MLB Trade Rumors: Should the Phillies Sign Aramis Ramirez? - MLB Daily Dish

It is no secret that the Phillies offense struggled this season and in the postseason, and they were shut out at home in the decisive 5th game of the NLDS by Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter. Not only did they get shut out, they lost their first baseman, Ryan Howard to a torn achilles, that will result in him starting the 2012 season on the DL. He could miss the first month of the season, and possibly longer.

Washington Nationals Are Two Moves Away From World Series Contention

bandwagon.  I’ve already mentioned to a few friends here and there that the Washington Nationals will be the surprise team next season – perhaps next year’s Arizona Diamondbacks (minus the “worst-to-first”) or Pittsburgh Pirates (minus the expected fade).  The funny thing is, if you look at the talent that they are accumulating on their roster and spreading throughout the lineup, the bullpen and the rotation, it really should not be that big of a surprise when the Washington Nationals start to compete.  This foundation of young talent is why, if I were a Washington Nationals fan, I would want them to stop at nothing to bring Prince Fielder and C.J. Wilson to the nation’s capital this offseason and put the team in position to compete for World Series titles.

Is The Phillies 2008 Championship Honeymoon Over?

Posted by Jerry Brennan BREAKING NEWS , General News , News , Phillies Saturday, October 15th, 2011

In 2009 when the Phillies lost in the World Series to the New York Yankees I was sad but I did not get upset the way I would have pre-2008, I felt lucky just to see the baseball team that was a bottom dweller in my childhood be recognized as a consistently good team.

5 More Years

In 2010, Ryan Howard was the recipient of a five-year, $125 million contract extension that will keep the slugger in Philadelphia through the 2016 season.

At the time, the deal seemed unnecessary, as Howard wouldn't be eligible for free agency until after 2011. However, given the fact that other first basemen like Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and (at the time) Adrian Gonzalez would also be free agents, it made some sense in that the Phillies didn't want to risk his value being dictated by the market. As such, they bet that they deal they gave him would be considerably less expensive than the deal he would have signed as a free agent.

AP Sportlight

1932 — After a 0-0 tie earlier in the season, the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 2-0.

1964 — Babe Parilli of the Boston Patriots passes for 422 yards and four touchdowns in a 43-43 tie with the Oakland Raiders.

1968 — Americans Tommie Smith and John Carlos give black power salutes during the medal ceremonies for the 200-meter race and are later banned for life from all Olympic competition by the IOC.

NL roundup: Cliff Lee stays hot as Phillies rout Mets

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cliff Lee threw seven sharp innings, John Mayberry Jr. and Hunter Pence each hit a two-run homer and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 10-0 Monday night.

The Phillies rocked Dillon Gee (11-5) to earn their major league-best 82nd win. They have a comfortable lead over Atlanta in pursuit of their fifth straight NL East title.

The Heron's Nest: What's shaking here in Upper Darby

Well, I can now say that I've experienced an earthquake.

Yes, the building moved here in Upper Darby just before 2 p.m.

At first I thought there was someone walking up in the rafters, as our techs sometimes have to do as they go through the process of chasing the miles of wires and cable that keep our electronics in gear.

National League Game Capsules

Sparked by Josh Harrison's go-ahead RBI, the Pittsburgh Pirates pushed across seven runs in the seventh inning to earn an emphatic, 9-2, victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in the back end of a doubleheader. The Brewers won the opener, 8-1, behind a strong performance from Chris Narveson, who returned from the disabled list to toss 5 1/3 scoreless frames and knock in a pair of runs. In the nightcap, Ryan Doumit went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI for the Pirates, who had lost 13 straight games to the Brewers. Brad Lincoln allowed two runs over six frames before handing the ball to Daniel McCutchen (4-3), who worked a scoreless seventh to earn the win. Zack Greinke (12-5) was charged with seven runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings to suffer the loss. He had won his previous five starts. Corey Hart had a solo home run for the Brewers, who have won 23 of 27 despite the setback. They remain a comfortable nine games ahead of the Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.

Jayson Werth Takes Beer Special In Stride - Half Smokes - SB Nation DC

It was only a matter of time until someone asked Jayson Werth about the beer special at Duffy's Irish Pub where you can buy a Papst Blue Ribbon, Miller Lite or Bud Light for the price of Werth's batting average. FOX Sports' Joe McDonnell has stepped up to the plate and posed the question to Werth. Werth's response?

Homestand Preview: Late July – Early August

Welcome to the dog days of summer in Nats Town. The Nationals start a nine-game homestand tonight; they’ll play three series against NL East foes, and they’ll need to come out 6-3 if they want any shot at making a run at the Wild Card. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening, but there’s a good solid chance at 5-4, if they play their cards right. Here’s the full preview of the homestand that brings us fish, the Braves, the first start of the season for one Washington pitcher, and a Jayson Werth Bobblehead doll.

Pittsburgh faces new outlook in first place

The Pittsburgh Pirates are first in the National League Central Division standings, and it's not April?

How cool is that?

More like cute, actually, if you listen to much of the national sports media. The long-dormant Pirates, dregs of the NL for oh-so-many years now, are competitive? How adorable!

Naturally, name recognition hasn't caught up to the kitschy Pirates just yet. Outside of All-Star outfielder Andrew McCutchen, precious few of those precious Pirates spring to mind for most baseball fans as Pittsburgh entered Monday night in a three-way tie atop the NL Central standings.

MLB: Decisions Loom for Philadelphia Phillies as Deadline Approaches | Bleacher Report

Right-handed bat or reliever? This is the big question facing Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. with the July 31 trading deadline fast approaching.

Fans have been clamoring for a bat since Jayson Werth left the team to sign a mammoth deal in free agency. The bullpen has lost three closers to injuries and have relied on a 24-year-old rookie (Stutes) to setup and a 25-year-old (Bastardo) to close games.

Nationals center in | Brian McNally | Cheers & Jeers | Washington Examiner

There is no doubt what the Nationals need as baseball's trade deadline approaches July 31. Washington must find both a leadoff batter and a center fielder. The average on-base percentage of Danny Espinosa, Jayson Werth, Roger Bernadina, Rick Ankiel, Jerry Hairston and Ian Desmond when hitting first is .266. Their slugging percentage is .302. Their OPS is .568, which if it belonged to a single batter would make him one of the sport's worst offensive players. Can the Nats accomplish two things with one trade? Here are some possible options:

Philadelphia Phillies: How Much Longer Will Chase Utley Beat Injury? | Bleacher Report

For eight years in Philadelphia, Chase Utley's value has been everything he's not.

Uncertainty. Unreliable. Unproductive. In other words, a question mark.

Those personas never cracked the picture with Utley.

How?

And how much longer?

That Chase Utley has lasted so long into 2011 is something of a surprise, if not a miracle of orthopedics.

The Toronto Blue Jays Are Spending Money

Look, I know this time of year can be frustrating. The Toronto Blue Jays currently sit twelve games back in the AL East, it’s not even August yet, and in many ways they’re already playing out the stretch, because for the 18th year in a row, the team isn’t going to be making the playoffs.

Charlie Manuel Requests a Hitter: Analyzing the Phillies’ Trade Deadline Possibilities

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 .

Nick Cafardo Wonders If Red Sox Should Have Signed Jayson Werth Instead of Carl Crawford

As the two most notable free agents of the 2010-2011 MLB offseason, outfielders  Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth will forever be compared. Both have the potential to excel in their current situations, but there will always be the "what if" factor.

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe is already pondering that question , and he says that the consensus is that while Crawford is the better player, Werth may have been the better fit for the Red Sox.

Nick Cafardo on Bay, Gonzalez, Fielder and Minaya

Here's the latest from Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe :

– “One of the worst decisions both by a team and by the player was Jason Bay leaving Boston,’’ said one National League general manager.

– Some baseball people feel that Jayson Werth is a better fit for the Red Sox than Carl Crawford .

–  The Adrian Gonzalez deal was done in December, despite it being announced jus this week.

and

He batted .258, scoring 35 people in that stretch. His on-base percentage was .306 and he scored 37 times.

This season, not only are there a couple major injuries, but also a missing piece in Jayson Werth(notes) has left a carousel of players in right field vying for the everyday position.

PHILLIES: Contreras holds off Marlins in ninth

PHILADELPHIA — Although he had the job for a brief period last year when Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson were both injured and even though he’s had the job through the first two-plus weeks of the 2011 season, Jose Contreras officially became a closer yesterday.

The long-time starter-turned-reliever-turned ninth-inning man had the hearts of 45,716 people jumping in the final minutes of a 3-2 win over the Florida Marlins.