Big Changes for State of the Phillies!

My Fellow Phans,

I know its been awhile since I posted and for that I apologize. I’ve had a lot on my plate lately with new employment as well as working on a brand new project.

Some of you have heard that there is big news on the front for this site and here is the news. The State of the Phillies is moving to Wordpress. The link to the new site is here: http://mlblogsshieldsyman07.wordpress.com/

Yes, this is not a total change, since I was already posting my blog on both blog sites already. After careful thought and examination of both blogger and WP. I decide to condense my blog down into one single page. It will be easier on me and more beneficial to you as the reader as I will have less work to concentrate on. This will give me the advantage to make a colorful, friendly and nicer blog site for you all t enjoy. Wordpress appeared to offer more of what I was looking for in a blog so that is why I switched.

The site is the only change. There will be no change in content. I will still give you then news from our beloved Phillies.

If you aren’t reading it already, I hope you go to the new page and look around. There is a new panel with many options including twitter, facebook, and links. There is a chance to register for email updates. at the bottom, you can find archives of my posts as well as a fancy Phillies RSS feed, which is a trial run at the moment.

Please offer any thoughts or opinions on the content, site, or anything else. I am open to new ideas.

Oh and before I forget, I will leave this site available to read and leave all my content up although all new content will be posted on the new page solely.

So head to http://mlblogsshieldsyman07.wordpress.com/ and enjoy!

Until we meet again Phillies fans; Happy Readings and go Phillies!

Cards, Carpenter bounce Phillies from postseason

For the second straight season, the Phillies season came down to Ryan Howard and, for the second straight season, Howard was retired for the final out of the Phillies season. A season, which was record setting, and just flat out thrilling to watch, ended in a flash at the hands of Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals as the Phillies fell 1-0 at Citizens Bank Park.

Here’s how it went down:

The crowd came out in drones and the Phillies looked to make it back to their 4^th straight National League Championship series. Roy Halladay was on the mound opposing Carpenter in the biggest game of the season for both teams.

As has been well noted, Halladay struggles in the first inning of starts and Rafael Furcal took note of that fact and led off the game with a triple. Skip Schumaker followed with an RBI double and the Cardinals were in business early with a 1-0 lead. Doc settled down and wiggled his way out of trouble thanks to a heads-up play from Chase Utley and the Phillies kept the damage to a minimum.

Unfortunately, that was all Carpenter would need. He set the Phillies down in order during 3 of the first 5 innings. The Phillies threatened in the 2^nd with a 1-out double from Shane Victorino and then again in the 4^th before Raul Ibanez flew out to the warning track with runners on the corners. From the 6^th inning on, the Phillies only managed two base runners; an Utley single and pinch hitter Ross Gload reaching on a strikeout with a wild pitch.

Meanwhile, Halladay had also settled down. After the first, Halladay limited the Cardinals to just 4 hits and 0 runs over the next 7 innings. He would finish the game with 7 strikeouts and 1 intentional walk in 8 innings. Ryan Madson finished off a scoreless 9^th inning in what may be his final game pitching for the Phillies.

However, Carpenter was just a little bit better. The Cardinals’ ace threw a 3-hit complete game shutout striking out 3 and throwing 70 of 110 of his pitches for strikes.

The only offensive bright spot for the Phillies was Victorino, who finished 2-for-3.

The Phillies season ends after a record setting 102 victories and expectations higher than in any previous years. There may be some changes next year with Jimmy Rollins, Ibanez, and Madson both free agents at the end of this season.

Lost in all the shock and confusion that the end of this game brought with it; is that fact that Ryan Howard crumpled to the ground after hitting the ball to second to end the ballgame. Details on his injury to come.

Trevor May profile & interview up!

My Fellow Phans,

As you may have known, I had the honor of talking with the Phillies’ 2011 Minor League Pitcher of the year, Trevor May last week. It took time to gather everything together, but I finally got the post up!

Check on the page tabs on the top of this page, I added the profile to its own page!

Hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think!

Until we meet again Phillies fans; happy readings and go Phillies!

Doc & Phils overcome rough 1st; beat Cards in opener

PHILDELPHIA: It wasn’t a pleasant start for the Phillies or Roy Halladay.

A leadoff single by Rafael Furcal followed 2 batters later by a four-pitch walk to Albert Pujols put a pair of runners on for Lance Berkman. Berkman saw just a single pitch that at-bat; a mistake by Halladay that he deposited into the right field seats staking the Cardinals and starter Kyle Lohse to an early 3-0 lead.

That seemed to be all Lohse would need. He cruised through the first 3 innings retiring all 9 hitters he faced rather easily. Everything changed starting in the 4th. Chase Utley lined a double to right field with 1 out for the Phillies first hit of the evening. Following a Hunter Pence strikeout and a Howard walk, Lohse looked like he was going to wriggle his way out of trouble when Shane Victorino popped a ball down the third baseline that was misplayed by David Freese giving the Phillies’ centerfielder new life.

Giving a playoff team an extra out is never a smart option. Victorino promptly lined a single to left field scoring Utley cutting the Cardinals lead down to two at 3-1.

After a perfect 5th, many wondered if the Phillies would get anymore off of Lohse. That was until the 6th when everything started to unravel.

Howard’s monster home run reached the upper deck off of Citizens Bank Park. It was his first playoff homer and RBIs since 2009. His 2010 0-fer for the postseason had been washed away with one swing. The Phillies led 4-3 and looked to pile it on.

And pile it on they did. Victorino followed with a single, the Phillies’ fourth hit of the inning. The home crowd was going ballistic and the Cardinals’ starter had lost his composure. All that was needed was a capper and Raul Ibanez was happy to oblige.

Ibanez launched the 2-0 offering from Lohse into the right field bleachers. Successfully, launching complete pandemonium and forcing Tony LaRussa to go to his bullpen.

Once the Cardinals’ bullpen took over, the Phillies’ bats kept with the onslaught. They tallied 3 more runs in the 7th thanks to RBIs from Ryan Howard, Victorino, and Ibanez. In the 8th, Hunter Pence joined chipped in with his first two career postseason RBIs pulling the lead to 11-3.

While Lohse and the Cardinals’ bullpen were collapsing, Halladay was just starting to impress. After allowing a leadoff single to Skip Schumaker in the 2nd, the Philadelphia ace was unhittable in the most literal sense. Halladay retired the last last 21 batters he faced not allowing a batter to reach from the 3rd inning on. He finished the day tallying 8 innings allowing just 3 runs on 3 hits.

The Cardinals finally got to the Phillies’ bullpen in the 9th when Halladay was pulled for rookie Michael Stutes. Stutes struggled allowing 4 of the 5 hitters he faced to reach and had to be pulled after just getting 1 out. Phillies’ closer Ryan Madson entered and allowed a two-run double that glanced off of the glove of defensive replacement John Mayberry Jr. in left field and the Cardinals pulled to within 11-6. 

However, that is as close as they would get. Madson struck out Jon Jay and pinch hitter Matt Holliday sealing the opening game victory for the Phillies.

With the win, Halladay improve his career NLDS record to 2-0 with a sparkling 1.53 era. Lohse’s record drops to 0-3 in his postseason career.

Notes: 7 of the Phillies 9 starters had a hit…The meat of the Phillies order, Howard-Pence-Victorino-Ibanez, combined to go 8-for16 with 5 runs scored. They knocked in all 11 runs for the Phillies…Utley clubbed a pair of doubles off the warning track in right field; he finished with 3 runs scored and hits on the evening…Rolllins scored 3 runs while chipping in 2 hits of his own.

See the full box score here.

Phillies NLDS Preview is up!

My Fellow Phans,

My 2011 NLDS preview is up! Check the pages tab above for the link!

Have a great day everyone!

Until we meet again Phillies fans; happy readings and go Phillies!

Phillies vs. Cardinals: 2011 NLDS Preview!

My Fellow Phans,

So it is finally the day. The start of the most anticipated postseason in the history of the Phillies franchise. This has been a record setting year this season for the team itself with their 102 wins and Charlie Manuel, who became the most successful Phillies manager in history, when he won 646^th career game at the helm of the club on Wednesday.

For their season’s efforts, clinching the best record in all of baseball and home field throughout the postseason, they draw the wild card winning St. Louis Cardinals in the opening round of the 2011 MLB postseason. Here is your preview for the upcoming NLDS set to begin later this evening:

Philadelphia Phillies (East Champs; 102-60) vs.                              St. Louis Cardinals (Wild Card; 90-72)

Schedule/ Pitching Matchups:

Game 1: Friday, Saturday, October 1 @ Philadelphia (5:07pm):

Roy Halladay (19-6 2.35) vs. Kyle Lohse (14-8 3.39)

Game 2: Sunday, October 2 @ Philadelphia (8:37pm):

Cliff Lee (17-8 2.40) vs. Chris Carpenter (11-9 3.45)

Game 3: Tuesday, October 4 @ St. Louis (TBD):

Jaime Garcia (13-7 3.56) vs. Cole Hamels (14-9 2.75)

Game 4 (If necessary): Wednesday, October 5 @ St. Louis (TBD):

Lohse vs. Halladay or Roy Oswalt (9-10 3.69)

Game 5 (If necessary): Thursday, October 6 @Philadelphia (TBD):

TBD vs. TBD

Phillies Roster & Notes:

Hitters:

C: Carlos Ruiz (.283-6-40), Brian Scheinder (.176-2-9)

Inf: Ross Gload (.257-0-8), Ryan Howard (.253-33-116), Michael Martinez (.196-3-24), Placido Polanco (.277-5-50), Jimmy Rollins (.268-16-63), Chase Utley (.259-11-44), Wilson Valdez (.249-1-30)

Of: Ben Francisco (.244-6-34), Raul Ibanez (.245-20-84), John Mayberry (.273-15-49), Hunter Pence (.314-22-97), Shane Victorino (.279-17-61)

Pitchers:

Rhp: Joe Blanton (1-2 5.01), Roy Halladay (19-6 2.35), Kyle Kendrick (8-6 3.22), Brad Lidge (0-2 1.40), Ryan Madson (2.37 – 32 saves), Roy Oswalt (9-10 3.69), Michael Stutes (6-2 3.63), Vance Worley (11-3 3.01)

Lhp: Antonio Bastardo (6-1 2.64), Cole Hamels (14-9 2.79), Cliff Lee (17-9 2.40)

Phillies Season Notes:

The Phillies completed the greatest season in their franchise’s history winning 102 games and sweeping out the Braves to end the season.

Pitching: Roy Halladay led the way winning 19 games in his second season with the Phillies and Cliff Lee followed close behind with 17 wins of his own…The pitching staff itself led the major leagues in ERA (3.02), complete games (18), Shutouts (21), quality starts (108), and wins with 102…Ryan Madson finished with 32 saves in 34 chances.

Offense: Ryan Howard was the overwhelming leader offensively with his 33 homers and 116 RBIs. Since his acquisition, Hunter Pence has hit .324 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs with the Phillies in just 54 games… Shane Victorino finished with 15+ homers, triples, doubles, and steals for the first time in his career…The Phillies are the 7^th lowest scoring team in the postseason, only ahead of Tampa Bay, and lowest in the National League.

Cardinals Roster & Notes:

Hitters:

C: Gerald Laird (.232-1-12), Yadier Molina (.305-14-65),

Inf: Daniel Descalso (.264-1-28), David Freese (.297-10-55), Rafael Furcal (.231-8-28), Tyler Greene (.212-1-11), Albert Pujols (.299-37-99), Nick Punto (.278-1-20), Skip Schumaker (.283-2-38), Ryan Theriot (.271-1-47),

Of: Lance Berkman (.301-31-94), Adron Chambers (.375-0-4), Allen Craig (.315-11-40), Matt Holliday (.296-22-75), John Jay (.297-10-37)

Pitchers:

Rhp: Mitchell Boggs (2-3 3.56), Chris Carpenter (11-9 2.37), Octavio Dotel (5-4 3.50), Edwin Jackson (12-9 3.79), Kyle Lohse (14-8 3.39), Jason Motte (2.25- 9 saves), Fernando Salas (5-6 2.28), Jake Westbrook (12-9 4.66),

Lhp: Jaime Garcia (13-7 3.56), Arthur Rhodes (3-4 4.64), Marc Rzepcynski (2-6 3.34),

Cardinals Season Notes:

The Cardinals creeped their way into the postseason as the Wild Card aided by a monumental Braves collapse. They finished a NL best 18-8 in the month of September edging Atlanta by a single game.

Pitching: The Cardinals finished 8^th in the National League in ERA (3.74)…St. Louis had 5 pitchers with at least 10 wins (Lohse, Garcia, Westbrook, McClellan, and Carpenter)…The Cardinals bullpen blew the second most saves (26) in the major leagues last season…Garcia, Lohse, and Carpenter combined to allow just 5 earned runs in 45 innings against the Phillies this year (1.00 ERA).

Offense: In the NL this year, the Cardinals led in runs, hits, total bases, RBIs, batting average, and OPS. ..Albert Pujols led the Cardinals in homers (37) and RBIs (99) this season…Yadier Molina is the regular season batting champ (.305)…7 of the Cardinals regular starters are hitting .283 or above…As a team, they hit .290 with runners in scoring position…Despite these high offensive numbers, the Cardinals stole a National League low 57 bases last year.

Stand Out Stars:

Phillies: My stand out star for the Phillies this series is a playoff-newbie. That is Philadelphia’s new right fielder, Hunter Pence. Pence has starred for the Phillies since he was picked up from the Astros right before the trade deadline. One thing that I have learned about Mr. Pence since he’s been here is that he can quickly adjust to high pressure situations. Coming from Houston to Philly is a whole new atmosphere and Pence found his niche almost immediately. The playoffs are no exception, this is exactly the type of stage he wants to play on and I expect him to thrive under the bright lights.

Cardinals: While many people may pick Pujols here, I am going a bit down the pecking order for the player to watch from the Cardinals. Yes, we know Pujols and Berkman and Holiday will get their cracks, but my player to watch for on the Cardinals is catcher Yadier Molina. Molina quietly led the Cardinals in hitting this year and had a career year offensively. Of course, his numbers were overshadowed by the aforementioned superstars. He has a knack for getting big hits for the Cardinals this season and has in the postseason as well; remember his go ahead homer against the Mets back in 2006?

Series Analysis:

This series features both the top pitching team in the National League and the top offensive squad. Expect a low scoring, pitching oriented series. The Cardinals did go 6-3 against the Phillies this past season, but the postseason is a whole other can of worms. The Phillies are experienced, focused and refuse to be denied their quest to be world champions. In the other dugout, the Cardinals are ready, eager and dying to knock the big bad Phillies out of the postseason.

Prediction

As long as the Phillies aces can keep the Cardinals hitters off balance, their offense should produce enough runs to lead them to victory. It won’t be easy for the NL East champions as the Cardinals late season surge will provide a temporary boost. However, the top team in the National League is raring and ready to go.

Phillies in 4.

Until we meet again Phillies fans: happy readings and go Phillies!

Opening games time announced!

My Fellow Phans,

I bring you more information from the great world of MLB. The starting times for games 1 &2 of the Phillies series opening series with the Cardinals.

Here is the basics for those 2 games:

Game 1: Saturday, October 1 – 4:07 pm

Game 2: Sunday, October 2 – 8:07 pm.

I will share more information as it comes out. Stay tuned for my Phillies Playoff  preview coming tomorrow! It will have the full schedule, pitching matchups, lineups, rosters, predictions, analysis, breakdowns, and much-much more!

Aside from the Phillies, I am progressively working on previews for all of the 3 other divisional series. The Tigers vs. Yankees preview is already posted, I will complete the other ALDS matchup tonight, post the Brewers/Arizona preview tomorrow morning.Each of those previews have their own page so check them out at the top of the screen.

The Phillies will round out the previews. Look for that tomorrow night!

Until we meet again Phillies fans; Happy readings and go Phillies!