Kuzul

Philadelphia, PA—The injury woes for the Phillies grew today as it was announced that second baseman Chase Utley and third baseman Placido Polanco were both added to the 15-day disabled list.

Utley had an MRI on a strained right thumb ligament and may miss up to three weeks with the injury. Utley bruised the thumb in last nights 7-3 loss to the Reds.

Ploanco, who was innactive for two games in the recent Toronto series, was placed on the retroactive disabled list with inflammation in his left elbow. He received a cortisone shot in the elbow this afternoon with the hope that he would return to the lineup for tonight’s game. The bruised elbow did not respond well to the shot and the decision to move to the disabled list was made.

The Phillies have called up infielders Brian Bocock and recently assigned Greg Dobbs from Triple-A Lehigh Vallley.

Dobbs was hitting .152 in 42 games with the Phillies this season and was sent to Lehigh Valley just two weeks ago.

Neither is expected to start as the team will most likely go with bench players Wilson Valdez and Juan Castro to start in the meantime.

Complete Phillies Coverage On Eternal Mulligan

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(6/28/2010)

Cincinnati, OH –  Former Phillie Scott Rolen played game killer and Reds ace Johnny Cueto went eight strong innings as Cincinnati topped Philadelphia 7-3 in the opening contest of the three-game set at Great American Ballpark.

Rolen went 1-for-2 with three RBI including a towering two-run shot in the fourth to lead the Reds. Joey Votto and Orlando Cabrera both went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the win.

Reds starter Johnny Cueto (8-2) went eight innings, allowing one run on six hits and lowered his ERA to an impressive 3.74.

Rolen got the scoring started with a home run in the fourth. Two innings later after a Votto RBI single in the sixth, the third baseman put the Reds up 4-0 on a sacrifice fly that plated Brandon Phillips.

Raul Ibanez paced Philadelphia with a RBI single in the seventh. He platted two more in the top of the ninth on a two-out home run to right that scored Jayson Werth.

Kyle Kendrick (4-3) allowed six runs on eight hits and struck out four. He was pulled in the seventh after a Ramon Hernandez double that plated Drew Stubbs.

Replaced by David Herndon, Kendrick was credited with another run as Hernandez was scored on a Cabrera two-out single to left.

The Reds tacked on another run in the eighth on a Chris Heisey sacrifice fly to bring the score to 7-1.

Box Score

Game Notes: Chase Utley did not bat in the ninth inning and will have an MRI tomorrow due to an apparent right thumb injury.

Rolen’s home run in the sixth was his 300th of his career. Rolen hit his first 150 home runs with the Phillies from 1996-2002.

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(6/27/2010)

Philadelphia, PA — Jamie Moyer went a solid seven innings, allowing only two runs on six hits, as the Phillies took the rubber match of their three game set with the Toronto Blue Jays 11-2.

Despite the win Moyer did clinch his spot in the “not so” record book when he passed Phillies hall-of-fame Robin Roberts for sole possession of the all-time home runs allowed list with his 506th.

The 47-year old Moyer (9-6) inched to the top of the list when Vernon Wells sent a two-run shot to left field in the bottom of the third.

Ben Francisco went 3-5 with two RBI and two doubles to lead the Phillies offensive assault.

The Phillies scored four runs in the top of the second the was capped off when catcher Drew Sardinha smacked a two-out double to left field that plated Wilson Valdez and Shane Victorino.

After Wells’ home run in the third, to put the Blue Jays on the board, Philadelphia responded scoring two runs in the top of the fourth. The runs came on back-to-back RBI singles from Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.

Chase went 1-4 with the RBI single.

Blue Jays starter Brent Cecil (7-5) allowed seven runs—five of them earned—on 10 hits in only 4 2/3 innings.

The Phillies kept it going in the fifth as Ryan Howard led off the inning with a double and was scored one batter later when Shane Victorino hit a double down the left field line that scored Howard from second.

The Phillies batted around in the seventh as they scored four runs off Blue Jays middle-reliever Jason Frazer. None of the runs were earned as the Blue Jays defense fell apart in the inning.

After Jayson Werth flied out to right to start the inning. Ryan Howard reached on a bloop grounder to short that was overthrown by SS Alex Gonzalez. After Victorino singled to center putting runners on first and second Ben Francisco capped off his day with a double to left that plated Howard.

Raul Ibanez worked a one out walk to load the bases. The next two batters were a calamity for Toronto as Shane Victorino scored from third on a Wilson Valdez fielders choice but on the play second baseman Aaron Hill over threw first that allowed Ben Francisco to score from third.

Frasor got in on the defensive mishap when he overthrew first base on a Drew Sardinha grounder to the mound that scored Raul Ibanez.

The Phillies got another strong outing from their bullpen as David Herndon and Danys Baez both pitched scoreless innings to preserve the win for Moyer.

The Phillies are back in action today as they head to Cincinnati for a three-game set with the Reds. Kyle Kendrick (4-2) will take the mound for the Phillies as he will face Reds ace Johnny Cueto (7-2).

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When you are a fan of a team like the Philadelphia Phillies, sometimes you’d rather score 10 runs and lose than score one run and win, particularly when your team has been struggling to score runs.

Saturday was one of those days.

The Phillies lost to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday afternoon by a score of 13-10 in a wild game in which the Phillies led 9-4 going into the ninth inning and managed to blow a five run lead.  

The Phils tossed the game when four different relievers allowed runs to give the game away the Twins in the later innings.

The positives from Saturday’s game far outweigh the negatives. The Phillies got off to a fast start, scoring eight runs in the first three innings. The Phillies came up with some clutch hitting, with Ross Gload hitting a game-tying two-out home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to extend the game.

Most of all, the Phillies hitters have come back to life, and frankly the entire City of Philadelphia finds itself climbing back in off the ledge.

Ryan Howard hit his fourth home run in the last four games and is now batting .291, Chase Utley went 3-for-5 to get his batting average “up” to .267, and Jayson Werth is starting to salvage his contract year after a devastating drought.

Hell, even Wilson Valdez hit a home run and failed to add to his staggering 10 double plays on the season.

Cole Hamels also had an effective outing for the Phils, which is always re-assuring. After giving up three runs in the first inning, Hamels settled down and gave up only one more run while going seven innings. Hamels finished with seven strikeouts and only one walk.

In fact, the only part of the Phillies game that failed to function on Saturday was the part of the Phillies team that they expect to get trouble from—the bullpen. Jose Contreras, Brad Lidge, Chad Durbin, and Danys Baez combined to give up nine runs in less than four innings of work.

And you know what?  The Phillies will take it.

When Roy Halladay pitched his perfect game against Josh Johnson on May 29th in Florida, it was a very exciting game for everyone involved.

At the same time, though, there was something disconcerting about the win: the Phillies managed only a single unearned run against Johnson, and barely won the game despite Halladay’s dominance.

That is not how this team wins games.

At the end of the day, the Philadelphia Phillies will win games in 2010 the same way they did in 2009 and 2008: by scoring lots of runs and surviving their pitching. And when a team follows that model, there are going to be days in which that team is going to lose 13-10. But on most days, the team will come away with a victory.  

And if scoring 10 runs on Saturday is another sign that the Phillies offense is back, then they know there will be plenty of victories to come.

This is where the Phillies need to be.

Asher B. Chancey lives in Philadelphia and is a co-founder of BaseballEvolution.com.

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I’m sorry folks, I think I jinxed this one. With former Phillie Jim Thome at the plate in the ninth inning with the Phillies up by five runs, I said to my dad and brother, “I wouldn’t mind if he hit a home run right here. We would still be up by three and I don’t see us losing this game.

“Plus, I kinda want Thome to have more homers than that lying steroid user Rafael Palmeiro.”

That was the first time I have ever rooted for a non-Philadelphia sports player when playing a Philly sports team, and I will NEVER do that again. Why? Well, after Thome launched his two-run bomb that I predicted, the Phillies bullpen decided to make me look like a fool.

With a 9-6 lead, the Phillies were still in a comfortable save situation, but some more poor pitching by Jose Contreras led to another run, and with the score now at 9-7 Brad Lidge was called upon. This season Brad hasn’t been used too much, but he had appeared to be over his season long slump this season, going 4/4 in save opportunities with an ERA under 2.00.

Unfortunately, 2009 Lidge showed up today. With two outs and a man on, Joe Mauer came to the plate. Lidge, who was relying on his slider, left one up over the plate and Mauer completed a dreadful top of the ninth by tying the game with a blast to right center field. It’s safe to say that I and the 45,000+ fans in Citizen’s Bank Park were stunned.

In the 10th, more trouble ensued. Chad Durbin came into the game and allowed a home run to Drew Butera, an unlikely hero considering he was the one who caught Thome’s home run ball while sitting in the Twins’ bullpen.

In the bottom of the inning the Phillies looked like all hope was lost when their first two batters got out very quickly, leaving the game in the hands of pinch-hitter Ross Gload.

Gload, a signing that I didn’t really like, has had an unremarkable season so far off the bench. I felt good about him coming to the plate though, because weirdly enough the last two times I have actually watched him bat he has hit home runs (the last time was in person when Roy Halladay got roughed up against the Red Sox).

Anyway, Gload took a low pitch and hit a scorching line drive just fair and just above the wall along the right field line to tie the game at 10.

When Danys Baez toed the mound to start the 11th inning, I turned off the television because I didn’t want to watch. Don’t ask me how the Twins scored the three runs to take a 13-10 lead because I didn’t have to watch to know what would happen.

As I have been saying since the offseason, I can’t believe we signed Baez and it is unbelievable to me that he hasn’t been designated for assignment yet. It’s only been about 30 min since the 11th inning; he should be released by now. In four of Baez’s last five outings he has let up at least one run. My friends and I have gotten used to seeing Baez come into a game and we would take bets on how many runs he would allow.

Amazingly enough, last time we did this was during another Cole Hamels start when Cole went seven strong innings and left with the Phillies down 2-0. Let’s just say when Baez came in the score wasn’t 2-0 anymore. Anyway, enough with the Baez bashing, but seriously—the guy needs to go.

Even though the Phillies blew a chance to gain a game on the Mets, who lost today, there were many positives today. Chase Utley definitely looks like he is out of his slump, going 3-5 with three RBI today and 2-5 with four RBI yesterday. In his last 24 games before these two, he was batting .174 with three total RBI, so it’s good to see him back.

The Phillies, as a whole, have been hitting great in their last four games and seem to have gotten out of the offensive funk that they’ve been in all month. Taking two of three from the Yankees and the first game in this series while scoring in bunches shows that the Phillies have that swagger back, at least on offense.

Ryan Howard had one of the best games that I’ve ever seen him play yesterday, going 4-4 with two HR and was a single short of the cycle (he also added a home run today). Jayson Werth has been batting over .300 in the last week and seems to have found his swing, hitting a home run today. Raul Ibanez even is hitting well, crushing a ball to deep right-center field today.

All in all, it seems like the 2010 Phillies have reverted back to the 2009 Phillies, but with better starting pitching. The offense is back to their run scoring ways, and even though it’s only been four games, you can tell that they are taking better swings and look more in control at the plate. 

The bullpen seems to be back to its unpredictable self, so we have to hope that Ryan Madson can come back soon and pray Danys Baez is on a plane to somewhere far from the Phillies pitcher’s mound.

The one difference with both seasons, the Braves and Mets are much improved, as is our starting pitching. Halladay has been what Cliff Lee was, but even more so. Hamels looked great today after the first, and he was solid in his last start, so he looks like he has confidence back.

Hopefully J.A. Happ can come back and contribute, but if not, Kyle Kendrick has been excellent. Moyer and Blanton have been Jekyll and Hyde on the mound, but you’re bound to see that with a 47-year-old pitcher.

Unfortunately, the ending of today’s game flat out sucked, but the team has its swagger back.Let’s hope the ninth inning didn’t put out the spark that the Phillies just lit.

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It sounds funny, doesn’t it?

Chase Utley is being challenged for the starting job at second base for this year’s National League All-Star team.

Up until this year, that was a preposterous thought, but seemingly out of the woodwork.

Now there has emerged a legitimate contender from the Atlanta Braves in the form of leadoff hitter Martin Prado—who is currently standing in second place in voting(though he is far from “nipping at the heels” of the leader) behind the venerable Utley.

Since Utley is by far the sexier name here, we’ll use a sort of a “blind” system by which to judge the two.

Player A has a slash line of .333/.375/.464 (with that .333 being good enough for second in the National League behind the barely-qualified-for-consideration Andre Ethier) with six home runs, 29 RBI, 47 runs scored, and 31 multi-hit games (13 of three hits or more).

Player A has also collected 18 doubles and a single stolen base (to three caught stealing) while putting up a 9.0 UZR/150 in 65 games at second base.

Player B’s slash line looks like this: .260/.376/.461.

Player B has also collected the third most home runs by a full-time second baseman with 10, 26 RBI, 41 runs scored, two steals (to one caught stealing), and 12 doubles.

On the defensive side of the ball, UZR/150 gives this player a rating of 16.3 through the 61 games he has played at second base.

By throwing out on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and stolen bases, we can see how these players separate themselves from one another a bit. Even though RBI and runs scored are close, I think they are each still relevant considering where each of these guys bat in their respective lineups.

Player A: .333 AVG/6 HR/29 RBI/47 RS/9.0 UZR/150

Player B: .260 AVG/10 HR/26 RBI/41 RS/16.3 UZR/150

So, make your pick.

Now, the unveiling, though I’m sure Braves and Phillies fans have already figured out who is who.

Player A is Martin Prado.

Player B is leading vote-getter Chase Utley.

My opinion lies a bit on the subjective side since I get to watch Prado play and collect his 95 current hits every day, but I don’t see how Utley can get the nod when name recognition, which is almost a bit regrettably a pretty big factor in All-Star voting, is thrown out the window.

The way Prado has energized what was an anemic Braves offense before he took over the leadoff spot also throws out the “value to a team’s success” factor that comes into play in some ballots cast.

I’ll grant Utley the fact that he’s been playing hurt, but voting should be based on results (and to potential results, Prado’s BABIP is .366 to Utley’s .264, so Prado has had quite a bit more luck when it comes to “hitting ’em where they ain’t” on the field).

I feel the stats back me up a bit here; Prado has had more of those.

So what do you think (ignoring the fact that Utley’s more than likely getting the starting nod from the fans)?

Should Utley get the nod for his longevity as one of the premier second basemen in the game?

Or should Prado be the man for the impressive numbers he’s posted thus far in the 2010 season?

This article is also featured on The Hey Train.

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Where did the best second baseman in baseball go?

Chase Utley’s batting average continues to go down the tube. Starting at well over .300, it’s been a slow dissent to the .200’s. It doesn’t take much to notice he’s struggling.

In his last 10 games Utley’s only managed to squeak out a .206 average at his 34 appearances at the plate. Combine his four runs and seven hits with his four strikeouts and 0 stolen bases and it doesn’t add up to much.

Not only has he been having trouble behind the plate, but his field game is starting to be affected. In the June 15 game against the Yankees Utley cost the Phillies a double play, but didn’t pick up an error because they still managed an out. 

So what’s the deal? Why isn’t he performing? And if he’s not performing, why’s he still in there?

Some are leaning to the excuse that Utley may be hurt again. After the previous problems with his hip, it would be no surprise for Utley to keep his mouth shut and play through the pain. If he really is hurt, he needs to speak up and do what’s best for the Phils.

If he’s hurt, he needs to get out of there and get healthy, so he can contribute to the team and do what he does best. Lately, he just hasn’t been helping the Phils out. Utley’s been ending innings and grounding into double plays way too often at a time the Phils are desperate to put some points on the board.

On the other hand, it might just be a slump. Every player has them.

Either way, he needs to get healthy or get out of his slump. Fast.

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Jamie Ambler and I are both Featured Columnists covering the Philadelphia Phillies for Bleacher Report.

As we quickly learned upon meeting one another and becoming acquainted with each other’s perspectives on the Phillies and sports in general, there is very little we agree on.

From Ryan Howard to the Phillie Phanatic to Mike Schmidt to Richie Ashburn, ask these two guys a question, and chances are we’ll disagree.

In honor of our bipolar views on the world of sports, we present the first installment of The Philadelphia Feud: a new weekly feature in which Jamie and I debate hot topics from the Phillies, the NL East, Major League Baseball, and the world of sports.

Away we go.

Begin Slideshow

Let’s forget for a moment that Chase Utley is one of the most popular athletes on the planet.

Let’s imagine he’s a fictional character on Fox’s just-ended TV series, 24—and that he’s withholding some kind of information.

Mr. Utley being interrogated by government agent Jack Bauer?

Well, Chase would prove to be one tough nut for Jack to crack. To the public eye, Utley has always appeared the master of stoicism. No emotion. Totally even-keel all the time.

If Chase has a weakness, he never lets on. If Chase feels pain, he never admits it. If Chase has a secret, well, then good luck trying to get it out…or flush it out, choke it out, burn it out, or cut it out, Jack.

Yeah, that Chase Utley is one tough guy to read…or break.

He’s also a gamer, and never one for making excuses. But his struggles at the plate this season have led this writer to suspect that Chase could be suffering from an injury that he is choosing to bury from the press.

Seems like Utley also has a pretty high tolerance for pain.

Of course, this is all speculation. My next conversation with Chase will be my first ever. But of all the Phillies stars who have struggled in the past three weeks, Utley’s shortcomings are nearly impossible to rationalize.

Ryan Howard has always been a perennial slow-starter. Jayson Werth has certainly shown that he is not the $20 million per-year performer everyone insisted he was just five weeks ago. Raul Ibanez has hit like Raul Mondesi’s grandmother for the past calendar year now.

But Utley, the Phillies’ best all-around player and most consistent performer for the past five years, has been this impotent cluster of Phillies’ weakest link. And his struggles are by far the most concerning.

Chase hasn’t been himself for the better part of this year. As Jack Bauer likes to say, “something’s not right.”

Through June 10, 2010, Utley has a .262 AVG, 10 HR, and 26 RBI. Through June 10 last year, he was hitting .303 with 15 HR and 41 RBI. His 2010 slugging percentage (.520) and OPS (.862) are each his lowest since he became a starter back in 2005.

Utley, like most of his teammates, has been in a total freefall for the past month. After hitting .315 through May 15, Chase is hitting .171 (13-for-76) with just ONE home run and FOUR RBI.

Now, to be fair, some of Utley’s lack of production can be attributed to Placido Polanco missing nine games and Jimmy Rollins only playing in 12.

By the way, shortstop-sub Wilson Valdez has walked ONCE this season and hit into NINE double plays. But let’s not talk about Wilson.

Anyway, if Chase’s struggles were caused by a mechanical problem, it’s likely it would have been corrected by now. Everyone says Utley watches as much film and works as hard in between games as anybody.

On the other hand, if Utley is hiding an injury, it wouldn’t be the first time.

Throughout the second half of 2008, Utley continually dismissed the notion that he had a hip injury even though Phillies’ front office personnel suggested otherwise. “I feel like I do every year at this time,” told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sept. 18, 2008. Chase wound up having hip surgery during the offseason. 

As far as we know, Utley didn’t win up playing through any injuries last season, but his teammate Brad Lidge sure did.

Lidge spent most of last June on the DL, but pitched through elbow and knee ailments throughout the rest of the season and postseason. After the World Series, Lidge finally admitted he had never been fully healthy in 2009, partially explaining his 7.21 ERA and 11 blown saves during the year.

Lidge in ‘09, just like Utley in ‘08, was a real trooper. But acknowledging his ailments at a far earlier date may have benefited both him and his team.  

There’s nothing the Phillies need more than a healthy and productive Chase Utley. Because as the listless offensive performances pile up with alarming regularity, the Philly fanbase has only been able to say one thing, the same thing agent Jack Bauer likes to say when things aren’t going too well for him:

“Damn it!”

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