On The Road With The Phils, Pt.1

I had a Phantastic opportunity to view the Phils live with tickets to 4 games; 1 in L.A. and 3 in Philly over a 2-week span from August 10th-24th.

We narrowly escaped Hurricane Irene, leaving Philly the day before major cancellations and power outages across the East Coast, but our flight was cancelled the day before due to lightning storms. The storms and rainfall in Philly were amazing! The city set an all-time record for rainfall in 1 month.

Meanwhile, the Phils marched on, seeming determined to set their own single-season record for attendance and wins. They are on pace to arrive around 105 wins, which would trump the all-time Phillies record of 101, set by both the 1976 and 1977 Mike Schmidt teams. Two big talks in Philly right now are 1) fears that the Braves will catch us for the division title (that will never happen) and 2) boisterous votes for Victorino as MVP (which hardly seems just on such a star-studded roster).

Unlikely as both scenarios are, the nervousness and pride they portray are indicative of both the scars of a losing history and a deeply felt passion for our teams, 2 things Philly fans excel at like almost no other sports town. Of course, the ever-present Eagles and their major roster moves, including signing Michael Vick to a 6-year, $100 million contract, also dominate discussions, but more prevalent than ever is an intense love affair between the Phillies and the City of Brotherly Love.

Everywhere you go, there are Phillies shirts and hats and SEPTA buses scrolling the words, "Go Phillies!" It's a heartwarming and electric atmosphere. There is a camaraderie and a pleasure in the team around town that is unprecedented.

We are the best, for a change, and we know it.

The Phils have a 6 1/2 game lead on the Braves and a 3 1/2 game lead on the rest of baseball.

ESPN has ranked them as the No. 1 team in baseball for the 8th straight week.

Victorino hit his 15th HR, a game-winner in the 8th-inning to beat the Reds Monday in Cincinnati. "He's getting a lot of extra-base hits, and it seems every one he gets is big for us at this moment," manager Charlie Manuel said.

Cole Hamels returned to the mound Monday for the 1st time since 8/12. Hamels allowed only 1 run in 6 innings. He S.O. 7 and walked none.

"He looked very sharp, very good," Victorino said. "If you'd told me he was on the DL for 15 days, I'd have said, 'No way.' I hope to keep that Cole the rest of the way. I think he's back."

The Flyin' Hawaiian is on pace for a career-high 19 HR and presently has career-bests in almost every major offensive category: .308 Ave., .381 OBP, .544 SLG %, .925 OPS and 14 triples.

Furthermore, he is likely to nab his 4th-straight Gold Glove in CF (2008-present).

After last season's disappointing performance, Victorino said, "That's not me. I'm not a .259 hitter." He has proven it, and he may be the 2011 team MVP.

Phils fans are right to champion Victorino in the NL MVP race, although it's debatable whether he deserves the honor ahead of others in the league, who are doing more with less support. It is utterly clear that Hunter Pence in the 5-hole has solidified this team and made them the premier team in baseball. With Pence, the Phils are 18-7 and have scored 133 runs, which is 5.32 per game.

Most pertinently, especially as it foreshadows the team's postseason prospects, Ryan Howard has posted dramatically better numbers since Pence's arrival, which is the result of getting better pitches to hit, now that there is a bona fide threat in the on-deck circle.

A detailed analysis of Victorino as MVP candidate can be found here:
"Shane Victorino's case for MVP"

Upcoming post:

"On The Road With The Phils, Pt.2," includes photos and stories from the games I attended this month!

Phils-Giants Preview

The NL East belongs to the Phillies. It may be the 1st week in August, but a 5th consecutive division title is already theirs. That reality must fall heavy on the Braves' ears. They have the 2nd-best NL record and would be leading every other division in baseball, except 1, if they weren't paired in the East with the Phils. Instead, they're 8 games out and dropping fast.

Still, hard to feel sorry for the Braves, since they had their turn with a streak of division titles from 1991 to 2005 (3 in the West and 11 in the East), interrupted only by '94's strike-shortened season.

The Phils have won 6-straight games, scoring 6.7 runs per game in that span. Acquired All-Star Hunter Pence has been on the team for the last 5 games, which means they're undefeated with him.

His presence has made a huge impact on the lineup. While he is merely 6-for-21 with a .286 average out of the 5-slot (a dip from his .307 season average), 4-slot clean-up man Ryan Howard is 9 for 22 (.409) with 4 HR and 9 RBIs in those 5 games (an astronomically rise in his season stats).

The Phils are 3-and-9 in their last 12 games in S.F. The Giants, 33-20 at home, are counting on home-field advantage, because they are struggling, having just lost 5-straight and 8-of-13.

Carlos Beltran is 8-for-30 (.267) with his new team. However, he is heating at 7-for-16 (.438) over his last 4 games. He is 1-for-8 vs. Lee.

This will be a 4-game series, and the Phils-- who recently lost 2-of-3 against the Giants in Philly, will have more than 1 of their aces in the rotation vs. S.F. this time around.

Game 1, Thursday, 10:15 PM ET

PHI: Lee (10-7, 3.14 ERA, 159 S.O., 32 BB)
@

SF: Bumgarner (6-10, 3.80 ERA, 115 S.O., 30 BB)

Lee went 0-2 with a 6.94 ERA vs. the Giants as a Ranger in the World Series last season, but is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in the regular season vs. them, lifetime.

Meanwhile, Bumgarner has to be the unluckiest guy in baseball. His solid numbers, coupled with his team's 62-49 record, shouldn't result in his 10 losses in 16 decisions. Maybe, for the Phils sake, his bad luck will continue.

The key to beating the Bum(garner) is scoring early. He has surrendered 18 1st-inning runs this year.

Game 2, Friday, 10:15 PM ET

PHI: Worley (7-1, 2.33 ERA)

@
SF: Sanchez (4-5, 3.81 ERA)

When Worley pitches, the Phillies generally win. The team is 12-2 when he appears on the mound this season, including 8-straight wins. They even beat Pittsburgh during Worley's last start, despite his surrendering 4 runs in 6 innings.

Game 3, Saturday, 4:10 PM ET

PHI: Hamels (12-6, 2.62 ERA)

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SF: Cain (9-7, 3.10 ERA)

Cain feasts on the Phils. 'Big Daddy' shut them out with a 2-hit postseason gem nail-in-the-coffin during the '10 NLCS. What has he done against them lately? An encore, shutting them out on July 27th in Philly.

Hamels, meanwhile, is the opposite. He's winless against the Giants in his last 4 games against them and hasn't beaten them since '09.

Game 4, Sunday, 4:05 PM ET

PHI: Oswalt (4-6, 3.79 ERA)
@

SF: Lincecum (9-9, 2.77 ERA)

Roy Oswalt, remember him? He used to be a great pitcher with the Astros. Now, he is plagued by constant back problems. The Phils acquired him last year as the poor man's Cliff Lee, when they were in the midst of regret for having traded the real thing for no apparent reason, other than the opportunity to spend even more minor league talent and a jillion dollars getting him back.

Oswalt will be making his 1st start since June 23rd, when he surrendered 4 runs in 2 innings in St. Louis.

Meanwhile, Lincecum will be making his 1st start against the Phils since shutting them out on July 28th.

Lincecum will be thrilled to see the Phils, as will San Fransisco fans, who pulled off an upset against them in '10, which propelled them to a World Series win. The Giants are hoping to regain momentum behind Beltran and against these Phils, who they've grown fond of beating. The Phils are looking to highlight their marvelous season (baseball's best record, an incomparable 71-39) by overcoming their nemesis, the defending NL champ Giants, who they will not face again (after these 4 games), this regular season. Then, it's the 'second season', the postseason, where everything just has to go better than it did last year... right?

Perhaps these 4 games against S.F. will provide the true answer.