Philliedelphia

Roy Halladay Placed On 15-Day DL; Joe Savery Recalled To Take Place On Roster

We all knew it was coming. Roy Halladay has landed on the 15-day DL with imflammation in his right shoulder. In response to this move, the Phillies have recalled RHP Joe Savery to take the spot on the roster.

Halladay has struggled immensely in his last two starts, allowing a total of 17 runs in just six innings. Despite pitching three strong starts prior, Halladay admitted that he'd been feeling soreness in his shoulder after his start on April 24 against Pittsburgh. 

Halladay will undergo tests later this week in Los Angeles with Dr. Lewis Yocum to look at the severity of the issues in his arm. 

Savery has allowed an earned run in 13 1/3 innings in Triple-A this season and has most likely been called up as an extra reliever until the Phillies make a decision on who will fill Halladay's rotation spot. The most likely candidate is Adam Morgan, who has gone 1-2 with a 3.89 ERA in six starts with  Triple-A Lehigh this season. 

Stay tuned for more information regarding Roy Halladay and the Phillies.

Erik Seybold is a writer for Philliedelphia.

Get Your Cole Hamels "Bleacher Creature" On Pre-Sale Today!

Photo: @TheHamels

So these Bleacher Creature things are pretty cool. If you have no idea what I'm talking about - have you ever seen the little plush puppets of Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay, Chase Utley, and Cliff Lee? No? Well you're missing out because they're awesome. A couple years old, the Phillies have sold millions of these "Bleacher Creatures" to fans of all ages including myself (all four of them to be exact).

Three choices over a couple years is pretty blah, you can only buy a Chase Utley "Bleacher Creature" so many times before your girlfriend thinks your obsessed (I know that feel). Anyway, the Phillies have come out with a Cole Hamels "Bleacher Creature" and you can buy it now on ColeHamels.com before it hits the market everywhere else this spring!

Cole Hamels' website is having a pre-sale on the "Bleacher Creatures" that starts today! You can get them there before you can get them anywhere else. 

The best part about buying this plush toy today is that 100% of the proceeds go to The Hamels foundation, which has been dedicated to bringing an end to extreme poverty and hardship endured by lack of educational support. It can't get any better than that. 

The doll is on sale for $20.00, it's not a bad deal. You get an awesome Cole Hamels "Bleacher Creature" and you help needy children around the globe. It's a win-win.

Get them while they're hot!

Erik Seybold is a writer for Philliedelphia.com. Follow him on Twitter.

Jonathan Papelbon: Families Are Ruined, Lives Are Ruined. For What?

This afternoon's tragedy hit American citizens hard everywhere. This afternoon, at least two bombs exploded near the finish line at the 2012 Boston Marathon. Two were killed and hundreds more are injured. In what is viewed as a terrorist attack on our country, it has affected many lives - including Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Papelbon, who played seven seasons with the Red Sox, resided in the city of Boston throughout the season. His former residence was located right above the famous Abe and Louie’s steakhouse, where one of the explosions occurred. Papelbon sat with a blank stare on his face and shared his thoughts with reporters.

“It’s sad, man,” he said. “Patriot’s Day is a big thing in Boston. Sox play at 11 o’clock. It’s all ruined. Families are ruined, lives are ruined. For what? It’s just sad."

“I’m looking at it right now and I’m like, damn, I used to live right there.”

According to Todd Zolecki, Papelbon tried to contact people he knows in Boston, but had no luck.

“It’s kind of surreal,” he said. “I don’t know man, it’s crazy. It’s hard to even think about. … Hopefully the city can rally and make things better, but it’s going to be tough.”

He's right. The city of Boston will rally and make things better. It will be tough, but as a nation united together in a moment of darkness, we can grow stronger together. 

All of us at Philliedelphia send our thoughts and prayers to those affected by today's tragedy. 

Erik Seybold is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter.

Roy Oswalt on Roy Halladay: Don't Count Him Out After Two Starts

So last night, Roy Oswalt was sitting at home bored and figured he would jump back on Twitter. We all went crazy and begged him to return to Philly, to which he replied "I would love to come back to Philly,". 

Today, some few 15 hours after Roy Halladay's terrible start against the Mets, Roy Oswalt took to Twitter to go to bat for Halladay.

 

Halladay has lost his first two starts while allowing 12 earned runs over 7 1/3 innings. He has struck out 12 and walked six batters over these two starts. It's not looking good for Halladay right now, but like Roy O said - don't count Doc out after two starts.

Erik Seybold is the Blog Master of Journalistic Activities at Philliedelphia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ErikSeyboldPHI.

 

 

Roy Oswalt: I Would Love To Come Back to Philly

 

As the Phillies are currently getting their rear ends handed to them by the Mets, most of us are on Twitter. Whether it be lollygagging, tweeting about beer, or even Monday Night Raw, those of us who are on Twitter caught this tweet in our feed a little bit ago.

Roy Oswalt is apparently back on Twitter. The account, usually managed by a PR person of Roy O's, remained dormant since August. It wasn't long before we caught on and started pleading for Roy to return to Philly.

And moments later, this happened.

And we all responded like this.

So what does this all mean?

Either someone is trolling us all, or Roy Oswalt would like to come back to Philly. I would enjoy the latter. Oswalt, 35, pitched for the Rangers last season, coming aboard in June while posting a 4-3 record and a 5.80 ERA.

In a season and a half here in Philly, Oswalt went 16-11 with a 2.97 ERA (73 ER in 221 2/3 IP).

So it's all up to Ruben. Hopefully he is on Twitter too and sees this.

Reading Fightin Phils To House Two Ostriches At Stadium This Season

(Photo: Fightins.com)

There will be ostriches in the outfield this season at FirstEnergy Stadium. No...this isn't an April Fool's joke. This is really happening.

It seems like the minor league affiliates of the Phillies are getting really creative now-a-days. First the Lehigh Valley IronPigs will offer a pee-controlled video game in their restrooms and now, the Reading Fightin Phils will be the proud owners of two of the world's largest flightless birds.

That's right, FirstEnergy Stadium will be the home of two female ostriches this summer. GM Scott Hunsicker is excited about the new attraction, which represents the team's new image as well.

"Fans can now experience and learn about farming and these unique animals from Africa just by attending a Fightin Phils game," said Fightin Phils General Manager Scott Hunsicker. "We hope that families can fall in love with both farming and baseball from the allure of these magnificent ostriches."

The ostriches will be housed in America's Classic Ballpark in the raised outfield pasture that sits behind the centerfield walls. Before and after each home game at FirstEnergy Stadium, the ostriches will be on display for Fightins fans. The connection that the team has with the farming community in Berk's County means a lot to the fans and the organization.

Fans will be also be able to name the ostriches via contest on Fightins.com.

Fans must be a member of the Baseballtown Insider to submit their name choices. Once signed up for the Baseballtown Insider, you will be e-mailed a contest link to submit your name suggestions. All names should be submitted as a pair prior to by Thursday, April 4. Name finalists will be chosen and announced on Friday, April 5. Fightins fans can then vote for their favorite pair of names for the selected finalists.

Maybe next the Phillies will put live snakes in the outfield and Roy Halladay can wrestle them before every game.

You can read the full press release here.

Erik Seybold is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.

 

Erik's 2013 Season Predictions: Cole Hamels Wins Cy Young & Phillies Back In Postseason

(Photo: Erik Seybold/Philliedelphia) - Cole Hamels is predicted to be the NL Cy Young Award winner after a career-year last season.

Tomorrow is Opening Day and hot dog am I excited! It's been a long offseason full of more Eagles dismay and a dramatic lockout-shortened NHL season and I'm ready for baseball. Last year was far from what we expected out of the Phillies, but hey - it happened and there's nothing we can do now to change the past. What we can do, however, is look ahead towards the 2013 campaign. With new acquisitions in Ben Revere, Michael Young, and Mike Adams - along with Ryan Howard and Chase Utley beginning the season healthy and ready to play - I'd say the Phillies can turn last year's trainwreck around and get back on the right track.

Enough of my rambling about how excited I am for this upcoming season. Here's my predictions for the 2013 season - including awards and so on.

American League

AL East winner: Toronto Blue Jays
AL Central winner: Detroit Tigers
AL West winner: Los Angeles Angels
AL Wild Card winners: Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera (DET)
AL Cy Young: Josh Johnson (TOR)
AL Rookie of the Year: Trevor Bauer (CLE)
AL Manager of the Year: Terry Francona

National League

 NL East winner: Washington Nationals
NL Central winner: Cincinnati Reds 
NL West winner: San Francisco Giants
NL Wild Card winners: Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates

NL MVP: Andrew McCutchen (PIT)
NL Cy Young: Cole Hamels (PHI)
NL Rookie of the Year: Travis D'Arnaud (NYM)

2013 World Series

World Series Matchup: Cincinnati Reds vs Detroit Tigers
World Series Winner: Cincinnati in 6 games 

Phillies Predictions

Total number of wins: 91
How many games Roy Halladay will win: 11

Who will spend the most games batting lead off? Ben Revere
Who will lead the Phillies pitchers in wins? Cole Hamels (18)
How many home runs will Ryan Howard hit this season? 34

As Frank earlier stated, giving the Phillies a healthy Ryan Howard and Chase Utley will benefit them immensely. Ben Revere is a total upgrade over Shane Victorino and Domonic Brown may have finally proved himself to be a great everyday outfielder. Michael Young is an RBI machine and with Mike Adams in the bullpen that blew 13 8th inning leads last season, I as well don't have trouble thinking the Phillies can win 11 more games than last year.

Erik Seybold is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.

 

So...Cole Hamels Has a Mustache

(Photo: Philliedelphia/Erik Seybold)

Just earlier this week, Cole Hamels made a start against the Tigers sporting a full-fledged beard. Today, he sits in the dugout sporting a full-fledged mustache. Yes - a mustache. Hamels did say that he would be shaving off the beard after his start on Wednesday, but I wasn't expecting this.

Either Cole is paying homage to the glorious 1980's 'stache of Mike Schmidt, or he's auditioning for a porno. Whatever the case, it looks like Cole is just experimenting with his facial hair. 

If you ask me, he looks better clean shaven. What do you think of Mr. Hamels' mustache?

Erik is a writer for Philliedelphia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.

 

Former-Phillie Vance Worley Named Twins' Opening Day Starter

So...the Phillies traded away an ace?

Well, the Minnesota Twins have officially named right-hander Vance Worley as their Opening Day starter this afternoon. Despite Worley having a 6.35 ERA (12 ER in 17 IP) in five starts, the Twins still see Worley the best choice for their rotation (I'll have what they're having, please).

Worley, who began his career with the Phillies, was traded to Minnesota along with RHP Trevor May in return for CF Ben Revere on December 6th.

Worley had a poor 2012 season after being plagued with bone chips in his throwing elbow. He finished the season on the DL after posting a 6-9 record and a 4.20 ERA in 23 starts.  Worley shined in his rookie year (2011), attaining an 11-3 record with a 3.01 ERA. The Phillies won 14 straight games started by Worley, despite Worley not receiving a decision every time. 

The Twins will open up the 2013 season at home against the Detroit Tigers on Monday. Worley will go toe-to-toe with Tigers ace Justin Verlander and will most likely be the Twins' number one guy in the rotation. 

Erik Seybold is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.

Phillies RHP Phillippe Aumount Speaks Out On WBC Brawl

The Phillies made five roster cuts this morning. Tyler Cloyd, B.J. Rosenberg, Tyson Gilles, Sebastain Valle, and Mauricio Robles were all optioned to minor-league camp. One player, who was not cut and is still in Phillies' big-league camp is pitcher Phillippe Aumont.

In the emergence of the World Baseball Classic brawl between Team Canada and Team Mexico, which included four Phillies (OF Tyson Gilles, P Phillippe Aumount, IF Pete Orr, C Sebastian Valle), a lot of talk has been going on surrounding what went on. Except for a tweet regarding teammate Sebastain Valle (which has since been deleted), Team Mexico's catcher on the field during the brawl, Aumont has not shared his entire story - until today. 

MLB's Todd Zolecki shared some of Aumont's comments.

Aumont was not involved in any physical melee during the brawl, unlike OF Tyson Gilles, but did have a first hand experience of what happened. 

“It was pretty intense,” he said this morning at Bright House Field. “It was the first time I’ve ever been in an actual brawl where people were going to town on (each other). … I was trying to stay out of trouble. I was more frozen than anything else when I got there. When I got there everything kind of separated. I looked out and tried not to get sucker punched or anything.”

Aumont shed some light on his views of his teammate, and for a brief few minutes enemy on the field, Sebastain Valle.

“It was something that at the moment I was frustrated about and, like I said, it was a heat of the moment thing,” he said. “I thought about it and it was not right for me to say that.”

Aumont went on to say that he doesn't feel any further hostility is necessary.

“It’s not like I’m going to look at him and try to fight him,” he said. “The guy is my teammate. On the field it was different. What he did I thought was a little low, but that’s none of my business. He’s the one who deals with that.”

Aumont is doing the respectible thing right here. Dropping the drama and focusing on the more important picture: landing a job in the Phillies' bullpen. Aumont has made two appearances for the Phils in Grapefruit League games, collecting a 4.50 ERA (1 ER in 2 IP). Aumont had a bad outing agaisnt Italy, but rebounded with a scoreless inning against Team USA on Sunday. 

As for the upcoming season, Aumont feels confident with his chances this spring and is a good sport regardless the outcome.

“I feel good,” he said. “To me, they are still my friends, still my boys. I’m just going to go out and do my thing. Whatever happens with them, good for them. I definitely want to see them do well. If I don’t perform well, then they deserve it more than I do. If I do well, obviously I want to be a part of it. But I’m not going to compare myself to others, because that’s where you get in trouble. I’ll do my own thing and cheer for them. There are 10 more guys and just seven more spots, but obviously I’m going to cheer for them. The goal is to win a championship.” 

I'm starting to really like this guy.

Erik is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.