Phils Clean Sox's Clocks

GM Ruben Amaro Jr. smiled a mile wide as the Phillies completed a series win over the Boston Red Sox on National TV Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Billed as a preview of the World Series envisioned by the baseball world this preseason, the Phils commandingly showed that great pitching does beat great hitting. And they did it without ace of aces, Roy Halladay on the mound. He wasn't needed in the series to defeat what is widely regarded to be the Phillies greatest threat to a 2011 World Championship.

Instead, Wednesday, it was Vance Worley, a rookie and virtual unknown on a team of superstars and all-stars, marching his way through the awesome Red Sox lineup like he was Cliff Lee. Worley went 7 innings for the 1st time in his life and looked great, his only mistake an RBI double surrendered to opposing pitcher John Lackey. Raul Ibanez, riding a 1-22/5-44 slump, wishing every at-bat could be against Lackey, went 3-3 with the game winning HR, improving to .386 against him, lifetime.

On Tuesday, it was Cliff Lee, part man, part machine, like a summer blockbuster, dominating baseball's best hitters as he has for 2 straight postseasons. Lee's June (5-0, 0.21 ERA) is already legendary, history fresh from the oven. Concluding with 3 straight 9-inning shutouts, Lee drove in more runs at the plate (2) in June than he allowed (1 in 42 innings) from the mound.

Of course, none of these games were played at Fenway. Should these 2 teams meet in October, half the games will be. However, that can hardly dampen the success these Phillies just had over those Red Sox. The bragging rights, the confidence, the momentum is all ours now.

On Wednesday, when Cole Hamels (1.45 June ERA) took the mound for a broadly billed pitcher's duel with Jon Lester (10-4), it was more of the same hapless hurt put on the BoSox, who began scoreless.

Then, in the top of the 3rd inning, SS Marco Scutaro led off against Hamels and pounded the ball right back at him. Hamels reached out in self-defense and caught it for out #1. The replay showed Hamels breathing a big sigh of relief, having dodged a bullet and knowing it.

However, he was less lucky an inning later, when, with 1 out in the 4th, AL runaway MVP front-runner Adrian Gonzalez (.421 in June, but only 1-for-11 in the 3 games vs. Phils pitching) lined a ball right at Hamels, which struck him on the right hand for a contusion that sent him out of the game, but resulted in clean X-rays with Hamels expected to make his next start.

Boston couldn't have scripted it better. They were desperate, unable to muster anything against Phils' starting pitching. With Hamels' dramatic and sudden exit, they victimized an unsuspecting bullpen, whose cobwebs were beginning to form watching Lee and co. go 9 or nearly.

Hamels 4 shutout innings (yes, he even got them out to finish the inning with a swelling hand) were all that was needed to nail the coffin in the tomb of would-be contender, Boston, who capitalized on Hamels' departure by pummeling the injury-ravaged bullpen's last resorts David Herndon (the Phils worst pitcher) for 3 runs and Drew Carpenter (fresh from AAA) for 2 HRs.

Still, it was a series win for Philadelphia, whose 'question marks' remain:

Can they go indefinitely with closer by committee?
Can they really win a championship with this limp lineup?
What will become of ailing Roy Oswalt, the fallen Ace?
Can they win it all with only 1 reliable outfielder?
Will Polly (3B Placido Polanco: .231 since April) get his groove back?

There are 80 games left to play. With this series win against Boston, the Phils turned the corner of their season, brushed past the halfway point, began a long, slow descent-- or, they hope, ascent. This is baseball, a long haul, an epic. The Phils present 4 game lead on the NL can disappear in an instant. In '07 and '08, they were on the winning side of the late-season-surge equation. Still, Wednesday night, the swagger was all ours.

Boston came in 45-32, 1/2 game out of 1st, and left 46-34, 2 1/2 games out. They salvaged one today, but it was against the scrubs of the Phils' staff. Meanwhile, the Phils had held back Halladay, their best, while hammering Josh Beckett, Boston's brightest (and the league ERA leader coming in) for 5 runs in 6 innings, including 2 HRs.

That will hit home for every member of each club. Philly thumped Boston's best, but Boston couldn't touch even fill-in starter Vance Worley with Ace in the hole, Halladay, waiting in the wings, ready to fight another day.

The big, bad Red Sox, league leaders in runs, ave., HRs, etc., mustered merely 1 run in 20 innings against the Phillies elite starting pitching.

Ruben Amaro Jr. was smiling, as he should be.

Phils & Red Sox: Ready to Rumble

Lee (0.27 June ERA) & Ruiz brace for Beckett (right) & Boston impact














Game 1, tonight. 7:05 pm:

Boston: Beckett (6-2, 1.86 ERA)

at Philadelphia: Lee (8-5, 2.87 ERA)

Josh Beckett, the MLB ERA leader, missed his last start because of the flu. Cliff Lee is coming off back-to-back shutouts.

Game 2, Wednesday, 7:05 pm:

BOS: Lackey (5-6, 7.36 ERA)

at PHI: Worley (2-1, 2.83 ERA)

The biggest game of rookie Vance Worley's career will be seen by millions as ESPN Game-of-the-Week.

Game 3, Thursday, 1:05 pm:

BOS: Lester (9-4, 3.66 ERA)

at PHI: Hamels (9-4, 2.49 ERA)

The Phils bumped Cole Hamels (3-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 3 career starts against the Red Sox) up for Thursday's start, which shows how much this mid-season series means to them.

Before the season, a vast majority of experts said the Phils and Red Sox would meet in the 2011 World Series. So far, they appear to be right, with each team emerging as their respective league's leader.

"I think we measure up good if our pitchers pitch like hell. If we're seeing a better offense, that's where our pitching would have to shine," Charlie Manuel said of a potential World Series vs. Boston.

"Right now, you just look at it as another series but in the back of your head you're like, 'I might be facing these guys in the playoffs'," Red Sox slugger David Ortiz said.

ESPN is advertising Wednesday's game as "The Best team in baseball," the Phils, taking on "Big Papi and the Red Sox." David "Big Papi" Ortiz (.311, 17 HR, 48 RBI) is enjoying his best year since winning the World Series in '07. It was revealed in '09 that he and former teammate Manny Ramirez tested positive for steroid use. Now, the Red Sox seek a return to the Series behind Ortiz and '11 acquisition Adrian Gonzalez: .361 Ave., 16 HR, 71 RBI, .611 SLG %, 1.026 OPS.

Boston's all-star outfielders Carl Crawford and J.D. Drew are both injured and may miss the series. Meanwhile, David Ortiz, a Designated Hitter, will be relegated to pinch-hit opportunities due to the lack of DH in the NL/this series.

That won't slow the Red Sox offensive onslaught, however. The Red Sox lead MLB in runs (409), batting average (.277), Total Bases and OPS, among other categories.

Meanwhile, defending Cy Young Roy Halladay, who leads the Phils in wins (10), ERA (2.40) and S.O. (123) will not appear in this series, but would be the obvious starting pitcher in game 1 in October if these 2 teams meet again, this year.

The Phillies enter the series leading the National League in wins (49), and their pitching staff has allowed the fewest runs (257), posted the lowest earned run average (3.05) and most quality starts (53).

"A lot of times good pitching beats good hitting," said Ryan Howard. "I guess it all depends on what day."

They also posses baseball's best record since the 1st 12 games of the season. The Red Sox started 2-10, but have gone 43-22 since for an MLB-best .662 Win %. However, the Phils have baseball's best overall record at 49-30 and the most wins at home, where they are 30-13.

"Anytime the Red Sox come in, it's big for us," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "It's big for our fans. I think we've had a hard time beating them in the past, the last five or six years I've been here. It would be nice to win a series. We need to come out Tuesday and make sure we play good against them. It's good for us to play Boston. I think we're going to get a good look at some good pitching and also a good team, a very good hitting team. That's good for us. That's a good test for us."

It's an important opportunity for the Phillies right now, who appear to be gliding, which, at mid-season, can lull a team into a false sense of security. They have averaged a 5-game lead on the entire NL over the past couple weeks and won 7-straight from June 10th-16th.

Still, the Phils have failed to put together any kind of offensive consistency or presence. Raul Ibanez is hitting .240 (.200 in June), Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard are batting .261, which has to improve, while Placido Polanco is hitting just .197 in June.

On June 8th, Manuel said, "I look at our offense right now, and we don't hit the ball hard enough to score runs... We don't hit a lot of homers, and at times we definitely don't have the speed to play little ball. I'm not going to sit here and knock no player, but watch the games. I think if we want to go to the World Series and stay the course of our goal, I think there has to be a cut-off somewhere. I think there has to be a time where we say we better be getting better."

The Phillies have scored 3 runs or fewer in the majority of their games, which is incredible considering they have the best record in baseball.

When the Phillies score 4 or more runs, they’re nearly unbeatable: 33-3.

“We haven’t hit – at all,” said Shane Victorino, whose .291 Ave. and .359 OBP lead the team. “There were glimpses of it early on, but there's nothing of late. No one in this room is panicking. We understand we have to keep working. Guys are trying hard. It’s not like guys aren’t trying. It’s just something that’s happening right now. You look around the whole world of baseball and the runs are down.”

Tell that to the MLB best hitting Red Sox, who haven't had trouble scoring runs. Better yet, the Phils hope Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels will do the talking-- from the mound.

Previewing & Looking Past Marlins

Game 1, tonight, 7:05pm EST:

FLA: Volstad (2-6, 5.51 ERA)

@PHI: Hamels (8-2, 2.58 ERA)

The pitching match-up and respective stats sort of says it all. 1 team poised for glory, the other... not so much. It's difficult to recall, now, why the May 9th-11th series between the Phils and Marlins in Florida felt so relevant at the time. Perhaps it was because the then 20-13 Marlins were only 2 games behind the 22-11 Phils. The 2 teams would even their records at 29-19 the last week of May, but then definitively part ways.

The Marlins have lost 3-straight and 11 of their last 12 games. They are now a towering 7 1/2 games out of 1st place, after knotting the Phils just a couple weeks ago. That's gotta hurt. It's a long way up after a free-fall, especially when you're looking at Phils' starting pitching for 4 straight days.

Working to their advantage (although any advantage for the Marlins in this series is a stretch) is the improbable and unflattering fact that they are 17-11 on the road, the best in all of baseball, while a shocking 15-22 at home. Consequently, Florida's infamous lack of attendance and fan support (the diametric opposite of the Phils' record streak of sellout crowds) can literally be blamed for the team's downfall.

To make matters worse, Florida ace Anibal Sanchez (6-1, 3.06 ERA) is 1-5 in his career at Citizens Bank Park with an ERA of 7.85.

Forfeit, anyone?

Game 2, Wednesday, 1:05 PM EST, 1st game of Double-Header:

FLA: ?

@PHI: Kendrick (3-4, 3.47 ERA)

The Marlins don't have a pitcher listed yet for tomorrow's afternoon game. Who can blame them?

Game 3, Wednesday, 7:05 PM EST, 2nd game of Double-Header:

FLA: Sanchez (6-1, 3.06 ERA, but 1-5, 7.85 ERA in Philly)

@PHI: Halladay (9-3, 2.39 ERA)

Game 4, Thursday, 1:05 PM EST:

FLA: Vazquez (3-6, 7.09 ERA)

@PHI: Lee (6-5, 3.41 ERA)

So, in a day and a half span, from Tuesday night until Thursday afternoon, the Phils and Marlins will wrestle over 4 contests. It's definitely not what the doctor ordered for the Marlins, who've dropped 13-of-15, including 7 games by only 1 run. OUCH!

The Phils come in at 40-26 (24-12 at home), baseball's best record. It has been a quiet best MLB record, though, without the fanfare of, say, Boston, who are riding a 9-game winning streak and topped both ESPN and John Kruk's Rankings yesterday. If it is to be a Phillies-Red Sox World Series, as was predicted by nearly all experts during the 2011 preseason, it would seem to be a battle of great hitting against great pitching. However, a closer look reveals a slightly different picture.

The Phils presently boast baseball's 3rd best ERA (3.15) and WHIP (1.22), while they're only 17th in runs scored (4.04 per game; a recent, big improvement, actually), 21st in Ave. (.247) and 23rd in SLG % (.371).

Meanwhile, Boston, who mauled their opponents 41-11 in 3 recent contests and 30-5 in their last 2, is a wrecking crew reminiscent of the younger, more powerful Phils, circa 2007-2008, who regularly scored in double digits.

The Red Sox's offensive numbers are staggering. They lead baseball in every major category: Runs (5.38 per game), Ave. (.276), On Base % (.349) and SLG % (.450).

Furthermore, while Sox starters (33 Quality Starts) haven't been as reliable as the Phils' (MLB best 44), the Sox's pitchers actually have a better Batting Ave. Against than the Phils': .242 (5th) vs. .248 (11th).

Since their 2-10 start, the Red Sox have gone a remarkable 37-16 for baseball's best .698 winning %. The Phils won 5-straight games back in April, but haven't put together anything like this sustained run the Red Sox are enjoying, which merely seems playing to their potential and the experts' expectations entering the season.

If the Phils and Sox played in the World Series tonight (and maybe the Marlins wish they were), the pitching match-ups might look like this:

Game 1: Roy Halladay (9-3, 2.39 ERA) vs. Josh Beckett (5-2, 2.06 ERA)

Game 2: Cliff Lee (6-5, 3.41 ERA) vs. Clay Buchholz (5-3, 3.59 ERA)

Game 3: Cole Hamels (8-2, 2.58 ERA) vs. Jon Lester (9-2, 3.73 ERA)

Sure, the Phillies starters are better and have more Cy Young Awards, but are they more capable of winning games than the Red Sox's when you consider the astronomical differences in the respective teams' offenses?

The Phillies and Red Sox will play 3 games in exactly 2 weeks, Tuesday-Thursday, June 28th-30th in Philadelphia. That mid-week series will be a monumental showdown. This mid-week stack of games with the Marlins? Not so much.