Sixth Inning Surge Boosts Phillies Above Braves

After trailing for a majority of the game, the Phillies pull ahead with a 5-run jump in the sixth inning.

Starting on the mound for the Phillies was Roy Halladay. He threw 3 innings, and was hit 3 times. He remained scoreless through the outing, and struck out a stellar 5 batters.

Jayson Werth started the scoring in the second inning as he blasted a 2 run homer over the center field wall.  This was just as the announcers were discussing his beard, but specifically, the "Power of the beard." Werth would finish with 2 hits in 3 at-bats, but only 2 RBIs. Werth's single would begin the 5 run rally that would ensue in the top of the sixth inning.

Making his spring-training debut today was Shane Victorino. He went 1 for 3 from the batters box after missing the first few games due to shoulder soreness.

The Phillies would rout the Braves 7-4 in 9 innings. The Phils take the field again tomorrow in a two game series, again, against the Blue Jays. Jamie Moyer will start off from the mound in the "B" game at 10 A.M. Cole Hamels will start for the Phils in the official Grapefruit League game at 1 P.M.

Kendrick Shuts Out Yankees, Phils End Up Losing 7-5

Pitching 3 innings for the Phillies today, Kyle Kendrick gave up 1 hit while taking a sombrero on strike-outs. Even without the K's, Kendrick kept the game scoreless through three. The Phils would eventually drop the contest, 7-5 on the Yankee's turf.

Kendrick is battling with veteran Jamie Moyer for the fifth spot in the Phils' rotation. Moyer has only appeared in what was dubbed a "B" game on Friday in a 2 game series with the Blue Jays. He has yet to make his true Grapefruit League start as he is still recovering from surgeries and hospital visits.

Other Phillies notables include Jimmy Rollins who blasted the first pitch of the day over the right field wall.  Also bringing the bats today were Ben Francisco, knocking an RBI double, and John Mayberry who hit a run-scoring single.

The Yankees' offense started slow but saw an upsurge in the fourth inning. What started off as a double from Nick Swisher turned into a two run single from Robinson Cano.

The Phillies return to action on Tuesday as the Doc, Roy Halladay, makes his second official Phillies appearance of the pre-season. He will take on the Braves in a 7:05 matchup. Andrew Carpenter, Danny Baez, and Ryan Madson are also scheduled to see time at the mound for the Phils.

Phils Fall to Rays in the Tenth

Again the Phillies (1-2-1) took the game to the tenth inning, yet this time they lost 5-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays.

J.A. Happ made his preseason debut, allowing 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 2 in 2 1/3 innings.

Other Phillies of interest include Dom Brown, who posted 3 hits, including a 2 run double. Also, Jimmy Rollins hit a solo homer on the day.

The Phils fall in the tenth, 5-3 to the Rays. Their next game is Monday @ 1:05 pm vs. the Pirates.

Saturday baseball recap

The Phillies visited the Pirates today and Joe Blanton got his Grapefruit debut. 

Everyone else in the starting rotation have gotten their starts and today was Blanton's day. Pitching 2 innings, he allowed five hits, three runs and struck out two. He started out slow, allowing a single, 2 doubles and a homer, but eventually retired 5 of his last six batters. 

Addressing the mid-game change in his dominance on the mound, Blanton said "I kind of changed my grip on my sinker a bit." Very glad that the man can see that it wasn't working and was able to make some productive adjustments.

Danny Baez also appeared in the game for the Phils, allowing 1 hit in two scoreless innings. Baez also struck one batter out. 

Final score of the game - a 3-all tie after 10 innings.

Two games versus the Blue Jays

The Phillies battled out two games yesterday against the Blue Jays in Clearwater losing 14-9 in the first.

Appearing on the mound for the first time this season, Cole Hamels threw two innings, giving up a run on two hits. Jose Bautista bashed a solo homerun off Hamels to centerfield during the first inning, not a great sign for the 2008 WS MVP pitcher. Hamels would finish strong though. Throwing 32 pitches, Hamels would pass 20 of them as strikes, tallying two strike outs and a walk on the outing.

Also, pitcher JC Ramirez made his first appearance as a Phillie yesterday. Ramirez was a part of the Cliff Lee trade back in December. Pitching for 1 1/3 innings, Ramirez was credited with five runs, four hits, and three walks.

From the plate, outfielder Tyson Gillies, also a part of the Cliff Lee trade, hit a solo moon shot in the sixth. For the second game in a row, Placido Polanco showed off his hitting abilities as he chipped a run-scoring single in the fifth.

The story of the other game, dubbed the "B" game on Phillies.com is Jamie Moyer's return to the mound, presenting what one would consider his "A" game. As Moyer fights for a starting postion with young-gun Kyle Kendrick, he pitched three scoreless innings, giving up three walks but striking three out. Out of the 31 pitches Moyer threw on the day, 23 were strikes. I see this as a sign that the Medicaid surgeries are paying off.

This offseason, as reported earlier, Jamie Moyer went through three surgeries and four hospital visits. Doctors worked on reparing everything from his knee, to removing an absess in his groin, and treating a blood infection. I guess when you're like 57 years old and pitching in the Bigs still, you have to deal with this sort of thing from time to time.

"I really felt like I could get back with hard work. Without any setbacks," said Moyer, and that he did. He said that he isn't treating this spring training any different than any other year. "It has been that since I walked in the door," Moyer said. "For you guys, I don't think it's been that way. But for right now, I feel pretty good"

Currently, we here at IRWT cannot find a score for this "B" game, but we'll keep looking for you.

A stellar outting by the Doc....

Roy Halladay, aka the Doc, posted an amazing two innings as the Phillies defeated '09 World Series Champion Yankees today, 3-2, in a ninth inning comeback win.

It was a wonderful matchup as it was LHP CC Sabathia v. RHP Roy Halladay right out of the gates this season.

In the Phils' first game of Grapefruit League play, with the Doc making his Phillies debut, Halladay pitched "as advertised," as Phillies.com put it. In his first two innings as a Phillie, Halladay struck out 3 batters and gave up zero hits, as well as zero runs. Out of his 24 pitches in the outing, he threw 21 strikes. I guess that's what reporting to camp every day for a few weeks before you have to actually show up gets you. Right on, Doc.

RHP Kyle Kendrick also appeared in today's game against the Yanks. This season, he is among the pitchers who are battling it out for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Today, Kendrick looked pretty good as he also pitched two scoreless innings, while only allowing one hit and striking another batter out.

More after the JUUUUUUUUMMMMMP....

First game of spring training within 24 hours...Victorino's shoulder...

LHP J.A. Happ will start the preseason for the Phillies within the next 24 hours. Happ will take the mound this preseason with a sense of security, as compared to last year where he felt he was auditioning for a spot in the bullpen.

In an article on CSNPhilly.com, Charlie Manuel said, "He earned his way in,” ... “I think we can count on him.”

Happ pitched his way from the bullpen to a starting roll, and nearly took the National League Rookie of the Year title, coming second in votes only to Casey McGehee of the Milwaukee Brewers. In his 2009 debut campaign, Happ went 12-4, with a 2.93 ERA in 35 appearances on the mound.

The Phillies skipper talked about the opening game as well, against the Florida State Seminoles, an annual tradition with the Phils.

Manuel said that he plans on using his regular starters for at least one or two at-bats in the game. The only player that won't be taking some swings against the Seminoles is CF Shane Victorino who was reported earlier as having shoulder soreness.

Some good news about Victo's arm though: Uncle Charlie said that Victorino was able to throw long toss early on today, tossing the ball up to 120 feet. He also said that his soreness is quite common in the early goings of spring training and that Shane is pretty much unfazed by it.

Victorino's status in the game against their '09 World Series competition, New York Yankees, is still unclear. More will come of that tomorrow.