GaryMrMets
08-01-2004, 07:55 PM
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/9286694.htm
Posted on Sat, Jul. 31, 2004
Reeling and Dealing
By Todd Zolecki
Inquirer Staff Writer
CHICAGO - Flashes of life.
Then another painful demise.
The losing continues, but a few fresh faces acquired in trades last night could provide a boost to a lifeless Phillies clubhouse. The Phillies blew a three-run lead in the sixth inning yesterday at Wrigley Field on their way to a 10-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The floundering Phillies have lost five straight games to match their longest losing streak of the season. They also dropped to 52-51, the first time since May 8 that they have been just one-game over .500.
But like a certain Democratic presidential candidate said Thursday in Boston, help is on the way. The Phillies traded outfielder Ricky Ledee and single-A Clearwater righthander Alfredo Simon to the San Francisco Giants for righthanded reliever Felix Rodriguez, who is 3-5 with a 3.43 ERA in 53 appearances.
They also traded righthander Josh Hancock and minor-league shortstop Anderson Machado to Cincinnati for righthanded reliever Todd Jones and minor-league outfielder Brad Correll. Jones is 8-2 with a 3.79 ERA in 51 appearances.
To replace Ledee, the Phillies recalled centerfielder Marlon Byrd from triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he was hitting .255 with one home run and 14 RBIs in 35 games. Byrd is expected to take over in center field. "We've been trying to improve our pitching, particularly in the bullpen, leading up to the deadline," Phillies GM Ed Wade said.
So optimism remains in an incredibly frustrated Phillies clubhouse, despite a week that resulted in a team meeting Thursday at Pro Player Stadium in Miami and an 0-5 start to a crucial 13-game road trip through Florida, Chicago, San Diego and Los Angeles.
The Phillies were looking for bullpen help, especially after closer Billy Wagner joined Ryan Madson on the disabled list yesterday.
That's no way to win a pennant.
Or the wild card.
"Every game is going to be important from here on out," Phillies third baseman David Bell said. "And that's the fun part. We're confident. We're confident we can turn it around. There's no reason not to be. This is such a good team. I know it's all talk. But I think that we all believe it. As long as we all stick together and believe it's going to happen, I think we have that confidence that it will." It looked like reality early.
The Phillies carried a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the sixth. Bobby Abreu hit a solo homer in the first. Pat Burrell hit solo homers in the second and fourth. Then Abreu crushed a 2-0 pitch from Cubs righthander Mark Prior deep into the center-field shrubbery for a three-run homer in the fifth to hand the Phillies their three-run lead.
Maybe the team meeting had helped. Maybe they had found new life. But with one out in the bottom of the sixth, Phillies starter Eric Milton served up a solo homer to Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez, his second of three home runs yesterday.
Michael Barrett and Alex Gonzalez followed with back-to-back singles to put runners on first and third.
Manager Larry Bowa came to the mound to relieve the tiring Milton with lefthander Rheal Cormier (4-5). But the comeback continued. Pinch-hitter Jose Macias hit a chopper to third base. Bell picked up the ball and threw home to try to nab Barrett, but it didn't arrive in time as the Cubs made it 6-5.
"As it turned out, I probably should have gone to first," Bell said. "I don't know if I would have had a play. But taking everything into consideration, if I could have got that out at first I should have done that. I think I rushed the throw a little bit. I didn't get a great throw off."
With runners on first and second, Mark Grudzielanek hit a blooper into no man's land in shallow right field. The ball fell out of Placido Polanco's reach and skipped past Abreu. Abreu's throw home missed the mark as Gonzalez scored, and Macias reached third on the error.
Tied, 6-6.
"Throughout the rest of the game I kept thinking how I somehow should have gotten an out [on the chopper to third]," Bell said.
But that's what happens in a tailspin. Nothing seems to go right. Two more runs scored in the inning as the Cubs took an 8-6 lead. Righthander Roberto Hernandez allowed two more runs in the seventh to put dirt on the Phillies' once bright afternoon.
Cormier and Hernandez expressed their clubhouse frustrations publicly earlier this week. "We aired out some stuff, cleared out some stuff," Cormier said about Thursday's meeting. "It's a new chapter. We move on... . It's one of the tougher weeks I've ever had."
The Phillies must win today to have a chance to win this series against the Cubs. If they lose, they would need to win every game on the rest of the trip to finish the trip above .500.
During the all-star break in Houston, Phillies first baseman Jim Thome said the team needed to avoid the 1-9 road trip, which they had last August. "It's a concern," Thome said. "Especially where we're at in our division.... Obviously, the Marlins. New York. The Braves. It just boils down to going out and getting it done. You can sit and talk about it all you want. You just got to go out and get it done."
Posted on Sat, Jul. 31, 2004
Reeling and Dealing
By Todd Zolecki
Inquirer Staff Writer
CHICAGO - Flashes of life.
Then another painful demise.
The losing continues, but a few fresh faces acquired in trades last night could provide a boost to a lifeless Phillies clubhouse. The Phillies blew a three-run lead in the sixth inning yesterday at Wrigley Field on their way to a 10-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The floundering Phillies have lost five straight games to match their longest losing streak of the season. They also dropped to 52-51, the first time since May 8 that they have been just one-game over .500.
But like a certain Democratic presidential candidate said Thursday in Boston, help is on the way. The Phillies traded outfielder Ricky Ledee and single-A Clearwater righthander Alfredo Simon to the San Francisco Giants for righthanded reliever Felix Rodriguez, who is 3-5 with a 3.43 ERA in 53 appearances.
They also traded righthander Josh Hancock and minor-league shortstop Anderson Machado to Cincinnati for righthanded reliever Todd Jones and minor-league outfielder Brad Correll. Jones is 8-2 with a 3.79 ERA in 51 appearances.
To replace Ledee, the Phillies recalled centerfielder Marlon Byrd from triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he was hitting .255 with one home run and 14 RBIs in 35 games. Byrd is expected to take over in center field. "We've been trying to improve our pitching, particularly in the bullpen, leading up to the deadline," Phillies GM Ed Wade said.
So optimism remains in an incredibly frustrated Phillies clubhouse, despite a week that resulted in a team meeting Thursday at Pro Player Stadium in Miami and an 0-5 start to a crucial 13-game road trip through Florida, Chicago, San Diego and Los Angeles.
The Phillies were looking for bullpen help, especially after closer Billy Wagner joined Ryan Madson on the disabled list yesterday.
That's no way to win a pennant.
Or the wild card.
"Every game is going to be important from here on out," Phillies third baseman David Bell said. "And that's the fun part. We're confident. We're confident we can turn it around. There's no reason not to be. This is such a good team. I know it's all talk. But I think that we all believe it. As long as we all stick together and believe it's going to happen, I think we have that confidence that it will." It looked like reality early.
The Phillies carried a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the sixth. Bobby Abreu hit a solo homer in the first. Pat Burrell hit solo homers in the second and fourth. Then Abreu crushed a 2-0 pitch from Cubs righthander Mark Prior deep into the center-field shrubbery for a three-run homer in the fifth to hand the Phillies their three-run lead.
Maybe the team meeting had helped. Maybe they had found new life. But with one out in the bottom of the sixth, Phillies starter Eric Milton served up a solo homer to Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez, his second of three home runs yesterday.
Michael Barrett and Alex Gonzalez followed with back-to-back singles to put runners on first and third.
Manager Larry Bowa came to the mound to relieve the tiring Milton with lefthander Rheal Cormier (4-5). But the comeback continued. Pinch-hitter Jose Macias hit a chopper to third base. Bell picked up the ball and threw home to try to nab Barrett, but it didn't arrive in time as the Cubs made it 6-5.
"As it turned out, I probably should have gone to first," Bell said. "I don't know if I would have had a play. But taking everything into consideration, if I could have got that out at first I should have done that. I think I rushed the throw a little bit. I didn't get a great throw off."
With runners on first and second, Mark Grudzielanek hit a blooper into no man's land in shallow right field. The ball fell out of Placido Polanco's reach and skipped past Abreu. Abreu's throw home missed the mark as Gonzalez scored, and Macias reached third on the error.
Tied, 6-6.
"Throughout the rest of the game I kept thinking how I somehow should have gotten an out [on the chopper to third]," Bell said.
But that's what happens in a tailspin. Nothing seems to go right. Two more runs scored in the inning as the Cubs took an 8-6 lead. Righthander Roberto Hernandez allowed two more runs in the seventh to put dirt on the Phillies' once bright afternoon.
Cormier and Hernandez expressed their clubhouse frustrations publicly earlier this week. "We aired out some stuff, cleared out some stuff," Cormier said about Thursday's meeting. "It's a new chapter. We move on... . It's one of the tougher weeks I've ever had."
The Phillies must win today to have a chance to win this series against the Cubs. If they lose, they would need to win every game on the rest of the trip to finish the trip above .500.
During the all-star break in Houston, Phillies first baseman Jim Thome said the team needed to avoid the 1-9 road trip, which they had last August. "It's a concern," Thome said. "Especially where we're at in our division.... Obviously, the Marlins. New York. The Braves. It just boils down to going out and getting it done. You can sit and talk about it all you want. You just got to go out and get it done."