Justin Verlander

Can the SF Giants or Detroit Tigers afford to go to an arbitration hearing with Tim Lincecum and Justin Verlander? If the two teams do, they will break the bank. Then they will have to go through it all over again next year. Why not sign the two aces to extensions to avoid what comes with an arbitration hearing? Verlander, the Tigers ace and American League strikeout leader, has said that the Tigers have not approached him about a long-term deal so he is prepared for an arbitration hearing where he is requesting $9.5 million but the Tigers have only offered $6.9 million. The Tigers are said to want to reach a one-year agreement to avoid arbitration before discussing a long-term deal, which would be a similar strategy they used with first baseman Miguel Cabrera. If the case reaches arbitration, Verlander may win, considering Boston’s closer Jonathon Papelbon signed a one-year deal worth $9.35 million. If no long-term deal is reached, Verlander will become a free agent in two years and he will go to the highest bidder (think Yankees or Red Sox).

Tim Lincecum

Lincecum’s case is intriguing and he will most likely win if it goes to a hearing. Lincecum is special, just as Ryan Howard’s case was special when he was awarded the most lucrative arbitration contract ($10 million) because no one has put up the numbers he has so far in his career. Lincecum is special because he has won back-to-back CY Young awards in the National League in just his first three years. Lincecum made just $650,000 in 2009 and is asking for $13 million, while the Giants are offering $8 million. In his two CY Young seasons, Lincecum is 33-12 with a 2.55 ERA overall in those two years. He is 40-17 with a 2.90 ERA overall in his career. Why wouldn’t the Giants want to lock Lincecum up to a long-term deal? Both sides would want to avoid arbitration because the hearing will just be a bashing of both sides (think Lincecum’s drug arrest and how Lincecum is the face of the franchise). Lincecum has three more years of arbitration before he becomes a free agent. By the end of his arbitration years, Lincecum could be making around $20 million a year. It would be beneficial for both sides to sign an extension and then Giants could keep one of the game’s best pitchers in San Francisco.

A few teams have done this with their aces, as the Seattle Mariners locked up Felix Hernandez for five years and the Florida Marlins locked up Josh Johnson for four years. Both young aces are the faces for the future of their respective organizations. The Philadelphia Phillies also locked up two players, starting pitcher Joe Blanton and centerfielder Shane Victorino for three years each. The deal for the Flying’ Hawaiian makes sense because he is an integral part of the Phillies offense and defense. The Blanton extension is a little confusing because he is only a number four starter and really only pitches well in the second half. Blanton is going to be receiving a lot of money when the Phillies could have just kept left-handed starter Cliff Lee.

Tags:

Detroit Tigers, Felix Hernandez, Florida Marlins, Joe Blanton, Josh Johnson, Justin Verlander, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, SF Giants, Shane Victorino, Tim Lincecum

Ryan Madson

Coming off their first World Series title in 20 years, the Philadelphia Phillies entered 2009 with virtually the same team as in 2008 (except for the addition of Raul Ibanez in left field). However getting to the World Series was a lot tougher in 2009. Injuries decimated the bullpen as everyone except setup man Ryan Madson spent time on the DL and Madson was hardly lights out (5-5 with a 3.26 ERA in 79 games and converted 10 of 16 saves). No one expected closer Brad Lidge to be perfect again, but he was hardly automatic in 2009 as he blew 11 saves in 42 opportunities. Lefty JC Romero missed the first 50 games due to a performance-enhancing drug suspension, but returned and injured his elbow. It seemed like every week someone was going on the DL and a new body was being called up from the minors.

Ace Cole Hamels was hardly an ace and was inconsistent all season (10-11 with a 4.32 ERA in 32 starts with 24 homeruns allowed and more hits than innings pitched). A slimmer Brett Myers hurt his hip and missed a portion of the season. Joe Blanton had his typical average first half (6-4 with a 4.44 ERA with 19 homeruns allowed) and good second half (6-4 with a 3.62 ERA and 11 homeruns allowed). Chan Ho Park struggled in the starting role (but thrived as a reliever), opening the door for lefty JA Happ’s outstanding rookie season (12-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 23 starts). The struggles in the rotation led to the acquisition of CY Young winner Cliff Lee from the Cleveland Indians (and outfielder Ben Francisco), though the Phillies were linked to Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay (but the price seemed to be too high). Lee dominated in his time with the Phillies, even into the playoffs (7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts and 10 BB/ 74 K but in the playoffs, Lee was 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in 5 starts with 2 complete games and 6 BB/ 33 K). They also added free agent veteran Pedro Martinez, who also added a boost to the rotation (5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in 9 starts)

The offense was typical for the Phillies, even with leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins’ lackluster season. Centerfielder Shane Victorino and rightfielder Jayson Werth had career years. First baseman Ryan Howard sizzled again when the summer heated up (.305 with 23 homeruns and 74 RBIs in the second half).

The 2009 Phillies made it back to the World Series, the first time since the 1995-1996 Atlanta Braves. Unfortunately the offense sputtered and the pitching just could not hold down the NY Yankees. Heading into the offseason, the Phillies had some holes to fill and question marks that needed to be answered. Members of the World Champion team that had major supporting roles were free agents like Matt Stairs, Eric Bruntlett, Myers, and Scott Eyre. Lidge, Romero, Ibanez, and Jamie Moyer had offseason surgery, with Lidge and Romero questionable for spring training and Moyer having complications. With a payroll set to bulge due to arbitration cases for Victorino, Blanton, and catcher Carlos Ruiz, GM Ruben Amaro was hoping to stay within a set amount. Here’s the Phillies wish list:

1. 

   Placido Polanco signing

   A third baseman: Despite his solid season, Pedro Feliz was a free agent and not expected to be re-signed due to his struggles in the playoffs (.167 in 54 at-bats with just 4 RBIs and 11 Ks). Ruben Amaro quickly signed former Phillie Placido Polanco, who was coming off a Gold Glove season with the Detroit Tigers at second base. Polanco hasn’t played third since 2005 but is a hard working veteran who will be excellent batting in the 2 hole (where he is the game’s best) in front of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, and Raul Ibanez.

2. A backup catcher: Starter Carlos Ruiz has been a postseason hero for the Phillies the last two years. Late in 2009, the Phillies cut ties with backup Chris Coste (a fan favorite) and added veteran Paul Bako. However with Bako a free agent, the Phillies decided to go after a local free agent. Brian Schneider, who spent the last two years with the NY Mets, signed on to backup Ruiz. Schneider has been known to be a great defensive catcher though he tends to struggle with the bat.
3. Bullpen help: This is a major need as there are quite a few question marks with the health of the arms returning. The biggest hole is to add a left-hander to complement JC Romero and management hoped to re-sign Scott Eyre, but both sides are far apart. The Phillies seem fine with going to young lefties Sergio Escalona and Antonio Bastardo (who was on the postseason roster but was rarely used) in 2010. Rumors have the Phillies signing a mystery reliever with Danys Baez and Mike MacDougal being the leading candidates.
4. Adding another starter: Despite Kyle Kendrick’s resurgence at the end of 2009, the Phillies are looking to add a starter to compete with Kendrick, veteran Jamie Moyer, and Drew Carpenter. However the Phillies made a blockbuster deal to land Roy Halladay (who they coveted in July) but traded away Cliff Lee and top prospect Kyle Drabek. So yes the Phillies added a workhorse in Halladay, but still may need another starter.

Tags:

Brad Lidge, Brian Schneider, Carlos Ruiz, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, JA Happ, Joe Blanton, Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies, Placido Polanco, Roy Halladay, Ryan Howard, Ryan Madson

Yankees 7, Phillies 4: Game 4 was a game with a full rage of emotions. For the Phillies, the fans were fired up at the start, but were quickly quieted by the Yankees early offense. Late in the game, the Yankees were shocked by the homeruns hit by the Phillies to tie the game. Phillies fans and players who were back into the game were thrown for a loop when the game quickly slipped from their fingertips.

Things didn’t start out well for the Phillies Joe Blanton. He gave up a leadoff infield hit to Derek Jeter and a double to Johnny Damon. Mark Teixeira then ripped a ground ball down the first base line, but Ryan Howard gloved it to get Teixeira out at first. However, Jeter scored on the play. Blanton then hit Alex Rodriguez, in which umpires issued warnings to both teams. Jorge Posada followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. The Phillies got to CC Sabathia in the bottom of the first. A bloop hustle double by Shane Victorino followed by a wall-banger double for Chase Utley, cut the Yankees lead to 2-1. Yet Sabathia limited the damage by striking out both Howard and Raul Ibanez. Sabathia never seemed comfortable all night, constantly shaking off pitches and stepping off the mound. Howard singled to lead off the fourth inning and then stole second. With two outs, Howard was still standing on second base with Pedro Feliz up to bat (who was hitting under .100 against left-handed pitching since the end of August. Feliz singled to left and Damon came up throwing to the plate (which was actually a strong throw) to try and get Howard. Howard crashed into Posada, jarring the ball loose, and was ruled safe to tie the game at 2-2, though replays showed he never touched the plate. This score didn’t last long, as Blanton gave the run back in the top of the fifth, when Jeter softly singled through shortstop, scoring Nick Swisher (who walked to leadoff the inning) from second base. The Yankees scored another run on a base hit by Damon when Melky Cabrera ran through his third base coach’s stop sign.

Utley homered off of Sabathia in the bottom of the seventh, his third homerun of the World Series and third off of Sabathia. This ended Sabathia’s evening and brought on the Yankees bullpen. With a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees went to Joba Chamberlain to setup for closer Mariano Rivera. After blowing away both Jayson Werth and Ibanez on 96 mph fastballs, Joba tried to throw a 95 mph fastball by the now hot-hitting Feliz, who quickly deposited the pitch into the left field seats to tie the game at 4-4. Feliz ended the inning with 3 hits, after only having six hits in 42 postseason at-bats this year. The jubilation and expectations of another comeback victory at Citizens Bank Park quickly came to an end in the top of the ninth as the Phillies pitching yet again couldn’t keep the Yankees scoreless after the offense tied the game. This time it was Brad Lidge, who hadn’t pitched yet in the World Series and hadn’t pitched in a game since Game 5 of the NLCS. After getting two quick outs, Damon got another hit, stole second, and then third because no one went to cover the third base bag as Ruiz threw to second and Feliz was shifted to second base with Teixeira at the plate. This play proved to be costly (and will forever be remembered) as Lidge hit Teixeira and A-Rod followed with a RBI double to retake the lead. Posada followed with a 2-run single to give the Yankees a commanding 7-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Chamberlain was seen in the dugout hugging Posada and A-Rod, thanking them for saving him and giving the Yankees the lead back.

The electric crowd at Citizens Bank Park turned to moans and groans as the inning was disastrous. Lidge got fastball happy after getting the two quick outs in the ninth, going away from his signature pitch (the slider) which had worked against Hideki Matsui and Jeter. When all was said and done, it took 30 pitches for Lidge to hobble through the 9th. Now the Phillies were down with Rivera coming in to close out the game instead of the game being tied and facing Phil Coke. Rivera quickly dispatched the Phillies hitters, throwing just 8 pitched to finish them off.

The Yankees need one more win to celebrate their 27th World Series title. The Phillies, who were so good the last 2 years in the postseason at home (11-1), have now lost 2 straight at home. To stave off elimination and send the series back to NY, the Phillies will send ace Cliff Lee to the mound to hopefully dominate the Yankees lineup as he did in Game 1. The Phillies will also need to hit Yankees starter AJ Burnett or a great performance by Lee may be negated.

Tags:

Alex Rodriguez, Brad Lidge, CC Sabathia, Chase Utley, Joba Chamberlain, Joe Blanton, Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, Pedro Feliz, Phillies, World Series Game 4, Yankees

Another World Series in Philadelphia Phillies means rain in the forecast. Unlike last year, at least the temperatures are warm and not freezing. Game 3 was still set to begin on-time, despite the darkening clouds and rain incoming on the radar. As many of the Phillies players’ stated, the real World Series begins now, meaning the Philly fans are going to be electric, like nothing the Yankees have ever seen. Game 3 pits the Yankees Andy Pettitte against the Phillies Cole Hamels. Pettitte is hoping to increase his all-time postseason wins to 17, which would continue to put him in first place in that category. However, Pettitte isn’t averaging more than seven innings in a postseason start, so that means manager Joe Girardi will need to use more than closer Mariano Rivera out of the bullpen. It will be interesting to see how Pettitte approaches the Phillies lineup with the two switch-hitters at the top (Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino) and the lefties after them (Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez). I suspect Howard will not see many fastballs. Hamels was last year’s NLCS and World Series MVP, though in 2009, he has not been very consistent. The Phillies need Hamels to pitch like he did in 2008 for them to be successful in Game 3. Hamels will need to keep the Yankees hitters adjusting and off-balance all night to be successful. The key to this game will be Pettitte versus the Phillies running attack and the Phillies Jayson Werth. Werth has one of the best batting averages against left-handed pitching over the last two years.

The Phillies have announced their Game 4 starter as Joe Blanton and the Yankees are leaning towards the three-man rotation, meaning Game 1 starter CC Sabathia would pitch in Game 4. Blanton had been the Phillies most consistent starter throughout the 2009 season. Blanton pitched mostly out of the bullpen so far this postseason, though he made the Game 4 start in the NLCS against the Dodgers. Many of the Yankee hitters are familiar with Blanton from his days with the Oakland A’s. Sabathia was good in his first start of the World Series, but was out-pitched by his former teammate. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts his game plan and how the Phillies hitters adjust to him. A key to Game 4 is how long Blanton goes in the game. It could be a game that is determined by the bullpens. Another key will be Carlos Ruiz. It will be Blanton’s first go-round against the Yankees in the playoffs and he’ll need to rely on Ruiz. Ruiz will also need to be big at the plate to turn the lineup over to the speed and power.

Game 5, and the final World Series game in Philly, has the Phillies sending Game 1 starter Cliff Lee probably up against Yankees Game 2 starter AJ Burnett. Will Burnett be just as dominant as he was in Game 2 or will his wild side re-emerge? The Phillies hitters need to adjust and jump on the fastball early in the count. How will the Yankees hitters react to seeing Lee a second time? A key will be Yankees catcher Jose Molina. He will need to keep Burnett’s emotions in check and to keep everything in the dirt in front of him. Molina will also need to produce at the plate or he may be the first move Girardi makes in terms of pinch-hitting. However, Girardi could go with Jorge Posada as the catcher to get more offense, but it would be sacrificing defense and stability with Burnett.

It will be interesting to see if Girardi gets Hideki Matsui some playing time in the outfield with the 3 games in Philly. He has been one of the Yankees best hitters of late (3-for-6 in the World Series so far) and I find it hard to believe that Girardi would only get him 3 at-bats as a pinch-hitter in the 3 games. We will find out how good of a manager Girardi really is as he’ll have to manage pinch-hitters and game situations, along with double-switches.

Tags:

AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Carlos Ruiz, CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Hideki Matsui, Jayson Werth, Joe Blanton, Joe Girardi, Jose Molina, Phillies, World Series, Yankees

The 2009 World Series is truly a matchup of the two best teams in baseball. There is trash-talking, with each city’s media taking things to the extreme and trying to get the players involved. One NY newspaper depicted Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino in a cheerleading skirt and called the Phillies the “Frillies”. Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins predicted the Phillies would win in 5 games. Both teams expect hostile crowds while on the road and Rollins loves to silence opposing teams’ home crowds. Plus he used to being hated in NY.

Both team’s ballparks are susceptible to the homerun as they were ranked in the top two in homeruns in Major League Baseball. Both team’s lineups are the two most-prolific homerun-hitting clubs in MLB. And as Nike stated in a 90’s ad, “chicks dig the long ball”. It’s not surprising that both teams sometimes live and die by the long ball. Both teams looked beatable in their respective league championship series, but both overcame their bullpen obstacles to win and advance. Both teams are led by their RBI machines: Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees and Ryan Howard of the Phillies. A-Rod has stripped the label of “postseason choke artist” and become the Yankees best postseason offensive threat. This will be A-Rod’s first World Series appearance. Howard has continued his usual late season hot streak into the postseason, earning NLCS MVP. Both tied the MLB postseason record for consecutive games with an RBI. It will be interesting to see how the managers elect to pitch to these two sluggers.

Both teams have a few questions marks in their lineups. The Phillies Chase Utley has a 25 straight postseason games of reaching base streak, which ties a ML record. Though he has been on base, he really has not been hitting (.211 against the Dodgers). The Phillies need more than just Victorino, Howard, and catcher Carlos Ruiz to produce. Rollins will need to be the fire-starter and put pressure on the pitchers and Jorge Posada behind the plate for the Phillies to be successful. Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher of the Yankees have been struggling throughout this postseason and some have talked about benching Swisher. The Yankees are relying on Swisher becoming the clutch hitter he has been all season long and Tex to be the power-hitting, RBI machine he was all season.

Both teams have question marks in the bullpen. Ryan Madson, the setup man for the Phillies has been inconsistent all season and has mostly struggled this postseason. Closer Brad Lidge seems to have found his 2008 self. Chad Durbin has been lights-out coming in to get out of jams and if his sinker is working, double-play balls will be common. Everyone else is either hurting or coming back from an injury (Scott Eyre, Chan Ho Park, and Brett Myers) or inexperienced (Antonio Bastardo, Happ). Yes the Yankees have postseason sensation Mariano Rivera as their closer, but he has been far from dominant in the last year or so. Getting to Mo has been a challenge and manager Joe Girardi has been using him for more than an inning lately. I think that the young bullpen pitchers have struggled lately mainly due to overuse throughout the regular season. Look at box scores and some pitched almost every day (like Phil Coke and his 72 games). Alfredo Aceves ended up with 10 wins, mainly out of the bullpen. Dave Robertson was in the top 5 in the AL in strikeouts per nine innings (12.98) and has been dominant. Phil Hughes has been struggling though he has been the 8th inning setup man for most of the second-half. Since Girardi seems to have lost some confidence in his bullpen, Brian Bruney has been added to the roster and could regain his role of setup man if he dominates.

The pitching staffs are evenly matched. Both have seasoned playoff veterans in Andy Pettitte and Pedro Martinez. Both managers have decisions to make regarding their Game 4 starters.

Game 1: Cliff Lee @ CC Sabathia
This may be the best pitching matchup that the World Series has had in a long time. They are the last two American League CY Young award winners. They were teammates with the Cleveland Indians up until last July. Lee and his Indians opened up new Yankee Stadium this year against Sabathia and his Yankees, winning 10-2. Sabathia has pitched better than ever in this year’s postseason, rather than in year’s past and is earning every penny the Yankees are paying him. Lee has made other teams look silly for not pulling the trigger and adding him to their pitching staff. Lee has been dominant in his first experience in the postseason.

Game 2: Pedro Martinez @ AJ Burnett
Pedro is sure to hear “who’s your daddy?” throughout this game at Yankee Stadium. He was not well-liked in his Red Sox/Mets days when playing at Yankee Stadium, so it should be no different being with the Phillies. Pedro dominated the Dodgers in his lone playoff game this season for the Phillies (though the bullpen blew his win), and manager Charlie Manuel is hoping for Pedro’s continued playoff success. Burnett is known to be wild but can keep the damage to a minimum if he keeps his emotions in check. Burnett got lit up by the Phillies in back in May, but that was a long time ago. Manager Joe Girardi is hoping for an ALCS Game 2 type outing (6.1 IP, 2 R, 2BB, 1 HBP) from Burnett rather than ALCS Game 5 types outing (6+ IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP).

Game 3: Cole Hamels vs. Andy Pettitte

Pettitte is the seasoned playoff veteran and he continued his playoff dominance against the LA Angels in the ALCS, winning the deciding Game 6. That win was Pettitte’s 16th career postseason victory. Hamels was last year’s NLCS & World Series MVP. He has not been close to the same pitcher so far this year. The Phillies will need the 2009 version of Hamels to regain his 2008 form.

Game 4: Joe Blanton/JA Happ vs. Sabathia/Chad Gaudin/Joba Chamberlain
This is where the debate begins. Happ made his first start of 2009 at new Yankee Stadium back in May and dominated (though Brad Lidge blew the game). Blanton has been the most consistent starter for the Phillies and the backbone of the rotation. Both will be available out of the bullpen for the first two games and whoever pitched the least will probably get the Game 4 nod. Girardi has used the 3 –man rotation throughout this year’s playoffs, though Sabathia has been the only one to pitch on short rest. With only one guaranteed off-day (2 total) and inclement weather looming, can Girardi afford a 3-man rotation? Can all 3 pitch on 3 days rest? Gaudin only made one playoff appearance so far this postseason (1 inning) and Chamberlain has struggled out of the bullpen lately. Neither is stretched out for a long starting stint. Depending on the first three games of the series may dictate how Girardi chooses the Game 4 & 5 starters.

The Phillies won the season series in NY 2-1, though Lidge was not lights-out (2 blown saves and a loss). The Yankees are trying for their 27th World Series title (these reason Girardi wears number 27 on his jersey) and the Phillies are trying for their 2nd consecutive. Both teams have played loose throughout the postseason. On paper, the Yankees would be the choice to win, but the Dodgers on paper looked like the team to be in the World Series. It’s time to throw out all the stats and watch the two teams play ball. It should be exciting.

Tags:

AJ Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Brad Lidge, Brian Bruney, CC Sabathia, Chad Durbin, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Dave Robertson, JA Happ, Jimmy Rollins, Joba Chamberlain, Joe Blanton, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, NY Yankees, Pedro Martinez, Phil Hughes, Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, Ryan Madson, Shane Victorino, World Series