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New Site

Hey all, take a look here: PhourScore.com

It's become abundantly clear that I'm having a hard time keeping this ship afloat, so I've decided to combine forces with a good friend of mine, Tom Durso, a regular in the phlogosphere over the past five or six years.

Stop by, and let us know what you think!

 

Ransom DFA'd by Phillies

To make room for new first baseman Mike Sweeney, the Phillies designated utility man Cody Ransom for assignment.  

The 34-year old hit just .190/.244/.333 in limited time since being recalled from Lehigh Valley.  Unless another team claims him, he'll likely return there until September call ups.

He did homer twice, but unfortunately, he's proven he can't sustain a batting that makes him worth keeping on a major league roster, despite being versatile enough to play every infield position.

Phillies Acquire Mike Sweeney

The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired Mariners' DH Mike Sweeney for a player to be named later or cash.

Sources are reporting that he'll arrive in time for Thursday's game and immediately assume the starting first base job left vacant by Ryan Howard's ankle sprain.  Most likely, he'll slide right into Ross Gload's fifth spot in Wednesday's lineup, with the rest of the order remaining the same.

With how little the Phils gave up in the deal, there's not much not to like, although there's a decent chance he becomes Phillie No. 16 to hit the DL before season's end.  Sweeney, who's been on the disabled list twice with back trouble this year, has always hit when healthy with a career .298/.366/.487 slash line.  The problem is that he hasn't been healthy enough to play more than 74 games since the 2005 season.  

And, as the injuries have piled up, his time in the field has dwindled.  He's played just 27 games in the field since 2005 and for his career has spent nearly half his games as a DH.  

During his prime, however, Sweeney was an absolute monster playing in obscurity for some terrible Kansas City teams.  He batted .300 four consecutive seasons, highlighted by a .340 average in 2002.  That came two years after he drove in a staggering 144 runs with the Royals. 

Sweeney is also generally thought of as one of the nicest guys in the game.  That and he's the third most tenured active Major Leaguer to never reach the postseason, so you know he'll have a little extra motivation once thrust into a pennant chase in Philly.

At age 36, Philly isn't getting the Mike Sweeney that was a five time all-star, but they'll gladly take his 2010 line of .263/.327/.475 until Howard returns.  Those numbers also improve greatly to .293/.333/.512 outside of Safeco Field.  He's also a right handed bat who should lend some balance to the lineup during that time.  And when Howard comes back, he could be a good bat off the bench.  

The move is somewhat reminiscent of Jeff Conine's addition in 2006.

Phillies Coaching Staff Needs to Bear Responsibility for Offensive Slide

There's no doubting the Phillies have been beset with injuries. On the offensive side, Chase Utley is out, Placido Polanco is out. We get that. But at this point in time, but they aren't the only people on the team that can hit. Jimmy Rollins is back and there's Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth.

 A lineup of those players, even considering the losses of Utley and Polanco should be able to score runs. Perhaps not in droves as we've come to expect, but take a look at the career OPS+ of these players. No, they do not make up a Murderer's Row, but there is certainly at least collectively with the bottom portion of the lineup, enough firepower there to win a game that your pitching staff holds the opposition, the team you are trying to catch in the standings to 3 runs.

Several weeks ago when the offensive malaise began, I remember reading how Charlie Manuel and Milt Thompson were frustrated that the players were not taking into game situations what they had been instructed and coached to do prior to the games. At the time, I remember raising an eyebrow and wondering about the players. But now, weeks and weeks later, whether it is the players' faults or not, this coaching staff needs to step it up and figure out a way to get this team hitting again. This just isn't cutting it.

Even When It's Not Kyle Kendrick's Fault, It's Kyle Kendrick's Fault

The boxscore and gamelog from last night's Phillies game in Cincinnati against the Reds will read that in the 6th inning, Kyle Kendrick was charged with an unearned run. Six total runs for the night on Kendrick's tab, but again, there was the unearned run. The error came when the Reds starting pitcher, Johnny Cueto, lead off the bottom half of the inning with a 2-0 lead and reached on a botched play by Chase Utley. The Reds would piece together three more singles and a sac fly to extend the lead 4-0.

Now, should Chase Utley have made that play? Yes, he should have fielded it. But here's the thing: when Kyle Kendrick pitches, he is forced to rely on his defense so much for outs that odds are, at some point, they are going to let him down and things will unravel. It's the perfect case of living by the sword and dying by the sword, and in this case, the proverbial sword is in the form of a batted ball.

Kendrick strikes out 4.15 batters per 9 innings pitched. The National League average is 7.1. The fact of the matter is, Kendrick does not have the stuff to miss bats and get major league hitters out consistently. Thanks for 2007 Kyle, it was lightning in a bottle, and it has earned you two more seasons in the big leagues.

Unfortunately, the Phillies don't have a lot of options to replace Kendrick. Most of the Phillies big time minor league talent is in the low minors and AAA Lehigh Valley has little to offer. Michael Stutes just reached that level, and Oscar Villarreal and Brandon Duckworth have already pitched their way out of the big leagues.

J.A. Happ isn't exactly the second coming of Steve Carlton, but it sure will be nice to get him back.

Charlie Manuel Gives Jimmy Rollins a Noogie

Sláinte to Graeme McDowell

Congratulations to Graeme McDowell [@Graeme_McDowell to those of you on the Twitters] for winning the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach on Sunday evening.

McDowell is probably a mystery man to most, but if you listened to his articulate, gracious, and wry remarks during the trophy ceremony, and if you noticed his emerging belly and less than picture perfect golf swing, you're probably a fan this morning. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the man from Northern Ireland has Ballantine's as a sponsor.

An Ode to Doc Halladay by Some Female Canadian Singer/Songwriter Type

As Philadelphia sports fans, we've experienced enough anguish over the years that you can definitely sympathize with this woman. As a matter of fact, based upon her melodic case, you almost want to send Roy Halladay back to Toronto. Almost. But definitely not. He's all ours now.

Hat tip to the Facebook page of the Harry Kalas Statue charity group.

From the Offense to the Defense to the Weather, THAT is Phillies Baseball

It certainly seems as if the Fightins have climbed out of their month-long malaise. They've won 4 of their last 5 at the expense of top-tier teams like the Red Sox, Yankees and Twins. Last night's 9-5 win over the Twins was powered by Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

Howard, who began to show life Wednesday night with a homer in New York, had two home runs, a double and a triple against the Twins pitching staff while Utley, denying rumors of a knee injury did the talking with his bat and glove -- a single, a homer, and a fantastic diving play to his left in the field. Perhaps Davy Lopes should have played doctor a bit sooner?

With the resurgent Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay set to pitch over the weekend, the Phillies are set up to tack on a few more wins.

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A word about Scott Mathieson: Please, do not use the outcome of his 9th inning appearance last evening to cloud your judgement of his performance. He threw mid-to upper-90's fast balls for strikes. Unfortunately, two batters managed to get seeing-eye singles through the infield on a night when the Phillies defense was superb. Of the three hits Mathieson gave up, only one was struck well. I'm anxious to see how he does in his next appearances.

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Below is a photo gallery from the gorgeous evening spent in South Philly [hover mouse over photo for a description]:

Amaro: "Davy Lopes is not a doctor"

Earlier today, the interwebs, this site included, were a-flutter over the news that Chase Utley was injured. Ah-ha! An explanation for his slump!

However, in a phone call with CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro dispelled the notion that Utley is hurt and blew Lopes cover story with his mother, stating "Davy Lopes is not a doctor." Great, now Mrs. Lopes will find out that her son has been wearing a baseball uniform all this time and not a unique set of surgical scrubs.

In all seriousness, Amaro came down pretty hard on Lopes for talking about Utley's knee. But Amaro did admit that Utley's knee has been sore, which while it might not be an official full-fledged injury, Amaro should admit soreness is something that could be something that could hamper Utley's play.

Utley Hurting, Jinxed, or Both?

What an impossible game baseball is to figure out.

Heading into the Phillies/Yankees series, I told a Yankees fan that I thought the Phillies would win the first game with Roy Halladay on the bump, but then lose the next two with the patient Yankees hitters dismantling the salad Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer bring to the table.

Good thing I don't bet on baseball.

So the Phillies have now won three of their last four games which were against powerhouses like the Red Sox and Yankees [while the Mets tear up the woeful Indians and Orioles, thanks interleague play!] and things are looking better. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth both had nice at-bats that resulted in home runs in Wednesday's game, but, Chase Utley remains mired in his slump.

While Utley seems to think part of his problem is being jinxed or cursed and setting up some voodoo bats might help [hey, he's got a point, a .262 batting average on balls in play with an 18% line drive rate is a bit on the unlucky side], we might have finally found out about the injury we've suspected he's been suffering from. In an interview at Baseball Prospectus regarding base stealing, Phillies first base coach Davy Lopes divulged that Utley has been "hampered by a little bit of a knee injury."

Who knows how much it is affecting Utley, maybe a little, maybe a lot, but however much it is, hopefully he doesn't compensate for the injury so much that his swing is wrecked for the year, even after the injury has healed.

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Update: Ruben Amaro:"Davy Lopes is not a doctor."

Starting to Get Kinda Nervous...

Baseball is a long season. A loooong season. It starts with few leaves on the trees and ends with few leaves on the trees. In between, there are a lot of ups and downs. For that reason, I've always been one to preach the words of a British World War II-era poster, "keep calm and carry on", but I have to admit, when Roy Halladay gets shelled, I'm starting to waiver...

 On the bright side, there should be, in theory, help on the way. J.A. Happ should be ready sooner rather than later, mercifully pushing Kyle Kendrick out of the rotation, Jimmy Rollins is about to begin a rehab assignment and will add some direly needed spark, and further down the road, Ryan Madson will return as well, bolstering the overworked bullpen.

So while the cupboard is a bit bare for a trade, help is in fact on the way. And make no mistake, Jimmy needs to make a difference. The two-run single that Juan Castro let go under his glove last night would have been easily fielded for an out by Jimmy Rollins, and the look on Charlie Manuel's face in the dugout told you that. Prior to that, the Phillies were in striking distance and a comeback wasn't out of the realm of possibility. But after Castro failed to extend enough to field the grounder, the final nail was sunk into the coffin.

The worry though is that Rollins, Madson and Happ will not provide enough of a difference. The Phillies aren't losing by 1 or 2 or even 3 runs every night. They're getting pummeled. Perhaps we need more than a spark out of them, perhaps we need a flamethrower.

Poll: What Ails the Phillies?

For a couple of years now, I've religiously watched Phillies games on television and if not, then I've listened to the Franzke and L.A. Show on the radio. It hasn't been easy given that The Missus usually has a different agenda for the television [the downside of digital cable is that there is always a Bones or Law & Order on somewhere] but my argument has always been something along the lines of Yes Dear, I understand that the distracted couple walking their dog totally and unexpectedly came across that body stuffed in a mailbox, but you see, this is the Golden Age of Phillies Baseball. We have to change the channel. You don't know when this might end and it's the 1990's all over again.

And so now that the lifeless Phillies slump has gone on for three weeks, you can't help but wonder, is this the beginning of the end? It's probably not, it's probably a bump in the road, but on the other hand... Lets ignore the other hand a little while shall we?

Whether it's the beginning of the end or not it is certainly valid to wonder what's caused it? I've heard several theories bandied about...

...Missing Jimmy: Jimmy Rollins has played in all of 12 games due to a chronic calf injury. Could it be that Rollins means more to the team than even his biggest fans have given him credit for? Besides an offensive spark, does he also provide a spark in the clubhouse that he can't provide when he isn't suiting up for play?

...Signs: Interestingly, The Slump^TM chronologically coincides with Major League Baseball gently reminding the Phillies that it is against the rules for technology to be used in the stealing of other teams' signs.

...Payday for RyHo: The Slump^TM also roughly coincides chronologically with Ryan Howard signing his $125 million contract extension. The thought process here is that the contract caused jealousy in the clubhouse, ruining team chemistry.

...Flutterball: Since facing knuckleballer Tim Wakefield on May 22, the Phillies are 5-12. Prior to that they were 26-16. Could facing Wakefield's knuckleball for a day have caused the timing tailspin at the plate?

...The Fire's Out: Others have suggested that after three and a quarter seasons of prolonged success that included two World Series appearances in a row, the desire to succeed has finally ebbed in the Phillies clubhouse.

...Milt Thompson: In this theory, the thought is that all teams are prone to slumps, but one of the reasons that the Phillies slumps often spiral into something larger is that Thompson is unable to right the ship.

...All of the Above: Often in baseball, things don't happen for a reason, they happen for several reasons. Perhaps the Phillies fall from grace is a combination of some or all of the factors listed above.

What do you think?

Guest Post: "Flyers, one hell of a season"

The following is a recount of the Flyers great playoff run through the eyes of my buddy Rick, a man having a great deal of success getting me to succumb to the hockey bug partly by persistence and partly by bringing me to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Thanks Rick.

Flyers Make Run as a Team, Go Down as a Team

What a ride, fun while it lasted, right?

I'm relatively new to hockey. Didn't get exposed to it much as a kid, and now as an adult, I'm being exposed to it by a friend who is probably best described as a "hockey pusher" [who I hope will write something up for this space to do this season justice]. It's been a lot of fun to watch and I'm sorry the season is over and I'm already looking forward to the fall when it starts up again.

So with that background caveat in mind, my naiveté, I have to say, I can't for the life of me figure out why some are blaming Michael Leighton for the loss of the Stanley Cup. It was pretty obvious by the disparity of shots on goal between the two teams that he was having to do far too much work, he needed more help from his defense.

This isn't to say that I think that Leighton should go down as one of the greatest playoff goalies of all time, because he certainly let some easy ones in, particularly the final goal of the series, but some help from his defense at times in Game 6 certainly may have resulted in a different outcome.

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The Phillies and Raauuuuuul's Slump Oooouuuuver?

Maybe, just maybe, the Phillies have bottomed out from their malaise at the plate and are finally on their way back up -- they scored 10 runs last night against the Marlins. Ryan Howard went 2-4 including a two-run homer, Chase Utley went 2-3 and scored three times, and perhaps most importantly, Raul Ibanez went 4-5.

There was a lot of talk yesterday about how the Phillies should cut ties with Ibanez while not quite half way through his 3-year, $31.5 million contract. Look, I've been as pessimistic about his contract as anybody given his age, but calling for his pink slip barely into June is simply rash. On top of that, given the way he was hitting the ball, it is/was only a matter of time until things turned around for Raaauuuuul. As a matter of fact, he lined out several times Monday night, symbolic of his bad luck.

Just as it was too soon to call for his release, it's also too soon to pronounce Ibanez' slump over. Nevertheless, last night was encouraging.

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The Alec Baldwin Speech for the Phillies

Last night, longtime reader and friend of BS&S.com, "MPN", suggested on the Twitters that Charlie Manuel should give the Phillies hitters the Alec Baldwin speech from Glengarry Glen Ross.

1. 

   MPNPhilly put that cup of Gatorade down! You think I'm @#$%ing with you? I am not @#$%ing with you. Gatorade is for run producers! 08 Jun 2010 from web

I think it is a fine idea. Below is a clip of the speech for the uninitiated. Earmuffs required for kids and coworkers.

Caption Contest

Nothing at stake, I'm not giving anything out. Your only prize is the joy of making others laugh. Contribute in the comments section.