, but nothing is set in stone. Remember when the Phils got Roy Oswalt last year, everyone thought that was the move that was going to secure another ring. It didn't happen. The Giants are still a damn good team with a damn good pitching staff, and pitching will beat hitting in the playoffs nine out of ten times. However, the Phillies have a pretty solid pitching staff as well, and should be getting Roy Oswalt back sooner, rather than later. Placido Polanco was taken off the disabled list today, which is almost like trading for another all-star player.

This was a good trade for the Phillies, there's no doubt about that. When Ruben Amaro sets out to get someone, it seems like he always gets him, no matter what it will take. So far, it's gotten the Phillies some good players, but this move signals that the team is World Series or bust this year. There's no middle ground. Without that ring, this season is a failure, and all of us fans know that now as well.

The next two months should be very, very fun to watch.

So, some things happened today, didn't they?

2011-07-29T21:58:00.001-04:00

Well then, today was a busy day, and I'm glad that my "NFL Lockout" rule is over on this blog. Yes, I wasn't posting anything major until the lockout ended, as per me. Today, however, makes things even better.

It's a bit late tonight, and I can't really comment on much, but I'll be here tomorrow for all kinds of responses on the moves made by both the Phillies and Eagles today.

Let me just say this....it's a good day.

I ain't heard no bell

2011-07-06T13:15:00.002-04:00

That might be the worst grammar that I've ever posted on here, but it's for a reason. I've been gone for almost three months, but it's time to come back. It's time to rise back up and go the distance once again. Yes, it's time.

Yes, that's a sign for me coming back and a sign about what I'm about to do. No, I'm not fighting a Russian, Mr. T or Hulk Hogan, but I'm coming back, and I'm bringing the Rocky movies with me.

See you all real soon.

Phillies Recap: Marlins-4, Phillies-3

2011-04-16T11:07:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:
Roy Oswalt left last night's game with back stiffness, and the bullpen couldn't keep the lead, allowing Florida to score twice in the top of the seventh as the Marlins took the first game of the three game set against the Phils.

What went right?

Shane Victorino didn't have a hit, but he walked twice and scored two runs.

Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 with a run scored.

Raul Ibanez went 2-4 with two RBI.

Before leaving due to his back injury, Roy Oswalt pitched well, allowing two runs on four hits in six innings of work. He walked one and struck out six.

What went wrong?

Ross Gload started in right field, and was 0-3.

Placido Polanco, usually the most patient hitter in the lineup, swung at the first pitch with two outs in the ninth inning and flew out to left field.

Roy Oswalt left the game in the top of the seventh inning with a back injury.

The bullpen combination of J.C. Romero and Danys Baez couldn't keep the one run lead that the Phils had. Romero gave up a hit to the only batter he faced, and Baez only recorded one out while giving up two hits, a walk and allowing two runs to score.

The Phillies left eight men on base.

Game Analysis:

After back to back complete games by Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, you would expect that the Phillies' bullpen would have been well rested and able to do what they needed to do if called into action last night. Well, you would have been wrong. After Roy Oswalt strained his back in the bottom of the sixth inning, J.C. Romero and Danys Baez allowed two runs to score in the top of the seventh, giving the Marlins a lead that they wouldn't give up. With the loss, the Phils fall to 9-4 on the season, but more importantly, they may have lost Oswalt for a little while.

While he was in the game, Oswalt looked very good. He gave up only four hits and two runs in six innings, and had the same command of the plate that he'd had in his first two starts this season. As long as he doesn't miss much, if any time with his back injury, the Phillies will be fine. After the game, it didn't look like a big injury, but you can never tell with a back issue. Oswalt could be fine one day, and then it could flare up the next. Hopefully, it's nothing, but the Phillies have to try and take it easy with him for the next few days to see how he responds.

That's still no excuse for how the bullpen pitched in the seventh inning, however. After the bullpen struggled in the first game against the Nationals, Halladay and Lee gave them a nice two games off before they were called back in last night. J.C. Romero did more of what he's done all season long, which is struggle in situational at bats, and Danys Baez allowed the game winning run to score. The bullpen might not be needed that much early in the season, but they have to be able to keep a lead when they are brought in to pitch. Against the Nationals, they couldn't keep the game close, and last night against the Marlins, they weren't able to keep the lead at all. The bullpen is still a question mark for this team, and something is more than likely going to have to be done about it.

Then, there's the offense. Last night started out fine, as the Phillies got two runs in the first inning off of Javier Vasquez, but then missed chance after chance throughout the rest of the game. Even after Raul Ibanez singled home another run in the fifth inning, there were just too many missed chances by the Phillies at the plate last night. That game shouldn't have even been a one run game going into the seventh inning. It should have been a much bigger lead for the Phillies. The ninth inning was even worse, as it took Leo Nunez all of four pitches to work around a walk to John Mayberry. Those four pitches resulted in three outs, and Mayberry was left at first base. This team has to be more patient in those situations. They can't waste chances against teams that they should beat.

Regardless, it's still just one game, and tonight is a new night. Cole Hamels (1-1, 5.59 ERA) pitches for the Phillies, and Anibal Sanchez (0-1, 6.97 ERA) will go for the Marlins.

Flyers Search for the Cup: Game 1-Bobs was good, but the offense was cold as ice

2011-04-15T10:23:00.002-04:00

No, that's not just a bad pun in the title. The Flyers peppered Buffalo's Ryan Miller with 35 shots, but he stopped them all as the Sabres won 1-0 and took a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

You can say what you want to say about how Sergei Bobrovsky finished the regular season, but last night, the rookie goalie was excellent. Bobs stopped 24 of 25 shots he faced and got the early playoff jitters out of the way as quickly as possible. He looked more like the goalie that had a surprising start to the year and forced Michael Leighton down into the minor leagues than the goalie that scuffled so much throughout most of March and April, and that's a good sign. For the Flyers to get anywhere in the playoffs this year, they're going to need to have good work from both Bobs and Brian Boucher in net.

Of course, they're also going to have to score a few goals along the way as well. Last night was just more of the same from the offense of late, as the Flyers failed to score on five power plays, including a game changing five on three chance that the Sabres were able to kill off. Despite the effort from Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk, the Flyers just couldn't get anything going for very long in the offensive end. The power play failure might be where the Flyers are missing Chris Pronger the most right now, because Pronger is excellent at getting the man advantage set up and keeping the puck in the offensive end. With him out, the power play has been one of the worst in the NHL and is showing no signs of getting any better any time soon, and that's a big problem for this Flyers team.

Hopefully, the Flyers can get Pronger back for at least part of this series, because that could be a huge momentum shift for this team. They need to get something going on the power play, because those failures were the primary reason that the Flyers lost the first game of this series. They didn't look horrible last night. In fact, they looked a lot better than they had over the past few weeks when they squandered the top seed in the Eastern Conference away. However, just looking better against one of the hottest teams in the NHL coming into the playoffs isn't going to get anything done. All it's going to do is get this team sent home for the summer that much quicker.

Last night's game was a step in the right direction, but it wasn't a win. The Flyers need to come out tomorrow night for Game 2 with more fire, more passion and a game plan that will ensure that this series is tied going up to Buffalo for Games 3 and 4. Bobrovsky was excellent, and it wasn't really his fault that the Sabres were able to score, but he needs to do more of the same as well. Ryan Miller is one of the best goalies in the NHL when he's hot, and right now, he's very hot. This isn't going to be an easy series to win, but the Flyers showed a lot of heart in last year's playoffs. Now, they just need to find it again.

Game 2 is tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Hopefully, the Flyers can break through and get this series tied. If not, it might not even come back to the Wells Fargo Center.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-4, Nationals-0

2011-04-15T10:02:00.003-04:00

Game Recap:
Cliff Lee pitched his first complete game of the season, matching Roy Halladay's effort from the night before as the Phillies took their second straight game from the Washington Nationals.

What went right?

Placido Polanco went 1-4 with an RBI.

Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 and drove in his first run of the season.

Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 with two runs scored and a solo home run.

Wilson Valdez went 1-3 and scored a run.

Cliff Lee was outstanding, pitching a three hit complete game in his third start of the season. He walked just one and struck out 12.

What went wrong?

Ryan Howard was 0-4 with a strikeout.

Ben Francisco went 0-4.

Raul Ibanez also went 0-4 with a strikeout.

The Phillies were no-hit by Jordan Zimmerman until the sixth inning.

Game Analysis:

Sorry about there not being a recap of Roy Halladay's start. Work got in the way again.

You could tell from the way the first inning went that last night;s game between the Phillies and the Nationals was going to be a pitcher's duel. Both Cliff Lee and Jordan Zimmerman had their best stuff going, but in the end, the Phillies made the most of the mistakes that the Nationals made and came out with a 4-0 victory. Cliff Lee pitched a complete game, striking out 12 and allowing only three hits and a walk.

You knew that Lee wouldn't allow himself to have two bad starts in a row. After getting shelled by the Atlanta Braves his last time out, Lee looked more like the ace that the Phils picked up during the offseason than any time this season. Roy Halladay gave up two runs in his first complete game of the season the night before, and Lee did him one better by shutting the Nationals out and giving the Phillies their first back to back complete games since the 1999 season. That's what this rotation can do when it is firing on all cylinders. They can go out there and turn the tide of a series without doing anything at the plate. Joe Blanton got hit around in the first game of this series, but that was it. After that, the Nationals had just two runs and nine hits in the next two games. There's a word for that: dominant.

Of course, Lee had to have his best stuff last night, because he was being matched pitch for pitch by Jordan Zimmerman. The Phillies hit Zimmerman hard last year, but last night, he was excellent, keeping the Phils without a base runner until the sixth inning, when Carlos Ruiz launched a home run into the left field stands for the first run of the game. The second run of the inning came when Shane Victorino scored on an error by Jerry Hairston Jr, and the Phillies would add two more runs in the eighth inning to finish things off.

Last night was a prime example of what the Phillies have been doing at the plate so far this season. Jordan Zimmerman made one really bad pitch last night, and Carlos Ruiz made him pay for his mistake. Jerry Hairston Jr made a bad throw later in the inning, and the Phillies scored on the play. Twice in the sixth inning, the Nationals made a mistake, and each time, the Phillies jumped all over them. That's what this team has been doing so far this year. They've been making other teams pay for their mistakes. They didn't do a lot of that when it mattered last season, and that's why they lost in the NLCS. This year, even without Jayson Werth and Chase Utley, the team is scoring runs and hitting more than they did a season ago. It's because they are taking advantage of every last error, bad pitch and fielding mistep that their opponents are making. That's what possible World Series champions do.

Oh, and the best part about last night? Jayson Werth made the final out of the game and the series by grounding out. It seemed fitting.

Tonight, the Phils come home to face the Florida Marlins. Roy Oswalt (2-0, 2.25 ERA) goes up against Javier Vasquez (1-1, 8.64 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Nationals-7, Phillies-4

2011-04-13T11:38:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:
Joe Blanton had another rough outing, and Jayson Werth hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Nationals a 7-4 win over the Phillies in their first matchup of the season.

What went right?

Placido Polanco was 2-5 with an RBI.

Ryan Howard went 1-3 with a home run and two runs scored.

Wilson Valdez was 2-4 and scored a run.

Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with an RBI.

What went wrong?

Shane Victorino was 0-5, including a strike out with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning.

Joe Blanton got hit around for his second straight rough outing to start the season. He allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings of work while striking out four and walking one.

The bullpen wasn't any help last night. Antonio Bastardo walked two, while David Herndon and Danys Baez each allowed runs to score.

The Phillies left eight men on base.

Game Analysis:

The big story going into last night's game was Jayson Werth making his first appearance against the Phillies for the Washington Nationals. Well, Werth did not disappoint the few Nationals fans that showed up, hitting a double and a home run while scoring twice against Joe Blanton as Washington took the first game in the three game series against the Phils.

As was the case in his first start of the year, Blanton looked good for a few innings, only allowing a run in the bottom of the second, but then he got hit with the same thing that's given him fits with the Phillies: the big inning. Washington scored three times in the bottom of the fourth, and then Jayson Werth finished things off with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning that ended up being the game winning run. Blanton is still a solid pitcher, but right now, he's going through the same problems that he's had at other times during the regular season. He can cruise through a couple of innings, but then the big inning creeps up, and he can't seem to get anyone out. It happened against the Mets in his first start of the year, and it happened last night against the Nationals. If it continues to happen over his next few starts, Blanton might find himself out of the rotation. Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley are both waiting in the wings.

Last night's loss was not all on Blanton, however. The bullpen didn't do their job either. David Herndon and Danys Baez each gave up runs in their time in the game, and Antonio Bastardo didn't have the same control that he's had early in the season, as he walked two batters and only recorded a single out while he was on the mound. If a starting pitcher has a bad start, it's up to the bullpen to make sure that the lead doesn't get any bigger. In Blanton's first start, the bullpen did that. Last night, they couldn't, and that in turn put more pressure on the offense.

I don't know how Livan Hernandez does what he does on the mound, but it seems like he can baffle the Phillies until he's 50 years old. Last night, it was more of the same, as only Ryan Howard's solo home run in the second inning kept Hernandez from a shut out while he was on the mound. The Phils got seven hits off of Hernandez, but couldn't capitalize even once with runners in scoring position. Even when they managed to chase Hernandez from the game by getting the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning, Shane Victorino struck out against Tyler Clippard, and the threat was over. Victorino has had some big hits this year, but he needed to get one there, because the Phils scored twice in the top of the eighth inning and a bases loaded hit for Victorino may have turned the tide. Instead, the Nationals came out with a win.

Aside from Blanton looking off in both of his starts, there's not too much to be concerned about from last night's game. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't fun watching Werth get his against the Phils, but it happens. Tonight's a new night, and there's still a lot of baseball to be played.

Tonight, Roy Halladay (1-0, 0.69 ERA) pitches for the Phillies. John Lannan (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will go for the Nationals.

Phillies Series Recap: Phils take two of three from Atlanta

2011-04-10T19:16:00.002-04:00

Sorry about the lack of updates over the past few days, but my work schedule has been killer, leaving me with little time to actually post anything, let alone watch the full games. Anyway, I've got a series recap from the Phils trip down to Atlanta, where they took two out of three games from the Braves and looked good doing it.

Series Recap:
After dropping the first game of the series to Atlanta, the Phillies came back and took the next two games. The offense shelled the Atlanta bullpen for six runs in a 10-2 win on Saturday, while Cole Hamels and the bullpen pitched a five hit shutout in a 3-0 win today.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was lights out in the entire series, going a combined 9-13 with his first home run of the year, five runs scored, three RBI and two stolen bases.

Carlos Ruiz had a clutch pinch hit grand slam on Saturday that turned a tight 3-2 game into a 7-2 blowout. He finished that game with five RBI in two at bats.

Jimmy Rollins had at least a hit or a run scored in each of the three games.

Ryan Howard didn't have many hits, but he did drive in a run in every game of the series.

Brian Schneider started at catcher on Saturday and hit a two run home run that gave the Phillies the lead for good.

Roy Oswalt earned his second win of the season on Saturday, pitching six innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out two.

Cole Hamels looked every bit like the fourth ace in the rotation today, shutting out the Braves in his seven innings of work while picking up his first win of the season. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out eight.

The bullpen was nothing short of outstanding during the entire series. In the three games, the 'pen didn't allow a single run, only gave up four hits and two walks in nine and two thirds innings while striking out 11. It was a very good weekend series for the bullpen.

What went wrong?

Placido Polanco had a rough series, going 2-13.

Ben Francisco was 3-11 in the three games.

Cliff Lee had a rough game on Friday night, only lasting three and a third innings while allowing six runs on ten hits. He walked one and struck out three.

Series Analysis:

After an opening homestand that saw the Phillies go 5-1, they faced their first road test of the season against the Atlanta Braves this weekend. While the Phils had a little speed bump on Friday night, they played strong and took the next two games of the series, giving them their third straight series win and pushing their record to an impressive 7-2 to start the year.

Cliff Lee made his second start of the season on Friday night, and it was the mirror image of his first start. Nothing seemed to go his way, he left balls out over the plate and couldn't get hitters out when he needed to get the job done. Chipper Jones' three run double finished Lee off, and while you can argue that Shane Victorino should have made a play on that hit, you also have to realize that Lee should have made a better pitch. There are some nights when pitchers just don't have what it takes, and Friday night was one of those for Cliff Lee. Just like Cole Hamels against the Mets, every pitcher has a couple of bad starts a year. This was one of those for Lee. He'll be fine, and the offense bounced back in a big way on Saturday.

Just as they had in the first game of the series, the Phillies got out to an early lead against the Braves in the second game, and while Roy Oswalt got hit for two runs (though only one was earned) in the third inning, the Phils were able to come back in the next inning. Brian Schneider's two run home run gave the Phillies the lead to stay, and a 3-2 game turned into a 7-2 rout with one swing off the bat of Carlos Ruiz in the seventh inning. Ruiz's pinch hit grand slam ended the game, for all intended purposes, though the Phillies added three more insurance runs to make sure that the Braves weren't going to come back. It was a perfect answer for what the Braves had done to the Phillies the night before.

After the offensive outburst on Saturday, the bats were a little bit more quiet today, but Cole Hamels made sure that it didn't matter. Hamels pitched seven shut out innings while the offense was able to scrape together three runs for a 3-0 win that gave the Phils the series win. Hamels was excellent on the mound, and showed no signs of the pitcher that couldn't get through the third inning against the Mets in his first start of the year. Today, he looked like the same pitcher that was excellent in the second half of the 2010 season, striking out eight and only allowing four hits. While he did have a little trouble in a few innings, he was able to pitch out of it, and looked good at the same time. That's the effort that this team needs out of Hamels, and he gave it today. There's no reason to worry about him, he'll be fine this year, and today's start showed it.

For the third straight game in this series, the bullpen was simply excellent. Jose Contreras worked a perfect ninth inning for his second save of the season, striking out Dan Uggla to end the game. Throughout the entire weekend, the bullpen was excellent. Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo and J.C. Romero kept the Phillies in the game on Friday night, David Herndon, Danys Baez and Romero held the lead on Saturday, and Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras finished things off today. The combined effort from the bullpen was simply amazing. The Braves only managed four hits and no runs in over nine innings against the bullpen, which helps answer a lot of questions right now. Yes, it was only one series, but the fact remains that the Braves couldn't score a single run against a bullpen that had a lot of question marks coming into the season.

Though the offense didn't score that many runs, save for Saturday's game, they produced runs early in each of the three games. The Phils jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Friday, though they couldn't hold the lead, and they got early leads on Saturday and Sunday as well. Shane Victorino looked like a good leadoff hitter, picking up nine hits in 13 at bats in the series with five runs scored. That's what a leadoff hitter should do, and Victorino is now leading the team with a .429 batting average. Shane has looked excellent in the past two series, and the team is responding by scoring 59 runs in nine games. That averages to over six and a half runs a game, and if you score six and a half runs a game, you're going to win most baseball games.

This was another solid series for the Phillies early in the season. They've won all three series so far, and are sitting in first place in the National League East. The offense is scoring a lot more than people expected, the starting pitching has been solid, with all four aces picking up a win already and Roy Oswalt getting two, and the bullpen has been better than anyone could have expected. The Braves needed a good series against the Phillies after dropping three of four to the Brewers, but the Phillies didn't let that happen. Despite the struggles that Cliff Lee had on Friday, it was quite the successful three game stint in Atlanta for the Phils.

Tomorrow, the Phillies have a day off before going to Washington for a series against the Nationals. Joe Blanton (0-0, 14.54 ERA) will make his second start of the season against Livan Hernandez (0-1, 4.76 ERA).

Phillie of the Week: April 1-9

2011-04-10T19:01:00.002-04:00

The first week and a half of the regular season couldn't have really gone much better for the Phillies. They started things off with a sweep of the Astros, then took two out of three from the Mets before heading down to Atlanta to face the Braves. The starting pitching has been solid, the bullpen has been outstanding, and the offense has been even better than advertised. That's why the first Phillie of the Week is coming from the offense. This week's Phillie of the Week is:

Ryan Howard

The big man has done everything right in the middle of the lineup so far this season. Despite being a notoriously slow starter, Howard has been excellent this year, hitting .406 with two home runs and ten RBI in the first eight games of the year. If he can keep this up, the offense will have very little to worry about.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-11, Mets-0

2011-04-07T20:19:00.004-04:00

Game Recap:
The Phillies finished their first homestand of the season with an 11 run beatdown of the New York Mets today. Roy Halladay pitched seven innings to get his first win of the season.

What went right?

Where do I even begin with this one?

Shane Victorino was 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI.

Placido Polanco went 2-5 and drove in four runs.

Ryan Howard went 1-4 and scored twice.

Raul Ibanez was 1-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a two run home run. He scored three times.

Wilson Valdez had an excellent game, going 4-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.

Roy Halladay picked up his first win of the season, pitching seven shutout innings while giving up seven hits. He walked one, struck out seven and went 1-2 at the plate.

The bullpen had another solid showing, as Danys Baez and David Herndon pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to finish off the Mets.

What went wrong?

The Phillies hit into two double plays. Yes, I'm nitpicking.

Game Analysis:

If last night's game was an early season gut check for the Phillies, today's game was a punch to the gut of the New York Mets. The Phillies got started in the third inning against Jon Niese and never looked back, scoring two or more runs in four of the next five innings. Niese only lasted four innings, and the Phils capped their first homestand of the year at 5-1.

Is anyone still questioning if this offense can produce runs? In six games this year, the Phillies have scored 43 times, including 21 runs in the last two games. That comes out to over seven runs a game, and that's impressive. What's even more impressive is that out of the six games that the Phillies have played this season, only once has a pitcher made it through the sixth inning. That was Brett Myers on Opening Day. The best pitcher for the Mets was Chris Young, and he only got into the sixth inning, he couldn't finish it. That means that this offense is showing great patience at the plate and are making the opposing pitchers pay for their mistakes. That's what they couldn't do at times last season. To see them doing it this early in the season is a very, very good thing.

I wrote about how hard Placido Polanco plays the game yesterday, and today, he looked even better, driving in four more runs, giving him eight on the season. For those of you keeping track at home, that's seven more than Jayson Werth currently has. Wilson Valdez had a great game, going 4-4 to improve his average to .429 with five RBI and four runs scored so far this season. Would fans rather have Chase Utley in at second base? Of course, but at least Valdez is making this injury to Chase sting a lot less.

Even though Ryan Howard didn't drive in a run today, the rest of the offense did their jobs. Aside from Polanco and Valdez, Carlos Ruiz drove in a run and Raul Ibanez hit a two run home run, his first of the season. That's the way this offense has worked so far this year. When one player doesn't drive a runner in, the next batter gets it taken care of. That's the mark of a good team. They should be able to do this and get the job done. The Phillies were 6-14 with runners in scoring position today, which is a .429 clip. What else can you say about that? When a team is hitting almost .500 with runners in scoring position, they're going to win, and usually by a large margin, which is what happened today.

Then, there's Roy Halladay. After allowing just a single run on Opening Day, Halladay was even better today, striking out seven while pitching seven shutout innings for his first win of the season. Despite not giving up any runs, Halladay did get into a little bit of trouble today, but, like any good pitcher, he was able to get out of it. That's what anyone should expect out of Roy Halladay. So far this year, he's done nothing to make fans think he can't get a second straight Cy Young Award, and his 0.69 ERA after two starts is right at the top of the National League. For Halladay though, it was just another day at the ballpark. He did what he is supposed to do, and that's pitch seven shutout innings and look very good, even in April.

For the first homestand of the season, things couldn't have gone much better for the Phillies. Yes, they dropped the first game of this series against the Mets, but they came back in the next two games to score 21 runs and pick up two wins. No Met pitcher made it through the sixth inning, and the pitching, especially out of the bullpen in the first two games, was excellent. Roy Halladay looked great on the mound today, and the team supported him with 11 runs. Compare that to the none that he got on Opening Day, and it's a very nice change. To put it simply, this season, for the moment, is so far, so good.

Tomorrow, the Phils go on the road for the first time this year as they head to Atlanta to take on the Braves. Cliff Lee (1-0, 3.86 ERA) pitches for the Phillies, and Tim Hudson (1-0, 1.29 ERA) goes for the Braves.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-10, Mets-7

2011-04-07T00:40:00.003-04:00

Game Recap:
The Phillies blew a 7-0 lead against the Mets tonight, only to score three times in the fifth and sixth innings to earn their first win of the year against New York.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was 2-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Placido Polanco went 3-5, scored once and drove in three.

Ryan Howard had another great game, going 4-4 at the plate with his second home run of the season and two RBI.

Raul Ibanez was 2-5 with an RBI.

Ben Francisco only had one hit in four at bats, but it was a solo home run that gave the Phils a 10-7 lead. He also scored twice.

Pete Orr started the game at second base and went 2-3 with two runs scored.

The bullpen was excellent tonight. Antonio Bastardo, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras pitched a combined four and two-thirds innings, allowing no runs on just two hits and a walk. Contreras picked up his first save of the season.

What went wrong?

Jimmy Rollins was 0-4.

Joe Blanton pitched well through the first three innings, but got into trouble in the fourth and fifth. He lasted just four and a third innings, allowing seven runs on ten hits. He walked two and struck out six.

Game Analysis:

One night after their first loss of the season, the Phillies needed a good bounce back win, and for four innings, it looked like they would have an easy run tonight. Joe Blanton had held the Mets to two runs, while the Phils had driven Mike Pelfrey from the game after just two innings of work and put up seven runs of their own. Then, the top of the fifth happened. Eleven Mets came to the plate in the inning, and by the time the dust had settled, the game was tied at 7-7. Fortunately for the Phillies, they scored twice in their part of the fifth and once more in the sixth before the bullpen shut down the Mets in a 10-7 win.

It wasn't the prettiest game in the world from a pitching standpoint, but you have to tip your hat to the bullpen tonight. After the innings that they had to put in last night following Cole Hamels' poor outing, the bullpen came in again tonight and did even better. Antonio Bastardo picked up his first win of the season, while J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras shut the door in the last three innings. When the starting pitching can't get the job done, it's up to the bullpen to at least keep the game close. Tonight, they did even more than that. They shut down a New York offense that has scored 13 runs against Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton. That's excellent, but not exactly what this team is going to want to have happen every night.

For three innings, Joe Blanton looked like the fourth ace of the rotation instead of Cole Hamels. He had the Mets guessing at his pitches, had excellent location with his fastball, and even drove in two runs in the bottom of the third inning with a single down the left field line. He ran into a little trouble in the fourth, giving up a two run home run to Angel Pagan, but then the wheels came off in the fifth inning. Five runs scored, all of them charged to Blanton, who only recorded a single out in the frame. That's two nights in a row that the Phillies have had their starting pitcher get shelled by the Mets. Now, the Mets have a better offense than most people think, but to not have either starting pitcher even get through the fifth inning? That's a problem right there.

Luckily the Phils had an answer for their poor starting pitching tonight, and that was their offense. After taking a game off, the Phils had their bats ready to go early and often. While Joe Blanton didn't make it out of the fifth inning, Mike Pelfrey couldn't even get through the third inning, having allowed seven runs in just two innings of work. Ryan Howard led the way again with his second home run of the season, but it was his single in the bottom of the fifth inning that had an even bigger impact.

You have to love the way that Placido Polanco plays the game of baseball, and it was clear on that Howard single in the fifth inning. Howard's infield single bounced away from pitcher Blaine Boyer. While Howard was safe at first, Polanco just kept running from second base. By the time the Mets realized what was going on and got the ball to home, Polanco had slid in safely. With that play, the Phillies had a 9-7 lead, and all the momentum that the Mets had gotten from their big top of the fifth inning was gone. Sometimes, that's all it takes.

This was a good bounce back win for the Phils tonight. They got the offense going again, and even if the starting pitching performance wasn't great, the bullpen certainly was. Tomorrow, the Phillies go for the series win against the Mets. Roy Halladay (0-0, 1.50 ERA) goes for the Phils, and Jon Niese (0-0, 2.57 ERA) will pitch for New York.

Not a good night for Philly sports

2011-04-06T12:43:00.002-04:00

Last night was a full slate of action for Philadelphia sports fans, with the Phillies, Sixers and Flyers all playing at about the same time. However, by the time the night was over, it was one of the worst sports nights of the year as all three teams ended up taking bad looking losses. I've already posted my thoughts about the Phils, but I've got a little bit to write about the other two losing teams from last night.

For the Sixers, a loss against the Celtics isn't really unexpected, since Boston has the second best record in the Eastern Conference, but what the 17 point loss does do is move the Sixers down towards the New York Knicks in the battle for either the sixth or seventh seed in the East. The Knicks have won four in a row, and are starting to gel after the Carmelo Anthony trade, while the Sixers have dropped their last two and five of their last ten games.

Don't get me wrong, the Sixers have surprised a lot of people this year. With two more wins, they'll clinch their first winning season since the 2004-05 season, and that's something that no one thought could happen this year, especially after this team lost 55 games last season. Elton Brand is actually looking like the player the Sixers spent all that money on, and Thad Young is really stepping his game up of late. Jodie Meeks has been a very pleasant surprise, and while Evan Turner is looking a bit like a bust, when he does get extended playing time, he's not too bad. Last night was one of those situations, as Turner led the Sixers in scoring with 21 points off the bench.

The Sixers have already clinched a playoff spot, but can they win an opening round series against the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics? The popular notion is that they can't, and I'm just about to side with that, but that doesn't mean that it's impossible. They might not win their first round matchup, but they'll scare whoever the hell they end up playing. Last night's loss not withstanding, the Sixers usually play very well against the top teams in either conference. Remember, this is the same team that held the San Antonio Spurs, the best team in the NBA, to 71 points not that long ago. While the odds of them beating Boston or Miami in a seven game series are going to be very high, it should at least be fun to watch. Think of this team like the Oklahoma City Thunder from last year. The Thunder scared the hell out of the Lakers in the first round, and they're even better this year. The same thing could happen with the Sixers.

The Flyers are making me slightly more nervous, and with good reason. There seems like there have only been two outcomes for the Flyers of late, and those are to lose in regulation or lose in a shootout. Last night was more of the same, as the Flyers dropped a 5-2 game on the road to the Ottawa Senators. If just losing the game to the 14th ranked team in the East wasn't bad enough, the loss dropped the Flyers out of first place in the Eastern Conference and cut their lead in the Atlantic Division to just a single point over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers can still clinch the division with a win and a single Pittsburgh loss, but right now, this team is getting dangerously close to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, which seemed almost impossible just a month ago.

The Flyers have done little to impress lately, save for a huge 5-2 win over the Penguins in their final matchup of the season. The loss of Chris Pronger is still being felt, and the power play has been almost invisible lately. The Flyers have converted on only 16.6% of their chances throughout the season, and that number is even worse of late. The defense has been non-existant at times, and both Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovsky have been struggling as well. Bobrovsky has been the real question mark, losing six of his last ten starts, even though some of those haven't been his fault.

Even with the questions in goal, the Flyers have just as many issues on the offensive side of things. Yes, they have six players with 20 or more goals on the season at the moment, but that doesn't do this team a single bit of good right now. Kris Versteeg was brought in to make the offense even better, but the offense has actually gotten worse since the trade that brought him to Philadelphia. Against teams that they should beat, like Ottawa and Atlanta, the Flyers can't get going on offense. They've missed chance after chance, and with the problems on defense, those missed chances are coming back to hurt them. Whether they come in the form of a poor power play or turnovers in the offensive zone, opposing teams are now doing what the Flyers did for most of the season: they're making the Flyers pay for each mistake.

The season isn't lost though, not by any stretch. The Flyers are still one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and with just two games to play in the regular season, can clinch the division with a win and a loss by Pittsburgh. The Penguins play their next game against the Islanders on Friday before closing out their season with one last game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Sunday. The Flyers play a potential playoff opponent in the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night, then finish things with a game against the Islanders on Saturday. If they manage to fall to the fourth seed, expect to see even more panic from the Philadelphia fan bases.

Phillies Recap: Mets-7, Phillies-1

2011-04-06T12:17:00.003-04:00

Game Recap:
Cole Hamels didn't make it out of the third inning last night, allowing six runs as the Mets handed the Phillies their first loss of the season.

What went right?

Placido Polanco went 1-4 with an RBI.

Raul Ibanez was 2-4.

Kyle Kendrick pitched well in long relief, giving up just two hits and no runs in two and a third innings of work. He walked one and struck out one.

What went wrong?

Shane Victorino was 0-5.

Ryan Howard went 0-4 with three strikeouts.

Carlos Ruiz was 0-3.

Cole Hamels had a rough outing for his first start of the year. He allowed six runs on seven hits in two and two-thirds innings. He walked two, struck out three and allowed three stolen bases.

David Herndon continued to make me wonder why he's on the team, allowing a run on two hits in an inning of work.

The Phillies struck out nine times as a team and left nine men on base.

Game Analysis:

Everyone knew that the Phillies would lose a game this season eventually, but no one wanted it to be against the Mets, especially in the fashion that last night's game was played. Cole Hamels didn't make it through three innings, and the offense looked lifeless against Chris Young as the Phils dropped their first game of the year.

Really, the issues with this game begin and end with Cole Hamels. Hamels didn't have his best stuff from the start, putting runners on first and second with no outs in the first inning. He got out of that jam and then worked a 1-2-3 second inning before the roof caved in during the third. The first four batters that came to the plate reached base, including pitcher Chris Young, and by the time the second out had been recorded, five runs had scored. Young actually came up twice in the inning, and his second single of the frame drove in the sixth run and ended the night for Hamels. Kyle Kendrick and rest of the bullpen helped stop the bleeding, but it was too late.

It's only one start, but it was a rough night for Cole Hamels. He's shown in the past that he can have some trouble bouncing back from rough starts, but he didn't look too upset after last night, which is actually a good thing. A starting pitcher can not get too upset over just one bad start, especially in April. Every pitcher will get hit around at least three or four times during the season, so maybe it's a good thing that Cole already got one of those games out of his system.

Of course, the offense didn't give Hamels much support, either. Chris Young didn't go six innings, but he struck out seven and only allowed one run while he was in the game. Young has had injury problems in the past, but when he's healthy, he can be a solid number two pitcher or potential ace for any team. Last night showed what he can do. Ryan Howard was useless, striking out three times in his first 0-the game of the season, and Shane Victorino wasn't much better, adding three strikeouts of his own. The entire offense just looked off, and while this was just one game, they need to bounce back tonight against New York. The Phillies can't let the Mets get into their heads with a second straight win in Philadelphia.

The Phillies will be looking for a bounce back win tonight against the Mets. Joe Blanton makes his first start of the year, while Mike Pelfrey (0-1, 10.38 ERA) is starting for the second time for the Mets.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-7, Astros-3

2011-04-04T19:42:00.002-04:00

Game Recap:
The Phillies got home runs from Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco in the first inning and never looked back. Roy Oswalt pitched six innings of two run baseball as the Phils picked up their first Opening Weekend sweep at home since 1899.

What went right?

Placido Polanco went 2-4 with two runs scored.

Jimmy Rollins was 2-3 with two walks and a run scored.

Ryan Howard finished a triple short of the cycle, going 3-5 with four RBI.

Ben Francisco went 3-5 with a home run and two runs scored.

Michael Martinez made his Major League debut and went 1-4 with an RBI.

Roy Oswalt picked up his first win against his old team, going six innings while allowing two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out six.

David Herndon pitched two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.

What went wrong?

Raul Ibanez was 0-4.

Kyle Kendrick pitched the ninth inning and gave the fans a little scare, allowing a run on a hit and a walk before getting out of the inning and ending the game.

Game Analysis:

You really couldn't have asked for a better start to the season for the Phillies. Despite having one of, if not the, best pitching staff in baseball, there were more than enough questions about the offense coming into Opening Day. Those questions were answered in the ninth inning of the first game, and the offense just kept hitting over the next two games, outscoring the Astros by nine runs on Saturday and Sunday.

The one thing that the Phils didn't do before yesterday's game was hit a home run, and it didn't take long for that little run to end. Ryan Howard was swinging on a 3-0 count, and took a high fastball into the bullpen for the first home run of the season. Howard just missed a second home run in the third inning when he got a green light on another 3-0 count, but he still scored Placido Polanco on the double. Ben Francisco followed Howard's first at bat with a home run of his own, and that would be all the runs the Phils would need yesterday. They would add three more, but the damage against Bud Norris had already been done.

The way that the offense played in this series against Houston is how they are going to need to play this entire season. For the second straight day, a Houston pitcher didn't make it through five innings, and despite batting one less time than the Astros, the Phillies saw over 30 more pitches while they were at the plate. Jimmy Rollins himself saw 27 pitches. Considering how often he swung at the first pitch last season, just having him do that in one game is amazing. Rollins is turning those pitches into productive at bats as well. He might not have a home run or RBI so far this season, but Rollins is batting .500 after three games, with four runs scored, two walks and a stolen base. Meanwhile, Placido Polanco has crossed the plate five times already and has walked twice as well. Those two need to keep up their production so that Ryan Howard actually has pitches to swing at when he comes to bat.

Speaking of Howard, he might be off to one of the fastest starts of his career. In the three games against Houston, Howard picked up seven hits in 13 at bats, had his home run on Sunday and drove in six runs. That's the kind of production that's expected out of your cleanup hitter, and that's what Howard did against the Astros. It's only three games, but this offense looks a lot better than just about anyone thought it would. As long as those 2-3-4 hitters keep producing, the rest of the lineup will have less work to do and more chances to drive in runs, and that's the way that it should be.

After watching Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee pitch well in their first starts of the season, Roy Oswalt must have felt like he had his work cut out for him, but the third member of the Four Horsemen (yes, that's what I'm calling them) didn't miss a beat. Oswalt was just as dominant as Halladay and Lee were, and looked very comfortable out on the mound against his old team. For the series, the three starters pitched 19 out of 27 innings, allowed six runs and struck out 23 while walking just one. Those aren't good numbers, those are great numbers, and it shows what this pitching staff is cabable of, and it's only the first week of the season. As long as everyone stays healthy, this is going to be the best pitching staff that the Phillies have ever had.

Could things have gone even better this weekend? Of course, but I'm not sure how. Maybe if one of the three pitchers had thrown a perfect game or no-hitter, but that's about it. The Phils did everything that they needed to do, including starting the season with a walk off win, and they picked up a sweep to start the year. That's how things should go, and if it's an indication of the rest of the season, then this is going to be one fun year.

Tomorrow, the Phillies welcome the New York Mets into town for the first time this season. Cole Hamels makes his first appearance of the season, and Chris Young does the same for the Mets.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-9, Astros-4

2011-04-03T11:09:00.004-04:00

Game Recap:

Cliff Lee struck out 11 in seven innings in his first game back with the Phillies, and the offense pounded Houston for nine runs as the Phils won their second game of the season.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was 1-3 with two RBI before leaving the game.

Placido Polanco went 3-5 and scored twice.

Jimmy Rollins was 2-5 with a run scored.

Ryan Howard was 2-5, drove in a run and scored once.

Ben Francisco went 2-5 as well, driving in two.

Raul Ibanez had a great game, going 2-3 with two walks, two RBI and three runs scored.

Carlos Ruiz went 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Wilson Valdez was 1-4 with an RBI.

Cliff Lee made his return to Philadelphia and looked great doing it, pitching seven innings while allowing three runs on four hits. He struck out 11 and didn't walk a batter.

What went wrong?

Shane Victorino had to leave the game in the fifth inning with a sore left calf.

Ben Francisco almost killed Victorino trying to dive for a ball in the fourth inning that allowed a run to score.

That's it.

Game Analysis:

What could top a walk off win on Opening Day? How about a great pitching performance by the returning Cliff Lee and an offensive showing that was even better than it looked. That's what the Phillies did yesterday night against the Houston Astros in a 9-4 win.

There was no way that Cliff Lee was going to do anything but win last night. You could see it in his eyes from the moment he stepped onto the mound and got one of the loudest early season ovations that I have ever heard. Striking out two of the first three batters he faced was just icing on the cake. His first inning set the tone for the rest of the night, and while Carlos Lee had his number, the rest of the Astros couldn't figure out how to get on base against Cliff Lee.

Lee kept Houston's bats guessing all night long, and it looked like he never missed a beat from the last time he pitched with the Phils. Everything looked sharp, his control was even better than it was in his last go around in Philadelphia, and once the Phillies gave him the lead, there was no looking back. Yes, the bullpen tried to make things a little more interesting in the eighth and ninth innings, but Danys Baez and Jose Contreras got the job done and finished things off for the Phillies on the mound. So far, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee have done what they are supposed to do for this team, but last night, I was even more impressed with the offense.

For the Phillies to score nine runs is nothing new. However, when they can do it without hitting a single home run, then it's something to look at. Whatever the Phils found at the plate in the ninth inning on Friday carried over to yesterday night, as they jumped on Wandy Rodriguez early and often. Rodriguez only lasted four innings and gave up seven runs on nine hits. He did strike out five, but the Phillies were seeing the ball well against him and getting clutch hits. That's something that was missing from this team last year. The clutch, timely hits weren't there when the Phils needed them, but they have been there so far this year. It's only been two games, so the sample size is a little small, but the fact of the matter is that the Phillies have scored 14 runs in two games without the benefit of a home run. No matter how you look at it, that's playing some smallball right there. It's not what this team is known for, but they have to be able to get those hits when they need to.

There's still another 160 games to go this year, but so far, everything looks good for the Phillies, even without Chase Utley and Domonic Brown. The pitching has been solid, and with Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and yes, Joe Blanton, still to come, it's not going to get any easier for opposing teams.

Roy Oswalt makes his first start of the year today. Houston will send out Bud Norris.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-5, Astros-4

2011-04-01T20:13:00.005-04:00

Game Recap:
Roy Halladay struck out six in six innings of work, but it took six hits and three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for the Phillies to get their Opening Day win. John Mayberry Jr. had the game winning single for his first ever Opening Day hit.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins went 2-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base.

Ryan Howard was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Ben Francisco was 1-3 in his first Opening Day start with the Phillies, driving in a run and scoring the game winning run.

Wilson Valdez went 2-4 and drove in a run.

John Mayberry Jr. had the game winning hit with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning off of Brandon Lyon.

Roy Halladay made his second straight Opening Day start, pitching six innings and allowing one run on five hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out six.

Ryan Madson and Danys Baez worked scoreless eighth and ninth innings, with Baez getting the first win of the year.

What went wrong?

Shane Victorino was 0-3.

Raul Ibanez drove in a run in the seventh inning with a ground out, but was 0-4 in the game, and recorded the only out of the ninth inning.

You see all of those things that went right? Most of them didn't come until the ninth inning. The Phils got six of their ten hits in the ninth. Brett Myers needed only 85 pitches to get through seven innings.

J.C. Romero and David Herndon looked a bit too much like their 2010 models, with Romero allowing a run without recording an out, and Herndon giving up two runs on two hits in the seventh inning.

Game Analysis:

It wasn't nearly as pretty as last year's 11-1 blowout win over Washington on Opening Day, but the Phillies did what they had to do in the bottom of the ninth inning to take care of the Houston Astros and start their 2011 season with a win. Roy Halladay pitched six innings of one run baseball, but it came down to some clutch hitting when it mattered the most, and that's how the Phillies ended up with a win today.

Halladay pitched well in his second straight Opening Day start, but he got no run support in his six innings of work. Honestly, save for the run that he gave up, Halladay looked in midseason form already. He struck out five of the first eight batters he faced, and Brett Myers had two of the five hits that he allowed. You can't argue with those results, especially in the first game of the season. Pitchers are almost always ahead of hitters at this time of the year, but Halladay looked just like the same guy that won the Cy Young Award last season. He didn't pick up the win, but he pitched like he should have. That's what matters. He's going to be just fine this year.

However, once Halladay left the game, the bullpen ran into some issues. Both J.C. Romero and David Herndon pitched the seventh inning, and by the time three outs had been recorded, three runs had crossed the plate. Romero gave up a hit to the only batter he faced, and he came around to score. Meanwhile, Herndon gave up two more runs on two hits and a sacrifice fly. That's not the kind of results that the Phillies need to see out of their seventh inning pitchers. Despite whatever you want to believe about the pitching staff this season, the Phillies still need their seventh inning pitchers to record three outs. They need to be able to set the table for Ryan Madson and whoever the closer is going to be this year. It's that simple. Today, it hurt the Phils, and if not for a great comeback in the ninth inning, would have cost them the game.

The offense today had its good and bad moments. Against Brett Myers, the Phils were ok at the plate, walking three times, but Myers only needed 85 pitches to get through seven innings. That's only a little over 12 an inning. At least for me, a team should make a starting pitcher throw at least 20 pitches an inning. That puts them at the 100 pitch mark by the end of the fifth inning, and gets a team into the middle relief part of the bullpen, which is normally the weak point of any pitching staff. Today, the Phils didn't do that. They weren't that patient against Myers, even though he didn't have a swinging strike against him for almost the entire game. The Phils were swinging early and often at his pitches, and it can't be that way throughout the entire season. This team has to be more patient at the plate this year. That's what did them in last year, and it could do the same thing this year. I don't care who you have pitching for you. If you swing at the first or second pitch every time up, you will lose.

The good moments today were based around how the Phillies scored their runs. Today, there were no home runs, no long doubles into the gap or anything like that. To score their runs today, the Phillies did something they haven't done in quite some time: they played small ball. Their first two runs of the season came on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Howard and an RBI ground out from Raul Ibanez, and then in the ninth inning, the Phillies strung together six hits, all of them singles. Jimmy Rollins reached base twice, and scored twice. That's the way it should be for a player like Jimmy. Ben Francisco, Wilson Valdez and Johh Mayberry Jr. all had RBI in the ninth. When you look at the Phillies, those aren't the players that you expect to come up with game winning hits, but they did today. It's just the first game of the season, but it's a good sign. It's certainly what this team is going to need this year to make it to the playoffs and win their fifth straight National League East Championship. With all of that being said, this is just the first game out of 162 that will be played this season.

There will be more walk-off wins and walk-off losses for this team. The pitching staff will have great games and bad games. The offense will drive in ten runs one day and none the next. Do you know why? That's how baseball works, that's why. A lot of people like to say that every baseball team will win 60 games and lose 60 games during their season. It's the other 42 that will make the difference. Time is going to tell whether today was just another win, or one of those 42, but one thing is certain: that was a good way to start the season.

Tomorrow, the Phillies trot out Cliff Lee for his first start of the year. Houston is countering with Wandy Rodriguez.

Chris Pronger needs hand surgery

2011-03-14T23:38:00.002-04:00

Just when you thought that things couldn't get any worse for the Flyers after their "let's give up five goals in about 23 minutes worth of hockey at home against the Thrashers" game on Saturday, they just did. Word came out today from the Flyers that Chris Pronger will need surgery to fix a fracture in his hand and will miss the next three to four weeks. The surgery will take place on Tuesday, with Pronger hopefully getting back right at the end of the regular season.

Things haven't been going as well for the Flyers of late, as they've gone 4-4-2 in their last ten games. They're now just one point ahead of the Washington Capitals for the first overall seed in the East, and three points up on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Atlantic Division lead. Without Pronger in the lineup for about the next month, the rest of the now struggling defense is going to have to step up, and with three straight road games, followed up with games at the Wells Fargo Center against Pittsburgh and Washington, things aren't going to get any easier.

The plus side to all of this is that the Flyers are going to be in the playoffs once again this year. They already have more points than they did all of last season, and there will be no last game shootout to determine whether or not the playoffs happen this year. The next 14 games are all about playoff positioning and trying to lock up the number one spot in the Eastern Conference. Doing that without Pronger, especially with the Capitals and Penguins both surging right now, is going to be very hard. Hell, it was going to be hard with Pronger in the lineup. Instead, the Flyers have to go without their best defenseman at a time when they need him the most.

It's not the offense that has been a problem with the Flyers of late. What's been going on is a problem with the defense and goaltending, and more often than not, it's happening in the third period. Throughout the first half of this season, the third period belonged to the Flyers. When they had a lead going into the third, the game was over. You could tell. The Flyers had fresher legs and just looked better than their opponents. Now, it's the other way around. The Flyers are being skated around in the third period, and when the defense can't catch up to the opposing offense, the goalie is going to look bad as well. That doesn't take Brian Boucher or Sergei Bobrovsky off the hook, however. Each of the two goalies has let in their share of soft goals during this little slump, and things need to improve in a hurry. There can't be any more seven goal games, or four goal third periods. The game against the Thrashers on Saturday needs to be the last straw for this team.

You do have to look at the bright side of this injury as well. The Flyers are going to likely get to 100 points in the regular season once again, and Pronger being out will give the rest of the defense a chance to gel and see what they can do. While that might not be a good thing, there's nothing wrong with a little ice experience for the rest of the defense. Pronger leads the Flyers in ice time this season, so getting a few other players a couple more minutes per game isn't horrible. None of them are going to be on the same level as Pronger, but then again, very few defensemen in the NHL are.

This is a big blow for the Flyers coming down the stretch, but with the playoffs already secure, it's not the end of the world. This team goes through slumps every season, and this year is no different. The only thing that's different this time around is that the slump is happening in March, not December. Peter Laviolette is too good of a head coach to let this one injury finish off the season for the Flyers. Things will be ok, just wait and see.

It's only Spring Training, and there are injuries already

2011-03-05T17:54:00.002-05:00

Most of the time, you shouldn't worry about what happens down in Spring Training. Players are going to struggle, some will stand out, and others will just go through the motions, getting into shape before the regular season starts. However, there are certain times when fans need to pay attention to the events in Florida or Arizona. The biggest time would be for injuries, like the one to Adam Wainwright that knocked him out for the entire 2011 season. While nothing that bad has happened to the Phillies, the injury bug has struck an already questionable lineup, leaving two potential holes to start the season.

First, and most important, is the issue with Chase Utley's knee. The last time Utley was even on a baseball field was during Game Six of the NLCS last year, and that's because he hasn't gotten an at-bat once during this Spring. The diagnosis is patellar tendinitis, and it looks like it's been more of a long term issue than Utley wants to admit. Even during the end of last season, he was having issues pushing off at the plate and was struggling at times to make throws to first base. Now, we might know the reason. Today, Utley received a cortisone injection into his right knee, CSN's Jim Salisbury reported. Hopefully, this can help him get back onto the field, as the issue with his knee seems to happen the harder Utley pushes himself. For years, Utley has played second base for the Phillies like a linebacker, and now, he might be starting to face the consequences of going 100 miles per hour for 162 games a year.

The other injury that happened today was to young right fielder Domonic Brown. Brown, who was 0-15 for the spring coming into today's game against the Pirates, managed to get a hit in his first at-bat, but it will be his last of Spring Training. During the plate appearance, Brown broke his hand and will be out three to six weeks, according to Jim Salisbury. Brown had been struggling really ever since he was called up last year to the Phillies, hitting only two home runs in his time with the team last year. He also scuffled through winter ball and had struck out nine times in 15 at-bats this spring. It hasn't been a good major league career so far for the young man, but he's got plenty of time to put things together and make it right. The biggest issue with Brown's injury is that he was being tabbed to replace Jayson Werth in right field. With Brown now out for at least the first week or two of the regular season, the starting job looks like it's going to land in the lap of Ben Francisco, but that might not be a bad thing.

The good thing about Francisco taking over the starting job in right field for the moment is that he has been killing the ball so far in Spring Training. In 19 at-bats, Francisco is hitting .421 with two home runs, six RBI and six runs scored. The home runs and RBI lead the team this spring, and are showing that Francisco came into the year ready and willing to become the starter in right field for the Phillies. Francisco is also a right handed bat, which is something that the Phillies need in the middle of their lineup. As good as Brown could become, he's another left handed bat out there, and right now, the Phils need as much balance in their lineup as possible. Francisco also already has starting experience in the big leagues, as he was starting for the Cleveland Indians before the Cliff Lee trade back in 2009.

Utley's knee issue is a little more troubling than Domonic Brown's broken hand, but at the same time, the Phils might have someone that can help out at second base as well. Wilson Valdez has taken the ball and ran with it during Spring Training, hitting .417 with three runs scored in seven games played so far. Delwyn Young, who signed a minor league contract in the offseason, has emerged as another option at second base if Utley can't go to start the season. However, what Utley has that those two don't is a leadership role with this team. When the other players see Chase out there giving everything he has on every play, then they know that they have to do more as well. Without his bat in the middle of the lineup and his influence out on the field, this team could very well suffer.

Can this offense still go without Chase Utley in it for a while? Of course it can. We saw that last year, when Utley played in less than 120 games for the first time since becoming a starter. However, the Phillies also scored their fewest runs since the 2002 season. That happens to be the last year that Utley wasn't with the Phillies to start the season. You can say anything you want to about Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz or Shane Victorino, but Chase Utley makes the Phillies go. Without him, this offense isn't going to be nearly as good as it should be, and for a team that struggled enough on offense last year, that's not good. Hopefully, Utley can get back sooner, rather than later, but only if he's at 100%. There's no point in having him risk another injury to the same knee this season.

Now this is cool.

2011-02-03T22:02:00.005-05:00

The Eagles might not have much to do on the field during the week leading up to the Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean that they're not doing things off the field. This morning, DeSean Jackson, Todd Herremans and Jamaal Jackson all appeared on the ABC show The View. Is that a show that I would normally watch? Not unless I didn't have a choice, but they were there for a very good reason this morning.

You see, 13 year old Nadin Khoury was attacked by a group of other teenagers back in January and was left hangning on a fence by his jacket. One of the kids, if you can call them that, filmed the whole thing on his cell phone, and the incident just came to light. Six of the apparent seven assaulters have been arrested, and today, Khoury went on television to talk about his experience and how people need to know more about bullying.

This is one of those times that I want to get on my soapbox. As someone that had to deal with people either teasing or trying to fight me, I know what it's like to be bullied. It still affects me today. There are some things that are part of my subconscious now that I can't get rid of, and that's due to what happened to me back in grade and high school. Not many people speak up about it, and in this day and age, more and more kids can film what they do and brag about it. That's what almost happened here, but Nadin is standing up for himself.

Luckily, the Philadelphia Eagles found out about this situation, and they got involved. Today, Jackson, Herremans and Jamaal Jackson showed up in New York City in support of Khoury, and DeSean gave him the jersey off of his back. The Eagles didn't have to tell their players to do this. Those three were there anyway, and it's stories like this that make people feel better about professional athletes in general. For every Michael Vick or Ben Roethlisbeger story, there's something like this that goes unseen. Well, I want to make sure that people see it.

Here's the clip from the show. Try not to get a bit emotional during the whole thing.

Juan Castillo is the defensive coordinator...Really?

2011-02-03T21:23:00.002-05:00

In case you've haven't noticed over the last day or so, the Eagles have found their defensive coordinator. In a field that apparently included Dick Jauron, Jeff Fisher and several possible candidates from the Steelers and Packers, the Eagles selected Juan Castillo. Who is Juan Castillo? Well, he was the offensive line coach for the Eagles since 1998, which also happens to be the last year the Eagles had a head coach not named Andy Reid. In moving Castillo over to the defense, the Eagles hired former Indianapolis offensive line coach Howard Mudd to the same position.

While most people, myself included, like the hire of Howard Mudd, just about everyone is left scratching their heads over Castillo's promotion. Sure, Castillo has been with the Eagles since Ray Rhodes was here, and while that is impressive in itself, it doesn't necessarily mean that he should have been promoted. Castillo hasn't coached on the defensive side of the ball since 1989. In case you don't know me, I was five years old at that point. It's been that long. Sure, he studied with Jim Johnson and said he wanted to be a defensive coach, but that doesn't mean that he should be one. There's people out there right now that are saying he should have been fired, not promoted to another job, on the other side of the ball.

That is the biggest issue that most people have with this move. Yes, the offensive line had more injuries than normal during this past season, but the fact remains that they were just a below average unit throughout the year. Michael Vick was sacked 34 times in 12 games, and Kevin Kolb was brought down 15 more times in just four games. The 49 sacks allowed were the most for the Eagles since the 1998 season, which was also Castillo's first on the job. When one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league is brought down 34 times in just 75% of the games that were played during the regular season, that's not good enough. It doesn't matter who is playing on the offensive line.

Plus, the defense was just about as bad as the offensive line this year. The Eagles ranked in the bottom third in points allowed and had the worst red zone defense in the NFL in just over 20 years. The time was right for an all inclusive change on both the offensive and defensive end, but instead, the Eagles have gone for a more circular move. Instead of replacing the coach of the worst part of the team from the last season, they've made him the coach of the second worst part of the team from the last season. Yes, there is that familiarity to the Eagles that Juan Castillo has, and there's also the added benefit of hiring Howard Mudd, who helped the Colts make Peyton Manning a Super Bowl quarterback, but that's not the point here. What the point is that the Eagles had other candidates that were much more prepared for this job, and they picked someone that they were comfortable with.

Being comfortable with a coach doesn't mean that promoting him is a good hire. Castillo had been the offensive line coach for over a decade without a promotion for a reason. It might just have been that he wasn't good enough to be promoted, or that he was happy with where he was, but either way, it shouldn't have taken him this long to get to another spot on this team. Jim Harbaugh went from special teams coach to head coach of the Ravens in just a few years. If Castillo was that sought after by the rest of the NFL, why was he still with the Eagles? He doesn't have any link to Andy Reid, because it was actually Ray Rhodes that brought him in. If he loved coaching the offensive line, then so be it. I just feel as if the Eagles could have done more with this move.

Only time will actually tell how well Juan Castillo does with the Eagles on the defensive side of the ball. One thing is certain, though. With this move, Andy Reid has officially put his fat behind on the hot seat. Another poor year by the defense, and it won't be Castillo looking for another job. It'll be Andy Reid.

CSNPhilly.com: Eagles promote Juan Castillo

The axe is falling on defense

2011-01-17T22:15:00.002-05:00

Less than two weeks after the Eagles were knocked out of the playoffs in the Wild Card round for the second year in a row, it was clear that changes needed to be made. Well, changes are starting to come down, as the Eagles have fired both defensive coordinator Sean McDermott and defensive line coach Rory Segrest. The McDermott firing came a few days ago, as he's already been picked up by the Carolina Panthers to be their defensive coordinator.

While some people are questioning how McDermott went from being one of the best young coordinators with the Eagles to out of a job just two years later, there is some substance to this firing, rather than McDermott just being a fall guy. McDermott wasn't working with the best group of players out there, but the fact of the matter is that coaches and coordinators need to do the best with who is out there. It doesn't matter if you have a bunch of first round picks or undrafted free agents. A good coach can make it work. Jim Johnson was able to do that with players that weren't first round picks, and he got through injuries as well. Remember, the Eagles had Shawn Barber, Levon Kirkland and Carlos Emmons as their starting linebackers in 2002...and they only allowed 241 points. This year's group allowed 377, the most in one season by the Eagles since 1974.

Let's not even talk about the red zone defense, either. The Eagles had the worst red zone defense in the NFL, and allowed a franchise high 31 touchdown passes this season. Yes, that's the most in team history. A large part of that does come down on the players, but the fact is that some of the blame also has to go to the coordinator. Sean McDermott should have seen some of the mistakes his guys were making out there and attempted to adjust for them. The secondary wasn't that great, but we've all seen worse groups out there that have had better results.

However, a large portion of the passing and red zone defense did lie with the defensive line, and that's why Rory Segrest had to go. By the end of the season, the defensive line was getting little to no pressure on the opposing quarterbacks, and even Joe Webb looked like a solid NFL quarterback in his first career start. Trent Cole disappeared, Brandon Graham looked like a disappointment even before his knee injury, and Chris Clemons and Jason Babin each made the Pro Bowl with double digit sack totals...for teams other than the Eagles. Again, there were injury issues with the defensive line as well, but the Eagles struggled even before the injuries. The defense as a whole just wasn't that good this year. Go ahead, look back. It really wasn't. The run defense had it's moments against some of the best backs in the league, but when this team needed a stop, how many times did they actually get it?

Do I agree with firing both McDermott and Segrest? Not necessarily, but something needed to be done. You can't fire the players, but the coaches are fair game, and after the season that this defense had, just two years removed from being led by the late, great Jim Johnson, it was time to do something. The writing was on the wall, even when Andy Reid said his coaches were going to be safe. There's a lot of people that the Eagles are looking at to run the defense, from Dick Jauron to Jim Mora Jr, and honestly, they would be an upgrade from McDermott.

The Eagles had been regressing on defense over the last two years. When a team has had this much turnover with players in the last two seasons, it's somewhat clear that it's not the players that are the problem. It just might be the coaches. Giving up 377 points on the season, having one of the worst red zone defenses of the last two decades and not getting pressure on the quarterback for most of the season sounds like good enough reasons to make some changes to the defensive coaching staff. Now all that's left to do is see who comes in to replace McDermott and Segrest and hope that they can improve what is, at this moment, a very poor defensive unit.

Eagles Aftermath: NFC Wild Card Edition: Packers-21, Eagles-16

2011-01-12T22:11:00.004-05:00

What happened?
The Eagles had their season end in the NFC Wild Card playoffs for the second straight season, as Michael Vick's last minute interception finished off any chance of a late comeback against the Green Bay Packers.

The Good:
Very little to see here.

Jason Avant did have a couple of drops, but also caught seven passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Jamar Chaney played well for Stewart Bradley in the middle.

Kurt Coleman didn't have a bad game at safety, recording seven tackles.

The Bad:
Michael Vick was just average in his last game of the season. He completed 20 of 36 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown, and ran for a touchdown as well, but his poor pass that led to the game ending interception will be what's remembered.

LeSean McCoy only carried the ball 12 times for 46 yards. That's a 3.8 yard per carry average. Not good enough against the 18th ranked rush defense in the NFL.

DeSean Jackson only caught two passes for 47 yards.

The defense let James Starks, a rookie who had all of 101 yards rushing during the regular season, go off for 123 yards in his first ever playoff game.

The Eagles got called for seven penalties that cost them 50 yards.

The Ugly:
Michael Vick was sacked three times and pressured a lot more than that. By the end of the game, Winston Justice was watching from the bench.

David Akers went 1-3 on field goal attempts. After the game, it came out that he was dealing with some family health issues, but this isn't the first time he's come up small in a big playoff game.

The Eagles allowed the Packers to convert eight of 13 third down attempts.

The offense only scored one touchdown in three trips to the red zone, while the Packers scored on all three of their trips.

For the second year in a row, the season has come to an end too soon.

The Breakdown:
For a season with all kinds of twists, turns and adventures, it came to an end almost the same way that it started. The Green Bay Packers came into Philadelphia and stopped Michael Vick's last minute attempt at a comeback for the second time this year. The first time, it came on a stop on a fourth down and short. This time, it was on a Tramon Williams interception in the end zone with under a minute to play and the Eagles down by five points. It wasn't a pretty game by the Eagles, but they were in it until the end, they just didn't have enough to get it done.

To be fair, that was the problem with the Eagles all season long. No matter how well Michael Vick and the offense played, there was this sense that something was going to happen, and this team would stop being able to score points at will. Late in the season, the offensive line, which had been bad all year, somehow got even worse, and that carried over against the Packers. On the first play of the game, Vick got hit hard, and that was the story for the rest of the game. Vick never got a chance to get comfortable, and he couldn't read the blitz well when it was coming. It was just a bad situation that had gotten worse as the season went on, and it reached its climax on Sunday.

This isn't going to be a retrospect on the entire season. That's going to come after the Super Bowl. For now, I just want to look at this game in the same regards that I looked at every other game the Eagles played this year. For the most part, it was the same mistakes that the Eagles made in every game that they lost that came back to bite them in the game against the Packers, and that's why their season is over now. First and foremost, LeSean McCoy didn't get nearly enough touches against the 18th ranked rushing defense in the NFL. All you have to do is look at what the Packers did with James Starks, who had all of 101 rushing yards in his career before this game, to see what the Eagles should have done with McCoy. Just establishing a running game would have kept the blitz off of Vick a bit more and made things easier for the entire offense. Instead, Andy Reid did what Andy Reid does, which is throw the ball more and more as the season moves along. This isn't the first time I've seen this from Reid in the playoffs, and the result is almost always the same.

DeSean Jackson took too long to get established as well. For someone that wants to get paid this offseason, he didn't do a whole lot to justify that. Sure, he's still going to get his money, but in five career playoff games, Jackson is averaging just 53.6 receiving yards and has just two touchdowns. That's not good enough for the biggest weapon that this team has on offense. I don't care how much he has to rely on the big play, he should get more involved than that. It's not good enough. The story is the same with Brent Celek, who had another game with next to nothing on the stat line. Yes, he had to block a lot this season, thanks to the offensive line, but he still should have been able to do more on offense than what he did in this game and during the season.

I don't even want to get into the offensive line, but I guess I have to. Gone are the days of Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan...now the Eagles have Jason Peters and Winston Justice, and Justice couldn't even finish the game against the Packers. He struggled so much, and was called for so many penalties, that he spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench, with King Dunlap out there for him. Justice just signed an extension last year, but he might have played his way out of Philadelphia with this last showing. He struggled all year against the faster rushers, which is something that's plagued him throughout his career. The one thing that the Eagles had throughout Donovan McNabb's time in Philadelphia was bookend offensive tackles. Now, they almost have turnstile offensive tackles, and it's only been two years since Tra and Jon last played here. Not good at all. That needs to get better, and fast.

Then, there's the defense. You can talk about injuries all that you want, but the fact of the matter is that the players that stepped in for the ones that went down played almost as well. Kurt Coleman isn't Nate Allen, but he did well enough. The problem lies with the linebackers, who all need to be upgraded, the defensive line and the secondary, save for Asante Samuel/Nate Allen/Kurt Coleman. Against the Packers, Aaron Rodgers was able to check down time and time again to open receivers on third downs. That's why the Packers went eight for 13 on third downs during the game, and that's how good teams keep drives alive. It's another problem that the Eagles have had all season, and that goes hand in hand with the problems in the red zone. Once again, the Eagles couldn't stop the Packers in the red zone, and Green Bay made them pay with three touchdowns from inside the 20. That lies with the entire defense, and there's more than enough blame to pass around. Trent Cole seems to disappear in situations, the rest of the line is average, at best, and don't get me started on the linebackers. Once again, it was something that was brewing all season and it came to a head last Sunday.

Overall, it just wasn't a good game for the Eagles. Even David Akers, the longest tenured Eagle, had a bad game in what could be his last game in Philadelphia. There are things going around about him having a family health issue, so I can understand why his head might not have been in the game, and I hope he comes back for at least another year. He's the best kicker that the Eagles have ever had, and if it weren't for that guy in New England and Indianapolis, he would be known as the best kicker of the 2000s. That's how good he's been. For this game, and all the failures during the season, the blame lies with the entire team. Players couldn't make plays when they needed to, and even Michael Vick couldn't get it done by himself. This team tried, and was talented, but they were good, not great. Whenever they played a better team, they struggled, and it showed throughout the season. Against the Packers, everything that had been a problem during the regular season: the lack of a good offensive line, an inconsistent running game, dumb penalties, poor red zone defense, all of it, it all came tumbling down. Now, the Packers get to keep playing, and the Eagles get to resume a familiar sight...watching the playoffs from their couches.

Change has to come to this team. The only question is what will it be?

Eagles Aftermath: Cowboys-14, Eagles-13

2011-01-06T14:55:00.002-05:00

What happened?
In what was basically a preseason game for the Eagles, the Cowboys managed to score a last minute touchdown to earn a season split with the Eagles. Philadelphia finished the season at 10-6 and will host the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round on sunday.

The Good:
Jerome Harrison got the start, and finished with 99 yards on the ground on 21 carries.

Chad Hall had six catches for 84 yards and his first career touchdown.

The defense played very well against the first team of the Cowboys, giving up just 272 yards of offense and not allowing a touchdown until the last minute of the game.

David Akers went 2/2 on field goal attempts.

The Bad:
Jason Witten was able to break loose at the end of the game and catch that game winning touchdown.

The offensive line, despite being mostly backups, still gave up five sacks. The Eagles finished second to the Chicago Bears in sacks allowed this season.

Sav Rocca punted the ball seven times for an average of just 38.3 yards per punt.

The Ugly:
Kevin Kolb had a week to get ready for this game, and all he did was show Eagles fans that Michael Vick was the better option this season. He threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball late in the second quarter. The fumble was returned by DeMarcus Ware for a touchdown.

The Eagles still lost to the Dallas Cowboys. Regardless of whether the second string was playing or not, that's not a good feeling.

The Breakdown:
There honestly isn't that much to say about this game that's going to matter through the rest of the season. With their loss on Tuesday to the Minnesota Vikings, the Eagles were locked into the number three seed in the NFC, so last week, they rested most of their starters against the Cowboys. The second team defense looked impressive, holding Stephen McGee and the Dallas first team offense to just seven points, but it wasn't enough as Kevin Kolb looked every bit like a backup quarterback against a tough Dallas pass rush.

You do have to give the defense credit for going out there and playing as well as they did. Some first teamers did play, like Dimitri Patterson. He still needs to prove more after being burned by the Giants three weeks ago. Patterson is going to get the start against the Packers this Sunday, and with Aaron Rodgers having one of the better wide receiving corps in the NFC, you can bet that Patterson will be tested early and often.

The game went about as well as it could have for the Eagles, in all honesty. The starters that needed rest got to rest, and the team played the Cowboys to the limit with their second string. Sure, the Cowboys had a bad season, but it's still fun to watch the Eagles backups take Dallas to the limit and back. That never gets old. There are still some questions going into the game against the Packers this weekend, however.

Green Bay has one of the few offenses in the league that can go toe to toe with the Eagles and still come out on the winning side. Despite the lack of a solid running game, Aaron Rodgers more than made up for it with his arm. Rodgers passed for over 4,000 yards and likely would have made it to the Pro Bowl had it not been for Michael Vick. Greg Jennings is Rodgers' favorite target, but he'll likely have Asante Samuel on him all day long, so it will be up to the rest of the secondary to cover Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson and James Jones. Just because you might not know the names other than Driver doesn't mean that the Packers can't destroy you through the air. The Eagles have given up some big plays this season, and they can't afford to do too much of that on Sunday.

The Eagles also have to keep Michael Vick on his feet as best they can. The Eagles allowed more sacks this season than any team since the 1998 year, and when you have one of the most mobile quarterbacks in the NFL under center, that's not a good thing. The Packers brought a tough pass rush against the Eagles in Week 1, and it knocked Kevin Kolb out of the game and allowed Vick to get his season started. This time, they'll be prepared for Vick. The Green Bay pass defense is still one of the best in the league, but their run defense ranks in the bottom third. The Eagles have to run the ball more with LeSean McCoy and Jerome Harrison in order to keep the Packers from being able to go after Vick on every play and sit back and look for interceptions or fumbles. Charles Woodson may be older, but he's still a top defensive back. Plus, the Packers also have A.J. Hawk and Clay Matthews, as well as B.J. Raji up the middle. Matthews led the Packers with 13.5 sacks, and was the one that knocked Kolb out of the game in Week 1.

Can the Eagles beat the Packers? Of course they can. Even with Vick only playing half of the game at the start of the season, they almost were able to win. Vick said after the game that he thought the Eagles would have won had he started. Now, he's got his chance to prove it. The Packers were a trendy pick to make it to the Super Bowl when the season started, and they're looking that way again. Just remember, three weeks ago, the Eagles were almost everyone's pick to go to the Super Bowl. It only takes one game to swing everything around. These are the playoffs, anything can happen now.

The Top Ten Philadelphia Sports Moments of 2010

2011-01-01T11:32:00.003-05:00

It really was a good year for Philadelphia sports, wasn't it? Despite there not being a parade down Broad Street, fans had a lot of reasons to celebrate this past year. There were historic moments left and right, miracle finishes and a nice early Christmas present to close out the year. That being said, with 2011 now here, let's look back at what I thought were the top ten moments in Philadelphia sports this year.

Honorable Mentions:
Donovan McNabb is traded to Washington (April 4), Roy Halladay pitches a complete game to win the NL East for the Phillies (September 27), Roy Oswalt is called upon to play left field (August 24), The 76ers get the second overall pick in the NBA Draft (May 18), Jamie Moyer becomes the oldest pitcher in baseball history to throw a shutout (May 7).

Now, on to the top ten!

#10: The Philadelphia Union are born (March 25)
For those of you that don't actually know me that well, let me make this clear. I do not like soccer. I'm not sure why. It might have something to do with being forced to play it when I was younger and being horrible at it, but the same thing happened with baseball, and I love that. Regardless, when I first heard the news that Philadelphia was getting an MLS franchise, I wasn't that thrilled. Then, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Soccer clubs have some of the most passionate fans in the world, and where better to put a team than in Philadelphia?

The Union were founded back in 2008, but didn't play their first game until this season. While they had their ups and downs, just like any expansion team, they showed a lot of promise. Sébastien Le Toux was one of the top goal scorers in MLS, putting 14 shots in the net, and PPL Park is absolutely beautiful. The Union already have the support of Philadelphia fans, who didn't really need another reason to go to a sporting event, but have one now anyway. A seventh place finish in the Eastern Conference wasn't great, but the future is already looking bright for this young franchise. The first season for the Union, and the support that they got from the fans, was certainly one of the better moments of 2010.

#9: The Flyers beat the Rangers in a shootout to make the NHL Playoffs (April 11)
Don't let this current season fool you. The 2009-10 Philadelphia Flyers were, for most of the season, an average hockey team. They fired coach John Stevens 25 games into the regular season, and still only finished the year six games over the .500 mark. Philadelphia picked Michael Leighton up from Nashville, and somehow, Leighton became the starting goalie, only to be injured in March. Brian Boucher took over and led the team to the last two games of the regular season against the New York Rangers. All the Flyers had to do was win one of the two games. If they did that, they would clinch a spot in the playoffs. If they lost both, New York would go to the playoffs, and the Flyers would be sitting at home.

So, what did the Flyers do? They lost the first game of the home and home against the Rangers and then went into a shootout in the last game of the regular season, with the playoffs on the line. Danny Briere and Claude Giroux each scored for the Flyers in the shootout, leaving the pressure on Boucher as he faced Olli Jokinen. Jokinen made a move, but Boucher was ready, keeping the puck out of the net and sending the Flyers back to the playoffs for the third straight season. The regular season wasn't always pretty, but the playoffs were, and without this shootout win, none of it would have happened.

#8: Michael Vick is named the starting quarterback of the Eagles (September 21)
After the trade of Donovan McNabb, Eagles fans were expecting the Kevin Kolb era to begin in Philadelphia. After all, Kolb took the majority of the snaps during the preseason, and when Michael Vick got out onto the field during the preseason games, he still looked like the average player that he was back in 2009. There was no way that Vick was going to take over for Kolb.

Fast forward to the first game of this NFL season. Kevin Kolb lasted all of one half against the Green Bay Packers and was concussed, leaving the Eagles with no choice but to bring Vick into the game. Not only did Vick play well, but he almost led the Eagles to a come from behind win against a preseason Super Bowl pick in the Packers. Vick started for Kolb in Week 2, a 35-32 win against the Detroit Lions, and two days later, Andy Reid named him the starting quarterback for the rest of the season. While Vick did miss two games with a rib injury, his play this year more than justified Reid's starting of him. Yes, I have to eat some crow on this one. Vick has passed for over 3,000 yards with 21 touchdowns and just six interceptions while rushing for 676 yards and nine touchdowns. He was also elected as the starting quarterback for the NFC in the Pro Bowl later this month. Plus, the Eagles won their first NFC East title since the 2006 season. Overall, I'd say it was a good move.

#7: The Monday Night Massacre (November 15)
One week after defeating the Indianapolis Colts, the Eagles were making their first trip to Washington D.C. without Donovan McNabb in over a decade. Instead, McNabb was waiting for them as a member of the Washington Redskins, who, just five weeks before, had defeated the Eagles in Philadelphia and injured Michael Vick. McNabb got his revenge against the Eagles in that game, and the Eagles would get theirs on Monday Night, with the entire country watching.

It didn't take long for the Eagles to strike. In fact, it happened on the first play of the game. Michael Vick rolled out and hit DeSean Jackson for an 88 yard touchdown pass that set the tone. The rest of the first half was more of the same. The Redskins would punt the ball to the Eagles, or McNabb would turn the ball over, and the Eagles would march down the field and score. Philadelphia led 28-0 after the first quarter and 45-14 at the half. It was the most points scored by a road team against the Redskins in the first half in Washington history. The Eagles would score twice more in the second half to finish the game with 59 points. Michael Vick had insane, video game numbers, passing for four touchdowns and 333 yards while rushing for 80 yards and two more touchdowns. The 59 points were the most scored by a single team in Monday Night Football history, and Michael Vick became the first NFL quarterback to throw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for over 50 yards and two touchdowns. This game set the stage for the rest of the season for the Eagles, and while it's not over yet, this win sure was fun.

#6: Flyers win the Eastern Conference Finals (May 24)
The 2010 NHL Eastern Conference Finals might have been the most unlikely in NHL history. Not only were the Flyers there as the seven seed, but they had home ice advantage, due to the Montreal Canadiens making it there as the eight seed. In a conference with Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston and Buffalo, the Flyers and Canadiens were going to face off to see who was going to the Stanley Cup Finals. Michael Leighton had returned from injury and was starting in goal again for the Flyers. He didn't waste his chance, recording back to back shutouts in Games 1 and 2 to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead in the series. Montreal took Game 3 back in Canada, but Leighton responded with his third shutout of the series in Game 4, putting the Flyers one win away from their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1997.

Montreal scored just a minute into Game 5, but Mike Richards would answer back with the goal of his season, getting a shorthanded breakaway three and a half minutes later. Jaroslav Halak came out to play the puck and collided with Richards and Roman Hamrlik. Somehow, Richards got up first with the puck on his stick and put it in the net. You could feel the energy get sucked from the Canadiens at that point. It was an amazing goal that was one of the best moments of the year for the Flyers. Arron Asham and Jeff Carter each scored in the second period, and when Carter added the empty netter at the end of the third period, the dream that had just gotten past the Flyers year after year since 1997 was finally a reality. They were headed back to the Stanley Cup Finals. The end result wasn't what everyone wanted, but let's be honest. It was one hell of a ride.

#5: Cliff Lee returns (December 15)
As the 2010 MLB offseason began, there was one big player that everyone was talking about. It wasn't Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth, but Cliff Lee. While Crawford and Werth were rumored to sign just about everywhere, Cliff Lee was apparently down to two teams. Either the Texas Rangers, who Lee had helped guide to the World Series with victories in the ALDS over Tampa and the ALCS over New York, or the New York Yankees, who Lee always seemed to beat when the spotlight shined brightest. The Philadelphia Phillies weren't given much of a chance at all, since they already had most of their pitching budget spent on Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. With the winter meetings winding down, and Jayson Werth signing with the Nationals, Phillies fans were just about to resign themselves to having a winter without a major splash in the baseball market.

Then came the news that a third, mystery team was in the running for Lee. The news came fast at that point. The Yankees were out of the running, and it was down to Texas and this other team. Rumors were flying around. Was it the Red Sox? Could the Nationals really make another big free agent move? If it was the Phillies, where did they find the money? It turns out, it was the Phillies, and just hours after the news about the mystery team broke, Cliff Lee had decided to come back to a city where he had spent just one half of one year, but fell in love. It wasn't the Phillies that got in touch with Lee, it was the other way around. Lee had asked his agent to talk to the Phillies and see what it would take for him to come back. Ruben Amaro got clearance from the owners to make the offer, and this time, Cliff Lee is staying for the next five years. The $120 million contract he signed doesn't hurt, either. Now, the Phillies have Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee. Go ahead, pick a pitcher you want to hit against.

#4: Roy Halladay's playoff no-hitter (October 6)
The Phillies brought in Roy Halladay for the sole reason of winning big games when it mattered the most. As this past season went along, Halladay did that more and more, finishing his regular season with a complete game shutout against the Washington Nationals that gave the Phillies their fourth straight National League East championship. His next start wouldn't be until Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds, who won the National League Central for the first time in over a decade and boasted an offense that was one of the best in baseball. Halladay had already thrown a perfect game during the regular season, so there was no way that he could top that in the playoffs, right?

He sure came close. In his first ever playoff start, Roy Halladay pitched just the second no-hitter in playoff history. He struck out eight and walked just one batter on a full count in the fifth inning. Aside from that, the Reds couldn't figure out Halladay, and the Phillies scored four runs in the first two innings. That was all Halladay needed. He wasn't quite perfect against the Reds, but he was damn close. Just like the Flyers, the playoff run for the Phillies didn't end how they wanted it to, either. A sweep of the Reds was still nice, and having one of two pitchers in baseball history to throw a playoff no-hitter didn't hurt. There's one more moment from Halladay on this list. I bet you know what it is.

#3: The Miracle at the New Meadowlands (December 19)
The last moment to happen this year came when the Philadelphia Eagles staged that remarkable comeback against the New York Giants just two weeks ago. I really don't have anything new to write about it, so here's part of the recap from the game.

You have to give love to the special teams as well. First came the onside kick with the Eagles down 31-17. The Giants weren't prepared for it, and Riley Cooper did a great job making sure that the ball went ten yards before he touched it. The Eagles would score on that drive, cutting the lead to 31-24. Then came the last play of the game. This one falls more on the Giants than the Eagles, because, thanks to a high snap and a poor kick, the ball came right to DeSean Jackson, which was pretty much the one place that Tom Coughlin didn't want the ball to go. The kick was so bad that Jackson had time to fumble it, pick it up and find a hole to run through before the Giants even made it down the field to try and tackle him. Jason Avant had a huge block at midfield, and that was all Jackson would need. Did he have to start celebrating at the 25 yard line? Of course not, but with the smack that the Giants were talking during the week and for most of the game, I don't blame him. This game was a likely once in a lifetime comeback, so it's fine to showboat a little bit.

What else can be said? It was literally the most improbable ending to a game that I have ever seen in my life, and I'm sure it ranks right up there with just about any ending to any NFL game ever. When you get the first ever walk off punt return for a touchdown in NFL history, it's something amazing.

How can this just be number three on the list? Well, there was a little more history that was made this year in Philadelphia.

#2: Roy Halladay throws a perfect game (May 29)
At the end of May, the Phillies were going through some struggles that they usually reserve for the start of the baseball season. Coming into their series with the Marlins, the Phils had been shut out for an entire series against the New York Mets, and while they had won the first game of the series against Florida, with Josh Johnson going against Roy Halladay in the second game, it was going to take an even bigger effort to make sure the Phillies would win their first series since the middle of the month.

Roy Halladay had come close to pitching a no-hitter before, but he had never been able to get to the end. On this night, he would do just that. Halladay worked just the 20th perfect game in major league history, recording 27 straight outs against the Florida Marlins. Wilson Valdez scored the only run of the game on a Chase Utley fly ball that was misjudged by Cameron Maybin, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Roy Halladay was able to pitch the second perfect game in Phillies history, and that all the hype surrounding Halladay when he came to Philadelphia was legit. Halladay was a big game pitcher that could make history on any night, and he would do it again in the playoffs against Cincinnati, as I already discussed. There's a reason Halladay won the Cy Young Award this season, and the perfect game was the cherry on top of one of the best pitching seasons in recent Phillies history.

How can this not be number one? Well, at the same time Halladay was throwing his perfect game, the Flyers were playing Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks. Two weeks before that...this happened.

#1: The Flyers come back from an 0-3 hole to beat the Bruins (May 14)
Being down three games to none in a best of seven series is the worst feeling for any team. Not only does your opponent only have to win one more game to knock you out, but for you to win, you have to do something that's only been done a handful of times in sports history. You have to win four straight games, with at least one or two of them coming on the road. Not only is is next to impossible, it's damn near improbable. Only twice in the NHL before last season had teams come back from an 0-3 hole to win the series, and it hadn't happened in over 30 years. That was the task in front of the Philadelphia Flyers after they lost Game 3 at home to the Boston Bruins by a 4-1 score.

Going into Game 4, they had two things going for them. First, they were still playing at home, and the fans were behind them every step of the way. Second, Simon Gagne was able to return from injury. Gagne's return proved to have the biggest impact in the series, as he scored the game winner in overtime to force a Game 5 back in Boston. The Flyers had a tiny flicker of hope still there. Game 5 went even better for the Flyers as they won 4-0, but lost Brian Boucher to injury, meaning that Michael Leighton would find himself back in goal for the Flyers almost two months after his injury. Leighton made the most of his chance, stopping 30 shots in Game 6 as the Flyers won 2-1 to force a Game 7 back in Boston with the chance of an historic comeback.

Things didn't start out that well in Game 7 for the Flyers. By the time most fans were getting comfortable to watch the game, Boston had already built a three goal lead. Flyers fans had seen this before and figured that their nice little run was about to end, but not with this team. James van Riemsdyk scored his first playoff goal late in the first period to give the Flyers life again, and then came the second period. Scott Hartnell scored two and a half minutes in, and Danny Briere scored on a wraparound goal six minutes later. Just like that, the game was tied heading into the third, where Simon Gagne would strike one more time. Boston was called for having too many men on the ice, and on the ensuing power play, Gagne managed to fire a shot into the back of the net. The Flyers had a 4-3 lead that they would hold onto, making them just the third NHL team to come back from being down three games to none and win the series, and they were the first team to ever complete the feat after being down 3-0 in Game 7.

These type of moments don't normally happen to Philadelphia sports teams. That's why this was the best moment of 2010 in Philadelphia sports. Hopefully, 2011 can provide us with just as many good memories, as well as a parade or two.

Eagles Aftermath: Vikings-24, Eagles-14

2011-01-01T10:42:00.003-05:00

What happened?
The Eagles and Vikings played the first NFL game on a Tuesday since 1946, and the Vikings completely outplayed the Eagles. Michael Vick turned the ball over three times as the Eagles locked themselves into the number three seed in the NFC playoffs.

The Good:
It took him all season, but Brent Celek finally showed up, catching ten passes for 97 yards. Of course, most of those catches came because Vick was busy running for his life from the Minnesota pass rush.

The Bad:
LeSean McCoy carried the ball 13 times for 44 yards. That's not good enough.

Michael Vick completed 25 of 43 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw an interception and fumbled the ball twice. He ran eight times for 63 yards and a touchdown.

DeSean Jackson had two catches for 32 yards.

Adrian Peterson rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown, and was a big reason why the Vikings were able to kill the clock in the fourth quarter.

The Ugly:
The Eagles lost to a rookie quarterback, making his first career start. Joe Webb only passed for 195 yards, but he ran for 31 more and a touchdown and the Eagles didn't have an answer for him.

The Eagles had less penalty yards than Minnesota, but got called for 12 penalties. That's very, very sloppy football.

Michael Vick was sacked six times, including twice by Antoine Winfield, who completed the play with a strip and fumble recovery for a touchdown late in the second quarter. That play turned the entire tide of the game.

The Breakdown:
This was a typical let down game by the Philadelphia Eagles. Coming into a game that was postponed due to snow, the Eagles had what most people thought was going to be an easy victory in front of them. They were facing a rookie quarterback making his first career start, and the conditions were perfect for the offense to come out and take care of business, especially with another day of rest thrown in to the mix.

Well, that wasn't the case on Tuesday night. Joe Webb showed that he could be a decent NFL quarterback, while the Minnesota defense did what they needed to do and beat up Michael Vick and the offense, moving the Eagles down to 10-5 on the season and putting them in the number three spot in the NFC playoffs, meaning that Philadelphia now has to play three straight weeks to make it to the Super Bowl.

The game was another by the Eagles where they looked like they were completely out of it from the start. After their second drive of the game resulted in a touchdown, the Eagles seemed to expect the Vikings to roll over and give the game up. After all, Minnesota had nothing to play for, save for maybe getting Leslie Frazier the full time coaching job next season. As is so often the case in the NFL, the teams that have nothing to play for are the most dangerous. Minnesota had the same game plan that the Bears and Giants used against the Philadelphia offense, and they worked it just as well as those two teams did. Just like Chicago and New York, the Vikings played their coverage back deeper, preventing the long passes to DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, while blitzing either a corner or a safety most of the time. Antoine Winfield did most of the damage, picking up two sacks and getting pressure on Vick for most of the game.

The Eagles had no answer for the Minnesota pass rush, and it's not a good thing to have something like that happen just before the playoffs are going to start. It's not like the other NFC playoff teams don't know how to play the Eagles, but it's not good for Michael Vick to be getting hit like he did on Tuesday over and over again. It's likely that Vick is going to sit out tomorrow's game against the Dallas Cowboys, especially now that it doesn't mean anything for the Eagles. Whether they finish 11-5 or 10-6, they're going to host a first round game against the Giants or Green Bay Packers, and if they win that, then they go on the road for at least one game. It's not an ideal schedule, especially when there was a good chance for a bye week just a week ago.

That's the biggest problem with Eagles teams under Andy Reid. It's not the clock management, or the two minute offense. It's coming into games and thinking that they should win, just because they're the Philadelphia Eagles. It happened last year against the Oakland Raiders, and as it turned out, that game cost the Eagles the NFC East championship and a potential first round bye. Would last season have turned out any different? Probably not, but it's still something to look back on. Now this season, the Eagles have had their big let down game. You could have expected something, what with the team coming off of that win against the Giants and then having the game pushed back two days because of snow, but it's nothing to be proud of.

The offense came out flat and was unable to respond to the Minnesota blitz, and while the defense wasn't that bad, they continually let Joe Webb complete short passes on third downs that resulted in first downs. Webb had very few deep throws, but his underneath passing picked the Eagles apart and cost them time and eventually the game. It was just a sloppy game on both sides of the ball, and these guys really need to get their act together as the playoffs are now just a week away.

Tomorrow's game against Dallas doesn't mean much, save for it being against the Cowboys. Kevin Kolb will likely start for Michael Vick as the Eagles close out the regular season. After that, the real fun begins. Next week, the NFL playoffs start, and the Eagles will be involved. Can they make another run towards the Super Bowl? Right now, I have no idea, but the bandwagon just got a whole lot lighter.

The Eagles are back on top of the NFC East

2010-12-26T19:34:00.002-05:00

The Eagles may not have played today, thanks to the snow that is currently burying my car, but they still managed to clinch the NFC East when the Giants lost to the Green Bay Packers. New York's 45-17 loss clinched the division for the Eagles for the first time since 2006 and gives the Eagles six division crowns in the last ten seasons.

To be honest, this might be the most improbable division championship yet. Save for the Jeff Garcia season when he took over for Donovan McNabb, no one had the Eagles winning the division this year. Kevin Kolb was starting for the first time with a young team that was rebuilding, not not that much was expected. Well, this year started with the Green Bay Packers, and now, thanks to the Packers and Michael Vick, the Eagles are NFC East champions. Green Bay knocked Kevin Kolb out of the first game of the season, and Vick came in to replace him. Vick played well against the Packers and Detroit Lions the week after that, and the rest of the season has gone from there. Kolb is sitting on the bench, and Vick is headed to the Pro Bowl and a top three finish in the MVP voting. Plus, the Eagles are headed to the playoffs once again.

There's nothing set in stone yet for the Eagles, because they could finish anywhere from the three seed all the way up to the top team in the NFC, if the Falcons lose to the Saints and Panthers, and the Bears drop their last game of the season to the Packers. As unlikely as it sounds, it could happen. If it does, it would be the capper to one of the most improbable seasons that I can remember. The Eagles need to get one of the two first round byes, though. If they don't, they'll play the Packers or Giants, and that's not a game that many people want to see.

For now, it's time to celebrate in the snow. The Eagles are champions of the division for the first time in four seasons and are at least going to host one playoff game. That's reason enough right there.

Eagles Aftermath: Eagles-38, Giants-31

2010-12-22T12:02:00.002-05:00

What happened?
Down 31-10 with eight minutes to play, the Eagles scored 28 points, the last of which came on a DeSean Jackson punt return for a touchdown as time expired. The win puts the Eagles in control of the NFC East with two games to play.

The Good:
Michael Vick started slowly, but picked things up as the game went along, completing 21 of 35 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball ten times for 130 yards and another touchdown.

LeSean McCoy didn't get many carries, but he still did well for what he got. He carried the ball ten times for 64 yards and caught four passes for 13 yards.

Jeremy Maclin had seven catches for 59 yards and two touchdowns, giving him ten touchdowns on the season.

Brent Celek had a huge 65 yard touchdown catch that started the comeback in the fourth quarter.

DeSean Jackson only had three catches for 52 yards, but his punt return for a touchdown to end the game was the first ever walk off punt return in NFL history.

The Eagles held Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to a combined 100 yards on 31 carries.

Jamar Chaney played very well in his first ever start, getting 16 tackles and playing an overall solid game.

The Bad:
The Eagles played horribly in the first half, as they were outgained in yards 222 to 74.

Vick was sacked three times and was hit several more times as well.

Nate Allen was lost for the season with a torn patella tendon.

The Eagles had three turnovers, including fumbles by DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, though neither one was really a fumble.

The Ugly:
Dimitri Patterson got burned all day long by Eli Manning. He was targeted on every one of Manning's four touchdown passes. It was not a good game.

Andy Reid didn't challenge the fumble by DeSean Jackson that wasn't a fumble, and decided to call passing plays in the last 30 seconds of the first half. Both of those mistakes led to touchdowns by the Giants and almost put the Eagles down for the count.

The Breakdown:
It's been almost three days, and I still can't believe what happened up in East Rutherford last Sunday. In the Eagles first game in the New Meadowlands, they christened it with a new Miracle. Down 31-10 with just eight minutes to play, the Eagles got big play after big play from Michael Vick and the offense and had a little help from the Giants on special teams to complete the most amazing comeback possibly in Eagles history.

The fourth quarter was simply amazing. Not only did it give the Eagles sole possession of first place in the NFC East, but it put the Giants on the ropes for even making the playoffs. The most important thing is that the Eagles now control their own destiny. With just one win in their final two games, the Eagles will clinch their first NFC East crown since the 2006 season, when Jeff Garcia was quarterbacking the team. Nothing is decided yet, but with home games against Minnesota and Dallas left, things might be wrapped up shortly.

There's nothing else you can say about Michael Vick this season. The man is on another level. New York shut him down for 52 minutes, but it wasn't enough. Just like the first matchup, the Giants brought blitz after blitz at Vick, but this time, Vick was able to get through and run the ball against the New York defense. He destroyed them in the fourth quarter on two of the scoring drives, and his four yard touchdown run put the Eagles back to within a touchdown. Vick was able to do things with his arm as well, as he hit Jeremy Maclin for two touchdowns, and his 65 yard strike to Brent Celek started the entire comeback. Without that first long touchdown, there might not have been enough time for the Eagles to even score three more times in regulation. It's the quick strike ability of this offense that makes them so dangerous, even against some of the better defenses in the NFL. There's not a game that this team is out of.

You have to give love to the special teams as well. First came the onside kick with the Eagles down 31-17. The Giants weren't prepared for it, and Riley Cooper did a great job making sure that the ball went ten yards before he touched it. The Eagles would score on that drive, cutting the lead to 31-24. Then came the last play of the game. This one falls more on the Giants than the Eagles, because, thanks to a high snap and a poor kick, the ball came right to DeSean Jackson, which was pretty much the one place that Tom Coughlin didn't want the ball to go. The kick was so bad that Jackson had time to fumble it, pick it up and find a hole to run through before the Giants even made it down the field to try and tackle him. Jason Avant had a huge block at midfield, and that was all Jackson would need. Did he have to start celebrating at the 25 yard line? Of course not, but with the smack that the Giants were talking during the week and for most of the game, I don't blame him. This game was a likely once in a lifetime comeback, so it's fine to showboat a little bit.

The end of the game was the most amazing, improbable thing that any Eagles fan has seen since the original Miracle at the Meadowlands back in 1978, but you have to remember that the Eagles were outplayed in this game for three and a half quarters, and there are some things to be worried about. Eli Manning picked on Dimitri Patterson all day long, and Mario Manningham worked Patterson for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Manning's other two touchdown passes also came on Patterson's side of the field, as the Giants basically ignored Asante Samuel and focused on the rest of the Philadelphia secondary, which isn't the best in the NFL, that much is proven. That secondary is going to be tested even more now that Nate Allen is out for the year with a torn patella tendon in his knee. Allen was having a very solid rookie season and was looking like the safety of the future for the Eagles, but now he's got a long road to recovery, and seventh round pick Kurt Coleman will be starting the rest of the way. Coleman did well in a start for Allen earlier in the year, so he already has experience, but there's a reason he was a seventh round pick. I think anyone would rather have Allen in there, but the Eagles have played through plenty of injuries this year, and they can do it again.

For the first three and a half quarters on Sunday, this was the ugliest game that the Eagles had played all year. Andy Reid made questionable call after questionable call, including passing the ball at the 15 yard line with under a minute to play in the first half, and not challenging a DeSean Jackson fumble in the fourth quarter. Both those mistakes led to touchdowns by New York and really should have cost the Eagles the game. If not for that amazing comeback, every single Eagles fan would be bashing Reid inside and out right now. Thankfully, Michael Vick made things happen and the defense came up with big plays when they needed to. Rather than have to write about needing help to get into the playoffs, the Eagles now get to enjoy the inside track to the NFC East title and a possible first round bye if things go their way.

There's just two weeks left in the regular season, and the Eagles have two home games left to play. This Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings, with or without Brett Favre, come into town. This one's for the division crown, so hopefully, there's no let down or a need for a fourth straight fourth quarter comeback.

Yep, all of this happened....

2010-12-19T21:48:00.003-05:00

Breakdown coming later. I can't find the words yet. Enjoy the call.

Eagles Aftermath: Eagles-30, Cowboys-27

2010-12-16T10:43:00.002-05:00

What happened?
DeSean Jackson had 210 receiving yards, including a 91 yard touchdown catch, and LeSean McCoy rushed for 149 yards, most of them coming in the fourth quarter as the Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys and remained tied for first place in the NFC East.

The Good:
LeSean McCoy was a beast when the Eagles needed him the most. He carried the ball 16 times for 149 yards, with most of the yards coming in the fourth quarter as the Eagles were trying to run down the clock.

DeSean Jackson played through a foot injury to catch four passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. The 91 yard touchdown catch by Jackson was the longest scoring play from scrimmage in the NFL this season.

Michael Vick had another decent game, completing 16 of 26 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball eight times for 16 yards and a touchdown.

Dimitri Patterson had a big interception in the fourth quarter that led to points.

David Akers was 3/3 on field goal attempts, including a 50 yarder.

Todd Herremans caught his second career touchdown pass.

The Eagles held Dallas to 110 yards on the ground between four ball carriers. Felix Jones led the Cowboys with just 41 yards on 13 carries.

The Bad:
Michael Vick also threw two interceptions and was under pressure for various parts of the game. Even though he only got sacked twice, he was hit far more than that.

Aside from DeSean Jackson, the next leading Philadelphia receiver had just 18 yards.

Dallas made it inside the red zone three times, and scored touchdowns on two of those trips.

The Eagles only went two for four inside the red zone.

Brent Celek went another game without a catch. He has just 30 on the season.

The Ugly:
The Eagles lost both Stewart Bradley and Brandon Graham to injuries. Bradley dislocated his elbow, and Graham tore his ACL, knocking him out for the season.

The Breakdown:
For the second week in a row, the Eagles went into the fourth quarter trailing after having a lead at the half. Once again, Michael Vick was able to lead the offense to two fourth quarter scores, while the defense did just enough for the Eagles to hold on for another win, putting them at 9-4 on the season and keeping them tied with the New York Giants for first place in the NFC East.

Just as they did against the Redskins on Monday Night Football, the Eagles came out and went for a big play on the opening play of the game. The call was just about the same, and the result was similar as well, as DeSean Jackson caught a 60 yard pass from Michael Vick that silenced the Dallas crowd early. Vick later scored on a one yard touchdown run, and while the drive was good, the defense still had to do their job, and once again, they ran into some trouble when it mattered the most.

I have no idea how this defense got like this in such a short period of time. Part of it has to do with how young most of the players are, I'm sure, but then there's just a lack of discipline on that side of the ball. The defense can look very good at periods of time, and believe me, they get key turnovers just about any time that they need them, but then they can have drives where they keep the opposing offense on the field with stupid penalties and blown coverages. Yes, Asante Samuel has missed the last three games, but it's not all on him. It can't just be that. This defense was giving up big plays with Samuel in there. They still had stupid penalties called, and they still gave up a ton of points down in the red zone. Against Dallas, the Eagles allowed two touchdowns inside the 20 yard line, and one from 22 yards away. That can't happen against the better teams in the NFC. Teams like the Bears, Saints, Falcons and yes, the Giants, will kill the Eagles if they can't buckle down in the red zone.

Luckily for the Eagles, they still have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. This past Sunday against Dallas was no exception, as Michael Vick helped move the offense down the field with quick scoring drives that always seemed to come just as the Cowboys were about to take full control of the game. It wasn't exactly how you want a game to be run, with the offense only on the field for three to five minute drives, but as long as they result in points, then there's no problem with it. Dallas had an answer for every receiver that the Eagles had, save for DeSean Jackson. Though he only caught four passes, he averaged 52.5 yards per catch. That's some kind of video game number right there. His 91 yard touchdown catch on what was a quick slant pattern turned the game back around in favor of the Eagles and once again silenced a Dallas crowd that was just about to get back into the game. That's what this offense can do to any team. They can look dead for stretches, but all it takes is one big play, one mistake by the opposing defense, and the game is blown wide open again.

It doesn't even have to be DeSean Jackson that does it. The Eagles also have Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Brent Celek and even Riley Cooper that can make big plays in the passing game. Then, there's LeSean McCoy, who had the biggest game out of everyone on offense this week. McCoy didn't find the end zone, and only had four yards receiving, but it was his ground work at the end of the game that sealed things up for the Eagles. With the Cowboys having just scored with over four minutes to play, the Eagles had a three point lead. There wasn't an Eagles fan alive that wanted the Cowboys to get the ball back, and if you did, then you were insane. Dallas had just driven right downfield, and as tired as the Philadelphia defense looked, another score seemed almost like a formality if the Eagles had to punt again.

Then, McCoy got to work. The only pass play of the entire drive came on the first play, when Vick hit McCoy for a six yard gain. On the next play, McCoy picked up 12 yards for a first down, then got 19 more, moving the ball to midfield and forcing the Cowboys to start using their timeouts. A 13 yard run followed, and after a run for no gain by Jerome Harrison, Vick ran and stayed in bounds for a nine yard gain, setting up a third down and one with the game on the line. In just about every other situation under Andy Reid, the Eagles would have thrown the ball here. For some reason, Reid stuck with his running back, and McCoy picked up six yards and the game was over. I have no idea why the offense called the plays that they did on that drive, but I'm sure as hell glad that they did. That was a drive that didn't result in any points, but was just as satisfying as one that did. It was well run, took four and a half minutes off the clock, and finished off the Cowboys. I wouldn't have it any other way.

The game wasn't without its casualties, though. Stewart Bradley dislocated his elbow, knocking him out for at least a few weeks, if not until the playoffs start, while Brandon Graham tore his ACL, ending his rookie season just as he was getting into a nice groove. Considering the state of the Eagles on defense, these were two injuries that they could not afford to have. Bradley was finally showing the spark that he had two seasons ago before his ACL injury, and Graham was doing well on the defensive line with Trent Cole and Juqua Parker. Parker will have to step in for Graham, while seventh round pick Jamar Chaney will start in place of Bradley. Chaney looked good while playing against Dallas, and now he's had a full week to get ready, but you know that the Giants are going to take shots at him early and often.

This week is the biggest game of the season as the Eagles travel up to East Rutherford to take on the Giants. The winner gets control of the NFC East with just two games to play, and with the NFC playoff picture still looking cloudy, you want to have control of your division. This is the last road game of the year for the Eagles, so hopefully they can continue their run over the Giants and get one step closer to another division crown.

Cliff Lee is back

2010-12-14T10:39:00.002-05:00

One year ago today, the Phillies made possibly the biggest trade in team history, sending Cliff Lee to Seattle as part of a deal that landed them Roy Halladay. Throughout the season, and even after trading for Roy Oswalt, fans still were talking about how they could have kept Cliff Lee around and paired him with Halladay and Cole Hamels to make one of the best rotations in baseball.

Well, those fans now have their wish. As of midnight today, Cliff Lee is once again a Phillie, having agreed to a five year, $120 million deal with an option for a sixth year that seems to have come in at the 11th hour. Now, not only do the Phillies have Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, but Cliff Lee as well. That's one scary rotation right there.

The best part about this deal might be the way that it got taken care of. For weeks, all people heard about were the Yankees and Rangers going after Lee, with no mention of any other team. Then, rumors of a third mystery team started to surface yesterday, and before people were going to bed out on the west coast, the Phillies had signed the biggest free agent pitcher on the market from under the noses of the Yankees and Rangers. While it's fun to really be able to stick it to New York this time, nothing has been decided yet for the 2011 baseball season. In fact, the year still has to be played.

For the moment, this is the biggest free agent signing in Phillies history. The Phillies now have the best rotation in major league baseball, with two Cy Young winners in Halladay and Lee, as well as Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. All four pitchers have playoff experience, and all four could be the ace for almost any other team in baseball. This isn't any other team any more, though. The Phillies have shown over the past three seasons that they want to be one of the big teams in baseball. They've gotten there now. Very few, if any, teams have actually beaten out the Yankees for a player that they had their sights on for months, but the Phillies did it. Cliff Lee chose a chance to pitch in the best staff in baseball in a city that he loved over an extra $30 million, and if there was any other way for him to be loved more by the fans in Philadelphia, that was it.

The Phillies aren't done making moves yet, either. While this signing certainly cements the rotation in place, there are still several questions that are lingering around. Ruben Amaro is likely looking at trading away Joe Blanton, Raul Ibanez or both of them to pay for Lee's new contract, and the Phillies still have some questions in the bullpen and a lack of a power right handed bat in their lineup. This team isn't perfect, but they're on their way. There's still plenty of time left in the offseason for more moves to be made, and after the Phillies just pulled off this stunner, I'm sure that they have something else up their sleeves.

There is a bit of a dark cloud to all of this, though. The Phillies have now officially joined the Yankees and the Red Sox on the "dark side" of the baseball fence. With their payroll now, fans in Philadelphia can't complain about the Yankees trying to buy a championship, or the Red Sox plundering from smaller market teams, because the Phillies are right there now, too. The funny thing is...I kind of like this feeling. It's a far cry from where the Phillies were just ten years ago, and if you had told me at the end of the 1999 season that the Phillies would have won four straight National League East pennants, gone to back to back World Series and won the 2008 World Series, I would have laughed at you. Now, the Phillies have truly become one of the elite teams in baseball. It certainly hasn't all been through homegrown talent, but that's how good teams stay at the top.

Welcome back to Philadelphia, Cliff. The city sure did miss you. Yes folks, it's only gonna get funner.

CSNPhilly.com: Cliff Lee is a Phillie again

Jayson Werth and Donovan McNabb have something in common.

2010-12-06T18:43:00.003-05:00

Most Phillies fans knew that it was coming, but it's still never good to see it when it does. As per Todd Zolecki, Jayson Werth has left the Phillies for the Washington Nationals.

The team may seem like a surprise to some, but the deal is a bigger shock. Werth signed a seven year, $126 million deal, putting him in the nation's capital until he's 38, and at an average of $18 million per season at that. The Nationals have picked up a good right fielder, while the Phillies now have a hole in right.

When you look at the pure numbers of this deal, there was just no way that the Phillies were going to match it. The Nationals offered Werth seven years, and from what everyone had been hearing, there's just no way that the Phillies were going to offer more than five. The Nationals also have made Werth one of the highest paid outfielders in the game, and while Washington missed out on key free agents in Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia, they weren't going to miss out on Werth. The Nationals came on hard and fast, and to be honest with you, the Phillies didn't stand a chance. Not with what the Nationals were throwing out there. Not with seven years and $18 million per season.

It was almost certain that the Phillies were going to lose Werth during this offseason, but there was still hope that he would come back. After all, the Phillies were the only team to pick him up off the scrap heap back in 2007 and then they gave him a chance in 2008 after Geoff Jenkins didn't work out. Over the last two and a half years, Werth has been one of the keys to the middle of the Philadelphia lineup, and while part of that has to be due to having Chase Utley and Ryan Howard bat in front of him, some of it also has to do with Werth's natural talent. There's no doubt about it, Werth is a good right fielder, with a cannon for an arm and power to match, but when he's in a lineup with Ryan Zimmerman and himself, how much protection is he going to get? Plus, Nationals Park isn't nearly as forgiving as Citizens Bank Park, so his numbers might go down next year.

People have seen these deals for outfielders almost every year. They can work, but they don't always. Look back at Jason Bay last year, Carlos Lee a few years back and Vernon Wells in Toronto. Outfielders can have a few big seasons, sign big contracts and then become problems for the team that signed them. I'm not saying that's what going to happen to Werth, not at all. In fact, I hope Werth kills everyone but the Phillies in his time in Washington. What I am saying is that the contract that Werth signed makes him a problem for the Nationals if they ever have to get rid of him. Werth turns 32 next May, which is close to the end of the prime years for most baseball players. Say Werth's numbers start going downhill after two years. No one is going to want to trade for a 34 or 35 year old right fielder who is getting paid $18 million a season. That's why the Phillies wouldn't go further than four years with Werth, and that's the biggest problem that the Nationals are going to have.

For the Phillies, the biggest question now is how will they fill the hole left by Werth. Ben Francisco or Domonic Brown seem like the most likely options, but Francisco has never started full time in Philadelphia, and Brown struggled during the season with the Phillies, and then came home after a poor winter league in the Dominican. Apparently, the Phillies are looking at other options, such as Matt Diaz or Jeff Francoeur, but those can't possibly be long term ideas. The Phillies need another right handed bat in their lineup, and if they put Brown in there, it's just going to be another left hander in the mix of things. It's not going to work for an everyday solution. The Phillies need that right handed bat, and ideas aren't exactly flying in.

Jayson Werth was a good player for the Phillies. He was a key part of the team over the last two years, but to be honest with everyone, he was too old to sign to such a long term deal. The Nationals have more money to make a move like this, so it makes more sense. That doesn't mean that it's a good deal, though.

So long, Werth. It was fun while it lasted.

The Zo Zone: Werth signs with Nationals

Eagles Aftermath: Eagles-34, Texans-24

2010-12-06T17:23:00.002-05:00

What happened?
Down 24-20 in the fourth quarter, Michael Vick guided the Eagles to two scoring drives, putting the Eagles at 8-4 and keeping them in first place in t he NFC East.

The Good:
Michael Vick had another solid game, going 22 of 33 for 302 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran the ball 10 times for 48 yards and a touchdown.

LeSean McCoy couldn't do much on the ground, but he was great catching the ball. McCoy ran the ball 12 times for 44 yards and a touchdown while catching eight passes for 86 yards and another touchdown.

DeSean Jackson only had three catches, but they went for 84 yards.

Brent Celek caught four passes for 55 yards and had a huge play on third down and 19 that allowed the Eagles to score a touchdown and put the game away in the fourth quarter.

Trevor Laws had his first career interception late in the second quarter, picking off Matt Schaub on a screen pass to set up a field goal.

David Akers kicked two field goals and four extra points.

The Bad:
Sav Rocca had three punts in the game, and averaged just 35.7 yards on them.

Andre Johnson had 149 yards receiving.

Adrian Foster didn't get to 100 yards on the ground, but he got close. He also scored twice, including a catch where he ran over Nate Allen at the three yard line.

Jason Avant had just one catch for four yards.

The Ugly:
The Eagles had 11 penalties called against them for 85 yards.

Houston made it inside the red zone three times, and scored all three times.

After taking over 12 minutes off the clock in the first and the start of the second quarter, the Eagles only had the ball for another 19 minutes.

The Breakdown:
This was a game that both teams needed to win, and while the Eagles almost let things slip away from them, in the end, they managed their fourth win since the bye and kept their first place lead in the NFC East over the New York Giants.

It wasn't as easy as a lot of people thought it was going to be, though. On their first two drives, the Eagles cut through the Houston defense, with Michael Vick once again doing most of the damage. His first pass of the game was a 30 completion to DeSean Jackson, and LeSean McCoy scored on each of the first two drives. After that, the first half once again boiled down to a few simple facts, though. The Eagles can't stop teams in the red zone, and there are times when this team just can not score when they get inside the 20 yard line. The three times that the Texans had the ball in the red zone, they found the end zone, including twice in the third quarter to put Houston on top for the first time. Meanwhile, the Eagles, who had gone 2-10 in their last two games inside the 20, scored on their first two drives in the red zone, but then had the same issues that they had faced against the Bears and Giants. While those two teams are solid on defense, Houston is anything but.

The biggest issue on Thursday night were the two dropped passes inside the red zone. Both Jason Avant and Brent Celek dropped what should have been touchdown passes from Michael Vick, and the two drives ended with field goals instead of touchdowns. Even though the Eagles won on Thursday, that can be a big deal, especially against a team with a better defense. Against the Bears, the Eagles had their chances, but couldn't get the job done. The same could be said against the Giants, despite Philadelphia winning that game. The Eagles got lucky against Houston, in that the Texans ended up not being able to stop the Eagles in the fourth quarter. Michael Vick did what he had to do, and the Eagles came away with a win. That doesn't mean that it was as good as it could have been, though.

Michael Vick took a lot of hits against the Texans, and was slow in getting up on a few of them as well. Vick took a nasty shot in the second quarter and didn't run as well after that. The biggest issue is the offensive line for this team. If they can't keep Vick from getting hit, he's going to get hurt. To make matters even worse, Winston Justice left the game with an apparent knee injury. King Dunlap is ok, but he's still King Dunlap. Winston Justice at least has started and knows the system better than Dunlap does. Considering Vick has been sacked eight times in the last three games, and he's one of the most elusive quarterbacks in the NFL, that doesn't bode well for this offensive line. Vick has to stay healthy to lead the offense, and all it's going to take is one good hit for him to be knocked out for the year.

Then, there's the defense. The Eagles held the Texans to just 10 points in the first half, but in the third quarter, they gave way to Adrian Foster and Andre Johnson. The two headed attack for the Texans recorded two touchdowns in the quarter, and Foster made Nate Allen look like a rookie when he ran him over on a touchdown run. The Achilles heel for the Eagles this year has been their defense in the red zone, and Thursday was no exception. All three times that Houston got the ball inside the 20, they scored a touchdown. It's not because the Eagles aren't talented on defense, or that Asante Samuel is out. There is something missing from this team that keeps them from having a killer instinct when the opponent gets close to the end zone. It's not good, no matter what it is.

Regardless of how the first three quarters went, the Eagles pulled out a comeback win in the last 15 minutes. Michael Vick ran for a touchdown to give the Eagles the lead, then found Owen Schmitt on the same play that LeSean McCoy scored on in the first quarter to finish things off. McCoy had another solid receiving day, even if the Eagles still refuse to give him the ball on the ground, while Brent Celek had the play of the game on a third and 19. While he was being tackled, Celek rolled over on the defensive player and stretched the football out. The ball just broke the plane, and the Eagles recorded a first down. Later on the drive, the Eagles scored, and that was all she wrote for the game. Without Celek making the same type of play he's made throughout his career, who knows how this game ends?

With four games left, the Eagles are sitting at 8-4, but these last four games are going to be tough. The Eagles play Dallas twice, the Giants in New Jersey and the Vikings in what could be Brett Favre's 300th straight start. The Cowboys and Vikings are playing spoiler, and the Giants are playing for the division. The Eagles need to take at least three out of these four games to ensure a playoff spot. Sweeping them and finishing 12-4 would be even better. Next up is the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Let's see what the Eagles can do once again in prime time.

Eagles Aftermath: Bears-31, Eagles-26

2010-12-01T22:33:00.002-05:00

What happened?
The Chicago Bears dealt Michael Vick his first loss as a starter for the Eagles, ending Philadelphia's three game winning streak and putting them back in a first place tie with the New York Giants.

The Good:
Jason Avant had eight catches for 83 yards.

Brent Celek actually caught a touchdown pass, and had three catches for 50 yards.

Trent Cole sacked Jay Cutler twice.

Brandon Graham had pressure on Cutler several times, and sacked him once.

The Eagles only had three penalties for 19 yards.

The Bad:
Michael Vick passed for 333 yards and two touchdowns, but never looked comfortable against the Chicago defense. He also threw his first interception of the year in the red zone and was sacked four times.

LeSean McCoy only carried the ball ten times for 53 yards. I don't care about yards per carry or how many catches he had, that's not enough runs for him.

DeSean Jackson had just two catches for 26 yards. Yep, I'm calling him out, too.

The Eagles allowed Matt Forte to be the first running back to gain 100 yards off of them this season. Forte picked up 117 yards on just 14 carries, including a big 61 yard run in the first quarter.

The Ugly:
The Eagles had 22 more pass attempts than rush attempts. That's not a balanced attack.

In five trips to the red zone, the Eagles scored a single touchdown.

Jay Cutler went 14 of 21 with four touchdown passes. When Jay Cutler almost has a perfect quarterback rating, you've messed up.

The Eagles were horrible on kick coverage, allowing an average of 27.7 yards per return.

The Breakdown:
There's really not that much that can be said about this game. Sure, the Eagles only lost by five points, but it felt like a lot more than that. The Chicago Bears took the Eagles behind Soldier Field and gave them an old fashioned ass whooping. That's what last Sunday's game was.

The stats don't matter in a game like this. Michael Vick may have thrown for 333 yards, but he was running for his life most of the time, and the Bears had a perfect gameplan to shut the Eagles down. All Chicago had to do was get pressure and leave their safeties back, looking for the deep pass to DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin. Just like against the Giants, Vick couldn't adjust when he needed to, and several of those over 300 passing yards came when the game was out of reach. In fact, the biggest moment of the game came when Vick threw his first interception of the year. The Eagles looked like they were going to take a 20-14 lead into the half when Vick led them into the red zone late in the first half, but Brian Urlacher tipped Vick's pass in the end zone, and Chris Harris intercepted it. With 38 seconds left in the half, Jay Cutler found Earl Bennett for a touchdown, and instead of the Eagles being up at the half, Chicago took a 21-13 lead that they would never give up.

For the second game in a row, the Eagles had missed chance after missed chance in the red zone. In their last two games, the Eagles have two touchdowns in ten red zone chances, and that's not good enough for a team that thinks they have a chance to win the NFC. Right now, this team might not even be good enough to make the playoffs, so they need to get their act together, and fast. Seriously, two touchdowns in their last ten chances? I know that they've played the Giants and Bears, and those are two good defenses, but still, that's nowhere close to good enough. There were more missed chances on Sunday, with Vick overthrowing receivers, or having to throw passes away because of the rush. It wasn't all on Vick against Chicago. The offensive line had a role to play as well, and they didn't do it that well. Vick was running for his life for most of the game, and rarely had a chance to get comfortable in the pocket. Yes, Michael Vick is a running quarterback, but he's been more and more of a pocket quarterback this season, and he needs time to find open receivers. If the offensive line can't give him time, he's done. The Giants showed that two weeks ago, and the Bears made it work even better last week.

The defense also had issues against the Bears. You can blame it all you want on the turf situation in Chicago, but the fact of the matter is good teams don't have issues with turf. They can play well on any surface. Matt Forte became the first running back this year to pick up 100 yards on the ground against the Eagles, and the defense just looked slow in general. Stewart Bradley was horrible, and the pass defense made Jay Cutler actually look like a first round pick. There's no way that missing Asante Samuel counted that much during this game. It's just not possible. Dimitri Patterson had been solid before last week, and Joselio Hanson is usually a good option, but neither one looked good at all. They gave up big play after big play, and that was how the Bears managed to get into scoring position so many times. Chicago used the big play very well last Sunday, and they did it early and often.

To be honest with you, having the Eagles go 3-1 through a stretch against the Colts, Donovan McNabb and the Redskins, the Giants and the Bears is pretty damn good, all things considered. However, they still needed to win this game against Chicago. This was a prove it game for this team, which had all but been anointed as the best in the NFC. While that still might happen, the Bears took the blueprint that the Giants made for stopping this offense, and they worked it to perfection. If the defense can't get caught up, then things are going to get very interesting down the stretch. Tomorrow night, the Eagles play the Houston Texans, who have one of the better offenses in the league, but boast one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. This game could be very, very fun, but it's a must win for both teams.

It's just a matter of who wants it more. I bet the Eagles do.

Eagles Aftermath: Eagles-27, Giants-17

2010-11-23T10:25:00.002-05:00

What happened?
LeSean McCoy's 50 yard touchdown run on a fourth and one gave the Eagles the lead late in the fourth quarter, and Eli Manning's fumble on a slide finished things off, as the Eagles improved to 7-3 on the season and took first place in the NFC East.

The Good:
LeSean McCoy saved the game on Sunday night, rushing for 111 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. He also caught five passes for 29 yards.

Michael Vick didn't have a great game, but he was solid, completing 24 of 38 passes for 258 yards while also rushing for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Jeremy Maclin caught nine passes for 120 yards.

The rushing defense was outstanding, holding the Giants to just 61 yards on 19 carries. Ahmad Bradshaw had just 29 yards on 12 carries and fumbled the ball once.

Eli Manning was unable to get anything going for most of the night. He threw two touchdowns, but also had three interceptions and fumbled once.

Asante Samuel had two of those three interceptions, giving him four this season against the Manning brothers.

Samuel and Dimitri Patterson did a good job at shutting down the New York passing game, holing Hakeem Nicks to just 65 yards, and Mario Manningham to three catches for 24 yards.

The offensive line did a good job keeping pressure off of Michael Vick when the Giants only brought a four man rush.

David Akers kicked four field goals, but had one blocked at the end of the first half. It's actually one of his better showings against the Giants.

The Bad:
Aside from the two game saving carries in the fourth quarter, LeSean McCoy had just nine carries for 21 yards.

Brent Celek went another game without a catch. Where has he been this season?

Michael Vick got hit way too many times, and needs to figure out how to get out of play without taking a hard shot.

Ellis Hobbs got knocked out to start the second half with a hard helmet to helmet hit on the opening kickoff.

The Ugly:
The offense made it inside the New York red zone five times...and came away with one touchdown. Both DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant dropped what would have been touchdowns.

The Eagles had ten penalties called against them, costing them 119 yards. Those penalties included four personal fouls.

Vick had no answer for the New York blitz, which looked like the same play over and over again. He has to get better at reading a blitz and finding his hot read, because if he doesn't, every team from here on out is going to do what the Giants did.

The Breakdown:
It wasn't nearly as pretty as the game on Monday night, but for the second time in a week, the Eagles managed to take down a divisional opponent, and this time, it gave them control of first place in the NFC East. With their 27-17 victory on Sunday night over the New York Giants, the Eagles are now in the driver's seat in a competitive NFC that has six teams sitting with 7-3 or better records.

There was no 88 yard touchdown to start the game against the Giants. Instead, this game played out more like a typical NFC East slugfest. Both teams came out and the defenses set the tone early. Eli Manning was never able to get comfortable, and while the Eagles never managed to sack the Giant quarterback, they had pressure on him throughout the game and forced three interceptions and a fumble that I'll talk about a little later on. New York's biggest strength coming into the game was their rushing attack, but, just like they have for most of the season, the Eagles shut down the lead rusher of their opponent. Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball just 12 times for 29 yards. That's an average of 2.4 yards per carry, and 17 of those yards came on a single play. To beat the Giants, you have to make their offense one dimensional, and that's what the Eagles did. They put all the pressure on Eli Manning and used their pass rush to force him into quick throws that weren't always the best option. New York ended up with just 208 total yards of offense, which is a far cry from the over 400 they averaged coming into the game.

Of course, the Eagles didn't have the best showing on offense either, despite picking up almost 400 yards on the game. Michael Vick had a good game, passing for 258 yards, but he struggled whenever the Giants brought pressure from the left side. Vick is a left handed quarterback, and when he scrambles to the left, it opens up the entire playbook. He can run or pass, and it keeps defenders guessing. What the Giants did was force Vick to the right, eliminating the threat of the pass and holding him to short three or four yard runs that they could hit him on. I lost track of how many times Vick was hit hard in this game, and there were a couple of times where he got up a little bit slowly. Vick already got hurt once this season, and if he keeps taking hits like that, he's going to get hurt again. He has to get the ball out quicker on blitz attempts, because when an opposing defense blitzes, there should always be single coverage or at least one man open. Vick just has to read where the weak spot is and exploit it. However, it's not that easy.

The blitz of the Giants was one of the reasons why the Eagles only found the end zone once in the first half. The other reason was sloppy play by the Eagles on offense. Two times, Vick had receivers in the end zone and hit them in the hands with the football. Both times, the receivers dropped the ball, and in the case of Jason Avant, there wasn't a single New York player within five yards of him. He was literally wide open and couldn't catch the ball. You can't beat good teams with field goals, and it almost came back to bite the Eagles in the fourth quarter. The Giants forced Vick to fumble, his first turnover of the year, and scored a five yard touchdown to give them a one point lead at 17-16. Just like two weeks ago against the Colts, the failure of the offense in red zone situations was coming back to bite them.

In a game without many big plays, the biggest one that the Eagles had may have been the one that defines this season. On third and six at midfield, Vick hard counted, forcing rookie Jason Pierre-Paul offsides. Of course, the Eagles came out in the shotgun on third and one, and the play failed, leaving the Eagles with a fourth down and one to go with just four and a half minutes left in the game. The Giants had crowded the middle of the line, anticipating a sneak from Vick, but the Eagles, who had a similar situation against the Colts, had other plans. Vick bobbled the snap, and just managed to pitch it to LeSean McCoy before Osi Umenyiora knocked the ball away. McCoy ran untouched for a 50 yard touchdown, the Eagles converted the two point conversion, and that was all that was needed. The Giants had one more chance after Asante Samuel fumbled his second interception of the game back to New York, but Eli Manning slid head first on a fourth down scramble and fumbled the ball before he was touched. McCoy broke off a 40 yard run that set up a David Akers field goal for the final nail in the coffin.

As I said before, it wasn't a pretty game by any means, but a win is still a win. The defense looked great out there against one of the better offenses in the NFL, and while many people said that the Eagles couldn't have long, sustained drives, two of their scoring drives lasted for 13 plays or more, and took over 15 combined minutes off the clock. That's an entire quarter of football, for those of you keeping track at home. Sure, the Eagles are a big play offense, but their biggest plays on Sunday were the two runs in the fourth quarter by McCoy. This wasn't a typical game for the Eagles this year, but they still found a way to win. That's what good teams do, and believe it or not, the Eagles are a very, very good team right now. The Giants came into Philadelphia with a solid game plan and worked it very well, but the Eagles still had too much on offense, and with the defense creating a short field on two scoring drives, New York had their work cut out for them.

There are still some concerns, though. Vick can't be taking the hits he took against the Giants every single week, or he's going to miss some key time down the stretch. He has to get out of bounds or slide on runs, and when he facing a blitz, he needs to find the hot read to get the ball out of his hands quickly. The Giants ran the same blitz probably ten or so times during the game, as they brought Antrel Rolle from the left side, and the Eagles didn't have an answer for it. If they, and Vick, can't figure out how to stop a simple safety blitz, then expect to see that coming more and more often during the rest of the season. The run game needs to be more than just two big plays at the end of the game, but I'll take what happened against the Giants any time. That's the value that McCoy brings to the Eagles. He can be stopped for an entire game, then change everything with two carries that push the momentum right back to the Philadelphia side of the ball. Was this game as fun to watch as the one against the Redskins? Not exactly, but the Eagles have themselves in a great position now. They control their own fate in the NFC East, with three divisional games still to come. The toughest part of their schedule is almost over, with just Chicago remaining in this rough four game patch. It's 3-0 for the Eagles since the bye week, which is normally when things get turned around for this team.

With a couple more wins, things could be looking very good for the Eagles. There's still a lot of season left, and Chicago is a very good team that's had extra time to prepare for Michael Vick, so we'll see what happens this Sunday.

Roy Halladay is your Cy Young winner

2010-11-16T21:38:00.002-05:00

Eleven months ago to the day, the Phillies completed their trade for Roy Halladay. While it cost them Cliff Lee and Kyle Drabek, the mood around Philadelphia was that Halladay would get the Phillies back to the World Series and coast to the Cy Young Award in his first year in the National League. While the first prediction unfortunately didn't come to pass, the second one did. Today, Halladay was named the winner of the National League Cy Young Award, and he was named so in a unanimous vote, making him the first pitcher since 2007 to win the award with such an honor.

While Halladay started the season 10-7, after the All Star break, he took off, going 11-3 the rest of the way. Roy ended up leading the National League in wins, innings pitched and complete games, and he finished in the top three in the league in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and winning percentage. He also pitched a pefect game against the Marlins back in May, and his first ever playoff start against the Cincinnati Reds turned out to be just the second no-hitter in playoff history. Sure, the votes for the Cy Young Award are recorded before the playoffs start, but I had to throw that in there.

Roy Halladay was the best pitcher in the National League this year, and now it's official. Yes, Adam Wainright, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Johnson and Tim Hudson had great seasons, but no one had the season that Halladay did. Halladay pitched a perfect game, suffered through the offensive drought that the Phillies had during the regular season, then kicked it into overdrive when most pitchers are thinking about golf. Despite the Phillies not making it back to the World Series for the third straight year, Halladay showed more heart than any pitcher that I've ever seen when he beat the Giants on a pulled groin in his last start of the year. Even if the votes were taken before the playoffs, that would have given him the Cy Young in my opinion.

This was the best pitching performance by a Phillies pitcher in years, and it was justly awarded as such. Halladay became the fifth pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in two different leagues, and was the first Phillie to win the award since 1987, when Steve Bedrosian won it as a relief pitcher. The only thing that bothers me about the voting is that Cole Hamels didn't finish in the top 12 of the votes, while Brett Myers and Bronson Arroyo did. Hamels had a better season than either of those two, and would have been in the top ten easily if it hadn't been for the lack of run production. Oh, and Roy Oswalt, the third pitcher in the Phillies' rotation? Yeah, he ended up finishing sixth in the voting. That's after a 6-12 start with the Astros. I think the Phillies are in good shape for next season on the mound.

Congrats to Roy Halladay. You deserved this more than anything else. The only thing that's missing now is a ring and another parade, but that can wait until next season. Besides, it wasn't your fault anyway. It took you just one season to become one of the most beloved Phillies of the last 20 years.

Eagles Aftermath: Eagles-59, Redskins-28

2010-11-16T20:42:00.002-05:00

What Happened?
The Eagles scored 28 points in the first quarter of last night's game and never looked back, setting a team record for yardage and scoring their most points in a single game since 1934. Michael Vick passed for over 300 yards, threw four touchdowns and rushed for two more.

The Good:
Michael Vick looked like he was playing a video game. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 80 yards and two more touchdowns, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for over 300 yards, rush for over 50 yards, throw four touchdowns and rush for two more in a single game.

Jerome Harrison carried the ball 11 times for 109 yards and his first touchdown as an Eagle on a 50 yard run in the first quarter.

LeSean McCoy only carried the ball 11 times for 43 yards, but he also caught five passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.

DeSean Jackson started the game off with an 88 yard touchdown catch, and while he only had one other catch for ten yards, that was all that was needed.

Jeremy Maclin caught four passes for 79 yards and had a 48 yard touchdown catch that started the second quarter. It was his seventh touchdown of the year.

Jason Avant had five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.

The Eagles only managed to sack Donovan McNabb twice, but had him under pressure almost the entire game, and forced three interceptions.

Dimitri Patterson intercepted two of McNabb's passes, running one back for a 40 yard touchdown that capped the scoring.

The Eagles forced the Redskins to go 0-10 on third downs, and held the ball for almost 40 minutes.

The Eagles only had six penalties called against them for just 35 yards.

The Bad:
Brent Celek only caught two passes for eight yards. He's been a nonfactor this entire season.

The defense did look a little soft at times, allowing 28 points on some deep throws by McNabb. Plus, some guy named Keiland Williams scored three touchdowns.

The Eagles didn't score 60 points. I wanted to see that.

The Ugly:
Nothing to see here. The Eagles just blew out a division opponent and can control first place with a win on Sunday.

The Breakdown:
All you needed to know about last night's game came on the first play. Backed up at their own 12 yard line, the Philadelphia Eagles came out and ran a play action fake to LeSean McCoy. Michael Vick had protection and ran out to the left, then launched a pass to DeSean Jackson that Jackson caught in stride at the Washington 35 yard line. LaRon Landry fell down attempting a tackle, and Jackson walked backwards into the end zone from ten yards out. Eighteen seconds into the game, the Eagles had a 7-0 lead, and it was all downhill from there for the Redskins, while the Eagles were just starting a historic night.

The first five times that the Eagles had the ball on offense, they found the end zone, and each one of the scores came either from the arm or the leg of Michael Vick. There is literally nothing else that can be said about this man right now. If you're an Eagles fan, you may hate what he did in the past, you may never like him as a person, but you have to admit that he is one hell of a football player. Last night may have been Vick's best showing ever as a professional player, and that's including his time down in Atlanta. Throughout this season, we've been able to see Vick evolve as a quarterback, and last night may have been the culmination of that evolution.

As a member of the Falcons, Vick's progression in the pocket was pretty much for him to look at his primary receiver, then Alge Crumpler, then run if both of them were covered. Last night, you could see Vick actually looking for each receiver on a play before he thought about running the football. Even when he did scramble in the pocket, he was still looking downfield, trying to find a receiver to pass to. When there wasn't anyone open, Vick tucked it and ran, which he did to the tune of 80 yards and two touchdowns. So far this season, Vick has 11 passing touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns, has completed 62.7% of his passes and hasn't thrown an interception. Those numbers are in just five and a half games. Could you imagine what they might be at had Vick played a full game against the Redskins in the first game, and not had to miss the games against the Falcons, Titans and 49ers? He might not just be in the talk for MVP this season, he could be leading it.

Of course, Vick is just one player on the offense, and despite his amazing night, it was a total team effort against the Washington defense. Four different players caught touchdown passes, and Jerome Harrison showed why he might be the best number two running back in the NFC with his first 100 yard game as an Eagle. LeSean McCoy had some issues running the ball, but had over 50 yards receiving and caught a touchdown on a shovel pass in that first quarter. DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant all had over 70 receiving yards and a touchdown, and the Eagles controlled the ball for almost 40 minutes on offense, setting a franchise record for yards, and most of them came before the fourth quarter.

On the other side of the ball, the defense has to get some credit for allowing the offense to get out to that big lead. The Redskins went three and out on their opening drive, which led to the second touchdown of the game. On the next Washington drive, Donovan McNabb was intercepted by rookie Kurt Coleman, who started in place of the injured Nate Allen. The Eagles scored again to put themselves up 21-0. The next two Washington drives also ended in three and outs, and the Eagles turned them both into touchdowns. Before the Redskins got a single first down, the Eagles had scored 35 points. That's how a defense can make an impact without getting many turnovers. McNabb was under pressure for most of the night, and while the Eagles only managed two sacks against him, he still looked like the same McNabb in pressure, as passes were flying over the heads of receivers or skidding at their feet. I'm not going to talk about the extension that McNabb just signed, but if that was his response to it, the Redskins might want to get their money back quickly.

Now, the defense wasn't perfect all night long. After the Eagles went up 35-0, they allowed back to back scoring drives thanks to long passes from McNabb to Fred Davis and Anthony Armstrong. It turned out to not be an area of concern, but the Eagles did show a little bit of weakness there. At the time of the pass to Davis, there were still almost three quarters of football left to be played. The Eagles had already scored four touchdowns in a quarter, so why couldn't the Redskins? That killer instinct wasn't there at times, and while the margin of victory makes it seem like it didn't matter, against a team with a better defense, it will. The run defense was solid again, but the secondary still needs to step it up more. Dimitri Patterson had a good game with two interceptions, but he also got burned on a couple of passes as well. Patterson is better than Ellis Hobbs, but the Eagles are going to have to address the cornerback situation in the offseason. Opposing teams can pick on the corner opposite Asante Samuel all day long.

Honestly, this was one of the better games that I have ever gotten to watch as an Eagles fan during the regular season. With everything that went into the first Redskins/Eagles matchup, and the result that came out of it, I was just hoping that the Eagles would be able to split the season series with the Redskins. What happened instead was something out of a video game. I mean that literally, I have played games of Madden that looked like that game last night. Michael Vick is on another planet right now, and needs to be resigned as quickly as possible. Imagine saying that at this point last year. The offense may be the fastest in the NFL, and the defense just needs to do enough to let the offense score points.

If you look at the schedule for the Eagles, these past two games and the next two upcoming games might be the toughest stretch for the team this season. They had to play the Colts, go to Washington for a rematch with the Redskins, then take on the Giants and Bears, two first place teams. Well, so far the Eagles are 2-0 on that stretch and are looking more and more like one of the better teams in the NFC. When you couple that with the fact that they beat the Falcons with Kevin Kolb at quarterback and DeSean Jackson missing most of the game, this team could be a big factor going into the last half of the season. I'm not saying anything else yet, because this coming game against the Giants will be the measuring stick for the rest of the year. New York got embarrassed at home against the Cowboys last week, possibly because they were looking ahead to this game with the Eagles, and now the game is for first place in the NFC East with just six games to play following the game. It's as much of a must win for both teams as it can possibly be.

Now, if the Eagles can put forth even 75% of what they showed on Monday Night, they'll be in business. This season could turn out to be something else, but it's not there yet. There are still steps to be taken. Remember, last night was just one game. Sure, the Eagles scored the most points that they'd scored since 1934, but that's not going to get them to the playoffs. Winning the rest of their games is going to do that. It's one game at a time from here on out.

Even more Phillies news

2010-11-15T20:32:00.002-05:00

Yep, the news just keeps coming for the Phillies, who made two moves today to help ensure that the bullpen for next year is in decent shape, and to possibly find their successor to Charlie Manuel.

After a solid season last year, many people were hopeful that Jose Contreras would be brought back for at least next season. Even at age 39 (or so), Contreras was one of the best relief pitchers for the Phillies last season, going 6-4 with a 3.34 ERA. Well, today, the Phillies rewarded Contreras with a two year, $5.5 million contract, giving him two more years in the red and white pinstripes.

This is a good move for the Phillies, who are going to need to keep some of their better bullpen options for next year. Contreras was pretty much the most consistent relief pitcher that the Phillies had last season, and it's worth the money to bring him back. While deals for a hard throwing pitcher can come back to bite you, Contreras showed his worth with the Rockies back in 2009, and really earned his stripes with the Phils last year. He's worth the money, especially with the way he pitched last season. I was hopeful that the Phillies would bring him back, and they did. It may have been for a bit more money than people may have expected, but to get Contreras back for under $3 million per season? I'll take it.

With the other move today, the Phillies finally resolved 29 years of frustration. It took almost three decades, but Ryne Sandberg is back in the fold for the Phils. It's not as a player, of course but as the manager of the Triple A Leihigh Valley Iron Pigs. Sandberg left the Chicago Cubs when he wasn't chosen as the manager after Lou Piniella retired, but it's for the best that he's with the Phillies now. Sandberg has been very, very good as a minor league manager, and he was expected to take over in Chicago, but the Cubs decided to go in another direction. Now, the Phillies have him once again, and they might just have their successor to Charlie Manuel.

I'm not hoping that Charlie Manuel is going to leave any time soon, but now the Phillies have one of the best options in baseball sitting there, waiting for them to call him up. Sandberg should have been named manager of the Cubs this offseason, but he wasn't, and now the Phillies get to reap the benefits. Considering how well Chicago made out with Sandberg during his playing days, I'm ok with this. I mean, the Cubs got Larry Bowa and Sandberg for Ivan DeJesus, which was one of the worst trades in Phillies history. Now, the Phillies finally get Sandberg back, and it's about time. I don't expect Sandberg to manage the Phillies in the next few years, but he should be tabbed for the next manager job in Philadelphia. Nothing is set in stone yet, but things are in motion right now.

Honestly, Ryne Sandberg should be a manager in the major leagues right now, but the Chicago Cubs loss is the gain for the Phillies. He's going to be great managing down in Triple A, and when Manuel steps away, he'll be there waiting for his chance. This could be going any better for the Phils right now. It's been such a long time, but the Phillies may finally have Ryne Sandberg back. It's about time.

CSNPhilly.com: Phillies resign Contreras

CSNPhilly.com: Phillies tab Ryne Sandberg to coach AAA

Phillies News Recap

2010-11-15T19:58:00.002-05:00

Yeah, it's been almost a week since my last post. Sorry about that, haven't had as much computer access as I would have wanted. Either way, it may be the offseason for the Phillies, but they're still making news, even as they prepare to go for their fifth straight National League East pennant.

First and foremost, the National League Gold Gloves were announced last week, and Shane Victorino won his third straight award in centerfield. Victorino led all National League outfielders with 11 assists, and has been nothing but an asset for the Phils since he took over in center. Most people have lost track of the number of hits that Shane has turned into outs, and that's a good thing. He deserves the Gold Glove, and while Jimmy Rollins had his three season streak come to an end, the Phillies could have had both Chase Utley and Placido Polanco in consideration as well. Regardless, it's good to see Victorino getting some more recognition.

The other news that came out last week was the replacement for Davey Lopes as a first base coach. It turns out that the Phillies didn't have to look far, as they moved third base coach Sam Perlozzo across the diamond to first base, and filled his shoes with former Phillie Juan Samuel, who is going to take over as the third base coach. Personally, I would rather see Samuel, who had world class speed as a player, coaching at first base, but apparently, Perlozzo wanted to coach the base runners, and who am I to argue with Charlie Manuel at this point? Plus, Perlozzo is a very good third base coach, and while he's never been a first base coach, he should be able to pick things up very quickly. It's not going to be as fun without Lopes in the first base box, considering he turned the Phillies into one of the best base stealing teams in baseball, but the team is still the same, the only thing missing is Lopes. We won't be able to tell how much of a difference this makes until the season starts, but everything should be ok, at least on the basepaths.

Why can't next year be here already?

CSNPhilly.com: Victorino wins third Gold Glove

CSNPhilly.com: Perlozzo moves to first base with Samuel hiring

Eagles Aftermath: Eagles-26, Colts-24

2010-11-09T13:40:00.002-05:00

What Happened?
For the first time in his coaching career, Andy Reid beat the Indianapolis Colts behind a good showing from Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and some timely defense.

The Good:
Michael Vick actually outplayed Peyton Manning, completing 17 of 29 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball ten times for 74 yards and another touchdown.

DeSean Jackson played his first game since suffering a concussion and didn't look like he missed a step. He caught seven passes for 109 yards and a score, and he also ran three times for 20 yards.

LeSean McCoy started the game with a 62 yard run that led to a touchdown. He finished the day with 95 yards on 16 carries.

The defense as a unit was solid against the Colts. The Eagles sacked Peyton Manning three times and held Donald Brown and Javarris James to just 62 yards on the ground.

Asante Samuel intercepted Manning twice, including on the final offensive play for the Colts. He also held Pierre Garcon to just two catches for 15 yards.

In his first career start, Dimitri Patterson was matched up against Reggie Wayne for most of the day, and he played well. Wayne caught 11 passes, but only for 83 yards, and he didn't have a touchdown.

David Akers went 4/4 in field goal attempts.

The Bad:
The Eagles made it inside the Indianapolis 20 yard line five different times and only scored two touchdowns. They beat the Colts, but normally, teams can't beat Peyton Manning with field goals.

After that 62 yard run to start the game, LeSean McCoy only had 33 more yards on 15 carries.

Brent Celek didn't catch a single pass during the game, though he did have a touchdown catch called back because of a penalty.

The Ugly:
The Eagles were called for 14 penalties, costing them 125 yards. While most of them were legit calls, others weren't.

Really, that's about it.

The Breakdown:
Sure, some people were picking the Eagles to actually knock off the Colts before this game started, but do you really think anyone actually believed it? The Eagles did have some things going in their favor, mostly that Andy Reid has never lost a game after the bye week, and that Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson were both returning from injuries. However, the fact still remained: you do not bet against Peyton Manning. It just doesn't happen.

Well, this past Sunday, the Eagles came out and did something that they haven't done since the 1993 season: defeat the Indianapolis Colts. Andy Reid beat the Colts for the first time in his head coaching career, and more importantly, the Eagles moved to 5-3 on the season and actually look like one of the better teams in a very interesting NFC. Despite the close score at the end of the game, it wasn't that close, and should have been a blowout win for the Eagles. The only problem was that the offense couldn't do anything right once they got inside the 20 yard line.

The Eagles made it into the red zone five times during the course of the game, including on their first four offensive possessions. While the first drive ended with a touchdown, the next three weren't as successful, as David Akers had to come in a kick chip shot field goals. When you couple those four trips in with the one touchdown that the Colts scored in that same time frame, the Eagles could have been up 28-7 in the second quarter. Instead, thanks to missed chances, they only had a 16-7 lead, and Peyton Manning took that away with two scoring drives in the final two minutes of the half. Ten quick points by the Colts later, and Indianapolis had the lead at the half. Luckily, the Eagles came back to win the game, but it should have never come to that.

Is that nitpicking? Perhaps, but one of the biggest complaints about Kevin Kolb and hell, even Donovan McNabb was that they couldn't score touchdowns when they got into the red zone. Well, Michael Vick had five red zone trips, and only scored two touchdowns. It's not the quarterback that's necessarily the problem in this situation. It could be the play calling or the design of the offense, which falls back on Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg. They have to make sure that better calls get made once the offense gets down into the red zone. Most of the time, you can't beat Peyton Manning by kicking field goals. Had those two Indianapolis scoring drives come at the end of the fourth quarter, this would be a bigger issue this week, but it's not. It's still a problem that has been hurting the Eagles all season long, though. Something has to be done about it.

With that being said, the offense still had a good game on Sunday. LeSean McCoy started things off with a 62 yard run on the first play of the game that set the tone for the offense in the first half. McCoy only finished with 95 yards, but that run helped take the wind out of the Colts' sails early. Michael Vick returned from injury and looked no worse for wear. He did have a few throws that were almost intercepted, but close doesn't count in the NFL. Vick looked comfortable in the pocket, and when he had to run, he did. Several times in the second half, Vick turned what would have been a poor play into a good one using his legs, and it's thanks to him that the Eagles were able to kill about six and a half minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter with a nine point lead. There were times when it seemed like Vick was just toying with the Indianapolis defense, and it was fun to watch.

DeSean Jackson also made his return from a concussion and looked great, recording his third 100 yard receiving game of the season while catching Vick's touchdown pass in the first quarter. Jackson was also instrumental on the last drive for the Eagles, picking up a first down on a well timed reverse that took 40 seconds off the clock. It doesn't look like Jackson showed any ill effects from his concussion, and if he can keep playing like he did on Sunday, then the Eagles are going to have a good offense for the rest of the season.

Of course, someone had to stop Peyton Manning, and the defense was up to the task. Asante Samuel intercepted Manning twice, and the defensive line put a lot of pressure on Manning, sacking him three times and hurrying his throws throughout the game. During one stretch, Manning completed just three of 14 passes, showing how much of a difference the Philadelphia pass rush made. The Colts couldn't get anything going on the ground either, as Donald Brown managed just 50 yards on 12 carries, forcing the game onto Manning's shoulders. While that's something that Manning is used to, he couldn't finish things against the Eagles. He almost did, though, with some help from the officials.

I normally won't get into officiating, because I know how hard it can be to make a close call. The referees are out on the field, making snap judgments in the blink of an eye, without the benefit of replay most of the time. They can be wrong. The call on the play where Austin Collie got hurt was a bit weak, considering Collie was knocked into Kurt Coleman, who was trying to lead with his shoulder, but ended up hitting Collie helmet to helmet. Fortunately, the NFL didn't fine either Coleman or Quintin Mikell for the hits on Collie, who hopefully will be back on the field before too long. The kicker about that entire situation was that Coleman wouldn't have even been in the game had Nate Allen not gotten hurt earlier on. Allen is likely going to miss this upcoming game with a neck sprain. Allen has looked good so far this year, so I'm hoping this is only going to be a one week type injury.

The one call that I did have a problem with was the call late in the fourth quarter. With the Colts facing a fourth and 18, with the game essentially on the line, Trent Cole managed to strip Peyton Manning, and the Eagles recovered. The only problem was that, in reaching around Manning's body to knock the ball loose, Cole brushed his arm against Manning's helmet. Cole was called for a 15 yard personal foul for hitting the quarterback's helmet, and the drive continued. The Colts would score later on to make it a 26-24 game, but they wouldn't get another chance. Now, by the letter of the law, the penalty was correct. You can't hit a quarterback in the helmet. However, it was a weak call, considering that Cole was going for the ball, and wasn't even trying to hit Manning in the head. It's not like he launched himself at Manning, or hit him after the play. He brushed his arm against the back of his helmet while trying to knock the ball loose. I'm not sure how you can change that rule, but something should be done about it. The only problem is that I don't know if anything can be done. Quarterbacks do have to be protected, and if you take that rule away, they'll be getting knocked around a lot more. I'm just glad that the call didn't cost the Eagles the game.

I said during my midseason recap that a 4-3 record was where I saw the Eagles before the season started. Well, after Week 9, I had the Eagles at 4-4. I didn't think there was any way that the Eagles would beat the Colts, but they did it, and now they're sitting at 5-3, with just the Giants ahead of them in the NFC East. Things aren't going to get any easier for the Eagles the rest of the way, as five of their last eight games are against divisional opponents, and the other three are against the Bears, Texans and Vikings, three teams fighting for their seasons right now. Beating the Colts certainly gave this team more confidence, and they should continue to perform well as the season goes along. As long as they don't play down to the level of their opponents, the Eagles will be fine and might even make the playoffs. Next week, the Eagles are headed down to Washington to take on Donovan McNabb on Monday Night Football. McNabb got his in Philadelphia, and now, it's time for the Eagles to get a little payback.