Phillies falter, face must-win Game 5

The other Roy just wasn't good enough to get it done.  Roy Oswalt took the mound for the Phillies in Game 4 but didn't have his best stuff as he gave up 5 runs and the Phillies lost, 5-3, and now must play a do-or-die Game 5.  Here are a few quick thoughts on the game:

-Despite Oswalt not having his best stuff, he was still the right choice to start Game 4.  Vance Worley has been great this year but Oswalt is a veteran who has proven himself time and again in the playoffs.  No reason to second guess the starting pitching choice.

-The Phillies blew an early lead for the second time in this series.  The offense seems on point at the start of these games but has been basically absent in the middle innings.  Edwin Jackson is no great starter but the Phillies just couldn't crack him after the first inning.

-That Shane Victorino stumble and bad toss in the outfield was something else.  Can't say I've ever seen that before.  First Ronnie Brown and now this.  Yikes.

-I'm sure Oswalt, an avid hunter, can figure out a way to get rid of that squirrel.

-Jimmy Rollins has been ridiculously locked in, hitting 9 for 16 with 4 doubles and 6 runs scored.   Think he is gunning for a big contract this offseason?

-Brad Lidge faced his demons and won, getting Albert Pujols out in the 8th inning.  I'm not sure Lidge will ever live down the moon shot he gave up to Pujols a few years back but this was at least a positive step one.

Being forced into an elimination game is never a good thing for a team but the Phillies will send Roy Halladay to the mound and have Cliff Lee available out of the bullpen.  If the Cardinals are able to best the Phillies top two aces, they really are the better team.  In Roy and Cliff we trust!

Shane Victorino suspended 3 games but no Giants suspended for brawl

As expected, MLB has announced that Shane Victorino has been suspended for three games for his role in the altercation with the Giants on Friday night. What wasn't expected, however, was that no Giants were suspended after Ramon Ramirez nailed Victorino in the back to start the bench-clearing incident. Victorino has appealed the suspension and will continue to play until it is resolved.



I understand why Victorino was suspended, though I could argue that he doesn't deserve three games. Victorino did play his part in the incident, taking a step towards the pitcher and then repeatedly trying to jump into the fray. What boggles the mind, however, is how the Giants get off without any suspensions. Not only should Ramirez get a few games for starting everything by throwing at Victorino but Eli Whiteside deserves a few games for hopping around like an idiot and tackling Placido Polanco to start the brawling. Instead, both Ramirez and Whiteside were simply fined.



In the end, it isn't worth getting too upset about. Yes, the Giants got off easier than they should have but Victorino got pretty much what he deserved. I'm sure the Phillies won't be happy with this news so hopefully they will look to take their revenge against the Giants by beating them on the scoreboard in the playoffs.



Click here to watch the brawl.

FIGHT! Phillies and Giants throw down (video)

UPDATE: Link below is down. Click here to see the brawl.



It's safe to say these two teams don't like each other. On Friday night, Giants pitcher Ramon Ramirez beaned Shane Victorino in the back and all hell broke loose as both teams cleared the benches. Giants catcher Eli Whitside should get plenty of the blame for turning a staring contest into a brawl after he tackled Placido Polanco. How much fun would another playoff showdown between these two teams be?

Roy Halladay will start for NL in All-Star Game

Even though basically everyone in baseball has made the All-Star team at this point, at least the best pitcher in baseball will be starting: Roy Halladay has been named the starting pitcher for the National League. Expect him to pitch an inning or two before exiting the game.

Halladay could end up being the only Phillie to play in the game. Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino are injured and won't play and Cole Hamels has already been replaced after pitching yesterday. There is a chance that Cliff Lee will pitch in the game but he did just pitch Saturday and would likely prefer to rest.

Even though this game "counts", it's nice to know I can turn it off after the second inning and likely not miss any of the Phillies in action.

No All-Star Game for Victorino, who lands on DL

Even though he won the Final Vote yesterday, Shane Victorino won't be playing in the All-Star Game. The Phillies have announced today that Victorino has been placed on the disabled list due to his injured thumb. Replacing Victorino on the roster will be Pete Orr, who was called up from Lehigh Valley.

Victorino had been confident that he would still be able to play in the All-Star game but apparently it wasn't worth risking further injury. He will be placed retroactively on the DL, starting on July 4th, so Victorino might just miss a few more games before he returns. In his place, John Mayberry and Michael Martinez will get the bulk of the playing time in center.

With the big Braves series starting today, this is certainly bad timing but nothing the Phillies can't overcome. They've gotten pretty used to dealing with injuries so I'm sure they'll take this in stride. No word yet on who replaces Victorino on the All-Star team, though Andrew McCutchen is certainly the most deserving.

Once again, Shane Victorino wins the Final Vote

Shane Victorino OWNS the Final Vote. For the second time in three years, Victorino has made the All-Star team by winning the Final Vote by getting over 9 million votes. If he's healthy enough, he will be the 5th Phillie going to Arizona.

Hopefully he can make the most of the one at-bat he is going to get.

Four Phillies named to 2011 All-Star Game, Victorino needs our help

The best team in baseball is sending four players to Arizona for the All-Star Game: Placido Polanco, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. Polanco was voted in as a starter while Halladay, Lee and Hamels were no-brainer additions to the NL pitching staff.

Polanco was the only Phillies hitter named outright to the team, and probably justifiably so. With Chase Utley missing a large chunk of the season and Ryan Howard not having a great year by his standards, it's hard to make a strong case for any Phillies hitter. Shane Victorino has a shot at making the All-Star team but, just like in 2009, he is a part of the Final Vote, so he will need our help! Click here to vote and get Victorino to the All-Star game.

As for other Phillies pitchers that could have made the team, Ryan Madson certainly has a case to be there, though his recent injury could have kept him out. Antonio Bastardo has had a great season but probably doesn't have the name recognition to earn an All-Star nod.

Click here to see the full rosters for both leagues.

Phillies activate Victorino, demote Mayberry

With the activation of Shane Victorino, for the first time this year, the Phillies lineup will be fully intact. Victorino, who was has been out since May 18th with a strained hamstring, will return to the Phillies lineup on Friday to face the Pirates. To make room for Victorino, the Phillies demoted John Mayberry to the minors.

The return of Victorino means the Phillies offense is going to feature its complete lineup for the first time this season. With Jimmy Rollins likely to continue leading off, Victorino will probably slip into 6th or 7th spot in the lineup and help to solidify the bottom of the order. As long as everyone stays healthy, no longer will the likes of Wilson Valdez and Michael Martinez pollute the Phillies starting lineup.

Speaking of Martinez, I was surprised that he wasn't removed from the roster to make room for Victorino. Mayberry has proven useful as a solid bat and excellent outfielder while Martinez hasn't proven much at all as a pinch runner and utility guy. The only thing that is keeping Martinez on the roster is his Rule 5 status, but is he really worth holding onto for the entire season if he brings very little value to the team?

Domonic Brown is back!

The Domonic Brown era has resumed in Philadelphia. With the placement of Shane Victorino on the disabled list, the Phillies have called up Brown, who has been recovering from a broken hand since spring training. The Phils were apparently hesitant to call up Brown, who hit .341 in Triple A, but with the offense struggling over the last few weeks, he was the only useful piece they could call on. I would expect Brown to spend the rest of the season with the Phils and work his way into one of the starting outfield spots sooner rather than later.

In another roster move, the Phillies called up David Herndon and sent down Scott Mathieson. This move is just a precursor to Joe Blanton eventually being placed on the disabled list and Vance Worley being recalled.

Victorino wins 3rd straight Gold Glove

The baseball awards season is upon us and the Phillies figure to be bringing home some hardware. Besides the lock that Roy Halladay is winning the Cy Young, you have to figure Charlie Manuel will at least be in the discussion for Manager of the Year given the job he did with the injury-riddled Phillies roster. Announcements for those awards will happen in the coming weeks.

The first Phillie to get an award was Shane Victorino, was picked up his 3rd straight Gold Glove award. While Victorino may be winning the award every year simply based on reputation, he has certainly been a solid outfielder for the Phillies the past few years. Jimmy Rollins, who had won three straight Gold Gloves, didn't pick one up this year because of all of his injury issues.

The complete NL Gold Glove list:
P Bronson Arroyo (Reds)
C Yadier Molina (Cardinals)
1B Albert Pujols (Cardinals)
2B Brandon Phillips (Reds)
3B Scott Rolen (Reds)
SS Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies!)
OF Michael Bourn (Astros), Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies) and Shane Victorino (Phillies)