The Philly Phyles

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Source: RotoWorld

He's definitely going to be one of the better pitchers in the NL...I love what I've seen out of this guy.

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Carlos Ruiz went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI against the Reds on Monday.
Ruiz is 4-for-7 in three games. It seems likely that he'll play behind Rod Barajas for the most part, but that's not set in stone. He could prove to be the better hitter of the two, though Barajas should have the advantage with the glove.

Source: RotoWorld

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Pat Burrell didn't make Monday's road trip as scheduled because of a stiff back.
Burrell played in a 'B' game in Clearwater instead. "[Trainer Scott Sheridan] wanted him to stay over there," manager Charlie Manuel said. "His back has been a little stiff. He's going to be fine."

Source: RotoWorld

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Tom Gordon made his first appearance of the spring on Tuesday and pitched a scoreless inning in Philadelphia's 11-10 defeat of Pittsburgh.
Gordon hasn't had any issues in camp, but the Phillies will go slowly with their closer this spring. He may only throw about eight innings this month, and if he pitches on back-to-back days at all, it won't be until the very end of the exhibition season.

Source: RotoWorld

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Pat Burrell said Tuesday that he may need contact lenses after an annual eye exam caused "a red flag when he didn't pass it with flying colors."
Burrell was told that he may have trouble seeing at night. "I told them I didn't," Burrell said. "They said that I might not realize it. They said I might need contacts." Interestingly, Burrell has been a better hitter at night in recent years.

Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Brennan King delivered a three-run bomb in the bottom of the 10th to give the Phillies a 6-3 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Burrell, who has been dealing with some back stiffness, is 4-for-8 with two doubles and two walks.

Source: RotoWorld

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Rule 5 picks Jim Ed Warden and Alfredo Simon both gave up two runs Thursday in the loss to the Indians.
The Phillies have room to carry one of their Rule 5 relievers, but neither is making a strong impression so far. Warden has allowed four runs and walked three in 1 1/3 innings. the hard-throwing Simon has given up six runs and nine hits in three innings.

Rule 5 picks Jim Ed Warden and Alfredo Simon both gave up two runs Thursday in the loss to the Indians.
The Phillies have room to carry one of their Rule 5 relievers, but neither is making a strong impression so far. Warden has allowed four runs and walked three in 1 1/3 innings. the hard-throwing Simon has given up six runs and nine hits in three innings.

Source: RotoWorld

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The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the White Sox have contacted the Phillies in an effort to reacquire Aaron Rowand.
It was something of a surprise that the White Sox didn't get Rowand in the Freddy Garcia deal. The center fielder can be had in exchange for the right amount of relief help. The Phillies would probably ask for Mike MacDougal, which would be a tough trade for the White Sox to make. A package of David Aardsma and Sean Tracey might be more to their liking.

Jayson Werth went 2-for-3 with two walks Friday, raising his spring average to .294.
He's 5-for-17 with five walks. Werth doesn't have any extra-base hits yet, and it will be interesting to see how his power comes back after his struggles with wrist problems. The Phillies are planning on making him their fourth outfielder.

Matt Smith gave up six runs while getting just two outs Friday against the Red Sox.
Smith was supposed to be a lock for the Philadelphia pen after allowing two runs in 20 2/3 innings for the Yankees and Phillies last season, but he's allowed 11 runs -- eight earned -- and posted a 0/5 K/BB ratio in 2 1/3 innings this spring. At this rate, the Phillies might not have any other choice than to keep Fabio Castro in the bullpen.

Joe Bisenius threw two scoreless innings of relief and struck out three Red Sox on Friday.
The Phillies weren't planning on carrying Bisenius out of spring training, but they could reconsider. He's allowed one hit and walked none in 3 1/3 innings. Regardless of whether he makes the team, it'd be no surprise to see him end the year as one of the top setup men for Tom Gordon.

Cole Hamels yielded four runs in two innings Friday in a loss to the Red Sox.
Hamels walked four and struck out none in the contest. He pitched three scoreless innings and walked none against the Yankees his first time out, so this probably isn't anything to worry about.

Pat Burrell wore contacts for the first time Friday, but decided to ditch them before playing the Red Sox later in the day.
Burrell struck out twice, the second time after working a 3-0 count, and flied out to shallow left. He also had a ball fall under his glove. The lenses were prescribed after he didn't ace the annual spring eye exam and was asked to see an eye doctor, who said a slight correction might help, especially at night. "This sucks," Burrell said. For the time being, Burrell doesn't seem to thrilled with wearing them.

Ryan Howard, bothered by a slight thigh strain, was used as a designated hitter on Saturday and went 1-for-2 with a walk.
Howard had Friday off, though he said he could have played.


Freddy Garcia made his first start of the spring Saturday and allowed three runs in three innings in the Phillies' win over the Rays.
He allowed five hits, walked two and struck out none. Garcia hasn't been hurt, but until today, he was getting his work in 'B' games. He allowed three unearned runs in an outing against the Jays on Monday.

Greg Dobbs went 2-for-4 with a solo homer off the Astros' Brad Lidge on Saturday.
Dobbs maintained his .500 average and is now 12-for-24 with three homers. His chances of overtaking Karim Garcia or Chris Coste and landing a spot on the Philadelphia bench appear strong.

Jon Lieber surrendered one run and five hits over four innings Saturday versus the Astros.
A Luke Scott homer accounted for the run. There still doesn't seem to be much interest in Lieber, but as more injuries strikes, perhaps that will change before the end of the spring. If the Phillies don't receive a decent offer for Lieber, they might put Adam Eaton into the bullpen.

Source: RotoWorld

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News from the 11th of March.

Ryan Madson has stopped throwing his overhand curveball and is working on a slider.
Madson retired all three batters he faced Saturday, on a strikeout and two pop outs. He had a difficult time throwing the curve for strikes last season, so the slider would give him a second off-speed pitch. "It's a brand-new pitch. The big thing is trusting it. My fastball and changeup have been good, so I'm working a lot on my slider."

Jamie Moyer shut out a Tigers split-squad for five innings in a no-decision Sunday.
Moyer has allowed four runs and seven hits in 10 innings this spring. He doesn't have a lot to offer fantasy squads these days, but he'll likely be a solid fourth starter for the Phillies. Only 4x4 leaguers should go beyond $1-$2 to get him.

Ryan Howard is still troubled by a strained thigh, which he had wrapped following Sunday's game.
"It's tight right now, a little sore," Howard said. "I'm stretching it, icing it and stuff, taking care of it." He did start at first base on Sunday and go 0-for-2 with a walk.

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News from the 12th of March.

Phillies optioned OF Chris Roberson and RHP Anderson Garcia to Triple-A Ottawa; reassigned C Tim Gradoville, C Jason Hill, C Jason Jaramillo, C Lou Marson, INF Andrew Beattie, OF Lou Collier, OF Greg Golson, LHP Jim Crowell, RHP John Ennis, RHP Jeff Farnsworth and LHP Brian Mazone to minor league camp.
Roberson spent more than half of last season as the Phillies' fifth outfielder, but he doesn't figure into the team's plans for the bench this year. The 27-year-old is strictly a Triple-A player.

Matt Smith bounced back from a pair of terrible outings Monday by throwing two scoreless innings and striking out four Astros.
Smith had given up 11 runs -- eight earned -- and posted a 0/5 K/BB ratio in 2 1/3 innings this spring. He was considered a lock for a bullpen spot going in and will be again if he can just throw up a couple of more scoreless innings.

Chase Utley homered for the second straight day Monday as the Phillies and Astros played to a 6-6 tie.
Today's homer was a three-run bomb off Matt Albers. Utley is hitting .333 with five RBI in 27 at-bats.

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News from the 13th of March.

Tom Gordon reportedly flew to Philadelphia Monday to have what the Phillies are calling a routine checkup by a doctor.
Seems like sort of an add thing to do in the middle of spring training if there's no problem, but for now at least that's the Phillies' story. "He probably should pitch Friday," manager Charlie Manuel said. "Seriously, there's nothing wrong there."

Rod Barajas had a two-run homer off Scott Kazmir and an RBI single Tuesday in an 11-8 win over the Rays.
Barajas is 6-for-17 with seven RBI. Carlos Ruiz is also off to a fine start, but Barajas' advantage on defense means he should be the Phillies' primary catcher if the two have similar numbers.

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News from the 14th of March.

While on a Chicago radio show Tuesday, Aaron Rowand responded to rumors that he could be traded back to the White Sox.
Asked about whether general manager Ken Williams ever told Rowand that he'd bring him back to Chicago, Rowand said: ''I don't know if I should disclose any of that information."

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News from the 15th of March.

Cole Hamels gave up four runs -- three earned -- in four innings against the Blue Jays to fall to 0-2 this spring.
The runs scored on three homers, two from Vernon Wells. Hamels has been knocked around pretty good in back-to-back starts, but it doesn't seem like a major issue yet. He might be going through the dead-arm phase common to starting pitchers.

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News from the 16th of March.

After returning from a visit to a Philadelphia doctor earlier this week, Tom Gordon reportedly may pitch Saturday against the Yankees.
Gordon played long toss Thursday and is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday.

Shane Victorino went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer Friday against the Tigers.
Victorino is batting .450 in 40 at-bats, and as promised, he's doing more running. He stole his fourth base of the spring today and then was caught stealing for the second time when he tried to take third in the same inning. With Victorino a definite threat to swipe 30 bases, he could be worth using in mixed leagues.

Freddy Garcia was pounded for five runs in 4 2/3 innings by the Tigers on Friday.
With a full offseason off, Garcia says he's ahead of where he was last spring, when he was still recovering from the White Sox's World Series run. Still, it's not showing up in the results. His velocity remains down -- though he says that's because he's not throwing at 100 percent yet -- and he's walked five in 7 2/3 innings. We wouldn't be surprised if Garcia turned in a pretty good season for the Phillies this year, but with his fastball not what it once was, he could be as bad a risk of any of next winter's free agents.

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News from the 17th of March.

Manager Charlie Manuel hasn't decided whether to start Brett Myers or Freddy Garcia on Opening Day.
Manuel said he expects to make an announcement before the end of the weekend. Myers pitches Sunday against either Minnesota or Tampa Bay in a split-squad, then likely make two more spring starts.

Aaron Rowand went hitless in three at-bats Saturday and is batting .128 in 39 at-bats this season.
Rowand has been involved in plenty of trade rumors before, so it's unlikely that they're at the root of his slump. The Phillies will likely keep giving him extra at-bats until he works his way out of it.

Ryan Madson pitched two hitless innings for a save Saturday in the Phillies' 3-2 win over the Yankees.
Madson, who has been working on a slider, was making just his fourth appearance of the spring and first in five days. He's allowed two runs and amassed a 6/1 K/BB ratio in five innings. The Phillies are hoping either he or Antonio Alfonseca will prove to be a quality setup man in front of Tom Gordon. Madson is clearly the better bet.

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News from the 18th of March.

Antonio Alfonseca gave up three runs on Sunday and has allowed five runs in four innings this spring.
The Phillies want Alfonseca to one of their top setup men, but the only thing he really has going for him now is that he once saved 45 games in a season. He'll probably be on the Opening Day roster, but we'd given him a less than 50 percent chance of sticking around through the All-Star break.

Brett Myers surrendered just an earned run and struck out seven over six innings Sunday against the Rays.
Fortunately, nothing has come from Myers saying at the end of last month that he'd be willing to move into the closer's role. Maybe Cole Hamels will have a better ERA, but Myers is the Phillies' ace and he should get the ball on Opening Day over Freddy Garcia.

Chris Coste is expected to miss three or four days with a slightly strained right hamstring.
Coste is competing for the last spot on the Philadelphia bench, so he can't afford to miss much time.

Tom Gordon, who returned to the mound and allowed a run in an inning Sunday against the Rays, said last week's doctor's visit was more about his elbow than his shoulder.
"I didn't want to rush anything," Gordon said. "I got to a point where I strengthened my shoulder so well [in the offseason] that my elbow and forearm were still a little weak, so this week gave me an opportunity to strengthen those areas. It helped, no doubt." Gordon said he never experienced any pain in the area. He had no problems during his outing today. "I really felt good, and I knew that I would," he said.