After a three-game sweep of the Astros to begin the season, all is good for the Phillies. They beat Houston in three straight games and not one of the three aces which took the ball for them has pitched as well as they’re capable of pitching. Isn’t that scary for the rest of the National League?
We’ve all been worried about the offense. The Phils were coming off an inconsistent hitting season a year ago, and now there was less pop in the lineup with Jayson Werth gone and Chase Utley hurt. Would this lineup be able to get anything done? Could they at least give us a few runs a game?
Yes, they could and they would do even better than that. In fact the story of the weekend was the Phillies hitting, although Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt had solid performances Lee and Oswalt notched their first wins of the season.
Nearly every question mark about the batting order worked out well against the Astros.
“We’ve played very consistent,” Manuel said. “Steady. We made some mistakes. But at the same time, our pitching definitely held them down. We caught the ball good enough. We definitely had a good offensive series.”
The five hits by Placido Polanco in the first three games doesn’t surprise any one. The man can hit and it’s as simple as that. 
Jimmy Rollins has scored four runs in three games with six hits and two base on balls. Yes, how do you like that J Roll with two base on balls in only three games.
They couldn’t have wished for a better start by Ben Francisco. He’s got six hits and more importantly four RBI’s in just three games. The rightfielder is doing a good job of coming through in key spots.
He and Raul Ibanez will have to continue to come through to force teams to pitch to Ryan Howard.
Howard had seven hits in the series with six RBI’s and he’s batting .500. The “Big Piece” as Charlie Manuel likes to call him knocked in the Phils first run of the season and he was involved in the two innings of scoring in game one.
He banged out a couple of more hits in the game on Saturday and came back today to knock in four runs, contribute three-hits including a three-run bomb in the first inning to give the Phils a lead which they would never surrender.
Leftfielder Raul Ibanez has only two hits so far, but those two hits drove in three runs, which were a big reason they won game two.
Rightfielder Shane Victorino had a similar weekend. He got only two hits but drove in three key runs.
Contributions from almost everyone up and down the line-up, great Opening Weekend Series.. Even if it’s versus the Astros, you have to like how they hit the ball the 9th Inning on Fri and Sat & Sun.. Great start by the Phils..
Phils best team in baseball, classic Paul, gloom and doom, now talking as though he predicted it
How is my above post say that “I predicted it” Jakedog
I congratulate the team for it’s Opening Series Win versus a pretty weak opponent and at home..I tip my hat for how they played better than I anticipated,so good for them and for Phils fans and the Team..woo hoo..
Your enthusiasm is disingenuous; had the phillies lost 2 of 3 you would have been back with how the team is old, 2nd best in the division, as long as the phillies keep playing well we won’t hear from you on how they won’t win the division, etc
@jakedog — damn right.
F U paulman. Go choke on a couple eggs. Don’t let me see you around these parts cheering the Phils on again you tomahawk lovin’ douche.
For the record Bird Brain, I am not a fan of the Braves for they are just like the Dallas Cowboys in my book, and only a compeititor to my Philly Teams..
I still think they (Braves) have more depth in Pitching and it will be a fight right down to the wire with the Phils/Braves battling for the Division winner..
More depth? We have four of the top ten pitchers in baseball — be real.
You count LHP Cole Hamels as 1 of the “Top 10 Pitchers of Baseball”..
C’Mon Birdman, you’ve been sleeping in too much of your own Birdpoop….
Your jokes are almost as bad as your predictions.
And yes, I count LHP Cole Hamels, the 2008 playoff and World Series MVP, one of the top 10 pitchers in baseball. Not to mention MANY are picking him to be this years CY Young Award Winner. Cole could have had 20 or more wins last year if the bullpen didn’t squander his outings or he got decent run support. Know your team.
Yeah, Paul, you absolutely can. And many if not most do. Period.
i gotta kinda agree with birdo, paul, if and thats a big if, hes on i think hes as good as we got . i gotta see some starts and some run support , he just seems alittle soft/ fragile sometimes. more than the other three.
A few Top 10 Pitchers that would Pitch for Paulman’s Team over Cole Hamels
(in no particular order)
#1) Josh Beckett from the Red Sox
#2) Matt Cain from the SF Giants
#3) Chris Carpenter from Cardinals
#4) Gio Gonzales from the A’s
#5) James Johnson from the Marlins
#6) Felix Hernandez from Seattle
#7) Tim Hudson from the Braves
#8) Ubaldo Jiminez from the Rockies
#9) Clayton Kershaw from the Dodgers
#10) Mat Latos from the Pdres
#11) Jon Lester from the Red SOx
#12) Ted LIlly from the Dodgers
#13) Tim Lincecum from the SF Giants
#14) Francisco Liriano from the Twins
#15) Derek Lowe from the Braves
#16) Brandon Morrow from the Blue Jays
#17) Rick Porcello from the Tigers
#18) David Price from the Tampa Rays
#19) Ricky Romero from the Blue Jays
#20) CC Sabaithia from the Yankees
#21) Johan Santana from the Mets
#22) Justin Verlander from the Tigers
#23) Chris Volstad from the Marlins
#24) Adam Wianwright from the Cardinals
#25) Jared Weaver from the Angles
#26) CJ Wilson from the Rangers
#27) John Lackey from the Red Sox
#28) Chad Billingsly from the Dodgers
#29) Zack Grineke from the Brewers
#30) JA Happ from the Astros
I forget about Dan Haren, Rich Harden, R Sanchez,etc,etc…
Paulman, your idiocy NEVER ceases to amaze me. You seriously are one of the most unintelligible so-called “fans” I have ever seen type. Will you ever get a clue? Maybe some day — doubtful.
LOL that list is a joke right? pitchers on that list that are nowhere near Hamels right now, #1,4,12,15,16,17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, and the last 3 that you added on. most of the rest are VERY debatable as well. you obviously would make a terrible GM if you would take some these guys over Hamels. how can you even put names like Ted Lilly and JA Happ on this list? it’s mind boggling.
I was voted most improved GM/Manager for my Son’s Little League last year and even won a PizzaHut 10% off Card good for life…
bidro, hot, he’s an instigator, and he thrives off of your reactions like that. It tickles his ego. Hey, I take the bait all the time so I’m just as guilty for falling into his traps, but that’s all this is.
Paulman bored to death in Boone county nc, has no job, no life, has to rile up the true Philly fans
Paulman: so is that basically like saying you have no explanation for how you can possibly think guys like JA Happ and Ted Lilly are better than Hamels? you know, me educating you on MLB and NFL matters is starting to get old. i should be getting paid for these tutoring sessions.
add Carlos Sambrano, Matt Garza, John Lackey, C Bucholtz,Hurodi Kuroda,
Jose Padilla, Carl Pavano and Carmelo Faustino to the list also,
LOL, that’s great paulman. you come over to reality land any time, until then thank you for being my own personal amusement.
I guess some of us spoke a little too soon about C Hamels being a Top 10 Picher in MLB.. 68 Pitches in 2 & 2/3rds Innings.. I will stay with my list ..
I think Hamels just doesn’t have the mental toughness to be a top MLB Pitcher and I think he will have a “meltdown season” this year, that’s my story and I am asticking to it until proven otherwise and please hold the stretch run of 2008 to yourselves for that means little to me now in 2011..
paul, so you believe that less than 1 start defines an MLB pitcher…. ok… um…. you know the world is round right? Do you also think 2+2 = 3? Or are you just selectively stupid?
No i don’t , but I look at his pattern of waasting pitches, laboring by the 4th Ining, having poor, sulking body language, losing his cool over some bad calls by Umps or bad fielding behind him.. I thin he is simply an Average Pitcher with average stuff who happens to pitch for a good team.. He must lead the league every season in giving up 2-Strike Hits and Home RUns which is a sign of not brearing down when it counts and a lack of focus
I would lover the Phils to trade him and Utley back out to the West Coast where the they belong and get some good players in return.. Maybe to the Padres for their Closer H Bell and some young arms and OF in return…