Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Phillies 6 Diamdbacks 4
Chase Utley gave the Phillies a three run lead in the second and they went on to win. Utley extended his hitting streak to 26 games, tied for 4th longest in Phils history. David Delluci continues to prove that he deserves to play everyday either here or somewhere else. Delluci hit his 7th homerun of the season tonight. Overall the Phillies pitching was good. Jon Lieber helped his trade value by going seven innings while surrendering 4 earned runs. Arthur Rhodes had his first uneventful inning in recent memory. Flash Gordon pitched a scoreless ninth for his 24th save.
Tonight was Ryan Howard bobblehead night and if there was any question how popular he is in Philly it was answered tonight. 45,459 showed up tonight which is the largest crowd in Citizens Bank Park history. That is quite an accomplishment since the Phillies are stumbling towards the trading deadline and appear ready to sell. Ryan Howard's bobblehead was probably responsible for 10 to 15 thousand of those that attended the game.
Tip of the Cap- Chase Utley once again for his three run homerun and his double which extended his hitting streak to 26 games. I hope everybody heard Utley's finance in the booth during the game. It seems like she has taken a lead amongst the Phillies' wives and girlfriends and is embracing Philadelphia.
Wag of the Finger- Bobby Abreu for going hitless and striking out. I am a big Abreu supporter but he has struck out way too much this year. This is probably partly because he works deep counts but he is now only one strikout behind Pat Burrell who takes a lot of flak for his strikeouts. Even saying all this, I still don't believe Abreu should be traded.
Tomorrow's Game- Claudio Vargas squares off against Cory Lidle who will look to build on his 8 inning outing last time. This could possibly be Lidle's last start in red pinstripes so enjoy his 6 inning, 3 run outing just like 90% of his other starts. Tomorrow's start is a 1:05 start. I am headed to Philly for the next two days but will not be at the game. No updates until Friday evening.
Friday's Game- Brett Myers will likely make his second home start against the young but talented Florida Marlins. Also the most publicized Phanatic goes to Hollywood DVD is give away. The Phils are expecting a big crowd for this game.
Trading Deadline Update- Nothing new to report. Jon Lieber had a good audition tonight and could be headed to New York or Boston. Ditto Cory Lidle who will look for another strong outing on Thursday. The Abreu rumors have cooled down and the Burrell interest seems weak. Delluci will most likely be traded possibly to either St. Louis or New York. A couple relief pitchers could also be headed to contenders. This is Pat Gillick's first trading deadline in Philly and it could be a big one.
