GM Ruben Amaro doesn't seem to care to much for that word. He has pulled off some of the biggest blockbuster trades in team history during his brief tenure as head honcho of thePhiladelphia Phillies.
Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee, Hunter Pence and others are all top talent that have been acquired via trade. Talent like that doesn't come cheap.
' most successful starting pitcher is likely to spend the postseason in the bullpen. That is a tribute to the depth of a rotation topped by Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee , and certainly no knock on the amazing season turned in by rookie right-hander Vance Worley .
Worley had as many big league starts coming into the season — two — as Halladay had Cy Young Awards , which is one reason he started the year in the minors. But when Joe Blanton went on the disabled list with elbow problems in late April, Worley was rushed to the majors, where he shut out the New York Mets on two hits over six innings in his season debut.
We get that the Vanimal, Vance Worley, is a rookie. Still, an 11-1 record with a 2.85 ERA is worth at least getting a little love from ESPN, specifically the network’s mobile app. Take a look at this screengrab from TDP’s iPhone this morning.
That’s right, the Rookie of the Year candidate doesn’t even get a picture on the preview page. What’s up with that? The guy has picked up the slack created by injuries to Joe Blanton and Roy Oswalt. He’s pitched so well on a staff that includes Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels that he’s been brought up in the conversation as the possible fourth man in the playoff rotation.
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Roy Oswalt left the Phillies’ 12-2 loss to the Cardinals on Thursday night after allowing four runs in two innings and feeling tightness in his lower back.
Later, we discovered that the pain in Oswalt’s back would cause him to miss his next start.
Now, the news has become grim, as the veteran right-hander is talking about the possibility of his injury sending him to the sideline for good.
Sam Donnellon: A's pitcher Outman takes long way to the Bank
NEW YORK - Gio Gonzalez, Carlos Carrasco, Josh Outman. Most teams would salivate for the chance to put those names at the top of their rotation, especially if they could drop in, say, a Gavin Floyd or maybe even a Kyle Drabek, once the kid straightens things out in Triple A, to round it out.
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First impression: The Phillies lost a game and maybe a starting pitcher in Thursday night’s 12-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Roy Oswalt was forced from the game after two innings because of lower back stiffness.
The loss was the Phillies’ worst of the season. They finished a six-game road trip at 3-3 and are 47-29 on the season.
Vance Worley seems to be doing pretty well so far.
After five appearances last season as kind of a preview, where he went 1-1 with an ERA of 1.38, he got another opportunity this year with the injury-ridden Phillies pitching staff.
He has had a solid campaign so far, but there are a few areas that could be slightly improved.
The Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline is July 31 st . That means there are only 40 days left for teams to figure out their needs,explore available options, and complete deals.
For most major league teams, needs became pretty apparent over the course of the first seventy-some games of the season. The Phillies have likely known theirs since shortly after spring training when it became crystal clear that Ben Francisco was not an adequate right-handed replacement for Jayson Werth .
might be called up from Triple-A Albuquerque due to the overall offensive struggles of the team, reports Bill Shaikin, of the Los Angeles Times.
Chicago Cubs1BCarlos Pena(thumb) is ewearing a molded cast-like guard to protect his injured right thumb, reports Gordon Wittenmyer, of the Chicago Sun-Times. "These guys are geniuses, man," Pena said of the training staff. "Hopefully, that thing is going to really help me and protect it. It's not 100 percent, but it's so much better. I'm happy."
Brewers ace Zack Greinke is one of many big-name players to suffer an injury this spring and hamper their team's prospects.
MESA, Ariz. -- The weather's been ideal during spring training, especially in the Cactus League. But there have been several unsettling issues, including three DUIs, several injuries to prominent players and one big dugout scuffle between teammates.
Talking baseball while looking forward to NCAA brackets:
1. Dayan Vicideo probably wasn't going to be on the White Sox's Opening Day roster. His injury pales next to the one that sidelined Jared Mitchell on this weekend a year ago, but it is the first really negative development in what has been a very productive Sox camp.
In the past week, I’ve been writing at Baseballin’ on a Budget about the A’s recent history with compensation picks lost or gained through free agency. The A’s added players such as Huston Street, Nick Swisher and Joe Blanton with draft picks that weren’t originally their own. I thought it would be interesting to see what other steals have been found with “free” draft picks. (Note: I only looked at first-round and sandwich picks that a team got for losing a player).
Manuel has signed a two-year extension with the Phillies, Senior Vice President & General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. announced Thursday. Manuel's contract was set to expire after the upcoming season.
“We are pleased to have come to terms with Charlie,” said Amaro. “He has been an integral part of the success we’ve had over the past several years. There was little doubt that he was going to continue to be our skipper past his current contract and we look forward to the next three years with the hopes of continued success.”
Posted by Denny Basens BREAKING NEWS , Infielders , MLB , National League , News , Phillies Friday, March 11th, 2011
Whenever a star player goes down, the natural reaction of the fans is to call for the team to make a move to acquire the best available name on the market. With the concerns of Utley’s status growing by the minute, the calls for the Phillies to make a move grow as well. But here’s the reality: it’s far too early for the Phillies to be seriously considering a dramatic trade, such as pursuing Michael Young from the Texas Rangers.
Florida Marlins' player Hanley Ramirez signs autographs before taking batting practice at the team's new ballpark in Miami, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011. The Marlins new stadium, 19 months into construction, had its first seat installed. After the installation, several players took batting practice at the stadium. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
I’ll start by announcing that I understand competition within a unit, like a pitching rotation. In the 80’s I was part of a six-piece band that had talented members, and every single musician, singer and songwriter lived up to their endowments. The music is divided into parts: lead crooner and instrument, rhythm section plus backing vocals. A team is also divided: starters, regulars, the bullpen and the bench. It is human nature to perform at maximum potential when others are doing that. When I reviewed the 9 three-ace staffs, I found that only 1 historic hurler had a down season in their biggest season, but the other 26 excelled that year. I had the same experience in music when original songs were introduced, as everybody performed to the level of the material.
The 2011 Major League Baseball season has not as of yet seen pitch one, but already there is speculation the fantastic Philadelphia five (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton) can accomplish things that align them with the greatest starting staffs of all time, if not plant them firmly atop the list.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Mike McGuire's major league dream got sidelined during the first week of Phillies spring training. The Ridley High School alum and Phils minor league right-hander underwent surgery Monday to remove a blood clot from his left arm.
The 24-year-old McGuire, who signed with the Phillies as a free agent in July, won't be ready to report when minor league camp opens early next month. But he should be able to continue on with the 2011 season, said Phillies assistant general manager Chuck LaMar.
With football season coming to a close, many sports fans now turn their attention to the sunny beacon of hope that is spring training.
Even at this early stage of the season, it is always fun to pick who will win the major awards and which teams will be playing in October, but the following goes one further, not only picking those things, but also making some more player-specific predictions for all 30 teams.
