Philliedelphia

Phils Score 2 Late, Fall to Rockies 5-2

A 33-36 record is a pretty good representation of how the Phillies have played in the last two weeks or so. 5 straight wins, 5 consecutive losses, then 2 wins and another loss leave the team in an awkward position. They're not completely out of the mix, but they aren't running away with it either. As one of my friend's put it, "They're playing just well enough so they won't trade for prospects, but bad enough to miss the second wild card." Today, Cole Hamels aimed to put the Phils on track to being well in the playoff mix. Standing in the way was Jhoulys Chacin, Coors Field, and a string of questionable defense. 

Chacin worked rapidly through the first inning, setting the Phillies down in order on just nine pitches. Hamels would have to throw a few more, 21 to be exact, but allowed just a single to Dexter Fowler before retiring the next three batters.

Domonic Brown would single with one out in the second, but no score would come of it. Wilin Rosario welcomed Hamels to the second inning by drilling the first pitch of the at bat to the right field seats. However, Hamels would use an inning-ending double play to leave the damage at just one run. 1-0 Rockies. 

From the top of the third through the bottom of the sixth, neither team reached base, as both Hamels and Chacin settled in and worked rapid frames. In less than 90 minutes, the game was already halfway through the seventh inning. In that seventh inning, both Kevin Frandsen and Ryan Howard would single. Frandsen would be erased on a double play, and Howard on a Brown ground out. Chacin sat at 64 pitches thrown after the inning.

Hamels would also allow baserunnes in the seventh. Carlos Gonzalez opened things up by reaching first when Frandsen couldn't make the play on a strong ground ball up the middle. Michael Cuddyer dunked a ball to right field, and it turned into a double. With two runners in scoring position and nobody out, Rosario shot a ball to Freddy Galvis at third. Galvis spun to make the play, and when Gonzales did not take off, Freddy made the play at first for out number one. Jordan Pachecho grounded another ball to Galvis. This time, Gonzalez took off, and Freddy had no play at the plate. A throw to first would record the second out. Nolan Arenado followed with a looping single to the right field gap, giving Colorado their third run of the game. Chacin would reach to load the bases when Jimmy Rollins could not get a grip on a bare handed play. However, Fowler would ground out on the next pitch to end the frame. 3-0 Rockies.

It is worth noting the inconsistent ball/strike calling of home plate umpire Marvin Hudson in the seventh inning. Hamels should have been out of the inning much earlier, and made it known by shouting rather loudly at Hudson as the inning ended. Now, this is not an excuse for the Phillies' awful lack of offensive production today, but officiating mistakes are not helpful in crucial situations.

Justin De Fratus would come on to pitch the eighth. Josh Rutledge took a walk to lead it off, allowing Carlos Gonzalez to crush a 2-run homerun. Now 5-0 Rockies. A Cuddyer single forced an early exit for De Fratus, and an appearance by...

Antonio Bastardo.

Bastardo did get Rosario to ground one, but Galvis failed to make the throw, and two Rockies were on with no one out. Pachecho followed by flying out to right field, Arenado popped out to Frandsen, and Chacin grounded out to end it. 5-0 Rockies lead.

Chacin would come on to finish the game, but allows Revere to single with one out. Rollins would be up with two away, and doubled to score Revere. The shutout was over, and a following Howard single would give them a second run. Chacin would be removed from the game after 8.2 innings pitched. Rex Brothers closed the game out by striking out Dom Brown. 5-2 Rockies win. 

No fault can be put on Cole Hamels for today's loss. He pitched extremely well, and really only gave up a single earned run in his seven innings of work. The offense was downright putrid in many fashions. A distinct lack of discipline allowed Chacin to head to the ninth with only 74 pitches thrown. Excellent pitching certainly helps win ballgames, but a missing offense does nothing but hurt. Now back to four games under the .500 mark, the Phillies must look to another struggling NL East squad. The Washington Nationals, a World Series contender heading into the season, has failed to live up o expectations. They'll head to Philadelphia for tomorrow night's 7:05 game that will pit Dan Haren against a returning John Lannan. 

Phillies Lose Fifth in a Row

There isn't much to be said about a team that has lost four games in a row against bottom-feeding teams in their respective divisions. There's no leadership, no energy, and no sense of urgency coming from this ballclub. That being said, there are still nearly 100 games remaining, so looking forward is really the only thing to do (before Ruben Amaro finally blows this team up). Tonight, we were treated to a matchup of Tyler Cloyd and Mike Pelfrey. The Phillies have had Pelrey's number in recent seasons while he was pitching with the New York Mets. Time would tell if that success would carry over into interleague play.

With one out in the opening frame, Ben Revere was able to beat out a ball down the third base line for a base hit. Following after was Jimmy Rollins with a single of his own, and the bases became loaded when Ryan Howard walked. With one out and a prime opportunity to capitalize early on Pelfrey, Domonic Brown popped a fly ball to left field for a sacrifice, and the Phillies scored in the first inning for the second time in the series. Delmon Young added to the first inning lead with a single of his own, and the Phils would hand the game over to Tyler Cloyd with a 2-0 lead.

Cloyd would run into some danger in his half of the inning. After a walk to catcher Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham doubled to left field to put two runners in scoring position with two outs. Another walk, this time to Justin Morneau, would load the bases. Cloyd was able to escape by forcing Oswaldo Arcia to ground out, and the Phillies remained in front.

Trouble would arise once more in the home half of the second. Singles by Clete Thomas and Jamey Carroll would put the Twins in business for the second straight at bat, but Cloyd wouls escape unscathed once more.

After a 1-2-3 third inning, Tyler Cloyd allowed a leadoff single to Arcia. Up next was Thomas, and his double would give Minnesota their first run of the ballgame. Eduardo Escobar did single in the following at bat, but a strikeout and a 4-6-3 double play would stop the rally. 2-1 Phillies. 

With two outs in the top of the fifth inning, Mike Pelfrey had retired 12 consecutive batters since allowing two runs in the first inning. Michael Young ended the streak by doubling to the right field gap. A bloop single to center by Revere put the Phillies back ahead by two. 3-1 Phillies.

Tyler Cloyd would leave the game after tossing five innings of one run ball. He threw 99 pitches in those innings, and would be replaced by Joe Savery. Savery would allow the first two batters he faced to reach base, and an Escobar sacrifice put two in scoring position. Pedro Florimon did ground it back to Savery, but a quick hesitation eliminated the chance of a play at the plate, and the score was within one again. 3-2 Phillies. 

Savery began the seventh just as he did the sixth, by allowing the first hitter to single. That would spell the end of his appearance, and the entrance of Michael Stutes. He would retire Ryan Doumit and Willingham on a fly ball and pop up, respectively, then give way to...to...

Antonio Bastardo

Some how, 59 was able to get Morneau to fly out on the first pitch he threw, and the inning was over. However...

Oswaldo Arcia began the eighth with a double to right center field. Clete Thomas would then smack his fourth hit of the ballgame, a long double to right that was mishandled by John Mayberry Jr. off the wall, and the game was tied at 3. Escobar would bunt the ball back to the mound, but Bastardo seemed to overthink the play, and runners sat on the corners with nobody out. Charlie Manuel would remove Bastardo from the game and replace him with Justin De Fratus. Despite a spectacular catch by Freddy Galvis, De Fratus could not work a scoreless appearance. When the ball skipped away from catcher Jason Lerud, Thomas would score, and the Twins took the lead. 4-3 Twins.

1-2-3 top of the ninth ends it. Twins win 4-3.

The end of this recap will sound eerily like the beginning. There's not much to be said about a team that has lost now five games in a row. Fans and players alike look ahead to the returns of Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz for some help, but it may not be enough. In an effort to somehow salvage some positive from this series, Cliff Lee will try to work his magic against Kevin Correia and the Twins at 8:10. 

Twins Score Late; Phils Lose Fourth Straight

For the second time in as many seasons, the Phillies traveled to Target Field for an interleague series against the Minnesota Twins. After a head-scratching series against the Brewers, the team absolutely had to come into this series looking to take at least two out of three. The first Philly pitcher looking to secure a win was Cole Hamels, who was coming off just his second win of the season. He would be opposed by P.J. Walters making his fourth start of the campaign. A Phillies win would put them back in the dreaded one-game-under-.500 position.

Save for a Jamey Carroll (who I didn't even know still played baseball) single in the top of the first inning, not much offense occurred in the first two frames. FUN FACT: 5 of the 6 outs made in the second came from strikeouts. 

John Mayberry Jr. began the third by reaching first on a throwing error by Pedro Florimon, and moved to second when catcher Humberto Quintero grounded out. Michael Young hit a sharp, two-out liner to right field that dropped in for a base hit. Mayberry scored, but Young was thrown out trying to move to second. 1-0 Phillies.

Moving to the fourth, Josh Willingham just missed a homerun to left, doubling off the face of the wall. Justin Morneau and Oswaldo Arcia both followed with hard doubles, and the score now movd to 2-1 Twins. 

The Phillies did threaten in the fifth, when Mayberry Jr. doubled in the gap to lead it off. Freddy Galvis followed with a one out walk, resulting in two runners on. However, a Quintero strikeout and Michael Young 1-3 put out erased the opportunity. 

After tossing 108 pitches through six innings, Cole Hamels would be replaced by Justin De Fratus. He managed a productive 1-2-3 inning with two Ks in his 13th appearance of the season. 

First the first time in the game, the Phillies managed to have multiple hits in an inning. Pinch hitter Kevin Frandsen singled to right, and Ben Revere singled through the hole on the left to kick P.J. Walters out of the game. The Twins would bring lefty Brian Duensing into the game to flip Jimmy Rollins to the right side of the plate, but not after some controversy. Manager Ron Gardenhire signaled for the left hander, but right hander Casey Fien came out. Once Gardenhire realized the mistake, he quickly asked the crew chief to allow Duensing to come in the game even though Fien did not throw to a batter. The umpire obliged, and Charlie Manuel wasn't very happy. He did argue the decision, but Duensing was cleared to pitch while Fien returned to the bullpen. 

All that being said, Duensing would strike Rollins out on a questionable third strike, but surrender a two-out single to Howard that would tie the game at 2. Domonic Brown would end the inning on a ground out, but they went to the bottom of the eighth tied.

Mike Adams was brought in to begin the eighth, and after allowing two baserunners to reach, he would be replaced by (wait for it...)

Antonio Bastardo

Bastardo gave up Morneau's third hit of the night, one that put the Twins ahead 3-2 late. 

Unsurprisingly, the Phils would go down without a wimper in the ninth. Twins win 3-2. 

Disappointing, to say the least. Not much analysis needed here. Phillies have lost four in a row, and that's just not good. I see changes in the near future. Tomorrow's matchup will pit Phillie Tyler Cloyd against former-Met-turned-Twin Mike Pelfrey in 8:10 action. 

Phillies Lose 9-1, And That's About It

It seems to be the theme of this year's Phillies squad: Get back to a .500 record. Once again, Jonathan Pettibone and the boys in red went into today's action eyeing an even win-loss total. On the mound for the Brewers was former Phillies Kyle Lohse, whose 1-6 record and near 5.00 ERA seemed to be a positive for the away team. 

Michael Young continued to lead off for the Phillies, and started the game by reaching on yet another infield single. Ben Revere followed with another single, and the Phils looked poised to score. The problem is that nothing ever goes right for the Phillies, so when Ryan Howard added a single later in his at bat, Young was thrown out at home plate. Domonic Brown grounded out, and the threat was over. 

Despite a leadoff walk, Pettibone worked a quick first inning and held the Brewers scoreless. The second inning was a different story. Carlos Gomez, on the day of his bobblehead giveaway, reached first when his ground ball back to the mound was dropped by Pettibone. Short-lived Phillies Yuniesky Betancourt singled, and Martin Maldanado was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A Juan Francisco ground out plated the first run of the day for Milwaukee. Following him was Scooter Gennett (I laughed too), who tripled to score the next two. The fourth and final run scored on a Lohse sacrifice fly. 4-0 Brewers.

From the top of the third through the top of the sixth, there was very little offense for either squad. The only noteworthy action came when Ryan Braun was replaced in the lineup by Logan Schafer. Later reports said Braun may be headed to the disabled list for a sore right thumb.

In the bottom of the sixth, Schafer singled off Pettibone. Justifying his bobblehead giveaway,  Carlos Gomez shelled a two run bomb to center field, spelling the end of Pettibone's outing. Jeremy Horst (yay) came on to finish off the inning.

The next half inning saw Norichika Aoki and Lohse single off Horst, sending him packing and bringing in Justin De Fratus. Appropriately, De Fratus bounced a pitch and allowed the runners to advance. Jean Segura's single would bring in both runners and put the score at 8-0. The next three batters would be retired.

After retiring sixteen straight batter, Lohse gave up a solo homerun to third-string catcher Humberto Quintero, his first of the season. No shutout today.

Having not pitched in some time, Jonathan Papelbon came on in the eighth to get some work in. He allowed a leadoff homerun to Maldonado, but retired the next three to finish the inning.

Jim Henderson completed the ninth, and the Brewers win the game and the series against the Phillies.

Not much to say about today's game. They're back to 2 games under .500, and losing 3 out of 4 to the Brewers in inexcusable for a team looking to make the playoffs. And, it may get even worse going into the series against the Twins. Multiple losses to Minnesota would a huge blow to the season. Perhaps the word "sell" will become synonymous with this Phillies team in the next couple of weeks. Tomorrow, the Phillies will get the day off,  hopefully giving them some reflection time. Cole Hamels will take the mound on Tuesday to oppose Twins' pitcher P.J. Walters. 

Andrew Gillen

Cloyd Leads Phillies to 5-1 Win; 5-Game Winning Streak

A sweep of the Marlins, a .500 record, and a sub-par team in their path. All of these things bode well for the Phillies going into tonight's contest against the Milwaukee Brewers. Riding a 4-game winning streak and finally sitting at an even record, Tyler Cloyd and his team looked to move toward a higher place in the NL East. Opposing them was Milwaukee's Wily Peralta, who got the win in Philly last Saturday. 

Michael Young was called on to be tonight's leadoff hitter, and began the game by reaching on an infield single. John Mayberry Jr. followed with an infield single of his own, and Jimmy Rollins blooped a single to right to fill the bags early for Ryan Howard. Howard was able to fly a ball to deep center and score Young, leaving two guys in scoring position for Domonic Brown. A wild pitch on a Brown strikeout would score Mayberry from third and put two more runners on, but a Delmon Young strikeout and Erik Kratz groundout would end the early threat. 

Tyler Cloyd, who let up a hit and a walk in the first, walked with one out in the second. Mayberry doubles later in the inning to bring Cloyd home, and put the Phillies up 3-0 early in the game.

Moving ahead to the third, Brown singled and stole second base on Peralta. After Delmon Young walked, Brown then stole third and put runners on the corners for EK's fielder's choice. For the third straight inning, the Phillies scored at least a run, and now lead it 4-0. Freddy Galvis managed to walk, but was erased when Cloyd showed his warning track power.

In the top of the fifth, Delmon Young decided to add some padding to the Phillie lead, crushing a ball to the deepest part of the ballpark and moving the lead to 5-0.

It took until the bottom of the sixth for Tyler Cloyd to run into any real trouble on the mound. He walked Ryan Braun to begin the frame, then allowed Aramis Ramirez to single and put two runners on. Jonathan Lucroy barely popped one behind the plate for the first out, but Carlos Gomez flew one out to right to move Braun to third. Cloyd worked out of the jam by getting newly-acquired Juan Francisco to pop out to Michael Young.

Cloyd would last into the seventh inning, recording two outs on a double play and throwing a total of 108 pitches. Justin De Fratus would come in to complete the inning. 

The first run of the game for the Brewers came in the bottom of the eighth. Mike Adams came in from the pen and allowed Braun to reach on a leadoff walk. After stealing second and making it to third on a Ramirez groundout, Braun scored on a Lucroy ground out. The ninth began with a 5-1 Phillies lead. 

To close the game, Antonio Bastardo made his presence known. After allowing a leadoff single, Bastardo recorded a fielder's choice, a looking strikeout, and a sharp groundout to first to end it. Phillies win 5-1. 

It was a rather boring game for the Phillies, but a win is a win any way you spin it. Plus, Tyler Cloyd pitched extremely well for nearly seven innings. Now that they reached the .500 point, the team finally surpassed the mark and now sit a game over at 31-30. A 5-game winning streak is always nice to have, especially when playing two more games against a below average ballclub. Tomorrow, dominant Cliff Lee will make possibly one of his last the start against Alfredo Figaro at 8:05. 

Mayberry Homers Once to Tie Game, Twice to Win it in 11

(Picture: Andrew Gillen)

After returning home from Boston last week, the Phillies dropped three of four against the Red Sox and Brewers. They sat four games under .500 and seemed doomed for a stretch of disappointing games, even with a white-hot Domonic Brown. However, two quick wins against Milwaukee and Miami put the Phillies back on some sort of crooked track. This “streak” could help boost the Phillies in the upcoming series against sub-par teams. Taking the mound tonight was Jonathan Pettibone, and if he could replicate his numbers from his first start against the Marlins (6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 K, 1 ER on May 3), the Phillies would be in good shape. Opposing them, though, was Marlin Ricky Nolasco, who has been very successful in his career at Citizens Bank Park.

Juan Pierre began the game with his tenth hit against the Phillies this season, a single to right field. The man with 600+ career stolen bases took off for another, and probably should have gotten it. Second base umpire Bob Davidson called Pierre out on an apparent Jimmy Rollins tag, but replays showed no contact between player and glove. Juan was visibly upset, but made no big fuss. The next two batters grounded out to end the frame.

        Let me just take a quick moment to reflect on the outstanding character that is Juan Pierre.         Even after the blown call, Pierre congratulated J-Roll™ on the play and returned to the         dugout. I truly wish Juan had spent more time with the Phillies, because he is an all-time         honorable player.

The Phillies went down 1-2-3 in the first.

Marcell Ozuna continued to hit the ball extremely hard, this time over Michael Young’s head and down the line for a double. Derek Dietrich followed with a bloop single to left, one that held Ozuna at third. A misthrow by Domonic Brown allowed Deitrich to move to second. A Casey Kotchman ground ball up the middle resulted in an out and the first run of the game. With a runner at third and only one out, Pettibone worked out of the jam with two groundouts and held the Marlins to just one run. 1-0 Marlins.

The Phillies went down 1-2-3 in the second.

Jonathan Pettibone continued to allow baserunners, as Ed Lucas managed to single to center field. However, Pettibone was able to find his rhythm and record the three necessary outs.

The Phillies went down 1-2-3 in the third.

Some adjustments may have been made by Pettibone, as he worked a solid 1-2-3 fourth inning.

The Phillies went down 1-… Michael Young records the Phillies first hit of the game, a tough ground ball up the middle barely mishandled by second baseman Deitrich. With Ryan Howard batting, Young stole his first base of the season. Howard would then walk, but Brown popped out to end the effort.

Pettibone threw a majority of his pitches in the fifth. Adeiny Hechavarria singled to lead it off. E would have been out on his attempted steal of second, but Rollins couldn’t handle the throw. Rob Brantly promptly singled to score Hechavarria. A Nolasco sacrifice moved Brantly to second, and yet another Juan Pierre single put runners on the corners. Pierre got a well-deserved stolen base, and Ed Lucas worked a walk to load the bases. With his back against the wall, Pettibone forced Chris Coghlan and Marcell Ozuna to fly out and stop the bleeding. 2-0 Marlins.

The Phillies went down 1-2-3 in the fifth.

A walk to Casey Kotchman was the only damage to Pettibone in the sixth. A double play erased any danger.

Kevin Frandsen did pinch hit for Pettibone in the sixth, and worked a walk off Nolasco. However, two fielder’s choices and a line out left the Phillies still scoreless.

Jeremy Horst came in to relieve Pettibone. He managed strikeouts to the first two batters he faced, then calmed the bat of Juan Pierre with a ground out.

Ricky Nolasco’s one-hitter would come to an end in the seventh. Ryan Howard drove a ball off the right field wall for a double. Dom Brown worked an impressive nine-pitch at bat, but struck out swinging. Delmon Young then crushed one to the angle in center field, doubling (and just avoiding fan interference) to score Howard and the Phillies’ first run of the night. After Freddy Galvis struck out, Erik Kratz (now referred to as EK) valiantly galloped in from the bullpen to pinch hit for Humberto FatQuintero. EK just missed a homerun to right, but did double to bring home Delmon and tie the game. Laynce Nix was called on to pinch hit for Horst, but was called back when lefty Mike Dunn relieved Nolasco. John Mayberry Jr. struck out, but remained in the game to play right. EK stayed in to catch. 2-2 game.

Mike Adams was the next reliever out for the Phillies, and he gave up an Ed Lucas single to begin his appearance. Coghlan grounded out, Ozuna was hit by a pitch, and Deitrich grounded out to put two in scoring position with two out. Casey Kotchman grounded into an excellent play by Galvis and Howard to end the threat.

Ben Revere was able to reach base when Kotchman dropped the throw. Michael Young would then ground to third, and it originally looked like a fielder’s choice. However, Bob Davidson made another mistake, this time calling Ben Revere for interference at second, and both runners were out. Replays should no obvious attempts of Revere grabbing Deitrich, and the crowd continued to let Davidson know by showering him with boos through the ninth inning. Rollins would walk, but Howard flied to left to end it.

A sight for sore eyes appeared in the ninth, as Jonathan Papelbon made his return to the mound after a stomach virus kept him out of action. He worked a 1-2-3 inning, including two strikeouts. Dom Brown would lead off the ninth looking to end the game.

Fan favorite (?) Chad Qualls took the mound for the Marlins in the ninth. After running a 3-0 count on Dom, a ground out erased the threat. Cesar Hernandez pinch hit for Papelbon and worked an infield single. Freddy Galvis would single to put two runners on base. EK would come up again, but couldn't work his magic anymore. A double play would send the game to extra innings. 

Antonio Bastardo was summoned to begin the tenth. He gave up a well-earned walk to thorn-inthe-Phillies-side Juan Pierre, who ws sacrificed to second and stole third. He then stole home on a Bastardo wild pitch. Probably shouldn't have praised him earlier. Anyway, 3-2 Marlins.

John Mayberry looked to bring life back to the Phillies against Steve Cishek in the tenth, and he did. A deep homerun to center field tied the game at 3. After two outs, Rollins worked a walk. Lefty Dan Jennings would come on to pitch to Howard. When a pitch got away from Brantly, Rollins attempted to steal second, but was thrown out. To the eleventh we go. 

Mike Stutes replaced Antonio Bastardo in the inning. He threw a few close pitches, one that was caught in deep right-center by Revere, but escaped unscathed.

Edgar Olmos pitched next for the Marlins, and Howard nearly took him deep. Back spin kept it in the park, though. Brown would reach first on a fielding error by Olmos. Kyle Kendrick came on to pinch hit for Stutes, and he sacrificed Brown into scoring position. Freddy Galvis was intentionally walked to get to EK (Erik Kratz for those not keeping up), who then worked a walk to load the bases. John Mayberry Jr. was up again, after homering to tie it in the tenth, and hit a grand slam to send everyone home happy. 

This game was incredible. The fans, for whatever reason, have been great the last few games, and were on top of everything tonight. The boos for this umpiring crew lasted an inning and a half, showing some fans still remain interested. As far as gameplay goes, the score was close all night, and every at bat was important (even if it all happened against the Marlins). Most fans even stayed for the extras. Then, JMJ not only tied it with a homer, but win it in extras to satisfy everyone on Carlos Ruiz Bobblehead night. Tomorrow, the Phillies seek a 3-game sweep of the Marlins when Cole Hamels takes on Jacob Turner in 1:05 afternoon action.

Andrew Gillen

MLB Looking to Suspend A-Rod, Braun, Others

Earlier this year, a list of major league players associated with a performance-enhancing drug lab in South Florida was released to the public. Several household names could be found on said list, including previously suspended players like Alex Rodriguez and Bartolo Colon. Now closed, Biogenesis was run by Tony Bosch, who originally denied any association with PEDs being distributed to these players. 

Today, ESPN's T.J. Quinn, along with Pedro Gomez and Mike Fish, announced that Major League Baseball will look to suspend just under 20 players for their association with the lab. Outside the Lines has learned that the previously closed-mouth Bosch is now working directly with MLB to give them the proper evidence to prosecute the players. If things go as planned, sit down meetings between Bosch and investigators will take place within the next week. Player suspensions can be expected within two weeks.

According to the report, players like A-Rod, Colon, and Ryan Braun could all be suspended 100 games. A-Rod and Colon have already been suspended once before, and Braun would be caught using on one account, and lying about usage on another. Other players rumored to be on the list are Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, Blue Jays outfielder Melky Cabrera (another possible 100 game suspension), Mariners catcher Jesus Montero, and Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal. Other players that were guarded by code names on the reports have not yet been revealed. 

Should this process go down as expected, it will be a major stepping stone for MLB's push to rid the game of steroid use. It has been nearly a year since the league has received word of Bosch's clinic, and they've been at it ever since. They (MLB) are agreeing to drop their lawsuit against Tony Bosch for his cooperation with the effort.

One player originally associated with Biogenesis that will most likely not be suspended is Phillie-turned-National Gio Gonzalez, who has previously been confirmed as only receiving legal substances from the lab.

Andrew Gillen

Cliff Lee Aims to End Phils 3-Game Skid

Even after Jimmy Rollins' 44th career leadoff homerun, the Phillies could not find a way to get a win in Arizona. Even more disappointing was the waste of Tyler Cloyd's solid performance, which was good enough to get him sent back to AAA. The Phillies fell once more to the Diamondbacks, 3-2, and after having taken the first two games from the Giants, they have lost three straight one-run games. 

Perhaps the dominant hand of one Cliff Lee will help the Phillies get back on track. Tonight, he will take the mound for the Phillies in the third game of a four game series with the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Opposing him is former Athletic Trevor Cahill.

Cahill is currently 2-3 with a 2.80 ERA on the year. He is in his second year with Arizona after being acquired from Oakland in a 5-player deal a few offseasons ago. Cahill is a former 18-game winner, but has struggled to match those numbers in the last two seasons. A number of Phillies batters have faced Cahill before, and combine for a measly .236 average against him. Michael Young has 36 PA's against him from their days in the AL West, and has recorded 9 hits (2 2B, 1 HR). In the last three seasons, Cahill is 1-1 against the Phillies in three starts, holding  3.60 ERA in 20 IP. He is coming off a win against the Dodgers in which he went 7.0 innings with 2 ER and 2 K.

Cliff Lee will be facing the club he was rumored to be traded to on several occasions. He is also coming off an impressive star, where he went 8.0 innings and struck out 6. Sitting at 3-2, Lee looks to match team leader Kyle Kendrick for the most wins. This current Diamonbacks squad is a combined 31-150 against Lee, a .207 average. Watch out for Paul Goldschmidt, who is 2-6 with 2 homeruns against Lee in his career. Clifton has also faced the Diamondbacks three times in three years, and has collected a 1-1 record with a 4.09 ERA in 22.0 innings.

Game Notes:

• Cliff Lee did not get his fourth W until September 1st last season. He could reach that mark tonight.
• A loss tonight would put the Phillies 6 games under .500 for the first time since Septerber 4th, 2012.
• SCORE SOME RUNS

Phillies Lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins SS
2. Chase Utley 2B
3. Michael Young 3B
4. Ryan Howard 1B
5. Delmon Young RF
6. Domonic Brown LF
7. Carlos Ruiz C
8. Ben Revere CF
9. Cliff Lee P

Diamondbacks Lineup:

1. A.J. Pollock CF
2. Didi Gregorious SS
3. Paul Goldschmidt 1B
4. Cody Ross LF
5. Miguel Montero C
6. Martin Prado 3B
7. Gerrardo Parra RF
8. Josh Wilson 2B
9. Trevor Cahill P

Forecast: Partly Cloudy - 93° - 0% PoP

TV: CSN
Radio: 94.1 WIP, 1210 WPHT

GO PHILLIES!

Andrew Gillen is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewJGillen 

Cliff Lee Dominates Giants; Phillies Win 6-2

On paper, Cliff Lee vs. Madison Bumgarner seemed to be quite the pitching matchup. And, that's close to what we saw. Even though Bumgarner would go on to give up five runs, it did not feel like a large lead. Luckily for the Phillies, though, it was large enough to get their 15th win of the season. Here's how the Phillies were able to defeat the Giants, 6-2. 

The top of the first inning occurred in typical Phillies fashion. Two straight outs by Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley were quickly followed by two singles and a walk. With Michael Young, Ryan Howard, and Delmon Young all on base, Domonic Brown promptly grounded back to the mound to make the final out. Cliff Lee worked an effective 1-2-3 bottom of the inning. 

In the second, John Mayberry singled to lead it off. Erik Kratz then grounded to Marco Scutaro, but an errant flip to Brandon Crawford allowed him to reach. Cliff Lee would then successfully convert his first sacrifice bunt of the season. After a Rollins popup, Utley walked to load the ases once again. Michael Young would deliver his second hit of the game, a double to right that scored two. After Utley's picture-worthy fall heading to third forced him to stay on base, a wild pitch allowed him to score. Howard's strike out ended the inning, but they take the lead. 3-0 Phillies. Lee would retire the first batter of the inning, but give up a solo homerun to former Phillie Hunter Pence after a questionable call on a 2-2 pitch. Two quiet outs would end the frame. 3-1 Phillies. 

Both pitchers worked quick respective halves of the third inning. The only offense in the fourth came off the bat of Cliff Lee, you lined a single off Madison Bumgarner. Michael Young would hit a long double for his third hit in as many appearances in this game. Howard was able to move him over, then Delmon Young forced a sac fly to right. Brown followed that up with a bomb into McCovey Cove. 5-1 Phillies. 3 up, 3 down in the bottom of the fifth for Lee, who is dealing.

Once again, both pitchers showed their brilliance, working double 1-2-3 halves of the sixth inning. Chad Gaudin would come out to replace Bumgarner in the seventh. He would continue his season of impressive pitching, working the inning without much fuss. Lee would do the same. The seagulls then completely took over AT&T Park.

No hits for the Phillies in the top of the eighth off Gaudin. In the bottom of the eighth, the Phillies continued with their plans to remove Delmon Young late in ballgames. John Mayberry would move to right field, and Ben Revere came on to play center. At the plate, Pence would get his third hit of the game, a double to left. A single by Francisco Peguero combined with a Rollins error created the Giants second run. 5-2 Phillies.

Former Phillies prospect Jean Machi (yeah, I don't remember him either) would come on to pitch the ninth. Erik Kratz would begin it with a walk, and Freddy Galvis would secure a pinch-hit double, ending Cliff Lee's masterpiece. Rollins would line a sac fly to left, and the Phillies scored their sixth run. 6-2 Phillies. Jonathan Papelbon would close it out with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Phillies win 6-2 and move to 15-18 on the season. 

The story of tonight's game? Clifton Phifer Lee. He was masterful, only giving up two runs and striking out six. He has been pitching well all year, but finally got the proper run support to provide a well-deserved win. Tomorrow, the Phillies look to at least win the series against former Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. Kyle Kendrick, the Phillies best starting pitcher this season, will look to help the cause. It'll be another late night, as the game is set for a 10:15 PM eastern start time. Make sure you work in those naps read our recap the next morning!

Andrew Gillen is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewJGillen

Indians Mash Seven Home Runs, Defeat Phillies 14-2

A fatter version of the current Delmon Young

It was supposed to be an entertaining game. The Phillies were making their first appearance in Clevland since 2007, and Roy Halladay was going to continue his three-game hot streak. However, he reverted back to the beginning of the season, and Zach McCallister looked dominant. He held the Phillies to just two runs, and the Indians bats erupted for 14. If you can stomach it, here is the full game recap. 

McAllister kicked things off with a 1-2-3 top of the first inning. Mark Reynolds made a fantastic play at first base to record the third out. Doc gave up a single and stolen base to Jason Kipnis, who was brought home on a monstrous home run by catcher Carlos Santana. Halladay would then walk the somehow-still-playing Jason Giambi and give up a second homeun to Mark Reynolds to center field. 4-0 Indians.

In the top of the second, Delmon Young made his Phillies debut by pounding a solo homerun to right-center field. Cleveland went quietly in the bottom half. 4-1 Indians.

A single by Kipnis and a walk to Santana led to the only baserunners for either team in the third inning. The Phillies would go quietly once again in the fourth. The Indians would not.

Mark Reynolds singled off Halladay to begin the inning, and Lonnie Chisenhall crushed the Indians' third home run of the game. Two singles and two outs led to Asdrubal Cabrera, who promptly singled in two more runs. It would be the final blow to Roy Halladay, who was lifted for reliever Chad Durbin. A Santana strike out ended the bloodshed. 8-1 Indians. 

Halladay's line: 3.2 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, and 3 K. *Shutters in fear*

Delmon Young got hit with a pitch and Domonic Brown walked in the top of the fifth before the next three Phillies would make outs. Sad. The Indians bats continued to dominate. Giambi doubled to lead it off, and was followed by two ground outs. Ryan Raburn quickly ended that trend by homering off of Durbin. A single by former Red Drew Stubbs was quickly met with the Indians' FIFTH 2-run homerun of the game, this time by Michael Brantley. 12-1 Indians 

McCallistar continued into the fifth, looking very impressive thus far. With two outs in the inning though, Chase Utley showed some pop, driving a ball out to deep right-center. Delmon Young not only got his second hit of the game, but also managed to trend on Twitter:

It was at this point in the game where Charlie Manuel seemed to give in, as Freddy Galvis and Kevin Frandsen came on to play for Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, respectively. Raul Valdes came in and held the Indians to no runs. The joke of a game continued perfectly, with Ben Revere hitting into an inning-ending double play.

Ryan Raburn blasted his second homerun of the game, the sixth of the night for the Indians, off Valdes in the seventh. And, as expected, Drew Stubbs hit the team's seventh homerun of the night. 14-2 Indians. Brutality. 

After McAllister left the game, Nick Hagadone came in and allowed two straight walks to Galvis and Michael Young. However, a double play and a groundout ended any and all threats. 

Things only got worse in the eighth, when three of the first four batters reached base against Phillippe Aumont. However, a double play ended the threat, and the Indians would not score more than two touchdowns. 

As they should have, the Phillies ended the game with a 1-2-3 top of the ninth. Thankfully, the beat-down was over. 

This was just stupid awful. The broadcast team focused a majority of the game constantly going back to a woman in the stands that was almost hit by a foul ball. I would like to go on a lengthy rant, but they did just come off a sweep, and you probably have no interest. You're rarely, if ever, going to be able to overcome SEVEN homeruns by the opposing team, especially when more than half of them are two run shots. Roy Halladay looked terrible, and the concern has only escalated for both his health and well-being. Overall, it was just a mess of a game. 

The good news is, Delmon Young looked surprisingly formidable at the plate. We'll get a real taste of his ability when he plays right field tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, Cliff Lee will take the mound at Progressive Field and face the Indians for the first time since he was traded to the Phillies in 2009. He will match up against Trevor Bauer, a first round pick, third overall, by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2011 MLB Draft. Bauer has been impressive in Columbus, the Indians' AAA afilliate. However, his stats have not transferred well to the majors to this point. For the Phillies sake, hopefully this trend continues. 

Andrew Gillen is a game-recapping extraordinaire for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewJGillen