That headline is in order of importance.
I freaked out this morning, but in the end the Phillies held onto Domonic Brown and upgraded their team for 2011-13 by acquiring Hunter Pence from the Astros.
Here are my quick thoughts on the deal…
- This is a win-now move. It improves us for the next several years. How much so is up for debate. Considering all the big contracts on our team are for guys in their 30′s, you can’t argue with the win-now mentality. From this perspective, it’s a good move.
- Jonathan Singleton was the biggest piece of this deal for me. At 19, he led the Phillies organization in walks up until today. He can hit for average and power, and has a very, very high upside. But, as I said, he’s 19. By the time he made an impact on the Phillies, it is likely that our World Series window would be closing, if not closed.
- I wanted to center a deal for Pence around the other major prospect that went, Jarred Cosart. Cosart is an exceptional talent, hitting 98mph on the gun, but he’s injury prone and I think his future lies as a closer. He’s high risk, high reward, and I’m OK with giving up that kind of prospect. Furthermore, we have plenty of young arms right behind him.
- I’m very happy that the 3rd and 4th prospects in this deal are mid-level guys. Josh Zeid could be a bullpen arm, but not much more, and the 4th TBD player isn’t supposed to be anyone big. If we had thrown in a Trevor May or Brody Colvin to this deal, I would say we heavily overpaid. As is, I think we slightly overpaid.
- Why did we overpay? Because while Pence is good player, he is not a great player. He’s a .280 hitter who doesn’t walk a ton. He’ll hit about 25 HR a year and give you 30 2B. His OPS is around .800 in a hitter’s park. He’s a little above average with the glove and on the base paths, but nothing special. He’s an excellent addition, don’t get me wrong, but he is overrated by many because of his notoriety, all-star appearances and quirky play.
- Speaking of which, I think Phillies’ fans will love Pence much like they did Aaron Rowand. He plays his ass off and is very easy to like.
- I’m a little concerned at what Pence will cost in arbitration. I’ve heard numbers in the $10 million+ range, but that is for another day.
All in all, it’s exciting to have Hunter Pence aboard. This trade did absolutely nothing to hurt our team in 2011, and certainly improves our offense (though it would improve it more if he was replacing Ibanez, not Brown as everyone expects) and World Series chances.
Maybe Singleton and Cosart become stars, and maybe we could have gotten more for them. But I’m not going to let that sour me at all. We are watching one of the best teams in Philadelphia history, and it just got better.
Welcome to Philly, Hunter. Let’s go get a ring.
Blog note: We are obviously changing some stuff with the blog, but as our web designer was in the middle of it, she had a personal emergency. So… it is what it is for now. Thanks for your patience.
I second this. And add that it’s not a sure thing singleton could have made the switch to OF.
Glad to see you’ve calmed down Pete. I was really enjoying your #stopthemadness tweets every 30 seconds today, doing everything in your power to debunk the belief that Hunter Pence is a premier OFer.
I know people are saying a lot of things right now, but I did hear this: When told that Singleton and Cosart were not enough, RAJ offered Brown. Wade didn’t want Brown and chose Zeid and the other PTBNL instead. I think it’s preposterous, but you never know…it is Ed Wade.
I’m pretty happy with the trade. Yes, Singleton and Cosart will probably be very good big leaguers one day, but with this team when you’re this close, you need to go all in. We still have Brown, Worley, and a bunch of other good arms in the low minors, so I’m not too concerned about mortgaging the future.
RAJ didn’t sound like he was going to make any more moves. Said he’s very comfortable with the “kids” in the bullpen, and cautiously optimistic about Lidge and Contreras contributing soon. I don’t see us making a big play for Bell or Adams. I did like that he said he “doesn’t believe” in rental players which is why he wouldn’t give up Cosart for Beltran. That philosophy is so all-or-nothing and the success rate is so small, it makes me feel a little better that RAJ doesn’t like those kind of deals.
GREAT DAY TO BE A PHILLY FAN.
Where did you hear about that? Jayson Stark tweeted that Wade demanded 2 additional top prospects including Biddle.
Maybe we’ll never know.
I’d also like to add that, while some are not that high on Pence, keep in mind he’ll now be surrounded by better hitters who” helped create” the Jayson Werth myth.
good point, Dino. I was just about to mention the “philly effect”. His numbers could improve during his time here.
So now -who sits ? Brown or Ibanez ? Does Brown go to LF or platoon with Pence ? Has Brown ever played LF ?
Brown will most likely go back to AAA until September.
Mixed on this decision.
Ibanez still has serious streak potential, and Brown will likely need some time in LF.
But Brown is better. So. Whatever.
Knowing Charlie he’ll probably stick with his loyalty and Ibanez. I expect Brown to be sent down to transition LF.
However, if it was me making the decision I would try to play Brown/Ibanez 70/30. They could send down Mayberry. Who knows maybe they’ll get rid of Francisco.
“I’m a little concerned at what Pence will cost in arbitration. I’ve heard numbers in the $10 million+ range, but that is for another day.”
Pence won’t cost more than Ibanez is currently costing. He is better in every aspect and still in his prime.
Is there any way Amaro can trade Oswalt in the offseason for picks?
Not only is he a free agent this year, but you can’t trade draft picks in MLB.
Oswalt is not a free agent. The club option is for 16 mil, or a 2 mil buyout. If they pick it up, he’s a free agent after 2012.
Agree, Brown is better than Ibanez, his OBP is 50 pts higher. But I don’t want him sitting on the bench and he doesn’t play LF…or hasn’t yet. Let him play ini triple A till sept. 1
For what it’s worth, Jim Bowden on ESPN INSIDER summed up the trade as an “A” for the Phillies and a “C” for the Astros. While a large part of his reasoning for those grades are based on the the fact that the Astros got prospects that were far from playing in the major leagues, he also felt that both Cosart and Singleton were overrated by many. He cited Cosart’s work ethic and history of injuries, and Singleton’s below average defense and long swing which made them questionable impact major league players. He was a bit kinder to Singleton as saying that he had a chance to be an above average hitter in the big leagues.
He labeled Pence as a winner, and lauded Amaro for again getting a very good player for several years.
I have to say, I like this deal. That may only be because I was afraid of giving up Brown and Worley and we ended up holding on to both, but I like it. I will say again that I don’t think they needed to go big like this. Especially paying such a high price for a guy whose talent and worth are both perceptions based on the happy accident of circumstance (the team he’s, the supply/demand of the 2011 trade market).
I’m not sure we would have been just as well off going after a Ryan Ludwick/Josh Willingham type for much less. That said, if they felt they were going to have to part ways with a top prospect(s) and send Brown back down to Lehigh Valley for two months in order to accomodate a new outfielder on the roster then I understand them going all out and getting the best piece on the market.
Ah, well, like Pete said, let’s go get that ring.
I agree with the Werth analogy. Pence is not a guy who can carry a team- but he will be in a perfect position in Philly. I don’t know much about the Astro’s line-up, but I presume that he will be getting better pitches in the Phillies line-up. He also won’t have to produce every game for the team to win. I don’t know if his numbers will improve at CBP, and he won’t put up Werth numbers- but he will help balance out the line-up and gets bonus points for “fit.”
How much have the Phillies farm prospects been given a value boost as a result of the previous generation of quality home grown talent? Other teams are banking on the prospects traded away these last 3 years turning into Howard/Utley/Rollins/Vic/Hamels/Madson. So basically the Phillies get extra in return for their prospects simply because they have built a track record of success.
Pence busted his ass for Astros, will do the same here. What you saw is what you’ll get. Nice player.
Vic was a Rule 5 pick, not homegrown; point taken about Phils’ catchet and bigger-eyed outside evaluations though.
How them Sixers doin’, tk76? 2011, the Petri Dish Summer. At least, they’re practicin’ Tweets.
With regards to the Sixers- I’ve clearly decided to back the wrong horse.
The other Philly teams all all first class- and maybe new ownership will raise the Sixers to be worth following.
I like b-ball too, but the NBA’s a troubled league/watered-down product and the Sixers, even with Collins’ fresh paint, are, once again, a ’money pit’ or a ‘teardown’ in my opinion. We’ve just endured a Wharton whippersnapper. Must we suffer another?
Have some fun. As the late gentleman announcer By Saam used to cordially intone, “Good evening, fans. It’s Philadelphia Phillies baseball time!”
On second thought, By may have led with “Hello, everybody.”
Thank goodness
I like the deal and here’s why:
How many times over the years have we either done nothing or something marginal at the deadline? Granted, many times it was pointless to have even bothered (which is sad). That, however, is exactly what I am getting at: it is not pointless now.
Having followed this team for many years, I find it interesting how the perspective has changed. It used to be that we would not acquire or not keep players because we would not go the extra year or the extra money or the extra prospect to do so, and the general feeling was either that the club was cheap or didn’t care enough about putting a winner on the field, etc… Now it seems there is at least a fair amount who feel that we are overpaying too much either in years or in dollars or in prospects to construct our club.
The thing is that, as I said, the perspective has changed. We now have a WS-caliber club, a good farm system, and lots of money coming in, and Amaro understands that. He knows why we are filling up CBP every night. He knows the opportunity we have to win now and over the next few years and he is going for it, not letting a few years or dollars or prospects stand in the way of that. Some may call that overpaying. I call it the cost of putting a WS-caliber club on the field every year, and I am glad he is doing it.
I am not dismissing the overpaying argument. Not every acquisition, trade, and contract has worked out the way we hoped it would (nor will they all going forward), but enough of them have to get us to where we are today and to keep us here (hopefully for a least a few more years). I too believe that these extra years and dollars and prospects that we have been spending will most likely catch up with us at some point. Thing is, how willing are you to gamble in any given year that we are good enough to win the WS as is, and that enough of our prospects will consistently develop into MLB players good enough to maintain us as a WS-caliber club and extend our window of opportunity into the future (and for how long) to the extent that we do not make these trades or sign the free agents like we have been doing?
I am not saying that my viewpoint is correct. I offer that it has been developed over the course of a whole lot of lean years, consisting of lousy teams with rosters populated by too many marginal players that had me wondering why I even spent the time I did to follow them.
What I am saying is that we are now in year five of this run and it appears as though we can look forward to at least a couple more, and I am liking this a whole lot more than the teams we had for far too many years, and that produced the seasons that were basically over by the all-star break (if not before), not that long ago. The goal is to win at the major league level. We have been and we continue to do that, and I will give the GM who is proving to be successful at doing that, and is not timid in pursuit of that success, the benefit of the doubt and enjoy the ride.
Kevin Sefcik’s RF%, .988; Hunter Pence’s, .985
I’ve never been head over heels enamored with Hunter Pence’s game. Just sorting through the acquisition side, let alone the cost, I wasn’t real excited about him as a prospective Phil. To put it in the most visible terms, I’d say that to this point, he’s a lesser version of what Jayson Werth was while here and playing well, and in particular, defensively.
But the fact is, that while 28 is not young, it’s the exact start of when a player is considered to be starting his prime. Couple that with perfectly timed departure from the only professional organization he’s known, and there’s a lot of room to think we have a lot of spirit and enthusiasm accompanying his huge gain in the standings. Not to downplay his leaving home after so many years, but the change, and presence of good teammates should be real good.
The end result of this is a real nice foundation is laid for a hard working, seemingly solid citizen to add to his contributions and skill set in a winning environment. The prospects are always evaluated on projected ability. A guy like Pence is seen for what he is. With the change, the entry into prime years, and no doubt other motivating factors, I look forward to his being an ceven better player than he’s been, which has been good enough for most people in the first place.
Hunter Pence…sounds like he’s already closed the past, and is totally fired up to join the club.
http://www.975thefanatic.com/teams/phillies/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10265110
Good pass, Ken.
good article about the trade by Neyer
http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/7/30/2304866/hunter-pence-trade-phillies-analysis-news
Interesting piece. Thanks, Dino.
poor Ibanez – they just bury him. I don’t think Brown is better than him right now.
Rollins is bringing it tonight.
Lee threw 121 pitches last night…just when I was thinking that he may have finally oiftened his aversion to overworking starters, he keeps Lee into the 8th with a 7-2 lead
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/6820161/mlb-hunter-pence-feels-brotherly-love-philadelphia-phillies-fans
I know it is just two games, but Pence’s impact is making a huge difference– look at Howard and Ibanez with multiple hits. Hopefully, more will come and more with Pence making the hits. GO PHILS!!
What is the latest on Oswalt? Hopefully he can come back for that Giants series in SF.
Let’s back up on Oswalt and review where he is before going forward.
His first rehab start was as you’d expect, a workout, and not convincing material. He was rusty early, throwing 21 balls, = strikes through 2 innings. He settled in, 12 pitch 3rd, worked up to 72 pitches on a goal of 60, reached 90 mph, 2 walks, 1 homer. 41 K, 31 balls. Encouraging, not convincing, though you don’t expect that.
Oswalt went into the game seemingly with a goal of doing only 1 rehab. That’s an interpretation of saying more than once, “I may only need 1 rehab.” It seemed pretty apparent from the ball strike ratio as he went on that more than 1 rehab would be good, and he confirmed that right after the game.
Positively, no physical limitations have been reported since last Wednesday’s outing.
Now, hopefully his last rehab is Monday at Scranton. What a place to spend a summer night, but I guess that’s besides the point, and not embellishing to the Scranton Chamber. It’s possible that he didn’t even try to break 90 last time, and may not again, but at a minimum, we’ll be looking for continued improvement of his command since the 3rd inning of his last start. Get that, and he’ll very likely be scheduled to go Saturday with the idea of 6 quality innings. And he’ll probably get it.
By the end of August, you’ll be seeing the same pitcher that you did last year. A very, very good one.
Down the stretch and into last playoffs and into the beginning of this season, Oswalt was the Phils best pitcher no disrespect to the Doc and Hollywood.
Well, I agree on the last year portion of the statement. Roy was steady and dependable early this year, but nothing special. To my way of thinking, at least.
But he was Roy Freaking Oswalt last year, no question.
And to be candid, I almost feel like putting it in “mark my words” territory in projecting a terrific finish for him this year.
I’m led to believe that short term, his back trouble is finally under control, which should free him up to be the pitcher he is. I figure 3-4 build up starts, and he’ll remind people more of the Roy oswalt that was one of the games really great pitchers for a long time.
You have to understand this guy’s want for a ring. He is driven. And as nothing appears to be in his way health wise, and an environment of equal emotions surrounding him, he’s gonna get it done.
The back is an issue in long life terms. But less so now. We’ll see if it plays out that way, but I feel quite confident it will.
If you watched Hunter Pence’s press conference after the game Sunday, there’s something extremely telling in it. A large portion of his comments talked about the opportunity and available factors to learn. That is one bright approach. And it again speaks to the malarkey that is trade evaluation that always seems to evaluate the acquisition as a finished product, versus the dealt, who all they talk about is project.
This young man is 28. 28 is the start of prime time. There is room for further development, and improvement. Those are results of learning. I’m not saying he’ll go from Lou Brock level of play at St. Cloud to the guy who brought back the Redbird’s ability to spread wings, but Hunter really seems like a near perfect acquisition.
I am OK with the trade. They still won’t beat the Giants, Yanks, or Red Sox, but this now makes them favorites against the Braves or Brewers, where prior they weren’t. This time next year we will have two more exciting prospects to take Cosarts and Singletons place.
That OK seems to be a reluctant OK I take it. All understandable. As long as they can handle the Giants, I will be fine. Let’s see what that middle order for the Phils can do from here on out!
they’ve already beaten the Red Sox. I agree the Giants could still be a problem but they were a favorite against everyone else.
You can’t dismiss the Red Sox that easy; though if their “3 starter Buchholz is out for the year, it will be a major blow to their chances of winning a WS this year.
Ah, classic blind leading the blind. Between the original opinion, and the follow the leaders playing darts with targets they don’t know, the balance of power that took place with the trade deadline that was PRONOUNCED goes totally unnoticed. Why am I not surprised. Pitching, pitching, pitching. Always and forever.
I’m really into this 1 game at a time focus the Phils often talk about. Seems they have the mindset down. It’s not unique. Championship endeavors in all walks of life are born of focus, but it’s for sure that it’s working here.
Yet, goals of longer term are a winner’s best friend. A 100 win year was readily discussed when Cliff and Kristen Lee made a wintertime decision last December. It became “official” when one of the numerous faces of the franchise, Jimmy Shortstop rolled into Clearwater. That was all prior to 1 of the games still best players went down, but it didn’t get as far away as foreign language based on a rotation of pitching, pitching and more pitching.
Along the way, other goals have been mixed in on a shorter term basis. One such goal was in my own mind. The timing was ironic. On Wednesday July 6 (I think), the Phils were in the process of losing their second 4-0 lead in 3 days. I sat there during that game, and looked at the schedule, concluding that 30 over .500, enroute to the century qualifier of 38 over by month’s end fit. A nice fit within the scheme of setting goals a little high, and shoot for the sky.
The Phils failed to achieve this goal. They enter August a mere 29 games over .500. Let me repeat that, the way I still sometimes do to cure disbelief when I remind myself that Cliff Lee is a Phillie. 29 games over .500. As we enter August.
Burning obsessions to get the ring on the minds of several key personnel practically eliminate any chance of complacency from this unit. So it seems a decent time to examine what the 29 over translates to.
The Phils have a magic number of 45 to clinch a wild card berth. That’s 45-10 with zero help.
A record of 32-23 gets to JRoll’s 100 mark. Feel free to bet against that with the adds of Roy oswalt and Hunter Pence staring you in the face.
To me, the kicker is the 30-25 needed to beat the Vegas o/u season win number. A clinchable payoff 2 weeks before the season ends. You have to be chancey to bet a season win total of over 98 with all that could go wrong, and really has when you look at the injuries. Yet this could be an early accomplishment.
Well, there is a game tonight, so resting on your laurels can be dangerous to your health. But no matter what happens the rest of the way, there’s zero wrong with saluting the greatness that’s been so far.
Danny Baez has been released!
Danys was havin’ a bang-up year – he’d throw and batters would bang it up.
the only surprise about Danys’ release is that it happened so soon. I figured they’d wait until Sept
dissappointing outing by Hamels. Bitten by the long ball again. Disappointing offense. Are we the only team that doesn’t hit homers in Coors?
Where’s that edit button when you need it?
Awesome AB by my man Maybery there
I don’t want to “jinx” the Phillies, but the stars have been aligned for us all year. Bastardo now has a 1.31 ERA; Madson throws 8 pitches, 6 for strikes, pretty much duplicating his last outing. It seems like the heroes change daily.
And the D=Backs are now a game behind the Giants.
Now that that nice pesky little team is 7 games back it is time to make a statement in San Fran. We can also assist AZ and perhaps leave San Fran on the outside looking in come October. I believe I am correct to say that with Oswalt’s return we have our full squad (minus only Contreras). Yes full squad as Worley is as good or better than Blanton. It is pretty incredible to be this healthy at this time of year and probably the healthiest team in the league. Let’s hope they stay that way. To get to 117 wins they can only lose 6 more games
.
After 5 games, I like the Pence deal as much for chemistry as anything. Although not measurable by stats, he seems to bring an attitude that has and will energize this team. It would be nice if sabermetrics found a way to measure that.
I have found that sabremetrics is like the religion and science debate. For those married to sabermetrics, it holds the fallacy of science – and that fallacy is “if it isn’t measurable, it isn’t real.” That is where it errs. If it isn’t measurable, it isn’t measureable, that doesn’t make it unimportant or unreal. It is simply a limitation of the science. There is reality that it can’t measure.
After 5 games, I like the Pence deal as much for chemistry as anything. Although not measurable by stats, he seems to bring an attitude that has and will energize this team. It would be nice if sabermetrics found a way to measure that.
I have found that sabremetrics is like the religion and science debate>>
Well, let’s see. I guess what this breaks down to is that the sabermetric side of the arguement, or scientific one is that Pence has played 3 games with the Phils. The religious side, based on faith would be that the world and Hunter Pence continue to flourish, and play at least 2 more games together since he has only played 3 with his new employer.
I meant 3
I don’t give it much thought these days, but when politics somewhat fascinated me, I used to wonder where a politician crossed the line of neglecting current duties by hitting the road and glad handing would be voters. Kinda the same thing with an agent.
Right now, Jimmy’s representation, I would think, remains focussed on attempting to extend his career with the Phils. But at some point, perhaps even before now, the multi task reequirement has to start thinking of where viable options might exsist. I wouldn’t venture a confident guess at that, wholly based on very limited knowledge of top of the farm prospects, but I did come up with 1 possibility, that depth in the system not considered. I get a kick out of the views of this Braves club. I mean it’s so damned easy to sound articulate on a baseball opinion, and when you have the tag of baseball identity, people listen. They don’t necessarily agree, but the groundswell effect of that opinion multiplying is fascinating. The Braves offensively remind me of the Phillies defensively. Most of the personnel is good, competent, effective, solid. Obviously, I’m groping for the right word, but it’s something positive. But the weak spots are such a freaking drag, it’s so easy to be concerned about it.
This Michael Bourne additions was outstanding, as many have voiced. But the taken effect, like it’s over the top? Whoa, Nellie! I don’t wanna get too into Dan Uggla or Jason Heyward, but one guy I can’t see carrying his weight under any circumstance (doesn’t mean he won’t) is their shortstop, Alex Gonzalez. Years like Adam Dunn’s help him avoid worst offensive performer in the game, but he is such a drag on that lineup. His deal is up at year end, and it’s possible the Braves think he’s more of an asset than I see him defensively, but I can’t help but think that Atlanta might be a viable option for Jimmy, should processing get that far.
Jimmy gettin’ a little thick, quarter-step slower, as is time’s custom. Atlanta can have ‘em after this season, IF Phils can find younger equivalence elsewhere. Not an easy task. Polanco, Halladay, Oswalt, Lee, Pence … can Tulo be the organization’s next invitee to the soiree in William Penn’s Woods?
Phils will reup Rollins at 25-30 mill for 3 years. I expect to hear the announcement in the next 2-3 weeks. He has quitely had an outstanding play in the field and plate in the last 30-45 games. I don’t think he has the desire or stomach to spend the twilight of his career with the Braves, an arch-enemy his whole career. Most current ball-players wouldn’t care about that if the money is right, but Jimmy is a throw-back that way.
Yes, Damon went from Boston to the Yanks, but Damon wasn’t born and bred in Boston.
I think Jimmy probably comes back too, but i think they try to lock up Hamels before they turn attention to him.
That would be a sentimenttal decision for a soon-to-be 33 yr old SS. But Phillies aren’t immune to that.
sedimental spelling above
What else does this team need bullpen wise and can it be achieved through the waiver wire? Any interest in a left-handed PH? Mayberry is our solid righty, and I’m glad we have him!
Jonathan Sanchez will replace Barry Zito on Friday. Well, Sanchez returns for the Giants and Oswalt should return on Sunday. I am looking forward to that series. I think the Phillies know that it will come down to beating the Giants in the postseason in order to move forward (unless of course the D-Backs can win that NL West!)
LET’S GO PHILS (AND D-BACKS)!!
Personally, I think Phils are set. I haven’t seen this much talent and this much gusto on one squad since the ’74-’75 Flyers. Replacing Dom with Pence in RF is akin to the Flyers’ acquisition of Reggie “The Rifle” Leach, centerman Bobby’s friend, to replace a fading Bill “Cowboy” Flett on RW. You know what followed. Now it’s up to the starters to pitch some zeroes in Oct. like Bernie.
agreed – now they have to do one of the toughest things in sports. Win it all as the favorite.
Looks like we have a new Cy Young leader in Kershaw. He seems to have kicked it into another gear while Halladay and Hamels have gone into cruise control.
13 wins on a lousy team – 30 more ks than Halladay (2nd place), comparable WHIP and ERA.
gotta give it to him if the season ended today.
It’s a really great competition setting up is the way I look at it, as opposed to a leader at this point. These are guys both having worthy years. Doc loses an edge he usually has in innings pitched, in that it’s tied, and along the same lines, his complete game syndrome isn’t dominant, 1t 6-4. The WHIP factor is interesting, because Doc’s walked 19, Kshaw 42, but Clayton’s got him on BAA, .212 to .238, so it’s kind of offsetting the walk differential. The .25 ERA difference strikes me as more than close, it’s to Doc’s advantage.
If the season ended today, I’d vote for a 1 game playoff between the 2 so I could decide. But the season doesn’t end today.
That AL race is pretty tough, too.
Be kinda funny if the LA market (Weaver) swpt the CY’s, with no playoff entry, or if somehow Matt Kemp won MVP, and CK the CY, and the Dodgers finished as poorly as their season has gone.
Through 5 innings tonight Kendrick has lowered his era to 3.31. For him that is an incredible number. It’s lower than King Felix whose game is just getting underway. Tied with Tim Hudson. Lower than Pineda, Marcum, Gallardo, Price and Carpenter. Who would have thought that would happen this late in the season.
He’s done a credible plus job, is one way to put it. ERA doesn’t take away the high runners on tendency, but give him credit.
Take away the you’re pitching in 15 minute assignment he drew against the Rox when he gave up 5 earned runs in 3 innings, and he’s probably below 2.9.
KK wraps his night at 3.19, and minus the 15 minute assignment alluded to, his ERA is 2.78.
Kendrick is living somewhere within the aphorism, “a rising tide lifts all boats.”
Kendrick locating his sinker better & thowing a change that appears to be at least halfway decent. I haven’t looked at his “predictive” stats, but i give him some credit for working on his game & showing at least some degree of improvement. Not every team has a guy who can shuffle back & forth between the bullpen. Its a useful role, if not a sensational one.
Great day for the Phillies– Phils win 5-0, Kendrick awesome, Braves lose, Brewers lose, Giants lose and D-backs win!! Awesome, let’s put the Avalanche on the Rockies!
I don’t know where Halladay misplaced “it” but I hope he finds it soon. this is about 6 straight lacklusters….
Do you even BOTHER researching ANYTHING you say? He gave up ONE HIT his LAST start. And 2 ER in 8 IP the start before.
I don’t know why I even bother responding to your nonsense anymore…
Just seems like everything is more of a struggle lately for him. We need him to be lights out to win the title.
“Halladay is 4-1 with a 2.16 ERA and two complete games over his last seven starts.”
My bad…don’t know why it didn’t seem that way to me.
Doc’s last start was easy to lose in the shuffle. Large early lead, and all the HP discussion. And this is Coors. Maddux was 8-2 w/ a 5 plus ERA in this park (not to be confused w/ Mile High).
So, I see ya’ll are enjoying the game this afternoon.
My man is heating up….
Not Seth Smith’s afternoon.
Gets his 1st homer off a lefty this year. Give the man a case of tastycakes.