Ruiz Hurt, Marson Could be Recalled

Carlos Ruiz strained his right oblique during Friday's game against the Rockies and was replaced in the game by Chris Coste. As of this writing it is still morning in Colorado and a decision has not been made by the team whether or not to place Ruiz on the disabled list. However, team representatives have confirmed that Lou Marson is traveling to Colorado to be with the team, in case Ruiz is not able to stay on the active roster.

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The Phillies are off to their usual slow start, with a 1-3 record after their loss in the Rockies' opener. There is plenty for phans to be concerned about at this point. I am not suggesting we all go into a panic, I am simply stating that the "they always do this and bounce back" attitude should not be the prevalent motto of the week. I am also not suggesting that the Phillies don't deserve some slack after winning the World Series, I am only saying that those sorts of passes should be limited to how critical we might get, vocally...and shouldn't restrict us from addressing the issues that are so obvious.

A team can't win if its lead of man doesn't get on base. A lead off batter sets the table and needs to be on base so the hitters who follow him can drive him home. Jimmy Rollins' .158 on base % is awful. J-Roll's weak performances this week stand out like Charlie Manuel at a dieticians seminar. Ryan Howard grounded into three double plays yesterday. I do not have resources or time to research how often that feat has happened, but I don't think I've ever noticed a player doing that in a game I watched. Ryan Howard is 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position this season. That's an average of twice a game, he's missing chances to drive in runners from scoring position. Cole Hamels' velocity is way down also. He's been maxing out his fastball around 86 miles per hour. That could spell trouble for the young ace, if he takes much longer to get back to last year's form. His usual high speed for his fastball is in the low 90's.

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The Lakewood BlueClaws are auctioning off 4 passes in the press box, with lots of press-like perks, for their April 24th home game. Check out the auction right here.

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Jealous Ones Envy

Joe Blanton continues to excel and prove his worth in the Phillies pitching rotation. In his latest outing on Sunday, Blanton threw 8 strong innings, striking out 6, while walking just 1 and surrendering 2 earned runs, improving his record to 7-4. This season in July, Joe is 3-0 over four starts with 22 K's, 5 walks and a 1.21 ERA. Over his last 6 starts, Joe's ERA is 1.94. As a member of the Phillies, Blanton has a 3.84 ERA after the all star break with a 5-0 record. The Phillies are 20-12 (.625 winning percentage) in games that Blanton has started, since being acquired last July. Combined this season against other National League playoff contenders St. Louis, Chicago and Los Angeles, Blanton has a combined 1.67 ERA in 4 starts with a 2-0 record. Blanton is on such a sizzling run that the Bowling Green Hot Rods, a Tampa Bay Rays farm team, will host a Joe Blanton bobble head give away tomorrow. Bowling Green will host Joe's mother, father and sister for the event, as Joe...

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Gene Kelly was the radio voice of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1950- 1959. Born in Brooklyn NY, Kelly pitched in the minor leagues after graduating from Marshall College in 1941. He would soon experience arm trouble, which ended his playing days. Kelly managed to continue a career in sports by turning to radio. When legendary announcer By Saam, who pulled double duty beginning in 1939 calling both Phillies and Athletics games, moved over to the A's side exclusively, Gene Kelly was the man who would fill the void and took over as the Phillies play-by-play man. The Phillies began broadcasting their games over the air in 1936, but until the 1950's, the broadcasters only attended home games and did not travel with the team. All road games were recreated, on the air, by the announcers who read a Western Union teletype account of the games from the studio in Philadelphia. During the decade of the 50's, Kelly was partnered with several different broadcasters, including Claude Ha...

Heroes- Fight of the Century

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