Nationals at Phillies: September 17th through September 19th

Friday & Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35

Records:  Nationals 62-84, 5th Place in NL East (23½ games behind the Phillies); Phillies 86-61, 1st Place in NL East (3 games ahead of the Braves)

Former Phillie Cal McLish passed away last month at the age of 84.  He's featured here as the Expos' first pitching coach under manager Gene Mauch.  (Also featured is former Phillies' coach Dave Bristol.)  McLish finished his 15-season Major League career with three seasons with the Phillies from 1962 until 1964.  Primarily a starting pitcher, McLish went 24-17 in 66 games with the Phils, compiling a 3.68 ERA.  Following his playing days, Mauch added him to the Phillies' coaching staff in 1965 and 1966, and he served as a Phillies' scout in 1967 and 1968.  When Mauch became the first manager of the Expos, he brought McLish with him and McLish coached with the Expos until Mauch's dismissal in 1975.

I'm very disappointed with the back of this 1974 Topps card as it doesn't feature McLish's full name.  On the back of this card (and on the back of the 1973 Topps' Expos manager and coaches card), McLish's name is listed as Calvin Coolidge McLish.  However, his full legal name was actually Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish.  You can look it up.

Nationals Probables: Jason Marquis, Jordan Zimmerman, Yunesky Maya
Phillies Probables: Roy Oswalt, Kyle Kendrick, Joe Blanton

Kendrick and Oswalt swapped their spots in the rotation, to allow Charlie Manuel to pitch the Big 3 (Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Oswalt) against the Braves in their upcoming series starting on Monday night.

2010 Topps #424 David Herndon

Today's Quiz:  Can you name the 7 players who survived through the entire 2010 season on the Phillies' active roster?  (Answer is below.)  That's crazy, when you think about it.  The Phillies have had only 7 players suit up every day since Opening Day.  They've used 42 different players this year.  According to Baseball Reference, through Tuesday night's game, Charlie Manuel has run out 90 different line-ups, excluding the pitcher's spot.  The "everyday" line-up when the season started has taken the field together only 9 times.  They've made 42 roster changes this year, and the longest the team went without making a roster change was a 14-game stretch in early June.

And yet, somehow, the team is now 3 games ahead of the Braves in the NL East.  Amazing.



2010 Topps #154



Former Phillies Triviality:  There are four Ex-Phillies featured as Phillies on regular-issued 2010 baseball cards.  Each of them left the Phillies in the offseason for different teams, and they've each since moved on to yet another organization - Cliff Lee (Mariners to Rangers), Pedro Feliz (Astros to Cardinals), Eric Bruntlett (Nationals' organization to the Yankees' organization) and Jack Taschner (Pirates to the Dodgers).

2011 Chachi Set:  The 2011 Chachi Set Planning Committee will be meeting shortly to discuss the classic Topps' design to be used for the 2011 Chachi set.  Without giving too much away, the Committee has held internal discussions and the early indications are that either the '83 or '71 Topps sets will be used as the inspiration for next year's set.  Surprisingly, the '88 Topps set has entered the fray and the '65 Topps set has emerged as a dark horse candidate.  The '65 Topps set intrigues me, and I only have a few more years until Topps runs this design out again as 2014 Topps Heritage.

Trivia Answer:  Only outfielders Raul Ibañez, Jayson Werth, Ben Francisco, starters Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels and relievers Jose Contreras and David Herndon have been on the Phillies' active 25-man roster for the entire 2010 season.

2010 Topps 206 #246 Raul Ibañez

Phillies 10, Marlins 5
Game 147 - Wednesday Night, September 15th in Miami

The Phillies were in complete control from the outset of this game, scoring 3 times in the first, and never looking back.  With 15 games remaining on the 2010 schedule, the Phils are now 3 games ahead of the Braves in the NL East.  Six of their remaining 15 games come against the Braves, and the Phils' Magic Number to clinch the division is down to 13.  They have the best record in the National League, and if that continues they'll clinch home field advantage throughout the play-offs.  A few months ago, I had no idea I'd be typing out the sentences in this paragraph.

The team's three 1st inning runs all came with two outs.  After Chase Utley and Ryan Howard walked, Jayson Werth drove home the first two runs with a single to right and Raul Ibañez followed with a double.  Ibañez finished the night with 3 hits, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.  Utley added a solo home run (his 15th) to right in the 3rd to make it 4-1, Phillies.  Six more Phillies' runs followed, as everyone in the starting line-up, save Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Roy Halladay, finished the game with at least one RBI.

Halladay didn't have his best stuff, scattering 10 hits over 6 innings, but his savvy pitching and 9 strikeouts allowed him to earn his 19th win of the season.  He's now up to 210 strikeouts for 2010, which represents a career high for him, and the most for a Phillie since Curt Schilling's 300 in 1998.  Charlie Manuel continued to work the back-end of his bullpen like rented mules, sending Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge out to pitch the 8th and 9th, when guys like Mike Zagurski and Danys Baez could have eaten those innings instead.

The Phillies and I will enjoy an off-day today before opening a weekend series with the Nationals.  (Just to clarify - the Phillies are opening the weekend series, and I'll just be watching on TV.)

2010 Topps 206 #87 Cole Hamels

Phillies 2, Marlins 1
Game 146 - Tuesday Night, September 14th in Miami

In which I conduct a sleep-deprived self-interview with myself.

Did I watch this game? 
Yes.  Yes, I watched most of this game.
 
Do I remember anything from this game? 
Very little.  I think it rained a little during the game.  Cole Hamels struck out a lot of Marlins.  [13, tying him with Roy Halladay's 201 for the team lead.]  Did a robot run onto the field at some point?

No.  There was definitely no robot incident.  You seem completely out of it.  Why is that? 
Fatigue from work.  The game was on TV when I finally plopped into my chair around 9ish (10ish?) on Tuesday night.  I had only enough energy to tune to the game on the radio and mute the TV broadcast.

Care to explain the reasoning behind that? 
My nerves are a little frayed right now.  And Tom McCarthy's pithy banter with Chris Wheeler makes me angry for some strange reason.

I see.  Do you recall how the Phillies scored their two runs? 
I honestly have no idea.

Placido Polanco doubled home Shane Victorino in the first.  The same duo reached and stole 2nd and 3rd in the 5th and came around to score on a Jayson Werth groundout. 
That's great!  At least Werth didn't go down on a check-swing strikeout to end the inning, like usual.  Are you sure there wasn't some sort of robot mishap?

I'm positive.  Are you aware Brad Lidge pitched a perfect 9th and the Phillies now have a 2-game lead in the NL East with 16 games to play?
...

Hello?  Oh never mind.  We'll try this again tomorrow.  Get some sleep.

2010 Topps 206 #19 Carlos Ruiz

Phillies 11, Marlins 4
Game 145 - Monday Night, September 13th in Miami

I've been in a work-induced haze since this weekend, but I'm finally coming up for air.  This game seems like years ago, although it was only a few nights ago.  In lieu of trying to form complete sentences, here are the pertinent highlights from this Marlins' beat-down in Miami and a hatless Carlos Ruiz baseball card:

- Chooch went 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs, which included a 2-run bomb of a home run to left in the 4th inning.
- The Phils were set down in order in the 1st, but they scored at least a run from every inning between the 2nd and 7th.
- Joe Blanton put together another decent outing, and he's been consistently decent over his last several outings: 6 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 8 strikeouts.
- Jayson Werth, Chase Utley and Greg Dobbs also added home runs for the Phils in their offensive barrage.
- Charlie Manuel barely avoided Shane Victorino's bat in the 4th when Victorino lost his grip on a swing and sent the bat flying into the Phillies' dugout directly at Manuel's head.
- The announced crowd at Sun Life Stadium was 20,616, but by all accounts there were fewer than 5,000 fans present.

Phillies at Marlins: September 13th through September 15th

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 7:10

Records:  Phillies 83-61, 1st Place in NL East (1 game ahead of the Braves); Marlins 73-69, 3rd Place in NL East (9 games behind the Phillies)

Short-Timers:  When the Phillies unceremoniously released lefty reliever Nate Robertson last week, I started thinking about other former Phillies with extremely short tenures.  Robertson started the season with the Marlins, but he was released at the end of July.  He pitched for a few weeks in August for the Cardinals' AAA club in Memphis before requesting his release there.  The Phils picked him up on August 24th and he pitched in 2 games for the AAA IronPigs before finding himself wearing #31 for the Phillies upon his recall on September 6th.  Robertson was on the team's active roster for all of 4 days, appearing in 2 games and running up an impressive 54.00 ERA in an inning of work.  That's 6 earned runs in 1 inning.  He was released on September 9th.

2006 Chachi #42

So who else had been a Phillie for a week or less in recent memory?  My brain almost immediately thought of Adam Bernero (scary, isn't it?) who started one lone game for the Phils back on June 30, 2006.  He lasted just 2 innings, allowing 8 runs on 7 hits, including 3 home runs to the Blue Jays.  A few days later, he was designated for assignment and eventually released.

Honorable mentions:  Steven Register was on the active roster for 5 games in 2009 and he appeared in just 1 game, pitching 2 innings.  For the World Championship year of 2008, there was R.J. Swindle (3 games, 7.71 ERA) and Chris Snelling (4 games, 2 for 4 with a home run).  And who could ever forget Anderson Garcia's 9 days on the Phils' roster back in 2007?  He appeared in 1 game, pitching two-thirds of an inning and allowing a run for a 13.50 ERA.

Phillies Probables:  Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay
Marlins Probables:  Andrew Miller, Adalberto Mendez, Alex Sanabia

Scrapbook Sunday (Late Edition): September 11, 1985

1986 Topps #7

My Phillies' Scrapbooks primarily dealt with the exploits of the Phils (obviously) and my goal was to clip and save their box scores and anything newsworthy that happened to the team throughout the season.  But I occasionally veered into non-Phillies territory.  I always dedicated a few pages to the All-Star Game, because the All-Star game was (and is) awesome.  I clipped and saved each of Steve Carlton's box scores for games he started in 1986 with the Giants and the White Sox.  And I always had a section at the end of my scrapbooks documenting that year's Postseason play.  The Phillies, of course, were nowhere near the play-offs during my scrapbook years of 1984-1986 and 1990-1992.

During the summer of 1985, I dedicated several pages of my Phillies Scrapbook to Pete Rose's chase of Ty Cobb's all-time hits record.  Featured here is the page I gleefully created the day after he broke the record, 25 years ago.

It was great to see Rose on the field in Cincinnati recently during a pre-game ceremony commemorating his feat from a quarter century ago.  And I'd love to see him participate in one of the Phillies' Alumni Weekends one of these years.  Only Bud Selig (and probably Rose himself) know whether or not that will ever be a possibility.

2010 Topps Heritage #272 Roy Oswalt

Phillies 3, Mets 0
Game 144 - Sunday Afternoon, September 12th in New York

Roy Oswalt mowed down the Mets this afternoon, pitching his first complete game with the Phillies, and improving his Phillies' record to 6-1.  Oswalt surrendered just 4 hits while striking out 6 as the Mets never advanced a runner into scoring position.

The Phils played small ball to collect their first 2 runs.  Chase Utley singled home Shane Victorino in the 1st, and Ryan Howard singled home Placido Polanco in the 3rd.  Raul Ibañez led off the 7th with his 14th home run of the year for the team's third run.

The win moved the Phils a half game back in front of the Braves in the NL East, and it lowered their Magic Number to clinch the division to 19.  I'll be rooting for the Cardinals as they face off against the Braves in tonight's ESPN game.

Bocock Era, Part II:  Brian Bocock was recalled from AAA Lehigh Valley prior to the game, indicating Jimmy Rollins' hamstring is a little worse than first thought.  Bocock was on the team's active roster for all of 4 games in late June/early July, never appearing in a game.  The #18 he wore for those 4 games has since been given to new hitting coach Greg Gross, so Bocock will wear the #7 worn during the first half of 2010 by the since departed Juan Castro.

Note to Topps:  Get me some Roy Oswalt Phillies' cards!

2002 Fleer Box Score Amazing Greats #15 Scott Rolen

Mets 4, Phillies 3
Game 143 - Saturday Afternoon, September 11th in New York

The Phillies came to life a little too late this afternoon, falling to the Mets, 4-3, and dropping back into a tie for first with the Braves.  The Phils managed just 3 hits through the first 7 innings as Mets' starter Mike Pelfrey kept the offense off-balance on the way to his 14th win.  RBI-singles from Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard plated 3 runs in the 8th, but it wasn't enough.

Kyle Kendrick lasted only 5 innings, forcing the bullpen to send in six different relievers to pitch the balance of the game.  The Phils mounted a mini-rally in the 9th when Mike Sweeney doubled with 1 out, but they were unable to tie it up.

9/11:  It's been 9 years since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and I clearly remember, in vivid detail, the events of that morning and the terrible aftermath that followed.  I can barely remember what I did last Wednesday, but I can recall just about every moment of what I did that day and exactly how I felt.  I'll never forget.

I don't remember many details of September 12th through 16th, 2001.  I remember constantly watching CNN.  I remember being confused, scared, angry and exhausted by the sheer weight of it all.  I remember feeling that things would never get back to "normal."  Like most everybody else, I was completely lost.  And then on September 17, 2001, they played baseball.

For me personally, it was the first sign of hope and the first sign that maybe things were going to be OK.  We were still a long way from OK, but it was a start.  The Braves played the Phillies at the Vet that night, and Harry Kalas was back calling the game after what seemed like a month-long absence.  I remember watching the game on TV and hearing the chants of "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" throughout the night.  I remember Phillies' manager Larry Bowa crying on the field during the pregame ceremony.  And I remember Scott Rolen's second home run of the night in the 6th inning, which broke a 2-2 tie in a game the Phils would eventually win.

It's been 9 years already, and I'll never forget.

2010 Topps 206 #147 Roy Halladay

Phillies 8, Mets 4
Game 142 - Friday Night, September 10th in New York

Roy Halladay became the first Phillie to win 18 games since John Denny did it back in 1983, and the Phils took a one game lead in the NL East with a decisive win over the Mets.  Halladay helped his cause with a 2-out, 2-run single in the 4th.

Ryan Howard (29th in the 4th) and Chase Utley (13th in the 7th) both added solo home runs and Carlos Ruiz enjoyed a 3-hit night.  Howard's home run was the 251st of his career, tying him for 3rd on the Phillies' all-time list.  Only Del Ennis (259) and Mike Schmidt (548) have hit more home runs for the Phils.

Hatless:  This year's Topps 206 set pays homage to the original turn-of-the-century T-206 set by featuring a set of hatless baseball players just like they did back in the day.  This is one of the more unfortunate Phillies' cards from the set as Halladay has been captured with a fine case of hat head while in mid-squint.  To make matters worse, it appears as if he's wearing a Blue Jays' road uniform.

2010 Topps 206 #257 Ryan Howard

Phillies 10, Marlins 6
Game 141 - Wednesday Night, September 8th in Philadelphia

Busy, busy, busy at work.  But there's always time for a dated game summary and a hatless baseball card of Ryan Howard.

Mr. September, Ryan Howard.  Howard unloaded for 6 RBIs on Wednesday night against the Marlins, which included a 3-run home run in the 4th inning.  Shane Victorino (3 for 6 with 2 doubles and 3 runs scored) and Chase Utley (2 for 3 with 2 RBIS) also contributed to the offense.  The strange thing about this outburst?  It came with Cole Hamels on the mound and the Phils have been notoriously stingy with runs this year whenever Hamels pitched.  Hamels earned his 10th win of the year, despite the efforts of former-Marlin Nate Robertson, who allowed his ex-teammates back into the game.

After 7 innings, the Phils had mounted an impressive 10-0 lead and a few of the everyday players (Howard, Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz) were pulled for reserves.  The newly acquired Robertson entered the game and things got a little messy - 6 Marlins runs on 4 hits, 2 walks and a wild pitch.  Fortunately, after Robertson's exit, the Phils held on to win, 10-6.  We didn't know it at the time, but as Robertson left the mound, it signalled the end of his short Phillies' career.  On Thursday, he was designated for assignment.

Other Stuff:  The game concluded a 24 games in 23 days stretch for the Phillies - a stretch that saw them reclaim first place while going 15-9.  Hamels has now thrown 25 consecutive scoreless innings.  Jimmy Rollins left the game in the 3rd inning with tightness in his right hamstring.  As of Saturday afternoon's game with the Mets, he's still not back in the line-up.

Phillies at Mets: September 10th through September 12th

Friday 7:10, Saturday 4:10, Sunday 1:10

Records: Phillies 81-60, 1st Place in the NL East (1 game ahead of the Braves); Mets 69-71, 4th Place in the NL East 11½ games behind the Phillies).  The Phils' Magic Number to clinch the East is 21.

After a long, dreary, busy period at my chosen profession, it's almost time to relax, enjoy the stretch run and contemplate former Phillie Jose Cardenal's afro.  Once again, it's days and weeks like these that make me ponder life as a pumpkin farmer.  Last year at this time, right after the deadlines passed and normal life resumed, I took a few days off to decompress and write about my appreciation for Cardenal's 1978 and 1979 Topps cards.  As the Phillies get ready to open a 3-game series with the Mets, and as I approach the end of another busy season, I do believe this is the perfect opportunity to feature Cardenal's 1980 Topps card.

1980 Topps #512

After the storm clears, along with the non-baseball card related essential to-do's of a normal life, I have a few non-essential things I'd like to check off my blog to-do list: 

1.  Post a game summary of Wednesday night's bashing of the Marlins and Nate Robertson's farewell tour.
2.  Update my wantlists for recent purchases from 2010 Topps 206 and a few choice Phillies cards obtained from the 1962 Topps and 1963 Fleer sets.  (Has anyone dubbed the 2010 Topps 206 set as the "Safety Dance" set yet?  Think about it.)
3.  Post the remaining 2010 Chachi set cards (up to 51 cards now).

Just a few days more of this . . .

Phillies Probables: Roy Halladay, Kyle Kendrick or Vance Worley, Roy Oswalt
Mets Probables: Jenrry Mejia, Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese

2010 Topps 206 #78 Placido Polanco

Phillies 8, Marlins 7
Game 140 – Tuesday Night, September 7th in Philadelphia

Professional obligations (work crap) has me a day behind in game summary posts.  If the stars and moon align properly, this should be remedied a week from tonight.

On the monumental day my 3½ year-old son started pre-school, the Phillies snuck past the Marlins to take over sole possession of first place in the NL East for the first time since May 30th. This game featured a little bit of everything – home runs, small ball, and sloppy play by the Phils.

The Phils pounded out 13 hits against Marlins' pitching, highlighted by 3-run 5th in which both Shane Victorino (17) and Ryan Howard (27) hit home runs. They tacked on two more runs in the 7th, mounting a seemingly comfortable 7-4 lead. But a rough 8th inning allowed the Marlins to get back into the game. The Marlins tied it up with 3 runs courtesy of a Mike Stanton home run, a Jayson Werth throwing error, a J.C. Romero balk and a Ryan Madson wild pitch.

Fortunately, the Phillies came back with a go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning when Victorino singled with 2 outs, stole second and came around to score on a Placido Polanco single. Polanco finished the night with 3 hits.  Raul Ibañez added 3 hits and 3 RBIs of his own, including a 4th inning solo home run and a 7th inning RBI-triple.

Other Stuff: Starter Joe Blanton pitched into the 7th inning, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 5 strikeouts. His W was erased when Madson uncorked his wild pitch in the 8th. Both Brad Lidge (elbow) and Domonic Brown (quad) were late scratches. A chant of "Let’s Go Pirates!" broke out during the game as the Pirates were putting together a 5-run 7th inning against the Braves, as tracked by the out-of-town scoreboard in right field.

2004 Topps Total #548 Placido Polanco

Phillies 7, Marlins 4 (Game 2)
Game 139 - Monday Night, September 6th in Philadelphia

The Phillies finally provided Roy Oswalt with some run support, winning Game 2 of the double header with the Marlins and pulling to within a half game of the Braves in the NL East.  With a slumping Jimmy Rollins dropped to the 5-hole in the line-up, the top of the line-up (Chase Utley, Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino) went a combined 7 for 13 with 4 runs scored and 5 RBIs.  I was actually comfortable watching this game, as the Phils managed to score 5 runs in the 2nd inning.  (I presume this allowed Oswalt to relax a little too.)

The big hit in the 2nd was Polanco's 2-out ground rule double to left (fan interference) that scored Carlos Ruiz and Victorino.  They tacked on a few more runs in the 7th on a rally started by Polanco's triple.  All of the Phillies' runs tonight were scored without the benefit of the long ball.

Oswalt allowed 4 runs in his 7 innings of work while striking out 7.  Brad Lidge earned his 21st save with a nice, relaxing 9th inning.

Climbing the Ranks:  Rollins' single in the 2nd inning was the 1,706th hit of his career, moving him past Hall of Famer Chuck Klein into sole possession of 6th on the Phillies' all-time list.  Larry Bowa is 5th on the list with 1,798 hits.

1993 Leaf #491 Larry Andersen

Marlins 7, Phillies 1 (Game 1)
Game 138 - Monday Afternoon, September 6th in Philadelphia

I'll let radio broadcaster Larry Andersen sum up the game today with a few comments he made late in the game:  "They didn’t come out today to play . . . at least this game."  And a few moments later he added, "I shouldn’t say that. It just doesn’t look like it."

Vance Worley pitched effectively in his first Major League start, keeping the Phils in the game by allowing just 2 runs over 5 inings while striking out 5.  I wouldn't be surprised if Worley ends up in Kyle Kendrick's rotation spot for the remainder of 2010.

Marlins' starter Adalberto Mendez, making his Major League debut, shut-out the Phils for 6 innings and limited them to a sole single by Brian Schneider in the 2nd.  The Phils managed just two more hits (against Marlins' reliever Jose Ceda in the 9th), barely avoiding being 1-hit for the 4th time this year.

Marlins at Phillies: September 6th through September 8th

Monday 1:05 & 7:05, Tuesday & Wednesday 7:05

Records: Marlins 69-66, 3rd Place in the NL East (9 games behind the Braves); Phillies 78-59, 2nd Place in NL East (1 game behind the Braves).  The Phils have a 2 game lead over the Giants in the NL Wild Card race, and their magic number to clinch is 24.

2010 Multi-Ad Reading
Phillies #29

Vance Worley will make his first Major League start this afternoon in a game originally scheduled for June 9th, but postponed because of rain.  Worley made the jump from AA Reading to AAA Lehigh Valley earlier this year.  In 27 minor league starts, he's 10-7 with a 3.36 ERA and a 119 to 46 strikeout to walk ratio.  The fine folks over at Phuture Phillies will be doing a live blog this afternoon to discuss Worley's start.

The Phils also recalled pitcher Mike Zagurski from Lehigh Valley today and selected the contract of pitcher Nate Robertson - both leftys.  The Phillies are Robertson's 4th organization this year.  Late in Spring Training, the Tigers (with whom he pitched for 7 seasons) traded him to the Marlins.  He started 18 games for the Marlins going 6-8 with a 5.47 ERA and earning his release on July 27th.  (Interestingly enough, his best start of the season came against the Phillies on April 18th, when he pitched 6.1 innings of shutout ball for the win.)  The Cardinals signed him to a minor league deal, but it included an opt-out clause if Robertson wasn't with the big club by August 23rd.  He wasn't, the Cardinals released him and he signed with the Phillies.  He's expected to pitch middle relief for the Phils down the stretch and he'll be card #51 in this year's Chachi set.

Happy Labor Day and Go Phils!

Marlins Probables: Adalberto Mendez, Anibal Sanchez, Chris Volstad, Andrew Miller
Phillies Probables: Vance Worley, Roy Oswalt, Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels

2005 Chachi #16 Randy Wolf

Brewers 6, Phillies 2
Game 137 - Sunday Afternoon, September 5th in Philadelphia

Happy Labor Day weekend!  I'm not going to get too upset about this loss, given the wonderful weather, time spent with family yesterday and a big double header at home today against the Marlins.

The Phils were never really in this game.  Bad Kyle Kendrick showed up at the ballpark and he allowed a 1st inning single to Corey Hart, a double to Ryan Braun and a 3-run home run to Prince Fielder.  I couldn't figure out why you'd pitch to Fielder with 1st base open, and apparently neither could pitching coach Rich Dubee.  (Jim Salisbury wrote a great recap of the potential fall-out from Kendrick's first pitch cutter to Fielder, which was right down the middle of the plate.) Carlos Ruiz cut the deficit in the 2nd with a 2-run double, but that was all the offense could muster on a picture perfect afternoon.

The Brewers' Randy Wolf won his 11th game of the year, pitching into the 7th and striking out 5.  Kendrick was lifted after 4 innings and yet another crappy start - perhaps his last of 2010.

Scrapbook Sunday: September 1, 1985

1985 Topps #PR9

I've always had the need to know which players were on the Phillies' current roster, and for as long as I've been a fan, I've been able to rattle off the 25 names currently available to suit up on any given night. When I started this blog, one of the first things I added was a list of the team's current roster (look left), which I update as soon as I get wind of a transaction. Each name on the roster is linked to that player's baseball cards I've featured so far in The Phillies Room. Go ahead and click around a little - it's good fun.

1985 Topps #PR8

From opening day until August 31st, there are 25 men on the active roster and then on September 1st, something glorious happens.  On September 1st, teams have the option of expanding their rosters to 40 active players.  I like this.  I know there are some who feel it cheapens the pennant races by altering the rules of engagement for the final month of the season.  But I like it.  I like that Paul Hoover is on the roster now as a 3rd catcher, and he'll (hopefully) only play in one game - the game the day after (hopefully) the Phils clinch a play-off spot.  I like that there are pinch-runners galore and late inning defensive switches.  To date, the Phils have added only 3 players to bring the total number of names on the line-up card to 28*, but I suspect that number will expand.

1985 Topps #PR1

25 years ago, I don't think I was aware of this rule yet.  I had become very familiar with the Phillies' 25 players and then all of the sudden, extra names started showing up in the boxscores.  (The list I created in pencil lists 27 players, so I'm assuming a couple of those guys were on the DL at the time.)  It was only after I dutifully wrote out each players' number and name, underlining each player for some reason, that I had to come back and write out the numbers and names of the "New Players" in pen.

1985 Topps Traded #62T

None of these guys had a huge impact on the '85 Phillies, and only Steve Jeltz received a proper Topps card, appearing in that year's traded series.  The other cards featured here are cards I've created to fill the gaps and to satisfy my inner 11-year-old who never had a proper Rocky Childress Phillies' card.  Fred Toliver picked up his first and only Major League save on September 3rd.  Alan Knicely was used as a pinch-hitter throughout September, going 0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts.  Rich Surhoff, B.J.'s older brother, pitched in only 2 games before getting shipped to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Dave "Smoke" Stewart.   Childress appeared in 16 games for the '85 Phils, compiling a 6.21 ERA.  And then there's Steve Jeltz.  Jeltz spent parts of 7 seasons with the Phils, compiling a .213 average.

*Increased to 29 today and it will go up again to 31 on Monday.

2010 Phillies Team Issue 2 #21 Wilson Valdez

Phillies 5, Brewers 4
Game 136 - Saturday Night, September 4th in Philadelphia

Roy Halladay gave up a career-high 4 home runs, but the Phils managed to keep coming at the Brewers, eventually overcoming them, 5-4.  For the first time in 2010, the Phillies are 20 games over .500 and the win allowed them to keep pace with the Braves, who also won tonight.  Fortunately, all 4 of the homers allowed by Halladay came with no one on base.  He battled through 7 innings, striking out 6 on the way to his 17th win of the year.  The bullpen continued to come together and Brad Lidge worked a perfect 9th for his 20th save.

Ryan Howard (26) and Jayson Werth (20) provided back-to-back home runs in the 2nd to tie the game up at 2-2.  Chase Utley drove home Jimmy Rollins with an RBI-single in the 3rd to tie things up again at 3-3.  In the 7th, with the bases loaded and 1 out, Placido Polanco lofted a fly ball to left fielder Ryan Braun.  Carlos Ruiz tagged up and scored to tie things up 4-4, as Braun's throw got past catcher Jonathan Lucroy.  Wilson Valdez, who had tagged and advanced to third, alertly never stopped running and came home to score the go-ahead and eventual winning run.

I could have gone with a Chooch card here, given his 3-for-3 night, but I'm going with a Wilson Valdez card.  If not for Valdez' head's-up hustle to score on the error by Braun, the Phils might still be playing as I write this.  The suddenly hot Phillies go for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon and their 6th win in a row.  Go Phils!

2010 Topps Heritage #20 Cole Hamels

Phillies 1, Brewers 0
Game 135 - Friday Night, September 3rd in Philadelphia

Cole Hamels dominated the Brewers tonight, pitching 7 strong innings on the way to a Phillies' 1-0 victory.  (Jenna and I attended this game, and with the exception an unfortunate crab fries incident, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.)   Hamels didn't allow a hit until he had 1 out in the 5th, and he worked out of first and second situations in the 6th and 7th.  In total, he allowed just 3 singles, while walking 3 and striking out 7 on the way to his 9th victory of the year.  Jose Contreras and Ryan Madson pitched perfect frames in the 8th and 9th to secure the win, and Madson recorded his 5th save of the year.  With the Braves losing to the Marlins, the Phillies are now just 1 game back of the NL East leaders.

The Phillies probably shouldn't have scored when they did.  Shane Victorino led off the 2nd with a gift double to left center.  Left fielder Ryan Braun appeared to be easily tracking Victorino's fly ball, but he peeled off at the last moment as the ball dropped in between Braun and center fielder Lorenzo Cain.  Victorino advanced to 3rd on Raul Ibañez' grounder to the right side, and he came in to score on Carlos Ruiz' grounder to short.

Inexplicably, the Phils came up empty in the 4th when they loaded the bases with no one out, yet failed to score a run.  Ibañez struck out swinging and Ruiz lined into a double play to end the threat.  They'll try to tally more than 4 hits tomorrow night when Roy Halladay takes to the mound for the second game of the series.

Public Service Announcement:  Chickie's and Pete's crab fries at the ballpark are delicious.  That's an undeniable fact.  But they should not be eaten rapidly, before the start of a game, on an empty stomach.  You will regret it for the duration of the game.  Please do not make the same mistake I did.