Skip to main content

Time For Redemption

By
As injuries set in, Team USA has its sites set on redeeming themselves for the mercy rule loss suffered at the hands of Puerto Rico on Saturday night. PR then lost their next match up on Monday, when they got shut out by Venezuela, 2-0.

The injury bug is spreading throughout the Team USA club house. Chipper Jones is out of the tournament. Dustin Pedroia is out, and was replaced by Brian Roberts. Outfielder Ryan Braun and pitcher Matt Lindstrom are also suffering ailments right now. Tournament rules prohibit USA from replacing Jones, Braun and Lindstrom till the current round is complete. Things got so bad during Sunday's game that catcher Brian McCann played left field in the 9th inning.

Team USA manager Davey Johnson has suggested a rule change for the WBC that would allow managers to reinsert a player into a game, should an injury occur. Such a change could not take effect until future WBC tournaments. He would also like to see more exhibition games prior to the tournament, to help prevent injuries.

Johnson says he is to the point where he'd forfeit a game, rather than but a player at risk of further injury. Kevin Youkilis was used as an example. Johnson stated he'd never be able to return to Boston if Youk was injured playing catcher, if needed there, during the WBC.

USA won their elimination game on Sunday against the Netherlands. Jimmy Rollins led the offense with a homer, a triple and 4 RBI. Roy Oswalt threw 4 shut out innings for the win.

Ted Lilly is expected to get the start for Team USA tonight in their attempt to redeem themselves for the 11-1 bashing that PR gave them over the weekend. Hot bat warning...Carlos Delgado (1.496), Carlos Beltran (1.369) and Ivan Rodriguez (1.550) each have a huge OPS through five games of the WBC. Beltran and I-Rod each had 3 hits against USA on Saturday. In regular season MLB games, however, Delgado, Beltran and Ivan Rodriguez only have a combined .233 batting average against Lilly (the gang is 10-for-43, with only 3 solo homers against him and no other RBI).

Let's make it a red, white & blue & green Tuesday and celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a win!

***
UPDATES:
The Tampa Tribune reports today that if Team USA wins tonight and advances to the semi-finals, Rays third baseman Evan (Philadelphia knows him as EVA) Longoria would likely replace Chipper Jones on the roster.

And adding to The Colbert Report, with a sigh of relief from the entire Phillies Universe...NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. Luck o' the Irish? Maybe. Hamels will begin a throwing program on Thursday, and he will let the Phillies know what his pace is. Colbert may not be ready by opening day, but if that is beneficial to the player and the team in the long run, there's really nothing to complain about. If you recall, Brad Lidge wasn't ready by opening day last year, and look how his season turned out.

Now go have a green beer and enjoy your day.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stats to Ponder: Jimmy Rollins Edition

By
J-Roll has batted under .200 for a calendar month twice in his career. In April 2004, Rollins went 13-for-71, for a .183 average. The following month, Rollins went 30-for-107, which is a .280 average. And in August 2005, Rollins went 22-for-117, for a .188 average. The month that followed saw Rollins go 49-for-122 for a .402 average. Rollins is batting .171 so far in May 2009. Improvement is not far away for Jimmy. The Phillies are 10-2 in games this year which Rollins scores at least 1 run. The Phillies are 4-12 in games which Rollins does not score. Jimmy Rollins in 6 games against the Braves this year is batting .071 (2-for-28). In 2008 Rollins batted .284 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2007 Rollins batted .347 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2006 Rollins batted .367 against the Braves in 18 games. Jimmy Milestone Watch: 6 more RBI and Rollins will tie Scott Rolen for 25th all time in Phillies RBI leaders. 7 more triples and Rollins will tie Richie Ashburn for 4th all time i...
2 comments
Read more

Crawford's Chronicles: JP Crawford talks Spring Training

By
JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd Entering this year as the widely regarded top prospect in the Phillies organization, J.P. Crawford will be taking time each week to provide insight directly from inside spring training in Clearwater, FL, right here on PhilliesNation.com. Crawford, 20, was named the top positional prospect in two leagues (Class A South Atlantic League and Class A Advanced Florida State League) last year, when he combined, in 123 games, to post a .285 average, 11 homers, 48 RBI and 24 stolen bases. He also represented the Phils organization in the MLB All-Star Futures Game last season. As the 2015 campaign approaches, the six-foot-two 180-pound lefty batter is expected to reach the Double-A level and continue to prove why the Phillies selected him in the first round of the 2013 draft. In this initial installment of our weekly check-in with J.P., he shares thoughts on a variety of topics, including his exclusion from big league camp, which member of the big leagu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Phreestyle Battle & Notes

By
Unrelated to baseball, really...but it's fun and our Phils are off today. This new kid on the hip hop scene, Charles Hamilton , whose single Brooklyn Girl is ripping up radio and video count downs, was at PSU for a performance recently. A freestyle battle ensued, and as you'll see, the Penn State student held his own. Stay tuned for the ending. It's the best part. Here are some random Phillies-in-idle baseball thoughts and notes- Colbert Hamels is slated to make his Grapefruit League debut tomorrow vs. Team Canada. Shane Victorino is going to wear #50 on his jersey for Team USA, a nod to Hawaii Five-O. Brad Lidge is likely to not see game action till next week, after he throws some more bullpen sessions and works out the tightness in his forearm. Albert Pujols is declaring "respect for his country" as reasoning for sitting out of the Cardinals' exhibition this week against Team Dominican Republic. He told reporters, "I don’t want to play against them...
2 comments
Read more