Surely, it comes as no surprise that the Phillies are among the elite teams in the majors. They did, of course, win a little something called the World Series last October, and they have a big, shiny trophy to prove it.
That said, teams are always measuring themselves against the competition to see where they stack up, and the Phillies just completed a perfect 10-game test. They went 2-2 against the Dodgers in L.A., losing a pair of games because Brad Lidge blew ninth-inning leads. They moved on to New York and went 2-1 against the rival Mets, losing despite hitting four homers against Johan Santana before coming from behind to win a pair of games. Finally, they went 1-2 against the AL-best Red Sox at the Bank, and if Greg Dobbs' near-homer in the 11th inning Friday night had been ruled fair, who knows? So, overall, they were 5-5, which isn't too shabby when you consider:
1. Jimmy Rollins went 7-for-44 (.159) with a .174 on-base percentage. 2. Lidge went on the disabled list. 3. Antonio Bastardo, a 23-year-old with two career triple-A starts, replaced Brett Myers, meaning 40 percent of the Phillies' rotation consists of rookie left-handers.
So, as the Phillies catch their breath today and prepare for the Blue Jays' arrival tomorrow night, I ask you this: After watching them take on three prime contenders, what's your level of confidence that the Phillies can a) get back to the playoffs and b) win another World Series?
*** Recapping the weekend in The News Journal: Lidge told us his balky right knee is feeling better (he's scheduled to throw from the mound Tuesday); in our Sunday MLB notes, we talked to assistant GM Chuck LaMar about Jason Donald's knee surgery today and analyze the impact it may have on the Phillies' attempts to trade for a pitcher; Rollins wonders if a pregame chat yesterday with John Smoltz may help him regain his mojo; in the notebook, we look at Raul Ibanez's shoe problems, Kelly Dugan isn't easily star-struck, and Tyler Walker hopes to stay with the Phillies for a while.
*** Last Tuesday night, Rollins stood in the clubhouse at Citi Field and told us Santana's velocity was down. Sure enough, The Johan gave up nine runs in three innings yesterday against the Yankees. The Mets believe the velocity drop is due to a blister. At least they hope it's nothing more serious.
*** So, who watched "The Pen" last night on MLB Network? Please post your reviews of Episode 1 in the comments section.
*** Thanks to everyone who stopped by Section 111 before yesterday's game and got their copy of "Phillies Confidential" signed by Gary Matthews and yours truly. Sarge and I definitely hope to schedule another signing in the near future, so please stay tuned for more details.
No? Don't worry about it. Marti Wolever does most of his work away from the spotlight. Since 2002, he has been the Phillies' scouting director, which means he criss-crosses the country, mining for talented players and figuring out what it will take for the Phillies to draft them. Today, of course, is Wolever's chance to shine. The annual first-year player draft begins today, and it will be up to Wolever and his team of scouts to add the next wave of players to the Phillies' farm system.
This year will be a little different from the previous few. Because they signed a Type A free agent in the offseason (Raul Ibanez), the Phillies forfeited their first-round pick. Thus, they won't take their turn until the 75th overall selection. Is there talent to be found at that spot? Sure. In 2000, the Expos (remember them?) drafted Grady Sizemore with the No. 75 pick. In 2005, the Braves picked Yunel Escobar. Tino Martinez was the 75th overall pick back in 1985. And, just last year, there were few picks the Phillies were more excited about than 6-foot-5 right-hander Jason Knapp, whom they selected 71st overall.
A few of you have asked, via e-mails or blog comments, whether I have any idea which direction the Phillies will go with No. 75. The short answer: I haven't a clue. The baseball draft is a notorious crapshoot. Sure, Wolever and his crew have a long list of players, but because many are selected straight out of high school, there often isn't a discernible difference between them at this point. Wolever said the Phillies are targeting left-handed pitchers and position players, namely outfielders. Typically, Wolever likes "high-ceiling" athletes. He beamed last year when the Phillies picked infielder Anthony Hewitt in the first round, then drafted Zach Collier and Anthony Gose. So, if there's a good athlete available at No. 75, it's a good bet Wolever will be all over him. One player I've heard a little about, probably because of his famous uncle, is Reymond Fuentes Beltran, a lefty-hitting center fielder who runs the 60-yard dash in about 6.2 seconds. Some people have said he could still be around at No. 75. Others have said he'll be gone before then. Who knows?
Regardless, while the Phillies and Mets open a three-game series tonight at Citi Field, Wolever and the scouting staff will be holed up at the Bank, scanning their reports and phoning agents and selecting players who will begin the long climb toward the majors.
The importance of their choices cannot be underestimated.
*** Speaking of Phillies-Mets, here's a primer for the big showdown in Flushing:
PHILLIES (33-22) at METS (30-25) Tonight, 7:10: LHP J.A. Happ (4-0, 2.48) vs. LHP Johan Santana (7-3, 2.00) Tomorrow, 7:10: LHP Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.40) vs. RHP Mike Pelfrey (4-2, 4.85) Thursday, 7:10: LHP Jamie Moyer (4-5, 6.27) vs. RHP Tim Redding (0-2, 6.97) Hot: Phillies C Carlos Ruiz is batting .410 (16-for-39) with three homers and eight RBIs in his last 14 games, raising his average to a season-high .309; Phillies CF Shane Victorino, who leads the league with five triples, is batting .378 (28-for-74) with one homer, eight RBIs and 13 runs in his last 18 games; Mets 3B David Wright has nine hits in his last 13 at-bats and ranks third in the league with a .345 average; Mets 1B/OF Fernando Tatis has four hits in his last 10 at-bats. Not: Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins is 6-for-36 (.167) in his last eight games and was moved out of the leadoff spot Sunday night in Los Angeles; Phillies closer Brad Lidge, previously 5-for-5 in save chances, blew back-to-back saves last weekend and is 13-for-19 in save opportunities with a 7.27 ERA; Mets LF Gary Sheffield, who may start all three games against the Phillies' three left-handers, is mired in a 1-for-17 slump; 1B Daniel Murphy has four hits in his last 24 at-bats (.167).
As you may (or may not) know, I was on a company-mandated furlough last week, taking my turn to help save Gannett some cash in these difficult economic times. I wasn't allowed to write for The News Journal, answer your e-mail, and worst of all, blog at Philled In. So, what did I do with my abundant idle time? Well, I cleaned my apartment (had to be done), caught a few movies (Mickey Rourke was great, but overall, "The Wrestler" was not), saw family in Jersey and friends in Boston, where, among other things, I took in a game at Fenway.
Through it all, I watched almost every pitch (live or on tape) of the Phillies' last seven games, even sneaking a few Twitter tweets. Honestly, it was a tough time to be on the sidelines. Aside from my selfish desire to spend a week in SoCal, the Phillies played extremely well in San Diego and Los Angeles, going 5-2 (they could've been 7-0) and taking a three-game lead in the NL East with a big showdown against the second-place Metropolitans looming tomorrow at Citi Field. Much more on that later. For now, a few observations from the week that was:
1. Yes, Brad Lidge blew back-to-back saves Friday night and Saturday at Dodger Stadium, and yes, he's 0-3, 13-for-19 in save opportunities and has an unsightly 7.27 ERA. But before y'all think about pitching yourselves (or Lidge) off the Ben Franklin Bridge the next time he enters a close game in the ninth inning, consider this: Last weekend proved nothing except how incredible Lidge's streak of 47 consecutive saves really was. He pitched well Friday night, recording two quick outs before Casey Blake singled and James Loney walked. But he still would've (and should've) saved the game if usually sure-handed Pedro Feliz had fielded Russell Martin's grounder. Instead, Feliz booted it, two runs scored, and Lidge had himself a blown save. Tough luck. Amazing, too, that nothing like that happened to him last season. On Saturday, Lidge made one bad pitch, and Rafael Furcal hammered it for a pinch-hit, game-tying homer. He threw a few bad pitches last season, too. Of course, opposing hitters missed them. Overall, I tend to agree with Lidge: He's throwing the ball pretty well. He just isn't getting any luck, and right now, that's what he needs most. He also needs Charlie Manuel's devotion, and it appears he has that in spades.
2. I'm not sold yet on Antonio Bastardo as a starter. I know, I know, he's 2-0 in place of Brett Myers. But I watched both games, just like you did, and I haven't seen enough of a breaking ball to make me think he'll be consistently effective as a starter. Right now, Bastardo has a surprisingly hard fastball (who knew he threw in the mid-90s?), an above-average changeup and a still-developing slider. To me, that repetoire would suit him for relief duty, and it's easy to imagine him becoming another J.C. Romero. Of course, Kyle Kendrick won 21 games in the majors with primarily one pitch, so why can't Bastardo?
3. Not sure what was worse: Jimmy Rollins' .194 average (6-for-31) during the seven games or the small army (20 runners) that he left on base. Either way, Rollins had an awful week, and even after his two hits last night, he's batting only .222, his lowest average this late in the season during any of his nine full major-league seasons. Next worst: 2002, when he bottomed out at .235 on Aug. 4.
4. At the risk of overhyping this week's series in the Big Apple, these three games are H-U-G-E. Yeah, I realize it's only June 8. But the Phillies lead the Mets by three games. Their largest lead of the season last year was four games on June 13-14. The Phillies were about to head into two weeks of interleague play, during which they went 3-11 and had their first-place lead shaved to one game. So, my point is, with two weeks of interleague play looming, the Phillies can create some serious distance from the Mets with a three-game sweep. It won't be easy, though. Here are the pitching matchups:
Tomorrow: LHP J.A. Happ (4-0, 2.48) vs. LHP Johan Santana (7-3, 2.00) Wednesday: LHP Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.40) vs. RHP Mike Pelfrey (4-2, 4.85) Thursday: LHP Jamie Moyer (4-5, 6.27) vs. RHP Tim Redding (0-2, 6.97)
5. Speaking of pitching, the Phillies' starters (Happ, Hamels, Moyer, Joe Blanton and Bastardo) have allowed only 10 runs on 38 hits in 53 innings over the last eight games. That's a 1.70 ERA. They've also walked only six batters and struck out 35. It's no wonder the Phillies are 6-2 in that span.
6. Because they signed Type A free agent Raul Ibanez last winter, the Phillies don't have a first-round pick in tomorrow's amateur draft. Instead, their first pick will be No. 75 overall. And while that isn't particularly high, keep this in mind: The Braves got Yunel Escobar with the 75th pick in 2005. In 2000, the Expos took Grady Sizemore at No. 75. Tino Martinez was the 75th overall pick by the Red Sox in 1985. Point is, there will be plenty of talent still on the board when the Phillies make their first selection.
So, apparently, while I've been talking with attorneys and reaching out to PR folks about J.C. Romero's lawsuit, Carlos Ruiz was scratched from the lineup in Lehigh Valley tonight with "discomfort." Ruiz has been sidelined since April 11 with a strained right oblique. Phillies says he will be reevaluated tomorrow, but I think it's safe to call this a setback. So, everyone who has been flooding my inbox with "Play Lou Marson" e-mails (you know who you are) probably will get to see the top catching prospect for a little longer.
*** Meanwhile, barring any rainouts, the pitching matchups are set for this weekend's series against the Mets at the Bank. And, they are ...
Friday: RHP Mike Pelfrey (2-0, 6.32) vs. RHP Chan Ho Park (0-0, 7.16) Saturday: LHP Oliver Perez (1-2, 9.31) vs. LHP Jamie Moyer (3-1, 5.09) Sunday: RHP John Maine (0-2, 7.47) vs. RHP Joe Blanton (0-2, 7.31 going into tonight)
BY SCOTT LAUBER
