Bunts and Balks (8/3)

With the trade deadline having passed last Friday, the Phillies could still look to bolster the club, by acquiring a player who has cleared waivers. The Phillies have picked up Russell Branyan, Matt Stairs, and Scott Eyre, in recent post-trade deadline deals.
The team could really use an upgrade over Eric Bruntlett. A middle infielder with adequate batting skills, such as Willie Bloomquist or Jamey Carroll?
Another catcher would also come in handy, preferably one with at least some ability at the plate. The Houston Astros have a backup catcher who might be a good fit, but Chris Coste might not clear waivers.

The team has indicated that they will not rush Clay Condrey's rehabilitation. With so many rehabbing arms, all of whom will be clamoring for roster spots in the immediate future, there is no reason to rush Condrey. Condrey, and Brett Myers, may both have to wait until after rosters expand, on September 1st.
J.C. Romero, Chad Durbin, and Pedro Martinez should be ready for MLB, by the beginning of next week. Tyler Walker and Kyle Kendrick seem likely to lose their spots. J.A. Happ seems likely to move to the bullpen, to free up a rotation spot for Martinez.
Chad Durbin and Rodrigo Lopez, recently demoted to the bullpen, might be competing for a single relief spot. Neither will be Phillies' property, after the 2009 season. I'd put my money on Lopez to stay, and Durbin to be DFA'd. (Durbin would likely clear waivers, due to his salary/ineffectiveness in 2009, and could be back in The Pen, when rosters expand.)

The Phillies released a behind-the-scenes video from their fantasy camp, this past spring. Worth a viewing, if you are considering signing up for 2010, or just curious to see some of the players involved. Livin' the dream, baby!

Shane Victorino will return to the lineup on Tuesday night, and Rodrigo Lopez will be available out of the bullpen. With Jamie Moyer facing the hot Rockies, it's good that Moyer will have backup, and Bruntlett will be back up on the bench.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (AAA) used a fourteen-hit attack, to crush the Rochester Red Wings on Monday, 10-4. Joe Savery made his first start in AAA, and picked up the victory, with a bit of help from the small ball offense (nine singles, five doubles). Savery only permitted one run, on four hits (one double, three singles), over six innings. But, before you get too excited, he also walked five batters, whiffed zero, and pitched in trouble all night. Savery was more lucky, than good, on Monday night.
(Of course, if the IronPigs had DH'd for J.J. Furmaniak, instead of the hard-hitting Savery, the young southpaw could have helped himself with his strong bat.)
Alex Concepcion pitched the last three innings, turning a 10-1 lead into a 10-4 win, by allowing three ninth-inning runs. He was awarded a save for his efforts, which seems to be some rather questionable scoring.
After getting two hits on Sunday, and with Savery on the mound, I found it surprising that fellow Reading promotee Kevin Nelson wasn't behind the plate. John Hoover caught, instead, going three for five, with two RBI.
Michael Taylor was one for three, with a double, and two RBI.
Andrew Carpenter will start for the FeHogs, on Tuesday night, as they finish their series with Rochester.

The Reading Phillies (AA) had Monday off. They will send Mike Stutes to the mound on Tuesday, in a home matchup against the Trenton Thunder. On Wednesday, Pedro Martinez will make the start.

The Phillies spent most of their resources preparing their minor leaguers to perform on the field. But there is also off-the-field preparation, which includes training in media relations, Bark-In-The-Park preparedness, and community involvement.
The Reading Phillies were captured on video, as they worked with some of the local youth. (Or find the video here.)

Stranded in San Fran

The Phillies left eight more runners on base, in Saturday's 2-0 loss in San Francisco. Phillies' starter Joe Blanton was excellent, permitting two runs, on seven hits, in seven strong innings. He continued trekking towards a sub-4.00 ERA, leaving the proceedings on Saturday, with a 4.02 ERA. (After four starts, Blanton's ERA was at 8.41. Some more favorable BABIP and HR/9'ing, allowed Blanton to post a 1.21 July ERA.) Typically, Blanton's effort on Saturday night would have been sufficient to secure a win. However, Giants' ace Tim Lincecum was in top form, silencing the Phillies' bats.

The Phillies have been rather hideous with runners in scoring position on this road trip. They have been fortunate that some strong pitching has enabled them to split the first six games of the road trip. Batting .103 with runners in scoring position, makes scoring a bit difficult. Should Phillies fans be concerned about that ugly stat? Probably, not. There are some small sample size BABIP issues at play here.

There may also be some fatigue issues impacting the bats. The Phillies played twenty-seven games in July (20-7!). They had one game postponed, so they had to report to ballpark twenty-eight times, in thirty-one days. The sizeable Phillies' All-Star contingent had to report to the ballpark thirty times in July. With all of the games, and all of the the traveling, combined with the daily drain of having to overcompensate for the rostering of "ballplayers" named Bako/Bruntlett/Mayberry/Walker/Register, it isn't surprising that the bats would be a bit on the tired side. The August schedule includes four days off, all Mondays, so the Phils should be able to replenish their strength for the stretch run. There's nothing to worry about, especially with Cliff Lee and Disco Ben Francisco now on the ballclub.

Well, maybe there is a little more than nothing to worry about. Starting catcher Carlos Ruiz hasn't played since Thursday, when he was behind the plate for Tyler Walker's attempt at (four strikeouts in one inning) making history. Ruiz followed up his .174 June average, with a .172 average in July. Is Ruiz troubled by a nagging injury? A DL stint would by Ruiz, would create a Phillies' catching combination of Paul Bako, backed up by Paul Hoover. THAT is the stuff of nightmares.

Also troubling is a potential playoff matchup against the pitching-rich San Francisco Giants. Lincecum, Matt Cain, and a rejuvenated Barry Zito are an imposing trio. But it could be even worse than that. What if Saturday night's pitching masterpiece was authored by the Tim Lincecum CLONE? There have been few reported sightings of Lincecum Clone, since the end of the World Baseball Classic. What if the Clone shut down the Phillies on Saturday night, while the original Lincecum went to see the new Harry Potter movie (Again. For the 18th time.)? Even though the Phillies' offense is far superior to that of the Giants, it would be tough to beat four Lincecums, in a five-game series (or six, in a seven-game series). As advanced as the Phillies' organization is in the area of cloning technology, their clones are all pitching at lower levels, and won't factor in to the 2009 postseason.

Hamels faces the Giants on Sunday, as the Phils try to escape the West Coast with a 4-3 road trip. The aforementioned rejuvenated Barry Zito will be on the slab for the Giants. Look for Hamels to try to out-ace new acquisition Cliff Lee.