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On the 74th edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, Tug and Jay discuss the recent Hall of Fame voting including thoughts on Pedro Martinez and Barry Bonds . The guys also pour through the revamped Phillies prospect core thanks to last year's amateur draft, trades and December's Rule 5 draft, reviewing Jesmuel Valentin , Zach Eflin , Odubel Herrera as well as plenty more. Also minor league infielder Carlos Alonso joins the guys for the fun segment Nine Silly-Ass Questions. 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 . Thanks also for making the previous episode of the show featuring live call-in guest Matt Imhof the most downloaded edition ever!

Right-hander Danys Baez is officially a member of the National League champion Phillies today, as he was introduced to the media, and the public, at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. Baez's deal is for 2 years, $5.25 million. The contract pays Baez $2.5 million in 2010 and $2.75 million in 2011, and he is said to have opportunities to earn performance based incentive bonuses. Baez is expected to be used in a set up role out of the bullpen, but could easily slide into closer duties if Brad Lidge struggles again or has a delay in recovering from offseason elbow surgery. In 2009 with Baltimore, Baez was 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA in 59 games. In his career against the other 4 NL East team, Baez has a 2-1 record with a 2.90 ERA in 27 games. In other team news, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. stated that the Phillies are likely finished negotiating with lefty reliever Scott Eyre. Eyre reportedly had been offered a minor league and did not accept. That leaves the Phillies a left hander short. With y...

There was plenty of news in Phillies land on Monday. "Jay" Happ finished 2nd in NL Rookie of the Year voting, Eric Bruntlett will officially not return to the team next year and the Phils are reportedly a possibility for Pedro Martinez to return to next year. MLB announced that Chris Coghlan of the Marlins was the 2009 National League Rookie of the Year. Phillies pitcher "Jay" Happ finished second and was the only candidate who appear on all 32 submitted ballots. Coghlan, in fact, did not appear on seven ballots. Coghlan led NL rookies in batting avg. (.321), runs (84), hits (162), on base percentage (.390) and total bases (232). Happ had a 12-4 record and a 2.93 ERA for the National League Champions. Utility player Eric Bruntlett refused a minor league assignment from the Phillies and became a free agent on Monday. Bruntlett will forever have two claims to fame for the Phillies...1- scoring the winning run in the 2008 World Series...2- the unassisted game ending tr...

Trying to extend the World Series to a 7th game for the first time since the 2001 postseason, when the Yankees lost to the Diamondbacks, the Phillies head to New York. The Yankees lead the series 3-2 and still stand just 27 outs from their 27th World Series Championship. The pitching match up pits two pitching greats, as Andy Pettitte and Pedro Martinez look to add to their legendary resumes. Read ahead for pitching match ups and other details from this game. Wednesday, 7:57pm. Pedro Martinez (0-1, 2.08 ERA in postseason) vs. Andy Pettitte (3-0, 3.24 ERA in postseason). On the road this season, Pedro was 3-1 in 4 starts with a 5.66 ERA. Martinez is 11-11 with a 3.20 ERA in 32 career starts against the Yankees. In his lone home start this postseason, Pettitte allowed 1 run over 6 1/3 innings to Anaheim. During the regular season, Pettitte was 6-4 with a 4.59 ERA in 16 road starts. Ryan Howard tied the all time record of 12 strikeouts in a single World Series, matching the record by Wil...

The story of the night, leading into game 2, was certainly Pedro Martinez facing his long time enemies, the Yankees. Much was made of Martinez's history against New York. Pedro was excited for the big stage, saying this is why he chose to sign with Philadelphia...so he could pitch in the World Series. Martinez was on point in game 2 using a slower, crafty approach to keep the Yankees' lumber in check. Martinez was strong, despite not lighting up any speed guns. His fastballs usually hung around the mid-80's, but who needs velocity, when you've got MARVELocity, like Pedro has? The only damage the Yankees did for the first five innings was a solo homerun by Mark Teixeira in the 4th inning, which tied the game. Phillie Matt Stairs had driven home Raul Ibanez in the 2nd inning to give Philadelphia the lead. With 2 outs in the 6th inning, Pedro allowed the Yankees to take the lead in game 2 when Hideki Matsui hit a homerun to right field. Matsui drove a low pitch out of the...

Finally, the World Series has come back to New York City! The Phillies are in New York to defend their World Championship against a new challenger, the Yankees. Read on for pitching match ups and other key notes from this series. Wednesday, 7:57pm. Cliff Lee (7-4, 3.39 in the National League this regular season) vs. CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37 ERA in regular season). Lee is 2-0 with a 0.74 ERA in 3 starts this post season. In 2 starts against the Yankees this year, Lee is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 12 innings pitched. Lee is 3-2 with a 4.94 ERA in 5 career starts in New York. Derek Jeter is 11-for-27 (.407 avg) with 3 doubles against Lee in his career. Sabathia is 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in 3 post season starts this year. Last year, in the division series, Sabathia lasted just 3 2/3 innings, giving up 5 earned runs to the Phillies while with the Brewers, including a grand slam to Shane Victorino. In Yankee Stadium this year, including the post season, Sabathia is 9-2 with a 2.93 ERA. Thursday, 7:...

The story line that I was rooting for, Team Nick Adenhart vs. Team Harry Kalas in the World Series, didn't come to pass. The story line that MLB wanted, Joe Torre vs. his former employer in the World Series, also didn't happen. However, there are still some solid story lines that will appeal to many in this year's Fall Classic. Liberty Series: The Statue vs. The Bell...The Turnpike Series...Broad St. vs. Broadway... whatever you choose to call it, there's sure to be some aspect to interest baseball fans from coast to coast. There is the ex-NDN factor, as the last two American League Cy Young Award winners and Cleveland castoffs, Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia, go head to head in game 1. Each pitcher is looking better each time out. Lee is 2-0 in 3 post season starts with a 0.74 ERA and 20 K's in 24 1/3 innings. Sabathia is 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in 3 games this post season with 20 K's in 22 2/3 innings. There is Pedro Martinez likely getting a shot at starting a game in...

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The Dodgers won game 2 of the National League Championship Series. Second guessing moves made by Charlie Manuel, specifically removing Pedro Martinez from a game in which he was throwing a 2 hit shut out, won't do any good. Writing about Chase Utley's throwing error that extended a key inning for LA, for the second time in two days, can't improve the Phillies' status in this series. Talking about how stunned I am that Vicente Padilla threw extremely well against the Phillies in the playoffs will only aggravate me. Instead of reviewing the game that ended poorly, I offer these pictures of a cat nicknamed "Bird" wearing a Ryan Howard jersey. Get Bird to the plate, boys! ---------------------- Check out PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE !

Woooooahh, it's the rematch! The National League Championship Series has the same opponents this year that it did last year. There is certainly lots of anticipation this year, after the Dodgers added a few phormer Phillies that weren't with the club last time around. Currently occupying roster space for the Dodgers are Randy Wolf, Vicente Padilla and Jim Thome. Eric Milton is also a Dodger, but has been on the disabled list since June. Add those players to the ex-Phils on the Los Angeles coaching staff, Larry Bowa and Mariano Duncan, and the Dodgers have quite a collection of guys with Philadelphia ties. Is Ed Wade secretly overseeing this team in addition to the Astros? Read on for details on the pitching match ups and additional information from this series. Thursday, 8:07pm. Cole Hamels (10-11, 4.32 ERA in regular season, 0-1, 7.20 ERA in post season) vs. Clayton Kershaw (8-8, 2.79 ERA in the regular season, 0-0, 2.70 ERA in post season). Hamels was 3-6 with a 4.99 ERA in 1...

Practice- Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins in the cold weather at Coors Field on Friday It's 19 degrees and snowing in Denver, so MLB has postponed tonight's game 3 of the National League Division Series. The third game of the only MLB division series that isn't 2-0 at this point will be played tomorrow at 10:07pm, and game 4 that was originally slated to occur in that time slot will be pushed back to Monday. The delay of game 4 would allow Cliff Lee to start that game on regular rest. Read on for details on the game 3 pitching match up and other key notes. Game 3- Sunday, 10:07pm. Pedro Martinez (5-1, 3.63 ERA) vs. Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.33 ERA). Pedro has pitched only twice since his September 13th gem against the Metropolitans. In those two games, he is 0-1 with 6 earned runs allowed in 7 innings pitched (7.71 ERA). In his career vs. Colorado, Martinez is 2-3 with a 4.31 ERA, a .247 batting avg. against and a complete game shutout in 10 games. Jason Giambi...

Congratulations to the Phillies and all their phans on a 3rd straight NL East Title! Happy October, everybody! Ryan Howard just after making the final out Jack Taschner shotguns a beer while "Jay" Happ pours one on Taschner Jimmy Rollins spraying Pedro Martinez with champagne The team pays tribute to the beloved Harry Kalas Ryan Howard bows his head to Harry, while Raul Ibanez pours out a lil' liquor Jayson Werth- smokin' Cliff Lee and Chase Utley celebrate Jamie Moyer and Pedro Martinez enjoying the division title Tyler Walker pouring beer down Jayson Werth's throat --------------------------------------------------------------- Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE !

Charlie Manuel told the Phillies beat reporters last night that he would consider using "Jay" Happ in a key late inning role. Andy Martino , David Murphy and Scott Lauber all talked about it on their web pages. Some members of the media would prefer to see Pedro Martinez in that role over Happ, however. Using Pedro in a one inning relief role may be risky. His ERA from pitches 1-30 in his appearances with the Phillies is 4.05. Pedro's total ERA after his 30th pitch this season is 2.96. We've all seen him give up those first inning lead off homers a few times. The ERA evidence shows that Pedro struggles early and perhaps takes a little time to settle into a game. There is no room for that as a closer. Personally, I've been an advocate for a closer by committee movement. The Phillies should use preferable and situational match ups to their advantage. If Chad Durbin has a better history against a particular batter than Ryan Madson or Brad Lidge does, go with Durbin...

The Phillies (88-63), whose magic number stands at 5, are in Milwaukee to begin a four game series against the Brewers (75-77). This time last year these two teams were battling it out over the wild card and were en route to a playoff battle with each other. Now it's just the Phillies looking forward to another October run. The Brew Crew is already out of any playoff contention, but is seeking their third straight winning season for the first time since 1983. Read on for notes on the pitching match ups and other details. Thursday, 8:05pm. "Jay" Happ (10-4, 2.77 ERA) vs. Jeff Suppan (7-10, 4.76 ERA). Happ leads all NL rookies in ERA. In 17 road games this season, Happ is 6-2 with a 1.91 ERA. In his career against the Phillies, Suppan is 3-6, over 12 starts, with a 6.13 ERA. At home this season, Suppan is 3-7 with a 5.92 ERA in 14 starts. Eric Bruntlett is 5-for-11 in his career against Suppan with a double a 2 RBI. Friday, 8:05pm. Cliff Lee (7-2, 2.65 ERA) vs. Manny Parra...

The first place Phillies (85-60), whose magic number currently sits at 10 to win the division, will visit the second place Braves (78-68) over the weekend, for a three game series. With 17 games remaining, the Phillies have a 7 1/2 game lead over Atlanta in the NL East division. The Braves have won 7 games in a row. Read on for details on the pitching matchups and other notes on this series. Friday, 7:35pm. "Jay" Happ (10-4, 2.77 ERA) vs. Tim Hudson (1-0, 3.63 ERA). In 5 career games against Atlanta, Happ is 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA. On the road this season, Happ is 6-2, through 16 games, with a 1.88 ERA and a .208 batting average against. Hudson is 4-5 with a 3.79 ERA in 14 career starts against the Phillies. Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard combined, are 23-for-69 (.333 avg) against Hudson in their careers, with 4 homers, 11 RBI and 10 walks. Saturday, 7:10pm. Pedro Martinez (5-0, 2.87 ERA) vs. Javier Vazquez (13-9, 3.01 ERA). In 9 career starts at Turner Field, Martinez is 4-5 wi...

We all saw it on Sunday. I was there...all day. Good times. Great starting pitching. Who would have believed that Kyle Kendrick and Pedro Martinez could sweep the Metropolitans in a double header in September? No me. Here is a selection of various other folks' takes on Sunday's standouts, Kendrick and Martinez. Enjoy. Finger Food talks Pedro's swagger here . Phillies Nation gives props to Pedro and the puckering Kendrick here . David Murphy wrote about Charlie's 8th inning mound visit here . The Good Phight gets down with Kendrick here and Pedro here . And lastly, CrashburnAlley has a look at KK here . ----------------------- I will be "Tweeting" live from the BlueClaws SAL Championship game tonight. Clay Condrey will be pitching there in relief. Check it on in the side bar application on this site, or follow me on Twitter here .

The Phillies (77-58) continue their road trip tonight when they visit the Nationals (47-90) to begin a 3 game series. These two teams have not met since May 31st. The Phillies currently have their longest road losing streak of the season intact...5 games. The Phillies are 5-1 this season at Nationals Park. Read on for details on pitching match ups and other notes from this series. Tuesday, 7:05pm. Pedro Martinez (3-0, 3.52 ERA) vs. John Lannan (8-10, 4.09 ERA). Cristian Guzman is a career .375 hitter (9-for-24) off of Pedro. Martinez has a 2-0 record with a 5.73 ERA in 2 road starts for the Phillies. Lannan is 0-5 with a 5.89 ERA in 7 career starts against the Phillies. At home this season, Lannan is 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA in 14 starts. Pedro Feliz is 7-for-14 with a homerun and 5 RBI against Lannan. John Lannan is the pitcher who broke Chase Utley's hand with a pitch in 2007. Wednesday, 7:05pm. Cliff Lee (5-2, 2.81 ERA) vs. Garrett Mock (3-7, 5.63 ERA). Lee's ERA in his last 2 ...