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Ben Lively, image- MiLB.com Acquired this off-season from Cincinnati, righty hurler Ben Lively would quickly land among the ranks of top Phillies prospect. He'll enter this coming season looking to prove why. Originally selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, the Florida native would begin his pro career as a member of the rookie level Billings Mustangs. In 12 starts, Lively would tally a 0-3 record with a 0.73 ERA and an 11.92 K/9 mark. He was promoted to Class A Dayton to close out the season with a single start, allowing one earned run in four innings of work while striking out seven and walking one. This was fresh off his junior season at the University of Central Florida where, in 15 games, he went 7-5 with a 2.04 ERA and an 8.57 K/9 mark as the team's ace. Lively would follow up his exceptional year by becoming the Reds' minor league player of the year in 2014. Opening the season with Class A Advanced Bakersfield, Lively posted a 10-1 record wi...

On the 63rd edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast Tug and Jay are joined by former Phillies prospect and current Reds farmhand Moose Mattair . The guys also chat about the progress of Nefi Ogando , Maikel Franco and David Buchanan as well as Domonic Brown 's regression. Also, injury updates on Zach Green , Kelly Dugan and more. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

The Phillies (19-22) continue their home stand as the Reds (25-16) come to town to begin a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night.  Winners of six straight games, the Reds are in second place in the National League central division, 1 1/2 games back of first place St. Louis.  The Phillies, fresh off a two-game split with Cleveland, are in third place in the NL East, 3 1/2 games behind first place Atlanta and three games back of second place Washington. In the series opener, the Reds will send rookie Tony Cingrani to the mound.  Cingrani, who is a Rice University product, lasted just four innings in his last outing against Milwaukee, but did not factor in the decision.  The Phils will counter with ace Cliff Lee , is undefeated with a 1.83 ERA in his previous five starts against Cincinnati. The Reds swept the Phillies in three games in Cincinnati last month.  Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key details fro...

Losers of five straight contests, the Reds (5-7) will host the Phillies (6-6) for a three-game set at Great American Ballpark beginning on Monday night.  In the series opener, the Reds will go with right-hander Bronson Arroyo , who has posted an 8.50 ERA over his last seven regular season starts against the Phils, who will counter with lefty Cliff Lee , who has not walked a batter in his first two starts this season. The Phillies were victorious in four of seven meetings with Cincinnati last year, including two of three at Great American Ballpark.  Dating back to the 2010 National League playoffs, the Phils have won seven of the last eight games in Cincinnati. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and loads more for this upcoming series. Monday, 7:10 PM.  Cliff Lee (2-0, 1.08 ERA) vs. Bronson Arroyo (1-1, 5.25 ERA).   In 11 career starts against the Reds, Lee has a 6-2 record along with a 3.91 ERA.  Joey Votto is 5-for-13 (.385 a...

The Phillies (56-65) return home to host the National League Central division leading Reds (74-48) in a four-game series beginning on Monday evening at Citizens Bank Park. Cincinnati is hot of late, winning 8 of their past 10 contests and 12 of their past 16 games on the road. The Phils are also getting it done lately, especially at home, where the team has been victorious in 9 of their last 13 games. The Reds lost three of four games in Philadelphia last season and were swept by the Phils in a four game series in Cincinnati late in 2011. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and plenty more statistical information on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Mike Leake (5-7, 4.29 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (6-7, 3.80 ERA). The right-handed Leake has a 3-3 record with a 3.13 ERA in 10 road starts this season. Leake, the Reds' 1st round draft choice from 2009, has a 1-1 record with a 5.16 ERA over his past 4 starts. Brian Schneider is 4-for-9 (.444 avg) with a HR in his career against...

On Monday, the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced that former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin has been voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The 12-time All-Star was chosen on 495 of 573 ballots (86%), well above the necessary 75 percent. This year marked Larkin's third time on the ballot. He fell 75 votes short of making it into the Hall last year. Larkin, who was named National League MVP in 1995, will be inducted July 22nd in Cooperstown, NY along with the late Ron Santo, who was elected by the Veterans Committee. Over his 19-year career with the Reds, Larkin posted a .295 average along with with 198 HR, 960 RBI, 2,340 hits, 1,329 runs scored and 379 stolen bases. I don't wish to debate Larkin's place in history or his worthiness for votes, however, it is likely that the nine-time Silver Slugger Award winner and three-time Gold Glove Award winner, received a boost from voters thanks to the limited options available for induction this...

Earlier this year, former Phillies minor league third baseman Travis "Moose" Mattair made time to take fans along on his return to baseball, after a year off, by checking in with PhoulBallz.com and PhilliesNation.com, giving the fan base an in depth and unique glance into life as a prospect heading to and participating in spring training, occasionally at the big league level. On Thursday, Moose, a native of Washington state, was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the minor league portion of baseball's Rule 5 draft. As fans might expect, the slick fielding Mattair checked in, to offer his thoughts on that news, for what may possibly be the final edition of his recurring diary feature called Moose Tracks . I am really excited and really ready to start a new chapter in my baseball career! This is something I didn't expect and now that I know (about it), I'm very happy. My parents are probably more excited than I am, now that, with Cincinnati, I'll spend spring tr...

After being washed out of Philadelphia by Hurricane Irene over the weekend, the Phillies (83-46) have travelled to Cincinnati to face the Reds (67-66) in a four-game series. The teams faced each other in Philadelphia earlier this season, in a series that saw the Reds drop three of four games. In the series opener, the Phillies will send lefty Cole Hamels, who will be activated from the disabled list, to the mound. Hamels missed time with shoulder inflammation recently. The Reds will counter with right-hander Homer Bailey, who hasn't lost in the month of August. Dating back to last July, the Phillies have won 10 of 11 meetings with the Reds, including the National League Division Series last October. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups as well as plenty more key information from this series. Monday, 7:10 PM. Cole Hamels (13-7, 2.62 ERA) vs. Homer Bailey (7-5, 4.44 ERA). In 4 career starts against the Phillies, Bailey has a 0-2 record with a 7.00 ERA. ...

It was a remarkable game to say the least. It was clearly a contest that players, fans and media alike will be talking about with fondness for years to come... "Remember how Rollins kept making all those great plays on defense?" "Remember how terrific Baez was in out of the 'pen?" "Oh man...and how about Valdez PITCHING?!" The list of facts and stats pertaining to this game goes on and on... Wilson Valdez (who notched 3 hits and a walk) is the first MLB position player to win a game since Brent Mayne did it in 2000 for the Rockies. Also, Valdez is the first MLB player to start the game at a position other than pitcher and earn the win since Babe Ruth did it in 1921. It was the longest game in the history of Citizens Bank Park. It was the Phils' longest game since they played 20 innings in 1993. Charlie Manuel was previously on record saying that he would not use a position player to pitch. Phillies relievers threw 12 innings. Starting catcher Carlo...

The biggest news pertaining to the upcoming Reds vs. Phillies series is the return of Chase Utley. The 32-year-old all-star second baseman will make his 2011 season debut after being activated from the disabled list. Utley has missed time with tendinitis and chondromalacia of his right knee. He has been playing in games with the Phillies extended spring training club and their High A Level team in Clearwater in recent weeks, as part of a rehab assignment. A secondary storyline of importance is the rematch of last year's Divisional Playoffs, when Philadelphia swept Cincinnati out of the postseason in 3 games. Roy Halladay tossed the second ever postseason no-hitter in game 1 of that series at Citizens Bank Park. In the opener for this series, the Phillies will send lefty Cole Hamels, who shut out the Reds to force their exit from the 2010 playoffs, to the mound. Cincinnati will counter with right-hander Bronson Arroyo, who hasn't had much success against Philadelphia in his care...

If you've kept tabs here, you'd know that Hanukkah marks the annual countdown on PhoulBallz.com where we list the top Phillies videos of the year. On this third night of Hanukkah, I bring you video #6 for 2010. Check out the media player below to have a look. This video shows all the key turning points from the Reds vs. Phillies game on July 9th, 2010. I was in Lakewood on this night, covering the Phillies' Single A affiliate the Lakewood BlueClaws. The 'Claws rolled to a 4-3 victory over the Delmarva Shorebirds with the rehabbing Carlos Ruiz leading the way, while the Phillies entered the bottom of the 9th inning trailing 7-1. As the Baby Phils' clubhouse filled up following the final out in Lakewood, the attention in manager Mark Parent's office turned toward a Big Phillies comeback. First, an RBI hit by Ryan Howard plated Shane Victorino to get the Phils within 5 runs. Then it was a 3-run homer by Greg Dobbs that scored Howard and Jayson Werth to close the g...

Jimmy Ring was a righty hurler with the Phillies from 1921-1925 and then again in 1928. Ring debuted in the Majors with the Cincinatti Reds in 1917, where his manager was pitching great Christy Mathewson. In his rookie season, Ring posted a 3-7 record and a 4.40 ERA. After having a look at Ring's disappointing "stuff", Mathewson taught Ring a curveball that helped him improve and continue on in the Majors for 11 more seasons. In 1918, Ring improved his numbers, going 9-5 with a 2.85 ERA. The following season, Ring helped the Reds win the National League pennant, winning 10 games and improved his ERA a considerable amount, rocking a 2.26 mark. In the famed "Black Sox" World Series against Chicago, Ring went 1-1, while allowing just 1 earned run in 14 innings. Following another season with the Reds, Ring was traded to the Phillies in a deal for pitcher Eppa Rixey . Unfortunately for the Phils, Ring would only produce one winning season, while Rixey went on to win ...

The series that pitted the widely feared trio of Phillies starting pitchers against the National League's top offensive lineup, the Cincinnati Reds, ended in quick fashion. The pitchers, who had posted a 13-1 record with a 2.13 ERA since the start of September came out and shut down the offense that led the league in batting average (.272), homeruns (188) and RBI (761) over the full regular season. On Sunday night, Cole Hamels threw an impressive 5-hit complete game shut out, in which he struck out 9 Reds, leading the Phillies to a sweep in the best-of-five divisional round of the MLB playoffs, in Cincinnati. Hamels improved to 7-0 with a 0.90 ERA in 8 career starts against the Reds. After the series clincher that locked Philadelphia into their franchise record third consecutive National League Championship Series, the Phillies had a bit of a reserved celebration. There were no dog piles on the field, only some tame champagne spraying in the clubhouse, as the Phillies are aware the...

Eppa Rixey signed as a free agent with the Phillies in 1912. The lefty hurler was a graduate of the University of Virginia. In 1916, Rixey had a break-out season, to bounce back from taking the loss in the deciding game of the 1915 World Series against the Red Sox. Rixey won 22 games for the Phillies and had an ERA of 1.85. He also threw an impressive 20 complete games that year. The following season, Eppa Rixey's record was 16-21. His high loss total was mainly due to a lack of run support. There was a stretch in the 1917 season when Rixey lost 5 straight starts, during which the Phillies offense could amass just 3 total runs. Rixey threw a career high 4 shutouts that season. Rixey served in the military in 1918, missing the entire baseball season, and served in the chemical warfare division of the United States army in World War 1. Upon his return to baseball in mid-1919 he struggled and posted a 6-12 record. In 1920, Eppa led the National League with 22 losses, despite completin...

A year to the day after they lost game 2 of the NLDS against the Rockies, the Phillies ended their losing streak in postseason series game 2's at 4. Thanks to some lucky calls, and some Reds miscues, the Phillies were able to walk away with a 7-4 victory on Friday night. In the 6th inning, with the Reds leading the Phillies by 2 runs, a pair of hit batters and a bases loaded walk to Shane Victorino closed the gap to 1. Then in the 7th inning, things really just fell apart for the Central Division champion Reds. With rookie phenom Aroldis Chapman and his 100+mph fastball on the mound, a high an inside pitch was sold by Chase Utley, as he immediately put his head down and took off for 1st base, and ruled a hit by pitch by the home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman. Ryan Howard followed Utley and struck out. Jayson Werth then batted, lacing a chopper toward Reds third baseman Scott Rolen, who chose to attempt the more difficult play to get Utley out at 2nd base. Utley was ruled safe by umpi...

In the opening game of the 2010 National League Division Series, Phillies ace Roy Halladay threw the second no-hitter in MLB post-season history, to lead his club past the Cincinnati Reds, 4-0. Way back on October 8th, 1956, the Yankees' Don Larsen threw a perfect game in the World series against the Dodgers. On Wednesday, Halladay threw 9 hitless innings, striking out 8 batters, with 104 pitches...79 of which were strikes, against the National League's most potent offense. As a team, Cincinnati led the league in batting average (.272), HR (188) and RBI (761) during the regular season. It was the second time Halladay held a team hitless this year, as he hurled a perfect game against the Marlins in Florida on May 29th. Halladay even contributed to the Phillies' victory with his bat, driving in a run with an RBI single in the 2nd inning, off of Reds starting pitcher Edinson Volquez. The excitement level for Halladay's tremendous effort spread beyond the Delaware Valley. T...

No one is really giving the Reds a chance in the National League Division Series. Their own poor track record at Citizens Bank Park (losing the last 6 games there, dropping 10 of 12 there over the past 3 seasons) combined with the trio of starting pitchers and the potent lineup they'll have to face, plenty of baseball analysts and observers virtually have placed the Phillies into the League Championship Series already. Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker will send right-hander Edinson Volquez to the mound, hoping to prove the doubters wrong. Philadelphia will counter with NL Cy Young Award contender Roy Halladay, who will be achieving a life-long goal by making his first career postseason appearance. Halladay, widely considered an elite pitcher in Major League Baseball, has watched the playoffs on television for his entire career, until this year. Halladay wanted to pitch for a title contender so badly that he passed up the opportunity to test free agency, and instead signed a contract ...

Save all the "Red October" chatter, that you've grown accustomed to, for another time, because after all the whacky scenarios and tie breaker discussions, it'll be the originally expected opponent, the Cincinnati Reds coming to Philadelphia to open the National League Division Series on Wednesday. Thanks to a win by Atlanta over the Phillies in Sunday's season finale, and a victory by the Giants over the Padres, the Braves won the National League Wild Card spot. A Braves loss and Padres win would have resulted in a 3-way tie and multiple play-in games to determine a National League West champion and a Wild Card entrant for the league. MLB rules dictate that the teams with the best records in their league face the Wild Card team, provided the Wild Card is not from their own division. In that case, the team with the best record would face the other division champion with the weakest record from their league. Thus, the Phillies, who own the best record in all of Majo...

Charlie Manuel is off the hook. The Phillies manager was subject to loads of ridicule after Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto was initially left off of the National League all-star team. Manuel, as the manager of the NL team that made it to the World Series last year, will manage this year's NL all-star team and has some say in which players make the roster. Manuel had been critiqued heavily for selecting his own first baseman, Phillie Ryan Howard, and Atlanta utility man Omar Infante over Votto to the team. Thanks to online fan voting to fill the final spot on the all-star rosters, Votto made the team and prevented what could have been the most stunning all-star snub in recent memory. Votto leads the National League in homeruns and OPS (on base percentage + slugging percentage). Additionally, he ranks among the top 5 in the league in RBI and batting avg. Upon learning of the news, Votto stated that he was relieved the final vote was over. Votto also told reporters, "I’...

The National League Central Division leading Reds (49-37) visit Philadelphia to start a 4-game series against the NL East's third place Phillies (43-40). The Reds have won 7 of their last 10 games, while the Phillies have dropped 7 of their last 10 games. Philadelphia has struggled with injuries all season long. The expected potent offense, that experts were convinced would return them to a third straight World Series, has only taken the field together 5 times in 83 chances. Currently, 3 of the Phillies' 8 projected everyday offensive stars are on the disabled list. The Reds, on the other hand, have suffered injuries to their pitching staff, seeing 3 of their 5 starters miss time. Homer Bailey and Aaron Harang have been sidelined recently, while another starter Edinson Volquez, who won 17 games for the Reds last year, is to miss the entire season following elbow surgery. Somehow, Cincinnati has stayed afloat, while the Phillies have sunk in the standings. Kyle Kendrick, fresh o...