Phillies at Orioles: June 8th to June 10th

Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore, MD
Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05, Sunday 1:35

Phillies 28-31, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 6 games behind the Nationals
Orioles 32-25, Tied for 1st Place in the A.L. East with the Rays, 1/2 game ahead of the Yankees

Phillies Probables:  Joe Blanton (4-6, 5.27), Vance Worley (3-2, 3.38), Cliff Lee (0-3, 2.92)
Orioles Probables:  Jake Arrieta (2-7, 5.53), Tommy Hunter (2-3, 5.59), Jason Hammel (6-2, 2.97)

At the Ballpark:  The series will mark the 26th Annual OriolesREACH Food and Funds Drive.  From the Orioles website:  "Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items and cash donations to Oriole Park for each game against the Phillies to benefit the Maryland Food Bank."

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Placido Polanco - .289

Runs:  Hunter Pence - 41

Home Runs:  Hunter Pence - 13 

RBIs:  Hunter Pence - 36

Stolen Bases:  Shane Victorino - 13

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 8

ERA:  Cliff Lee 2.92

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 86

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 15

1979 Topps Flashback:  It's a hodgepodge of a flashback tonight.  Since the Phillies and Orioles only face off once this year, unless they meet again in the World Series, I'm squeezing all 1979 Topps cards with both a Phillies and Orioles connection into this one post.

Larry Christenson spent his entire 11-year career with the Phillies.  His career was cut short due to arm injuries and his last season with the Phillies was 1983.  He didn't make the team's postseason roster when they faced off against the Dodgers that season in the N.L.C.S., and against the Orioles in the World Series.

1979 Topps #493, #543, #37 and #102

One of Christenson's teammates on the '83 team was Kiko Garcia, who came to the Phillies after five seasons in Baltimore and two seasons in Houston.  He's perhaps best known for being the starting shortstop for the 1979 A.L. Champion Orioles and hitting .400 (9 for 20) in the World Series against the Pirates.  Garcia enjoyed a decent year in 1983, hitting .288 while filling in at short and third base.  

Joe Kerrigan pitched in 26 games for the Orioles in 1978 and just one game in 1980, spending the entire 1979 season with Triple-A Rochester.  He served as the Phillies pitching coach in 2003 and 2004 under manager Larry Bowa.

And Mike Anderson spent the 1978 season with the Orioles, hitting .094 in 53 games.  He had started his 9-year career in 1971 and spent five seasons with the Phils before getting shipped to the Cardinals in  December 1975 for Ron Reed.  Following two seasons in St. Louis, and his lone season in Baltimore, Anderson spent the 1979 season back with the Phillies.

2002 Upper Deck 40-Man Looming Large #L-ML Mike Lieberthal

Dodgers 8, Phillies 3
Game 59 - Thursday Afternoon, June 7th in Philadelphia
Record - 28-31, 5th Place, 6 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies fell yet again to the Dodgers, getting swept at home in the four game series.

What It Means:  The Phillies continued to earn their last place berth, dropping their sixth in a row in spectacularly awful fashion.

What Went Wrong:  The number of things to go wrong in this game and so far this season merits a bulleted list -

• The Phillies now have a record of 12-19 at home, which is the worst home record in the National League.
• Including last season's N.L.D.S., they are 13-27 at home in their last 40 games.
• Cole Hamels has a 5.23 ERA in his last three starts, coinciding with Roy Halladay landing on the disabled list.
• Chad Qualls has an ERA of 8.68 in his last ten appearances.
• The Phillies made three errors yesterday afternoon, including two by third baseman Ty Wigginton on successive plays.
• Asked during the post-game post-mortem if the Phillies had lost their edge, manager Charlie Manuel responded, "I thought we lost that edge quite a while ago, if you want to know the truth.  We don't scare nobody."

Featured Card:  If this seems like uncharted territory for the Phillies, that's because for the last 10 years, it has been.  The last time the Phillies had a losing record this far into the season was back in 2002 when the team had a record of 25-34 through 59 games.  They were 9 1/2 games out of first place back then and  Scott Rolen was a little less than two months away from his trade to St. Louis.  Mike Lieberthal, who was named the newest member of the Phillies Wall of Fame yesterday, was in the middle of his ninth season with the team.

Through those first 59 games in 2002, Lieberthal, the unofficial team leader, hit .244 with 4 home runs and 18 RBIs.  Those numbers are eerily similar to the .251 average, 3 home runs and 15 RBIs currently carried by current team leader Jimmy Rollins.  So what does that correlation mean?

Damned if I know.  I just want the Phillies to start winning again.

Field Report:  In much, much happier news, my favorite niece Molly attended her first Phillies game yesterday.  Sorry the Phillies couldn't show you a better game Molly!  Don't worry, you'll get to plenty more games.

Stick-Ons are Fun

2012 Topps Heritage Stick-Ons
#36 and #27

Dodgers 6, Phillies 5
Game 58 - Wednesday Night, June 6th in Philadelphia
Record - 28-30, 5th Place, 6 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils received home runs from Shane Victorino, Ty Wigginton and Jimmy Rollins, but Kyle Kendrick couldn't hold the lead and the Phils lost again, 6-4.

What It Means:  The Phillies have hit a season low, having now lost five straight.  They are now 0-22 this season when trailing after seven innings.  They are six games out of first and they'll try to avoid the four-game sweep this afternoon.

What Went Wrong:  See above.

Featured Cards:  You know what's missing from the Phillies games this year?  Fun.  The games aren't fun to watch.  My game summary posts aren't fun to compose.  It's no fun using words like "punchless" and "devastating" and "lackluster" night after night.  So if I can't produce a fun game summary post, at least I can feature a few fun cards.

The news was mainly bad last night - another loss, Freddy Galvis left the game with a bad back - but in Clearwater, the news was good.  Both Chase Utley and Ryan Howard participated in an extended spring training game.  Howard went two for four with two walks and Utley went two for five with a double, a home run and a walk.  It was Utley's second home run in as many days in game action in Clearwater.  (Apparently, extended spring training games are like glorified scrimmages and both Utley and Howard batted every inning while not playing the field.)

So glass half full - maybe Utley and Howard will be back contributing soon.  Maybe then the games will be fun again.

2003 Fleer Ultra All-Vet Team #9 Bobby Abreu

Dodgers 2, Phillies 1
Game 57 - Tuesday Night, June 5th in Philadelphia
Record - 28-29, 5th Place, 5 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee remained winless on the season as the Dodgers stunned the Phillies in a 2-1 come from behind victory.

What It Means:  Another game, another devastating loss.

What Went Wrong:  In his nine starts so far this season, the Phillies offense has supported Lee with 16 total runs.  Lee pitched into the eighth inning, scattering six hits while striking out twelve.  After allowing back-to-back singles to Bobby Abreu and Dee Gordon in the eighth, Lee surrendered a long double to Ellian Herrera and the Dodgers suddenly had a 2-1 lead.  Juan Pierre almost caught Herrera's ball, but it wasn't to be.

Featured Card:  Hard to believe, but this series represents Abreu's first trip back to Philadelphia since he was traded to the Yankees back in late July 2006.  I'll admit that despite his impressive statistics during his time in Philly, I was never really a huge Abreu fan.  I was more than a little surprised back in 2003 when he was named (via fan vote) as the right fielder for the All-Vet Team.  The team was announced in an on-field ceremony, in the middle of a torrential downpour, before the second to last game in Veterans Stadium history.

Fleer produced a special twelve-card set (with a header card), given away to fans attending the game, to commemorate the team.

2012 Chachi #24 Antonio Bastardo

#37

Antonio Francisco Bastardo

Relief Pitcher

Bats: Left  Throws: Left  Height: 5'11"  Weight: 197

Born: September 21, 1985, Hato Mayor, DR

Home: Hato Mayor, DR

Signed: Signed as an amateur free agent, February 17, 2005

Teams: Phillies 2009-

Acquired: Via free agency

Contract Status: Pre-arbitration eligible

2008 Chachi #25 Tom Gordon

Dodgers 4, Phillies 3
Game 56 - Monday Night, June 4th in Philadelphia
Record - 28-28, 5th Place, 4 games behind the Nationals and Marlins

One Sentence Summary:  Jonathan Papelbon gave up the lead in a non-save situation as the Dodgers and some questionable umpiring defeated the Phillies, 4-3.

What It Means:  The Phillies fell back to a .500 record after hitting the season high-water mark on Friday at three games above.

What Went Wrong:  Todd Zolecki offered this break-down of Papelbon's year-to-date performance via Twitter:

In 15 save opportunities - 15 saves, 0.00 ERA, 15 IP, 7 H
In non-save opportunities - 6.48 ERA, 8.1 IP, 11 H

With injuries to the bullpen continuing to mount, Papelbon is just going to have to figure out how to pitch in lower pressure situations.  And once again, the offense had their chances, but no one could come up with a clutch hit or a sac fly or even a ground ball to the right side when needed.

In more positive news, Chase Utley played in his first extended spring training game yesterday afternoon, going 3 for 4 with a home run.

Featured Card:  With the score tied 3-3, Dee Gordon greeted Papelbon in the ninth inning with a lead-off triple.  (Papelbon would argue following the inning that he should have struck out Gordon on a questionable ball call.  The home plate umpire - a Triple-A fill-in - was brutal all night to both clubs.)  Gordon would later come around to score the eventual winning run.

Dee's father, Tom Gordon, was in the middle of his third and final season with the Phillies when he learned that his son had been selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2008 amateur draft.  Almost exactly four years later, Gordon the younger would contribute to the Phillies latest loss.

Dodgers at Phillies: June 4th to June 7th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:05

Dodgers 33-21, 1st Place in the N.L. West, 3 games ahead of the Giants
Phillies 28-27, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 3 1/2 games behind the Nationals and Marlins

Dodgers Probables:  Clayton Kershaw (4-3, 2.42), Chad Billingsley (2-4, 4.09), Chris Capuano (7-2, 2.50), Aaron Harang (4-3, 3.90)
Phillies Probables:  Vance Worley (3-2, 3.07), Cliff Lee (0-2, 3.00), Kyle Kendrick (2-4, 4.02), Cole Hamels (8-2, 2.81)

At the Ballpark:  If there's one give-away I wish I could score this season, it's tonight's as all fans will receive a Cliff Lee bobble head.  Off to eBay I go!

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Carlos Ruiz - .371

Runs:  Hunter Pence - 40

Home Runs:  Hunter Pence - 13 

RBIs:  Hunter Pence - 34

Stolen Bases:  Shane Victorino - 13

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 8

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.81

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 80

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 15

Interestingly enough, the stats on the Phillies website have Ruiz not qualifying with enough plate appearances to lead the team in batting average.  It lists Placido Polanco (.289 in 180 at-bats) as the team leader.

1979 Topps #104 and #297

1979 Topps Flashback:  Today's flashback features another duo traded for one another.  On December 20, 1976, the Phillies shipped catcher Johnny Oates and a player to be named later (Quency Hill) to the Dodgers for infielder Ted Sizemore.

Oates served as Bob Boone's primary back-up behind the plate during the 1975 season, and he was the team's third-string catcher (behind Tim McCarver) during the 1976 season.  His playing time in 1976 was limited due to a broken collar bone suffered during the first game of the season in a home plate collision with Dave Parker.  

He played in a total of 127 games with the Phillies, hitting .277 with one home run.  He continued his back-up role with the Dodgers from 1977 through 1979, appearing in both the 1977 and 1978 World Series against the Yankees.  Oates found greater success as a manager, being named the 1996 American League Manager of the Year after guiding the Orioles to a division title.  Sadly, Oates passed away on Christmas Eve 2004 after bravely battling brain cancer.

Sizemore started his 12-year career with the Dodgers in 1969, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award.  Following the 1970 season, he was traded to the Cardinals (for Dick Allen) where he spent five seasons before coming back to the Dodgers for the 1976 season.  He served as the Phillies primary second baseman in 1977 and 1978 before getting shipped to the Cubs as part of the blockbuster deal that netted Manny Trillo for the Phils.  In his two years with the club, Sizemore hit .256 in 260 games.  The highlight of his time in Philly is perhaps his .385 average in the 1978 N.L.C.S. against the Dodgers.

2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-BM Bake McBride

Marlins 5, Phillies 1
Game 55 - Sunday Afternoon, June 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 28-27, 5th Place, 3 1/2 games behind the Nationals and Marlins

One Sentence Summary:  Joe Blanton got knocked around as Carlos Zambrano shut down the Phillies offense and the Marlins won, 5-1.

What It Means:  The long, mediocre season continues.  The loss gave the Marlins the series win and left the Phillies stranded in last place in the division.

What Went Wrong:  Blanton surrendered five runs on nine hits in his six innings of work, including home runs to Hanley Ramirez and Zambrano.  The Phillies managed only six hits, half of which were from Juan Pierre.  They went 1 for 10 collectively with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  I could use a pick-me-up after the latest Phillies loss, so I thought I feature one of the coolest Phillies cards released to date this year.  This card has several things going for it:

1.  It's an on-card autograph.
2.  It features the iconic 1975 Topps design.
3.  It features one Arnold Ray "Bake" McBride, one of the more exciting Phillies players from my youth.

I've been diligently tracking down these Phillies Fan Favorites Autographs cards on eBay and I hope to have my Topps Archives want list updated shortly.  McBride has a non-autographed version of this card in the base set as part of the short-printed All-Time Fan Favorites subset.

Steve Carlton - In Cloth Form

1977 Topps Cloth Stickers #11 and
2012 Topps Archives 1977 Topps Cloth Stickers #77C-SC

Marlins 5, Phillies 4
Game 54 - Saturday Afternoon, June 2nd in Philadelphia
Record - 28-26, 5th Place, 3 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels allowed a season-high five runs as the Phillies couldn't rally to overcome the Marlins.

What It Means:  Losses like these continue to mount.  This is the kind of game that the 2008 to 2011 Phillies would have somehow found a way to win.  The Phillies had runners in scoring position with less than two outs in both the eighth and ninth innings and needing just a lone run to tie up the ballgame, they couldn't get it done.

What Went Wrong:  Hamels allowed two home run to Hanley Ramirez.  The offense went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Cards:  Despite his setback on Saturday, Hamels remains the undisputed ace of the 2012 Phillies pitching staff.  I thought I'd featured a few cards of another Phillies ace from the recently released Topps Archives product.  I recently read a post over at 14,000 Phillies, complimenting Topps on the nice job with its 1977 Topps Cloth Stickers homage, featured as inserts within Topps Archives.

The cards are true to the originals, right down to the backs and the photo selection for the set.  Presented here is a side-by-side comparison of Steve Carlton's 1977 original and his 2012 Archives version.  The highlights presented on the back of each card differ in that the original covers Carlton's career through 1976 and the Archives version is a career retrospection.

The Archives set is definitely growing on me.

2012 Topps Museum Collection #95 Hunter Pence

Phillies 6, Marlins 4
Game 53 - Friday Night, June 1st in Philadelphia
Record - 28-25, 5th Place, 2 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Jonathan Papelbon converted a five-out save to preserve Kyle Kendrick's victory as the Phils defeated the Marlins, 6-4.

What It Means:  The Phillies were a season high three games over .500 following this game, and while they remained in last place, they were only 2 1/2 games behind the Nationals.

What Went Right:  The offense had another nice night as Placido Polanco, Hunter Pence and Carlos Ruiz all enjoyed three-hit nights.  The big blows were Pence's two-run home run in the fifth and a two-run single from Hector Luna to start the scoring for the Phils.  Luna added an RBI-double in the seventh.

Papelbon was called into action early mainly as a result of a devastating arm injury to reliever Jose Contreras who left the game in the seventh clutching his damaged arm.  The closer recorded his 15th save aided by a circus catch in center from John Mayberry, Jr. to end the ballgame.

Kendrick pitched into the sixth and allowed two runs on eight hits.

Featured Card:  My Phillies baseball card collection is still Luna-less, so here's another recent card of slugger Pence.  I've mentioned before that I steer clear of high-end releases like Topps Museum Collection, but I actually like the base card design from this set.  It's a nice clean design on a thick, sturdy card.  If it had been up to me, Topps would have made these Museum Collection cards a little thinner and used the spare cardboard to produce sturdier cards for its Archives release.

Marlins at Phillies: June 1st to June 3rd

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05, Sunday 1:35

Marlins 29-22, 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1/2 game behind the Nationals
Phillies 27-25, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Nationals

Marlins Probables:  Mark Buehrle (5-4, 3.26), Ricky Nolasco (5-3, 4.26), Carlos Zambrano (3-3, 3.00)
Phillies Probables:  Kyle Kendrick (1-4, 4.10), Cole Hamels (8-1, 2.43), Joe Blanton (4-5, 5.05)

At the Ballpark:  Tonight is the Comcast Phanatic About Reading Night and all kids 14 and under will receive a Phanatic children's book.  Kids can run the bases following Saturday's game, and Sunday is Father's Appreciation Day.  All men 15 and older will receive a 1950s-style Phillies hat.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Carlos Ruiz - .371

Runs:  Hunter Pence - 36

Home Runs:  Hunter Pence - 11 

RBIs:  Carlos Ruiz - 31

Stolen Bases:  Shane Victorino - 13

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 8

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.43

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 72

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 14

2012 Chachi #23 Chad Qualls

#50

Chad Michael Qualls

Relief Pitcher

Bats: Right  Throws: Right  Height: 6'5"  Weight: 220

Born: August 17, 1978, Harbor City, CA

Home: Austin, TX

Drafted: Selected by Houston Astros in 2nd round of June 2000 draft

Teams: Houston Astros 2004-2007, Arizona Diamondbacks 2008-2010, Tampa Bay Rays 2010, San Diego Padres 2011, Phillies 2012-

Acquired: Signed as a free agent formerly with the San Diego Padres, January 31, 2012

Contract Status: Signed through the 2012 season