Tal’s Handy Caps: 5-Run-5th Bats Break Rox
The Handy Cap:
Again, all of the regulars provided something: J-Roll Rollins with 2 hits (4 passes) plus a BB, I-Bomb Ibanez with 3 hits (5 at-bats), J-Dub Werth with 1 hit (2 hacks) plus 2 free passes, and Chooch Ruiz with 1 hit (3 trips) plus a BB. Rynosaur Howard went 1 for 4 with a walk, and Polly Polanco continued his hitting streak of 15 straight games (24 of his last 25 too). This afternoon’s match-up features a struggling Ubaldo Jimenez at The Bank, and a second-chance start for Kyle Kendrick.
Ryno Steals 2nd In The 5th With The Dropped Ball At His Feet
I-Bomb stroked a screaming line single over the shift, and Seth Smith ended the first with a leaping catch at the leftfield 334 sign. In the next frame J-Dub legged out a broken-bat single, Gload moved him to third on an up-the-middle ground single, but a smoked-liner double play to first ended the threat. J-Dub entertained a one-out walk, stole 2nd easily; and after Gload selected a walk, J-Dub danced off second, creating a balk from Aaron Cook. Chooch was intentionally passed for the bases-loaded 8-and-9-spot successful escape valve in the fourth.
J-Roll smoked a leadoff-the-fifth liner-though-the-box single, Polly plunked a hit-and-run right-field single, and I-Bomb ripped a 2-RBI double to the 387 sign in left centerfield. Rynosaur lined a no-out centerfield single, J-Dub lined a left-center sac-fly RBI, and Ryno stole second. Gload scalded a 2-run bomb to the absolute back of the lower-deck centerfield bullpen, scattering the relievers on the bench for a 5-0 advantage. Cook was knocked out after 4.1 innings on 79 pitches, surrendering 9 hits and 5 all-earned runs with 3 free passes to 2 strikeouts.
I-Bomb Doubles In The 5-Run 5th
Jonathan Herrera grounded a two-out sixth-inning single for the 3rd hit off Doc, taking 2nd on a wild pitch. Jhoulys Chacin held The Phillies scoreless and hitless for 1.2 innings with 1 BB to 2 K’ed. Lefty Randy Flores was worked for 7-pitch walks by Ryno and J-Dub before recording a seventh-frame out, and Chooch greeted Manny Corpas with a soft bases-loading right-field liner. Corpas escaped that threat, but not the next one. J-Roll hooked a leadoff right-field double, and scored on a one-out up-the-middle single for a 6-0 tally after 8. Doc dominated for 8 shutout innings on 115 bullets, scattering 5 hits and 1 BB to 9 punch outs.
The Second Coming:
J.C. Romero retired 3 in a row after hitting the first batter.
He has recorded 21.1 frames, allowing 15 hits, 7 runs (all earned), and 16 bases on balls to 12 punch outs for a 2.95 ERA. He has a 3.00 ERA in 15 meaningful appearances for 9 total, giving up 7 hits and 3 runs (all earned) with 5 free passes to 6 strikeouts.
The 1st 2 Runs Score On I-Bomb's 5th-Inning Two-Bagger
Long Story Short:
J-Dub started in CF and Ross Gload played RF, batting sixth. Greg Gross replaced Scooter Thompson as the batting coach by Phillies manager Cholley Manuel.
Upon Further Review:
There are 4 balls in the air: Brett Myers, Ben Sheets, Roy Oswalt and Dan Haren. Myers and management did not part under optimum circumstances, which makes his return doubtful. Sheets is the fall-back option, but the rental route is only 10 starts for a prospect. Oswalt prefers The Cards, which is a small factor, and he is willing to make the money work wherever he goes. Haren is being pursued by The Phillies, Cardinals, Yankees, Tigers and Twins.
The Twinkies and Detroit are on Haren’s no-trade list. The Snakes want a MLB-ready pitcher, and The Yankees with Cliff Lee on the radar for next year won’t part with Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes. The Redbirds won’t part with Jaime Garcia, and Blake Hawksworth (4-5, 4.85 ERA) would be the offer. Jay Happ would be Rube Amaro’s offer, and Kyle Kendrick is 5-4 with a 4.82 ERA, which makes 2 trade pieces that qualify. However, Rube probably cannot trade both after the injury to Moyer, and would offer Drew Carpenter with Happ instead.
Kyle Kendrick From His Start In St. Louis On July 19
The Phillies:
Kyle Kendrick is 5-4 with a 4.82 ERA in 20 appearances (18 starts) for 108.1 innings, giving up 113 hits and 64 runs (58 earned) with 30 walks to 51 punch outs. He has pitched 6.1 frames or more in 8 of his 18 outings, which includes 7 of his last 13. He threw 5 innings in a 92-pitch affair before being optioned, surrendering 7 hits and 7 all-earned runs with 3 BB to 2 K‘ed. He faced The Rox (0-0, 6.00 ERA) at Coors in a 99-pitch, 6-full contest (mid-May), handing out 6 hits and 4 all-earned runs with 2 free passes to 3 strikeouts.
This month in 4 July efforts, he is 1-1 with a 4.57 ERA for 21.2 frames, allowing 21 hits, 12 runs (11 earned), and 5 bases on balls to 10 retired on strikes. Without the relief showing this month, he has a 4.79 ERA. In June’s 6 ballgames (5 starts), he was 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA for 31.1 innings, parting with 31 hits and 19 runs (16 earned) plus 8 walks to 18 in the K zone. Without the relief stint in June, he had a 4.91 ERA in that month. He had five May performances, and was 3-1 with an 3.13 ERA for 31.2 frames, giving up 32 hits and 13 runs (11 earned) with 7 free passes to 11 strikeouts. In five April games he was 0-1 with a 7.61 ERA for 23.2 innings, allowing 29 hits, 20 runs (all earned), and 10 bases on balls to 12 K zones.
Ubaldo Jimenez From His Last Start On July 19 In Miami
The Rox:
Ubaldo Jimenez is 15-1 with a 2.38 ERA in 19 starts for 132.1 innings, allowing 93 hits and 37 runs (35 earned) with 49 walks to 118 K’ed. He has lasted 7 full or more in 11 of 19 efforts, but only 1 of his last 5, which was for 8 total. In his last he threw a 93-pitch, 5.1-frame appearance, surrendering 6 hits, 6 runs (4 earned), and 3 BB to 5 out on strikes. His most recent 5 debacles equal a 2-0 record with a 6.39 ERA for 31 complete, coughing up 28 hits and 24 runs (22 earned) with 13 bases on balls to 30 punch outs.
This month in 3 outings he is 1-0 with a 5.59 ERA for 19.1 innings, handing out 14 hits, 14 runs (12 earned), and 9 free passes to 16 strikeouts. Last month in 5 ballgames, he was 4-0 with a 4.41 ERA for 32.2 frames, giving up 33 hits and 16 all-earned runs with 14 walks to 32 in the K zone. In 6 May gems he went 5-1 with an 0.78 ERA for 46 full, scattering 24 hits and 4 all-earned runs with 12 BB to 39 punch outs. In April’s 5 performances, he was 5-0 with an 0.79 ERA for 34.1 innings, parting with 22 hits, 3 all-earned runs, and 14 bases on balls to 31 retired by strikes.
