Halladay Out 6-8 Weeks; Oswalt to Texas



Halladay feeling pain Phils fans have felt all season.

Roy Halladay, the Phillies ace is expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks because of a right latissimus dorsi strain, the latest major setback for the 5-time NL East defending champions.

The two-time Cy Young winner will be shut down for a minimum of three weeks, then work toward rejoining the rotation, Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said, adding that there is no structural damage in Halladay's shoulder.

There is speculation that this will hasten the return of starter Vance Worley (3-2, 3.07 ERA), who went on the 15-day DL May 12th (Right elbow inflammation).  Worley threw a pain-free bullpen session Tuesday.

Halladay was put on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, two days after he was hit hard and pulled from a start in St. Louis after just two innings because of shoulder soreness.

Proefrock said tests done in Philadelphia indicated Halladay doesn't need surgery to recover and that the injury doesn't affect his rotator cuff.

"We hate to have him down, but it's nothing that requires anything other than rest," Proefrock said in N.Y. before Tuesday's game against the Mets.

“He is all about winning and playing every day and puts in everything he can for the team,” rightfielder Hunter Pence said. “You feel bad for him and happy it’s not too serious.”

Halladay is 4-5 with a 3.98 ERA in 11 starts. He has pitched at least 220 innings in each of the past six seasons, and four times led the league in innings. His 72 1/3 innings this year tied Houston's Wandy Rodriguez for the NL lead.
 
Halladay has "thrown a lot of bullets over his career," Manuel said, suggesting the 35-year-old pitcher could step back for a bit and still be dominant. The durable Halladay had not been on the DL because of shoulder trouble since 2004.

"He's got to get well," Manuel said, showing the concern and trepidation echoed among Phils fans.

The injury came with the Phillies at 26-25, last in their division, but only 4 games behind Washington.

Tuesday night, the Mets improved to 6-2 against the Phillies this year behind Jeremy 'Unlikely To Be A Major-Leaguer For Long' Hefner's first MLB win.

One senses that the Mets would feel confident with Mickey Mouse on the mound for them against the Phils this year.

Rich Dubee is lacking insights on Blanton.

In Tuesday's game, Joe Blanton got shelled again, allowing 6 runs, 9 hits, 2 walks and 2 HRs (including 1 to the pitcher) in just 5 innings of work.  Blanton is now 4-5 with a 5.05 ERA, but has a whopping 5.94 ERA in May.  Yikes! 

It might be time to grab a rake and a magnifying glass to locate a remaining gem among the ravaged farm system, as Blanton appears out of control of his pitches and grasping for consistency.  It might also be time for pitching coach Rich Dubee to say something other than, 'Uh, yeah, I got a lot of talent out there, on that there mound thingy,' which has been his consistent refrain since 2010's star-studded Phils rotation was launched.

Blanton threw only 53 of his 89 pitches Tuesday for strikes.  The baffling and frustrating part is that Blanton allowed no runs in 9 innings on May 3rd, then 1 run in 7 innings on May 14th. 

However, Tuesday, he resembled the Blanton whose last 2 outings were 4 1/3 innings pitched, apiece, allowing 7 runs in each game (May 19 & 24).

Also, Tuesday, any hope of improving the injury-plagued rotation (Lee, Worley, now Halladay) from outside the club-- i.e., Roy Oswalt ala Pedro Martinez in '09-- took a major sidestep Tuesday, when, with impeccably bad timing for the Phils, their former 4th star starter Oswalt signed with Texas.

Meanwhile, Tuesday, the Miami Marlins continued to excell.  They not only beat the Washington Nationals for the second straight day; they also improved their May record to a MLB-best 20-8. The monthly win total is the most in franchise history.

"Oh don't forsake me, oh my Howard-Utley..."

The injury-plagued Phils have managed to stay close (4 GB), despite zero games played by either All-Star hitters Ryan Howard (Achilles tendon) and Chase Utley (knee). Manuel said he hopes that they will both be back at some point this year.

"That is my expectation," assistant GM Scott Proefrock said. "I don't have a crystal ball. Our expectation is we will get them both back at some point. When we get those guys back it will be great, but in the interim we have to worry about what we are doing out here. The players who are able to play for us and contribute are the ones we need to be concerned about and try to find a way to make them better and move forward."

As for Halladay's absence, "it would hurt us," Manuel said. "How much, I really don't know."

After a visit to the doctor to examine his sore right shoulder on Tuesday, word came back that Roy Halladay is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a strained right latissimus dorsi strain.

This is the first time Halladay has landed on the disabled list since 2009.

Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said tests indicated Halladay doesn't need surgery and it doesn't affect his rotator cuff.

To fill his spot on the 25-man roster, catcher Erik Kratz was recalled from Class-AAA Lehigh Valley, because Carlos Ruiz (.366 Ave., 4th in MLB) is suffering from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the lineup Tuesday.

Halladay has struggled the past couple of months. He has won only once since April 16, going 1-5 with a 5.29 ERA.

For the season, he is 4-5 with a 3.98 ERA and has lost velocity on his fastball, according to scouts and confirmed by Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

"This is a true test of our character to find out what kind of team we are,'' Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino said before the results were announced. "I still think we're a great team, and we'll be fine."

More on Roy Oswalt joining the Rangers


Oswalt was mediocre with Phils in '11.

Nolan Ryan was thrilled to have Texas star Roy Oswalt in the fold with baseball's best team:

"He's been throwing for quite a while now; he feels good about where he is," Rangers president Nolan Ryan said. "I think he's been away long enough that he's excited about coming to the Rangers and getting back to pitching on a regular basis."

Sources said the contract for Oswalt assumes that if he's called up by July 1, he'll make $4 million and can make another $1 million in incentives based on the number of starts he makes.

A source said Oswalt could be ready to join the Rangers' rotation by June 20, meaning he'll need at least three weeks in the minors to build up his arm strength and to get used to pitching to live hitters.

The St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers all were interested in Oswalt and made various offers, some exceeding that of the Rangers. However, Oswalt's relationship with Ryan when both were with the Astros organization, the proximity to Oswalt's home and that the Rangers are in contention helped the club land him. 
 
In 2011, Oswalt went 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA in 23 starts for the Phillies. His 139 innings pitched were his lowest total since 2003 and his postseason ERA was 7.50.  He doesn't appear to be a difference-maker at this point in his career.

For starters, he'll need a change of luck.  In eight career starts at Rangers Ballpark, Oswalt is 2-5 with a 4.78 ERA.

Are The Phillies Washed Up?

The Phils were just swept by the N.Y. Mets.  It's as hard-to-believe as it is painful to swallow.  It was the Mets first sweep of a three-game series in Philly since June 2006.

The Phils have lost 6 of their last 8 games.  They had leads in ALL of those games-- sometimes as much as a 6-run lead.  With the offense finally beginning to produce runs (78 runs in 16 games; 4.88 runs/game), perhaps the team's worst flaw on the current roster has been exposed: their bullpen.

In 2008, the Phils and Dodgers battled for the league's best bullpen.  Since then, the Phils beefed up their star rotation and let the bullpen go to pot, figuring it irrelevant.  Now, the bullpen ERAs read like the cost of gasoline: ever-increasing at eye-popping and infuriating rates.  Kendrick 7.32, Contreras 8.59, Sanches 11.25, Schwimer 8.53, Stutes 6.35...

The Phillies bullpen ranks 30th out of 30 ML teams with a 5.59 ERA.  Opponents are hitting .277 against them and they have a record of 2-8.  That's the difference between the Phils potentially being in first place and the reality of their being in last place.

It's not simply the incompetence of the bullpen, but how poorly it is used by manager Charlie Manuel, who has resurrected his early managerial career tendency for drawing criticism and appearing inept.  This season, the Phils have lost 5 games in the 9th inning or later.  Papelbon was not used by Manuel in any of those games.

Perhaps those were 5 games that Manuel felt like resting his star closer.  However, Papelbon is a perfect 9-9 in saves this season and cost the Phils $50-million.  Those 5 games match the Phils' GB ("Games Back") of first place.  To make matters worse, Manuel elected to use Papelbon in a 2-2 9th inning tie on Monday in a non-save situation in an inexplicable move which was lacking in strategic logic.  The game resulted in Papelbon's first loss of the season.  Papelbon's April ERA as a closer: 0.90.  His May ERA as a non-save reliever? 13.50.

Sunday night's ESPN "Game of the Week" was a National spread on the Nationals.  According to ESPN, the new face of baseball is the young, talented Washington Nationals.  They even have their own catchy nickname, "Natitude," which sounds about as substantial as a drive-through combo-meal.  "Would you like the Happy Harper Burger or a Strasburg Shake with that?"  Washington had taken the first 2 of the 3-game series by outscoring the Phils 11-4, knocking them to last place, a full 5 1/2 games back.

Sunday, Cole Hamels and Hunter Pence would not let that trend continue.

Hamels struck media darling Bryce Harper, the 19 year-old phenom whose hype is unmatched in baseball's storied history, with a "welcome to the big leagues" fastball to the back and extended his intensity by holding the Nationals to 1 run, while Pence pounded 2 HR and is currently on pace for 35 this season (25 is his career high).  Impressively, that's without Utley and Howard in the lineup, so the pitches Pence has seen thus-far in the clean-up spot are significantly worse than those he's likely to see when he relinquishes the role to Howard.

Sunday, ESPN lauded the Nationals, gushing about not simply their young exciting starting pitching, but also their electrifying bullpen and not to forget their promising young bats.

Oh, and they talked about the Phils, too.  Not only their lack of offense, but also their failures from the mound and not to forget their unenviable agedness.

Jayson Werth broke his wrist on Monday

Perhaps to underscore the limp Phillies organization, as if to say, 'out with the old', the days following the Nationals series whipping saw Jayson Werth's career-threatening break to his chronically injured wrist.   Meanwhile, Ryan Madson will not throw a pitch this year due to injury.  It's as if even the Phils who are no longer Phils have passed their prime and are baseball extinct.

Even Chase Utley's HR in batting practice with the team Wednesday (he claims to be pain-free at the plate) seemed vastly overshadowed by the fact that he has yet to field ground balls at the professional level this year, even in simulation.

"Grounders are harder because I have to get my legs under me and in a more athletic position," Utley said Wednesday. "Those are things that I'm going to have to progress doing. I can't just go out there and take 100 ground balls right off the bat. I know myself and, at this point, that wouldn't be good for me."

Over the past week, the media has been flooded with stories of Roy Halladay's "decreasing velocity."  "In 2010, Halladay's cutter averaged 91.3 miles per hour. This season, it has dipped to 88.9," they argue.  "In 2009, his sinker averaged 92.6 mph and topped out at 95.8. In 2012, that average is at 90.6 with a max of 92.8."

"No pitcher in baseball has thrown more innings than Halladay in the regular season since 2006," they warn, "And he has the most complete games of any active pitcher, 16 more than the next-closest."

Then, there was the Cole Hamels smear.  After Hamels hit Harper Sunday, everybody and their grandma came out to blast him, including top-notch loudmouth Curt Schilling:  “What the hell does that even mean? I’m old and I’m a former player, and I don’t understand it.”  He called Hamels “selfish,” “stupid” and “hypocritical.” 

"I was trying to hit him. I'm not going to deny it," Hamels, who never claimed to be big in brains told reporters.  "It's something I grew up watching. That's what happened. I'm just trying to continue the old baseball...  I remember when I was a rookie, the strike zone was really, really small and you didn't say anything. That's the way baseball is. Sometimes the league is protecting certain players. It's that old-school prestigious way of baseball."

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told The Washington Post that Hamels hitting Harper with a pitch was "classless" and "gutless."

Typically, guys get away with 'beaning' batters by claiming "the ball got away from me" or "I missed my location."  Hamels contrastingly said, "I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't trying to do it."  Hamels was lambasted far-and-wide within the sports world, then fined and suspended 5 games by baseball for his candor.  "He could have been a little more discreet or less honest," his manager, Charlie Manuel said.

Still, perhaps the fact that Hamels kept coming back to the word "old" was fitting.  That's how this team is now viewed.  They're old, they're feeble, they're broken down.  Maybe that's true.  Then again, maybe it's not.

Losing games by stranding 12 runners on base won't prove that point.  Failing to score with nobody out and the bases loaded won't do it either.  Neither will blown leads by the bullpen or the manager's failure to use it effectively.  Even the return of Utley-Howard may not lead this team to its former glory or a semblance of its former self.

However, if they can continue to score runs, they can eclipse some of the bad luck.  That part of it will balance out over the 162-game season.

For example, the Phils have lost 5 games by 1 run.  They are 0-4 in extra-innings.  Their 3-hole and 4-slot hitters have played a net sum of zero games this year.  Some of these statistics have to be in their favor.

Yes, the Phils are presently 4 1/2 games behind the on-paper piss-poor Mets.  However, the Phils runs scored/allowed differential is twice as good. 

Utley's injury, progress and the future of his career remain an enigma.

There will start to be games when the hitting and the pitching successes take effect on the same night.  That will make up for some of the present hardship in the standings.

The Nationals will fall.  The Braves may not.  The Mets will.  So, probably, will the underachieving Marlins.  Getting Utley-Howard back will help, so will some prudent managing by Charlie Manuel, which he is capable of-- or so we hope.

The Phillies' bullpen remains a serious concern.  However, just as starters are often scarce at the trading block, relievers always seem available, often at an attainable price.  The Phils should start looking now, prizing those gems among the teams that figure to be out of contention and pocket money, hungry for prospects to replace arms that require millions to retain.

There's no guarantee that this year's team is going anywhere.  They may in fact miss the playoffs for the first time since 2006.  After all, 2006 is the last time the Mets swept the Phils at home, which they did again Wednesday night.

However, there's just as much reason to believe-- perhaps more, thanks to the success of the past 5 years, that this team has fight left in them.  True, personnel has changed, but not all of it.  There's plenty of reason to believe, despite a media onslaught of naysaying, that Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Utley, Howard, Victorino, Rollins and Chooch, who have defined this team's highest achievements the last 5 years, have life left in them.

Furthermore, since baseball more than any other sport is a marathon, not a sprint, which is played over an incomparably long season, let the kids like the Nationals sprint out to first place, while the veterans' cool presence unfolds over 162 games.

Only a paltry few 100-win teams have succeeded in the postseason.  A staggering percentage of 90-win Wild Card teams have.

The Phils won the World Series in '08 after winning 92 games, then returned the next year after winning 93.  Last season's 102-win team got bumped in the first round.

If this team is to make the playoffs, it may take a late-season charge and last-week dramatics.  However, isn't that the way to get there, on a roll?  Whether they can make the necessary adjustments and find the chemistry as they shuffle lineups in ensuing months remains to be seen.  However, for the Phillies fan and the National Media alike, counting them out already seems disloyal and premature.

They still have 2 World Series appearances, 1 ring, 5-straight division titles, 2 MVPs, 3 CY Young Awards and a Rookie-of-the-Year on this team.  They are, to some extent, innocent until proven extinct.

Phillies Glass Half Full

The Phils started May Tuesday night the way they started the season on April 5th: with a win.  With their win in Atlanta, the Phils pulled to 12-12 .  Ah, a new month, a fresh start, a clean slate.  .500 baseball.  They can write their own destiny from here.  The last time the Phils were above .500 this year was when they were 1-and-0.  With a win in Atlanta on Wednesday-- Roy Halladay (3-2, 1.95 ERA) vs. Tommy Hanson (3-2, 3.00 ERA), they can match that.

Entering Tuesday's game, John Mayberry Jr. was leading the Majors in 1 category: S.O. %.  He had S.O. 17 of his 49 at-bats, most in baseball with as many at-bats.  Meanwhile, the Braves' trusty reliever Jonny Venters had struck out 17 of 39 hitters, the highest S.O./9 innings pitched in MLB.

Mayberry pinch-hit for Bastardo with one out in the top of the 8th and the score tied at 2.  Venters had just taken the mound and retired the Phils' 1st batter, Freddy Galvis.  The Phils had led 2-0 behind Cole Hamels, who battled through an off-night to hold the Braves largely in-check.

However, that was erased with a Brian McCann HR in the 4th, a couple Braves' singles in the 6th and the Phils usual lack of offense.

Then, the unexpected happened.  Mayberry took the 2nd pitch from Venters to right field.  Rollins followed with a single.  Then, Mayberry scored the winning run on a wild pitch by Venters.  The Phils would win 4-2.

The runs were the first allowed by Venters this season.  "For me to give it away like that is unacceptable," he said.  "I left some sinkers up in the zone and they don't miss those pitches."

"We were all set up to win that ball game and it kind of hurts but it wasn't Jonny's day," said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez.

Despite his early struggles, Mayberry stole one back.  Perhaps, for him, it will be the start of something good.  The 1st day of the rest of his season. Maybe the same can be said for his team. 

The Washington Nationals have lost 5-straight, propelling the Phils from 5 1/2 back to 2 1/2 games out of first place.  True, the Phils haven't done that much to help their cause.  While Washington has lost 6-of-10, the Phils have only eclipsed them by 1 game, at 5-5 in their last 10.  With Tuesday's win at Atlanta, the Phils won back-to-back games, matching their season-high.  Hard to believe they've not won more than 2-in-a-row yet, a month into the season.  Harder to believe the Phils have played 7 series so far this season and have won only 2!

No wonder the team is busy rushing Utley and Howard back to the lineup, according to national headlines, which announced Sunday that the 2 former formidable players were heading to Clearwater, ushering in notions that they are about to 'clean up this mess' and 'lead the team to certain glory.'  If only it were that simple, Charlie Manuel could take a fishing vacation in mid-June.

This isn't going to be that kind of season for the Phils-- or their fans.  Cruising to 102 wins was all nice and dandy last year, when fans pined over whether Halladay would beat out Kershaw for the Cy Young and pondered whether the Yankees would catch them for the most wins in baseball.  However, after their 1st round playoff exit, it was clear to everyone that winning 100 games is not the determining factor in a championship season.  In fact, history shows it is a deterrent.

Hard-luck Lee is winless, despite his best start ever.

No, this season is already better for the Phils than last year was.  "Better?!" you're wondering, "How could that be?!  Last year, they led MLB in wins.  Today, they are in 4th place." 

Yes, the Phils are hard to watch.  Yes, they rank 25th in MLB (out of 30 teams) in runs scored, HR, on base % and slugging %.  Yes, they have agonizingly squandered their starting pitchers' 18 quality starts (1st in baseball) in maddening and often implausible ways-- not getting Cliff Lee the win 4/18, despite his 10 shutout innings, 9 S.O. and 0 walks comes foremost to mind, but let's not discount his 1 run gem on 4/7, which the team also managed to convert into a loss.

Better yet, just glance back to Vance.  This past Monday, when Worley allowed 1 run in 7 innings, he didn't get the win.  In 5 starts this year, Worley has posted a 1.97 ERA and has S.O. 32 in 32 innings.  Yet, he has only 2 wins to show for it.  Cliff Lee has a 1.96 ERA, a 0.70 WHIP (2nd lowest in the NL behind 0.68 Matt Cain, SF) and a K/9 of 7.04.  How many wins has he notched as a result of this staggeringly awesome dossier?  None.  He has no wins, despite his undeniable control and dominance so far in '12.  

If you're frustrated with these Phils, rest assured that the starting pitching staff and their former hitting coach manager Charlie Manuel are far more frustrated than you are.

Furthermore, take comfort in the fact that the teams who blossom late, rather than those who lead the pack out of the gate are the ones who are made for title greatness.  The 100 win teams, history shows, are not likely for championship honors.  However, the teams that come together late in the year are the ones most likely to spread their October wings for World Series glory.

The 2008 Phils were just such a team.  Like the '12 Phils, they too were 8-10 after 18 games, which isn't to ensure anything, only to say that it can get better from here.  Will it?  5 signs point in that direction:

1) Papelbon - The Phils finally have a supreme closer again.  For the 1st time since '08, they have a lock-down 9th inning arm.  Papelbon leads the major leagues in saves.  Despite the Phils having won only 12 games, Papelbon has notched a perfect 9-for-9 within that dozen.

2) Starting pitching - Sure, it looked great on paper, but games are won and lost on the field and paper loses its meaning in practice.  That's why the Phils starting 4 performing at the level they have so far is so vital to a potential playoff picture.  Of course, they have to get there first.  However, Halladay, Lee, Hamels and Worley rank among the best in the NL in several categories showing that, while we may have expected it, they came prepared to deliver, which is a priceless part of this team's title hopes.

3) Howard and Utley absent - If this team were fully healthy, we may not have found out that Ty Wigginton could hit .317 in his 1st 21 games.  Even if his numbers dip to his career .265 average in coming weeks, he's one player-- Juan Pierre is another (batting .313) -- who has benefited from this time without Howard-Utley.  He has been asked to perform and has answered the bell.  That can only help during the dog days of summer and the September swoon.   Remember Matt Stairs?  Help can sometimes come from the bench in clutch moments.  Equally crucial: the Phils have finally started to practice some of the small ball they desperately now need to produce the runs the longball used to get them.

4) Howard and Utley return - In their absence, the Phils have managed a .500 record.  When they return, again: due to the pitches everyone around them will see as much as the contributions they will hopefully make, the team can only improve, because its offensive production most certainly will.  If Charlie Manuel was told before the season that his team would play their 1st 24 games without Utley or Howard, who were soon to return, and that they would find themselves 12-12 only a mere 2 1/2 games out of 1st, I think he'd have said, in his usual swaggering candor: "I'd like my odds for the rest of the season."

5) NL East - As much as the talk about the better Braves, improved Nationals and mounting Marlins filled our ears during the offseason, no one has claimed the division away from the Phils-- yet.  Washington started 14-4, destined to fall to Earth, then promptly nose-dived quicker than expected by losing 5 straight (their current streak).  The NL East is still the Phils to lose.  So far, if you project ahead, it still appears they have the best shot at winning it.  In part, despite the pitfalls they've found themselves in to this point in the season.  In part, because of them.

The Phils will play Washington 6 times this month, likely to determine 1st place.  The first series is in Washington, May 4th-6th.  The next is in Philly, May 21-23.  This Friday, May 4th, the Phils are scheduled to see Stephen Strasburg, the famed young right-hander, whose stuff is already legend. 

The Phils win Tuesday was the 1st in a 9-game stretch against NL East rivals.

"This is where we can make up our ground," Cole Hamels said. "Hopefully this can kind of spark us into being the team that we know we're capable of being and what everybody obviously expects us to be. We're playing against better teams and teams that have better records than us and we have to change that and start getting momentum back on our side and things will flow a lot easier."