Phillies to sign Jonathan Papelbon

There is a new closer in town, Phillies fans.  After a supposed deal with Ryan Madson fell through the cracks, the Phillies didn't hesitate to scoop up their next closer: Jonathan Papelbon.  According to Jim Salisbury of CSN, the Phillies have agreed to a 4 year, close to 50 million dollar contract with the former Red Sox closer.

Papelbon brings with him 6 years of closing experience and has saved at least 31 games every year since 2006.  While Papelbon has had his moments of shakiness, he strikes out well over a batter every inning and doesn't give up too many free passes.  While the money and the years are a little bit on the high side, if Papelbon shuts the door in the 9th inning, there is nothing to complain about.

We may never know exactly what happened with the deal the Phillies supposedly had with Ryan Madson but Papelbon is certainly much more than a Plan B option.  While I would have loved to see Madson come back and continue to close games for the Phils, as soon as it was clear that he was going to look for better offers elsewhere, Ruben Amaro hurried to make sure his team wouldn't be left without an elite closer.

We knew the Phillies would pay big bucks for a top closer so the question now is what they do next.  Do they have enough money to even flirt with the idea of bringing Jimmy Rollins back?  What will they do about left field?  Can they afford any other bullpen pieces?  With the 9th inning locked up, it's time for Amaro to plug the rest of the holes.

Ben Francisco the unlikely hero in Game 3

To win a World Series you need to get big hits from some unlikely sources.  Ben Francisco was that unlikely source for the Phillies tonight, driving in all 3 of the Phillies runs with one swing of the bat.  Here are my thoughts on the Phils huge Game 3 win:

-Is there any more improbable of a hero than Ben Francisco?  After a pretty terrible regular season, Francisco instantly made himself a Philly legend with his 3-run homer in the 7th inning.  It was just his second hit in his postseason career and his first home run since late May but Francisco now joins the likes of Matt Stairs in the Phillies postseason pinch hit Hall of Fame.

-Although the Cardinals really made him work, Cole Hamels certainly pitched like an ace tonight.  It would have been nice if he could have gone more than 6 innings before having to turn it over to the bullpen but you can't argue with 8 strikeouts and no earned runs.

-The Phillies bullpen is still something to worry about.  When the starting pitchers are forced to throw a lot of pitches early on the bullpen is going to be a factor and Ryan Madson is the only reliever that can be counted on at the moment.  Madson can't pitch multiple innings every night, though, so someone is going to have step up sooner or later.

-Man that double play in the 8th inning was huge.  It also saved Madson from having to throw too many pitches and allowed him to stay fresh for the 9th.

-Jaime Garcia was everything we feared he would be.  The Phillies just can't hit strike-throwing, soft-tossing lefties.  The Phils failed to work deep counts on Garcia as he cruised through the first 6 innings.  We all know what happened in the 7th, of course.  Wonder if Garcia regrets walking Carlos Ruiz to get to Francisco...

-How annoying is Ryan Theriot?  He is just a mediocre journeyman middle infielder but there he is, going 4 for 5 in Game 3 and raising his batting average to .667 in the postseason.  Thank goodness he didn't get a hit in that final at bat.  I would call him the 2011 Cody Ross but Theriot has zero power and his team isn't winning.

With the two Roy's pitching the next two games and Cliff Lee possibly available out of the pen, the Phillies are exactly where they want to be.  All the pressure is on the Cardinals to beat two of the Phllies aces in a row.  Good luck with that.

Phillies-Cardinals NLDS Game 1 Thoughts

One down, 10 more wins to go.  After a sluggish start for both Roy Halladay and the offense, the Phillies woke up in time to pound the Cardinals, 11-6, and start off the 2011 playoffs with a win.  Here are some of my thoughts on the game:

-Who else had a sinking feeling in their stomach after Halladay gave up the 3-run homer in the first inning and when the Phillies offense looked impatient and inept against Kyle Lohse in the early innings?  You had to figure that Halladay would settle in and he certainly did, retiring 21 straight and looking dominant from the 2nd inning on.  Take out that one swing by Lance Berkman and we'd be talking about another amazing Halladay playoff outing.

-With one swing, Ryan Howard already has more homers and RBI than he did in the entire 2010 playoffs.  We've all seen Howard come up small with runners on in close games before but he stayed patient and waited for Lohse to make a mistake.  If that's the Howard we get for the next few weeks, another title is just a formality.

-The rumors of Raul Ibanez's demise have been greatly exaggerated.  These could be his last few games with the Phillies and Ibanez has already made a huge impact.

-The bullpen still might be something to worry about.  The fact that they had to turn to Ryan Madson just to put the Cardinals away was disheartening.  Although the starters can be expected to go deep in nearly every game, someone besides Madson has to step up and get batters out.

-Albert Pujols is good and all but how about they don't basically intentionally walk him in the first inning?  Berkman and Matt Holliday (when he's healthy enough to start) can really rake so there is no reason to give them extra runners to drive in.

-Hunter Pence looked comfortable in the playoffs, picking up a big hit before Howard's homer as well as the single that put the game out of reach in the 8th inning.  He continues to be exactly what the Phillies needed to add to the lineup.

With Cliff Lee going against Chris Carpenter tomorrow, Game 2 should be a great matchup.  Expect the first team to get to 2 runs to win.

Good news: Madson is back. Bad news: Polanco to the DL

As one Phillie returns, another exits. It has been a year filled with injuries for the Phillies, and that continues today as Placido Polanco has been placed on the disabled list with back problems. The move is retroactive to July 5th, so there is a chance that Polanco misses just a few more games. I wouldn't be surprised if he missed several weeks waiting for his back to get 100%.

With Polanco's return, the Phillies activated closer Ryan Madson, who has missed a month with a hand injury. I would expect Madson to step right back into his 9th inning role, bumping Antonio Bastardo, who did an admirable job as the closer, back to the 8th.

Polanco joins a long list of Phillies on the disabled list, including Joe Blanton, Jose Contreras, Brad Lidge, Roy Oswalt, Shane Victorino.

Phillies place Madson on the DL

With the best offensive team in baseball coming to town, who needs a bullpen? The Phillies announced today that closer Ryan Madson has been placed on the disabled list with a bruised hand. Madson suffered the injury in late May against the Rangers and hasn't pitched since June 19th. Since his placement on the DL is retroactive, he could be back as soon as early next week.

To replace Madson on the roster, the Phillies have called up Andrew Carpenter. Look for Antonio Bastardo and Michael Stutes to continue to carry the load for a severely depleted Phillies bullpen. Let's hope every starter can go the distance against the Red Sox because the late innings could be a real adventure against that lineup.

Lidge to possibly miss half of season, Contreras to close

After the revelation that Brad Lidge was going to start the season on the DL, today's news is hardly surprising: Lidge will miss 3-6 weeks due to his shoulder injury. Given that time frame, Lidge made it clear to reporters that he is shooting for a return after the All-Star break. While that is a long time for the Phillies to be without their closer, at least Lidge won't need surgery on the shoulder, which would potentially keep him out for the entire season.

With Lidge out, Charlie Manuel is reportedly going to go with Jose Contreras as the closer and keep Ryan Madson in the 8th inning. While I don't subscribe to the theory that Madson doesn't have the mental makeup to be a closer, I'm fine with the Phillies keeping Madson in his most successful role. While Contreras doesn't have much closing experience (4 career saves all in 2010), if he can pitch like he did last year, he should do just fine in the 9th inning.

Given the relative depth of the Phillies bullpen, losing Brad Lidge isn't that huge of a blow to the Phillies. Both Contreras and Madson should do just fine in the final two innings so the Phillies will just need either J.C. Romero or Danys Baez to step into the 7th inning role. Then again, the Four Aces will probably just pitch a complete game every time.

Phillies news and notes: Madson is back, Werth to be moved?

Lots of news coming from the Phillies today as they look to finish out the first season on a positive note in a four game series with the Reds:

*Ryan Madson has been activated. Madson, who last pitched in late April, has been on the disabled list for almost two months after he broke his toe when he kicked a chair in frustration. Madson will be a welcome sight to the ragged Phillies bullpen. To make room, the Phillies sent Mike Zagurski back to the minors. Big Mike just doesn't seem ready for the majors right now.

*Carlos Ruiz began his rehab assignment yesterday. Expect Chooch to be back right after the All-Star break.

*Brian Schneider is back in the lineup tonight. Apparently his thumb is feeling a lot better; let's hope that's the last we've seen of Dane Sardinha.

*Finally, the biggest news of the day is something Buster Olney tweeted: the Phillies are talking with teams about the possibility of trading Jayson Werth with the hopes that the team could acquire a starting pitcher in return. This is a move that seems more and more likely to happen every day, what with Werth being a free agent at the end of the season and the Phillies slowly slipping further and further back in the division. While I would hate to see Werth go, if he's going to leave at the end of the season anyway, I would love for the Phillies to be able to turn him into Dan Haren or another starting pitcher of that ilk.

Another Phillies injury? Madson to the DL

It's a good thing Brad Lidge is back. According to the Phillies beat writers on Twitter, Ryan Madson has been placed on the 15 day disabled list with a broken toe. Madson suffered the injury after Wednesday's game against the Giants, a game in which he blew a save. Notice that he hurt himself AFTER his blown save, a revelation that has led many to speculate that he broke his toe kicking something in frustration. (Update: this has now been confirmed, he broke his foot kicking a chair)

Whatever the cause of the injury, the Phillies bullpen remains unsettled without Madson. Just when you figured everything was going to fall in place with the return of Lidge, the Phils go and lose their setup man. Look for the new 8th inning guy to be Jose Contreras instead of the inconsistent Danys Baez.

Antonio Bastardo was called back up to replace Madson on the roster. Hopefully he never left Philly after being demoted to make room for Lidge!

Enough is enough, Brad Lidge

So long, Brad Lidge, and thanks for the memories. At this point, the Phillies need to move on without you. The Brad Lidge from 2008 isn't showing up any time soon so get this guy out of the closer role. His 11th blown save against the Marlins on Wednesday night is beyond the last straw. If Lidge can't close out a game in front of like 15 Marlins fans in a fairly meaningless game in September then how is he going to do in October with a packed stadium and a ton of pressure?

Enough already Charlie Manuel. I know you are loyal to a fault but you have to take Lidge out of the closer role. Ryan Madson, while not perfect either, is your only option and you have to turn to him in the 9th. At this point Lidge isn't even worthy of a spot on the playoff roster but I know the Phillies will at least be that loyal to him.

Enough is enough, Brad Lidge. Your time as the Phillies closer in 2009 is over. Get your head on straight and get yourself ready to bounce back in 2010.

Ryan Madson, your new Phillies closer (for now)

The unthinkable might have finally happened. Charlie Manuel, who has been loyal to his players almost to a fault, may have finally had enough of Brad Lidge blowing games for the Phillies. After blowing 10 (!!) saves this season and nearly blowing another one on Tuesday night, Manuel appears to have turned the closer role over to Ryan Madson. At least for now.

It all started on Tuesday night when, after Lidge let two runners on and got one out, Manuel put Madson in the game and he threw 6 consecutive strikes to clean up Lidge's mess and earn the save. While that was the first sign that Manuel seemed to be turning on Lidge, the real news comes out of Wednesday night's game when Lidge was bypassed completely. With the Phillies clinging to a one run lead, Madson entered the game in the 9th inning for the save opportunity and, while he was a bit shaky, got the job done.

So, Ryan Madson now appears to be the Phillies closer. Will it last the rest of the season? I doubt it. Like I said before, Charlie Manuel is loyal to a fault with his players, so you can bet Brad Lidge will get another chance or two to close games for the Phillies. Of course, there is also the chance that Brett Myers finds his way into the closer role considering he has done it before and he has looked better and better with each outing. It would be extremely difficult but the best option for the Phillies might be to rotate closers, playing the hot hand and picking the right matchups. I don't know that I trust Manuel to weigh all the options correctly when choosing his closer on a given day, though, so that might not really be a good idea.

It's unbelievable how much drama now surrounds the Phillies closer situation. Whatever happens, whoever ends up taking on the role, I just hope it happens soon. The last thing the Phillies need is to be rotating closers in the playoffs. Just like rotating goalies in the NHL, rotating closers just doesn't work. Stick with one guy and he will get in the right mindset to get the job done. Jerk three guys around and they won't be able to get into a rhythm.

Who needs a closer? Ryan Howard saves the day!

It looks like Ryan Madson isn't the answer at closer, either. One day after Phillies fans called for Brad Lidge's head after he blew his 9th save of the season, Madson proved that he wasn't much better in the role after he blew a 1 run lead against the Pirates on Wednesday. Madson, who got the save opportunity because Lidge was unavailable after pitching four days in a row, entered the game with a 1-0 lead in the 9th inning before blowing the save by giving up a homer. It was the 5th blown save in 9 tries this season for Madson.

Of course, who needs a closer when you have Ryan Howard? Howard, clearly annoyed by the inability of his pitchers to close out games, crushed a 3 run homer in the top of the 10th inning to give the Phillies a 4-1 lead they would never look back from. The homer, his 9th in the last 13 games, was further proof that Howard is warming up with the weather. The Phillies went on to win the game as Madson pitched a second inning in the 10th and "earned" the win.

Lost in all the closer craziness is the fact that Cole Hamels pitched a solid game for the Phillies. Hamels pitched 8 shutout innings, and although it was against the lowly Pirates, it was still a better effort than he has shown in quite a while. Hamels allowed runners on base all night but kept finding a way to pitch out of every jam he found himself in. We will see if this is a turning point for Hamels or if it was just the result of Pirate terrbileness.

So, those that want Brad Lidge out, if Ryan Madson isn't the answer at closer, who do the Phillies turn to? Some have suggested Chan Ho Park, who saved 2 games for the Dodgers last season. Others point to Brett Myers and his outing in Double A on Wednesday, where he struck out 5 batters in two innings of work. If Myers is healthy in the coming weeks, he is certainly an intriguing option.

Myers is still a few weeks away, however, so Phillies fans need to make their peace with Lidge closing games for the immediate future. Of course, if Howard continues to rake the way he is right now, having a closer might not really be necessary.

What to do about Brad Lidge?

How much longer can Brad Lidge be a closer on a team that wants to win a championship? Last night, for the NINTH time this season, the Phillies had a lead late in the game, handed the ball to Brad Lidge, and then watched him blow a save. Many would argue that Lidge probably shouldn't have been in the game last night at all since he had pitched in three straight games already, but when you have a one run lead against the Pirates, your closer should be able to get the job done. While Lidge wasn't helped by Jayson Werth's botched play in the outfield last night, he still more than earned a blown save since he failed to get any of the three batters he faced out.

In the encore to a magical season last year, Lidge has been nothing short of a disaster in 2009, putting up numbers this season that are terrifyingly bad (0-6, 7.33 ERA, 1.80 WHIP), especially when compared with his numbers in 2008 (2-0, 1.95 ERA, 1.23 WHIP). For a team that has built up a large lead in their division like the Phillies, having a closer who has put up the kind of numbers that Lidge has is truly astonishing.

So, the question now is, what do the Phillies do? I'm all for taking Lidge out of the closer role, but who do you turn to? Ryan Madson closed a few games earlier in the year but wasn't terribly effective. J.C. Romero closes games from time to time but he's injured. Brett Myers, who is unfortunately at least a month away from contributing, has shown that he can be an effective closer, so he could be a good option if he has his head straight. There are really no other options on the roster after that.

With no obvious replacement available, the Phillies are forced to stick with Lidge despite how terrible he has been. With October right around the corner, however, if the Phillies have a Plan B closer up their sleeve, now is the time to show it.

Welcome back, Lidge!

A few weeks ago, this blogger made a mistake. I called for Brad Lidge to step down as closer for the Phillies, to be replaced by Ryan Madson. I stand by my statements that Lidge needed some time off, possibly with an "injury", but 2 blown saves and a loss later, I realize that Madson was not the answer. So, with that in mind, I welcome Brad Lidge back to his closer role. Hopefully the time off has given him a chance to clear his head and nurse his injured knee and he will be ready to be the dominant closer that he was last season. He can't be any worse than Madson, right?

To make room for Lidge on the roster, the Phillies sent Sergio Escalona back down to the minors. Escalona has been up and down all season long, so you can bet we are only an injury or overused pitcher away from seeing him again.

Here are the updated bullpen roles. With Lidge back, everyone seems to slide back into more comfortable roles, although the Phillies are without a true lefty specialist at the moment.

Long relief:
Chan Ho Park
Chad Durbin

Lefty who can go multiple innings:
Jack Taschner

6th inning:
Tyler Walker

7th inning:
Chad Durbin

8th inning:
J.C. Romero
Ryan Madson

Closer:
Brad Lidge

No PED's here: Ibanez's homer leads Phillies to victory

(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Couldn't have picked a better guy to be the hero for the Phillies tonight. Raul Ibanez, who had his name smeared by some blogger earlier in the week, was the perfect choice to lead the Phillies to a victory over the Mets. Ibanez broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the 10th inning by crushing a 3 run homer that carried the Phils to a 6-3 win and a series victory over the Mets in New York.

Ibanez has been all over the media this week, with his strong backlash against all of the allegations that he could be using performance-enhancing drugs. His game-winning shot tonight won't keep him out of the news, but at least now he will be talked about for the right reasons. By the way, for those keeping track at home, Ibanez now has 21 homers on the season, just 12 away from his career high. He is on pace for 59 homers and 162 RBI for the season, numbers that would easily win him an MVP award and would absolutely demolish his career highs. PED's or not, and I firmly believe NOT, those are some crazy numbers.

One more thing to note from the game: Ryan Madson saved his second game in a row after a near-perfect bottom of the 10th inning. If he keeps mowing down hitters like this, I see no reason for the Phillies to rush back Brad Lidge. If the Phils can get some steady work from Scott Eyre, J.C. Romero and Chad Durbin in the 8th inning, then they won't miss Lidge at all.

I've had enough: Ryan Madson for closer

I'm a patient baseball fan. I don't make rash decisions about the value of a player after one good performance or one bad performance. Players shouldn't be traded after an 0 for 5 night and they shouldn't be put in the Hall of Fame for pitching a complete game shutout. I understand that baseball is about trends, and you can't take any one game too hard.

With that said, it's time for Brad Lidge to step away from the closer role for the Phillies. The Phillies entered Friday night's contest against the Dodgers, the best team in baseball, riding a 7 game winning streak and were ready to prove that they were still the World F'n Champions. Enter Brad Lidge in the 9th inning with a lead on both Friday and Saturday, and exit the Phillies with two bad losses. Instead of putting a further stranglehold on the NL East and cementing themselves as baseball's best team, the Phillies took two bad losses and have fallen back towards the pack.

That's why Brad Lidge and his 6 blown saves in 19 tries needs to be removed as closer. The Phillies are too good to let Lidge ruin a shot at repeating as World Champs. The best part about removing Lidge is the fact that they have the perfect in-house candidate in Ryan Madson. Let's make a quick comparison between Lidge and Madson:

Brad Lidge: 26 IP, 7 HR allowed, 14 BB, 28 K's, 6 BS, 1.81 WHIP, 7.27 ERA
Ryan Madson: 27.1 IP, 0 HR allowed, 9 BB, 29 K's, 1.06 WHIP, 2.30 ERA

I don't care if he fakes an injury and goes on the DL or they send him to the minors to "find himself", the Phillies need to make the change. NOW.

Go on Twitter and join the movement! Let's see if we can make #ryanmadsonforcloser a trending topic!

Fun with Phillies Projections, Pitchers Edition

Yesterday, I looked at some of the projections for the Phillies hitters and whether there was any shot they could continue at their current pace (Ibanez should easily hit 64, right?). Today, it's the pitchers turn. Let's take a look at some of the actual projected statistics for a selection of Phillies pitchers and see if there is any chance they can meet these numbers:

Brad Lidge
Current: 4 Blown Saves
Projected: 14 Blown Saves
14 Blown Saves would dwarf Lidge's previous career high of 8 BS in a season. Something is definitely wrong with Lidge, especially considering he didn't blow a single save last season and now he has completely fallen off the rails. I don't see any way he gets 14 blown saves this season because he will either turn it around or he will lose his job as a closer.

Brett Myers
Current: 15 HR allowed
Projected: 53 HR allowed
Myers' previous career high is 31 HR allowed. I have no idea what the all-time record is for homers allowed in a single season, but I have to think that 53 would be close to it. Myers could pitch well and still break this record, after all, who cares if he gives up a homer with no one on base?

Cole Hamels
Current: 2-2 record
Projected: 7-7 record
Obviously, King Cole will finish with at least 10 wins, but he will still rack up his fair share of no-decisions, especially if the bullpen continues to blow saves.

Ryan Madson
Current: 2-1 record, 1 save, 1.13 WHIP
Projected: 7-4 record, 4 saves, 1.13 WHIP
Perhaps he's the answer at closer while Brad Lidge is struggling? Madson has certainly been dominant.

Jame Moyer
Current: 3-5 record, 13 HR allowed, 7.42 ERA
Projected: 11-18 record, 46 HR allowed, 7.42 ERA
Moyer has had his worst season since 2004 with Seattle, when he put up numbers pretty similar to those projected numbers. That bodes well for a comeback for Moyer, since he has won 10 games every season since then, but it could also be a signal that he is in for a long year.

Phillies lock up Ryan Madson for three years

Moving on to some better news from a team who got the job done, the Phillies continue to agree to contracts with key players from their World Championship team. Two days ago, it was Cole Hamels who agreed to a 3-year deal, today it was Ryan Madson who signed on for three more years.

Set-up man Madson and the Phillies agreed to a 3 year deal worth 12 million plus incentives. This was the same deal that Madson reportedly turned down last week, there is no word yet on why he agreed to it now. There was some speculation that Madson was going to try to get out of town and go to a team that would use him as a closer, but by signing this deal, he is locked in to setting up for Brad Lidge for the next few years.

While 4 million a year for a set-up guy may seem like a bit of a steep price, in my opinion the Phillies have made an excellent move. Good teams always have strong bullpens and now the Phils are set in the 8th and 9th innings for the next three years. Madson has been hot and cold throughout his career, but with the way he pitched down the stretch and in the postseason last year, locking him up to a deal was a must for the Phillies.

This leaves the Phillies with five arbitration-eligible players: Joe Blanton, Chad Durbin, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth

King Cole will reign over Philly for 3 more years

World Series MVP Cole Hamels was due for a big raise and he got it today. Hamels and the Phillies agreed to a 3 year, 20.5 million dollar contract, a deal that takes him through his remaining arbitration years. There are also several bonuses worked into the deal if Hamels wins a Cy Young, makes the All Star team or is the World Series MVP again.

Kudos to the Phillies, and to Hamels, for getting this deal done. It's a pretty reasonable deal considering the amount of money C.C. Sabathia got so Hamels should be commended for that. King Cole will become a free agent when the deal expires in 2012 so he could leave town at that point, but it's nice to know he will be anchoring the Phillies staff for the next few years.

The Phillies still have a few more contract situations to work out, including some that may prove to be difficult. Ryan Howard is going to expect a fat contract but I don't think the Phillies will give him one. Ryan Madson is another arbitration-eligible player that won't likely come to terms anytime soon and has already turned down a 3 year offer. Besides Hamels, Greg Dobbs, who signed for 2 years, 2.5 million, is the only other Phillie to agree to a contract. Joe Blanton, Chad Durbin, Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth are the rest of the Phillies who are arbitration-eligible and will need deals to be worked out.

The next three years of King Cole should be fun to watch. Let's see if he can be the ace of another World Series pitching staff.