Phillies Could Use Cliff Lee

Cliff Lee should be on the Phillies. I have a very bad feeling that this thought is going to be in my head all season and haunt many Phillies fans throughout the season, and into the playoffs.

The trade of Cliff Lee was one of the dumbest trades in Philadelphia sports history while I have been alive. Not only was it lopsided in that we got back a few crappy prospects, but Lee on the Phillies makes the Phillies the favorite to win the World Series. Who knows though? Maybe the Phillies will go on to win the World Series this year, and Jaime Moyer, and Kyle Kendrick will play big roles in that.

There are always trades that occur in which your team comes out on the short end of the deal. In fact sometimes these trades are even necessary to move on with your team, or move on from another player. I can think of many instances in which a Philadelphia team made a trade in which we were probably on the short end of the stick. However, no trade has ever been made by a Philadelphia team that I can remember that has one of the best players in the league at a position that you need a solid player there.

Cliff Lee was on the Phillies. Cliff Lee was signed through next season. They didn’t have to give Him a long term deal, they could have paid Him his $9 million, tried to win a World Series with the best roster in baseball, and let Him walk. Instead, the $9 million was too much. Don’t think we should blame Ruben Amaro for not being allowed to go over the Phillies budget? Fair enough – let’s instead blame him for signing Jaime Moyer to a 2 year contract that keeps him in Philadelphia this season, paying him $8 million this year.

I only bring this up, because even though people were upset when the move happened, people are not talking about how this could ruin the Phillies this season. The starting pitching, besides Halladay, and Hamels last start, has been poor. Cliff Lee on the DL is better than Kyle Kendrick in the rotation. A rotation of Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Blanton, and Happ is so much better than a rotation of Halladay, Hamels, Blanton, Happ, and Moyer/Kendrick. Not only do you have Cliff Lee the #2 starter, it keeps the pressure off of Hamels, as Hamels would be one of the best #3 starters in baseball. With Hamels being in the #2 spot, it means that we really need Hamels to step up and pitch like he did in 2008. By having Lee in the rotation, it also means that we don’t have to see the jokes of Kendrick and Moyer out on the mound anymore, unless there is an injury.

Either way, Lee is gone, I just wanted to bring more attention to the fact that Amaro made one of the dumbest moves that I can remember in my lifetime as a Philadelphia sports fan, and he is getting slightly a free pass for it. Even Ed Wade would have kept Cliff Lee. We are only 2 weeks into the season, and we already need another starting pitcher. The fact that we are going to have to get a starting pitcher at the deadline probably is ridiculous, after you trade away a Cy Young winner, because you couldn’t go $9 million over your budget. The offense is good enough to win a World Series. Right now, the pitching isn’t even close. This particular team is built to win multiple World Series’. If the Phillies make it to the World Series and get out-pitched by the better staffs of the Yankees or Red Sox… blame Ruben Amaro.

Pitching in a Pitch

The Phillies have regained their spot perched atop the NL East thanks the multiple come from behind victories and always adhering to that never give up attitude. The Phillies—and the fans for that matter—never feel like they’re ever out of a game. They’ve proven that several times this year including a late rally walk-fest against Atlanta in the season’s opening series and a seven run fury against the Marlins weeks later. But relying too heavily on the comeback could be a recipe for disaster.

At its core, a come from behind win is exciting. Watching Ryan Howard or Shane Victorino hit a grand slam to win a game is the kind of thing that makes the Phils fun to watch. But it also means something else. It means that the team was losing. And that is directly attributed to the lackluster starting staff.

Sure the potent line-up—Jimmy Rollins excluded—has provided enough dramatics to keep us fans smiling. And scheduled off days and unscheduled rain outs have kept the bullpen fairly fresh. But over the course of a long summer, sub par pitching won’t hold up. It won’t win a World Series. It won’t win the National League. And it may not even win the Division.

Cole Hamels has an excuse. It may not be a good one, but its an excuse. You can’t blame Hamels for Prince Fielder’s line drive, although he should be able to field a bunt without having to miss a start. We’re now in May, and the rust better start coming off of Hamels fast.

Brett Myers has been nothing short of a disappointment out of the gate. The hefty righty is playing for a contract but you wouldn’t know that by glancing at his bloated ERA. After watching Myers yield long ball after long ball, I sometimes feel like I could take him yard.

Jaimie Moyer is what he is. He’ll give you six innings of 3 or 4 run ball, take it or leave it. Joe Blanton has been like Jekyl and Hyde. He’s has throw three quality starts (ironically the Phils only won one of those games) to go along with several horrendous outings. Heavy B needs to find some consistency and keep us in games.

And Chan Ho may have used up all his good stuff in spring training. He wanted to be a starter so fans back in Korea could watch him pitch. I’m betting he’s wishing they weren’t.

It’s hard to complain when a team is in first place. But if things don’t start coming together, the stay at the top could be short lived. Ibanez, Utley, Howard and Victorino have grabbed all the headlines so far this season. It would be nice to see Myers or Hamels take the spotlight.

Phillies Lose, Moyer Rocked

The Phillies lost Game 3 of the NLDS to the Dodgers, 7-2. Jaime Moyer went 1.1 innings, and allowed 6 earned runs. On the other hand, Dodgers starter, Kuroda went 6 innings, and allowed 2 earned runs.

You had to expect this game coming, as the Dodgers are too good of a team to go down in the series 3-0. The Phillies and Dodgers have played 11 times so far this season, including the regular season, and the home team is 11-0 in those games. The Phillies have to find a way to win one of the next two in Los Angeles, to go home with a 3-2 series lead, and only need one win.

Coming into the series, we thought that these two teams were fairly evenly matched, and where there was an advantage, it was a small one. It would have been nice to win this game, but with a 2-0 series lead, the Phillies can afford to lose this game, as long as they come out and play in Game 4.

In the actual game, the benches cleared on a play where Dodgers pitcher Kuroda pitched over the head of Shane Victorino. Victorino grounded out in the at bat, and the benches cleared afterwards, but it wasn't anything more than a shouting match. The Dodgers are basically a bunch of little bitches, who get upset when there is a pitch inside. Let by the biggest bitch on the team, Russell Martin, who gets upset anytime a pitch is thrown on the inside corner of the plate.

The pitching matchups are shaking up to be something to keep an eye on in this series. The Dodgers have decided to only use three pitchers this series, going with Derek Lowe again in Game 4, and then Billingsley, Kuroda, and Lowe again throughout the rest of the series, if those games are needed. It looks like the Phillies will pitch Joe Blanton in Game 4, which means Hamels, and then Myers will go in Games 5 and 6. If this series goes to Game 7, will the Phillies throw out Moyer again even if he just got lit up? It may not matter, they may not have a choice. It would either have to be Moyer or Blanton, so we will see how Joey B. pitches in Game 4.

Game 4 is Monday night, 8:22 EDT, Blanton vs. Lowe. Phillies lead series 2-1.

Brewers Stay Alive in Game 3

The Phillies lost Game 3 to the Brewers 4-1 on Saturday night. Trying to advance to the NLCS will have to wait one more day for the Phillies, who struggled again offensively, only scoring 1 run on 9 hits. They really have no threat for most of the game, until the 9th, when they loaded the bases with 0 outs, but couldn't even plate a run. Phillies starter Jaime Moyer struggled in the 1st inning, allowing 2 runs, but settled down, and went 4 innings total. Moyer was not getting the calls from the ump when he would hit the corners, and often struggles when there is an inconsistent umpire behind the plate.

Once again, the Phillies will need to put up a strong offensive game. Take pitches, get baserunners on, steal some bases, advance some runners, and hit the ball hard. The Phillies will face right-hander Jeff Suppan, who had almost a 5 ERA in the regular season. The Phillies mid-season acquisition Joe Blanton will oppose him, and Blanton needs to keep the Phillies in the game. If the Phillies get the lead, and are able to keep the lead for a couple innings, we should see the Brewers start to press to try to get some runs, which should work in the Phillies favor.

Bottom line, the Phillies are an offensive team, and need to bust out offensively, which they are more than capable of doing, especially against an average right-hander. The Phillies don't want to have to go to a game 5 where they would face off against C.C. Sabathia again, who probably won't have 2 bad starts in a row. All of that can be avoided in Game 4.

The Phillies have a 2-1 series lead, Game 4 is Sunday, 1:05 p.m. EDT.

Phillies Travel to Milwaukee for Game 3

The Fightin’ Phillies look to sweep the Brewers in Game 3 of the NLDS, coming into the game with a 2-0 series lead. Jaime Moyer will take the mound game 3 for the Phillies, opposed by Dave Bush, a Philadelphia area native. Shane Victorino had the big hit in Game 2, but look for Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to have big games against the right-handed Bush. Both players are due for a big game. Shane Victorino will probably stay in the 2-hole in the lineup and Werth, who also had a very good Game 2, will continue to bat 6th.

The series is far from over, as the Brewers are very good in their home park, so look for them to come out and play a good game 3. It won’t be easy to keep the Brewers bats quiet for a 3rd game. If anybody is up to the task, it is definitely Moyer, who is the ultimate wily veteran, and doesn’t get rattled easily. Not to mention, he has been amazing all year, especially down the stretch in big games. Even if Moyer doesn’t have his usual great stuff, the Phillies offense should be able to get runs off of Bush. The Phillies have also had the luxury of not needing to score off the bad Brewers bullpen. If this game is close late, the Phillies have a great chance to win, with the superior ‘pen. Another key will be doing what the Phillies have done in Games 1, and 2; make the Brewers throw pitches. The Phillies have gotten the Brewers starting pitchers, Gallardo, and Sabathia both out of the game early, due to large pitch counts. The Phillies hitters need to stay patient, and stick to their game plan.

The Phillies have a 2-0 series lead, Game 3 is Saturday, 6:30 p.m. EDT.