There has been a lot going on with the Phillies in the past month or so: The Lee trade, the Pedro signing, the Moyer demotion, the hot streak, etc... But lost in all these headlines (for the most part) is something that has become a huge problem for the Phillies - the performance of Brad Lidge. At the beginning of the season, I said the 2 players most important to the Phillies' repeat chances were Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge. Neither are performing well right now, but Lidge is the more … [Read more...]

It's a little strange that one of the best pitchers in the history of the game will be suiting up and taking the mound for us tonight. It's just as strange that despite his pedigree, no one really knows what to expect. I usually have ways of breaking down numbers and figuring out what we should expect, but in this case, I have no idea. Despite his unspectacular minor league starts, he did show that he still has the stuff to pitch in the majors (9 hits and 16 K in 12.1 IP). The minor league … [Read more...]

So what do you think Cliff Lee is thinking right now? My guess is something along the lines of, I thought I just traded FROM one of the worst teams in baseball, not TO one. Since the Lee trade, the Phillies are 3-8, or 1-8 when Lee hasn't pitched. I'm not one to play the blame game, but if you want to, there is plenty to go around. Ryan Howard has been dreadful in clutch situations, Chase Utley has 3 RBI in his last 13 games, Raul Ibanez has 1 RBI since the Lee trade, Jayson Werth is … [Read more...]

The Sixers unveiled their new court today, and to christen it they invited a group of media (including, that's right, ReclinerGM) to play on it for a couple hours this afternoon. Dannie wasn't able to attend, so I went down and took some photos and played in a couple full court games. Before I get to the pictures, it should be noted that Philadelphia history was made when yours truly sank the first shot in "competitive" play on the new court (a 15-footer from the baseline, after the 10 of us … [Read more...]

Thanks to an unlikely sweep of the Marlins at the hands of the Nationals, the Phillies now stand 7 games up in the NL East, the largest margin in baseball. It seemed like this weekend series with the Marlins would be a big one and Florida had a chance to make up ground quickly. Now? Even a Marlins sweep keeps them 4 games out. 2009: 61-45 2008: 57-49 2007: 56-50 Player of the Series: J.A. Happ (9 IP, 4 H, o ER, 10 K, W) Goat of the Series: Jamie Moyer (5 IP, 6 ER, L) Going to keep … [Read more...]

The Phillies got a taste of what a 1st round playoff match-up with the Giants would be like, and it didn't taste good. Despite the fact that we threw our 3 best pitchers out there, and the Giants didn't start Matt Cain, the Phillies still lost the series 3-1. Bottom line is the Phillies didn't show the solid defense and good at bats that were leading their July charge. 2009: 59-44 2008: 54-49 2007: 54-49 Player of the Series: Cliff Lee (9 IP, 1 ER, W) Goat of the Series: Cole Hamels (5 … [Read more...]