Philles Report - 5/14
May 15, 2003
Drastic off-season moves brought Jim Thome and Kevin Millwood to the Phillies for very little. Thome was the best free agent this past summer, and was wanted by many teams; Philly landed him. He was expected to make a major impact in the heart of the order, and it is safe to say that he has. Together with Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, and Mike Lieberthal, the Phils have the necessary pop in the bat to score runs, the only issue then would be pitching.
The acquisition of Millwood brought a much needed ace to an otherwise unknown pitching staff. Millwood, who was traded from division rival Atlanta for catcher Johnny Estrada, has been phenomenal this year already recording a no-hitter in red and white on April 27. The last no-hitter in the Majors was thrown by Derek Lowe, ironically on April 27th, 2002. It was the first for the Phillies since Tommy Greene in 1991.
Vicente Padilla, who had a breakout season last year is the number 2 starter, but has struggled in every outing this year. Padilla cites confidence as his major problem. He is 3-5 and has a 4.47 ERA which has come down some with a couple adequate starts of late. Youngster Brandon Duckworth, who was highly touted for his strikeout capabilities, has been injured most of this year and is now situated on the DL. Veteran Randy Wolf has proved he can be a solid starter so far, notching 5 wins and 2 losses in 8 starts. His 2.92 ERA is what manager Larry Bowa is praising. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is also surprising good fanning 40 while giving a free pass to only 20. Righty Brett Myers is also in the rotation and has done too badly. He is 3-3 with an ERA just over 2.20. He has given the Phillies that much needed 4th starter, a role that Duckworth would have been in. Joe Roa who is a long reliever has also started 3 games, but has a 6.38 ERA in 18 innings keeping him winless with two losses.
In order for the Phillies to top the ageless Braves, they are going to need a good combination of hitting and pitching.
A Brief Look at Some Phillies...
Kevin Millwood
As mentioned earlier, Kevin Millwood tossed a no-hitter on April 27 against the San Francisco Giants. On his next start, Millwood did not accomplish two no-nos in a row. Ramon Vazquez broke it up on the first at-bat for the Padres that day.
Jimmy Rollins
Off to a good start, the shortstop leads the Phillies in runs scored and is one of the league leaders in that category. Rollins is second on the team with 3 errors (David Bell, 5). He has filled in nicely in the lead off spot after Doug Glanville’s departure to Texas.
Pat Burrell
The Left Fielder has started off very slow. When he finds his swing again, Philadelphia fans will be shown some great hitting with Jim Thome, Burrell, Bobby Abreu, Rollins, and Bell. Right now the bats aren’t producing like normal, yet the team is still in second place in the National League East.
Series so far...
Florida 2-1
Pittsburgh 1-2
Atlanta 2-1
Cincinnati 2-1
Florida 2-2
Atlanta 1-2
Colorado 3-0
San Francisco 2-1
Los Angeles 2-2
San Diego 2-1
Arizona 1-2
Houston 2-1
Arizona 2-1
Upcoming series...
3 @ Houston
3 @ NY Mets
3 @ Montreal
3 vs. NY Mets
3 vs. Montreal
On the All-Star Ballot...
Jim Thome, 1B
Placido Polanco, 2B
Jimmy Rollins, SS
David Bell, 3B
Mike Lieberthal, C
Bobby Abreu, OF
Pat Burrell, OF
Marlon Byrd, OF
Don’t forget to vote for your Phillies!
