The verdict is in on Brett Myers hip, and the news isn’t good for Phillies fans. Myers will join Chase Utley and Alex Rodriguez and have surgery to replace a torn labrum.
Brett flew to New York yesterday to meet with Dr. Brian T. Kelly and he gave Myers two options. Surgery now or an anti-inflammatory shot and surgery at the end of the season. If Myers did get the shot he’d risk doing further damage to his hip, or even possibly hurting his arm. Myers (who you can’t blame), opted for surgery now.
Myers, a free agent at seasons end, could have possibly pitched his last game as a Phillie when he walked off the mound in pain during Wednesday’s 6-2 loss against the Marlins. The recovery from the surgery is about three months, but then Myers will need to get back in game shape, which could take anywhere from 3-6 weeks, meaning the chances of Myers returning to the Phillies before the end of the season are remote.
This loss is a big blow to the …
St. Louis native Ryan Howard thrives any time he returns to the Gateway City. Last night was no different as strong pitching and a Howard-led offense gave the Phillies a 6-1 victory.
The Good:
- Starter Joe Blanton went six innings allowing one run on four hits. Blanton cruised through five innings, only to run into a jam in the sixth. After retiring Chris Duncan, Blanton loaded the bases on a walk, hit batter, and a misplay in the infield. Faced with the bases full of Cardinals and one out, Blanton stayed focused, striking out Tyler Greene and getting Brian Barden to hit into an inning ending ground out.
- Jayson Werth went 2 for 4. His two-run home run in the fourth inning gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead.
- Howard hit his second grand slam in a week (the first coming last Tuesday against the Nationals), the seventh of his career (tying Mike Schmidt for #1 all-time), off Kyle Lohse in the fifth inning …
With both Marty Biron and Antero Niittymaki free agents, the talk around Philadelphia water coolers is which goalie will the Flyers resign and lead them on the ice in 2009-2010. Well it appears there might be another player in the mix. Word is the Flyers are interested in former Senators net minder Ray Emery.
Emery led the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007-2008, when he went 12-3 in the first three rounds of the playoffs before eventually losing to the Anaheim Ducks.
Emery holds a career 71-40 record with a 2.71 GAA and has the talent to take the Flyers to the next level.
All isn’t good with Emery. While he has the talent to win a Viezna Trophy, he’s also marginally insane.
Emery is known for his hard partying lifestyle, driving fast (he’s been pulled over for speeding 30 times in the past year), and short temper (his locker room fights while with the senators was well publicized, as well as a center ice fight with Biron …
It’s bad enough the Sixers ended their 2008-2009 on a low note, after getting blown out but the Orlando Magic 114-89, but was it necessary for their backup center/11th man on the bench to come out and rip the coach after the loss?
Theo Ratliff was the last player to leave the locker room after Thursday night’s loss, mainly becasue he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“It’s distasting to go out like that, to be on the bench watching. It’s not a good feeling.
The coaches are responsible for guys [being] prepared and playing. They have to hold guys accountable. It’s been that way all year, so you couldn’t expect anything different.
You have to step up and get into guys. If [as the coach] you don’t have that type of personality, to be able to go at guys.
At the same time, it’s your position. You’ve seen the mistakes and all that going on. Was anybody getting talked to about that? To me, this …
While it might be somewhat overkill, giving outfielder Raul Ibanez both HSP Player of the Month and Stud of the Week in the same week, the way Ibanez has performed the past week, there’s no one more deserving.
Ibanez went 9 for 18 (.500), with three home runs and nine RBI’s. It wasn’t that he hit three home runs, it’s that the timing of two of them put the Phillies in position to win.
Tuesday against the Nationals, Ibanez hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth to give the Phillies a 13-11 lead (which was the eventual final score). Saturday, with the Mets up 5-4 in the sixth, Ibanez tied the game, launching a solo shot, tying the game at five. The Phillies won the game 6-5 in ten innings.
Five of Raul’s nine hits went for extra bases and he finished the weeks with a 1.657 OPS.
To borrower a line from the late Harry Kalas, “Raul Ibanez, you are the man.”
Honorable …
Yesterday’s rain out was a blessing in disguise. With Cole Hamels status up in the air while recovering from an ankle sprain, the odds of him making his scheduled start on Tuesday in St. Louis was remote.
That was until yesterday’s rainout.
Due to the rainout, Joe Blanton’s start was moved back to today while Brett Myers, Monday’s scheduled starter, will take the hill on Tuesday. As a result, Hamels will have some extra time to rest his ankle as he’ll take the mound at home Friday night against the Braves.
First pitch on Friday 7:05 pm.
Cole Hamels did complete his scheduled bullpen session yesterday, but whether or not he will make his next start is still unknown. Reports are the session went “okay”. Hamels felt no pain when throwing the ball, but did experience some discomfort when he dragged his back foot.
“He could probably pitch if he just stood on the mound and didn’t do anything but pitch, but that’s not how it works,” [Ruben] Amaro added. “We’ve got to make sure we see some other things, whether it’s coming off the mound and fielding and those sorts of things. Those are the things we’re still pretty concerned about. We don’t want t put him in a position to re-injure it.”
Hamels is scheduled to pitch tomorrow in St. Louis, but the odds of the seem remote. If Hamels doesn’t miss a start, he’ll take the ball on Tuesday, with Brett Myers opening the two game series with the Cardinals.
Hot Stove Perspective: Unless Hamels ankle miraculously …
The Phillies took advantage of another troublesome outing by Oliver Perez, only to see themselves behind after a disastrous sixth inning. Like the Phillies have done all season, late inning heroics fueled an extra inning win, off a foe the Phillies are used to beating; the Mets’ bullpen. Reliever Sean Green’s bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning handed the Phillies the victory as they topped the Mets 6-5.
The Good:
- Raul Ibanez (a name being seen a lot this season), finished 2 for 4 with two RBI’s. His solo home run in the sixth inning (8th of the year), off Pedro Feliciano tied the game at five. He also made two stellar late inning catches, preventing the Mets from adding more runs.
- Pedro Feliz went two for five. Both of his hits didn’t pass third base. His Baltimore Chop single to lead off the tenth inning, put him in position to be the eventual winning run. Feliz also shined defensively. In the top …
While the news was good for Brad Lidge, the status of Cole Hamels’ sprained ankle is still up in the air.
Yesterday, Hamels was scheduled to throw a 30-pitch bullpen session but it was canceled. The Phillies wanted to give Hamels an extra day to rest his ankle and they didn’t want him throwing in the rain.
Hamels twisted his ankle Tuesday night against the Nationals. He slipped fielding a sacrifice bunt, and was immediately removed from the game.
Hamels was originally scheduled to pitch Monday in St. Louis (if all went well), but with his bullpen session moved back, the earliest he will take the mound will be Tuesday.
The odds of that happening also might be in question. With it currently raining in Philadelphia, and a forecast for rain showers the remainder of the weekend, it’s unknown if Hamels will be able to throw outdoors.
Closer Brad Lidge, who has been sidelined for a week with an inflamed right knee, had a successful bullpen session Friday. Lidge threw 30 pitches, and walked off the mound pain free, meaning he will not be headed to the disabled list.
This is the same knee he had two surgeries on prior to the 2008 season, so it was thought all problems were corrected. That is until Lidge developed mechanical flaws.
“The amount of pitches I threw didn’t bother me,” Lidge said. “There’s no question that if I kind of revert back to some bad mechanics that I’ll probably aggravate it. That being said, the way I threw today was real encouraging. I’ll be ready to go now. I’ll be able to avoid the DL. By and large, this isn’t a big mechanical adjustment,” Lidge said. “But if I fall down too much on my back side on any particular pitch, that’s when it pinches. It’s going to tell me right away if I’m not throwing …
Pat who???
That’s exactly what Phillies leftfielder Raul Ibanez is making Philadelphians say as he is Hot Stove Philly’s first Player of the Month.
Ibanez had a strong first month in his debut with the Phillies. He finished the month leading the Phillies in batting (.359), home runs (7, tied with Chase Utley), and slugging percentage (.718). He was also second in RBI’s (17), and on-base percentage (.433).
Ibanez’s offensive production helped overcome the Phillies’ dreadful pitching, and is a big reason the team finished April over .500 with a 11-9 record.
When the Phillies signed Ibanez there was concern among the fans. It would be another left-handed batter, in an already lefty dominated lineup, and it meant the loss of lifelong Phillie and fan favorite Pat Burrell. While Burrell is still adapting to life as a designated hitter in Tampa (.268/1/9), Ibanez has quickly taken his place and become a fan favorite. His jersey and tee shirt are now top-sellers at the Majestic Clubhouse Store at Citizens Bank Park …
Flyers’ captain, Mike Richards, underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair a right labrum tear.
It was revealed after the Flyers’ loss to the Penguins in the first round of the playoffs that Richards had been playing with torn labrums in each of his arms. With the first one now successfully repaired, Richards will wait two weeks, then go under the knife again to repair his left labrum.
The total revcovery time expected is 12 weeks, and providing there are no setbacks, Richards will be ready for training camp come September.
