Kuzul

Yes, I know it is way too early for a 2011 MLB season preview.

The Phillies are making a colossal playoff push and are looking to become the first National League team since the St. Louis Cardinals of the early 1940s to reach the World Series three consecutive years.

With this in mind, I still couldn’t wait. So, here, sports fans, is your extremely premature Philadelphia Phillies preview for the 2011 season. 

The Starting Rotation

1. Roy Halladay – The ace. The foremost no-brainer in this Phillies rotation. Halladay is a viable candidate for the 2010 Cy Young Award, sporting a solid 16-9 record and a cozy 2.22 ERA through August 29. Luckily for the Phils, Halladay is inked through the 2013 season.

Bad news, however, as the Phils’ faithful will have to watch pitching phenom Kyle Drabek grow into a star for the Torono Blue Jays and stand by as the New York Yankees try to sign Cliff Lee for a ridiculous contract this offseason. But hey, we got our ace, and that’s a positive.  

2. Roy Oswalt – This season’s key trade deadline pickup, the other Roy has been pretty darn good in the red pinstripes, throwing out a 3-1 record with a dominant 2.18 earned run average and a stable 0.97 WHIP.

3. Cole Hamels – Same old story for the golden lefty. Extremely poor run support and bad luck have sparked criticism and doubt over Hamels’ performance. However, Hamels has possibly been the Phillies’ most consistent starter over this season. Although his record is 8-10, he has a 3.31 ERA and has allowed two runs or less in four of his last five starts. This is one player that is drastically underrated and is a key reason for the success of the Broad Street Bombers.

4. Joe Blanton – Possibly the one error in Ruben Amaro’s tenure as GM has been the contract extension for Blanton. Don’t get me wrong, Blanton was an essential pickup for the magical run of 2008. However, $10.5 million per year is a lot for an end of the rotation guy, even if he has been mediocre recently.

5. Kyle Kendrick – Oh, how I wish to have typed Jaime Moyer’s name into this rotation. Sorry, it just doesn’t work. Kendrick is up for arbitration come 2011 and will almost definitely get it, meaning that Moyer’s tenure in Philly has come to a close. We’ll miss you, bud.

That’s enough Moyer love. Kendrick has been the ideal fifth starter this year, flashing signs of his potential while staying somewhat consistent over the 2010 season. He should flourish next year in low-pressure situations as an above average number five starter.

Starting Lineup

First Base – Ryan Howard

The Big Piece. Howard is the key component to this potent offense. He provides power, stability, and swagger. And, lately, Howard has shown his angry side, going afternoon a third base umpire this past week. Next year should be classic Howard with colossal homers, clunky triples, and an innumerable amount of backward and frontward K’s.

The scariest thought about Howard’s future, is the fact that his contact is up after next season. Time to start the negotiations Amaro.

Second Base – Chase Utley

Utley, you are the man! Utley has been the picture of consistency and cool while manning second base for the Phillies. Signed through the 2013 season, Utley figures to keep producing for several years to come and provide stellar defense.

Shortstop – Jimmy Rollins

J-Roll has been the spark plug for many seasons for the Fightins, and that streak shouldn’t stop anytime soon. Rolling is hitting just .248 this season, but he has fought through several injuries, playing in just 69 games. Rollins is inked through just the 2011 campaign, so hopefully this winter will see the extension of him so that it doesn’t distract from his comeback campaign of 2011.

Third Base – Placido Polanco

Unsung heroes. Every team has it’s fair share. Philadelphia’s 2010 unsung hero is Polanco. He is the only Philadelpha starter who is batting over .300. In addition, third base has been the place where screaming grounders go to die at Citizens Bank Park.

Honestly, it will be an absolute travesty if Polanco does not win a Gold Glove Award for his work in 2010. Signed through 2013, Polanco should earn his spot in the hearts of Philly fans over the next few years.

Left Field – Raul Ibanez

At the 2010 All-Star break, analysts all over the Philadelphia sports scene were calling for Ibanez’s head, declaring him done. Ibanez has absolutely proved them wrong. He has gone on a tear these past few weeks, raising his home batting average to .280 over this last homestand. 

Sure, you would guess that Ibanez’s production will decrease rapidly in the coming season. However, I will not quit on my man and I think that he will recharge this offseason and build on his second half success.

Center Field – Shane Victorino

The Flyin’ Hawaiian has been suprisingly below what we expected coming into this summer, batting just .251 with 15 dingers through August 29. We can only hope that Victorino comes back next season and produces like we know he can. He will only be 30 going into next season, so you have to think that he can have a solid rebound campaign in 2011.

Right Field – Domonic Brown

With each game that goes by, it seems more and more probable that the Phils and Jayson Werth are doomed to part this winter. It shouldn’t be a huge problem, however, as Downtown Domonic Brown seems poised and ready to jump in and take over. Hitting just .224 this year, there seems to be vast room for improvement, which is a good sign for a player with so much natural talent. Move over Werth, this kid will be ready come 2011.

Catcher – Carlos Ruiz

Choooooooooch! Ruiz falls into that Polanco, unsung hero mold for the Phils. Ruiz has been Philadelphia’s most clutch hitter in 2010. Chooch is signed through 2013, but I suspect that catching duties may fall into a platoon between Chooch and Brian Schneider or another player in the coming seasons, as Ruiz is bound to break down one of these days. 

The Pen

A scary concept: Brad Lidge is signed for another two seasons and will most likely fall right back into the closer’s role in 2011. I know, it’s frightening. However, there is hope and a promising future for the bullpen. J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson will each reprise their roles as consistent setup men next summer, as both are inked through 2011. Meanwhile, closer in waiting Drew Carpenter will hope to make a name for himself as a middle reliever. Things at the back end of the bullpen may seem bleak now, but there is plenty of reason for hope. 

My Predictions

Honestly, I think it should be another very solid year for the Philadelphia in 2011. The rotation and batting lineup both look incredibly impressive. Plus, with the Mets, Marlins, and Nats looking pretty mediocre going into the offseason, it will most likely be another two-team race between the Phils and Braves. With that said, Atlanta is clearly the young, up-and-coming squad of the NL East, and it should be a great, season-long bout.

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The article has been included in just about every major newspaper and website that cover the major league baseball pennant chase.

It’s headline, in various creative forms, poses a question about the best starting rotations in baseball.

The listed contenders don’t vary much from source to source, and more often than not, the top spot is held by the crew Ruben Amaro Jr. has assembled in South Philadelphia.

Almost every one of these analyses concludes with the Phillies at or near the top the list, along with the following question—In a playoff series, would you want to face the big three of Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels?

Quite simply, with those three arms at the top of the rotation, if the Phillies can avoid a Tiger Woods-like swing slump in a playoff series, and they will be difficult to beat.

To be honest, there are very few teams that have the ability survive a cold-stretch of hitting in a playoff series, and the Phillies are capable of some pretty nasty dry spells at the plate. It’s what makes Phillies fans so thankful for their elite starting pitchers.

However, the problem with the assumption that the Phillies’ starting pitching will be handled by only Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels is that it fails to consider the possibility that someone other than the big three could be called on in the playoffs.

Assuming the Phillies hold on to the wild-card position or overtake the Braves for the NL East title, they will soon be faced with the decision of using a three-man starting rotation in the playoffs versus the option of sending either Joe Blanton or Kyle Kendrick to the mound in order to keep their big-three on their normal four days rest.

In case you need a reminder, this is the same Joe Blanton that opponents have enjoyed a .301 batting average against this season. He is also the $8 million dollar option with the 4^th worst ERA in the majors (5.54). Equally troubling is the fact that Blanton has only produced quality starts in 10 of his 20 opportunities this season.

As for Kyle Kendrick, the phrase “feast or famine” couldn’t be a more appropriate description of the risk that accompanies the Phillies fifth starter. He has looked terrific in nine of his 24 starts, lasting at least six innings while giving up one or fewer runs. Just as frequent, however, are the nights during which he can’t keep his team in the game. Kendrick has given up five or more runs ten times this season.

So, when it comes to a fourth starter for this year’s postseason, the Phillies are facing a huge roll of the dice. If they want to keep the big guns on regular rest, they can pitch Joe Blanton and expect a consistently mediocre outing that won’t kill them if the offense is rolling. They could also resort to Kyle Kendrick, in which case they may get a terrific start or be blown off the field in the early innings of a crucial game.

The possibility of a three-man rotation in the playoffs is something that needs to be examined using a concrete example. Just how difficult would this task be for Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels?

A quick look at the Phillies playoff run of 2009 provides some insight.

Remember that the Phillies starting rotation for the 2009 playoffs included Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, and Pedro Martinez (Jamie Moyer, J.A. Happ, and Brett Myers were eliminated from starting consideration when the playoffs arrived).

That four-man rotation worked off of four days rest throughout the entire 2009 playoffs, which ended when the Phillies lost in the sixth game of the World Series.

A closer look at that playoff schedule reveals that even a three-man rotation could have functioned with four days rest between starts until nearly the very end. Thanks, in part, to the Phillies quick advancement through the first two rounds of the playoffs, a three man rotation could have pitched with full rest all the way until the fourth and fifth games of the World Series.

That would mean that if the Phillies compete in this year’s postseason, they could conceivably utilize a three-man rotation and only be required to call on Roy Halladay or Roy Oswalt to pitch with three days rest once or twice. This would seem to be a reasonable approach if the reward was a World Series title.

Assuming the Phillies make the playoffs in 2010, the only foil to the three-man rotation plan would be if they are stretched to five or seven games in the first two rounds of the playoffs, which would subtract from their off-days between series. If that happens, and a fourth starter is needed, Joe Blanton’s usual three or four runs over six innings would likely be a better option than Kyle Kendrick’s potential for a meltdown.

Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels are a $37 million dollar per year investment. With the way they consistently shut down the opposition, this dollar amount is an absolute bargain.

As the Phillies look ahead to another postseason run, they would be wise to not leave their fate in the hands of any other starting pitcher on their roster.

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Remember Forrest Gump?  If he wasn’t fictional, he would have a blast watching the Phillies. We are, “like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re gonna get.” And that is the way it goes for Phillies fans.

Last night, Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, Blanton, delivered in innings two through five.  As expected he did not perform in the first or the sixth (Uncle Charlie, why did you not pull him after the fifth?) He allowed four runs on eight hits and four walk.

That was my clue to exit the room to save the game. I often write about my nerves and superstition. If I walk away—we pull it out. Even my husband, a PhD in Statistics, and totally rational, cannot explain how I do this—but it works.  I do, however, keep an ear on the game.

We were down nine to two in the eighth.  We were actually luck because after Blanton loaded the bases, Durbin got us out of the sixth. Unfortunately his seventh was not a picnic. 

We found our bats somewhere in the eighth.  Finding our bats when we have good pitching and getting the pitching to work when we have our bats seems to be a problem.  Fortunately something clicked it the Phillies’ collective brains and the Dodgers imploded at the same time.  I began to hear the cheering coming from the TV. 

What happened next is the Phillies hit their way to a 10-9 win thanks to a walk off double by Carlos Ruiz! I guess you could say I got the save, “LOL!”

This three game series was indeed a box of chocolates.  We saw the home debut of Roy Oswalt and  the first home run of Domonic Brown’s promising career.  Kyle Kendrick managed to pitch only three-and-a-third innings and proved to be a split personality pitcher.  Game one was a home run derby that we lost and game two was a shut out.  Game three was like a Hail Mary. 

We took two of three games but need to do better (waiting the return of Victorino, Howard and Utley) to win the division or the wild card.  The series with the Giants will be interesting (I miss Bobble-head Bonds and the screaming insults).  As one of my customers said yesterday, “It’s a great time to be a Phillies fan!”

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(Coral Gables, FL) – After a disappointing 1-2 in a three game set with the Washington Nationals the Philadelphia Phillies are heading on the road for a three game set with the Florida Marlins.

For the Phillies a three game set with the NL East third ranked Florida Marlins is coming at the worst time. The Phillies are 25-31 on the road this season and with the Marlins only four games back of the Phillies for second place in the division the Fightin’s will need to gain ground in Florida if they want to catch up to the Atlanta Braves.

As I mentioned a week ago the Phillies have become the walking wounded . The team is still weeks away from getting Chase Utley back from a surgically repaired thumb, Shane Victorino is on the 15-day DL and to top it all off the Phillies are now putting Ryan Howard as day-to-day after he rolled his ankle as second base in yesterdays 6-4 extra inning win against the Washington Nationals.

The Phillies are sitting two and a half games back of the division leading Braves and are in the midst of a nine game stretch against divisional opponents. Luckily for the Phillies their pitching match-ups for the division side in their favor.

Game 1: Roy Halladay (12-8) v. Sean West (0-0)

Phillies ace Roy Hallady starts off the series against an unknown foe in Sean West. West has been called up from AAA-New Orleans where he was 4-3 with a 3.12 ERA. Halladay has done substantially well against the Marlins this season going 2-1 1.08 ERA, and oh, yeah one of those wins was a perfect game.

Halladay has controlled Marlins hitters as Hanley Ramirez, Cody Ross and Dan Uggla have gone a combined 10-40 against Hallady with eight strikeouts.

With the Phillies repleted lineup they will need to rely on players like Jayson Werth and Jimmy Rollins. Werth is hitting a lowly .182 against the Marlins, most of that on his much publicized hitting slump. Rollins, who has hysterically hit well against Florida will get his first outing against the Marlins as he was out of the previous series nursing his injured calf.

Game 2: Kyle Kendrick (6-4) v. Anibal Sanchez (8-6)

Sanchez is coming off a strong one-hit outing against the San Francisco Giants and looks to do the same against the Phillies. He is 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA this season against the Phillies and has averaged on six and a third innings per outings against the Phillies.

Kendrick is 1-0 against the Marlins and has pitched pretty well since his three day stint in the minor leagues. In his last two starts he has pitched 13 1/3 innings recording eight strikeouts and has held opposing batters to only 10 hits.

The key to this game will be the run support Kendrick gets. If you look at his season numbers when the Phillies hit Kendrick shines.

Game 3: Roy Oswalt (6-13) v. Chris Volstad (5-8)

In the final game of this three game set all eyes will be on the newly acquired Roy Oswalt. After a not so stellar outing in his Phillies debut where he allowed five runs on seven hits in only six innings of work, Oswalt will look to redeem himself with the Phillies faithful.

The only thing that could hurt Oswalt are his career numbers at Sun Life Stadium. In three games at the Marlins Roy Oswalt is 0-2 with one no decision. In 2009 he was drilled for 10 runs in only six innings of work and the year before he was 0-2 with an 11.2 ERA.

Dan Uggla has suffered against the new Phillies going 2-15 with an .133 batting average, striking out five times.

As you can see, other then the Kendrick v. Sanchez match-up, the series could look very positive for the Phillies. It will be important for the Phillies to get wins in the series because as the number two and three teams in the NL face each other the Braves will attempt to distance themselves as they take on the sinking New York Mets.

The Phillies have an off say Monday with game one starting Tuesday night and hopefully that full day of rest will allow Ryan Howard’s ankle to heal and possibly make him eligible for games two and three.

Now that its August it is time for the Phillies to make one of their historical late season runs towards the playoffs. With Utley weeks away things are looking up but the Phillies are definitely showing signs of late season wear. Lets just hope, for our sake, all of the injury setbacks are behind them.

Complete Phillies Coverage on Eternal Mulligan or on Twitter .

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Ruben Amaro must make an immediate, high-impact trade to salvage the Philadelphia Phillies’ underwhelming season and his own reputation as a general manager.   The off season trade of Cliff Lee has upset many fans, and the team he has assembled is floundering, currently slightly over the .500 mark.  Furthermore, Amaro’s attitude is not endearing fans.

After the announcement of Kendrick’s demotion, The Philadelphia Inquirer ‘s Matt Gelb’s posted this on his blog:

Ruben Amaro Jr. wore one of those patented smug looks on his face. The Phillies general manager had just demoted his fifth starter without listing a replacement in the rotation for him.  “I think we know exactly what we’re going to do,” Amaro said. “I just choose not to tell you.”

I highly doubt that the smug Amaro planned to start J.A. Happ and his 5.59 ERA on short rest, or that he was counting on someone getting hurt so he would be able to bring Kendrick back up in less than the required 15-day demotion period.   

So, Mr. Smug, since you knew exactly what you were going to do, what has happened since then?

Nonstop Lee banter has plagued the Phillies this entire season.  Lee became an instant fan favorite, putting together one of the most impressive playoff performances ever recorded.   Plus, I must wonder how the players in the clubhouse were rattled by this trade as well.   In trading Lee, Amaro told the fans and the players that even without Lee, the Phillies had enough to win with the rest of the pitching staff.

Right now, a number of sources are reporting that Amaro is aggressively pursuing a top-flight starter such as Roy Oswalt or Dan Haren.  But yet, Amaro continues to fight back whenever the name “Cliff Lee” comes up.

The Philadelphia Inquirer ‘s Phil Sheridan today wrote about a recent exchange in Chicago with some reporters:

“Given your intense trade-deadline pursuit of pitching…”

“Is this a Cliff Lee question?” the Phillies’ general manager asked, bristling at a reporter over the weekend in Chicago.

“As a matter of fact…”

“I’m done,” Amaro said, walking away from the visitors’ dugout and toward the solace of the batting cage at Wrigley Field.

The fact that he refuses to acknowledge that he may have made a mistake is what angers so many people.  

People would respect Amaro had he responded: “Listen, guys, at the time I really thought that even without Lee, we had the pitching that would win us a championship.  I was wrong about that.   However, I still have a great feeling that the guys we acquired in that trade will develop into something special, and I will do everything I can right now to bring our pitching staff up to the championship quality that you and I both have in mind.”

However, Amaro continues to make denials as his pitching staff falls part, exuding an “I’m better than you” attitude, making comments such as, “That is not the way you do business in baseball,” in reference to the need to acquire some prospects for Lee.   By the way, with Aumont 1-6, and with the other two pieces acquired in other leagues, the Phillies organization was rated the strongest at Class A of all 30 teams and they possess the No. 1 prospect in all of the minors.

Most importantly, the prospects would enable the Phillies to fill holes during the season should they arise.   Well, Ruben, it’s time to fill the holes.  If you fail to make the playoffs this year, you are done.   You will have lost your credibility with the city.

Oswalt or Haren will do it.  Anyone else?  You are done in Philadelphia.

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On Saturday, September 12, 2007, the Philadelphia Phillies lost 12-0 to the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park to fall seven games behind the New York Mets in the NL East with 17 games to play.

From that point forward, the Phillies won 13 of their final 17 games, including a three-game sweep of the Mets in New York, and won the NL East by 1.0 game as the Mets suffered a historic collapse.

The Phillies may have lost to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday to fall to 1-5 since the All-Star break, but let’s not lose our perspective here.  Every team is going to win 54 games, every team is going to lose 54 games—it’s how you play the other 54 that separates the good teams from the bad.

With Jamie Moyer facing Chris Carpenter in St. Louis last night, the Phillies were not destined to win.  And news flash—with Joe Blanton facing off against Jaime Garcia, they probably won’t win tonight, either.  Things won’t get any easier for the Phils, with Moyer almost certainly headed for the disabled list and Kyle Kendrick having been demoted to Triple-A.

But while it feels like the Phils are losing the winners right now, there’s still a lot of season to be played.  There’s still time for slumping hitters to improve, there’s time to make moves to improve the pitching, and there’s still time to get our injured superstar second baseman back.

It is tempting to say the season is over because the Phils are seven games back on July 21, but frankly, I don’t want to hear about it until September 13.

Asher B. Chancey lives in Philadelphia and is a co-founder of BaseballEvolution.com.

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In our home we have a standing joke: whenever Pujols is up to bat someone yells “Poo Holes!”

It is not because we dislike the man (we love him when he is not playing the Phillies!) I pay homage to him at JJ Elephant Sports Café with a huge photo framed and mounted in the customer restroom–over the WC.

What’s in a name? The mispronounced Pujols, local Phillies fans have no idea who the photo is because they cannot pronounce the “J” in his name, hence “Poo-Holes”. A star by any other name is still a star and that is what Pujols has proven game after game. I would love seeing Pujols in a Phillies uniform!

In last night’s game, Kyle Kendrick was the real “Poo Hole!” Too many times I have seen him pitch and blow it (almost every game I attend, he is the pitcher and loses). He seemed to get some mojo going this season, even pitching a complete game, then back to the old Kendrick.

Mind you, Blanton is up for a “Poo Hole” award as well.

The Phil’s Kendrick was a “homerun manchine last night”, to quote a friend.  The stats below say it all.  Even sadder was that we had our bats last night!  Where are they when Halladay pitches?

Regardless of the spin that Charlie puts on the Phillies season thus far, in my humble opinion, we have  inconsistent pitching and hitting.  Everyone but Utley and Happ are off the injured disabled list and we are still not finding our sweet spot.  When we have the pitching we do not have the bats and vice versa.

Winning teams must have a level of consistency. The Phillies have shown less than none.  Charlie is a players manager and very patient–that is what makes the players love him and me, no so much this year.

It is time to man up Uncle Charlie and take some of these guys behind the woodshed for a little “talking to!” We have a great deal of under performing talent this year. 

I hate to say it and I hope I am wrong, but this year the fightin’s are playing like the fallin’s I can hope, pray and root for the home team but I am not feeling the love. 

I long for the day when someone in the house yells “Poo Holes” and it is for a Phillie named Pujols.  This old lady’s dream is having Halladay and Lee pitching with Utley, Howard and Pujols batting.

Guess it is time to pray to the gods of baseball?

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(6/28/2010)

Cincinnati, OH –  Former Phillie Scott Rolen played game killer and Reds ace Johnny Cueto went eight strong innings as Cincinnati topped Philadelphia 7-3 in the opening contest of the three-game set at Great American Ballpark.

Rolen went 1-for-2 with three RBI including a towering two-run shot in the fourth to lead the Reds. Joey Votto and Orlando Cabrera both went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the win.

Reds starter Johnny Cueto (8-2) went eight innings, allowing one run on six hits and lowered his ERA to an impressive 3.74.

Rolen got the scoring started with a home run in the fourth. Two innings later after a Votto RBI single in the sixth, the third baseman put the Reds up 4-0 on a sacrifice fly that plated Brandon Phillips.

Raul Ibanez paced Philadelphia with a RBI single in the seventh. He platted two more in the top of the ninth on a two-out home run to right that scored Jayson Werth.

Kyle Kendrick (4-3) allowed six runs on eight hits and struck out four. He was pulled in the seventh after a Ramon Hernandez double that plated Drew Stubbs.

Replaced by David Herndon, Kendrick was credited with another run as Hernandez was scored on a Cabrera two-out single to left.

The Reds tacked on another run in the eighth on a Chris Heisey sacrifice fly to bring the score to 7-1.

Box Score

Game Notes: Chase Utley did not bat in the ninth inning and will have an MRI tomorrow due to an apparent right thumb injury.

Rolen’s home run in the sixth was his 300th of his career. Rolen hit his first 150 home runs with the Phillies from 1996-2002.

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(6/22/10)

(Philadelphia, PA) – Jamie Moyer went eight innings and only allowed one run on two hits to clinch his eighth win of the season as the Phillies topped the Cleveland Indians 2-1 in game one of their three-game set at Citizens Bank Park.

Moyer (8-6) did break a non-flattering record in the process as Russell Branyan sent a two-out solo home run in the top of the second to put Moyer of the top off the all time home runs allowed list in the MLB.

Branyon’s shot allowed Moyer to pass Phillies legend Robin Roberts and put his career home runs allowed total to an astonishing 505.

Both teams got their scoring early as Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth both knocked in a run in the bottom of the first. Howard’s came on a one-out single that scored Placido Polanco and Werth’s on a sacrifice fly that scored Chase Utley.

The Indians halved the lead with Branyan’s solo shot in the second.

In his first game back from the DL Jimmy Rollins went 0-4 with two fly outs and two ground outs.

Mitch Talbot (7-6) took the loss for Cleveland but pitched well allowing only two runs on four hits in seven innings of work.

Despite the pitching duel there was some drama as Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was tossed in between the fourth and fifth innings for arguing a runner’s interference call with umpire Sam Holbrook.

Raul Ibanez was called out when Shane Victorino grounded into what would be a double play to end the inning after he slid into Cleveland shortstop Anderson Hernandez..

The Phils and Indians will play game two of their three-game set tomorrow as the Phillies will send Kyle Kendrick (4-2) to the mound, he will face Jake Westbrook (4-4).

Game Notes: Before today’s game the Philles designated Greg Dobbs for assignment and placed catcher Carlos Ruiz on the 15-day DL (concussion)… they also sent pitcher Scott Mathieson to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and called up pitcher Mike Zagurski… The win was Moyer’s 266th which puts him at 35th all time.

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Yesterday, my son wanted to go to the Dairy Queen. Since I’m trying to eat healthy, I inquired about the selections they had that didn’t resemble candy.

The girl offered me a chocolate covered banana.

I said, “That’s it? Don’t you have a more phallic desert?”

Obviously not. So when she handed the treat my way, one thing crossed my mind:

I’ll have to hold this in a way that makes me look like I’m not enjoying it.

But there’s no way I can hide my pleasure about the series win in the Bronx.

Everyone’s thinking the bat formation in front of Chase Utley’s locker before the Thursday whooping was the series clincher, but I believe there’s only one thing that can cause a change this profound:

Charlie Manuel is on performance-enhancing drugs.

Of course I’ve alleged that before. But how else do you explain Greg Dobbs getting a hit, Raul Ibanez stealing a base, or the Phils finding a rally without Jimmy Rollins?

When’s the last time the team hit back-to-back homers? When’s the last time they even got the ball over the fence?

And when’s the last time we spelled bullpen relief like this: Jose Contreras.

I haven’t had that many questions since I spent the night with Jose Cuervo.

And what about that guy named Placido Polanco? His name doesn’t yet roll off our tongues like Rauuuuul Ibanez, but since the questions surrounding his ability to be effective in the hot corner surfaced at his signing, having a guy named Polly has been nothing less than poetic.

He’s the only guy in the starting lineup still hitting .300-plus and he has the highest fielding percentage of third basemen in the National League.

But when he saved Kyle Kendrick from ruin in the sixth by mounting the tarp, his face had this taunt appearance as if he was up to no good.

I’ve seen the same expression on my dog.

He was having a good time too.

That brings us to the most pleasant surprise of the series—Kyle Kendrick. He was welcomed to the show in 2007 and was up against some heavy hitters for Rookie of the Year like Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki, and Hunter Pence.

Although he’s hardly lived up to the accomplishments of those guys, do we dare hope he’s finally on pace?

Last night he not only had his tempo down, he could lead the marching band. Maybe with the pressure of JA Happ’s return and the question of who’s moving to the bullpen, Kendrick was forced to pitch more like a guy who belongs in the rotation than someone who just got lucky.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The great irony is, three days ago Roy Halladay was considered the key to taking this Yankees series. Instead it was won with a kid that caused my ulcer and a grandpa named Jamie Moyer who’s intent on being the oldest pitcher to do everything.

Wait, that made Jamie sound like my dog.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It might be too early to sing Kyle’s praises—he still walked two and only fanned three, but the composure he showed made him look as stoic as that other strawberry blond, Roy Halladay.

There’s one thing the two hurlers didn’t have in common last night—Kyle Kendrick smiles when things go his way. I saw a big toothy smile.

And barring a great hit here or a good catch there, there’s been a drought of things to smile about lately.

So the big question remains: Have the Phillies turned things around?

That depends. Are you arranging knickknacks in your curio cabinet or talking baseball?

I will say this: There’s no doubt I’d rather be enjoying Phillie wins then munching down on a treat of extraordinary size with a guilty look on my face.

But let’s face it—every game is 27 outs. Charlie went as far as to say if they win every series, they’ll be sitting pretty.

And if they do that, there’s no way I can act like I’m not enjoying it.

Regardless of what my husband says.

See you at the ballpark.

Copyright 2010 Flattish Poe all rights reserved. Catch life one-liner at a time at http://twitter.com/ABabesTake

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