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On episode 50 of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast Jay and Tug are joined by Phillies pitching prospect Mark Leiter Jr., who discusses his first season as a pro, growing up in a family so ingrained in professional baseball as well as collecting autographs and memorabilia.  The guys also name Mark's newest pitch, talk about a possible Ryan Madson /Phillies return rumors, the Mummers and plenty 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 . 

Hopes were high, like always, for Phillies fans on Wednesday, as word trickled out of the Baseball Winter Meetings that there was a chance that Ryan Madson could accept arbitration with the Phillies. The thought of having two top level back-end-of-the-bullpen guys to go along with three elite starting pitchers had folks quite excited. However, at the end of the day, it was not to be. Madson's chance to join newly signed closer Jonathan Papelbon as well as his former All-Star teammates Roy Halladay , Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels came and went, as he declined the Phillies' offer prior to the 11:59 PM deadline. Returning to the Phillies would likely have enabled Madson, who has appeared in more games with the Phillies than any other pitcher not named Roberts or Carlton, to cash in a sizable free agent payday following the 2012 season. However, returning to a set up role in Philadelphia may have hindered his ability to cash in as a closer, a job he rocked well in 2011, as...

Another week, another free agent Friday. The Phillies have signed former Boston hurler Jonathan Papelbon to a deal to become their new premiere relief pitcher. The deal is done, pending a physical examination and is reportedly worth $50 million over four years. The contract also has a vesting option to increase the length to five years and the value above $60 million. It would be the largest free-agent contract for a reliever in MLB history. Papelbon, who will turn 31-years-old later this month, has had a more than a solid career to date with the Red Sox. The 4th round pick from the 2003 amateur draft has a career regular season record of 23-19 with a .233 ERA, 219 saves and a .204 batting average against in his 7 year career. In 18 career postseason contests, Papelbon sports an exceptional 1.00 ERA with a 2-1 record and 7 saves. What's even more impressive is that the Mississippi State product has held the opposition scoreless in all but one of those outings. Comparatively, ...

Ben Francisco , who had notched just 1 hit in 20 career postseason plate appearances prior to his pinch hit at bat in game 3 of the National League Division Series, mashed a line drive homerun in the top of the 7th inning to help the Phillies take a 2 games to 1 lead in the best-of-five National League Division Series. The 3-run blast by the man known as " Benny Phresh " provided the Phillies with all the offense they would need, as they downed the Cardinals 3-2. Left-handed hurler Cole Hamels earned the win, as he threw 6 scoreless inning and struck out 8 Cardinals in the process. For Hamels, it was it was his 7th career postseason victory. Veteran reliever Ryan Madson , who has appeared in more postseason games (32) than any other pitcher in Phillies history, allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings but preserved the win and notched a save. The Phillies and Cardinals will face off in game 4 on Wednesday evening at St. Louis' Busch Stadium. ___________________________________...

For the very first time, two of the original 16 MLB teams will meet in the postseason, as the wild card entrant St. Louis Cardinals travel to Philadelphia to meet the five-time defending National League East division champion Phillies. The Cardinals squeezed into the playoffs thanks, in part, to some help from the Phillies, as Philadelphia swept the wild card leading Braves in their final regular season series. St. Louis then won two of three games against Houston to knock Atlanta from its perch. In the series opener, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa will send veteran hurler and former Phillie Kyle Lohse to the mound, while the Phillies' Charlie Manuel will go with ace and perennial Cy Young award contender Roy Halladay. Read ahead for detailed info on the pitching match ups for games 1 and 2 as well as other key stats. Saturday, 5:07 PM. Kyle Lohse (14-8, 3.39 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (19-6, 2.35 ERA). In 16 road starts this season, Lohse posted an 8-3 record with a 3.13 ERA. Lohs...

The Phillies (98-54), who have clinched the National League East division title and having locked down home field advantage throughout the playoffs, sit just 2 wins away from the century mark and 4 wins away from an all-time franchise record for wins in a season. With the division rival Nationals (72-79) coming in for a 4-game series, both marks are within reach before the Phils complete their regular season home schedule on Thursday. Right-hander Kyle Kendrick will get things started in the series opener, as the teams will play a twin bill on Tuesday. The Nationals will counter with left-hander Ross Detwiler, who has struggled in his career against the Phillies. In the night cap, Cy Young Award contender Cliff Lee will take the mound for Philadelphia, while Washington is slated to go with rookie Tommy Milone. The Phillies have won 8 of 14 meetings against the Nationals to date this season. Read ahead for more details on the pitching match ups as well as other key details from this s...

As the Philadelphia region braces for its most threatening hurricane, possibly, ever, the Phillies (83-45) are attempting to reschedule games for their weekend series against the Marlins (58-72), in order to avoid the damaging weather. Sunday's game was moved up to Saturday at 1:05PM, while Saturday night's game has now been postponed until September 15th. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key information on this series. Friday, 7:05 PM. Clay Hensley (1-5, 5.47 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt (6-7, 3.51 ERA). In 13 road games this season, Hensley has posted a 1-4 record with a 5.60 ERA. Hensley, in 17 career games (3 starts) against the Phillies, has a 1-1 record with a 2.94 ERA. Jimmy Rollins is 1-for-13 (.077 avg) in his career against Hensley. In 15 career starts against the Marlins, Oswalt has a 6-4 record with a 3.72 ERA. Oswalt is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in his last 3 starts. Mike Cameron is 9-f0r-30 (.300 avg) with a HR in his career against O...

After finishing off a series sweep in Colorado, the Phillies (71-39) travel further west to face the club that knocked them out of the post-season last year, the San Francisco Giants (62-49). In the opener of the four-game set, the Phillies will send lefty All-star Cliff Lee, who lost two games against the Giants in the World Series last year, to the mound. The Giants will counter with Madison Bumgarner, who let up 3 runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Phillies in last season's National League Championship Series. Both teams sit atop their respective divisions. San Francisco won 2 of 3 games when the two clubs met last week in Philadelphia. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key information on this series. Thursday, 10:15PM. Cliff Lee (10-7, 3.14 ERA) vs. Madison Bumgarner (6-10, 3.80 ERA). In 3 career regular season games against San Francisco, Lee has a 3-0 record with a 1.13 ERA. In his last 5 starts, Lee is 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA. Lee is 2-5 with a 4.5...

The Phillies (40-26) return home on Wednesday, to start a brief 2-game series with the Colorado Rockies (22-18) in what will be a clash of two first place teams. In the series opener, the National League West leading Rockies will send lefty Jorge De La Rosa, who was never beaten the Phillies, to the mound. The 4-time defending East Division champion Phillies will counter with Cole Hamels, who allowed 7 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in his only previous regular season start against Colorado in 2009. Last year the Phillies won 6 of 7 meetings with the Rockies, including all 4 games played in Philadelphia. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and plenty more key statistics from this series. Wednesday, 7:05PM. Jorge De La Rosa (5-1, 3.70 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (4.2, 3.19 ERA). In 6 career games against the Phillies, De La Rosa has a 0-3 record with a 8.78 ERA and a .321 batting average against. In 5 road starts this season, De La Rosa is 2-1 with a 3.82 ERA. Shane Victorino is 4-...

The Phillies (21-9) look to continue a strong home stand, as the division rival Atlanta Braves (18-15) come to town for a 3-game series. Roy Oswalt has returned to the Phillies after leaving the team for a week to be with his family, following the devastating tornadoes that ravage his home region in Mississippi. He is slated to start the second game of the series. He'll face 25-year-old righty Jair Jurrjens, who hasn't lost this season. In the series opener on Friday, the Phillies will look to stay on a hot streak, as they've won 6 of their past 7 games, including a 3-game sweep of the Nationals this week. The Braves are on a roll of their own, fresh off a 4-game sweep of the Brewers in Atlanta. Read ahead for a look at the pitching match ups and loads more details for this series. Friday, 7:05PM. Derek Lowe (2-3, 3.72 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (2-2, 3.66 ERA). Lowe was arrested recently and charged with DUI. In 7 career starts at Citizens Bank Park, Lowe is 4-2 with a 2.96...

Plagued by a wave of injuries, the Phillies return home to face division rival New York in a three-game series. Starting pitcher Joe Blanton, who was originally slated to face the Mets (11-14) in the series opener, was placed on the disabled list on Thursday with a right elbow impingement. 23-year-old righty Vance Worley has been recalled to take Blanton's turn for the Phillies (16-8). The Phillies have quite a collection of players already on the disabled list, with the likes of Chase Utley, Domonic Brown, JC Romero, Brad Lidge and Jose Contreras already missing time. It remains to be seen if Carlos Ruiz will be added to that collection, as the Phils' catcher left his last game early with a back injury. For game one of the weekend series, the Mets will counter with Mike Pelfrey, who has allowed 20 earned runs in 12 innings pitched (15.00 ERA) over his last 3 starts at Citizens Bank Park. Read ahead for details on each of the pitching match ups for this series and much more i...

Having lost their second closer to an injury, the Phillies will look to continue rolling through National League opponents as they continue their road trip and head to Arizona for a three-game series. On Sunday, the Phillies placed righty hurler Jose Contreras on the disabled list with a strained elbow in his throwing arm. Contreras was 5-for-5 in save opportunities this season in a substitute role for primary closer Brad Lidge, who has not pitched this season due to a strained shoulder. The Phillies have called up Mike Stutes , the Phillies' 11th round draft pick in 2008, to fill the void on the roster. Ryan Madson, who saved two games for the Phillies in San Diego in the Phillies' last series, will take over the closer duties in Contreras' place. The Phillies (15-6), who sport the best record in Major League Baseball, will take on the Diamondbacks (8-12), who are in fourth place, 5 1/2 games behind first place Colorado in the NL West division. The D-Backs won 2 of 3 mee...

To open the 2011 season, Ed Wade's Houston club that regularly features many ex-Phillies heads to Philadelphia for a three game series. Wade, of course is the current Astros general manager who used to hold that same position in the Phillies' front office. On opening day, the Phillies will be led by Roy Halladay, who got his very first taste of the postseason last year in his initial season with Philadelphia. The Astros will send former Phillies opening day starter Brett Myers to the hill to challenge the defending National League East division champions. In their history, the Phillies are 57-69-2 on opening day. Read ahead for analysis of the pitching match ups and plenty more details from this series. Friday, 1:05pm...Brett Myers (14-8, 3.14 ERA in 2010) vs. Roy Halladay (21-10, 2.44 ERA in 2010). Myers, the Phillies' first round draft pick in 1999, was one of the most consistent starting pitchers in all of MLB last year when he pitched at least 6 innings in his first 3...

The Phillies (81-60) have been on fire lately and have surged to take over the top spot in the National League East. However, CitiField has proven to be an obstacle the Phils can't handle this season, as they've managed to score just 7 runs in 6 games there in 2010. They travel north to take on the Metropolitans (69-71) there in a 3-game series that begins Friday night. The reigning NL champion Phillies have won three straight division crowns. New York, while out of the pennant race, still hopes to play some role in the final standings, and beating the teams near the top is surely a way to do just that. Hoping to prevent the host team from playing spoiler, Philadelphia will send ace hurler Roy Halladay to the mound in game 1. New York will counter with rookie right-hander Jenrry Mejia, who could have a hard time matching the All-star Halladay's efforts. New York will activate Jose Reyes from the disabled list this weekend. Reyes has been sidelined since August 26th with an ...

Double header Labor Day action begins a 4-game series in Philadelphia as the Marlins (69-66) take on the Phillies (78-59). Details on the pitching match ups and more below! Monday, game 1- 1:05pm. Adalberto Mendez (No record) vs. Vance Worley (0-0, 0.00 ERA). The 28-year-old Mendez will be making his Major Debut. Mendez went 5-4 with a 4.14 ERA in 28 games at Triple-A this season. Worley has been an All-star the past two seasons for the Phillies' Double A affiliate Reading. In 8 starts with Triple A Lehigh Valley this year, Worley had a 1-3 record with a 3.77 ERA. The right-handed Worley was a 3rd round pick in the 2008 amateur draft. Monday, game 2- 7:05pm. Anibal Sanchez (11-8, 3.14 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt (10-13, 3.01 ERA). Sanchez is 3-6 with a 5.20 in 10 career starts against the Phillies. In his last 5 starts, Sanchez is 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA. Chase Utley is 9-for-23 (.391 avg) against Sanchez in his career. In his last 5 starts, Oswalt has posted a 4-0 record with a 1.02 ERA. In...

Fresh off a 6-1 road trip, the National League Wild Card leading Phillies (76-58) return home to host the Brewers (62-71) for a 3-game series. Chase Utley, who was 7-for-13 (.538 avg) with 8 RBI in his last 3 games, seems to have finally knocked off the rust that kept him slumping after he was activated from the disable list. Utley posted a .184 batting average with 4 RBI in his first 13 games following recovery from his thumb injury. The Phillies swept the Brewers in May out in Milwaukee, but the Brewers won 2 of 3 games in Philadelphia last season. Cole Hamels, who has a 2.20 ERA over his last 10 starts, will take the mound in game 1 of the series. The Brewers will counter with Chris Capuano, who will be making his 2nd start since rejoining the Milwaukee starting rotation. Details on the pitching match ups and loads more details on this series lie ahead. Friday, 7:05pm. Chris Capuano (2-2, 5.06 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (8-10, 3.31 ERA). In 7 road games this year, Capuano is 1-1 with a 3...

The Phillies are fresh off losing 3 of 4 against the Central Division's Chicago Cubs. Despite that, the Phillies are still 18-11 against that division as they travel to St. Louis to face the Central's first place squad. Riding a 5-game winning streak, the Cardinals (51-41) will send 27-year-old righty Blake Hawksworth to the mound to make his 6th Major League start. Philadelphia (48-43) will counter with Kyle Kendrick, who threw 7 shut out innings against the Cardinals for a win on May 5th. The Phillies won both games between the two clubs in St. Louis last season. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other information on this series. Monday, 7:05pm. Kyle Kendrick (5-3, 4.44 ERA) vs. Blake Hawksworth (3-5, 4.72 ERA). Kendrick is 3-1 with a 3.52 ERA in 11 road games this season. In 4 career starts against St. Louis, Kendrick is 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA. Skip Schumaker is 6-for-12 (.500 avg) with 2 doubles and a homer against Kendrick. In 3 outings against the Phillie...

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...

"Jay" Happ will continue his minor league rehab work with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs this coming Tuesday. The lefty hurler had his latest rehab outing for Double-A Reading on Wednesday night. Happ surrendered 3 runs over 5 innings and struck out 4 while walking no one. Velocity had been a concern, but Happ's arm strength appears to be building, the more he pitches, and velocity is returning. Happ, who has been sidelined since April with a forearm strain, is likely to be ready to return to the big leagues shortly after his next start, if things go well. Chad Durbin, who strained his hamstring fielding a ground ball in the 9th inning of Wednesday night's game, was placed on the disabled list today. Nelson Figueroa was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his spot on the roster. Manager Charlie Manuel described Durbin's ailment as "pretty serious", but initial impressions are that Durbin may not require longer than 15-days to recover. Ryan...

It's Roy Halladay bobblehead figurine day at Citizens Bank Park. Poor weather in the forecast aside, phans all over the area are excited that this giveaway and the Phillies' starting rotation worked out to coincide with each other, as Halladay is scheduled to pitch tonight for the defending National League champs against the Pirates. Halladay, who is often regarded as one of baseball's best pitchers, will be honored with his first Phillies bobblehead after just 8 regular season appearances with Philadelphia. This sort of rush service to bestow Halladay souvenirs on the public got me wondering what other souvenirs the Phillies could rush to the public. Here's my list of desired new promotions that should make their way to Citizens Bank Park. #5 "The Phield" Philadelphia blogger first pitch night. Ceremonial first pitches will start at 2:30 pm for a 7:05 pm game as all Phillies bloggers will be allowed to toss a first pitch to a rotating series of irrelevant for...