Phillies Trade For Halladay

As everyone knows by now the Phillies traded for Roy Halladay. I would like to dissect this trade. There are some good things and some negative things. Let's look at the negatives first.
First, the Phillies traded away Cliff Lee who pitched unbelievable last year. It seems like they were trying to "dump" his salary because they have a strict $140 million payroll. So they traded Cliff Lee to the Mariners for three prospects. Now, Phillippe Aumont is suppose to be the best out of all of the prospects the Phillies received. Aumont supposedly has a good fastball but he is working on his secondary pitches. It sounds like that he is no where near Kyle Drabek at this point. They also received prospects Tyson Gillies who is legally deaf and wears a hearing aid in each ear and J.C. Ramirez. I can tell you I know absolutely nothing about either of them, besides that little tidbit on Gillies. It sounds like that the Phillies didn't get that much prospect wise in return for Lee. It seems that the Phillies were very anxious to get rid of Lee and his salary.
The Phillies traded the Blue Jays Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, and Travis d'Arnaud. In July, Drabek was an "untouchable." What is the difference now? The difference has to be that Cliff Lee wasn't willing to sign to a long-term deal with the Phillies. Prospect wise it looks like the Phillies lost overall in their farm system.
It seems that the Phillies have a two year window where they can make some severe damage. After the 2011 season Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Brad Lidge, Raul Ibanez, and Shane Victorino are all eligible for free agency. I think Amaro knows that it is just not possible to re-sign all of those guys to big time contracts. So by signing Halladay to a three year extension solidifies a star player after 2011. It is frustrating for us Phillies fans to watch Cliff Lee go but in the long run it might end up being a smart decision. Unless we watch Drabek pitch his way to Cooperstown. But let's not think that way.

The positives for the Phillies is obviously getting Roy Halladay. He has pitched 200 plus innings in the last four seasons and he has thrown nine complete games in the last two seasons. He is an innings eater who will go deep into games (similar to Lee) but don't expect him to have nine complete games in 2010. He still very well can but if the Phillies are in a game in the seventh inning and there down by a run and Halladay is due up to bat, there most likely going to take him out. Due to the fact that Halladay will be pitching in the National League will help him maybe ERA wise but hurt him in the complete game department.
Putting all of the Roy Halladay talk aside, there is 110 days until Opening Day and it should be a fun and entertaining season.

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A Look To The Future

I know that the Phillies just clinched a trip to the World Series but it's never too early to take a look to the off-season. I am going to put together a little something about the Phillies upcoming free agents and there prospects in each level.
2010 Phillies Free Agents
Brett Myers-Myers is probably a goner because we already have a closer and he will probably going to want a little too much money, but you never know, he could be in Phillies pinstripes next year.

Pedro Feliz-Pedro has a club option for 2010, and I'm guessing that they are going to exercise that option and bring him back for 2010.

Chan Ho Park-If the Phillies don't re-sign Park there are going to be some very unhappy fans. Park thrived in middle relief this year and doesn't have an ego so he is always willing to pitch in any situation.

Scott Eyre-In the beginning of the year Eyre said that he is going to retire at the end of the season but now he is saying that he would like to play just one more year. Assuming that he does play one more year, he will probably pitch for the Phillies.

Pedro Martinez-This is a decision that the Phillies are really going to have to think about, just seeing what Pedro has done there is no doubt in my mind that they should try to re-sign him.

Matt Stairs, Tyler Walker, Miguel Cairo and Paul Bako are all upcoming free agents. Out of the four of them the only one that I think will be back will be Bako to back up Ruiz.

2010 Prospects
The Phillies farm system is loaded in all aspects. I feel sorry for all of them because there really isn't a whole lot a room for them.
Anthony Gose-This guy is my favorite Phillies prospect. Nobody has really heard of him but all I can say is, he can fly. Gose played for Lakewood this year and he had a league high of 76 stolen bases. No that is not a typo he really had 76 stolen bases. He is only 19 years old so he still has a lot of time to develop. With speed like that there is always room on some ball clubs staff somewhere.

Kyle Drabek-By now everybody knows who Kyle Drabek is. Next year he will probably be in Triple-A LeHigh Valley for the whole season. Drabek pitched tremendous last year in his first full season in the minors. Towards the end of the season he got a "dead arm" which basically means that he was fried. This is the Phillies top pitching prospect so I'm sure this is not the last that you will hear of him.

Domonic Brown-This is Phillies top hitting prospect. Towards the end of last year he was called up to Reading and played 37 games with them. Brown is 22 years old and is going to play with Reading next year. He is a tremendous prospect and if the Phillies were one of the weaker teams in the league he might even have been called-up already.

Scott Mathieson-We saw Mathieson with the Phillies in 2006 when he started a few games for them. In his lat appearance with them, he got injured and needed Tommy John Surgery. Mathieson is now back and better then ever. He is throwing bullets to the plate and he could be an option for the back end of the Phillies bullpen for 2010. In 32.1 innings pitched last year, Mathieson went 4-0 with a 0.84 era.

Michael Taylor-He had one heck of a 2009 season in the minors. Between Reading and LeHigh Valley, Taylor hit .320 with 20 home runs and 84 RBI. When Taylor was called-up to LeHigh Valley he struggled there for a little bit but he eventually got going but as soon as he did he hit the disabled list. Taylor is already 24 years old, so time could possibly be running out on him but expect Taylor to be up with the Phillies at some point next year whether it's because of an injury, a bat off the bench, or a September call-up.

Joe Savery-This was the Phillies first round pick in 2007 and really had a nice 2009. His ERA doesn't jump out at you at 4.40 but he had a 16-6 record between Reading and LeHigh Valley. Due to his tremendous record in Reading he was rewarded by being promoted to Triple-A. Savery isn't loved by scouts but if he wins games, that's all what matters in the long run.

I could go on for days with the Phillies propects but I will give you a few other prospects to keep your eye on. Pitchers Johan Flande, Vance Worley, B.J. Rosenburg, Trevor May, Matthew Way, Drew Naylor, Michael Stutes, and Michael Cisco. And as for the hitters there are 2008 first round pick Anthony Hewitt, Zachary Collier, Kelly Dugan, and Travis d'Arnaud.
There are many, many more prospects and a future Hall of Famer might end up being unmentioned but these are the ones that are being mentioned right now.

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Phils Lose To Brew Crew

Wow, what a disgrace. Just a horrible game the Phillies played tonight. They played with no intensity, zero desire to win, nothing, just very mundane, boring baseball. I will say they started out pretty good by scoring a few runs but from there it was all downhill. I wouldn't say that it is time to panic but if they lose tomorrow, I might start getting a little worried. There magic number is four to clinch to division. Now they have eight games remaining. All they need to do is win four of them. So if they play .500 baseball the rest of the way, they can guarantee there ticket to the postseason. The Braves and Marlins can help them out by losing themselves but they are both playing solid baseball at this moment. They look like they think that the Braves and Marlins are just gonna roll over and give it to them. They can't have that attitude. That's the kind of attitude that cost the Mets the past two years and we all know where the are today.
I will give a brief overview about tonight's game. Ryan Howard and Paul Bako both hit home runs. Kyle Kendrick started for Pedro and pitched four innings then Jamie Moyer pitched four more. Combined they went eight innings and gave up five runs. Then in the ninth inning Tyler Walker came into the game looking to keep the game the same and bring it into extra innings. He was unsuccessful. The first batter hit a single, then Ryan Braun hit a walk-off, two-run home run to win the game for the Brewers 7-5.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton allowed just two hits and two walks and struck out nine in seven scoreless innings in a 9-3 victory over the Marlins in Game 1 of a doubleheader Tuesday at Land Shark Stadium. Combined with six shutout innings the previous Thursday against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park, Blanton (11-7) has now thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings. Blanton threw a career-high 18 consecutive scoreless innings Aug. 16-31, 2005, when he pitched for Oakland.
Brewers:Five days after he beat the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Dave Bush surrendered more earned runs -- five -- than he recorded outs -- four -- in a loss at Miller Park. Bush lasted only 1 1/3 innings in his shortest start of the season and lost for the first time in three starts. He'll face the Phillies for the first time since April 23, when Bush took a no-hitter into the eighth inning only to lose it on a Matt Stairs home run. He still won that day, allowing one run on two hits in a season-high 7 2/3 innings.

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Lidge Blows Save

Yet again, Brad Lidge has blown another save. I have tried to be as optimistic as possible throughout this season about Brad Lidge because I thought he would get his closing issues figured out but it doesn't seem like it is getting any better. The Phillies had a 6-5 lead going into the ninth inning and Lidge got the call to close. With two outs and runner on first and third, Jorge Cantu hit a line drive to center field and then the game was tied. Pinch hitter Brett Carroll came up and he hit a base hit that scored the winning run and the Phillies lost 7-6 and Brad Lidge blew his 11th save of the season. A very tough loss for the Phillies.
Anyway, Cole Hamels pitched tonight and did very good through the first three innings but then after that Cole gave up a total of four runs in seven innings. Overall, not bad. I was really hoping Cole would only give up one or two but he didn't
On the bright side, Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard both hit home runs tonight but that obviously wasn't enough. Jimmy Rollins hit his 40th double which to me is remarkable because remember when he was really struggling this season, he has really turned it around and as everyone says as Jimmy goes we go.
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Phillies:J.A. Happ left Friday's game after just three innings for precautionary reasons. He had missed his previous two starts because of a strained right intercostal muscle, and when he appeared to favor it on a play in the third inning, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel decided to take him out of the game. Happ said he was fine. He said he felt no pain or discomfort, but because the Phillies already were without left-handers Scott Eyre, J.C. Romero and Jack Taschner in the bullpen, Manuel wants to make sure Happ is healthy in case he needs him in the bullpen in the postseason.
Brewers:Jeff Suppan has worked seven quality innings in each of his last two starts, including a win over the Astros on Saturday in which he set a season high with seven strikeouts. It was Suppan's third win at Miller Park in 14 home starts; he's 3-7 with a 5.92 ERA at home and 4-3 with a 3.56 ERA in 13 starts on the road. Suppan missed the Phillies when the Brewers went through Philadelphia in April, but he's 3-6 against them in his career with a 6.13 ERA.

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Phils Take The Series

Coming into this 10-game road trip all the Phillies were concerned of doing was winning every series. They were successful in the first attempt by beating the Braves this afternoon 4-2. This game took a while to complete because of a rain delay that delayed the game in the fifth inning of today's game. Once it got back going the Phillies starter Cliff Lee did not continue because the rain delay was so long. Tyler Walker resumed his position and pitched two scoreless innings and ultimately got the win.
The Phillies bullpen deserves some praise after what they did today. They only gave up one run during five innings of work. That one run came in the ninth inning when Brad Lidge gave up a single that scored a run but the run was unimportant. And they won the game 4-2. Now, there magic number is down to six and they could clinch the National League East as early as Wednesday.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton was not overly dominant Thursday against the Nationals, who lined into two double plays and had other miscues on the basepaths, but he threw six scoreless innings in the victory. He allowed just five hits and four walks and struck out seven. It was an important recovery from his last outing, when the same Washington squad battered him for eight runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Marlins:After two straight five-inning starts, Josh Johnson recorded his 23rd quality start in his 30th start. The All-Star strives to become the first Marlin pitcher with more than 15 wins since Dontrelle Willis won 22 in 2005.

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Phils Power Past Braves; Magic Number Down To 8

J.A. Happ was making his first start since September 2 against the Giants. In the third inning Happ was having some problems with his strained oblique. After the inning, Charlie elected to take him out for precautionary reasons and they brought Kyle Kendrick in. Kendrick did a really good job tonight. He pitched four innings and did not give up any runs.
The offense was facing a tough pitcher tonight in Tim Husdon. They only got three runs off of him in seven innings, including two Ryan Howard home runs. But in the eighth and ninth innings they scored six more runs and ended up winning the game 9-4. And as I mentioned in the title there magic number is down to eight.
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Phillies:Pedro Martinez has been terrific since signing with the Phillies, especially his last outing on Sunday night. In that game, the right-hander threw 130 pitches, 80 for strikes and exited to a standing ovation at Citizens Bank Park during a 1-0 win over the Mets. Martinez seems to have recaptured the magic he lost with the Mets last season. He had command of all of his pitches and kept the Mets hitters off balance all night.
Braves:Javier Vazquez dominated the Cardinals during his second complete-game effort of the season on Sunday. His line -- two earned runs and seven hits -- didn't provide indication of how impressive he was. Before surrendering four straight singles in a two-run ninth, he had allowed just two hits and thrown 79 pitches. The 33-year-old right-hander has won three straight decisions and allowed a total of two runs in those three victories. Each of the four runs he surrendered against the Phillies on Aug. 16 came via the two homers he surrendered to Ryan Howard.

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Phils Complete Sweep

It looks like that Cole Hamels is finally back. Through five innings tonight Cole was throwing a perfect game but a base hit broke that up. Cole was really good tonight, by using his change-up effectively and locating his pitches. He went eight innings and allowed just one run.
The Phillies offense kicked off with a double by Jimmy Rollins in the fifth inning that drove in a run. Surprisingly they did not hit any home runs but they scored four runs and won the game 4-2. Brad Lidge got his 30th save of the season. Hopefully, Lidge can get his mechanics back and return to his 2008 form.
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Phillies:Consider J.A. Happ a tentative starter for the moment. He strained his intercostal muscle before his scheduled Sept. 7 against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. He missed that start and Saturday's start against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Left-hander Jamie Moyer pitched in Happ's place in both of those games, and he would take his place again if he is unable to pitch Friday against the Braves at Turner Field. The Phillies certainly would love to have Happ back in the rotation. He is a National League Rookie of the Year candidate.
Braves:Tim Hudson has been in position to win each of the three starts that he's made since returning from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery. Most of the 14 hits he's surrendered in his past two outings have occurred in bunches. While allowing four runs in five innings against the Cardinals on Saturday, he surrendered four consecutive first-inning hits and exited after allowing three straight hits to open the sixth. In his lone start against the Phillies last year, Hudson allowed one run in 7 2/3 innings.

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Phils Take Game Two

I think it is fair to say that overall this year Joe Blanton has been the most consistent Phillies starter. Tonight he continued that by pitching another quality start. In his last start against the Nationals he gave up eight runs, but this time he did much better. Over six innings Blanton did not give up any runs. If his pitch count wasn't so high he could of went deeper but he didn't and luckily for him he got the win.
The Phillies offense was rather stagnant tonight, but one big blast put the game out of hand. In the seventh inning, Jayson Werth hit a grand slam and made the game 6-0. Tyler Walker gave up one run in the ninth inning and the Phillies won the game 6-1.
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Phillies:Cole Hamels has pitched very well in three of his past four starts, having allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings against the Mets on Monday. The left-hander did not have his best fastball, instead relying on changeups and curveballs.
Nationals:The Nationals have decided to start Ross Detwiler on Thursday night against the Phillies, pushing right-hander J.D. Martin back to face the Mets at Citi Field on Friday night. The original plan was to let Detwiler pitch out of the bullpen because he was close to his innings limit, but Washington wants to see him get two more starts before the season is over.

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Crazy K Shuts Down Mets

During Spring Training Kyle Kendrick was vying for the fifth spot in the rotation. He obviously did not win that spot so he went down to LeHigh Valley to work on his change-up. Kendrick made a spot start today and he showed the Phillies that he has improved since Spring Training. Over seven 1/3 innings Kendrick just allowed two runs that came in the seventh off of an Anderson Hernandez two-run home run. Kendrick ran into problems in 2008 because he was unsuccessful of keeping his sinker down and the hitters were getting into favorable counts, which led to problems for Kendrick.
The Phillies got just enough runs to support themselves into today's game. Ben Francisco and Shane Victorino both hit home runs, and they got a very important insurance run in the eighth inning. Brad Lidge got the opportunity to close and he did get the save but it was not pretty. Lidge gave up two runs and he got out of the inning with a strikeout of Angel Pagan.
The Phillies have a game tonight at 8:05 to cap off the doubleheader. I will be attending the game but unfortunetly I will not be able to write a blog of the game. The up next will be for Tuesday's game against the Nationals.
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Phillies:Cliff Lee went 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA in his first five starts with the Phillies, but is 1-2 with a 9.60 ERA in his previous three. He allowed 10 hits, five runs, four earned runs and struck out four in seven-plus innings Wednesday in a victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park. Lee suffered some bad luck in that game. A missed double play cost him a run in the seventh, and an error cost him a run in the eighth. Regardless, the Phillies are hoping Lee gets back on track against the same team that got 10 hits against him last week.
Nationals:The Nationals have not announced a starting pitcher for Tuesday's game.

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Phils Blow Another Save

Jamie Moyer was making his second straight start as he was filling in for J.A. Happ. In the first inning the first five Mets batter got on base and four of them scored. After that Jamie really settled in and only gave up one more run. Moyer ultimately ended up pitching seven innings and allowed five runs.
The Phillies offense was able to help out Moyer as they got a total of three home runs. Pedro Feliz, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez all hit home runs off of Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey. Raul Ibanez had a total of three RBI's on the day, which raised his total to 86 on the season. Considering that he bats behind Ryan Howard everyday, who is a RBI machine, that's pretty impressive from your five, six hole hitter. The Phillies were leading the Mets 9-5 going into the eighth inning and Brett Myers came in looking to keep it the same. This was the first time that Myers has struggled since he has came back. He gave up three runs and the Phillies only had a 9-8 lead going into the ninth inning. So Ryan Madson came in and with two outs in the ninth David Wright hit a two-run home run that gave the Mets a 10-9 lead and went on the win.
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Phillies:Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he is leaning toward starting Kyle Kendrick in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Mets. It would be Kendrick's first start since last season. Kendrick spent most of this season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he went 9-7 with a 3.34 ERA in 24 starts. He is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in four relief appearances this year for the Phillies, but is scoreless in his past three.
Mets:John Maine's ERA in 56 2/3 innings against the Phillies is 2.54, his best against any opponent he has faced more than once. Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard have combined for nine hits in 28 at-bats against him, two of them home runs by Howard. Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz have a combined .339 average in 59 at-bats against Maine. He has allowed only two home runs in 19 2/3 innings at Citizens Bank Park.

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Cole Dominates Mets

First and foremost I would like to apologize for not writing yesterday's blog. I got caught up in a couple of other things and was unable to write it. Anyway back to more important things. Cole Hamels was looking to get back on track against the Mets tonight. Cole did a really nice job tonight. He did throw a lot of pitches but he pitched 6 2/3 innings and only allowed one run. Even though the Mets lineup isn't the way we are used to seeing it, it doesn't matter, Cole pitched well and he will look to build off of it.
The Phillies were able to score four runs throughout the game as they won 4-2. They had a total of six doubles that was led by Shane Victorino who had three of them.
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Phillies:Left-hander J.A. Happ will miss his second start because of a strained oblique, which means Jamie Moyer will get his second start in his place. He allowed three hits and two runs in six innings Monday in a loss to Houston at Minute Maid Park.
Mets:Mike Pelfrey completed eight innings for the first time in 28 starts this season, beating the Cubs at Citi Field on Sunday. Pelfrey allowed six baserunners and one run, and he needed merely 105 pitches -- 25 in the seventh inning and 10 to his final batter -- to do so. Pelfrey returned to his two-seam fastball and threw it for strikes the way he hadn't in his two previous starts, in which he walked 10 in 9 2/3 innings.

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Phillies Win A Tight One

Cliff Lee was trying to get back on track tonight. He really didn't pitch that good but he got through seven innings and allowed just four runs. Lee usually only runs into problems when he can't locate his pitches.
The Phillies hit more solo home runs tonight when Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz hit back-to-back solo home runs. The last 15 home runs the Phillies have hit has been all solo home runs. Raul Ibanez had another good night at the plate by hitting two doubles and getting a RBI.
Going into the ninth inning the Phillies were up 6-5 and Charlie Manuel elected to go to Ryan Madson instead of Brad Lidge. Madson gave up a lead-off single followed by a strikeout. Then, with Adam Dunn up, he hit a line drive at Chase Utley then Utley flipped it to Rollins for the double play. The Phillies got a little lucky because if the line drive that Dunn hit wasn't hit right at Utley it would of been a hit and the Nationals would of tied the game. But it didn't happen and that is all that matters.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton continues to pitch well. His 3.80 ERA is the lowest of any Phillies right-hander since Brett Myers' 3.72 ERA in 2005. The only other Phillies right-handers this decade to have better ERAs are Vicente Padilla (3.28 ERA in 2002 and 3.62 ERA in 2003) and Robert Person (3.63 ERA in 2000). Blanton allowed six hits and three runs in six innings in a 5-4 loss to Houston on Saturday, when Brad Lidge blew his Major League-leading 10th save.
Nationals:Livan Hernandez had his worst outing since returning to the Nationals, and they paid for it in a 9-5 loss to the Marlins at Nationals Park on Saturday night. Hernandez, who lasted five innings and allowed six runs on eight hits, found himself in trouble starting in the first inning. Six of the eight batters he faced reached base, and three of them scored. In that inning, Hernandez threw 34 pitches, just 14 for strikes. It appeared he was settling down, holding Florida scoreless the next two innings, but Hernandez was hit hard in the fourth, as Florida scored four runs in the frame.

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Phillies Win But Lidge Gets Axed

Let's set the stage, bases loaded with only one out, and the Phillies are leading 5-3. Charlie Manuel finally decides that he has seen enough and he is pulling Brad Lidge out of the game and he brought in Ryan Madson. Ryan Madson was able to bail out his fellow reliever and preserved the win for the Phightin Phils'.
Pedro Martinez was coming off of his best start as a Phillie and was hoping to duplicate it tonight. Pedro wasn't as good but he was pretty good. Over 6 2/3 innings, Pedro allowed three runs on six hits.
All of the Phillies five runs came via the long ball. They hit five solo home runs tonight. Two from Raul Ibanez, one from Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth. It would be nice to see them score some runs other than the home run but it was important that they were able to get the win tonight.
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Phillies:Cliff Lee has been bounced around in his last two starts, giving up 12 earned runs in only eight innings, both losses. Lee is coming off a three-inning effort at Houston in which he gave up six earned runs in a 7-0 loss to the Astros. It was quite a departure for Lee, who began his stint with the Phillies by winning five straight games. It will be the first career appearance against Washington for Lee.
Nationals:Garrett Mock had nothing in the tank, giving up six runs in his three frames against the Marlins. The long ball was the main culprit. In the first inning, Jorge Cantu took an 0-2 pitch and hit a two-run homer, while John Baker hit another two-run shot two innings later. Mock said he had mechanical issues on the mound. Most of his pitches were up in the strike zone.

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Phillies Get Swept By Astros

J.A. Happ was scratched from his start today because of a mild strained oblique. It is not known to be serious so hopefully Happ will make his next scheduled start. Instead, Jamie Moyer started and he did a serviceable job. Moyer pitched six innings and only gave up two runs.
The Phillies offense was able to start off the game by getting a run in the first inning that gave them a 1-0 lead. Then after Hunter Pence hit a two-run home run off of Jamie Moyer, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez hit back-to-back home runs that put the Phillies back on top 3-2.
Chan Ho Park came into the game in the seventh inning and hold the lead. Park has been really good out of the bullpen this year but today he just had a bad day. Park was charged with the loss as the Phillies lost 4-3.
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Phillies:Pedro Martinez turned in best outing since joining the Phillies when he outdueled fellow Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum in a victory over the Giants. The right-hander allowed one run on five hits over seven innings and struck out nine.
Nationals:John Lannan held the San Diego offense in check through four scoreless innings, but a five-run fifth spelled the end of Lannan's day and gave the Padres the cushion they would need to complete the three-game sweep. Lannan got two quick outs to start the fifth, but Everth Cabrera and David Eckstein reached base with ground-ball singles before Adrian Gonzalez hit a line drive that tailed away from left-fielder Willie Harris and landed just beyond his reach, scoring two runs. Chase Headley's two-run double was the other big blow in the frame that added to the San Diego lead.

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Phils Lose Third In A Row

Everybody thought Cole Hamels was back on track but he showed today that, that might have been a fluke. Over six innings Cole gave up four runs on eight hits. He just wasn't nearly as sharp as he was in his previous two starts. Hopefully, this was just a bad start and he will go back to the same form as when he was pitching against San Francisco.
The offense did some good things at the end of last nights game. Today all of the offense they got were on three solo home runs by Jimmy Rollins, Ben Francisco, and Jayson Werth. This offense really needs to come out there slump. If we can just get a couple of guys hot, they should be able to carry the team.
Shane Victorino did not play today due to an injury. The severeness of the injury is undetermined, as far as I know. Hopefully Shane will be back in the line-up tomorrow afternoon.
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Phillies:J.A. Happ suffered his second straight loss in his last start against the Giants. He struck out seven, but allowed four runs over six innings. The rookie left-hander has not faced the Astros this season.
Astros:Brian Moehler was the victim of poor defense in losing his previous start Tuesday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He gave up only one unearned run in 5 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and three runs. He's lost five of his last six decisions. In his career, Moehler is 2-3 with a 6.38 ERA in 11 games, including seven starts, against the Phillies. Moehler beat the club the last time he faced it, giving up four hits and three runs in six innings on May 24, 2008 at Minute Maid Park.

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Phils Lose It In The Ninth

The Phillies did not start off the game well when Joe Blanton gave up a two-run home run to Hunter Pence then Pence got another RBI to make it 3-0 Astros. Then, in the seventh inning the Phillies offense came to life when the bottom of the order managed to score two runs and make it a one run game. In the eighth inning Ryan Howard hit a triple that scored Jimmy Rollins, and then Howard would later score.
Brett Myers came back tonight. He pitched in the eighth inning and ran into a little bit of trouble but did not give up any runs, which was encouraging. It was Brad Lidge time in the ninth inning. Brad Lidge has been better lately but tonight he struggled a bit. With the bases loaded and two outs for Kaz Matsui, he hit a base hit to center field that scored two runs and the Astros beat the Phillies 4-3. This was Lidge's tenth blown save of the season.
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Phillies:Cole Hamels may have finally gotten himself on track. He has thrown 19 consecutive scoreless innings, tying his career high. Against the Giants on Tuesday, Hamels struck out nine and issued one walk, in the ninth inning. He threw seven 1-2-3 innings and at one point retired 21 straight batters. He has said it all clicked for him during his start against the Mets on Aug. 21. Since then, he has been pitching more relaxed.
Astros: The Astros took advantage of Thursday's off day to let Wandy Rodriguez and Roy Oswalt pitch on normal rest in the first two games of the Phillies series, pushing rookie Bud Norris back to Sunday. After going 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his first three starts, he's 0-3 with a 13.11 ERA in his past three starts. His previous two starts have come against Arizona, against whom he gave up five hits and six runs in five innings in Phoenix on Aug. 29. This will be his first appearance against the Phillies.

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Phils Get Crushed By 'Stros

Tonight's game was a really bad game for the Phillies. Cliff Lee got hit around pretty good, he gave up six runs in three innings. The first five hits for Astros weren't well hit balls. They were either bleeders that just got into the outfield or a blooper that fell onto the outfield grass.
The Phillies offense tonight was just a disgrace. They did not get any runs. They have not been scoring runs for a while and this is starting to become a concern. Every night that they have problems scoring it makes people more and more worried.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton was outstanding in his last outing against the Braves on Sunday. The hard-throwing right-hander gave up three hits and one earned run in seven strong innings, his career-best 10th consecutive quality start. Blanton was around the plate most of the night and threw 111 pitches, 66 for strikes. The only run he surrendered was a solo homer to Martin Prado in the first inning. Blanton settled down after that and shut down the Braves the rest of the way.
Astros:Roy Oswalt won for the second time in three starts Monday by holding the Cubs to six hits and two runs in seven innings at Wrigley Field. He went 2-1 in August, improving his career record for the month to 28-7.

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Pedro Dominates Giants

In the first pitch of the game tonight Pedro Martinez gave up a lead-off home run to Eugenio Velez. But after that the Giants could not get anything off of Pedro. Pedro went seven innings and only gave up that one run. This was Pedro's best start as a Phillie. We might have been able to see more from Pedro prior to this start but the weather was not working with Pedro.
In the second inning when the Phillies were trailing 1-0, Jayson Werth hit a solo home run that tied the game. Then in the sixth, after Chase Utley got hit by a pitch, Ryan Howard hit a RBI double that scored Chase and got the game winning RBI. Also, Brad Lidge closed out the game in the ninth inning.
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Phillies:Cliff Lee suffered his worst start with the Phillies on Saturday against the Braves when he allowed 10 hits and six runs in just five innings. It was Lee's shortest start and most runs allowed since June 30, when he lasted just three innings and allowed seven runs against the White Sox.
Astros:After going 4-0 with a 0.75 ERA in July and being named the Pitcher of the Month for the National League, the left-hander Wandy Rodriguez went 2-3 with a 4.00 ERA in August. Those numbers were skewed by his Aug. 14 start against the Brewers in which he gave up 10 hits and 10 runs in four innings. In his previous start on Sunday in Arizona, he allowed seven hits and four runs in six innings.

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Phils Offense Struggles

It looked like that this game was going to be a pitcher's duel through four innings, but in the fifth inning the Giants scored one run then in the sixth they scored three more. J.A. Happ gave up two home runs in the sixth inning that really blew the game open for the Giants.
The Phillies offense couldn't get anything going all night. New acquired pitcher Brad Penny shut the Phillies down over eight innings and did not give up any runs. The Phillies offense has been scuffling lately so it is vital to get out of this little slump, because you can't win if you can't score.
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Phillies:The baseball gods have been against Pedro Martinez lately. He has pitched twice at Citizens Bank Park this season, but both starts have been shortened after just three and two innings, respectively, because of rain. This will be Martinez's third start in Philadelphia since he debuted with the Phillies on Aug. 12 against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He is hoping this time there are clear skies.
Giants:Yesterday I told you that Tim Lincecum was going to be the starting pitcher in tonight's game. I checked on a few sources and it said that Lincecum was the probable pitcher but I guess that is why it is called probable pitcher's. Here is the same scouting report that I put onto the blog from yesterday.
Tim Lincecum pitched eight shutout innings on Friday against the Rockies, winning for the first time since Aug. 1. He struck out eight and allowed just four hits while throwing a season-high 127 pitches. On his fifth try, Lincecum broke through for his 13th win. He was 0-1 in his previous four starts before beating the Rockies. Lincecum is 1-0 against the Phillies this year, having pitched eight shutout innings with eight strikeouts in a 2-0 win on Aug. 1 at AT&T Park.

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Cole Shutouts Giants

Could Cole possibly be back for the 2009 playoff push? If it is any indicator from what we saw tonight, then he his back. Cole threw a complete game shutout against the Giants and they won the game 1-0. Cole only allowed two hits throughout this entire game and he also had nine strikeouts.
The Phillies got there only run and the winning run back in the fourth inning when Shane Victorino hit a lead-off single. Shane then stole second base, then Chase Utley hit him over to third base. Then Ryan Howard hit a double that scored Shane.
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Phillies:J.A. Happ came so close to becoming the first Phillies rookie to win 11 games in a season since Bob Walk in 1980. But a two-out, two-run home run Thursday against the Pirates at PNC Park ended that in a 3-2 loss.
Giants:Tim Lincecum pitched eight shutout innings on Friday against the Rockies, winning for the first time since Aug. 1. He struck out eight and allowed just four hits while throwing a season-high 127 pitches. On his fifth try, Lincecum broke through for his 13th win. He was 0-1 in his previous four starts before beating the Rockies. Lincecum is 1-0 against the Phillies this year, having pitched eight shutout innings with eight strikeouts in a 2-0 win on Aug. 1 at AT&T Park.

Phils Win, Widen East Lead

Jair Jurrgens has really dominated the Phillies these past couple of years. Tonight Jurrgens was really good but the Phillies scored a few runs at the right time. In the fourth inning, Chase Utley hit a solo home run that tied the game at one.
Joe Blanton and Jair Jurrgens were both cruising through this game until the bottom of the seventh inning when Carlos Ruiz hit a double to left field that scored Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz and gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead.
In the eighth inning the Braves got a run off of Ryan Madson to make the game 3-2. Brad Lidge came into the game in the ninth to get the save and he was able to get the job done. He got a 1-2-3 save to end the game and extend the Phillies lead in the National League East to eight games.
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Phillies:Cole Hamels had not been himself for much of 2009, but he looked like his old self Wednesday in a 4-1 victory over the Pirates at PNC Park. He threw eight shutout innings. He allowed seven hits and two walks and struck out seven.
Giants:Jonathan Sanchez threw a no-hitter on July 10 but since then he has made eight starts but only four of them have been quality starts. In his most recent start against the Diamondbacks Sanchez went seven innings and gave up just three runs.

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Phillies Get Crushed By Braves

Tonight was the first time that Cliff Lee has struggled in a Phillies uniform. He allowed six runs over five innings. They went on to lose 9-1 on a rain shortened loss. That is all there is to say about this game.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton pitched out of numerous jams Tuesday in a 6-4 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park. His biggest crime? A slider he hung over the plate to Steve Pearce, who hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to give the Pirates a one-run lead. Blanton allowed six hits, three runs and two runs and struck out seven in six innings. He kept the Phillies in the game, which he has been doing for a few months. The Phillies actually took the lead in the ninth before Brad Lidge blew the game in the ninth.
Braves:Jair Jurrjens has allowed two or fewer runs in 19 of his 27 starts this year and has gone winless in 11 of those outings. He experienced this bad luck again on Tuesday, when he was damaged only by Adrian Gonzalez's solo homer during a seven-inning effort.

Howards Pair Of Longballs Guide Phils To Win

Pedro Martinez was the starting pitcher in tonight's game and Pedro has had some bad luck due to weather in his previous starts. Two starts ago his start was cut short due to rain. Tonight it was yet again cut short due to rain. After two innings Pedro Martinez left the game because of a rain delay and Jamie Moyer came in. Moyer did a really good job out of the bullpen, he pitched 4 1/3 innings and only gave up one run.
Ryan Howard is getting hot and tonight he got even hotter. Howard hit two home runs into tonight's game that propelled the Phillies to a 4-2 victory and gave them an eight game lead in the National League East.
After blowing a save on Tuesday against the Pirates Brad Lidge redeemed himself by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning and saving the game for the Phillies. I no Lidge blew his ninth save of the year on Tuesday, but I think he has pitched better of late. Tuesday was his fourth game in a row pitching and he should not of even been in the game.
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Phillies:Cliff Lee improved to 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA in five starts with the Phillies after Monday's 6-2 victory over the Mets at Citi Field. In 40 innings, he has allowed 24 hits, six runs, three earned runs, six walks and zero home runs.
Braves:Derek Lowe's only previous start at Citizens Bank Park occurred on Opening Night, when he allowed two hits over eight scoreless innings. Considering he's allowed 20 hits in the 8 2/3 innings he's completed in his past two starts, he'd certainly enjoy the opportunity to experience another similar outing. But the Phillies will not let him do that to them again.

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Phils Fall On Late Homer

I really hate these kind of loses. I hate every game that the Phillies lose, but this type of lose really bothers me. J.A. Happ pitched eight innings and only gave up three runs and he gets credited with the loss. The Phillies are suppose to be known for there offense and they couldn't get anything starting tonight. They were only able to get two runs on the night, but they had multiple chances to blow this game wide open.
Going into the eighth inning the Phillies were winning 2-1 and J.A. Happ was pitching great. Happ gave up a lead-off base hit to Ronny Cedeno then he was able to get the next two hitters out. The next hitter was Garrett Jones and Jones hit a two-run home run to dead center field that gave the Pirates a 3-2 lead and eventually won the game. It was just an unfortunate situation for Happ because he had pitched so well all game and he made just one mistake and now he's going to feel that because of his one mistake he lost the game for the team. J.A. Happ let me tell you, this was not your fault.
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Phillies:Pedro Martinez had hoped Sunday's start against the Mets would be a good step forward for him. Instead, he pitched well enough to win, but still found much to improve upon. He allowed seven hits, four runs, one walk and two home runs in six innings. He struck out five. Of course, his game got off to a bad start when Angel Pagan hit an inside-the-park home run that should have been no more than a triple, except Shane Victorino tried to convince the umpires that Pagan's ball had lodged underneath the outfield wall's padding.
Braves:While celebrating his 23rd birthday on Friday, Tommy Hanson will be given his first opportunity to face the challenges presented by Philadelphia's powerful lineup and Citizens Bank Park's cozy confines. Hopefully, the Phillies can give him a nice birthday gift by putting up a nice little six spot in the first inning.

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Howards Homer Beats Bucs In Extras

Cole Hamels was looking to get back on track tonight against the Pirates. I don't know if he got back on track but it sure looked like it. Over eight innings Cole did not give up any runs. After the fifth inning Cole was at 88 pitches. I thought unless he had a quick sixth inning he would be gone after six. He did have a quick sixth and he ended up pitching two more innings after that. Overall he threw 123 pitches.
In the first inning Chase Utley hit a solo home run that gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead. That was the only run scored in the game until the bottom of the ninth. Brad Lidge was unavailable tonight because he had pitched in the four previous games. Ryan Madson came in and gave up a solo home run to Brandon Moss that tied the game.
In the tenth, Ryan Howard hit a three-run home run that gave the Phillies lead back. Ryan Madson got sent back out there to redeem himself and he was successful into saving the game for the Phillies.
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Phillies:J.A. Happ is 10-2 with a 2.59 ERA following a 4-1 victory Saturday over the Mets. He could become the first Phillies rookie to win 11 games since Bob Walk in 1980. No Phillies rookie has had a lower ERA since Eppa Rixey's 2.50 ERA in 1912.
Pirates:In his last start, Charlie Morton did a terrific job at bouncing back from a horrific start that saw him allow 10 earned runs in one inning. He snapped a personal four-game losing streak in an outing during which he allowed just two runs in 6 1/3 innings. Personally, if the Phillies don't hammer this guy I am going to be a little shocked.

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Pirates Beat Phillies On Walk-Off Home Run

The Phillies have a never die attitude and that was shown tonight. The Phillies were down 3-2 going into the ninth inning and with one out Carlos Ruiz hit a double, then Ben Francisco doubled him in. Then, with two outs Shane Victorino hit a triple that scored Ben Francisco and the Phillies took a 4-3 lead.
Brad Lidge came into the game in the ninth to get a save for the Phillies. He gave up a lead off single, then a wild pitch that moved the runner to second base. Next, a base hit was hit to right field and Jayson Werth mishandled it and the runner scored to tie the game a three. Andrew McCutchen came up and hit a walk-off home run to win the game for the Pirates.
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Phillies:This season has been a struggle for Cole Hamels. He is is 7-8 with the fifth-highest ERA (4.72) in the National League. He allowed 10 hits and four runs just five innings Friday in a 4-2 loss to the Mets at Citi Field. His pitch count has been so high, he hasn't been able to go deep into games. The batters are fouling off a lot of pitches. I don't know if hes tipping his pitches or what. If we were able to get Cole pitching the way he was last year our rotation would be unstoppable.
Pirates:Despite being hit by line drives to his left tricep and left shin, Paul Maholm tossed 7 2/3 innings his last time out and allowed just one run on seven hits. Though he had some nice bruises to show from the knocks, he is not expected to be affected by either injury in his next start.

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Cliff Lee Does It Yet Again

Another headline that says Cliff Lee does it again. I don't mind putting that because that means the Phillies have won. Cliff Lee did a great job again by pitching seven innings and giving up two runs but neither of them were earned. Cliff didn't have his best stuff overall today but he worked through seven great innings. This guy just does it all. Works fast, throws strikes, locates his pitches, and just the job done.
Ryan Howard got the Phillies off to an early lead today by hitting a three-run home run. Then, in the third inning, Howard hit a two-run home run and gave the Phillies a 5-2 lead. The Phillies added on one more run in the ninth inning when Raul Ibanez hit a double that scored Chase Utley. Then, Brad Lidge pitched another good outing. A 1-2-3 ninth, and this was Brad's third consecutive very good inning.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton allowed 10 hits and three runs in eight innings Thursday in a 12-3 victory over the D-backs. Blanton is 8-6 with a 3.86 ERA, and has been one of the team's best starters this season. He worked quickly and efficiently against Arizona, not walking a single batter.
Pirates:Ross Ohlendorf might be pitching as well as he has at any point this season. Now four starts into using a tweaked delivery motion, Ohlendorf is showing that his improved velocity and sustained command are no flukes. He has now won three straight and has allowed three or fewer runs in nine of his last 10 starts. Now, he's facing a hot Phillies team and they can get any pitcher out of any kind of groove that a pitcher is in.

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Bruntlett Turns Unassisted Triple Play To End Game

The Phillies had a 9-6 lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning and they were in serious trouble of blowing the game. Eric Bruntlett who had previously made two bad plays in the inning, made an unassisted triple play that ended the ball game. With runners on first and second with no outs, a line drive was hit to Bruntlett and he caught it then tagged second base, then Daniel Murphy the runner that was coming from first base was tagged out for the final out.
Let's back up to the beginning of the game so I can share with you all of the excitement that happened then. In the first inning, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino got on base by really good at-bats against Mets pitcher Oliver Perez. Then, when Jayson Werth came up, he fouled off seven pitches from Perez, then after all of those fouls he hit a three-run home run. After that Oliver Perez was rattled. Carlos Ruiz had two runners on base, then he crushed a fastball into the seats for a three-run home run. After the Phillies at-bat it was 6-0, Phillies.
Pedro Martinez was making his start against his former team the New York Mets. He struggled in the first three innings, giving up four runs overall. He settled down and ended up going six innings and giving up four runs. The Phillies added on three more runs and ended up winning the game 9-7.
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Phillies:Cliff Lee is 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA in four starts with the Phillies, who acquired him July 29 in a trade with the Indians. He has allowed just 18 hits and six walks in 33 innings. He has struck out 34. Opponents have hit .161 against him. He is 7-0 with a 1.09 ERA in his past seven starts, which include his final three with Cleveland.
Mets:Bobby Parnell's third start was a large step back from his second, as he allowed nine runs in three innings against the Braves on Wednesday. As in his first start, Parnell had trouble locating his offspeed pitches and was forced to go to his fastball too often, especially in an eight-run Atlanta second inning. The Phillies should do well against Parnell as long as they stay patient and make him make pitches. If they can get ahead in the count it will force Parnell to throw fastballs, and we all know what happens when opposing pitchers have to throw a lot of fastballs to the Phillies.

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Phils Even Series With Mets

J.A Happ did it again tonight. He threw another great outing. Happ went seven innings and only allowed one run, en route to his 10th win of the season. Happ had a lot of base runners on tonight but did a really good job of getting of out any jam that came his way. Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless eighth inning, then it was Brad Lidge time. With a 4-1 lead going into the ninth inning Lidge was trying to get the save for the Phillies. He got the save and preserved the win for the Phillies. Lidge was very impressive in his inning of work tonight. He had an easy 1-2-3 inning. The Bridge to Lidge did there job tonight.
Phillie killer Tim Redding was pitching for the Mets tonight. He continued his dominance against the Phillies by throwing five scoreless innings. Redding had to come out of the game because he was on a pitch count. But as soon as the Mets bullpen came in, it was all downhill from there. Chase Utley hit a two-run home run, and then they added on two more runs.
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Phillies:Pedro Martinez had been throwing well against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park until a severe storm rolled through and cut his night short. In three innings, Martinez allowed two hits, one run and one home run in three innings. He struck out three and retired the final eight batters he faced. The home run he allowed to Stephen Drew barely cleared the right-field wall -- a ball that would not have been a home run in most parks. Martinez gets to face the Mets, his former team Sunday at Citi Field.
Mets:Oliver Perez labored through five innings against the Braves on Tuesday, allowing four runs (on two home runs) in five innings while aggravating an injury in his right knee when covering first base. Even as his ERA jumped back over 6.00 for the season, Perez notched his first win in seven starts and evened his record on the season.

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Howard's Power Lifts Phils

Ever since July 5th, Joe Blanton has pitched exceptionally well. In his last eight starts his ERA is 2.01. He has went deep into every game in those starts and most importantly, Blanton has kept the Phillies into every game that he has pitched. Tonight, Blanton pitched eight innings and gave up three earned runs. He had a bit of a weird inning, in the fourth the Diamondbacks scored two runs. The first run was because of a misjudged fly ball by Ben Francisco that ended up costing the Phillies a run. After the fourth inning, Blanton didn't give up any more runs for the rest of the game. He didn't have his best stuff tonight, but Blanton battled and did just a great job.
The Phillies jumped on Doug Davis early tonight by scoring three runs in the first inning. But the Phillies really opened the game up in the sixth inning when Ryan Howard hit a monster homerun that went into the Diamondbacks bullpen. That made the game 10-3 and they went on to win the game 12-3. The Phillies completed the three game sweep over the D-Backs.
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Phillies:Cole Hamels didn't have his best command against the Braves on Saturday, but he pitched well enough to outduel the Braves' Kenshin Kawakami. Hamels went six innings and allowed just three hits, but one of those hits was a two-run home run. Hamels also walked four and threw 111 pitches, leading to an early exit.
Mets:Mike Pelfrey bounced back from his two previous subpar starts to give the Mets a quality effort on the hill on Sunday afternoon. The big right-hander didn't allow the Giants a hit until Fred Lewis doubled with two outs in the fourth inning and economically and effectively discarded San Franciso's lineup using a heavy dose of his 93-mile-an-hour fastball. Pelfrey exited after allowing two runs on five hits over 7 1/3 innings in the 104-pitch effort.

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Cliff Notes: Lee Dominates D-Backs

Cliff Lee, Cliff Lee, Cliff Lee. There's not much too say about him besides that he's amazing. Tonight was no different. Cliff Lee pitched a complete game tonight. Overall he pitched nine innings and gave up one unearned runs and two hits. He had a no hitter going into the sixth innings but gave up a single with one out.
The Phillies offense provided a lot of offense by hitting four homeruns in the game. Jayson Werth hit two homeruns,Howard hit one, and Utley also hit a two-run homerun. The Phillies won 8-1 and guaranteed a series win over the D-Backs.
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Phillies:Joe Blanton battled through seven innings against the Braves on Friday, scattering seven hits and allowing just one earned run to take a no-decision. The right-hander struck out just two batters and benefited from some brilliant defensive plays by his outfielders, but he left the game after the seventh with the score tied at 2. Blanton's only other career start against the D-backs came last season. In that outing, he allowed eight earned runs over three innings.
Diamondbacks:Doug Davis has put together five good starts in a row following a two-start hiccup in which he struggled. Davis walked a tightrope in his last outing, against the Dodgers, walking four and allowing six hits over six innings. True to form, though, he found a way to pitch his way out of jams and wound up allowing just three runs.

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