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A Long Way Out – 2010-2011 76′ers Preview

September 7th, 2010 by OD20 | 3 Comments | Filed in Baseball, Sixers

Could Jrue Be Part of a Sixers Resurgence?

I have a couple quick observations before we get into a look at the 76′ers upcoming season.

1- There is a very clear and distinct separation between where football and baseball (and maybe even hockey) stand in terms of popularity, and where the NBA has fallen to.  With both football and baseball you can find offseason dates with little effort.  The date pitchers and catchers report, the start of NFL training camp, heck even the dates the position players report and mini camps are readily available.

With the NBA, not so much.  I double dare you to take 3 minutes of your life and try to find me the official date for the start of training camp for the 76′ers.  Even tried and trusted Google let me down.  It’s almost like a bad secret no one wants to talk about.  If no one really cares about the regular season (including the players) for first 6 months of the year, then there may not be a single person alive, outside of those of us who are trying to write about it, who cares about the NBA training camp and preseason.  It’s sad really.

2 – To go along with no dates, you also have a complete and utter lack of information.  The 76′ers site is beautiful, it’s high tech, and probably a great marketing tool.  It’s also, however, completely devoid of any real information outside of heights, weights, and upcoming games.  If you click on News and Features, there has been exactly ONE feature done since July 31st.  We are less than one month away from the official start of their season, and they have ONE feature in more than a month?  Dave Spadaro writes a post a day (or every other day) for the Eagles on their “News” page, but the Sixers can’t find someone to write more than one a month?

With all that aside, I’m actually excited for the upcoming Sixers season.  That places me squarely in the minority, and I know that.  There are few hardcore NBA fans left, and even fewer 76′ers fans out there.  The attendance last year made a pretty clear statement.  The Sixers finished 26th out of 30 NBA teams last year in attendance.  This isn’t a depressed market, the Phillies and Eagles will combine to sell something like 2859037840129841308 kajillion tickets this year.  The message is clear.  The fans won’t return until a better product is in place.

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Kendrick Getting Difficult To Root For

September 6th, 2010 by Johnny G | 1 Comment | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

Kendrick has given up 71 hits in his last 10 starts.

How far has Kyle Kendrick fallen? Well, lets take a look back. Going into this Spring Training, Kendrick was the hot story. The young sinkerballer was supposed to be mastering his craft while mimicking one of the best pitchers in baseball, Roy Halladay. Kendrick pitched great in the Spring, leading most Phillies fans to call for him to be awarded the final spot in the rotation (not me ). So much was being made about Kendrick’s new found work ethic and how Kyle was trying to beat Halladay to the Spring Training complex every morning by 5 AM. After this fairy tale Spring Training, Kendrick pitched effectively at times during the first several months of the regular season and at times, he was lit up like the Kyle Kendrick we all knew too well. Through the ups and downs, his numbers remained very solid for a pitcher in the 5th spot of a rotation though, which was aided by a tremendous amount of run support by the Phillies offense. Now, as the season begins to wind down, the run support has come back to earth, and the Phillies find themselves right in the middle of a pennant and Wild Card race with the Braves and Giants, Kendrick has dissapeared. In his last six starts, Kendrick has an ERA of 7.04 while allowing a mind blowing 46 hits in 30.2 innings.

All of Kendrick’s struggles came to the forefront on Sunday in what seemed like the perfect storm. Kendrick, apparently completely oblivious to any in-game baseball strategy whatsoever, claimed he was “unaware” of the plan to pitch around Prince Fielder with first base open and right-handed hitter and double play threat, Casey Mcegehee on deck. Carlos Ruiz was set up 6 inches off of the outside corner for the first pitch to Fielder, what should have been an obvious sign to Kendrick that he should not challenge Fielder in this spot. Kendrick grooved a cutter that could have easily been mistaken for a pitch in one of the annual homerun derbies. The ball from Fielder landed in the second deck of Citizens Bank Park and put the Phillies in a 3-0 hole before they could even come to bat.

After the game Kyle dug a deeper grave by saying, “It’s out of my control,” “Yeah, I’ve been pitching bad. But I pitched well earlier in the season.” When asked about his status in the rotation.

Excuse me? It’s out of your control? You pitched well earlier in the season? What?!

Correct me if I’m wrong but it appears to me Kendrick is the one who actually toes the rubber every fifth day and throws the ball to homeplate. It also appears to me that if Kendrick performed to the most basic levels of expectations for a big league pitcher, his rotation spot would not be up for grabs to anyone who has four working limbs. On top of all this, Kendrick appears to want a reprieve because he wasn’t completely awful in May and June. This is a kid who everyone dubbed as “mentally tough” for his ability to work out of jams with runners on in his first season with the club. Right now, he sounds like an absolute loser. This all comes a day before rookie Vance Worley will make his first start of the year. If he pitches well, his name will most likely be penciled into Kendrick’s spot in the rotation. After a spring training full of early wake up calls trying to beat Doc to the ballpark, maybe Kyle should have slept in.

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Phillies vs. Marlins- Series Preview

September 5th, 2010 by Johnny G | No Comments | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

Since coming to the Phillies, Oswalt has a 1.89 ERA

Pitching Probables:
Vance Worley (0-0 0.00 ERA) vs.Adalberto Mendez (Making Debut)
Roy Oswalt (4-1 1.89 ERA) vs. Anibal Sanchez (11-8 3.14 ERA)
Joe Blanton (6-6 5.25 ERA) vs. Chris Volstad (9-9 4.82 ERA)
Cole Hamels (9-10 3.18 ERA) vs. Andrew Miller (1-0 3.60 ERA) 

After the Phillies took two of three from the Brewers, they now welcome the  Florida Marlins into town for a four game set. In game one of the Labor Day double header, two rookies will take the hill for both squads. Worley was pulled from his start in the minor leagues after the first inning, essentially signaling that he will get the call for game one. Mendez will be making his MLB debut after putting up a record of 5-4 with a 4.18 ERA in just 9 starts. 

In game two of the doubleheader will be the best pitching match up of this series. Roy Oswalt will take on Anibal Sancez. Oswalt has been nothing short of phenomenal since being acquired from the Astros, as shown by his microscopic ERA with the Phillies. In his last start, Oswalt went 6.1 scoreless innings in a victory over the Dodgers. Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter several years ago has had a very good season thus far. Since the All-Star break, Sanchez is 4-2 with a 2.21 ERA. He features a nice Fastball, Curveball combination and when he is locating, is very tough to deal with. 

Even though two rookies are going in game one, Game three of this series could prove to be the worst pitching match up. Joe Blanton will go for the Phillies coming off an outing that saw him give up six runs on 10 hits and 2 walks. Blanton also gave up three long balls in that outing. Blanton has to keep the ball down and out of the middle of the plate to be succesful. Chris Volstad is making his first start since the bean-ball incident with Nyjer Morgan of the Washington Nationals. Volstad threw at Morgan twice in the same game in a lopsided affair. The first time was due to Morgan running over the Marlins’ catcher Brendan Hayes, dislocated his shoulder. When Morgan reached base, he stole second and third in a 10 run game. Volstad took offense and threw at Morgan in his next at bat. Morgan charged the mound and all hell broke loose. As far as pitching is concerned, Volstad has won three straight decisions and four of his last five. 

In the final game of this series, Cole Hamels will take on another young left-hander, Andrew Miller. Hamels has been absolutely phenomenal this year and it is an absolute crime that he is sitting one game below .500. Hamels has a 2.00 ERA in his eleven starts in addition to an 18 inning scoreless streak that dates back to August 24th. Andrew Miller is a talented young pitcher who has made two starts on the year. In his last outing, Miller threw 5 innings, giving up one run against the Atlanta Braves. Miller tends to struggle with his command at times but he has very good stuff. He will be a tough match-up for guys like Howard, Utley, and Ibanez. 

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Two Out Of Three Aint Bad

September 5th, 2010 by Christian | 2 Comments | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

The Glass Is Half Full

The Phillies dropped the final game of their three game series against Milwaukee today 6-2, after winning the first two games.

Kyle Kendrick had a poor outing, giving up five runs on seven hits through four innings.

The bullpen gave the Phillies a chance to win, however, shutting the Brewers down over the next four innings.  Herndon, Bastardo, Durbin and Mathieson each pitched a scoreless inning, before Jose Contreras gave up a run in the ninth..

The Phillies offense couldn’t capitalize though, not scoring a run after the second inning.

At this juncture of the recap, I could choose to focus on an inconsistent offense that made Randy Wolf look good.

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Fewer Headlines In Store This Off Season

September 2nd, 2010 by OD20 | 5 Comments | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

Another Addition of This Size? Not Likely...

Buckle up folks… this is a long one.  This is my passion.  I apologize for the length

I am not looking past this stretch run, or getting ahead of myself, or ignoring all the events currently taking place (good and bad) with this current Phillies team.  I am, however, completely enamored by the postseason process, the payroll, and the future of this club.

As a fan, one of my favorite topics is the process of building for long term success.  I am not a “win it all this year at all costs” believer. I don’t think that you should rape and pillage your farm system for veteran rentals.  What the brewers did with CC Sabathia a few years back was ballsy, but ultimately reckless and maybe even stupid (in my opinion).

What I see with the Phillies is a team that can make a run in 2010, and also a team that could compete at this level for the next 2-3 years.  Could there be set backs that lessen their opportunity to win or the emergence of young players that extend the window?  Absolutely, both scenarios could happen.  The current roster is full of 30+ players, and the minor league system is full of high end pitching and a few elite position players.  Long term success requires some lucky breaks as well as good planning and execution by the front office.

With all that said, here is a look at who is coming back, who is leaving, and what decisions the front office will be faced with this offseason.

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How Did We Get Here? The Evolution of a Roster

August 31st, 2010 by OD20 | 8 Comments | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

When Will We See THIS Again?

There will always be something to complain about.  For years this team didn’t have enough pitching.  The bullpen was a liability.  We have/had no closer.  The bench was horrific.  Players wore down because they didn’t have the pieces to provide rest for the stars. The latest and greatest complaint?  The offense is inconsistent, streaky, strikes out to much, and is just flat out killing us.  We can’t win with this offense… or can we?

Sure some of that is valid.  The offense is down this year.  There are multiple reasons for the lack of offensive production.  There have been a total of 3 months of lost ab’s between the 3 and 4 hole hitter.  Another 2.5 months of lost at-bats between the leadoff man and 2-hole hitter.  When you lose 5.5 months of production from the top 4 hitters in your lineup, there stands to be some regression in terms of total runs scored.

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Beyond that, a season long slump from centerfielder Shane Victorino, and what appears to be age related regression from Raul Ibanez have also contributed to what has been a disappointing season offensively for the Phillies.  All in all, this could end up being the first year in the past 8 seasons that the Phillies fail to score 750 runs.  Even if the team managed to average 5 runs per game over the last 31 contests, a feat that seems almost impossible at this moment in time, they would still only manage 752 runs for the season, which represents the lowest total since they scored 710 runs in a sub .500 season in 2002.

With the injuries and slumps accounted for, how is it that this team stands 15 games over .500?  How do they hold a 1.5 game lead in the wild card race despite one of their most putrid offensive outputs in a decade? The answer is quite simple.  There is more than one way to win a baseball game. This roster has evolved in an astounding fashion.  In fact, the argument can very well be made (so I will make it) that the ONLY way this team could stand where it does today is because of the evolution that has taken place over the past 4 years. Here are the statistics from the areas that decide the outcomes of baseball games – runs scored, and runs allowed – from the past 4 seasons in which the Phillies have had a wealth of success.

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In-Depth Look at the Phillie’s Top 10 Prospects

August 30th, 2010 by OD20 | No Comments | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

courtesy http://blog.blueclaws.com

I can’t remember the last time I took a broad look at the Phillies farm system and saw this amount of depth and projectability for the future.  Despite trading away 9 guys who were ranked in top 10 (or close to it) in the organization, there is still a wealth of potential MLB players, and possibly a solid core group of impact guys.

Here is my current top 10 ranking of the Phils minor league system.  Obviously this is going to be subject to change, and I will try to update both performance and rankings on a regular basis.

8/30/10 Org Rankings

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1.  Jarred Cosart, RHP – Cosart burst on the scene this year as a 20 yr old pitching for Low Class A Lakewood.  Why is he ranked above some more highly regarded draft picks, and some more advanced prospects?  The answer is quite simple – the numbers match the stuff at a fairly high level for his age.

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