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In news that likely surprised nobody, Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday that Phillies first baseman/third baseman Alec Bohm is among the finalists for this year's National League Rookie of the Year Award.   Bohm, who entered the 2020 season as the Phillies top-ranked offensive prospect, performed extremely well following his promotion to the big league's from the club's alternate training site.  In 44 games the 24-year-old tallied a .338 batting average with four home runs and 23 RBI.  The average and RBI total ranked first among all NL rookies, as did his on base percentage (.400), slugging percentage (.481) and hits total (54).   Impressive in clutch situations, Bohm notched a .452 batting average with runners in scoring position, which was best in baseball.  Even more outstanding, the talented youngster struck out just four times in those situations. The six-foot-five 225 pounder was the Phils' first round draft selection out of Wichita S...

Here's a quick rundown on the pitching match ups and some stats from the upcoming three-game series that begins on Friday between the Milwaukee Brewers (19-33) and the Phillies (26-28) at Citizens Bank Park..  In seven meetings between these two teams last year, the Phils were victorious five times. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Yovani Gallardo (3-5, 4.79 ERA) vs. Cole Hamel (1-8, 4.43 ERA).   In three career starts against the Phillies, Gallardo is 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA and a .153 batting average against.  In four road starts this season, Gallardo has a 1-3 record with a 5.32 ERA.  Ryan Howard is 3-for-8 (.375 avg) with a double and a homer in his career against the righty Gallardo.  In five home starts this year, Hamels has a 0-4 record along with a 5.35 ERA.  Hamels is 6-2 with a 3.42 ERA in 10 career regular season games against the Brewers in his career.  Ryan Braun is 7-for-25 (.280 avg) with a double and three homers in his career against Ha...

The Phillies (54-63) continue their road trip on Thursday when they head to Milwaukee to begin a four-game series against the Brewers (52-64). Both teams have struggled this year and find themselves placed distantly back in the standings as the season begins to approach its final month. The Brewers have dropped five of their past six contests, while the Phillies have been victorious in four of their past six games. In the series opener, the Phillies will send lefty Cliff Lee , who surrendered 6 earned runs in 7 innings of work against Milwaukee in a start on July 24th, to the mound. The Brewers will counter with right-hander Marco Estrada , who hasn't recorded a big league win since August 23rd, 2011. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key statistical info from this series. Thursday, 8:10 PM. Cliff Lee (2-7, 3.85 ERA) vs. Marco Estrada (0-5, 4.36 ERA). In 4 career starts against the Brewers, Lee has a 0-1 record with a 5.54 ERA. Lee has a 3.21 ERA i...

The Phillies (42--54) continue their homestand on Monday when they host the Milwaukee Brewers (44-50) for a three-game series. Of late, the Phillies have struggled at home, as they have not won back-to-back games at Citizens Bank Park since June 26th. Additionally, the Phillies are a league worst 18-29 at home this year. In 7 meetings with the Brewers last year, the Phils were victorious on 4 occasions, but dropped 2 of 3 in Philadelphia. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and loads more statistical info on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Randy Wolf (3-6, 5.60 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (4-5, 3.96 ERA). Wolf has a 1-2 record with a 6.86 ERA in 8 road outings this season. In 29 career starts at Citizens Bank Park, Wolf has an 11-7 record with a 4.09 ERA. Wolf's win in his last outing, when he allowed 2 earned runs in 6 2/3 innings against St. Louis, was his only victory since April. In 4 career starts against the Brewers, Halladay is 2-2 with a 4.88 ERA. Halladay i...

Both the Phillies (91-48) and the Brewers (85-59) have considerable leads over their nearest division rival and have shown no signs of slowing down as they approach the 2011 post-season. In fact, the two teams could meet in approximately three weeks once the National League playoffs get rolling. Milwaukee took 2 of 3 games when these teams met in Philadelphia back in April, but with the best record in the Majors, the Phillies will hope to prevent another series loss at the hands of the club that is considered their best challenger for the right to play in the Fall Classic. It will be a tall task, as the Brewers are proud owners of the best home record in all of baseball (50-19). In the four-game series opener on Thursday at Miller Park, the Phillies will send lefty Cole Hamels, who has posted a 2.31 ERA in his last four starts against the Brew Crew, to the mound. Milwaukee will counter with left-hander Chris Narveson, who will make his first start in more than two weeks, after being...

As the core of Philadelphia's highly regarded pitching staff has shined in their most recent outings, it will be up to the team's often forgotten fifth starter Joe Blanton to keep things rolling as the Phillies (10-4) host the Brewers (7-8) for a 3-game series. Blanton's struggles have been clear in the early going this season. His 10.45 ERA over two starts sits a great distance away from the combined 2.96 ERA of the other four starting pitchers (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels), over their 12 starts. In the series opener, Milwaukee will counter with their top hurler, righty Shaun Marcum, who was acquired last off-season in a trade with Toronto. Marcum recorded a victory over the Phillies last year, while with the Blue Jays, as he allowed just 1 earned run and struck out 6 batters in 6 innings of work. The Phillies won five of the six meetings between these two teams last season. Read ahead for more details on the pitching match ups and plenty more sta...

22-year-old pitching prospect Nick Hernandez's father helps him stay fit during the off-season Phillies pitching prospect Nick Hernandez spent much of the 2010 regular season on the disabled list with an injury to his throwing shoulder. The 6'4", 215 pound lefty, who was named a mid-season South Atlantic League all-star with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, attempted comebacks twice during the season, making rehab outings for the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies, but experienced setbacks that curtailed his return to the mound and kept him from helping his teammates lock down a second consecutive league championship for Lakewood. In 8 starts with the BlueClaws last season, the 12th round draft pick from 2009 posted a 3-1 record with a 1.61 ERA and averaged 7 innings per start. Hernandez's strength is throwing a lot of strikes and he owes some of his success to his father, also named Nick (Dad's full first name is spelled Nicolas, while son's name is spell...

Larry Hisle was an outfielder with the Phillies from 1968-1971. Hisle was a solid athlete who played a season of college basketball at Ohio State before signing with the Phillies and playing professional baseball. Hisle made his debut as a late season call up in 1968 at the age of 21, after batting .303 in the minors that year. The following year, in his first full season in the Major Leagues, Hisle slugged 20 homeruns and drove in 56 runs to finish fourth in National League rookie of the year voting. Hisle's HR total was good enough for second on the team that year and helped to get him named a Rookie All-star by Topps that season. In 1970, Hisle struggled and lost confidence, posting a low .205 batting average and only 10 homeruns. After a period of offensive strife, Hisle found himself back in the minors by the middle of the 1971 season. Following the season, Hisle was traded to the Dodgers for utility man Tom Hutton. Hisle spent a year in the Dodgers' system without playing...

Fresh off a 6-1 road trip, the National League Wild Card leading Phillies (76-58) return home to host the Brewers (62-71) for a 3-game series. Chase Utley, who was 7-for-13 (.538 avg) with 8 RBI in his last 3 games, seems to have finally knocked off the rust that kept him slumping after he was activated from the disable list. Utley posted a .184 batting average with 4 RBI in his first 13 games following recovery from his thumb injury. The Phillies swept the Brewers in May out in Milwaukee, but the Brewers won 2 of 3 games in Philadelphia last season. Cole Hamels, who has a 2.20 ERA over his last 10 starts, will take the mound in game 1 of the series. The Brewers will counter with Chris Capuano, who will be making his 2nd start since rejoining the Milwaukee starting rotation. Details on the pitching match ups and loads more details on this series lie ahead. Friday, 7:05pm. Chris Capuano (2-2, 5.06 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (8-10, 3.31 ERA). In 7 road games this year, Capuano is 1-1 with a 3...

Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo __________________________ AP Photos Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE . Share on Facebook

The first place Phillies (20-13) visit third place Milwaukee (15-19) for a three game series, starting Friday night. The Brewers have been plagued by inconsistency this season, as they've become one of four teams since 1900 to have scored 17 or more runs three times, and get shut out three times, within a 30-game stretch. The Phillies sport a .588 winning percentage on the road, which is second best in the National League, while the Brewers have a league worst home record of 4-11. Milwaukee defeated Philadelphia in 4 of 7 games between the two teams in 2009, but the Phillies won 2 of the 4 games at Miller Park last September. Read ahead for all the details on the pitching match ups for the series and other key info. Friday, 8:10pm. Jamie Moyer (4-2, 4.38 ERA) vs. Randy Wolf (3-2, 3.95 ERA). Moyer is 10-5 in his career against the Brewers with a 3.77 ERA in 24 games. In 3 road starts this year, Moyer has a 2-1 record with a 4.50 ERA. Prince Fielder is 2-for-11 (.182 avg) with a do...

Nick Hernandez is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Phillies single A affiliate, the 2009 south Atlantic League Champion Lakewood BlueClaws. The 21-year-old prospect was drafted in the 12th round of the 2009 amateur draft out of the University of Tennessee. Through 3 starts this season, Hernandez has a 2-0 record with a 1.29 ERA and 20 strike outs and just 1 walk in 21 innings. Nick's father, also named Nick was a catcher in the Brewers system in the late 70's and early 80's. His uncle, Angel Hernandez, is a MLB umpire. I had the opportunity to speak with the younger Nick this week. That interview lies ahead. Nick, you've had some great success early this season. What can you tell me about your hot start? It's kind of tying everything in that we learned in spring training and going out and pitching the way I have so far, just putting things together, working with the coaches, working with the coordinators. They teach you a lot of things in spring training, bu...

The Phillies (88-63), whose magic number stands at 5, are in Milwaukee to begin a four game series against the Brewers (75-77). This time last year these two teams were battling it out over the wild card and were en route to a playoff battle with each other. Now it's just the Phillies looking forward to another October run. The Brew Crew is already out of any playoff contention, but is seeking their third straight winning season for the first time since 1983. Read on for notes on the pitching match ups and other details. Thursday, 8:05pm. "Jay" Happ (10-4, 2.77 ERA) vs. Jeff Suppan (7-10, 4.76 ERA). Happ leads all NL rookies in ERA. In 17 road games this season, Happ is 6-2 with a 1.91 ERA. In his career against the Phillies, Suppan is 3-6, over 12 starts, with a 6.13 ERA. At home this season, Suppan is 3-7 with a 5.92 ERA in 14 starts. Eric Bruntlett is 5-for-11 in his career against Suppan with a double a 2 RBI. Friday, 8:05pm. Cliff Lee (7-2, 2.65 ERA) vs. Manny Parra...

Congratulations, Wild-haired Asian Kid. While all of your Brewers fan cohorts attempt to lunge and catch a homerun ball with their eyes closed, you prevail as the toughest fan in your section. The guy with cap in hand, right in front of you, surely will not be successful in his blind attempt to catch a ball. The orange haired pot head right next to him certainly resembles someone doing the wave in his sleep and not a fan trying to grab a souvenir. The goateed tongue ejector, toward the right of the picture, definitely is in the best position to make the grab, but failure awaits him. Open your eyes, not your mouth, Gene Simmons. Additional props go out to the folks behind all the reaching fans, as they excitedly await the broken hand bones of some seat neighbor with his/her eyes closed. -------------------------------------------------- Once again, Cardinals fans, you are not skilled at catching homerun balls. PhoulBallz has dealt you a blog bashing before , and you've still not le...

Last year, the Milwaukee Brewers visited Philadelphia twice, at crucial points. In September, the Brew crew came in for a big weekend series, which they entered as the Wild Card leader. After being swept by the Phillies, they left town tied for that lead. The Brewers then returned for two games in the National League playoffs and lost both of those match ups as well, before being eliminated by our Phillies, 3 games to 1. The Brewers are scheduled to begin a three game series in Philadelphia Tuesday night when Jamie Moyer faces Manny Parra. Moyer lost the only game to the Brewers in that NL division series in October. Moyer lasted just 4 innings in that game, throwing 90 pitches, and surrendering 2 runs. In his career, Jamie is 9-5 with a 3.63 ERA against the Brew Crew. Parra started one of the games in September in Philly last year, and gave up 5 earned runs in 1 1/3 innings. Game 2 will pit Joe Blanton against Braden Looper. Blanton won the series clinching game against the Brewers in...

We're having the opposite experience of what we lived through in the post season of 2007. My collection of rally towels will soon exceed the amount of strike outs that Ryan Howard gets in a season. TBS gave Carlos Ruiz a new nickname (formerly Chooch). I gave that Brewers guy one of my own..."Chokey Choke" Sabathia had gone 31 straight starts without giving up as many as 5 earned runs (he allowed 5 ER in 3 2/3 innings pitched in game 2). Shane Victorino hit the very first post season grand slam in Phillies history. The ESPNews ticker stat of the night that I couldn't ignore was....Utley & Howard combined- 0-for-7 with 6 strikeouts, in game 2. Game 3 of the NLDS in Milwaukee will feature Jamie Moyer vs. Dave Bush. Bush was 9-10 this season with a 4.18 ERA in 31 games. In 6 career starts vs. the Phillies, Bush has no decisions and a 5.88 ERA. Combined against Dave Bush, Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are 14-for-36 in their careers (.388 avg), with...

Happy October to all of you. Baseball playoffs are back in Philadelphia. Hip hip, hooray!! Kole Hamels (yes, it is okay to spell it with a 'K') pitched one hell of a game 1 on Wednesday. 8 innings pitched, 9 strike outs, no runs allowed, 1 walk. As we've grown accustomed, Brad Lidge made the 9th inning quite exciting, but he is still perfect in converting save opportunities this year. Our Phillies have gone up 1-0 in the first round of the playoffs. How 'bout an Ice Cold Brew to celebrate? The Brewers have now lost 5 straight games at Citizens Bank Park over the past 3 weeks. In those 5 games, the Brewers are 25-for-155...that's a .161 batting average. Surely, we all realize the Phils have missed the Brewers' best starting pitcher, C.C. Sabathia, in those 5 games. This evening's match up with Brett Myers facing Sabathia will be interesting. Myers threw a complete game 2 hitter against the Brewers back on September 14th. Sabathia was 2-2 with a 2.11 ERA in 6...

The Phillies completed a four game SWEEP of the the Brew Crew (by pounding Milwaukee pitcher, Jeff Suppan) on Sunday, the day rally towels returned to Philadelphia. Add to that some help from divisional rivals beating the Mets down, the Phillies have taken a lead in the playoff race. First, it was a tie for the Wild card lead, and after a win to start this week's series in Atlanta, the division lead. A glance at the key competition: The Brewers are now 3-12 in September, and have fired their manager, Ned Yost. The Metropolitans have lost 4 of their past 5 games. And after starting the month on fire, the Astros have scored just 2 runs in their past 3 games, including a no-hitter thrown on Sunday, by Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs. Statement to ponder: Big time NL awards will be in the future for two Phillies this year. The league most valuable player award could reside in Philadelphia for a third straight year, as Ryan Howard makes a huge late season push for this honor. Howard, is s...

Phans, your Phillies had some good luck yesterday. Sure, the game was rained out, but the Phillies still won FOUR important match ups yesterday. Tie breaker coin flips were announced and the Phillies won all four of their coin flips that decide the home team for tie breaker scenarios. An NL East tie breaker would have the Phillies hosting the Mets in one game to decide the division winner. A wild card tie with St. Louis, Milwaukee or Houston would all be held in Philadelphia also. Any other potential ties will be decided with flips on an as-needed basis. Flipping topics on ya...I've always meant to devote some blog space to a matter that concerns a lot of baseball purists. The annual Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown, NY has been discontinued. I've been to the Hall of Fame game, and it's a great weekend for fans. In addition, local businesses have depended on the Hall of Fame Game weekend's spike in business to succeed. Please check out the link that follows an...

Well, folks...the Phillies are not helping themselves. 3.5 games behind the division leader. Tied with Houston (this year's "COLORADO ROCKIES!") 4 games behind the wild card leader. And the Phils have a 4-5 record so far in September. By comparison, the Mets are 6-2 this month...the Astros are 8-1 this month...the Brewers however are 3-7 this month, as they head to Philadelphia for a huge 4 game series starting Thursday the 11th. The 5th starter role in the pitching rotation is high up in the air right now. If I had to guess who it will be pitching Sunday's series finale, I'd say Adam Eaton. I don't think that "Jay" Happ has shown enough to get the start. Consider also that the Brewers thrive against lefty starters, and the Phillies already have 2 lefties starting games in this series. The only positive spin I can put on this forecast is that Eaton has never lost to the Brewers. Eaton's career record vs. Milwaukee is 2-0 with a 5.24 ERA...