Non-Roster & 40-Man…

Friday was a busy day around the rizzotti-and-bozied.jpgPhillies organization. While we haven’t even made it to Thanksgiving yet, it seems the Phils are making headlines everyday with some sort of news. Let’s take a look back at just what is going on around the organization.

First, the Phillies announced on Friday that they invited 12 players to spring training. Tagg Bozied, who spent the 2010 season in Baseballtown, and finished with a league-best .315 batting average, was among the 12 invitees. Bozied was a staple in the R-Phils lineup, and hit 27 home runs and drove-in 92 RBIs. Among the notable names receiving an invite include, Josh Barfield, Brandon Moss, Eddie Bonine, and Dan Meyer.

Second, the Phillies added five players to their 40-man roster, which put the roster at the limit. Four of the five players spent 2010 in Baseballtown. Here’s a look at the four who played for the R-Phils in 2010, along with my end of the season notes on each…

Justin De Fratus — Promoted to Reading
from Clearwater
(A+) on 7/7… Appeared in 20 games… Saved six games in seven chances… Posted a
1-0 mark, 2.05 ERA with five saves on the road (18 games)… Lefties hit just
.140 against him, while righties hit .250… With RISP, batters hit just .125 (16
AB)… With RISP w/2 outs, batters hit .000 (0-9, 1 BB)… Posted a 1-0 mark with
one save and a 1.64 ERA in July (8 games)… Posted a 1-0 mark with six saves and
a 1.59 ERA after the All-Star break (18 games)…

Freddy Galvis — Led the Eastern League with a .982 fielding %…
Had the most putouts (220), most assists (393), and total chances (624) for all
E.L. shortstops… Hit .280 with two home runs and 42 RBIs with RISP… Hit .295
with RISP/ 2outs (61 at-bats)… Had at least three hits in eight games,
including a season high four-hit game on 4/27 vs. Harrisburg… Had 24 multi-hit games…

Harold Garcia — Promoted to Reading
Garcia_Harold_7-23-10_full.jpgon 7/7 from Clearwater
(A+)… Had four RBIs on 7/28 @ RIC… Had
20 multi-hit games…  Had a 13-game hit
streak from 7/28-8/10… Had 11 at-bats as a third baseman and hit .364 (4-11)…
Hit .312 batting second, while just .233 batting first… Hit .368 with one home
run and 28 RBIs with RISP (57 ABs)… Four of his five home runs were solo home
runs… Had a four-hit game on 7/28… Scored at least two runs in a game five
times… Stole two bases in a game twice… Had an RBI in five-straight games
(8/28-31)… Hit .313 with two home runs and 17 RBIs over 23 games in July…

Matt Rizzotti — Named to the Eastern League Season Ending All-Star team… Won an Eastern
League Player of the Month award for the month of June… Eastern League Player
of the Week for the week-ending June 27… Was an Eastern League All-Star, and participated
in the E.L. Home Run Derby…
Named as a Philadelphia
Phillies Minor League Player of the Month for May… Hit .377 in May (17 games)
with four home runs and 14 RBIs… Hit two home runs and drove-in five RBIs on
5/26… Hit .369 in June with seven home runs and 24
RBIs (27 games)… Had a season-high two home runs and five RBIs on 5/26… Had a
five-hit game on 7/26 @ RIC… Had 28-multi-hit games… Had at least two RBIs in a
game 14 times… Hit .364 with 11 home runs and 57 RBIs with runners on base… Hit
.368 with six home runs and 46 RBIs with RISP…

Bozied Invited to Philies Camp…

Congrats to Tagg Bozied, who was bozied_tagg_9-1-10_full.jpgamong 12 players invited to Spring Training by the Phillies earlier today, as announced by Phillies Assistant GM Scott Proefrock.

I am going to work on a piece about Bozied, who was very impressive in his first campaign in Baseballtown. He led the Eastern League with a .315 batting average, and was named as Double-A Hitter of the Year by MiLB. More to come on Tagg a bit later.

For now, below is the press release straight from Philadelphia.

The Phillies have invited 12 players to Spring Training as
non-roster invitees.

Here are their names and bios from the Phillies
press release:

  •  Josh Barfield, INF … Barfield, 27, spent last
    season with triple-A Portland in the San Diego Padres organization
    where he batted .294 with five home runs and 36 RBI in 78 games. For
    his major league career, he has hit .264 with 16 home runs and 112 RBI
    in 309 games between the Padres (2006) and Cleveland Indians (2007-09).
    Barfield’s father, Jesse, spent 12 seasons in the majors between the
    Blue Jays and Yankees from 1981-92.
  • Eddie Bonine, RHP … The 29-year-old Bonine spent
    his first full season in the major leagues with Detroit where he went
    4-1 with a 4.63 ERA in 47 appearances (one start). A Rule 5 draft
    selection of the Tigers in 2005, Bonine set career highs in wins,
    appearances and innings (68.0) in 2010. In 62 career appearances in the
    majors, he has posted a 7-3 record with a 4.74 ERA.
  • Tagg Bozied, INF/OF … In 104 games for double-A
    Reading last season, Bozied, 31, batted .315 and led all Phillies minor
    leaguers with 27 home runs and 92 RBI. The Eastern League All-Star also
    led the league in batting average, on-base percentage (.402) and
    slugging percentage (.631). Bozied appeared at both first and third
    base as well as left and right field for Reading.
  • Ryan Feierabend, LHP … Feierabend, 25, spent
    last season between three levels of the Seattle Mariners organization
    after missing the entire 2009 season due to “Tommy John” surgery. In
    2010, he appeared in 25 games (24 starts) and went 5-8 with a 5.14 ERA
    between triple-A Tacoma, double-A West Tennessee and single-A High
    Desert. Feierabend has appeared in 25 major league games (19 starts),
    all for Seattle (2006-08).
  • Erik Kratz, C … In 70 games last season for
    triple-A Indianapolis in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, Kratz,
    30, hit .274 with nine home runs and 41 RBI. The native of Telford, PA,
    batted .336 over a 36-game span in May and June to earn a promotion to
    Pittsburgh in July. Kratz collected two hits in his big league debut,
    July 17 against Houston.

  • Jeff Larish, INF … Larish, 28, split last season
    between four teams in the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics
    organizations. He began the year with triple-A Toledo and appeared in
    three games with the Tigers in late July before being claimed off
    waivers by the A’s on August 3. After playing in eight games with
    triple-A Sacramento, he finished the season with the A’s where he
    appeared in 24 contests. Following the season, Larish, a .224 hitter
    with eight home runs and 32 RBI in 101 major league games, played for
    Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League.
  • Dan Meyer, LHP … A native of Woodbury, N.J.,
    Meyer, 29, spent last year in the Florida Marlins organization. He
    spent the majority of the season with triple-A New Orleans where he
    went 1-2 with two saves and a 3.38 ERA in 32 games. In 2009, Meyer
    appeared in a career-best 71 games for the Marlins, posting a 3.09 ERA
    and holding opponents to a .219 batting average. For his major league
    career, he has gone 3-9 with two saves and a 5.46 ERA in 103 games
    (seven starts) for Atlanta (2004), Oakland (2007-08) and Florida
    (2009-10).
  • Matt Miller, OF … A Pacific Coast League
    All-Star in 2010, Miller, 27, hit .325 with 10 home runs and 81 RBI in
    136 games for triple-A Colorado Springs. He led the team in hits (165)
    and runs scored (90) and finished second in RBI. Miller finished the
    season with a .345 batting average with runners in scoring position.
  • Brandon Moss, OF … Moss, 27, spent the majority
    of the 2010 season with triple-A Indianapolis where he batted .266 with
    22 home runs and 96 RBI in 136 games. He led the team in several
    offensive categories including hits (133), home runs, RBI and runs
    scored (73). In 2008, Moss was a part of the three-team trade between
    the Red Sox, Dodgers and Pirates that included Manny Ramirez and Jason
    Bay. For his major league career, Moss has hit .238 with 15 home runs
    and 78 RBI in 244 games between the Red Sox (2007-08) and Pirates
    (2008-10).
  • Pete Orr, INF … Orr, 31, hit .264 with 12 home
    runs and 45 RBI in 137 games for triple-A Syracuse in the Washington
    Nationals organization. He led the team in hits (129), doubles (32) and
    runs scored (63). For his major league career, Orr has hit .260 with
    three home runs and 35 RBI in 347 games for the Braves (2005-07) and
    Nationals (2008-09).
  • Juan Perez, LHP … The 32-year-old Perez spent
    last season with triple-A Albuquerque in the Los Angeles Dodgers
    organization where he was 4-3 with one save and a 2.96 ERA in 45
    appearances. For his major league career, he is 0-1 with a 5.17 ERA in
    24 games for Pittsburgh (2006-07). Perez is currently pitching for
    Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League.
  • Dane Sardinha, C … Sardinha, 31, was also a
    non-roster invitee to Phillies spring training in 2010. He spent the
    majority of his season with triple-A Lehigh Valley where he hit .207
    with five home runs and 24 RBI in 67 games. Sardinha also appeared in
    13 games for the Phillies and belted his first major league home run in
    his debut with the team on June 24 against Cleveland.

Renovate, Celebrate…

So far, itweston center_2_full.jpg has been another exciting week here in Baseballtown. The $10 Million Renovations are well underway, and progress is really being made quickly here at America’s Classic Ballpark. I am really getting excited for 2011. I can’t wait for April 14, 2011 — the home opener!! Let the countdown to Opening Day begin…

This week, the R-Phils gave fans another great reason to come out to Reading in 2011 with the announcement of the brand-new Weston Center Perfect Smiles Stage. Entertainment will be taken to a new level and I’m really looking forward to all the new possibilities right here at FirstEnergy Stadium.

There are so many other great additions coming to America’s Classic Ballpark, and a great way to keep up with the $10 Million Renovations during the off-season, is to check out the latest videos from R-Phils Video Director Andy Kauffman — great stuff! Make sure you check out his latest masterpiece — a video thanking the construction workers. Even the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor makes an appearance in this one!

Also, another great way to stay up-to-date with the Renovations is to take a tour of the ballpark. That’s right, you can even come out and see things first-hand! As a fan, there are so many ways to stay up-to-date this off-season! We look forward to keeping you in-the-loop. Thanks for your support! 

On a personal note, yesterday (November 16), was my one-year anniversary with the R-Phils, and I couldn’t be happier to begin my second year here. Year one was everything I could have hoped for, and I am looking forward to embarking on an exciting year two! Thanks to everyone who has made that possible.

Welcome Back (to the organization)…

He was drafted by the Sandberg_Rphils4X6.jpgPhillies in 1978. He spent 1980 in Reading. He’s a Reading Baseball Hall of Famer. His number is retired in Reading. Who is he?

His name is Ryne Sandberg and he’s back in the Phillies organization.

Earlier today, the Phillies announced that MLB Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg will be the manager of Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2011. And, while the R-Phils will have a new manager in 2011 too, and, while I would have loved to see the former R-Phil back in Baseballtown, the fact that he is back in the Phillies organization is a huge plus — even if he’s not in Reading.

Let’s check out the press release straight from Philadelphia:

Sandberg, 51, spent the last four seasons as a manager in the
Chicago Cubs’ minor league system with Class-A Peoria (2007-08),
Double-A Tennessee (2009) and Triple-A Iowa (2010). He led his clubs to
two first-place finishes and, overall, has a managerial record of
284-277-1 (.505). This past season, his first as a triple-A manager,
Sandberg was named Manager of the Year in the Pacific Coast League
after leading the Iowa Cubs to a tie for the best record in the
Northern Division (82-62).

A 2005 inductee to Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame, Sandberg
was a 10-time National League All-Star and won nine Gold Gloves and
seven Silver Slugger awards during his 16-year career (1981-94,
1996-97). He was originally drafted by the Phillies in 1978 and made
his major league debut with the club in 1981, appearing in 13 games.
Sandberg finished his career with a .285 batting average, 282 home
runs, 1,061 RBI and 344 stolen bases in 2,164 games. At the time of his
retirement, his 277 home runs as a second baseman was a major league
record.

The remainder of the Phillies’ 2011 player development staff will be announced at a later date.

As far as Sandberg, and his ties to Reading, In 1980, “Ryno” hit .310 with 11 home runs and 79 RBIs for the R-Phils in 129 games. He, along with George Bell, Mark Davis, Bob Dernier, and Ozzie Virgil, led Reading to a 78-61 mark — one game behind Bristol (Red Sox) in the South Division.

Eleven years later, Sandberg was elected to the Reading Baseball Hall of Fame — the same year Dallas Green was elected. Green, of course, is currently the Philadelphia Phillies Senior Advisor to the GM. On July 2, 2006, Sandberg’s number 26 was retired by Reading.

Sandberg was a great player, and has done a very good job as a manager at the Minor League level, and this moves makes a lot of sense for him.

Earlier today, in a conference call, the former R-Phil had this to say:

“I see this as a tremendous opportunity,” said Sandberg, who also
interviewed for the Boston Red Sox Triple-A manager job at Pawtucket.
“I’m going back to my roots where I learned to play the game as a
major-league player. In a lot of ways, I feel like a young kid again. I
couldn’t be happier about the situation.”

Gold Gloves (pt.1)…

Major League Baseball has started to hand out its bourn_michael.jpghardware, and two former R-Phils took home awards yesterday — Michael Bourn and Scott Rolen. Each player, who spent time in Baseballtown, won a Gold Glove on Tuesday — but for these two talented individuals, that was nothing new.

Michael Bourn — (2005-2006)
With a .992 fielding percentage in 2010, Bourn, 27, brought home his second-straight Gold Glove. The former R-Phils outfielder committed just three errors in 370 total chances this past season, and continues to be one of the best defensive outfielders in the game.

Bourn, who missed the final 13
games of the season with an oblique strain, said he gave last year’s award to his
mother and father, who live close to him in Houston. When he’s
presented with this year’s award, he plans to keep it for himself.

Offensively, Bourn hit just .265 with two home runs, and 38 RBIs, but stole a league-best 52 bags. In 2009, he hit .285 with three home runs and 35 RBIs, with a league-best 61 stolen bases.

Bourn became only the fifth player in Astros history to win multiple Gold Gloves, and the way he has performed at the Major League level, the 27-year-old may be a lock for a Gold Glove year in and year out.

As for his time in Reading, the Houston, TX native hit .268 with six home runs and 44 RBIs with the R-Phils in 2005. The speedy center fielder swiped 38 bases and committed just one error, and began to make a name for himself in the Phillies organization. 

A year later, Bourn was back in Baseballtown, and continued to make a mark in Reading. In 318 at-bats, 200 fewer than the previous season (was promoted to SWB in July), Bourn posted a .274 mark with four home runs, 26 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.

Phillies Claim Rivero…

Well, the 2010 season is officially over, which means, its now time to look ahead to the 2011 season. With that being said, it’s time for a little Hot Stove talk, and as the weather begins to get colder, the trade talk begins to heat-up.

During the next few months, I’ll do my best to keep fans up-to-date with the all latest in Philadelphia Phillies and Reading Phillies news. Let’s start with the latest in Phillies news, as the club has already added a player via waivers to their 40-man roster — let the Hot Stove talk begin!

Carlos Rivero, rivero.jpgwho spent the 2010 season with Double-A Akron, was claimed yesterday by the Phillies, and was added to their 40-man roster. The Phillies 40-man roster is now at 34 players.

Rivero, 22, hit .232 with six home runs and 43 RBIs in 110 games with Akron last year. A native of Barquisimeto, VZ, Rivero was originally signed by the Indians as a nondrafted free agent in 2005. In 2009, Rivero was named as an AFL Rising Star.

Perhaps the main reason the Phils decided to claim Rivero, was the fact that he hit well against the R-Phils this season. The 22-year-old appeared for the Aeros in 20 games against the R-Phils in 2010, and enjoyed success at the dish.He hit four home runs and added 12 RBIs in those 20 games.

It will be interesting to see where Rivero will end up in 2011. Freddy Galvis, who is also from Venezuela and is just 20 (will turn 21 on November 14), is the top shortstop prospect in the organization. Galvis spent the entire 2010 campaign in Reading, and it will be interesting to see if he makes the jump to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2011. Either way, the Phillies now have two bright young shortstops in the organization — both in their early 20’s and both from Venezuela.

Just as a reminder, Luis Aparicio, Dave Concepción, Ozzie Guillén, Omar Vizquel, Álex González and Carlos Guillén are all greats shortstop who are from Venezuela.

Going, Going, Back, Back, to Philly, Philly…

With their backs to the phillies.gifwall, the Phillies came out on Thursday night in need of a win — what they got might not only have been a game, but a series as well.

Down three games to one, the Phillies had to win, and win, and win again. Last night they took care of step one — they have two more steps to complete.

With both Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels set to take the mound in game 6 and 7, the Phils have a good chance to go back to the World Series for the third-straight season.

The Giants, who also have pitching, are set with Matt Cain, who was solid for the Giants already in this series, and Jonathan Sanchez, who could be lethal to lefties.

With so many good starters in this series, it’s the offense which needs to get going in a big way. Let’s take a look at some offensive numbers, as we get set for Saturday’s game 6 in Philadelphia:

2010 LCS Philadelphia Phillies Hitting
Name TEAM Pos G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG
Shane Victorino    PHI CF 5 20 3 3 1 0 0 2 2 6 1 .150
Chase Utley    PHI 2B 5 19 4 3 0 0 0 0 3 2 3 .158
Jimmy Rollins    PHI SS 5 19 0 5 1 0 0 4 1 6 2 .263
Ryan Howard    PHI 1B 5 17 1 5 3 0 0 0 3 9 0 .294
Placido Polanco    PHI 3B 5 17 2 5 2 0 0 5 1 1 1 .294
Jayson Werth    PHI RF 5 16 3 4 1 0 2 4 3 6 0 .250
Raul Ibanez    PHI LF 4 15 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 .133
Carlos Ruiz    PHI C 5 15 2 3 0 0 1 1 1 6 0 .200
Ben Francisco    PHI LF 2 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .200
Ross Gload    PHI RF 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .000
Roy Halladay    PHI P 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .333
Roy Oswalt    PHI P 2 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333
Cole Hamels    PHI P 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
Domonic Brown    PHI RF 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Joe Blanton    PHI P 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
Jose Contreras    PHI P 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
J.C. Romero    PHI P 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brad Lidge    PHI P 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wilson Valdez    PHI SS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ryan Madson    PHI P 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Antonio Bastardo    PHI P 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chad Durbin    PHI P 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

 2010 LCS San Francisco Giants Hitting
Name TEAM Pos G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG
Freddy Sanchez    SF 2B 5 21 1 6 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 .286
Aubrey Huff    SF 1B 5 20 2 5 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 .250
Buster Posey    SF C 5 19 1 5 2 0 0 3 2 6 0 .263
Cody Ross    SF RF 5 16 4 6 2 0 3 5 2 5 0 .375
Andres Torres    SF CF 5 15 2 4 0 0 0 0 2 6 0 .267
Pat Burrell    SF LF 5 15 3 3 2 0 0 1 3 6 0 .200
Edgar Renteria    SF SS 3 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .083
Juan Uribe    SF SS 4 11 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 .091
Pablo Sandoval    SF 3B 3 8 0 2 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 .250
Mike Fontenot    SF 2B 3 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 .143
Aaron Rowand    SF CF 2 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 .200
Tim Lincecum    SF P 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 .000
Travis Ishikawa    SF 1B 4 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .333
Matt Cain    SF P 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .000
Jonathan Sanchez    SF P 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .000
Nate Schierholtz    SF RF 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .000
Madison Bumgarner    SF P 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
Brian Wilson    SF P 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Santiago Casilla    SF P 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sergio Romo    SF P 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ramon Ramirez    SF P 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jeremy Affeldt    SF P 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Javier Lopez    SF P 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Blanton Goes Tonight…

It was a tough loss yesterdayblanton_full.jpg afternoon for the Phillies. They struggled against Matt Cain, and now, they find themselves down two games to one. With time running out, they will need a good performance tonight from starter Joe Blanton — if not, the series could be over before you know it!

Blanton, a native of Kentucky, will need to keep the San Francisco bats quiet — especially Cody Ross, who has been on-fire this postseason. While Blanton has had his struggles this season, he has had some success against the Giants in the past.

In his last outing against San Francisco, Blanton tossed 6.1 solid innings — allowing just two runs on eight hits in an 8-2 Phils win. That game, which took place on August 18, did not include the hot-hitting Cody Ross, however, which could make a difference. Ross was still a member of the Florida Marlins at that point and has single-handedly changed the San Francisco offense. 

Blanton, 29, has a 2-3 record with a 4.72 ERA in seven starts against the Giants in his career. The 6’3″ righty will have to be careful of two other hitters in the lineup as well. Both Andres Torres and Pat Burrell each went yard against him in that game, and both could pose a serious threat again. It will be interesting to see who Giants manager Bruce Bochy will go with tonight. Does he bring Aaron Rowand back a night after getting a big hit? Or will he go with Torres tonight, who has a homer off of Blanton?

Tonight’s game will prove to be an important one for the Phils, and it will all fall on Blanton in the end. If he is able to keep his team in the game, the Phils may have a chance at tying the series. The offense will need to get it going early, however, and will need to do so against the young Madison Bumgarner.

Bumgarner, who is coming off a solid start his last time out (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 5 K), will need to do what Matt Cain did before him. The 21-year-old southpaw posted a 7-6 mark with a 3.00 ERA this season, but has never faced the Phillies.

Can Bumgarner keep Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, and Jimmy Rollins silent tonight? Can Raul Ibanez break-out of his 0-for-15 funk?

There seem to be a lot of question marks right now for the Phillies. The key in my mind, will be Blanton. He has the chance to put an end to all of the question marks tonight. Can he do it? We’ll see tonight!

J-Roll is Back…

Two games in the books for the 2010 NLCS and so far, the 1999 Jimmy Rollins.jpgworld has seen some good baseball being played. The Giants did all they could to go to San Francisco with a split.

After a big performance from Cody Ross in game one, the Giants took a 1-0 lead on the defending National League champs. More importantly, it was their ace Tim Lincecum, who beat the Phillies ace Roy Halladay.

While game one may not have lived up to the expectations, game two on Sunday did. Roy Oswalt took over on the mound for Philadelphia and dazzled the Giants. The Kosciusko, MS native tossed eight solid innings, allowing just one run on three hits, while fanning nine. His solid effort and base-running, kept the Phillies from going to San Francisco down 0-2.

Perhaps the biggest thing to take away from the series so far, however, is the fact that it looks like Jimmy Rollins is back. Rollins, who let’s be honest, has had his struggles, came up huge in last night’s Phillies 6-1 win over the Giants. A former Reading Phillies shortstop, Rollins went 2-3 with four RBIs, and led the Phillies to the much-needed victory.

Rollins, who won the 2007 NL MVP, has had his share of injuries and struggles since. His offensive numbers have dropped, his games played have dropped, and Rollins, himself, has been dropped from the leadoff spot.

Coming into Sunday’s game, Rollins was hitting just .067 (1-15) in the postseason, but he was still out there giving his all when game two started. Batting sixth behind sluggers Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth, Rollins ignited the Phillies offense, which is hitting just .179 with runners in scoring position. The California native, who has been used to igniting the offense from the top of the lineup, did it from lower in the lineup, and came up as the hero in the end.

“Sometimes you just put a good swing on the ball, find some gap and
everything looks like it’s fantastic,” Rollins said. “Hopefully I can
take what I did today and just keep it going.”

If Rollins, who hit .243 in 350 at-bats this season, can keep hitting in the postseason, the Phillies may have found their secret weapon. Once relied upon as the table-setter of the offense, Rollins has not been that force for awhile now. If the Phillies can get the Rollins of old back into the lineup on a daily basis, the edge will once again be given to Philadelphia.

One more thing — Phillies manager Charlie Manuel deserves a lot of credit. Never once did Manuel decide to pull Rollins in the playoffs. He stuck with his former MVP, and in the end, it paid dividends. Much like he stuck with Brad Lidge in the bad times, he has done the same with Rollins.

“I
know how good Jimmy Rollins can be,” Manuel said. “I’ve got a lot of
faith in him. I start with you, son, I’ll go down with you.”

 

NLCS By the Numbers…

The Phillies and Giants will face each other on 12f.jpgSaturday in game one of the NLCS. Roy Halladay will face Tim Lincecum in perhaps one of the finest pitching matchups the playoffs have ever seen.

As we move forward, and get ready for NLCS baseball, I thought it would be good to take a look at some of the Phillies top NLCS performers. Oh, and by the way, can we play some baseball already! It’s unbelievable that the Phils have not played since Sunday, what a long week!

The Pitchers (NLCS)

Joe Blanton — 0-0, 4.15 ERA — 3 G, 2 GS (13 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 8 BB, 8 SO)
Cole Hamels — 3-0, 3.80 ERA — 4 G, 4 GS (23.2 IP, 24 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 7 BB, 20 SO)
Brad Lidge — 2-1, 1.80 ERA — 15 G (20 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 30 SO)
Ryan Madson — 1-0, 2.16 ERA — 8 G (8.1 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 SO)
Roy Oswalt — 2-0, 3.27 ERA — 4 G, 3 GS (22 IP, 19 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 8 BB, 14 SO)

The Hitters (NLCS)

Greg Dobbs — .429-0-0 — (5 G, 3 H, 2B, BB)
Ryan Howard — .314-1-8 — (10 G, 11 H, 9 R, 2 2B, 3B, 6 BB)
Placido Polanco — .455-0-2 — (8 G, 10 H, 2 R, 2B, 4 BB
Carlos Ruiz — .345-1-5 — (10 G, 10, 7 R, 2 2B, 6 BB, SB)
Chase Utley — .278-1-4 — (10 G, 10 H, 7 R, 2 2B, 10 BB)
Shane Victorino — .297-3-12 — (10 G, 11 H, 6 R, 2B, 2 3B, 4 BB, SB)
Jayson Werth — .205-3-6 — (10G, 8 H, 7 R, 2B, 3 BB)