Cole Hamels Equals Steve Carlton With Win Over Reds

With his sixth postseason win tonight, Cole Hamels has equaled hall of famer Steve Carlton for the most wins in franchise postseason history.

Cole is guaranteed at least another start this postseason, which means he’s got a decent chance to pass Carlton this year and become the Phillies all time postseason wins leader.

Golden era indeed.

Celebrate a Little; Phillies Advance to NLCS for Third Straight Year

An Orlando Cabrera first inning error turned out to be all they needed. Cole Hamels went nine shutout, walkless innings, ending a great night with a Joey Votto double play and a Scott Rolen strikeout, his eighth of the series. While Charlie could have gone to Madson and Lidge for the last few outs, he stayed with Cole and it paid off for him.

Chase Utley went yard, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz had two hits apiece, and Shane Victorino made the biggest play of the game, snaring a line drive off the bat of Brandon Phillips to keep a run off the board early on. H20 does the job and though the hitters came up short too often this series, they weren’t really necessary. Phillies pitching and Reds fielding ended up being the difference.

Pop a bottle or two, but save the good stuff because we’ve got plenty of celebrating to go.

Phillies win 2-0. Sit back and watch the rest of the Giants and Braves series. I want the Braves.

Hamels To Pitch Ninth With Two-Run Lead

Apparently I’m ignorant. Charlie opts to stay away from the reliable combination of Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge and goes with Cole, already 106 pitches deep. Cole certainly looks as good as he has in the regular season, with four hits and eight strikeouts over his eight innings so far. And he just took an Aroldis Chapman fastball to the warning track in center.

I’d keep Brad Lidge warm and ready just in case, but this looks to be Cole’s game. Three more outs and we’re the second team to advance to the next round. The Twins’ daddy, Yankees, were the first. One more inning. Could be a good night in Philadelphia.

2-0 Phillies. 24-10 Eagles.

Cole Unhittable Through Seven, Phillies Lead By Two

Even though the last three batters he faced hit the ball hard, Cole worked through seven strong innings in the clinching game of this series. Giving up four hits and walking none with seven strikeouts and 95 pitches, I expect Hollywood’s day is done. Ryan Madson should be on for the eighth and if all goes well, we’ll see Brad Lidge on to close it out for the boys in red grey. I love having the best top three in baseball.

I wouldn’t say no to an insurance run. Get some baserunners on and make some noise.

2-0 Phillies. 17-10 Eagles.

Chase Utley Crushes Hanging Slider

Erasing two and a half games without an extra base hit, Chase Utley took Johnny Cueto’s breaking ball to left-center field for a solo home run with two outs in the fifth inning. Both of the Phillie runs this game were with two outs. That was Chase’s tenth career postseason bomb — he had five last year. If Chase and Ryan get hot, the Phillies will be even more difficult to bump out of the playoffs.

Johnny Cueto has thrown 83 pitches and he's out of the game. No Reds pitcher has gotten past the sixth inning this series. Cole is still rolling.

Phillies 2-0. Eagles 17-7.

Hamels, Cueto Pitching Well After Four

Nobody really threatening after a cheap first inning run by the Phillies. With Cole Hamels keeping a low pitch count of 52 after four innings, he should be able to give Charlie at least seven strong innings. Cueto has ran into a bit of trouble but he’s kept the Phillies hitters out of scoring position for most of the game. The Phillies are batting around .220 for the series, helped in part by a multitude of walks, HBP’s and errors.

Shane Victorino leads off the fifth and in a small ballpark like the Great American (bandbox!), the Phils will need to generate some more offense to old onto this lead and sweep the series.

Thank You Orlando Cabrera, Phillies Take Early Lead

Base hits by Placido Polanco and Ryan Howard put runners on first and third for Jayson Werth. After working the count full off pitcher Johnny Cueto, Werth shot a grounder to late insert Orlando Cabrera at short. The veteran fielded it cleanly but overthrew the toss to first, drawing Joey Votto off the bag and allowing Polanco to touch home.

We’re all very appreciative of Dusty Baker playing his overrated, scrappy shortstop instead of the more capable Paul Janish. Say scrappy.

Phillies 1-0.

Reds Change Lineup, Re-Insert Orlando Cabrera

When the Reds released their lineup earlier today, Paul Janish was the starting shortstop in place of the injured Orlando Cabrera, who re-aggravated a pulled muscle on Friday night.

A few hours later, Cabrera apparently had a miracle recovery and he will start tonight and bat 8th.

Cabrera is the same game who whined that both Halladay and the umpire threw a no hitter against them.

I personally welcome Cabrera and his one postseason hit back to the Reds lineup.

Phillies Vs Reds, NLDS Game 3: Reds Announce Lineup

A few changes for the Reds

Drew Stubbs
Brandon Phillips
Joey Votto
Scott Rolen
Johnny Gomes
Ramon Hernandez
Jay Bruce
Paul Janish
Johnny Cueto

Phillies Vs Reds, NLDS Game 3: Phillies Announce Lineup

No changes from game two to face the righty Johnny Cueto.

CF Shane Victorino
3B Placido Polanco
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
RF Jayson Werth
SS Jimmy Rollins
LF Raul Ibanez
C Carlos Ruiz
P Cole Hamels

NLDS Game 3: Cole Hamels And The Phillies Look To Close Out Reds

(Sports Network) – Cole Hamels tries to pitch Philadelphia into the National League Championship Series for a third straight season this evening when the Phillies attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in the NLDS.

Despite the series shifting to Great American Ball Park for Game 3, the odds certainly appear to be in Philadelphia’s favor, as every team that has taken a 2-0 lead in NLDS play — which has happened 18 times since Division Series play began in 1995 — has gone on to win the series.

Not to mention that Hamels is 6-0 lifetime against the Reds with a 1.07 earned run average in seven starts, with three of those victories coming in Cincinnati.

“You know, every year the team has been different,” he said. "I think I only remember one person that’s been on the team this whole time, and that’s [second baseman Brandon] Phillips. So you can’t really say much.

“When they change the players around, a guy that you knew you could get out, well, now you got somebody else that you have to research about, and you have to go and get the guy out.”

Hamels, who was 12-11 overall this season with a 3.06 ERA, captured the NLCS and World Series MVP awards back in 2008 when the Phillies claimed their second championship in team history thanks in part to him going 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts. However, last season he was just 1-2 in the playoffs with a 7.58 ERA.

“When you say he’s No. 3, I think, ‘Why do we put him in the third game? Doesn’t make him No. 3,’” Phils manager Charlie Manuel said. “We’ve got three guys that are top-of-the-rotation pitchers, and there is an argument where you could basically put them wherever you wanted to. Roy Halladay has stood out this year as far as his wins, innings pitched, but the other two are pretty good, too.”

Philadelphia moved to the cusp of advancing on Friday with a little help from the Reds, as Jayson Werth scored the go-ahead run on an error-filled play in the seventh inning, helping the Phillies to a 7-4 come-from-behind win.

The Reds, who finished second in the NL with a club-record .988 fielding percentage, committed four errors to match a Division Series record and Cincinnati pitchers hit three batters, allowing the Phillies to erase an early 4-0 deficit.

The teams combined for a Division Series-record six errors, as Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley committed two in the second inning. Utley did finish 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs batted in.

The NL East champions won the series opener on Wednesday thanks to a no-hitter thrown by Roy Halladay. Friday’s game was considerably less tidy for Phillies starter Roy Oswalt, who gave up a leadoff home run to Brandon Phillips and had control problems in the early innings. He lasted five innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk.

But the Phillies bullpen threw four one-hit innings, capped off by a scoreless ninth from Brad Lidge.

Cincinnati, in the playoffs for the first time since 1995, looked to be in position to even the series, as Phillips went 3-for-4 to pace the offense and starter Bronson Arroyo avoided trouble through the first four innings.

Hoping things go a little smoother this evening will be right-hander Johnny Cueto, who was 12-7 this season with a 3.64 ERA, but lost his last three decisions and has just one win since August 4.

Cueto, though, was terrific in his two starts against the Phillies this season, as he went 1-0 and allowed just two earned runs in 15 innings. However, he is 1-2 lifetime in four starts against them with a 5.96 ERA.

Philadelphia’s offense, which has sputtered through the first two games of this series, hitting a mere .203, could get well tonight, as Shane Victorino has hit .500 (5-for-10) with two home runs and three RBI against Cueto, Werth is batting .333 (3-for-9) and Ryan Howard has hit .300 (3-for-10) with one home run and one RBI.

“I just need to concentrate,” Cueto said. “I’m going to be watching the times I’ve been throwing to them, the videos and try to keep the ball down to get the most outs I can.”

The Reds, though, could be without the services of shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who left Friday’s Game 2 loss with a pulled muscle in his left side.

“I think it’s going to be tough for him to play and it’s tough for us, too. We have to make a decision, of course, but it’s tough for us to anticipate, is he going to be well by tomorrow,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “We’re going to wait as long as we can to see, but it’s tough for us to play short, too, which we did a lot this year.”

The Reds took two of three from the Phils in Cincinnati this season.

Registered D-Nozzle Orlando Cabrera Likely Out For Game 3

After pulling some muscles in his left side in the early innings of the game two debacle, Dusty Baker has all but ruled his shortstop Orlando Cabrera out for game three. If he takes Cabrera out and replaces him with Chris Vanaika, Orlando will be ineligible for the rest of the series and the NLCS, should they make it there. With an 0-2 hole in a three game series, that seems unlikely.

Paul Janish will replace him in the everyday lineup. If Cole Hamels has anything to say about it, that will be one game. I actually think Janish is the better player, so this works in the Reds favor.

Check out Red Reporter for lamentations of the soon-to-be-completed Reds season.

Recap: Phillies Defeat Reds 7-4

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Jayson Werth scored the go-ahead run on an error-filled play in the seventh inning, as the Philadelphia Phillies took advantage of numerous Cincinnati miscues to beat the Reds, 7-4, in Game 2 of their NLDS matchup.

The Reds committed four errors to match a Division Series record and Cincinnati pitchers hit three batters, allowing the Phillies to erase an early 4-0 deficit.

The teams combined for a Division Series-record six errors, as Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley committed two in the second inning. But he finished 2-for-4 with two runs batted in at the plate to help the Phillies take the comeback victory, which gives them a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. A potentially decisive Game 3 is set for Sunday in Cincinnati.

The NL East champions won the series opener on Wednesday thanks to a no-hitter thrown by Roy Halladay. Friday’s game was considerably less tidy for Phillies starter Roy Oswalt, who gave up a leadoff home run to Brandon Phillips and had control problems in the early innings. He lasted five innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk.

But the Phillies bullpen threw four one-hit innings, capped off by a scoreless ninth from Brad Lidge.

The NL Central-champion Reds looked to be in position to even the series, as Phillips went 3-for-4 to pace the offense and starter Bronson Arroyo avoided trouble through the first four innings.

But the tide started to shift in the bottom of the fifth inning, when pinch- hitter Domonic Brown stood on first with two outs after grounding into a fielder’s choice.

Shane Victorino then reached base when he grounded a ball to second and Phillips didn’t field it cleanly. Placido Polanco, back in the Phillies’ lineup after missing Game 1 with back soreness, then smacked a grounder to third. The ball crawled up and over Scott Rolen’s glove, leaving the bases loaded with two away.

Utley followed by lining a two-run single to right to get the Phillies within 4-2. However, Arroyo fanned Ryan Howard on an up-and-in pitch to end the inning.

J.C. Romero got the first two outs in the top of the sixth, while Chad Durbin got a pickoff of Drew Stubbs to send the inning to the bottom half.

Werth worked a leadoff walk before Arroyo induced a pop out from Jimmy Rollins, the last batter he faced. Arroyo gave up three runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.

Arthur Rhodes came in and, with two outs, hit Carlos Ruiz on the left kneecap with a fastball. Logan Ondrusek then entered and hit pinch-hitter Ben Francisco in the helmet before walking Victorino to force in a run.

Jose Contreras (1-0) threw a 1-2-3 seventh for the Phillies, while fellow Cuban Aroldis Chapman (0-1) took the mound for the Reds in the bottom half.

The hard-throwing rookie left-hander began the inning with a 100 m.p.h. fastball to Utley, then ran his third pitch high and tight. It appeared to hit Utley in the wrist, and he was awarded first base as a result.

After Howard fanned on three straight fastballs, Werth managed to get his bat on a pitch and send it to third. Rolen threw to second to try to get the lead runner, but Utley was called safe — like the hit-by-pitch, television replays were inconclusive, and the Reds argued he was out.

That left two runners on with one down for Rollins, who flared a ball to right field. Jay Bruce tracked it but missed the underhand catch.

Utley hurriedly reversed course and scored, despite appearing to miss third base — though the Reds did not appeal. Werth also crossed the plate on the play after Phillips lost the ball trying to make a relay throw.

That gave the Phillies a 5-4 edge, and after Raul Ibanez singled, Ruiz plated Rollins with a grounder to short. Nick Masset eventually came in and got the inning’s final out.

Ryan Madson worked around a one-out single by Joey Votto to throw a scoreless eighth, and the Phillies tacked on an RBI single by Werth in the bottom half. Lidge walked Bruce to begin the ninth, but retired the following three hitters to secure the wild win.

Cincinnati controlled the game early, taking advantage of Oswalt’s shaky control of his breaking pitches. Phillips began the game by jumping on a 2-1 slider in the middle of the plate and sending it over the left field wall.

Then in the second, Utley ranged to his left to field a grounder hit by Laynce Nix. But his throw pulled Howard off the bag, and Nix advanced on a wild pitch. After Stubbs walked, Ryan Hanigan hit a grounder to short. Rollins flipped to Utley for the first out, but Utley slinged a throw to first that skipped past Howard’s glove, allowing Nix to score for a 2-0 Reds lead.

Bruce opened the fourth by hammering a low-and-in slider deep over the right field fence, and Phillips got the Reds started in the fifth with a double. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Votto’s sacrifice fly to the wall in left, putting Cincinnati up 4-0.

Game Notes

Reds shortstop Orlando Cabrera left the game in the fifth inning after apparently re-aggravating the left oblique injury that kept him out for almost all of August. He was replaced by Paul Janish…The previous record for most combined errors in a Division Series game was five. Houston and Los Angeles set that record on October 11, 1981, while Colorado and Atlanta matched it on October 3, 1995…A single team has committed four errors in a Division Series game five times. Prior to the Reds, the Cubs were the most recent team to do so, on October 2, 2008…Arroyo and Oswalt were both making their first postseason appearances since 2005. Arroyo was with the Red Sox then, while Oswalt was pitching for the Astros…All of Chapman’s three runs allowed were unearned…Lidge has converted 11 consecutive postseason save chances.

Ryan Madson Sets Phillies Postseason Record

Ryan Madson made his 24th postseason appearance tonight, which is the most postseason appearances in franchise history.

Madson gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless 8th inning tonight.

Carlos Ruiz has also now reached base safely in 22 straight postseason games.

Lidge Saves Ninth, Phillies Win 7-4

Brad Lidge walked the leadoff man for the billionth time in a save situation. With Jay Bruce on first, the wayward closer got Drew Stubbs to fly out to center for the first out. Former Phillie Miguel Cairo came on as a pinch hitter and proceeded to fly out to shallow center. In a startlingly simple series of events, Chris Heisey turned on a fastball and hit a hot shot at Placido Polanco, who ably fielded it and threw to Ryan Howard for the final out.

God bless Brad Lidge. Phillies up 2-0 in the series. Cole Hamels will take the ball on Sunday and try to get the series sweep and advance to the NLCS against the Giants/Braves winner.

With a 7-4 Lead, Brad Lidge Gets the Ball

A Chase Utley line drive, a wild pitch, a Ryan Howard intentional walk, and a Jayson Werth seeing-eye RISP single gave the Phillies and Brad Lidge another insurance run to work with. The 3-4-5 hitters have been on base nine times today. That’s awful nice.

Nick Masset intentionally walked Raul Ibanez to load the bases for Carlos Ruiz with two outs. Poised to deliver the final blow, Chooch ended up grounding out softly to short.

Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs, and a pinch hitter will be on to face Brad in the ninth. Retiring the leadoff man will be, as always, crucial. We’re three outs away from going to Cincinnati with three chances to advance to the NLCS.

In Lidge we trust.

7-4 Phillies.

Phillies Take 6-4 Lead on Carlos Ruiz RBI Ground Out

Despite the multitude of 100 MPH fastballs released from the left hand of Aroldis Chapman, the Phillies scored three runs off the fellow, two of them earned. Jay Bruce deserves a dunce hat and Scott Rolen has made his share of uncharacteristically poor decisions tonight. With runners on first and third, Carlos Ruiz grounded out to Paul Janish, who flipped to Brandon Phillips but had no play on Chooch at first, allowing Rollins to score.

Mike Sweeney blooped his first career postseason single but almost got thrown out at first after stopping to hug Davey Lopes and Aroldis Chapman. I heart Sweeney. The Phillies have Brian Schneider, Wilson Valdez, Ross Gload, and Greg Dobbs still available on the bench.

Nick Masset came on to record the final out of Shane Victorino. Ryan Madson will start the eighth inning, looking to get his first hold of the postseason. Sources tell me that Bradley Lidge is mentally preparing in the bullpen.

6-4 Phillies.

Aroldis Chapman Throws Fast, Jay Bruce Needs Sunglasses

Chase Utley took a 100 MPH fastball then a nasty 87 MPH slider for strikes before another 100+ fastball grazed his hand, the third HBP for Reds pitchers tonight. Ryan Howard then swung and missed at two fastballs before foul tipping a 101 MPH fastball into Hanigan’s glove. Power vs. Power. Advantage: Aroldis Chapman’s left arm.

With a man on first and one out, Jayson Werth chopped to Scott Rolen, who gambled and went to second to nab Utley. Hustling all the way, Chase beat the throw out, sliding into second just before Brandon Phillips caught the ball. That put two men on with one out for Jimmy Rollins. With images of Jonathan Broxton in his head, Jimmy took a fastball to right field that must’ve got lost in the lights because Jay Bruce looked completely blind out there. Bruce let the ball go by him allowing Utley to score, then a botched relay throw to Brandon Phillips gave Jayson Werth home plate and the Phillies 5-4 lead.

A clean base-hit by Raul Ibanez put Jimmy on third and drew a mound visit from Dusty Baker. The Phillies now lead 5 to 4, and I am in serious need of a new pair of underwear. Aroldis stays in.

Contreras Owns Seventh, Aroldis Chapman Takes the Ball

Jose Contreras, who hasn’t looked dominant since August, easily took care of Ryan Hanigan, Chris Heisey, and Brandon Phillips. A good postseason for him would allow Charlie to use Durbin in situations he would otherwise have to hold him out of. Nice clean inning from Contreras there.

Young, dart-throwing phenom Aroldis Chapman will start the 7th for the Reds, facing guys that go by Chase and Ryan.

Ondrusek Walks in a Run, Phillies Cut Reds Lead to 4-3

Mercifully, Shane Victorino took four balls after swinging at a pitch out of the zone. That scores the Phillies a run without a hit this inning. Two walks and two hit by pitches. Polanco ended the inning by grounding out to Scott Rolen.

Three straight runs for the Phillies and the lead that was once four to nothing is now just one run. By pinch-hitting for Chad Durbin, Charlie Manuel will bring in Jose Contreras for the seventh, the fourth Phillies pitcher of the game.

Phillies Load Bases on Walk, Two HBP's

Bronson Arroyo walked Jayson Werth, then was pulled after Rollins popped out.

Arthur Rhodes retired Raul Ibanez, then hit Carlos Ruiz in the kneecap. He stayed in the game.

Rhodes was pulled for Logan Ondrusek, who hit pinch-hitter Ben Francisco in the helmet with a scary fastball.

The bases are now loaded for Shane Victorino.

Somebody’s gonna get beat.

Romero, Durbin Handle Reds in Sixth

The always unpredictable J.C. Romero came in, threw six pitches, and got two clean outs then was subbed out for Chad Durbin to get the right-handed hitting Drew Stubbs. Durbin walked Stubbs then promptly picked him off from first. I don’t have Elias Sports Bureau handy, but I’m pretty sure that’s the first time in history a Phillies pitcher has picked anybody off. I can’t remember the last guy we had with any semblance of a good move to first.

Three good innings from the bullpen will determine the fate of this game. Bats up.

4-2 Reds.

Reds Commit Two Errors, Utley Makes Them Pay

Raul Ibanez led off with a single through the hole on the right side, the third time this game the Phillies have gotten the leadoff man on base. Chooch followed him with a flyout to right then Charlie decided to use a pinch hitter for Roy Oswalt, ending his day with 76 pitches over 5 innings with 4 runs allowed.

Domonic Brown was the name of this pinch hitter and Mr. Brown proceeded to take two pitches down the middle before grounding into a fielder’s choice. After Bronson Arroyo threw over to first 24 times, Shane hit the ball hard at Brandon Phillips, who booted it and allowed Brown to get to second base. The next batter, Placido Polanco, smashed a ground ball to the historically sure-handed Scott Rolen, who booted the Reds third error of the series and loaded the bases for the previously-dormant Chase Utley. He took a middle-in change-up into right field and plated Dom and Victorino, cutting the deficit to two.

With runners on first and third, the equally dormant Ryan Howard volcano remained that way, striking out on a high fastball that should have been crushed. That was Bronson Arroyo’s 89th pitch, and with Logan Ondrusek warming in the pen, that could have been his last hitter.

4-2 Reds.

Brandon Phillips Has Three Hits, Reds Add More

The Reds have now scored in every inning but one. After Phillips’ third hit of the day, a double down the left field line, Paul Janish (replacing the injured, worthless Orlando Cabrera) bunted him over to third. Joey Votto crushed a ball the opposite way that stayed in the park but allowed Phillips to score the Reds fourth run of the game.

Now would be a great time for the Phillies offense to show up.

4-0 Reds.

Double Plays Tend To End Rallies

Ryan Howard walked and Jayson Werth went the opposite way through the hole, putting runners on first and second with one out for Rollins, who has good career numbers against Arroyo. But today is just not our day. Rollins grounded into a tailor-made twofer off Arroyo, a fly ball pitcher. Something’s gotta give eventually. Or perhaps it doesn’t.

I would hate to go to Cincinnati tied at one. Seize this game NOW.

3-0 Reds.

Jay Bruce Solo Homer Makes Reds Lead Three

Ugh.

Oswalt has not been this bad since his first start as a Phillie against the Nationals. Somebody tell him we’re not in Houston. He piped that fastball to Bruce, allowing him to annihilate it into the second deck in right. Two home runs already, this game is getting frustrating. I need good things to start happening.

The worst thing the Phillies hitters could do now is press. A 5-pitch inning for Arroyo would be the equivalent of another run. Take pitches. Wait for mistakes.

Oswalt Works out of Trouble, Line Drives Don't Drop

After allowing the first two runners to reach base on singles, Roy Oswalt retired Votto, Rolen, and Nix in order, mixing pitches well. The change-up that sat Rolen down is the best pitch all night. A few clean innings from Oswalt will do well to give the Phillies the momentum.

Carlos Ruiz led off the third with a beautiful at-bat that ended in a walk. From an 8-hole hitter, walks like that are gold — Chooch is King Midas. /mythology’d. Oswalt popped up a bunt, leaving Ruiz on first. Victorino took a low inside pitch and lined it to right but Jay Bruce tracked it down. Polanco hit a bullet to left field but it was right at Laynce Nix. Good at-bats and hard-hit balls are encouraging — they’ll cash in on them soon enough.

2-0 Reds.

Two Horrible Throws By Utley Give Reds 2-0 Lead

Roy Oswalt not looking sharp so far. A hard-hit ground ball to Chase Utley that would have been an out if not for a wide throw by Utley that drew Ryan Howard off the bag. After bouncing a few balls in the dirt, Laynce Nix was on second and Drew Stubbs walked. Then a sure double-play ball was thrown away by Chase Utley after the turn. This isn’t the first time Utley has had a case of the Knoblauch’s and while I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, it’s not what you want to see in game two of the NLDS. Nix came around to score and the Reds took a 2-0 lead.

Gotta make some moves early and keep the crowd in it. Roy needs to settle down.

There Goes the No-Hitter, 1-0 Reds

It didn’t take long for the Reds to get their first hit of the game. Brandon Phillips took a hanging change-up from Roy Oswalt and deposited it easily in the left field seats, generating orgasmic noises from the TBS announcers. Douchebag Orlando Cabrera popped up and blamed the umpire, then Joey Votto struck out on a fastball he couldn’t catch up with and Scott Rolen popped up to Chase Utley to end the inning.

In the bottom half of the frame, Shane Victorino swung at a terrible pitch 1-0 and popped up. Bronson Arroyo induced a flare from Placido Polanco that was caught in the infield and Chase Utley flew out to deep(ish) left. We don’t want the Reds getting comfortable ahead so it’s up to Oswalt to keep this lead at one and the hitters to be patient with Arroyo’s slop.

1-0 Reds.

Game Two Lineups: Victorino Bumps Rollins, Polanco Back

Here’s the lineups, according to Matt Gelb. I’ve also included their career numbers against Reds starter Bronson Arroyo.

1. Shane Victorino – 2-6, K

His numbers in the leadoff spot have been solid this year. An .810 OPS in half of his at-bats this season. If he’s patient today, we should be able to manufacture some runs early on.

2. Placido Polanco – 6-17, 3B, K

Hopefully he’s healthy but if Arroyo plunks him anywhere near his arm, I’m coming through my TV and getting my Kyle Farnsworth on.

3. Chase Utley – 4-9, HR

I’m expecting a big game out of Chase. Bronson just seems like a guy he’d tear up.

4. Ryan Howard – 2-6, 2 2B, 4K

Let the big dog eat.

5. Jayson Werth – N/A

Werth may have a tough time with Arroyo’s hard slider, but since he only throws it in strikeout situations, I’d expect Werth to think fastball early and drive the ball.

6. Jimmy Rollins – 4-12, 2B, HR, BB

Good numbers against Arroyo, I commend Charlie for getting frisky and moving him out of the top spot. It also adds some speed to the bottom of the order with Polanco back in the 2-hole. I’d love him to try to run with Ibanez at the plate, get a few first-to-thirds out of it.

7. Raul Ibanez – 1-3, K

If Raul keeps his head in and doesn’t pull off, he should hit a gapper or two today. I wouldn’t mind a wall-scraper, either.

8. Carlos Ruiz – 0-2

I’m pretty confident that the Reds are terrified of Carlos Ruiz. Who wouldn’t be? I love me some Chooch.

For the Reds, Laynce Nix replaces Jonny Gomes and Ryan Hanigan is in to catch for Arroyo. The Braves are the game after us and will try not to go down 0-2 to the Giants. It was very sweet watching their futility against Tim Lincecum last night. Tomahawk Slop.

Preview: Philadelphia Phillies Vs Cincinnati Red NLDS Game Two

(Sports Network) – Roy Oswalt may not be able to duplicate what Roy Halladay did in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, but with the way he has dominated the Cincinnati Reds over the course of his career, you never know.

Tonight Philadelphia tries to take a commanding two games-to-none lead over the Reds in the best-of-five set at Citizens Bank Park.

Philadelphia, as well as the baseball universe, is still marveling over what Halladay did in his postseason debut on Wednesday, when he turned in the second no-hitter in playoff history as the Phillies rolled to a 4-0 win.

“I don’t expect to do the same thing,” Oswalt said. “I’m going out there looking for a quality start, pretty much.”

Halladay, the soon-to-be National League Cy Young Award winner, set the bar high in the opener for Oswalt, who was the Phillies’ best pitcher down the stretch. The latter won his final seven decisions and pitched to a 1.74 ERA in his 13 games with the Phils following his trade-deadline acquisition from Houston.

“We’re up 1-0. And you know, like that’s kind of how I want Roy Oswalt to feel,” said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. “I just want him to do the same thing that Roy Halladay did. Just go out there and be comfortable, get a comfortable atmosphere and pitch to his ability and his knowledge on how to pitch. Just be himself.”

Oswalt was even better at Citizens Bank Park, where he was 5-0 with a 1.76 ERA in six starts. For his career, he is 9-0 with a 2.10 ERA in 10 starts there.

The 33-year-old righty has also dominated the Reds in his brilliant career, having posted a 23-3 mark to go along with a 2.81 ERA in 34 games (32 starts) against them. However, he lost both of his starts to Cincinnati this season and hasn’t beaten the Reds since winning all four starts against them in 2008.

“The team changes so much,” Oswalt said. "There’s really no way to explain it from when I first started. There’s not a guy left on that [Cincinnati] team, I don’t guess, that played then. So it changes so much.

“I don’t know if it’s just the way it lined up. A few times, I actually gave up a few runs against them and my team came back and scored me a few. So we just kind of lined up where I pitched on the days that we scored some runs and some days I was able to shut them out. Really wasn’t one direct thing, I don’t guess.”

Cincinnati, meanwhile, is still licking its wounds after Halladay’s masterpiece.

“I mean, you have no choice but it still counts as a loss. That was a very dramatic loss, though,” admitted Reds manager Dusty Baker. “That is the best pitched game I’ve seen since I’ve been going to the playoffs and the World Series. You have no choice but to bounce back. You’ve got to put it behind you, and figure we got beat by a great performance [Wednesday].”

The Reds led the NL in batting average (.278), homers (188) and runs (790), but they now haven’t scored in 30 innings against Philadelphia.

Hoping that changes tonight will be Reds starter Bronson Arroyo, who was 17-10 with a 3.88 ERA this season. However, things haven’t gone well for him against the Phillies, as he is just 1-5 lifetime with a 5.54 ERA in eight games versus Philadelphia.

Arroyo, one of just six Reds with previous postseason experience, has appeared in 10 playoff games without recording a decision, but has pitched to a 7.41 ERA in those encounters.

After winning two of three meetings with the Phillies at Great American Ball Park from June 28-30, the Reds were swept in four games at Citizens Bank Park more than a week later from July 8-11. Cincinnati has not scored in its last 20 innings at Philadelphia and has not won in six games there dating back to 2009.

Jay Feely Shockingly not a Baseball Expert and Orlando Cabrera is Sissypants

Here’s what Jay Feely tweeted before the game:

As good as Roy Halladay has pitched this yr for Phillies, it’s almost impossible for him to pitch as well as Cliff Lee in playoffs last yr

Roy’s response:

9 innings, 0 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts.

Cliff Lee iz good, Roy Halladay iz better. Simple math. Jay can go back to appearing on awful TLC shows and spouting his outlandishly Republican opinions to people who don’t care what he thinks. K, thanks.

Orlando Cabrera, on the other hand, said things like this in a post-game interview.

He and the umpire pitched a no-hitter. He gave him every pitch. Basically, we had no chance.

Stay classy, Cincinnati. Here’s the Fangraphs strike zone, showing a few pitches out of the zone, precisely none of which were thrown by the umpire.

So Orlando Cabrera, we have this for you, courtesy of TheGoodPhight.

The Bar Has Been Set; Phillies Win NLDS Game One on Halladay No-No

It took Harry Leroy Halladay just 104 pitches to throw baseball’s second postseason no hitter in its storied history. Nolan Ryan is the last pitcher (or person, for that matter) to throw two no-hitters in the same season. Each batter, pitch, and movement will be analyzed and fawned over by Philadelphia fans for the rest of eternity.

If you ask Roy, credit should go to Carlos Ruiz for calling a hell of a game and that’s exactly what he did. If we’re talking offense and defense, Chooch is one of baseball’s top three catchers. And we bat him seventh.

Offensively, the Phillies got to Edinson Volquez early, running him after just 1.2 innings. They totaled four runs on RBI’s by Chase Utley, Roy Halladay (who?), and Shane Victorino. And then they stopped playing because Halladay was throwing a no-hitter and they wanted to watch. I’m a bit concerned by how ineffective their bullpen rendered our hitters today, but I’m dripping with unbridled joy and sweat from the no-hitter that was. A Jay Bruce full-count walk is the only thing that separated Halladay from perfection.

We’ve got a day to celebrate this and Dusty’s got a day to try to scrape a team together before Roy Oswalt goes Roy Sandwich on everybody’s ass.

Phillies win 4-0, take a one game to none series lead. Take that, Cliff Lee.

via l.yimg.com

Roy Halladay Twirls No-Hitter, Phillies Beat Reds

Ramon Hernandez popped out. Miguel Cairo popped out. And Brandon Phillips went in the hole early and couldn’t dig himself out. A chopper right in front of the plate that Carlos Ruiz fielded and threw to Ryan Howard for the final out.

No hits.

Phillies win.

Roy Halladay is King of the World.

Roy Update: Three More Outs

A strikeout to Jonny Gomes on a changeup that just died, then a one-pitch chopper back to the mound by Jay Bruce. The fans are officially on fire. Roy is more locked in than I’ve ever seen him, more even than the Marlins perfecto. Three dirty pitches that moved everywhere to Drew Stubbs later and we head into the bottom of the 8th. Roy is three outs away from sealing this.

I’d like one more insurance run. Maybe a home run by Howard or Werth. That’d be nice.

Anyway, ROY HALLADAY. Three more.

4-0 Phils.

Seventh Inning: Zeros, Zeros, Zeros

Orlando Cabrera and Joey Votto both grounded out the opposite way. Scott Rolen came up and umpire John Hirschbeck has officially planted himself in Halladay’s corner. Two borderline strike calls put Rolen in an 0-2 hole, and Halladay retired him on an untouchable curveball. That’s Rolen’s third strikeout in as many at-bats and Halladay’s sixth of the game. Speaking of six, that’s how many more outs to go.

Rollins, Utley, and Victorino went down in order. The Phillies may as well stop batting. This is Roy’s game. 4-0 Roy.

Sixth Inning: More Of The Same

Ramon Hernandez flied out, then pinch hitter Juan Francisco came in for future game four starter (if necessary) Travis Wood, and promptly grounded out. A Brandon Phillips groundout ended the inning.

Logan Ondrusek took the mound and threw the ball away on a Raul Ibanez ground ball, leaving Raul at second. Three ground outs later and Ibanez was stranded on third base. Halladay is on for the 7th now.

STILL 4-0. Insurance runs please.

Fifth Inning: A Red On Base To No Avail

Two more strikeouts for Roy Halladay in the forms of Scott Rolen and Jonny Gomes. A hard-fought at-bat later (and a few pitches that could have gone either way) and Jay Bruce had drawn a walk, the first baserunner of the game for the Reds. The “rally” was promptly kaboshed by another groundball out to Jimmy Rollins. Five hitless innings, five strikeouts.

Two flyouts by Utley and Howard and a Werth strikeout later and the inning is over. Wood is cruising.

4-0.

Fourth Inning: Your Roy Is On Fire, Wood Settling Down

Two more strikeouts for Halladay as Brandon Phillips and Orlando Cabrera went down looking and swinging. Joey Votto grounded out to Jimmy Rollins to end the inning, bringing Roy’s pitch count to an adorable 43 pitches through for innings, only 8 of which were balls. His change-up (and really everything else about him) is looking gooooooood. Move along people, nothing to see here.

After Roy flied out to right, Jimmy hit it to the deepest part of the ballpark, flying out to Drew Stubbs on the warning track. Shane Victorino popped out to end the inning, his first out of the ballgame. Travis Wood has stopped the bleeding for the Reds, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings of relief thus far.

Still 4-0 Phils.

Third Inning: Halladay Rolling, Ibanez Stranded on Second, 4-0 Phils

So far so good for the Playoff Virgin. Roy has set the Reds down in order in each of the first three innings, while his counterpart Edinson Volquez is already done for the day. 31 pitches, 25 of which are strikes, and a 2-RBI single. Keep it up and it’s only gonna get funner.

Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth were set down on strikes by new Reds pitcher Travis Wood. Raul Ibanez then took a fastball right in his wheelhouse off the right field wall and ended up on second base. A free pass to Carlos Ruiz later (with two outs?) put runners on first and second for Valdez. He lined out to center field to end the inning.

Halladay Hits! Victorino Single Ousts Volquez Early, Phillies Lead 4-0

Roy Halladay looks great. Inducing four ground outs to one fly out and a strikeout of Scott Rolen, he’s only thrown 22 pitches thus far. While I doubt he’ll be on any sort of pitch count since he hasn’t been overworked lately, it’s good to see him keeping it down in the early going. You never know what to expect from starters in their first Postseason game, even guys who happen to be Roy Halladay.

Werth and Ibanez were retired after working decent at-bats from Volquez. Ruiz took four straight balls to bring Polanco-replacement Wilson Valdez to the plate in his first postseason at-bat. A ground-ball up the middle proved troublesome for Orlando Cabrera and the number one fielding team in the NL when a flip to Brandon Phillips went array and Ruiz slid in safely at second. Roy Halladay came up and hit a blooper to left that dropped in front of a flailing Jonny Gomes. Ruiz scored from second and runners are on first and third for the top of the order. Halladay, who has never appeared in a postseason game in all his career in the AL, proved that the NL is just a better time.

Volquez kept pitching Rollins down and in, working a full count before he took a walk to load the bases. Edinson has been around the plate so far, but hasn’t gotten the corners from umpire John Hirschbeck. Shane Victorino worked a full count as well (and a blown non-strike call) then poked an outside fastball into center field, scoring Valdez and Halladay.

Edinson Volquez has been ran from the game after 56 pitches and 1.2 innings of work. Bring on the bullpen!

Phillies lead 4-0.

Phillies Take Lead on Utley Sac Fly

Shane Victorino slapped a double down the left field line and proceeded to steal third base. From there, all Chase Utley had to do was knock the ball into right field and a sacrifice fly plated Shane from third. Volquez’s stuff looks good so far, but it’s great to see them get up early with a bit of small ball.

1-0 Phillies,

Cliff Lee Pitches Like Cliff Lee For Rangers

As the Cliff Lee stand-in gets through the first postseason inning of his career, we’d be remiss not to mention how well Clifton himself pitched today. Here’s his line on the road in a “hostile” Tampa Bay environment:

7 IP, 5 Hits, 1 Run, 0 Walks, 10 Strikeouts, 104 Pitches, 76 Strikes.

Oh and a game one victory for his Texas Rangers. Nelson Cruz and Bengie Molina of all people powered them through to a 5-1 victory. While I don’t condone comparing Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee ever, it’s not against the rules to admire just how good Cliff has been in the postseason.

He’d look good as the fourth starter though RIGHT?!

Phillies Vs Reds: Placido Polanco Not In Starting Lineup

The Phillies announced today that Placido Polanco will not be in the starting lineup tonight in the postseason opener. They also say that it’s not related to the sore elbow he’s dealt with for most of the season.

Polanco has battled a sore elbow all season, but a Phillies spokesman said today that the veteran third baseman is not in the lineup because of back soreness. Manager Charlie Manuel said Polanco told him yesterday that he had a stiff back and that it got worse overnight. Polanco told him today that he could not bend over or move side to side, Manuel said.

Wilson Valdez takes over at 3rd base and will hit 8th. This leaves the Phillies very thin at the infield positions right now. Valdez is their only real legitimate option to backup 2B, SS, and 3B. Mike Sweeney & Greg Dobbs could play there if needed, but would likely be a liability in the field.

Phillies vs Reds: David Beckham Is In The House

David Beckham is at Citizens Bank Park tonight to catch some playoff baseball... Now it's a party.

Here he is before the game talking to Reds manager Dusty Baker.

Beckham's L.A. Galaxy are in town to play the Philadelphia Union tomorrow night.

Preview: Philadelphia Phillies Vs Cincinnati Reds NLDS Game One

(Sports Network) – The Philadelphia Phillies’ charge towards a third straight National League pennant begins this evening when they open the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies, who are vying to become the first NL team to reach the World Series in three straight years since the 1942-44 St. Louis Cardinals, enter the postseason on the heels of their fourth straight National League East title.

Philadelphia overcame a ton of injuries in its lineup this season to post 97 wins, as it finished with the best record in major league baseball for the first time in franchise history.

A big reason behind the team’s success is the man who will be taking the ball for them tonight; NL Cy Young Award front-runner Roy Halladay, who will be making his first-ever postseason appearance.

“It’s definitely something I’ve thought about a lot, but, you know, I think since we’ve got ourselves into the playoffs, it’s been more of a preparation mode than anything, and that’s been great for me,” said Halladay of his first playoff start.

After 12 years in Toronto, Halladay was traded to the Phillies this past offseason and has been nothing short of brilliant. The talented right-hander exceeded expectations, as he tossed a perfect game on May 29 and finished with a 21-10 mark to go along with a 2.44 ERA. He also led the majors in complete games (nine), shutouts (four) and innings (250 2/3).

“I think he’s starving, all right,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He’s intense and he wants it. I mean, he wants it. This guy’s for real. He loves the game and he wants to be on a winner. He wants a ring. I think he’s going to give everything he’s got.

Halladay faced the Reds twice this season. He gave up four runs and 13 hits in a loss in the first meeting, before scattering five hits in nine scoreless innings of a no-decision back on July 10.

“I’m going to give up hits at times. That’s part of who I am,” Halladay added. “I think if I can control that to a certain extent and control the damage of it, I think that is a big factor. So yeah, I’m going to continue to be aggressive, continue to challenge guys, but I’m going to try to do it on my pitches, get quick outs, get outs on quality pitches, and I think that’s the biggest the biggest difference.”

Philadelphia’s vaunted lineup went through its share of ups and downs in the regular season for sure. All the big sluggers — Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins — spent time on the disabled list, and Jayson Werth, playing in the final year on his contract, trailed off on several occasions. The team, however, still scored the second most runs in the NL at 772.

When the Phillies look across the field Wednesday night at Cincinnati they might see a glimpse of themselves from the 2007 campaign. That fresh-faced squad ended more than a decade of not winning a division title and seemed ecstatic just to be there. Philadelphia was swept in the first round of the playoffs and used that experience to win it all in 2008. A loss to the New York Yankees in the 2009 World Series is something the Phillies are trying to forget this time around, though.

The Reds know what it feels like to overcome pressure and are in the postseason for the first time since 1995. They battled St. Louis almost the entire season for NL Central supremacy and now face an even tougher challenge with the Phillies.

Cincinnati may be short on playoff experience, but showed a lot of heart and confidence this past season. MVP candidate Joey Votto was clutch and led the Senior Circuit in slugging percentage at .600, finished second in batting with a .324 average, was third in homers with 37 and third with 113 runs batted in. Votto’s season was incredible and Cincinnati will be counting on the first baseman to come through this fall.

Votto’s terrific campaign helped the Reds lead the National League in average (.272), runs scored (790), RBI (761), home runs (188) and slugging percentage (.436).

Getting caught up in the moment is probably what killed Philadelphia’s buzz back in 2007. Cincy is counting on Edinson Volquez to keep the momentum going when he takes the ball for Game 1 against Halladay only a year removed from Tommy John surgery.

Volquez, a right-hander, said he’ll be ready for the noise and deafening shouts from the crowd because he’s been through it before in the Dominican Republic. Volquez, who won 17 games and made the All-Star team during his breakout 2008 season, returned after the All-Star break and went 4-3 in 12 starts.

Volquez, who also had to serve a 50-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs earlier in the year, beat out Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto for the top spot.

“[Johnny] Cueto has been pitching the whole year and has done good, Bronson Arroyo, too, and [Travis] Wood and Homer Bailey,” Volquez said. “I will do my best. We’re trying to win the first game because it’s very important.”

After winning two of three meetings with the Phillies at Great American Ball Park from June 28-30, the Reds were swept in four games at Citizens Bank Park more than a week later from July 8-11. Cincinnati has not scored in 20 innings at Philly and has not won in six games there dating back to 2009.

Phillies Vs Red: Bronson Arroyo Calls Philly Fans "Brutal & Vicious"

Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo was asked how much of a factor the Citizens Bank Park crowd will be in this series where the Phillies have home field advantage.

“They’re aggressive and loud,” he said. “For years, Philly football fans have been among the worst in the game, as far as how brutal and vicious they are. I haven’t experienced that at Citizens Bank Park. But that was the regular season.”

Just so Bronson knows… those people at Eagles games are a lot of the same people at Phillies games. They just also bring their girlfriend along to Phillies games.

To be fair, I don’t think Arroyo meant this as an insult. This is a guy who has pitched in playoff series between the Yankees and Red Sox. He knows about atmosphere. If he’s not sure whether Citizens Bank can get as loud and rowdy as the Linc… well, maybe we should show him.

TBS Releases Announcer Pairing For Phillies Reds Series

TBS has released their announcer pairings for the first round of the 2010 MLB playoffs. The Yankees/Twins series will get the lead TBS announce team. Big surprise….

The Phillies get Brian Anderson on play-by-play with Joe Simpson doing color. Basketball guy David Aldridge will do the sideline reporting.

Brian Anderson is the play by play guy of the Milwaukee Brewers and Joe Simpson has been the Braves color guy since 1992. This same pairing called the 2009 NLDS between the Phillies and Rockies.

MLB Postseason: Phillies To Face Reds In Game One Of NLDS Wednesday Night

By virtue of the Giants' defeat of the Padres today, the Eagles finally know their NLDS opponent: the Cincinnati Reds.