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Slow Start? What Slow Start?
OK, time to stop the MLB nonsense about whether the Indians are for real.
They’re as real as Justin Masterson’s sinker, Shin-Soo Choo’s right arm, Carlos Santana’s batting eye, Orlando Cabrera’s experience and Asdrubal Cabrera’s talent.
Try this for real: The Indians own a majors-best 66 run differential and an MLB best 18-4 home record. They’ve scored the second-most runs in the A.L. and have the fourth-best ERA. They’re 7-2 against the A.L. East with the revived Red Sox returning to Cleveland looking for revenge after that three-game sweep they absorbed in the season’s first week.
Ron Washington knows they’re for real. Asked if he knew the Indians would be in first place when in spring training he asked Manny Acta to be an MLB All-Star coach, the Rangers managed replied, “I knew the Indians would be tough. They have some talent.”
Washington might have been one of the few to believe that two months ago. But he’s no longer alone. The Indians sit atop the MLB Power Poll for the fourth consecutive week. The Poll is convinced.
1. Indians (1). You can ask the Reds if the Tribe is for real. The Indians’ weekend sweep was first over Reds since 2004.
2. Cardinals (14). When talking about N.L. MVP candidates, Matt Holliday would be the place to start. Unless you started with Lance Berkman.
3. Red Sox (13). About that 2-10 start, perhaps the Red Sox just wanted to play fair and give the rest of the league a head start.
Adrian Gonzalez has provided the offensive punch the Red Sox were hoping for when they traded for him this offseason. (AP Photo)
4. Giants (6). Latest wrist injury to Mark DeRosa could be the end, making his the saddest in a season that has seen more than its share of injuries.
5. Phillies (4). Chase Utley is back in time for rematch of last year’s divisional series against the Reds. Time for the rest of the Phillies’ offense to return, too.
6. Yankees (15). What a debut: Right-hander Hector Noesi gives Yankees four scoreless innings to win 15-inning marathon in Baltimore, providing the difference between a so-so and a good week for the club.
Phillies Best-Kept Secret
On the Monday night in December when Cliff Lee shunned the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers to sign with the Phillies Phillies, the MLB baseball world was stunned. Only a few select members of the Phillies, Lee and his clan had an inkling that the lefthander would return. 
Center fielder Shane Victorino was the first to find out. As Lee’s talks slowed to a crawl with the Yankees and Rangers, rumors about a mystery team surfaced. One day, Victorino send Lee a text message asking if there was anything to this, and if perhaps the Phillies could be the club.
When Victorino didn’t get a reply for a couple of days, he tried again. Later that day, Victorino was attending the birthday party of a friend’s son at a casino bowling alley in Las Vegas when the text was returned.
The message: “I’m back.”
“I was like, hold on. Is this true,” Victorino says. “I called him right after that. He said ‘Yeah, I accepted a deal with Philly.’ Maybe 20 minutes later, it was all over the news.”
Why Victorino? “His was the only number I had,” Lee says.
Before the news hit the Internet, Victorino got busy again. He texted closer Brad Lidge and outfielder Ben Francisco, who came to Philly in the same trade as Lee in July of 2009.
“Benny, you will not believe this,” Victorino messaged. “Cliff is back.”
The return: “What?”
“Cliff’s back.”
“No way.”
“Yes, it’s true. I just talked to him,” Victorino says. “Of course, we were excited. Who wouldn’t be to get the best pitcher on the free-agent market?”
Slugger Ryan Howard was at dinner in Philly when a dinner pal received word on his phone that it could be happening. Not convinced, Howard went home and turned on SportsCenter.
Where Will Phillies Rotation Fit in Greatest of All-Time?
The Phillies’ shock agreement to a five-year, $120 million deal with Cliff Lee late Monday night gave them what appears to be not just the best starting rotation in baseball heading into next season, but one of the greatest in the history of the MLB.
Lee joins Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt in the City of Brotherly Love to form a fearsome foursome that has won a collective three Cy Young Awards, World Series MVP and made 13 All-Star Game appearances.
That quartet should make life awfully difficult for National League hitters over at least the next two seasons — Hamels can become a free agent after 2012, while the Phillies possess a ’12 club option on Oswalt — but what kind of competition will they have to match up with to make history as one of the greatest rotations ever?
Let’s start with the modern canon:
1971 Baltimore Orioles: Their four-man rotation of Mike Cuellar, Jim Palmer, Pat Dobson and Dave McNally each won at least 20 games. Cuellar’s 3.08 ERA was the high mark of the group. Despite their dominance, the Orioles lost the World Series in seven games to the Pirates.
1993 Atlanta Braves: The Braves’ 1990s dynasty was built on pitching and it might never have been better than in ’93, when Atlanta brought Greg Maddux in his prime into the fold before the season. Maddux won 20 games and the Cy Young Award after posting a 2.36 ERA. The three guys behind him — Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Steve Avery — racked up another 45 wins between them, and Smoltz’s 3.62 ERA was the highest of the bunch. Avery threw the fewest innings of the quartet with 223 1/3. Like the ’71 Orioles, the Braves were unceremoniously dumped out of the playoffs. The Phillies bested them in six games in the NLCS that year.
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Relying on Tim Lincecum
So the San Francisco Giants need the greatness of Tim Lincecum’s arm on Thursday night at AT&T Park to reach the World Series before the morning fog rolls across McCovey Cove. Oh, and the Philadelphia Phillies need the greatness of Roy Halladay’s arm to give them the chance to add two or three more games to their season that is hanging by one of the hairs on the Phillie Phanatic.
It’s always about pitching in October, particularly when one game — like this game — can decide so much.
We’re taking about Lincecum with two Cy Young Awards in his recent past matched against Halladay, the owner of a perfect game during the regular season and a no-hitter in the MLB playoffs.
Let that sink in. Read More >>
Phillies Leaving It All On The Field
Getting into the spirit of NFL Sunday, Philadelphia’s baseball club unleashed a spread attack and tied up the National League Championship Series at a game apiece.
Led by an unlikely triple threat — pitcher Roy Oswalt — the Phillies won 6-1 by putting together their best all-around game in five this postseason.
Oswalt ran his fastball past Giants hitters to the tune of nine strikeouts, best of his postseason career, but he’ll be remembered more for running through a stop sign like a ballcarrier who smells the end zone.
Dusting off cobwebs, the Phillies also trotted out a more diversified offense, whether it was Shane Victorino bunting over the pitcher Oswalt as part of a late surge, or slump-ridden Jimmy Rollins blasting a three-run double off a scoreboard screen, or whiff-prone slugger Ryan Howard reaching base three times.
“We played a good game on both sides of the ball,” said Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth, sounding like an NFL coach.
Even after losing Game 1 on Saturday, the Phillies were still my pick to win a third consecutive National League pennant. Read More >>
Philadelphia Phillies in Three Straight NLCS Games
If October baseball is about pitching, this year’s NLCS, pitting the Philadelphia Phillies against the San Francisco Giants, has it in spades. The Giants led the National League in ERA and allowed the second fewest runs in the league. The Phillies were fourth in runs allowed, but adding Roy Oswalt to Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels at midseason gives them perhaps the most vaunted 1-2-3 rotation punch in all of baseball.
After great regular seasons, both teams’ pitching staffs have come through with big playoff performances. Roy Halladay no-hit the National League’s best offense in his first playoff performance and Cole Hamels followed shortly after with a complete-game shutout of his own to close out the Reds. Tim Lincecum was nearly as good as Halladay, striking out 14 and shutting out the Braves’ offense in Game 1, then Jonathan Sanchez struck out 11 Braves in Game 3. Those two performances are the two highest strikeout totals in the Giants’ franchise’s long playoff history. Read More >>
The Cincinnati Reds Look to Overcome the Phillies aces
Zed’s dead, baby — and so are the Reds.
One game into the Division Series, we shouldn’t be quoting Bruce Willis’ classic line from Pulp Fiction.
But look at the murderer’s row of Phillies aces confronting Cincinnati’s ballclub, and tell me how the Reds will get to the League Championship Series.
Longtime nemesis Roy Oswalt faces them in Game 2 on Friday in Philadelphia, followed by Cole Hamels in Game 3 on Sunday in Cincinnati and, if the Reds aren’t dead yet, Roy Halladay on Monday in Game 4 of the best-of-five set.
No-hit by Halladay in Game 1 on Wednesday, the Reds still are searching for their first posteason hit since Eddie Taubensee singled against the Braves late in Game 4 of the 1995 National League Championship Series.
Here at West Coast Bias, I’d like to see a little October sunshine for Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, the California dude who directed baseball’s oldest franchise here. Read More >>
Chase Utley is All Thumbs for Next Two Months
Chase Utley, All-Star second baseman for the Phillies, will be having surgery Thursday in New York on his right thumb.
Utley was placed on the MLB disabled list after he sprained his ulnar collateral ligament. To add more injury, Utley hurt his thumb Tuesday after he was sliding into second base, head first. Utley is leading the votes from fans for starting second baseman the National League, hitting .277 with 11 homes runs and 37 RBI.
Scott Proefrock, Phillies assistant general manager, has declined to say when Utley will be returning, but according Peter Gammons,from MLB.com, it could be anywhere from four to six weeks. It’s real blow for the Phillies. His teammates already expected him to be out for a long period of time. If the doctors are correct Utley could be back in the game, hopefully the lastest, mid-August. Read More >>
Second All-Star Coming For Charlie Manuel
This will be Phillies Manager, Charlie Manuel’s, second straight All-Star Game that he will be managing looks to be another great experience.
“I wanted to win last year. You can have all the fun you want, but it’s more fun if you win it. It definitely means something. We’ve been in the World Series the last two years and, yeah, home field definitely means something. It would be great for us to win.”
The roster had expanded from 30 last year to 34 this year. Manuel must wait to fill out the roster, after the fan balloting determines the eight position players who will be starting. Read More >>
Fan ‘Learned His Lesson’ Because he Was Tasered
A tanage Philadelphia Phillies fan ran onto the field during a game last month, as a result he has been sentenced to 6 months probation.
17 year old Steven Consalvi, of Gilbertsville made national headlines as a result of his actions. Consalvi ran onto the field during the eight inning of Phillies stadium as the Phillies played the St. Louis Cardinals.
As a result of the use of force taken by the office, there has been a change in policy. Despite Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey defending the necessary use of force in order to subdue the fan. Consalvi had initially ran around, waiving a white towel, while dodging two security officers. Not until a city police officer tried to chase him down for about 30 seconds did he determine that a taser was the best course of action. Read More >>
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