Phillies Recap: August 27, 2009

Pittsburgh Pirates 3, Philadelphia Phillies 2

It was another low-scoring game in Pittsburgh as the Phillies offense was mostly stagnant once again. Though Jay Happ tossed another great game, he was done in by a late inning home run and the Phils' offensive inadequacies. The Phillies ended up dropping two of three to the lowly Bucs, in whats has to be one of the most embarrassing series of the season. The final score was 3-2.

Happ (10-3) pitched well for the most of the night and was backed by some terrific defense. He induced several double-plays and stayed out of major trouble all night. However, in the eighth inning, he was touched up by Garrett Jones for a game-winning two-run shot. Overall, Happ went the distance with an eight-inning, four-strike out performance. Happ allowed the three earned runs on seven hits and two walks. It was not the complete game he wanted.

The Phillies offense loaded the bases with no one out in the first inning and only tallied one run. Charlie Morton pitched well enough to keep the Phillies off the board. Jimmy Rollins had three hits while Paul Bako homered and reached base safely four times. Other than that, the Phillies we shut out the rest of the way by the Pirates bullpen. It was an ugly performance as the Phillies hitters were mostly impatient at the plate.

This is not what the Phillies were looking for in Pittsburgh. They dropped two of three and go limping home with the offense again struggling and the bullpen in the midst of turmoil. Their record drops to 73-52 and the Atlanta Braves, who come to town tomorrow night, will most likely make up some ground tonight. The Phillies need to regroup quickly as they trot home from a very mediocre 4-3 road trip.

Phillies Recap: August 6, 2009

Philadelphia Phillies 3, Colorado Rockies 1

Cliff Lee has been everything the Phillies have expected thus far. In his second start, and first in front of his new home crowd, Lee dazzled with seven strong innings as the Phillies defeated the Rockies 3-1. It was a close game all afternoon and the Phils got the timely hits they needed to secure back-to-back wins and a series victory against Colorado. Now they will prepare for the second place Marlins to come to town, fresh off of a sweep at the hands of the Nationals.

Lee (9-9) came out with some early jitters as he surrendered a run on several hits in the first inning. However, he settled down after that point, scattering four hits and a walk while striking out nine. He gave the bullpen another lift, completing seven innings after J.A. Happ's complete game last night. Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge pitched an inning each with relative ease, to seal the Phillies' 61st win of the season. They are now 61-45 overall, and have rebuilt a seven-game lead in the NL East.

Aaron Cook (10-4) was the hard-luck loser in the game, as he pitched well. Cook gave up three runs in five innings and kept his team in the game, before departing with an injury. Without the run support, he lost his fourth game of the season and the Rockies dropped their second game in a row. Jimmy Rollins was a star at the plate for the Phillies as he went 3-for-4 and scored two runs. Paul Bako provided the go-ahead run with a homer in the fifth, his first as a Phillie.

This was a big series win for the Phillies as they came out punchless in the first affair. The team got solid pitching efforts from Happ and Lee to climb back into a more comfortable position in the standings. Now, with the Marlins series looming, their objective is clear: win another series. However, for now, the Phillies can enjoy back-to-back wins for the first time since last week in Arizona.

Phillies Breakdown: Catchers

If there is one glaring flaw in the Phillies lineup, it is certainly the catcher position. The backstops, led by Carlos Ruiz, have struggled mightily at the plate. Now, with Chris Coste and Lou Marson gone, the Phillies rely (all too much) on veteran Paul Bako as their backup. Through 102 games this season, Phillies catchers have the following stats:

2009: 397 PA, 7 HR, 32 RBI, .226 BA, .322 OBP, .362 SLG

Carlos Ruiz has proven to be a solid defensive catcher. While his offensive struggles can be more frustrating than listening to Tim McCarver mispronounce his name, Ruiz has contributed with great glove-work. He calls a great game and has a strong arm, which he has used to throw out 16/50 base stealers this season (32%). Ruiz has allowed only one passed ball and committed just three errors all season for a .994 fielding percentage. On a team with more than enough offense, Ruiz's emphasis is on defense and as such, he should be starting almost all of the Phillies' games.

Paul Bako on the other hand is an aging, mediocre catcher. While he hits lefty and has played adequate defense, there is something unnerving about him when he starts. Bako is sufficient for the occassional spot-start but should an injury befall Ruiz, I worry that the catcher's spot will be a black hole on an otherwise highly competitive team. Phillies Nation made this case about a week ago, when it suggested that Marson should replace the light-hitting Bako on the major league roster.

Here is a comparison of the Phillies' two catchers to this point in the season:

Ruiz: 65 G, 239 PA, 5 HR, 23 RBI, .223 BA, .325 OBP, .369 SLG
Bako: 18 G, 52 PA, 0 HR, 4 RBI, .167 BA, .231 OBP, .208 SLG

It's hard to imagine that a team on pace to score over 800 runs this season can have such little production from one of its starting positions. However, even based on these weak numbers, it is clear that Ruiz is a better offensive option than Bako. The only distinct advantage for Bako is his lefty bat. But I ask, does which side of the plate you are striking out from really matter?

So as the season comes to a close, Phillies fans should expect, or at least hope, to see much more of Chooch in the lineup. Charlie Manuel is walking a fine line between too much rest for Ruiz and too much playing time for Bako. As Phillies' beat writer Todd Zolecki points out, "the Phillies like Paul Bako as Carlos Ruiz's backup, although Bako has been playing more lately." But with 60 games left in the season, I would hope to see Ruiz start as many as 48 of those games, to help secure a third straight division crown. The Phillies are simply a better team with him in the lineup.

Phillies Recap: August 1, 2009

San Francisco Giants 2, Philadelphia Phillies 0

As expected, tonight's Phillies-Giants matchup was a fast-moving pitcher's duel. Unfortunately for the team in red, Tim Lincecum was just a little bit better than Joe Blanton. The Phillies fell to the Giants 2-0 and were shut out for the second time this week. The Phillies' offensive inconsistencies continued on their west coast swing, as they missed several early opportunities to get to Lincecum. The Phillies are now 3-3 on the trip and will look to leave California with a split with the Giants tomorrow.

Joe Blanton started out sharp and was efficient with his pitches. He gave up only one baserunner in the first four innings. However, he was met with some trouble and bad luck in the fifth, as the Giants strung together several hits and scored on Juan Uribe's sacrifice fly. The Giants again put together a run-scoring inning in the seventh inning, culminating with another Uribe sac fly. Overall, Blanton was the hard-luck loser as he went seven strong innings, yielding seven hits and two earned runs while striking out five. He is now 7-5 on the season. Chan Ho Park came in for one inning of relief and tossed a scoreless frame.

Tim Lincecum was simply superb tonight. He had all of his pitches working and was hitting his spots consistently. The Phillies did a good job being patient with him early, and worked him to almost 50 pitches through the third inning. However, they lacked the clutch him in several key points early, which could have given them the lead. In the third inning, Chase Utley grounded out with runners on the corners and two out. In the fourth, the Phillies again had two aboard before Paul Bako struck out to end the threat. And in the fifth, the bases were loaded up for Raul Ibanez's ground out. After that, Lincecum really settled in to shut down the Phils, en route to his eight inning-eight strikeout performance. He scattered seven hits and a walk, before Brian Wilson came in for a 1-2-3 save in the ninth.

It was a tough loss to watch for the Phillies. After coming out of the All-Star Break on fire, the Phillies have cooled down despite solid pitching efforts. With the Marlins' extra-inning loss, the Phillies do maintain their six game lead in the NL East. There's one more game on the road trip, and they will look to go home on a high note as Cole Hamels faces off with veteran Barry Zito. This matchup of southpaws will be another tough test for the Phillies and will be aired on national television.