Crossing Broad

Game Day Preview: Mets (54-54) at Phillies (60-48)

Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic. Get the latest Phillies news on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)

No Howard?  No Utley?  No Victorino?  No problem!  The Phillies haven't seemed to miss a beat as they enter a three-game series tonight against the Metropolitans.  Coming into play Friday, the Phillies have won three-straight and 12 of their last 14.  Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz are pitching in with timely hitting, and reserve back-ups like Ross Gload and rookie Domonic Brown have come up big in the clutch.  Joe Blanton (4-6, 5.86) gets the nod tonight for the Phils coming off a no decision Saturday in DC.  Over his past seven starts, Blanton's 1-1 with five no decisions.

Mets hand the ball to 23-year-old southpaw Jonathon Niese (7-5, 3.78) tonight coming off a dreadful outing Sunday where he allowed a career-high seven runs in just 4.1 innings to the Diamondbacks.  Since the All-Star break, the Mets have won just six of their 20 games.  Away from Citi Field, New York is just 6-17 in their last 23 road contests.  The last time these two clubs met was May 25-27 as the Mets swept the Phillies and shut them out in all three games in Queens.

Entering play tonight, the Phillies find themselves just two games behind Atlanta in the NL East, and a game-and-a-half from the Wild Card leading Giants.  Since July 22, the Phillies have posted the best record in the majors at 12-2.  During that span, they've outscored opponents 76-43 and are currently one-game ahead of their pace from 2008.

Welcome Home:  This weekend marks Alumni Weekend.  Tonight, Darren Daulton will be inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.  More than 45 former Phillies will be present this weekend including Jim Bunning, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Greg Luzinski and more.  If you're heading to the park tonight, the fesitivites for Darren Daulton begin at 6:45, first pitch tonight at 7:35.

Phillies line-up:  Rollins SS, Ibanez LF, Polanco 3B, Sweeney 1B, Werth CF, Francisco RF, Ruiz C, Valdez 2B, Blanton P.

Game Day Preview: Phillies (56-46) at Nationals (44-58)

Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  Get the latest Phillies news on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)

Roy Oswalt (6-12, 3.42) isn't wasting any time making his Phillies debut.  One day after being acquired in a trade from Houston, Oswalt takes the mound in the first of a three-game weekend series against the Nationals in DC.  Even though it's an "away" game, judging by Opening Day, it should feel like a home game for the Phillies!  Entering play tonight, the Phillies have won eight straight, however they've had their share of struggles away from Citizens Bank Park.  Oswalt last faced the Nationals on May 31st where he was ejected in the third inning by umpire Bill Hohn.  This season, Oswalt's allowed two earned runs or less in 13 of his 20 starts, and is holding opposing batters to a .229 average. 

The Nationals hand the ball to Craig Stammen (2-4, 5.50) who hasn't had much success against Philly this season.  In two starts against the Phillies this season, Stammen's allowed 11 runs on 16 hits in just 6.1 innings.  Washington comes in to tonight having traded their closer Matt Capps last night to Minnesota.  This afternoon, they announced they've traded veteran infielder Christian Guzman to Texas for prospects.  Adam Dunn IS in tonight's line-up, however, he could be on his way out of the D.C. shortly as well.

Tonight marks the first of a six-game, seven-day road trip for the Phillies who come in 24-29 away from home.  The Phils are hitting .253 with 40 HR and 211 runs scored in 53 road games.  Placido Polanco comes into tonight riding a 24-game hit streak against the Nationals/Expos.  

Phillies Line-Up:  Rollins SS, Polanco 2B, Ibanez LF, Howard 1B, Werth CF, Brown RF, Dobbs 3B, Ruiz C, Oswalt (6-12, 3.42) P.  

It's Official: Phillies Acquire Roy Oswalt

Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  Follow him on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the deal is done.

The Phillies have acquired pitcher Roy Oswalt from Houston.  The 32-year-old Oswalt is a three-time All-Star and brings a 143-82 record with a 3.24 career ERA to Philadelphia.  Oswalt is owed about $5 million for the remainder of this season, $16 million in 2011 and has a $16 million dollar club option for 2012.  Oswalt was scheduled to pitch tomorrow for the Astros with a chance to tie Joe Niekro on the club's all-time win list.  Selected by Houston in the 23rd round of the 1996 draft, Oswalt has nine seasons with the 'Stros.

The trade sends J.A. Happ, Anthony Gose, and Jonathan Villar to Houston in exchange for Oswalt and $11 million.

Check back for more details...

Victorino to the DL - Domonic Brown Called Up

Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  Get the latest Phillies news on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)
 

Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino has been placed on the 15-day DL with an abdominal strain on his left side.  Victorino said last night that he felt pain as he dove back in to first base, and that it accelerated as he went to catch a fly ball in the top of the 7th.  

With Victorino on the shelf, the Phils have called up top-prospect Domonic Brown from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  The 22 year old Brown started the season with Double-A Reading and hit .318  with 15 homers and 47 RBI in 65 games.  On June 25, Brown was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  In 28 games with the Iron Pigs, Brown was hitting .346 with 21 RBI and was hitting over .300 against lefties.  Brown will wear the #9 and will be available for tonight's game against the Diamondbacks.

Victorino Leaves With Injury

Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  Get the latest Phillies news on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)

Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino left tonight's ballgame with a left oblique strain.  He will be examined by team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti on Wednesday.  If Victorino should end up on the disabled list, one would have to assume that Domonic Brown would be called upon to fill Victorino's roster spot.  "I think Domonic is always a consideration" Manuel said after the game.  "I don't think it's that bad, and I hope it's not that bad" Victorino said.  "I won't know 'til I take the MRI in the morning." 

Stay tuned for the very latest...

Game Day Preview: Diamondbacks (37-62) at Phillies (53-46)

Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  Get the latest Phillies news on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)

Winners of eight straight at home, the Phillies continue to inch their way closer to the Braves in the NL East standings.  Yesterday afternoon, the Phils completed a four-game sweep of the Rockies to earn Charlie Manuel his 500th win as skipper of the Club.  Coming in to play tonight, the Phils trail Atlanta by four-and-a-half games and just two-and-a-half behind the Giants in the Wild Card race.

Tonight, Cole Hamels (7-7. 3.40) looks to extend the Phillies win streak to six straight in the first of three against the Diamondbacks.  Hamels is coming off one of the most impressive outings of his career last Thursday as he tossed eight scoreless innings of one-hit ball in St. Louis.  Over his last 22.2 innings, Hamels has allowed just one earned run and stuck out 16.  On April 23, Hamels surrendered four home runs in six innings as Arizona downed the Phils 7-4 in the desert.  The Diamondbacks hand the ball to Rodrigo Lopez (5-9, 4.58) as they look to avoid a fifth straight loss.  Lopez has dropped three of his last four decisions and has allowed six home runs in his last three starts.

Over the next 12 games, the Phillies play four series against teams with a combined 178-218 record.  Guys like Brian Schneider, Ross Gload and Greg Dobbs have all contributed lately and the bullpen has allowed just three runs over their last ten innings pitched.  

News & Notes:  Brian Schneider's triple yesterday was his first since 9/22/07 (when he tripled off JC Romero)...Raul Ibanez is batting .371 with 8 RBI since the All-Star Break...yesterday's win marked the first time the Phillies have swept the Rockies in a four-game series...the last time the Phillies swept back-to-back four-game series was 1977 (June 30-July7 vs. PIT & NYM).

Phillies Line-Up:  Victorino CF, Polanco 2B, Ibanez LF, Howard 1B, Werth RF, Dobbs 3B, Ruiz C, Valdez SS, Hamels (7-7, 3.40)

Game Day Preview: Rockies (51-47) at Phillies (52-46)

Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  Follow Kevin for the latest Phillies news on Twitter.

The Phillies look to win their eighth straight at Citizens Bank Park this afternoon in the finale of a four-game set with the Rockies.  Prior to the All-Star Break, the Phils swept the then-first-place Reds out of town.  This afternoon, they'll try and break out the brooms and send the Rockies to their sixth straight defeat.  On Thursday, Milt Thompson was relieved of his duties as hitting coach.  Under the Greg Gross regime, the Phillies have tallied 20 runs over their last three contests.  

This afternoon, Joe Blanton (3-6, 6.03) takes the mound looking to bounce back from a loss on Wednesday at St. Louis where he gave up five runs on seven hits in seven innings.  Blanton hasn't registered a win since June 24 where he tossed seven-and-two-thirds innings against the Indians.  This afternoon also marks Blanton's first career start against Colorado.  The Rockies counter with Jason Hammel (7-5, 4.23) who's lost back-to-back starts and has given up eight runs over his last 14 innings.  Coming into this afternoon, Hamel is just 1-4 on the road with an ERA close to 6.  A win for the Phillies today would earn them their first ever four-game sweep over the Rockies.  In May of 2008, the Phillies swept a three-game set, and are 16-5 in their last 21 against Colorado.

Phillies Line-Up:  Rollins SS, Polanco 2B, Ibanez LF, Howard 1B, Gload RF, Victorino CF, Dobbs 3B, Schneider C, Blanton (3-6, 6.03) P.  Charlie Manuel said today that Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz are getting the day off (no, Werth hasn't been traded!)

Howard Heating Up:  Yesterday, Ryan Howard extended his hitting streak to 11 straight.  Since the All-Star Break, Howard is batting a torrid .372 with five homers and 13 RBI.

Deadline Deadling?:  With the Major League Baseball trade deadline this Saturday, word is that the Phillies aren't out of the Roy Oswalt conversation yet.  An Astros scout was at Citizens Bank Park yesterday to watch J.A. Happ who gave up three runs over five innings.  The Phillies, among other teams, had a scout to watch Oswalt in his start over the weekend.

Game Day Preview: Phillies (48-46) at Cardinals (54-41)

 Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  Follow him on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)

The Phillies will look to salvage a win in the series finale this afternoon, and avoid being swept by the Cardinals for the first time in almost 24 years.  Last night, the Phillies dropped their fourth straight and are now a dreadful 1-6 since the All-Star Break.  Ryan Howard accounted for the lone Phillies run with a solo HR in the top of the fifth.  For the defending National League Champs, it was the 23rd time this season they've been held to one run or fewer.  Last year, the Phils were held to one run or less just 19 times.  Meanwhile, the Cardinals will look to extend their win-streak to nine straight.

Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.63) gets the nod today looking to improve on two solid back-to-back starts.  On Saturday, Hamels tossed seven scoreless innings at the Cubs but took a no decision. Over his last two outings, Hamels is 1-0 with a 0.61 ERA. However, over his last ten starts, Hamels is just 2-5 despite allowing three earned runs or fewer in nine of those ten outings.  A win for the Phillies won't come easy as the Cards send All-Star Adam Wainwright (14-5, 2.02) to the mound looking to complete the four-game sweep.  This season, Wainwright is a perfect 10-0 at Busch Stadium with a microscopic 1.31 ERA.  Last Friday, Wainwright scattered five hits over six scoreless innings against Los Angeles to extend his scoreless inning streak to 19 and record his ninth straight win.  In addition, over his last 29-and-a-third innings, Wainwright has allowed just one earned run.  

With each loss, the Phillies are slowly seeing their Postseason chances slip away.  Last night's loss dropped the Phillies to 23-28 on the road with a matinee on tap for Thursday afternoon.  In day games this season, the Phils are 14-18 with a combined .258 batting average.  

Game Day Preview: Phillies (48-44) at Cardinals (52-41)

Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  Follow him on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)
 

Going in to the All-Star Break, it seemed as though the Phillies might have finally turned the corner.  However, after dropping three out of four at Chicago this weekend, the Phils fell 8-4 last night in the first of four with the Cardinals.  Starter Kyle Kendrick was chased after just five innings, responsible for seven runs on seven hits, three of which left the yard.  Today, Kendrick was demoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and replaced on the 25-man roster with righty Andrew Carpenter.

Tonight, the Phillies look to Jamie Moyer (9-9, 4.88) to help turn things around.  Thursday, the Cubs clubbed Moyer for six runs on five hits over five innings, including two long home runs.  For Moyer, it was his second shortest outing of the season.  In 11 career starts against the Red Birds, Moyer boasts a 5-1 record with a 2.34 ERA.  The Cards haven't faced Moyer since July 10, 2008 where he tossed seven scoreless innings in a Phils win.  All-Star Chris Carpenter (10-3, 3.16) takes the mound looking for his fifth straight win, and will try and extend the Cards win streak to seven straight.  Carpenter hasn't faced the Phillies since 2006 and is 4-2 with a 5.73 ERA in eight career starts against Philly.  Thursday, Carpenter gave up just one run and scattered just four hits over eight innings against the Dodgers, en route to the win.

Over the past few seasons, the Phillies have been known as a second-half team.  Last July, they won 10 straight, 14 out of 15 and finished the month 20-7.  Two seasons ago, the Phillies were 15-10 throughout the month of July.  However, this year's been a much different story, as they're 2 games under . 500 at just 7-9.  Things will need to turn around in a hurry as they now trail the Braves by six games in the division, and are three back of the Reds in the Wild Card standings.

Game Day Preview: Phillies (48-43) at Cardinals (51-41)

Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  You can follow him on Twitter(@KevinMcAlpin) 

After dropping three out of four at Wrigley, the Phillies road trip continues tonight against the Central-leading Cardinals.  Despite averaging just shy of five runs per game, the Cubs outscored the Phillies 28-19 and took the series three-games-to-one.  Jayson Werth continues to struggle at the plate and struck out nine times in 14 at-bats over the weekend.  However, the news wasn't all negative this weekend.  Placido Polanco is back in the starting line-up and Ryan Howard's getting hot.  Over the past nine games, Howard has gone deep six times and has driven in 13.  Tonight, Howard's back in his hometown to face a Cardinals club who enters with a five-game win-streak.  In 17 games against the Cards, Howard is a torrid .381 with seven homers and 29 RBI.

Kyle Kendrick (5-3, 4.44) gets the nod tonight in his first start of the second-half.  Thursday, Kendrick tossed a scoreless fifth inning at Wrigley as the Phillies dropped the series opener to the Cubs 12-6.  In his last start, Kendrick went six-and-two-thirds against the Reds at Citizens Bank Park, giving up just one run on three hits.  Coming into tonight, the 25-year-old Kendrick is a perfect 4-0 lifetime against St. Louis with a 1.67 ERA.  On May 5, Kendrick kept the Red Birds off the board, giving up just six hits over seven innings as the Phils won 4-0.  The Cardinals counter with Blake Hawksworth (3-5, 4.73) who's making just his sixth start of the season.  Hawksworth started the season in the Cards bullpen and took the loss on May 4 as Carlos Ruiz ripped a walk-off home run in the 10th inning to give the Phils a 2-1 win.  Hawksworth doesn't have much experience against the Phillies as he's just 0-1 with an ERA close to 8.

With 12 days left until the trade deadline, the next three series could very well determine whether the Phillies are buyers or sellers.  The Phillies enter play tonight five-and-a-half games behind the division leading Braves, but just two games behind the Wild Card front-running Rockies.

Placido Polanco Activated From The DL

Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  You can follow him on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)

UPDATE:  And look who gets the game winning hit!

The Phillies have one of their key offensive catalysts back this afternoon, as Placido Polanco has been activated from the disabled list.  Polanco had missed the past 18 games, and the Phillies offensive production has suffered.  To make room on the roster, the Phillies have released infielder Juan Castro.  In 54 games this season, Castro was hitting just .198 with five doubles, 13 RBI and 0 home runs.  

Today's line-up (courtesy of Ryan Lawrence of the Delaware County Daily Times) - Victorino CF, Polanco 3B, Rollins SS, Howard 1B, Werth RF, Ibanez LF, Ruiz C, Valdez 2B and Hamels P.

Game Day Preview: Phillies (47-42) at Cubs (41-50)

Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  You can follow him on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)

The Phillies haven't exactly come out of the All-Star Break firing on all cylinders.  The Phillies have dropped their first two games at Wrigley despite Ryan Howard's three home runs.  Yesterday, Shane Victorino also notched his career-best 15th long ball of the season.  Despite their struggles, the Phils enter play Saturday just five-and-a-half games out of first place in the division and two games out of the Wild Card.  

This afternoon, Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.78) takes the mound as the Phillies look to avoid a three-game losing streak.  Hamels hasn't faced the Cubs since August, 2008 but enters 3-1 lifetime against Chicago.  In his last outing, Cole tossed seven-and-two-thirds shut out ball last Sunday as the Phillies completed the four-game sweep of the Reds.  This season, lefties are hitting just .179 combined off Hamels, which ties him for third-lowest in the League.  The Cubs will counter with Randy Wells (4-7, 4.61) who's 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in the month of July.  For Wells, the months of May and June weren't all that kind, as the 27-year-old righty was a dreadful 0-6 with an ERA close to 6 in 11 starts.  

Today, the Phillies could get a key member of their infield back, as Placido Polanco is expected to be activated from the disabled list.  Polanco has missed the past 18 games with inflammation in his left elbow.  In his absence the Phillies offense is a woeful .233.  Yesterday, Jayson Werth was called out on strikes three times and the Phillies combined for just four hits.  With Polanco's return, the Phillies will have an interesting roster move.  Greg Dobbs has swung the bat much better than he did prior to being designated for assignment.  Cody Ransom has stepped in nicely and flashed solid leather at third and was the one who hit the huge game-tying home run in the Phillies six run, ninth inning come back last Friday.