Dumb & Dumber- Meet Mr. Hamels

by Charles (Chuck) Oliver aka Bloggo Schloggo

DUMB…

Cole Hamels plunks rookie sensation Bryce Harper. It was the first each had faced each other. No history or animosity between them. Harper goes to first base. He immediately gets back at Hamels by catching the Phillies sleeping and goes all the way from first to third on a short single to the outfield. Then what does he do? Steals home while Hamels throws to first to keep the guy at first from getting a big lead and possibly steal second. That’s how you get even- by your performance on the field of play. Hamels isn’t “old school”, Harper is. The kid plays with the abandon of Pete Rose or Ty Cobb. That’s old school. Later in the game Hamels gets plunked in the leg to add insult to injury.

DUMBER…

Cole Hamels pitched a great 8 innings and promptly tells the press after the game he hit Harper intentionally. Duh really?

I had a lot of respect for Hamels before this dumb and dumber incident. I didn’t think for one minute he was throwing at Harper. I thought Hamels was attempting to throw inside and the ball got away from him. There was no reason to plunk Harper.

Let’s face it – all contact sports are under scrutiny as we learn more about concussions and the life long damage they can incur including brain damage, depression and even suicide,

As we learn more we change the rules of the game as we have witnesses especially in hockey and football. There is nothing wrong with rough play and hard contact in the course of a contest. Intentionally trying to injure a player is dead wrong. I’ve seen things happen on rinks, gridirons and diamonds that if they took place on the streets you would go to jail for those acts of violence. I’m talking felony assault and battery with intent to harm or injure. If you threw a rock or baseball at somebodies head at 90 mph and knocked them out you might find yourself facing attempted murder charges or assault with a deadly weapon.

We live and learn and as we do we make changes. Those changes are what we call progress. I can remember Roger Clemens intentionally beaning Mike Piazza and knocking him unconscious. He could have killed him. On another occasion he threw a bat at him. I wouldn’t mind seeing Clemens getting locked up for lying to congress under oath about his steroid use. He’s a bum as far as I’m concerned.

There is enough violence in this world and it has no business on the field of play. What kind of message are we sending to our kids?

The wrap is that Hamels got a 5 day suspension which means he really won’t miss a start he’ll just be moved back a day. Also a fine I’m sure he can well afford.

He hurt the team no doubt about it. With the Phillies struggling as they are it’s the last thing they need. The Nationals are in first place and will meet the Phils about 15 or so more times this season. When they meet there will be pre-game warnings issued for sure. Hamels has succeeded in putting the entire pitching staff at a disadvantage. Do they alter their pitching so as not to pitch too far inside?

I believe Hamels wasn’t trying to injure Harper and I’m glad he didn’t throw at him above the shoulders. That being said hitting him in the back a little more to the left could have possibly caused a spinal injury. There is no place in baseball, a family friendly sport for 90 mph bean balls. That wasn’t the case here. But in future meetings things could get ugly and the last thing we need is a bean ball war. If you want to prove yourself do it by excelling on the field the old fashioned way with hard work, hustle and talent.

I love the Phillies and love watching Cole Hamels pitching one of his gems and will continue to do so. It’s time for the Phils and Hamels to get the house in order and concentrate on winning ball games and reclaiming their rightful place at the top of their division.

ONE MORE NOTE…

The Phillies bonehead move in the off season was letting Wilson Valdez go. Sure Freddy Galvis is a pretty good defensive player but sporting the .180 batting average he has is strictly minor league material. The guy has been nothing less than a rally killer. Valdez is a money player that is a clutch hitter and can play 2nd, shortstop and 3rd. Even pitch in a pinch. The Phils probably would have 2 or 3 wins more with Valdez. Dumb move Amaro.

Related articles

• Spike Eskin Says: The Bryce Harper Incident Was Cole Hamels’ Free Agency Audition (philadelphia.cbslocal.com)
• Hamels Suspended 5 Games for Intentionally Hitting Harper With a Pitch (nytimes.com)
• Hamels Suspended 5 Games For Throwing At Harper (washington.cbsradio.stats.com)
• Mitch Williams Says What Cole Hamels Did Was ‘Indefensible’ (philadelphia.cbslocal.com)
• Spontaneous Combustion: Cole Hamels throwing at Bryce Harper highlights Baseball’s futility with unwritten rules. (fanonfiresportswire.com)
• Vote: Should Cole Hamels Have Been Suspended for Beaning Bryce Harper? (nesn.com)
• Cole Hamels hits Bryce Harper, admits he did it on purpose (wjla.com)
• Three Reasons Phillies’ Cole Hamels Should Have Received More Than A Five-Game Suspension (detroit.cbslocal.com)

Are The Phils Headed For The Geriatric Ward?

Philadelphia Phillies: We aren’t dead yet

PHILLY LIVE APRIL 26, 2012

They’re old. They’re broken down. They’re done.

The Philadelphia Phillies listened to the ridicule all month, as if their AARP cards are waiting in their mailbox, with retirement papers on the way.

“People keep talking about how old we are (30.8 average, second oldest in the major leagues) and how our window is about to close,” general manager Ruben Amaro says. “Maybe I’m delusional, but I really don’t think we’re old. We’re certainly not as old as other people think.

“I don’t believe our careers are over by any means.”

The Phillies might not be the same superpower that won five consecutive National League East titles, but after their 7-2 victory Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, they’re proving they’re not ready to surrender the throne.

The Phillies scored 20 runs in their last 19 innings against the Diamondbacks, and instead of answering questions about whether the end is near, they left town talking as if they’ve finally found themselves.

“The window closes every year, doesn’t it?” says Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, 33. “We’ve had a long window, not as long as the (New York) Yankees or (Atlanta) Braves in their day, but the window closes every year because you have new personnel.

Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr

“It’s different because of our personnel and the injuries we’ve had, but what makes it a lot different is that the reality is different than the perception. We may have to do things differently now, but we’re going to show the outside world that we still have plenty left in the tank.”

The Phillies, for years the Broad Street Bullies of the NL, suddenly look emaciated next to their former selves. They entered Wednesday having scored the third-fewest runs in baseball, and their 12 homers were three more than Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp. They also had drawn the second-fewest walks, with two NL teams grounding into more double plays.

“We’re going to hear about our offense all year, but it’s going to be a different kind of offense that people are used to seeing,” leadoff hitter Juan Pierre said. “We’re not going to be sitting back hitting home runs. We’re going to scrape and scrap.”

They exemplified their sleeker selves Wednesday by amassing 13 hits (11 singles and two doubles).

The Phillies simply have no choice. They are without two-time home-run champ Ryan Howard (torn Achilles) for likely another month. All-Star second baseman Chase Utley (knee) still has no timetable for his return. They’re without 2008 Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, too.

“Every team has issues,” Amaro says. “Guys have to adjust.”

Rollins, normally the leadoff hitter, has two extra-base hits and three RBI as the No. 3 hitter. Right fielder Hunter Pence, normally the fifth-place hitter, has three hits in his last 24 at-bats as the cleanup hitter. And the Phillies are waiting for outfielder-first baseman John Mayberry Jr. (.200, two RBI) to simply hit.

“We have to keep plugging away and not get frustrated,” says starter Cole Hamels (3-1), who gave up four hits and two runs in eight innings and drove in two runs Wednesday. “We’re trying to play a different game now. Really, I think it’s just a matter of time.”

And when that time comes, the Phillies defiantly say, look out.

“We got knocked down,” Pence says. “We’ve got to keep getting back. And hopefully we get on a roll and start knocking other people down.”
- Copyright 2012 USA TODAY

 

Related articles

• Phillies end road trip with 7-2 win over Diamondbacks (pennlive.com)
• Hamels Goes 8 Innings, Phillies Beat Diamondbacks (philadelphia.cbslocal.com)
• Arizona Diamondbacks beaten by Philadelphia Phillies 5-8 – MLB Recap (blogs.bettor.com)
• Late Edition: Phillies showing signs of life (pennlive.com)
• Philadelphia Phillies: Can They Survive Without Ryan Howard in the Lineup? (bleacherreport.com)
• Pence helps Phillies snap three-game skid (miamiherald.com)
• Hamels pitches, hits Phils past Diamondbacks (scores.espn.go.com)
• Phils use three blasts to Nix D-backs’ plans (mlb.mlb.com)

Phils By The Numbers Through April 26

2012 Philadelphia Phillies   Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics

9-10, 4th place in NL East (Schedule and Results)
View League Standings and Leaders

Manager: Charlie Manuel (9-10)
Scored 63 runs, Allowed 62 runs. Pythagorean W-L: 10-9

Ballparks: Citizens Bank Park · Attendance: 272,692 (1st of 16)
Park Factors  Over 100 favors batters, under 100 favors pitchers.
multi-year: Batting – 103, Pitching – 101 · one-year: Batting - 107, Pitching - 107

Carlos Ruiz

BATTING

Rk	Pos		AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
1	C	Carlos Ruiz	53	6	16	3	0	2	5	0	3	6	.302	.328	.472
2	1B	Ty Wigginton	46	8	14	3	0	1	6	0	5	11	.304	.365	.435
3	2B	Freddy Galvis#	60	4	12	4	0	1	5	0	3	10	.200	.238	.317
4	SS	Jimmy Rollins#	70	8	16	2	0	0	3	4	4	15	.229	.267	.257
5	3B	Placido Polanco	59	6	14	2	0	0	2	0	4	7	.237	.297	.271
6	LF	Juan Pierre*	59	6	20	0	1	0	4	3	2	2	.339	.361	.373
7	CF	Shane Victorino#	75	10	19	1	0	4	8	6	6	9	.253	.309	.427
8	RF	Hunter Pence	71	10	19	2	0	3	11	2	4	18	.268	.316	.423
Rk	Pos		AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
9	UT	John Mayberry	45	0	9	2	0	0	2	0	0	14	.200	.200	.244
10	UT	Laynce Nix*	23	3	8	4	0	1	6	0	2	7	.348	.400	.652
11	1B	Jim Thome*	17	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	10	.118	.211	.118
12	C	Brian Schneider*	15	1	4	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	.267	.313	.267
13	2B	Pete Orr*	15	1	4	2	1	0	3	0	0	4	.267	.267	.533
Rk	Pos		AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
14	P	Roy Halladay	11	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	5	.273	.273	.273
15	P	Cole Hamels*	10	0	3	1	0	0	2	0	0	3	.300	.300	.400
16	P	Vance Worley	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	.000	.000	.000
17	P	Cliff Lee*	6	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.333	.333	.333
18	P	Joe Blanton	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	.200	.000
19	P	Kyle Kendrick	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000
20	P	David Herndon	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000
21	P	Michael Stutes	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
22	P	Joe Savery*	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	P	Antonio Bastardo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	P	Chad Qualls	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
25	P	Michael Schwimer	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
26	P	Jose Contreras	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
27	P	Jonathan Papelbon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		Team Totals	650	63	165	26	2	12	59	15	37	132	.254	.294	.355
		Rank in 16 NL teams	5	14	5	15	13	11		4	15	10	6	14	12
Rk	Pos		AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG

Cliff Lee

PITCHING

Rk	Pos		W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	WHIP	BB/9	SO/9
1	SP	Roy Halladay	3	1	.750	1.50	4	0	30.0	19	5	8	19	0.900	2.4	5.7
2	SP	Cole Hamels*	3	1	.750	2.73	4	0	26.1	24	8	3	30	1.025	1.0	10.3
3	SP	Vance Worley	2	1	.667	2.16	4	0	25.0	22	6	9	27	1.240	3.2	9.7
4	SP	Cliff Lee*	0	1	.000	1.96	3	0	23.0	14	5	2	18	0.696	0.8	7.0
5	SP	Joe Blanton	1	3	.250	4.34	4	0	18.2	23	9	3	7	1.393	1.4	3.4
Rk	Pos		W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	WHIP	BB/9	SO/9
6	CL	Jonathan Papelbon	0	0		1.13	8	6	8.0	6	1	2	7	1.000	2.3	7.9
7	RP	Kyle Kendrick	0	1	.000	9.39	5	0	7.2	15	8	4	3	2.478	4.7	3.5
8	RP	Chad Qualls	0	0		1.29	7	0	7.0	4	1	2	4	0.857	2.6	5.1
9	RP	Michael Stutes	0	0		6.35	6	0	5.2	7	4	4	5	1.941	6.4	7.9
10	RP	Antonio Bastardo*	0	1	.000	3.86	5	0	2.1	3	1	2	5	2.143	7.7	19.3
Rk	Pos		W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	WHIP	BB/9	SO/9
11		Joe Savery*	0	0		1.59	4	0	5.2	2	1	1	1	0.529	1.6	1.6
12		David Herndon	0	1	.000	3.18	4	0	5.2	7	2	1	7	1.412	1.6	11.1
13		Jose Contreras	0	0		10.13	3	0	2.2	4	3	2	2	2.250	6.8	6.8
14		Michael Schwimer	0	0		0.00	1	0	1.0	0	0	0	0	0.000	0.0	0.0
		Team Totals	9	10	.474	2.88	19	6	168.2	150	54	43	135	1.144	2.3	7.2
		Rank in 16 NL teams	7	5		4		6	8	7	4	2	10
Rk	Pos		W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	WHIP	BB/9	SO/9

FIELDING

	G	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	Fld%	RF/9	RF/G	PB	WP	CS	PO	Pos. Summary
Antonio Bastardo	5	0	0	0	0	0		0.00	0.00			0	0	P
Joe Blanton	4	6	1	4	1	0	.833	2.41	1.25			2	0	P
Jose Contreras	3	0	0	0	0	0		0.00	0.00			0	0	P
Freddy Galvis	19	99	30	68	1	14	.990	5.74	4.67					2B-SS
Roy Halladay	4	5	3	2	0	0	1.000	1.50	1.25			0	0	P
Cole Hamels	4	8	2	5	1	0	.875	2.39	1.75			3	2	P
David Herndon	4	2	1	1	0	0	1.000	3.18	0.50			0	0	P
Kyle Kendrick	5	1	0	1	0	0	1.000	1.17	0.20			0	0	P
Cliff Lee	3	2	1	1	0	1	1.000	0.78	0.67			0	0	P
John Mayberry	17	48	46	2	0	3	1.000	4.55	2.82					LF-1B-RF
Laynce Nix	7	50	46	3	1	6	.980	9.59	6.13					1B-LF
Pete Orr	4	14	3	10	1	2	.929	4.81	3.25					2B
Jonathan Papelbon	8	3	1	2	0	0	1.000	3.38	0.38			0	0	P
Hunter Pence	18	29	29	0	0	0	1.000	1.62	1.61					RF
Juan Pierre	14	18	18	0	0	0	1.000	1.53	1.29					LF
Placido Polanco	17	43	11	32	0	2	1.000	2.95	2.53					3B
Chad Qualls	7	2	1	1	0	0	1.000	2.57	0.29			0	0	P
Jimmy Rollins	19	73	23	49	1	15	.986	4.07	3.79					SS
Carlos Ruiz	17	118	107	11	0	2	1.000	8.19	6.94	1	1	6	0	C
Joe Savery	4	1	0	0	1	0	.000	0.00	0.00			0	0	P
Brian Schneider	5	36	30	6	0	0	1.000	8.31	7.20	0	1	1	0	C
Michael Schwimer	1	0	0	0	0	0		0.00	0.00			0	0	P
Michael Stutes	6	0	0	0	0	0		0.00	0.00			0	0	P
Jim Thome	3	32	29	2	1	3	.969	12.13	10.33					1B
Shane Victorino	19	44	43	1	0	1	1.000	2.35	2.32					CF
Ty Wigginton	15	94	79	13	2	9	.979	7.35	5.11					1B-3B
Vance Worley	4	8	2	6	0	1	1.000	2.88	2.00			2	0	P
Team Totals	19	736	506	220	10	59	.986	4.30	3.00	1	2	7	2
Rank in 16 NL teams					14	3	1
	G	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	Fld%	RF/9	RF/G	PB	WP	CS	PO	Pos. Summary

Win Probability

	PA	BtRuns	BtWins	Plays	WPA	WPA+	WPA-	WPA/LI	Clutch	REW	boLI	RE24/boLI	PHlev
Joe Blanton	6	-0.8	-0.1	6	-0.1	0.0	-0.1	-0.1	0.0	-0.1	0.76	-1.0
Freddy Galvis#	65	-4.1	-0.4	65	-0.5	0.8	-1.3	-0.5	-0.0	-0.5	1.01	-4.9
Roy Halladay	12	-0.8	-0.1	12	-0.0	0.1	-0.2	-0.0	0.0	-0.1	1.00	-0.6
Cole Hamels*	11	-0.1	-0.0	11	0.0	0.1	-0.1	-0.0	0.0	0.1	0.84	-0.1
David Herndon	1	-0.3	-0.0	1	-0.0	0.0	-0.0	-0.0	-0.0	-0.0	0.86	-0.3
Kyle Kendrick	1	-0.3	-0.0	1	-0.0	0.0	-0.0	-0.0	-0.0	-0.0	1.17	-0.3
Cliff Lee*	7	-0.2	-0.0	8	-0.1	0.1	-0.1	-0.0	-0.0	-0.0	0.76	-0.2
John Mayberry	45	-4.9	-0.5	45	-0.6	0.4	-1.0	-0.6	-0.1	-0.7	1.01	-5.6	1.09
Laynce Nix*	25	2.7	0.3	25	0.0	0.6	-0.6	0.2	-0.1	0.2	1.03	2.0	1.21
Pete Orr*	15	0.2	0.0	15	-0.1	0.1	-0.2	-0.1	0.0	0.1	0.93	-0.0	0.11
Hunter Pence	76	-0.2	-0.0	78	0.2	1.6	-1.3	-0.0	0.3	-0.0	1.00	-0.6
Juan Pierre*	61	-0.1	-0.0	69	0.2	1.1	-0.9	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.94	0.4	0.86
Placido Polanco	65	-3.4	-0.3	66	-0.2	0.7	-0.9	-0.2	-0.0	-0.0	0.87	-1.0	0.61
Jimmy Rollins#	76	-5.3	-0.5	85	-0.1	1.0	-1.2	-0.3	0.2	-0.3	0.94	-3.6
Carlos Ruiz	58	1.3	0.1	59	-0.2	0.6	-0.9	0.0	-0.3	-0.2	0.98	-0.4	0.26
Brian Schneider*	16	-0.8	-0.1	16	-0.2	0.2	-0.4	-0.1	-0.0	-0.1	1.08	-1.3
Jim Thome*	19	-2.5	-0.3	19	-0.5	0.1	-0.7	-0.3	-0.2	-0.4	0.99	-2.6	1.59
Shane Victorino#	82	-0.4	-0.0	87	-0.0	1.1	-1.1	0.2	-0.2	0.2	0.95	1.0
Ty Wigginton	52	1.5	0.2	52	-0.0	0.7	-0.7	0.1	-0.1	0.4	0.89	1.2	0.97
Vance Worley	9	-2.5	-0.3	9	-0.2	0.0	-0.2	-0.2	0.0	-0.2	0.73	-2.3
League Average
Team Total	702	-20.9	-2.2	729	-2.4	9.5	-11.9	-2.0	-0.5	-1.4	0.95	-20.5	1.12
	PA	BtRuns	BtWins	Plays	WPA	WPA+	WPA-	WPA/LI	Clutch	REW	boLI	RE24/boLI	PHlev

Team Batting Ratios

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/27/2012.

	PA	HR%	SO%	BB%	XBH%	X/H%	SO/BB	AB/SO	AB/HR	AB/RBI	GB/FB	GO/AO
Joe Blanton	6	0.0%	16.7%	16.7%	0.0%		1.00	4.0
Freddy Galvis#	65	1.5%	15.4%	4.6%	7.7%	42%	3.33	6.0	60.0	12.0	0.68	1.32
Roy Halladay	12	0.0%	41.7%	0.0%	0.0%	0%		2.2		11.0	2.00
Cole Hamels*	11	0.0%	27.3%	0.0%	9.1%	33%		3.3		5.0	1.33	4.00
David Herndon	1	0.0%	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%			1.0
Kyle Kendrick	1	0.0%	100.0%	0.0%	0.0%			1.0
Cliff Lee*	7	0.0%	14.3%	0.0%	0.0%	0%		6.0			0.25	1.00
John Mayberry	45	0.0%	31.1%	0.0%	4.4%	22%		3.2		22.5	0.72	0.71
Laynce Nix*	25	4.0%	28.0%	8.0%	20.0%	63%	3.50	3.3	23.0	3.8	0.67	2.33
Pete Orr*	15	0.0%	26.7%	0.0%	20.0%	75%		3.8		5.0	1.20	2.50
Hunter Pence	76	4.0%	23.7%	5.3%	6.6%	26%	4.50	3.9	23.7	6.5	1.30	1.64
Juan Pierre*	61	0.0%	3.3%	3.3%	1.6%	5%	1.00	29.5		14.8	1.20	1.85
Placido Polanco	65	0.0%	10.8%	6.2%	3.1%	14%	1.75	8.4		29.5	1.00	1.38
Jimmy Rollins#	76	0.0%	19.7%	5.3%	2.6%	13%	3.75	4.7		23.3	0.83	1.00
Carlos Ruiz	58	3.5%	10.3%	5.2%	8.6%	31%	2.00	8.8	26.5	10.6	0.81	1.27
Brian Schneider*	16	0.0%	18.8%	6.3%	0.0%	0%	3.00	5.0		15.0	1.00	1.50
Jim Thome*	19	0.0%	52.6%	10.5%	0.0%	0%	5.00	1.7			0.75	0.67
Shane Victorino#	82	4.9%	11.0%	7.3%	6.1%	26%	1.50	8.3	18.8	9.4	0.67	0.92
Ty Wigginton	52	1.9%	21.2%	9.6%	7.7%	29%	2.20	4.2	46.0	7.7	0.71	0.57
Vance Worley	9	0.0%	44.4%	0.0%	0.0%			2.3
League Average		2.2%	19.8%	8.3%	7.2%	33%	2.37	4.5	40.8	8.9	0.87	1.19
Team Total	702	1.7%	18.8%	5.3%	5.7%	24%	3.57	4.9	54.2	11.0	0.90	1.29
	PA	HR%	SO%	BB%	XBH%	X/H%	SO/BB	AB/SO	AB/HR	AB/RBI	GB/FB	GO/AO

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/27/2012.

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Phils Win 1st Spring Exhibition Over FSU 6-1

Phils’ first taste of game action is win over FSU

Luna homers as part of five-run seventh for Philadelphia

By Todd Zolecki / MLB.com

CLEARWATER, Fla. — A five-run seventh inning broke open a close game against Florida State University as the Phillies took a 6-1 victory in their opening contest of the spring.

FSU Campus

The Phillies used Wednesday’s exhibition against the college team as an opportunity to get a look at some of their younger arms in camp.

Austin Hyatt is 25, but he still qualifies as young.

He started the game and struck out three in two perfect innings at Bright House Field.

“I’m one of the few starters whose first time it is in camp, I guess one of the younger guys, so I was happy to be called upon,” Hyatt said.

Joe Savery

Hyatt went 12-6 with a 3.86 ERA at Double-A Reading last season, making the Eastern League All-Star team in the process. Hyatt needs more seasoning in the Minor Leagues, and there certainly is no need to rush him with a big league rotation that includes Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Vance Worley and Joe Blanton.

Jake Diekman, Jeremy Horst, Michael Schwimer, Joe Savery, Phillippe Aumont and B.J. Rosenberg each threw a scoreless inning, for the Phils, who were paced on offense by Hector Luna (1-for-1, HR, two RBIs, walk) and Tyson Gillies (1-for-2, two runs, RBI, stolen base).

Hunter Pence doubled in his spring debut, while Pete Orr and Tuffy Gosewisch also recorded two-base hits.

Hyatt said he plans to soak in everything possible while he is in big league camp.

“I try to sit back and listen, pick up some things here and there,” Hyatt said. “But the guys, they make you feel welcome at the same time, so it’s not as intimidating as it may seem. It’s an honor to be around them.”

Hyatt is hoping to open the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and continue the progress he made last season.

“It definitely gets more exciting when you get closer,” he said. “It’s what you kind of work your way up the Minors for, to get closer, so yeah, I realize if you pitch well for a season, you could be there. It is nice to think about.”

Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Oswalt Back? Utley Rebound? Charlie Looking For Bats Crushing Balls

Oswalt remains unsigned; Philly return possible

By Todd Zolecki / MLB.com

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Roy Oswalt remains a free agent, and his agent said Thursday that Oswalt might wait to sign until later in the season.

Don’t be surprised if the Phillies make a run at him, if they need him.

While there are multiple reports Oswalt’s top two choices are the Cardinals and Rangers, a source told MLB.com on Thursday that Oswalt also is very interested in returning to Philadelphia. It is not a stretch to think that if something happens to one of the Phils’ starters that Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. would sign Oswalt as a replacement.

Hitting foremost on Manuel’s mind this spring

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Charlie Manuel is setting a clear tone for his hitters in Spring Training.

The Phillies manager talked with Jimmy Rollins for more than 15 minutes in his office Thursday, on the eve of the team’s first full-squad workout Friday.

“We talked about how we wanted to play, we talked some about hitting,” Manuel said. “It was good. Jimmy’s always been a good student as far as knowing how to play the game and all about the game, and I felt like before we got going here that I would want to sit down and talk to him.”

Manuel wants his team to take a better approach at the plate, and he wants his hitters to talk more about their hitting during the season. He hopes that will help the Phillies avoid the postseason offensive slumps that played a big role in ending their last two seasons.

“I want to talk to all of our guys,” Manuel said. “I want our guys to talk about hitting. I want guys like Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins and [Ryan] Howard and [Shane] Victorino … I want to have more talk about hitting, talking about getting good balls to hit, not giving away at-bats, things like that.

“With our pitching and everything like that, we need to score the runs that we’re supposed to score. If we have a guy on third base with less than two outs early in the game, we need to score one run. If we have two guys on, we need to make sure we score one run, instead of a guy standing there maybe trying to bust the game open.”

Manuel also confirmed Rollins will be his leadoff hitter this season, which is not a surprise.

Utley has utmost confidence he’ll bounce back

By Todd Zolecki

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies saved arguably the biggest storyline for last.

Almost every day since Spring Training started, the Phillies sent a different player to the media room at Bright House Field for a news conference. Jonathan Papelbon spoke last Friday about leaving the Red Sox and joining the Phillies. Cole Hamels talked Monday about his impending free agency. Roy Halladay spoke Tuesday about his continued pursuit of a World Series championship and his (embellished) encounter with an anaconda on the Amazon River. Ryan Howard talked Wednesday about his recovery from left Achilles surgery.

Chase Utley spoke Thursday.

Utley could mean the most to the Phillies’ success in 2012. He certainly seems to be the most intriguing player to watch. While Howard’s recovery is important, he might not feel completely like himself until next season. And while Hamels’ future with the Phillies is key, Utley is trying to bounce back from the worst season of his career while playing with a chronic right knee condition.

If Utley bounces back this season, it would be a tremendous boost to the lineup and make the Phillies feel a little better about their future.

If he’s unable to bounce back, it could signal a premature end to one of the best second basemen of his generation.

Naturally, Utley likes his chances of turning around his career.

“I think I can overcome this without a doubt,” Utley said. “I have pride in how I play and the way I play and that’s not going to change.”

But pride can’t overcome an unhealthy body. Utley missed the first 46 games last season because of a chronic knee condition. Utley avoided surgery, which could have ended his career, but he could not keep his legs strong through the rest of the season. The result? He hit just .259 with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs and a .769 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 398 at-bats. Utley showed little of the power he had in the past. His .769 OPS was his worst since his rookie season in 2003.

It was a precipitous fall for Utley. He had a .915 OPS as a first-time everyday second baseman in 2005. It went to .906 in ’06, .976 in ’07, .915 in ’08, .905 in ’09 and .832 in ’10 before dipping under .800 last season.

Utley said he is confident he can return to his All-Star form.

“It feels significantly better,” he said. “Last year, it was very uncomfortable, especially the first week [of Spring Training]. Right now, I think I’m in a good place. The goal for me is to kind of stay in the same place and improve in small increments and not try to irritate it to the point where I’d have to slow down. So we’ll see how it goes.”

Utley changed his offseason workout routine, incorporating more stretching and manual therapy and not as much weightlifting. He tried to make his legs stronger without putting as much strain and pounding on his knees.

“This offseason, I was able to strengthen them, maybe not quite as much as in the past, but they’re definitely stronger than they were going into last year,” Utley said. “My goal now is to maintain that. Ideally, it would be nice to make them stronger, but at the same time, I have to keep them loose and take it easy.”

Utley will have a lighter workload this spring. Fewer hours on the field, maybe fewer games. The whole idea is keeping him as fresh and strong as possible for the season. And even then, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said Utley won’t play more than 150 games this season.

“It’s something I’m always going to have to monitor, forever, to be honest,” Utley said of his knee. “But I think I have a game plan put together that I’m able to overcome it. But again, it’s something I’m going to have to deal with on a daily basis, and I’m willing to put the effort into making sure it’s OK.”

Utley struggled so much last season that Manuel finally pulled him from the No. 3 spot in the lineup. It’s likely Utley opens the season back in that spot, but Manuel might be forced to pull him again if he can’t knock in runs like he has in the past.

“It’s always frustrating when you’re not playing well,” Utley said. “Even when I am playing well, I’m still not satisfied. You still have to have that drive on a daily basis and try to figure out ways to help the team win.”

Utley had a chance to help his team in the ninth inning in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. He flied out to the warning track, momentarily giving Phillies fans in the ballpark hope that the team might tie the game.

Utley acknowledged there were a few balls last season that he thought he squared up, but couldn’t drive like he had in the past because of his weaker legs.

“I tried not to let it affect me mentally,” he said. “Once you think about it mentally, it’s going to change your approach and make you even more frustrated. And that’s something you don’t want to be. I tried to put it behind me. I tried to take every game the same way, try to find a way to win. Where that’s hitting a home run, getting on base, drawing a walk, getting hit by a pitch, those are the things I try to do on a daily basis.”

His ability to do all those things with regularity will play big in the Phillies’ success in 2012.

Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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1 Year, $15 Million For Hamels

Hamels agrees to $15M deal, avoids arbitration

Phils remain interested in working out long-term contract with lefty

By Todd Zolecki / MLB.com

PHILADELPHIA — Consider this a placeholder for something potentially bigger.

The Phillies and Cole Hamels on Tuesday agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract, which allowed them to avoid salary arbitration. The deal also allows them to focus on a possible multiyear extension before Hamels becomes a free agent following the 2012 season.

“We have cost certainty and the player has cost certainty,” general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “Now we can go from there. This doesn’t preclude us from doing a long-term deal. We can negotiate with Cole from today through the end of November, and then beyond that to get a multiyear deal done. Just because we have a one-year deal in place doesn’t mean we can’t do something long term. As far as Cole beyond 2012, that’s something that’s still very much open for discussion.”

Hamels is line for a major payday, but how large remains to be seen. But think Cliff Lee more than Jered Weaver.

Weaver signed a five-year, $85 million contract extension last summer with the Los Angeles Angels, but Weaver bypassed free agency partly because he wanted to stay in Southern California and play for his hometown team. Weaver and Hamels have remarkably similar career statistics, so it is easy to think Hamels might be paid in that range: Hamels is 77-54 with a 3.39 ERA in 181 career appearances. He has a 1.141 WHIP and averages 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Weaver is 82-47 with a 3.31 ERA in 171 career appearances. He has a 1.165 WHIP and averages 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

But John Boggs, Hamels’ agent, on Tuesday called the Weaver deal a “non-starter” in negotiations.

“It would be natural to look at that as a comparison,” Boggs said. “Jered signed for his own personal reasons — and I applaud him for that — but it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to follow the same standard. Everybody is different. For Jered to sign there, it doesn’t mean that’s the template we’re going to follow.”

Lee signed a five-year, $120 million contract with the Phils in December 2010. That certainly seems to be a better measuring stick for Hamels.

“Absolutely,” Boggs said. “If you’re this close to free agency, you start to make comparables of what you have the potential of making as a free agent.”

Lee signed his deal at 32. Hamels is 28. It stands to reason Hamels will be looking for a contract worth $20 million or more per season.

But there is genuine interest on both sides to reach an agreement. Finalizing Hamels’ 2012 contract could be the first step.

“The goal was to get that out of the way,” Boggs said. “I’m sure down the road we’ll have a conversation about moving forward. We plan on keeping the discussions open. It’s a process.”

Boggs said he hasn’t talked to Hamels about setting any potential deadline regarding negotiations, which some players have done in the past.

“At the end of the day, we really don’t have any concrete game plan as far as how long we are going to plan on discussing this,” Boggs said. “That will be decided at some point shortly, or as we get into the process. But there’s definitely a desire to stay. At the end of the day, it really depends on the value we place on Cole, and hopefully it coincides with the value the Phillies place on Cole. That’s the reason you have a negotiation. From a basic desire, yes, he’d be more than happy to stay there. He knows the Phillies. He’s homegrown. That’s what we’ll attempt to do, but sometimes things don’t work out if we can’t agree on the value.”

Philadelphia on Tuesday also avoided salary arbitration with infielder Wilson Valdez, who agreed to a one-year, $930,000 contract.

Outfielder Hunter Pence is the only Phillies player still eligible for salary arbitration, although an agreement can be reached up until the moment the team and player are supposed to meet with arbiters.

Asked if he thinks they will avoid arbitration with Pence, Amaro said, “I have no idea. We stay cautiously optimistic.”

Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Sophomore Jinx For Vance?

Will Worley regress in sophomore season?

COREY  SEIDMAN
FOLLOW COREY SEIDMAN ON TWITTER

There are no real reasons to expect Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels to regress in 2012. The peripherals of Lee and Hamels (walks, strikeouts, home runs allowed) fell in line with their ERAs last year, and in Halladay’s case, his supporting numbers actually outperformed his ERA. Doc finished with a 2.35 ERA that easily could have been 2.20.

The Phillies know what they’ll get from Halladay, Lee and Hamels. These are three pitchers with track records as defined as their pitching identities. Halladay is the craftsman with a killer instinct that supersedes the skill-set of whoever he faces. Lee is the pinpoint lefty who, when on his game, is better than anyone in the sport. Hamels is the ever-evolving “stuff” guy who transformed from a two-pitch pitcher into one with four weapons.

The question mark is Vance Worley. We spent the majority of 2011 waiting for the other shoe to drop … and it never really did. Does that mean we can expect him to roll right along in 2012?

Not quite.

After a complete game in San Francisco in late July, Worley improved to 7-1 with a 2.02 ERA. To that point Worley had a .199 opponents’ batting average, a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2-to-1 and only three home runs allowed in 11 starts.

Over his next 10 starts, Worley had a 4.18 ERA in 60 innings, allowing the opposition a .278 batting average. One looks at that and forms the opinion that Worley’s numbers regressed to his true talent level. But that isn’t exactly the case.

Worley’s K/BB ratio actually improved over those 10 starts. The 2-to-1 figure from the first 11 starts jumped up to nearly 3.5-to-1. Worley kept getting better, but we’re a results-based society so we noticed the increasing ERA rather than the 24-year-old’s developing process and prowess on the mound.

How can it be that Worley had a 2.02 ERA with mediocre command through the first 11 starts, then a 4.18 ERA with much-improved command over the next 10?

Two reasons: worse luck with fly balls and a higher line drive rate.
Through 11 starts, Worley allowed three home runs on 180 fly balls. The average home run per fly ball rate is around 10 percent, or one homer per 10 fly balls. Worley was at 1.6 percent, allowing one homer every 60 fly balls.

Worley wasn’t drinking a magic potion that made his fly balls die in the outfield. Some pitchers excel at keeping batters off-balance and jamming them, inducing weaker fly balls, but even they don’t sustain obscenely low home run per fly ball rates. Remember how good Halladay was his first year with the Phillies? His HR/FB rate that year was 11.3 percent.
Sure enough, seven of Worley’s next 60 fly balls left the yard to balance out his home run rate.

So that was reason No. 1 for Worley’s ERA increasing despite his better command. Reason No. 2 was an uptick in his line drives allowed.
Worley allowed line drives on 18 percent of balls in play through his first 11 starts. In his next 10, it was 26 percent. Line drives are the hardest balls to field because they travel and fall rapidly. Thus, line drives fall in for hits at a much greater rate than grounders or fly balls. Liners are hits, league-wide, about 73 percent of the time. Ground balls go for hits 23 percent of the time.

An eight-percent increase in line drives is significant, and was one of the root causes of Worley’s opponents’ batting average going from .199 to .278.

Despite those added homers and line drives during the second half of Worley’s season, we should be confident that he can be a successful major league pitcher moving forward. As mentioned several times, his command only got better as his 2011 season went on. His batting average on balls in play was reasonable, as was his strand rate.*

*BABIP and strand rate are usually the two telltale signs that a pitcher was lucky and/or underperformed despite his ERA. J.A. Happ is the best case in recent memory. Happ’s ERAs were always low in Philly despite every other number suggesting they should be high. Look what’s happened for Happ in Houston as things have balanced out.

Worley has shown that he can strike batters out. The league will catch up a bit to his two-seam fastball, but even when it does it is very hard for a right-handed batter to pull the trigger when it is running back across the plate. Any successful starter needs a go-to pitch. That two-seamer is a weapon.

Can we expect Worley to finish 2012 with an ERA of 3.01? No. But we shouldn’t expect him to have a 4.18 ERA, either. Something between 3.50 and 3.70 is reasonable. Any team would love that production from a cheap fourth starter.

For more statistical musings from Corey Seidman, visit Brotherly Glove and Phillies Nation.

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Big moves by Nats, Marlins put heat on Phillies

Free-agent deals could reshape balance of power in NL East

By Mark Bowman  / MLB.com

When Cliff Lee returned to Philadelphia, there was a sense the Phillies’ reign at the top of the National League East standings might last as long as he, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels stayed together in the same starting rotation.

One year later, Philadelphia still proudly possesses its Big Three. But with the Marlins and Nationals making significant improvements over the past couple months, the Phillies will enter 2012 knowing the Braves are not the only legitimate threat between them and their sixth consecutive NL East crown.

“Day in and day out, you have to say it’s the best division in baseball,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel told MLB.com. “The consistent play within the division is amazing. Atlanta should be better. The Marlins definitely have gotten better with [Jose] Reyes and Josh Johnson will be back. Washington will be very competitive.”

The Phillies made one significant decision in retaining veteran shortstop Jimmy Rollins, but that move alone may not be enough to keep Philadelphia atop the division given the new look the Marlins have committed to this offseason.

As they prepare to move into their new stadium with their new, always-entertaining manager, Ozzie Guillen, the Marlins further enhanced the excitement surrounding their club with the signings of shortstop Jose Reyes, closer Heath Bell and veteran starting pitcher Mark Buehrle.

To further bolster their pitching staff, the Marlins opened 2012 by acquiring Carlos Zambrano from the Cubs. Along with making the clubhouse even more interesting, Zambrano has the potential to significantly improve a starting rotation that will once again be anchored by Johnson.

While proving aggressive on both the trade and free-agent markets, the once “low-revenue” Marlins were also in pursuit of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. The club’s efforts appear to demonstrate that it is committed to the kind of successful product necessary to avoid the attendance issues that existed in their previous stadium.

“Ozzie and [president of baseball operations] Larry [Beinfest] think this team is a playoff team today,” said Marlins president David Samson. “All sorts of stuff has to happen to win it. We just have to make it.”

With the assets gained from this year’s free-agent market, the Marlins provided themselves reason to believe they can immediately compete against the Phillies, and against the improvements the Braves and Nationals both expect to make over the next few years with their prized young players and prospects.

The core of the Nationals’ future is centered around Bryce Harper, one of the most highly touted prospects in the game’s history, and Stephen Strasburg. Now more than a year removed from Tommy John surgery, the right-handed Strasburg is prepared to legitimize himself as one of the game’s elite starters.

Nationals manager Davey Johnson finished 2011 excited about the contributions Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann could provide the club’s rotation for many years to come. Two days before Christmas, the Nats’ skipper received yet another gift in the form of talented 26-year-old left-hander Gio Gonzalez, who was acquired from the A’s to further solidify Washington’s starting rotation.

Jordan Zimmerman

“Gonzalez brings a presence in our rotation,” Nationals general manger Mike Rizzo said. “He has had success. He has been a workhorse. He is very young; he just turned 26. He has accomplished a lot of things before his 26th birthday. It gives us a young core of starting pitchers at the Major League level that is in the realm of something that we never had here before.”With the acquisition of Gonzalez and the healthy return of Adam LaRoche, the Nationals are seemingly on the path they envisioned when they signed outfielder Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million contract last winter.

The Braves have thus far chosen to essentially stay on the same path that led them to game’s fourth-best record through this past August. An epic September collapse prevented the club from reaching the playoffs for a second straight year but also gave general manager Frank Wren some motivation entering this offseason.

But instead of trading Julio Teheran or any of his other highly regarded pitching prospects, Wren has remained patient in his attempt to upgrade his lineup with a power-hitting outfielder. There is a chance he could still cross this item off his wish list by trading Jair Jurrjens or Martin Prado.

Yet as of Jan. 1, the Braves still had not received the kind of offer they had hoped for in exchange for Jurrjens or Prado. Wren’s only significant move this offseason was to create $5 million of payroll flexibility by trading Derek Lowe and a portion of his burdensome contract.

“We have a good club,” Wren said.  “I keep going back, and I’ll stand by this, on Aug. 26, we had the fourth-best record in all of baseball. Our team didn’t get bad in 30 days. Our team went through a bad streak in 30 days. We have a good team.”

The Phillies also believe they can build on their 2011 success by staying active in the marketplace.  The defending NL East champs signed closer Jonathan Papelbon away from the Red Sox to account for Ryan Madson’s departure via free agency. In addition, Philadelphia signed Ty Wigginton and Jim Thome to strengthen its bench and compensate for the absence of Ryan Howard, who will likely miss at least all of April recovering from a ruptured left Achilles’ tendon.

When Howard returns, he’ll be reunited with Rollins, his longtime teammate who tested the free-agent market before re-signing with the Phillies in December. They’ll once again be part of a strong lineup assigned to support Halladay, Lee and Hamels.

“I like our club a lot,” Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “I think we’re one of the best clubs in the National League. And that’s our job, to make sure we’re contenders every year. And I think with the club we have now, barring injury, we’ll be there.”

Though Roy Oswalt is poised to depart the heralded Philadelphia rotation via free agency this winter, the Phillies still seem to be the favorites to win the NL East. However, they certainly do not appear to be the overwhelming favorites they were at this point last year.

“Everybody is getting better in that division,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “The Phillies are the Phillies. The Marlins are getting better. Washington is getting … dangerous. They’re getting close. They’ve got some good players. Your expectations are we should be in the playoffs. It’s a tough division.”

Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Welcome!

Here you will find all things Philadelphia Phillies

The Phightin' Phils

A history of professional baseball in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

from 1873 to Today.

Philadelphia Phillies Active Roster as of January 5th 2012

Philadelphia Phillies Active Roster

#	Pitchers	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
	Phillippe Aumont	L-R	6’7″	255	Jan 7, 1989
58	Antonio Bastardo	R-L	5’11″	195	Sep 21, 1985
56	Joe Blanton	R-R	6’3″	245	Dec 11, 1980
52	Jose Contreras	R-R	6’4″	255	Dec 6, 1971
37	Justin De Fratus	S-R	6’4″	220	Oct 21, 1987
	Jake Diekman	L-L	6’4″	190	Jan 21, 1987
34	Roy Halladay	R-R	6’6″	230	May 14, 1977
35	Cole Hamels	L-L	6’3″	195	Dec 27, 1983
57	David Herndon	R-R	6’5″	230	Sep 4, 1985
38	Kyle Kendrick	R-R	6’3″	210	Aug 26, 1984
33	Cliff Lee	L-L	6’3″	190	Aug 30, 1978
58	Jonathan Papelbon	R-R	6’4″	225	Nov 23, 1980
66	J.C. Ramirez	R-R	6’3″	225	Aug 16, 1988
55	Joe Savery	L-L	6’3″	215	Nov 4, 1985
39	Michael Schwimer	R-R	6’8″	240	Feb 19, 1986
40	Michael Stutes	R-R	6’1″	185	Sep 4, 1986
	Dontrelle Willis	L-L	6’4″	225	Jan 12, 1982
49	Vance Worley	R-R	6’2″	230	Sep 25, 1987
#	Catchers	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
31	Erik Kratz	R-R	6’4″	255	Jun 15, 1980
51	Carlos Ruiz	R-R	5’10″	205	Jan 22, 1979
23	Brian Schneider	L-R	6’1″	210	Nov 26, 1976
	Sebastian Valle	R-R	6’1″	170	Jul 24, 1990
#	Infielders	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
71	Freddy Galvis	S-R	5’10″	170	Nov 14, 1989
75	Harold Garcia	S-R	5’11″	190	Oct 25, 1986
74	Cesar Hernandez	S-R	5’10″	160	May 23, 1990
6	Ryan Howard	L-L	6’4″	240	Nov 19, 1979
19	Michael Martinez	S-R	5’9″	145	Sep 16, 1982
27	Placido Polanco	R-R	5’10″	190	Oct 10, 1975
11	Jimmy Rollins	S-R	5’8″	170	Nov 27, 1978
	Jim Thome	L-R	6’3″	250	Aug 27, 1970
26	Chase Utley	L-R	6’1″	200	Dec 17, 1978
21	Wilson Valdez	R-R	5’11″	170	May 20, 1978
	Ty Wigginton	R-R	6’0″	230	Oct 11, 1977
#	Outfielders	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
16	John Bowker	L-L	6’1″	205	Jul 8, 1983
9	Domonic Brown	L-L	6’5″	205	Sep 3, 1987
	Tyson Gillies	L-R	6’2″	195	Oct 31, 1988
15	John Mayberry	R-R	6’6″	230	Dec 21, 1983
	Laynce Nix	L-L	6’1″	220	Oct 30, 1980
3	Hunter Pence	R-R	6’4″	220	Apr 13, 1983
8	Shane Victorino	S-R	5’9″	190	Nov 30, 1980