The Philly Phyles

[DravenX]

Brett Myers went 8 strong innings giving up 5 hits, allowing only 2 runs off a Nady homerun in the 8th, no walks and 6 strikeouts.

[General]

J.A. Happ pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 10 for Single-A Clearwater on Wednesday.
Happ, a left-hander taken in the third round of the 2004 draft, has a 2.47 ERA and a 42/8 K/BB ratio in 43 2/3 IP. He is 23, so the Phillies shouldn't wait too long to test him with Double-A. He projects as a fourth or fifth starter in the majors

[griffeyfan3]

The Phillies really have something special in Hamels. Pitched a Gem of a game going 5 innings 1 hit and 7 K's. He did have 5 BB's, but hell improve that im sure.

[General]

Cole Hamels struck out seven and walked five over five scoreless innings Friday against the Reds in his major league debut.
Hamels was off with his command in his major league debut, but he'll get better. He gave up just one hit, that to Felipe Lopez, in the contest. Unfortunately, the 2-0 lead he departed with was quickly surrendered by Ryan Madson, who gave up two solo homers in the sixth. Hamels needs to be owned in mixed leagues as well as NL-only leagues.

[General]

Mike Lieberthal said he's progressed to the point where he expects to be ready by May 20, the day he's eligible to come off the disabled list.
Lieberthal is on the disabled list with a bruised left knee.

[General]

Bobby Abreu (back) may sit out Sunday's game against the Reds.
Abreu tweaked his bat during batting practice on Saturday and missed Saturday's game. The Phillies have Monday off so Abreu would get three days' rest by not playing on Sunday.

[A'sDiehard]

Ryan Howard hit two solo shots to win the game for the Phillies in extras 2-1. Man that guy is fun to watch.

[General]

Bobby Abreu (back) is expected to be in the starting lineup on Tuesday.
Abreu hasn't played since he strained his back during batting practice on Saturday.

[General]

An MRI showed that Mike Lieberthal has a slight fracture in his left knee, but the Phillies still think he could return to the field in a couple of weeks.
Lieberthal has been out since May 4, when he was hit by a pitch. It looks like Carlos Ruiz and Sal Fasano will continue splitting time behind the plate for the Phillies through the end of the month.

[General]

Bobby Abreu played on Tuesday, but he admits his back is still a little tender.
Abreu missed two games due to the sore back and he will likely be given another day off this weekend. It doesn't sound like a serious issue, but it is something to keep an eye on.

[General]

Abraham Nunez went 0-for-4 in his start at third base on Wednesday and is batting just .196 this season.
Example No. 952 of why giving multiyear deals to reserve infielders is a bad idea. A fluky 2005 wasn't a good reason to think Nunez would be anything but abysmal on offense. Nunez is an adequate option at the end of the bench, but the Phillies shouldn't be looking for ways to get him more at-bats

[General]

Randy Wolf (shoulder) will make his first rehabilitation start on Tuesday.
Wolf, who had Tommy John surgery in July, will make the start at the Phillies' extended spring training. The team hopes he will return around the all-star break.

[General]

Brett Myers took a loss against the Red Sox on Saturday after yielding six runs -- two earned -- in 6 1/3 innings of work.
Myers hadn't allowed a run for the first five innings, but a Jimmy Rollins throwing error to go with five singles -- one of which David Bell should have had a play on -- and a walk led to four runs in the sixth. In the seventh, opposing pitcher Josh Beckett hit a solo homer with one out and Kevin Youkilis followed with a triple to chase Myers from the game. The right-hander is 2-2 in nine starts despite an impressive 2.75 ERA.

[General]

Cory Lidle recorded his fourth win of the season by limiting the Red Sox to three runs in six innings of work on Sunday.
Lidle struck out six and gave up just five hits, but he also walked two, hit a pair of batters, and surrendered a couple of homers to Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis. It's surprising that Lidle has a 4.80 ERA with just six homers allowed and a 48/11 K/BB ratio in 50 2/3 innings of work. Lidle has never averaged more than 6 K/9 as a starter, but his ERA stands to drop considerably if he can keep his current rate up. He gets the Brewers later this week.

[General]

There's been absolutely no Phillies news in 48 hours.