When the Phillies signed Kris Benson to a minor league contract this past February hopes were he’d be recovered from his rotator cuff surgery by May and be able to pitch for Philadelphia by June. Well do to various setbacks, Benson was never able to get healthy enough to pitch for the Phillies and spent the season in the minor leagues wondering when he would get the call.
That call’s never going to come as the Phillies gave Benson his release yesterday.
This season Benson was a combine 1-6 with a 5.78 ERA for the Clearwater Threshers and Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Not exactly what the Phillies were hoping form the former #1 pick. In Benson’s defense, he wasn’t that bad of a pitcher. He did have five quality starts in his last eight outings.
This move has more to do with the Phillies not wanting to add Benson to the 40-man roster for tomorrow’s expansion. With the rotation set for the remainder …
1) San Diego: Last years record: 11-5: Nagging injuries, a slow start, and the Patriots derailed their season at the beginning and the end of the year. A healthier, more experienced (read: less of a dumb ass) Phillip Rivers, Antonio Gates, a rock hard and opportunistic defense, and some guy named Ladainian Tomlinson will lead them to the Super Bowl this year. Prediction: 14-2
2) Jacksonville: Last years record: 11-5: This team is poised, but without a better passing game, they will fall short again. Prediction: 13-3
3) Dallas: Last years record: 13-3: Explosive offense, dynamic D… Wade Phillips as coach, and Tony Romo still running around like a goofball. Yeah, they’ll choke. Prediction: 12-4
4) New England: Last years record: 16-0: Getting old? Yes. Still good? Very. They got embarrassed and choked last year. They won’t win it this year, but they will show up when the ball is kicked in the air for the first time. Prediction: 12-4
5) Indianapolis: Last years record: 13-3: As long as Peyton …
My apologies to all my thousands of loyal readers. I recently moved to Connecticut (I think that’s how you spell it), and the Internet/ Phone/ Cable service… not unlike the cross bread of Boston/New York inhabitants… truly sucks butt. But I digress… back to the weekly articles. As a refresher, this column is devoted to those who’ve come and gone through the Philadelphia scene, not so much like shooting stars, but more like wet matches in a wind storm that catch a little spark before they flame out and you toss them aside. Players like… Bo Diaz!
Born as Baudillo Jose Diaz Seijas in 1953, Diaz was a very promising young catching prospect, but had a very tough time getting to the show, finally stepping foot in the Fenway Dugout for the first time with the Boston Red Sox in 1977. Shortly thereafter, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians, where he became an All-Star for the first time in 1981.
The following season he was traded to …
After missing out on Mark Kotsay, and shying away from Aubrey Huff due to his 2009 salary, the Phillies have acquired the left-handed bat off the bench they were looking for. Reports are the Phillies acquired outfielder Matt Stairs from the Blue Jays for a player to be named later.
Stairs, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week by the Blue Jays, has had a disappointing season so far, hitting .250 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI’s.
I’m really not a fan of this move. The Phillies really had a chance to make a bigger splash by the August 31st trading deadline, by going heavy after a guy like Kotsay, or bringing in Huff. They once again settled for the bargain. Instead of getting an outfielder who can platoon with Jayson Werth and contribute regularly, they go out and get a 40 year-old outfielder whose only purpose will be riding the pine. Maybe one day the Phillies front office will realize when you shop …
The Phillies arrive in Chicago for a four game set against the National League leading Cubs on Thursday back to a half game behind the New York Mets for first place in the East. The Phillies and Mets split a short two game series at Citizen’s Bank Park, the last of the year in Philadelphia.
It was an exciting series to be sure, involving two come from behind wins, perhaps giving us a sneak preview for the kind of baseball we can expect in the final month or so of the season.
The Phillies now have to turn their attention to perhaps their toughest series yet. The Cubs boast the best record in the major leagues, including an astounding 49-19 record at home. They are 8-2 in their last ten games, including a current five-game winning streak.
The series opens up on Thursday with Cole Hamels (11-8, 3.20) and Ryan Dempster (15-5, 2.85) on the mound. Dempster has arguably been the Cubs best pitcher this season, and is …
Major League Baseball is officially implmenting instant replay into its rules Thursday. It will start in three stadiums and expand to the entire league on Friday.
The system has been under consideration and study since November when the general managers voted 25-5 to explore its use and will debut in Oakland when the Twins face off with the Athletics, Anaheim when the Rangers visit the Angels, and in Chicago when the Phillies take on the Cubs.
“I believe this is right,” said Commissioner Bud Selig during a late afternoon conference call unveiling the new system. “I think the umpires believe it. I think the players believe it. The evidence [for using it] became overwhelming the more I looked at ballparks. You’ve got an umpire running out and he’s 300-400 feet away, and it became impossible [for him to make the right call]. I’m delighted we’re able to make this adjustment.
“As you well know, anytime you try to change things in baseball, it’s both emotional and …
The Phillies bullpen was nothing short of spectacular last night. They allowed only one run on four hits in ten innings of work. Unfortunately they used every bullpen arm they had and actually had tonight’s starter, Kyle Kendrick ready to pitch the 14th inning. Given the needed rest the bullpen needs this evening, the Phillies have recalled pitcher Andrew Carpenter.
Carpenter was one of the Phillies top minor league pitchers last season when he went 17-6 with a 3.20 ERA for Class A Clearwater. This season Carpenter hasn’t found the same success. He struggled with his weight to begin the season, which actually caused him to miss a month of the season, and he struggled against Double A hitting. This season Carpenter is 9-11 with a 4.68 ERA between Single & Double A.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Phillies have designated Andy Tracy for assignment.
After last night’s marathon I figured the Phillies would bring up a pitcher for …
According to a poll conducted by ESPN’s Baseball Tonight program, as well as our own poll, Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt is the greatest Philadelphia Phillie of all time by an overwhelming margin.
The staff from BBTN picked who they believed were the top 10 players from each franchise and then the public voted on their top choice from those ten. The BBTN staff cast their own vote as well, and the top three from each group were revealed during BBTN. This was done for every major league team.
Schmidt, largely considered the greatest third baseman of all time, won with an overwhelming 77% of the vote in our own Hot Stove Philly vote, despite some heavy competition.
Schmidt was competing against the likes of Grover Cleveland Alexander, Dick Allen, Richie Ashburn, Steve Carlton, Chuck Klein and Robin Roberts.
In his rookie season with the Phillies, Alexander led the league in wins with 28, still a major league record, 31 complete games, 367 innings pitched, and …
The roller coaster ride that is the 2008 MLB season continued Tuesday as the Phillies stormed back from a 7-0 deficit against the New York Mets to win 8-7 in the 13th inning off a walk-off single by Chris Coste to put them atop the National League East standings, again.
Despite being down 7-0 in the 4th inning, the worst outing by Jamie Moyer in three years, the Phillies showed exactly what they are capable of, despite largely underachieving all year. Tuesday night’s game also showed why the Mets have a very real chance of not making the playoffs this year, as their bullpen gave up the final three runs and blew yet another save opportunity.
Mets’ starter Pedro Martinez threw four strong innings, but visibly started to run out of gas in the fifth inning when he gave up two two-run home runs to Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard. Rollins went five for seven on the night and for the second game in a …
With Sunday’s trading deadline on the horizon, it’s no secret the Phillies have needs; most notably in the outfield. With Geoff Jenkins sidelined with a hip flexor strain, the Phils are using Jayson Werth at the every day right fielder, and So Taguchi has effectively become the team’s fourth outfielder. If the Phillies really want to contend, the addition of an outfielder who can be depended to play regularly is a must.
Well if the rumors are true, the Phillies might be looking to upgrade the outfield situation. Word is the Phillies are perusing Braves outfielder Mark Kotsay.
Kotsay, who has already cleared waivers, is have a good season with the Braves where he’s batting .289 with six home runs and 37 RBI’s. More importantly, Kotsay feasts on right-handed pitching hitting .309 against them this season.
While I still think Aubrey Huff is a much better option, if the Phillies can land Kotsay it’ll be a good pickup. With Jenkins return is …
The Phillies look to jump back into first place this week as they take on the New York Mets in a two game mini-series here at Citizens Bank Park, the final time the Mets come to Philly this season. The Mets lead the season series 9-4, but the Phillies have managed to stay right on their heels, coming into Tuesday’s game just a half game back. Unless one team hits a major speed bump, all indications are that they will continue fighting neck and neck down to the wire, which makes this week’s series all the more important.
Tuesday night is the battle of the veterans as Phillies’ stalwart Jamie Moyer (11-7, 3.54) faces off against Pedro Martinez (4-3, 4.97). Moyer, the oldest active player in the majors, is 45 years old and Martinez is nine years his junior at 36. A surprising statistic is each player’s career win-loss record with their respective team. Moyer is 72-59 in his career with the Phillies, and Martinez is …
The Phillies continue to toil with our delicate emotions, first getting swept in an embarrassing fashion and then turning around and winning their next three series. After playing like a Single-A winterball team against the Dodgers in LA, the Phillies managed to take two out of three against both the Padres and Nationals. (In reality they should have swept both those last place teams but we’ll take series wins however they come at this point.) Then the Dodgers came to town for another four game set and so far the Phillies have shut them down, winning the first three games. Sunday night’s game was won in dramatic fashion off the recently mended bat of Pedro Feliz, who tied the game up in the 9th inning and then hit a walk-off home run in the 11th.
The Phillies continue to receive spectacular pitching from their starting rotation, including Jamie Moyer’s league leading 14th game in a row without allowing more than three runs in a …
