The Yankees needed a strong outing from starter A.J. Burnett on Thursday, and that’s exactly what they got.

Burnett held the Phillies to one earned run over seven innings as the Yankees won Game 2 of the World Series, 3-1. Burnett attacked hitters with his fastball and his curve was nearly unhittable as he struck out nine and limited one of the best offenses in baseball to only one run. Closer Mariano Rivera didn’t allow a run in the eighth or ninth innings to earn his 38th career postseason save.

This win was huge for the Yankees on a couple levels. Not only did they tie the series, but they also don’t have to go to Philadelphia down 0-2. While the Phillies accomplished their goal of winning at least one game in New York, the momentum has swung in the Yankees’ favor and now they have confidence heading into Philadelphia.

Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel will get some heat for allowing Pedro Martinez to start the seventh inning (the Yankees wound up tacking on another run to go up 3-1 after Martinez allowed the first two batters to reach base), but Martinez wanted to go back out and Manuel showed confidence in his starter. If Martinez got through the seventh, Manuel would have been lauded for saving his bullpen and trusting Pedro to work through the inning. Instead, he’ll likely receive criticism for not going to his bullpen.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Philadelphia Phillies will have the opportunity to defend their World Series title.

Jayson Werth powered the Phils past the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night by hitting two of the club’s four home runs in a 10-4 victory. Pedro Feliz and Shane Victorino also homered for Philly, as they easily disposed of L.A. in five games.

The Phillies’ offense shined in the NLCS, racking up 35 runs in seven games. Thus far, Werth has five dingers in the postseason, while Victorino has three. Philadelphia will now await the winner of the Yankees-Angels series to see who will oppose them in the World Series.

A potential Phillies-Yankees matchup would be entertaining considering how well both clubs are hitting the ball right now. Watching CC Sabathia take on Werth, Victorino, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley would be incredibly fun to watch and should draw decent ratings given how big of a market the Yankees play in.

It’s amazing how the Phillies were overlooked before the season. While everyone talked about the Mets, Dodgers and Cubs, the Phillies flew under the radar for the most part and then once again took care of business once the series started.

The Dodgers must be praying they never have to face the Phillies after these last two years.

For the second time this postseason, Cliff Lee was dominant.

Lee allowed just one earned run over 7 1/3 innings on Monday, as the Phillies knocked off the Rockies in dramatic fashion to advance to the NLCS where they will face the Dodgers.

After the Rockies had jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the eighth, things looked bleak for Philadelphia heading into the ninth. Huston Street got two quick outs, but then got into trouble after Shane Victorino grounded into a fielder’s choice and then Chase Utley walked. Ryan Howard then doubled to deep right to score both Victorino and Utley, then Jayson Werth singled to center to score Howard.

In the bottom of the ninth, reliever Scott Eyre got two outs but then allowed two runners to get on base with singles. But Brad Lidge managed to strike out Troy Tulowitzki to end the game.

The Phillies will now advance to the NLCS to face a rested Dodgers team that made quick work of the Cardinals. It should be an evenly matched NLCS as both teams have pitching and a solid lineup from top to bottom.

With their 10-3 win over the Astros on Wednesday night, the Phillies clinched their third straight division title. Raul Ibanez went 1 for 2 with a two-run homer, two runs scored and three RBI in the victory.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

On the third time around, the familiar white towels snapped in the seats and the same joyous roar rose high. The Phillies beat the Astros, clinching the division again, and the fireworks and the champagne were the same. The picture that will remain, after everything, was the charge of Phillies players out to the sign on the leftfield wall.

It is the sign with the microphone and the big red letters, the omnipresent reminder of Harry Kalas, the voice and the soul of the franchise who died in April. They gathered around the sign, all of them, jumping and joyfully pounding against it, showering it and the nearby fans with every available beverage.

You do not script these kinds of moments. They just happen if the stars are aligned just right. You do not script life, either. And here we all are again.

What a special moment for the Phillies and a great tribute to Kalas to win the division yet again. He was one of the greatest play-by-play announcers in baseball history and it was cool to see the players gather around the sign in the outfield to honor him.

The Phillies have the best offense in the National League and the sixth best team ERA. Their lineup consists of five guys who have 20 home runs or more, including Ryan Howard (43), Jayson Werth (35), Raul Ibanez (34), Chase Utley (31) and Jimmy Rollins (21).

A Dodgers-Phillies matchup would be fun to watch seeing as how L.A. boasts the lowest team ERA in the league and Philly can score runs in bunches.

When you put aside the notion that he cheated the game of baseball for his own personal gain, what most people are generally upset about in regards to Barry Bonds and steroids is that he broke Hank Aaron’s home run record. Not only was he allegedly juicing, but in doing so, he also broke one of the most sacred records in all of baseball and most are calling for his name to be scratched from the record books.

In the wake of Manny Ramirez’s 50-game suspension, there’s another topic that should be broached, similar to Bonds’ home run record. Considering Manny hit cleanup for the Red Sox’ two championship teams this decade and also won MVP of Boston’s World Series sweep of the Cardinals in 2004, should the BoSox’ titles be considered tainted if Ramirez was on steroids?

To get the semantics out of the way first, no, Manny didn’t test positive for steroids. He only tested positive for a women’s fertility drug that is often used by athletes and bodybuilders to restore testosterone levels after steroid cycles. To be fair, Ramirez has never tested positive for steroids and therefore anything linking him to PEDs should be considered speculation.

However, if we’re truly being fair, Bonds never tested positive for steroids either. Yet, because his head grew to the size of a small watermelon and his physique went from Bruce Banner to the Incredible Hulk over the course of only a couple of years, it’s safe to say that Bonds was on some kind of human growth hormone and therefore his accomplishments should be questioned and criticized.

And so should the Red Sox’s two World Series titles.

Read the rest of this entry »

Click Here to see Previews of all 30 MLB Teams

Offseason Movement: The defending World Series champs added 2B Miguel Cairo, OF Raul Ibanez, C Ronny Paulino and pitchers Gary Majewski and Chan Ho Park this offseason. Philly also parted with OF Pat Burrell, OF So Taguchi and pitchers Adam Eaton, Tom Gordon and Rudy Seanez.

Top Prospect: Carlos Carrasco, RHP
Carrasco enters 2009 as one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball and if Chan Ho Park struggles as the fifth starter, there’s a chance that Carrasco might make an appearance at some point this season. He appears to have a very high ceiling and while he’s still a bit erratic at times, Carrasco will likely smooth out his rough spots in Triple-A before making the big league roster.

Read the rest of this entry »

All 2009 Fantasy Articles | 2009 Position Rankings

If you do a detailed search for rankings of first basemen for your 2009 fantasy league, the only consistent thing you’ll see is: 1. Albert Pujols, STL.

After King Albert, first basemen ranked 2 through 7 is a toss up. Some fantasy pundits believe Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera is the next best 1B after Pujols, while others still feel that Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard deserves the No. 2 spot. One of the Yankees’ big offseasons signings, Mark Teixeira, is also getting some love behind Pujols, while Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder, Minnesota’s Justin Morneau and San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez are floating anywhere from No. 4 to No. 7.

What’s the deal? After Pujols, how do you value the first basemen that fall 2 through 7? By home run totals? By age? In the case of Fielder, by the size of their waistbands? First and foremost, you can’t go wrong with any of the first basemen in the top 7, if not the top 10. They’ll all give you good to great home run and RBI totals and if you’re lucky, a couple will even hit .300 and produce 100 runs.

The World Champion Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to terms with first baseman Ryan Howard on a three-year, $54 million contract.

From Rotoworld.com:

Howard was a super-two player last year, so this merely buys out his remaining three years of arbitration. Still, it seems like a fine deal for the Phillies, considering that they’ll no longer have to fear what an arbitration panel might choose to award him. Howard made $10 million last year and asked for $18 million for this season. Had he won in arbitration again, he could have asked for something like $22 million in 2010 and $25 million in 2011. Instead, he’s opted to take just $18 million per year until he becomes eligible for free agency after 2011. He’s no bargain at that price, but the Phillies get him for a reasonable figure without having to lock him up beyond what figure to be his prime seasons.

If Howard continued to perform at a high level, his arbitration numbers would go through the roof over the next couple years. It’s nice to see a star work out a deal to stay with the same team.

Even though salary arbitration hearings are set to begin Monday in Phoenix, the Phillies are still hoping that they can avoid the process and sign Ryan Howard to a new contract.

Howard, who led the majors in homers (153) and RBIs (431) over the last three seasons, is seeking a 2009 salary of $18 million. The Phillies have offered $14 million, a raise of $4 million over the $10 million Howard won in salary arbitration last year.

If an agreement is not reached, an arbitration panel will listen to arguments from both sides and pick either the team’s or the player’s figure. There is no middle ground.

“We’re still hopeful of avoiding [a hearing],” Phils general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “Our goal remains the same – get an equitable deal done.”

Amaro said the team and Howard’s representative, Casey Close, have been involved in contract discussions. Amaro would not say whether the two sides were discussing a multiyear contract or a one-year deal. The Phillies unsuccessfully tried to sign Howard to a multiyear deal each of the last two off-seasons. Howard, 29, can not be a free agent until after the 2011 season.

There were indications last winter that the Phils were willing to give Howard a contract in line with the seven-year, $85 million deal that Chase Utley got in January 2007. Howard’s side has likely set $200 million as its target.

So, despite efforts to get a deal done in the days that remain before a hearing, this one seems headed back to the table.

Howard asked for $18 million in arbitration, which is the second highest ever for an arbitration-eligible player behind Derek Jet’s $18.5 million request in 2001. If the Phillies can’t work out a long-term deal, then Howard will likely eclipse that mark next year.

Phillies’ first basemen Ryan Howard asked for $18 million in arbitration on Tuesday, while the club offered him $14 mil.

From Rotoworld.com:

The $18 million request is the second-highest ever for an arbitration-eligible player, falling just short of the $18.5 million Derek Jeter asked for in 2001. Howard will, of course, overtake that mark next year unless a long-term deal is worked out. He made a record $10 million in his first season of arbitration.

Considering Howard is coming off another MVP-caliber season, it’s not unfathomable that he would come close to hitting his $18 million request. He’s eligible for arbitration until 2011, so the Phillies are in a tough spot. Do they continue to pay him top dollar for one year at a time until his arbitration ends and then decide whether or not they’ll re-up long term? By then, he’ll be in his early 30s, so maybe Philly parts ways at that point and lets another club roll the dice on giving a 30-plus year old slugger who doesn’t play defense a long-term contract.

Even though it’ll be more expensive now, paying him what he wins in arbitration might be the defending champ’s best move in the long run.