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Last summer, as part of the Hunter Pence trade, the Phillies acquired righty hurler Seth Rosin (Roe-ZEEN). Originally drafted in the 4th round in 2010 by San Francisco, Rosin had mainly been a reliever with the Giants' Class A Advanced affiliate San Jose. Now throwing strictly as a starter, since joining the Phils' organization, the University of Minnesota product, who stands six-foot-six and weights around 250 pounds, has posted a 1-4 record with a 3.17 ERA while striking out 32 and walking seven in 45 1/3 innings. Recently, I spoke with the 24-year-old about his transition to a new organization, his thoughts about Reading, Eastern League competition and plenty more. Read ahead for that full interview. - Last year, at the time of the trade, how were you notified you had been dealt and what was your reaction? I got a call from the Giants front office at about 8 o'clock in the morning, west coast time, letting me know I had to leave tomorrow to go to Florid...

The Phillies (14-18) head west to begin a three-game series on Monday night at San Francisco's AT&T Park. The hosting Giants (19-12) have won six straight contests. The Phils' offense, which ranks second from worst in the majors with a .669 OPS, struggled over the weekend, as they tallied only five total hits in a pair of losses to the team with the worst record in the National League, the Marlins. The first place Giants were victorious in four of six meetings between these two teams last year. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key stats for this series. Monday. 10:15 PM.  Cliff Lee (2-2, 3.46 ERA) vs. Madison Bumgarner (3-0, 1.55 ERA). In five career regular season starts against San Francisco, Lee is 4-0 with a 0.63 ERA and two complete games.   Lee has a 0-2 record with a 5.04 ERA in his last four starts.  Pablo Sandoval is 2-for-12 (.167 avg) in his career against Lee.  Opponents are hitting just .181 against Bumgarn...

Once again, we're back with another edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast.  On episode 17, Tug and I talk about tons of topics, including big league free agents, Cody Asche , Tommy Joseph , Darin Ruf and other Phillies talents in the Arizona Fall League and other off-season leagues, the World Series, the Triple-A IronPigs' new manager, the rebranding of the Double-A Reading team, the MiLBY awards, pro wrestling as well as plenty more. Check out the media player below to hear the full episode, or download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

Acquired in last week's trade that sent Hunter Pence to San Francisco, catcher Tommy Joseph is now among Philadelphia's top positional prospects. An All-Star in the Double-A Eastern League, the righty hitting Joseph has posted a .262 batting average with 8 HR and 39 RBI in 87 games this season. Joseph, who stands 6'1" tall and weighs around 215 pounds, was the Giants' 2nd round draft selection in 2009. Following last season, when he batted .270, smashed 22 HR and drove in 95 runs in 127 games for Class A Advanced San Jose, the 21-year-old was ranked as San Francisco's number 5 prospect by MLB.com. This week I had the opportunity to speak with Tommy about his outlook on being traded, catching the Giants' well-known hurlers, Phillies fans and plenty more. Check out the media player below to listen to the full interview. _________________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . Also connect with Ph...

The National League West division leading Giants (51-41) head to Philadelphia this weekend to take on the Phillies (41-52) in a 3-game series. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other statistical info on this series. Friday, 7:05 PM. Tim Lincecum (3-10, 5.93 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (5-5, 3.47 ERA). In 10 road starts this season, Lincecum has a 1-6 record with a 9.00 ERA. Hunter Pence is 5-for-29 (.172 avg) in his career against Lincecum. In 2 career regular season starts against the Giants, Worley has a 2-0 record and a 2.25 ERA. Worley has a 2-2 record with 4.07 ERA in 7 home starts this season. Saturday, 4:05 PM. Matt Cain (10-3, 2.56 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (11-4, 3.07 ERA). In 8 career regular season starts, Cain has posted a 1-4 record with a 3.42 ERA. Cain has a 1-1 record with a 3.37 ERA in his last 4 starts. Hamels has a 5-3 record with a 2.76 ERA and a .228 BAA in 9 home starts this season. In his last 4 starts, Hamels is 1-1 with a 2.48 ERA. ...

Each team will send its top hurler to the mound in the opener of a 3-games series on Monday night, although just one of the two has pitched like an ace thus far in 2012. Philadelphia's perennial Cy Young Award contender Roy Halladay will take the mound at San Francisco's AT&T Park against the Giants in game 1. Halladay is coming off two great outings against the Pirates and the Marlins to begin the season. The Giants will counter with two-time former National League Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum , who is fresh off the shortest outing of his career, after allowing 6 earned runs in 2 1/3 innings against the Rockies on April 11th. This will mark the pair's first meeting in the regular season. The Phillies won 4 of 7 meetings with the Giants last season, including 3 of 4 in San Francisco. Read ahead for more details on the pitching match ups and loads more stats for this series. Monday, 10:15 PM. Roy Halladay (2-0, 0.60 ERA) vs. Tim Lincecum (0-1, 12.91 ERA). In 3 ca...

Former Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell announced on Thursday that his playing days are likely over, due to a recurring right foot injury that limited his action in 2011. According to a report from the Associated Press, Burrell had previously declared that he would contemplate retirement if he was unable to return to full strength. This appears to be the case, however Burrell has not made a final decision. “I have not decided yet, but I don’t think I can play anymore,” Burrell stated. “It hurts me to say that.” The 35-year-old was the first overall draft choice by the Phillies in 1998. He was part of the 2008 club that locked down Philadelphia’s second ever World Series title. The University of Miami product ranks fourth all-time in Phillies history with 251 regular season homeruns. Burrell left Philadelphia as a free agent following the 2008 season, signing with Tampa Bay. He struggled through much of his time there, and after the Rays released him during the 2010 season, Burrell signe...

The National League pennant chase just got a little more interesting. By now you've heard that the reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants executed a trade to land one of the biggest names on the trade market, six-time All-star Carlos Beltran . In recent days, the Phillies had been among the few teams rumored to be in the mix to make a trade for Beltran, but in the end, the team that was the National League runner up last year lost out to the team that knocked them from the post-season. Reports say the deal will be made official on Thursday, as Beltran has a full no-trade clause that he must waive. The deal is expected to send righty pitching prospect Zack Wheeler to New York. Giants manager Bruce Bochy was clear, on Wednesday, stating that the trade was done to improve the club's own offense and was not in an effort to prevent chief NL rival Philadelphia from acquiring Beltran. Beltran, who was batting .289 with 15 HR and 66 RBI this season with the Mets, will ...

The National League West Division leading Giants (59-43) visit Philadelphia for the first time since they knocked the Phillies (64-37) out of the post-season last October, as the two clubs begin a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday evening. The Giants and Phillies split six meetings during the regular season last year, however it was San Francisco that defeated the Phillies, 4 games to 2, in the National League Championship Series. The Giants, of course, went on to defeat the Rangers in the World Series. Former Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will take the hill for the reigning champs. Philadelphia will counter with rookie Vance Worley, who the team has ridden to a 10-2 record in his starts. Read ahead for some notes on the pitching match ups and some other key stats for this series. Tuesday, 7:05 PM. Tim Lincecum (8-8, 2.90 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (6-1, 2.02 ERA). In his last 6 starts, Lincecum has a 3-2 record with a 1.66 ERA. Lincecum is 5-4 with a 2.44 ERA in...

By the time current Phillies television analyst Gary Matthews Sr. joined Philadelphia as a player, he was already a veteran of eight full Major League seasons. An outfielder, Matthews was named as the National League Rookie of the Year in 1973 as a member of the San Francisco Giants. Matthews debuted in the Majors at age 21 in 1972. Having only played 20 games, as a late season call up, he was still considered a rookie the following season. In 1973, Matthews posted double digits in stolen bases, doubles, triple and homeruns while batting .300 en route to being named the senior circuit's top freshman. During his years in San Francisco, Matthews, a first round draft pick by the Giants in 1968, continued to be a steady contributor. Following the 1976 season, the Giants and Matthews could not agree on terms for a new deal and Matthews was granted free agency. Matthews would sign with Atlanta where he became an All-star. His best season as a Brave came in 1979, when Matthews posted a .3...

Happy Thanksgiving Day to all of you. As you celebrate this national holiday and stuff yourselves full of food, consider these things and thank the baseball gods for them. 5- Ozzie Guillen's bilingual Twitter account . I mean, yeah, he speaks two languages, but judging by the tweet pictured below, as well as plenty others, Ozzie may not really type any languages. 4- The history of the sport. Thanks to the lengthy past of baseball, fans are not stuck looking toward the steroid era's deceitful record breakers to find men who should never be regarded as icons of this great sport. Instead, they can simply reflect back to the very first induction class of the National Baseball Hall of Fame for players to despise . 3- One another. Yeah, fans...you make the whole experience just a little bit better. Whether you dress up like a team-supporting Humpty Dumpty, storm the playing field, dye/paint yourself to match the team's colors, or rattle your own team's most popular player wi...

Only five men in Phillies history have brought home a National League batting title. Francis "Lefty" O'Doul, a converted pitcher, was one of those men, along with Sherry Magee, Chuck Klein, Harry Walker and Richie Ashburn. O'Doul worked out of the bullpen for the Red Sox and Yankees, into the early 1920's before experiencing a setback with an arm injury that landed him back in the minors in 1923. Once it was clear his pitching days were done, O'Doul converted himself into a slugging outfielder and returned to the Majors with the Giants, where he contributed as a back up player. Despite posting a .318 average for the Giants in 1928, he was traded to Philadelphia with cash for outfielder Freddy Leach. The Giants would quickly regret the move. In his first season with the Phillies, O'Doul set the National League single season record for hits in a season, with 254, that still stands today (tied, Bill Terry- 1930). His .398 batting average that year also remain...

Their phans had high hopes. And why wouldn't they? It's just about habit by now. Four straight division titles and what was supposed to be a third consecutive World Series berth are enough to spoil people and ensure that any result shy of another world title will be a disappointment. In game 6 of the National League Championship Series the Phillies had loads of opportunities to take control of the game and put the San Francisco Giants away to force Philadelphia's very first postseason game 7. Unfortunately, the Phils blew those chances and lost to a team that was widely considered inferior. In the 3rd inning, after the Giants had tied the game at 2, the Phillies' first two batters reached base when Placido Polanco walked and Chase Utley was hit by a pitch. On his way to first base, Utley tossed the ball back toward the pitchers mound, which resulted in some insults being fired from San Francisco starter Jonathan Sanchez. Tempers flaired, the benches cleared, but no punc...

Doc Classic SAN FRANCISCO— Television cameras caught him trying to stay up and loose between innings. Roy Halladay rarely rested, as he spent time riding a stationary bike after pulling his groin in the 2nd inning of Thursday night's National League Championship Series Game 5. Halladay was tough, throwing 6 innings, to help the Philadelphia Phillies extend the NLCS and return home to wrap up the series this weekend. Halladay's teammates didn’t quite realize their starting hurler was pitching through pain in his game 1 rematch against San Francisco's reigning Cy Young Award winner, Tim Lincecum. Learning that Doc pitched while ailing impressed his teammates more than they typically are with a Halladay outing. Some found it difficult to describe Halladay's efforts. "I don't know what word you can put on him. Do you want to use 'Superhero?' That works," Shane Victorino told the media following the game. In his 6 innings of work, Halladay allowed just...

Clutch doubles, an outfield assist, solid bullpen pitching, a big game from rookie phenom Buster Posey and questionable moves with the Phillies' pitching staff all added up to a win and a 3-1 series lead for the NL West champions when game 4 of the National League Championship Series was done. At San Francisco's AT&T Park on Wednesday evening, the Giants plugged away, scoring in 5 different innings. They got on the board in the 1st, when the 23-year-old Posey drove home Freddy Sanchez with a single to centerfield. Posey then slapped a double in the 3rd inning, to plate Aubrey Huff and put San Francisco up 2-0. The Phillies got some offense of their own rolling in the 5th inning when Ben Francisco and Carlos Ruiz got the team's first back-to-back hits of the series. Shane Victorino then stepped in and slapped a single to center that drove home Francisco, but Aaron Rowand gunned down Ruiz at home plate for an out. Chase Utley then singled. Placido Polanco stepped up and d...

Shane Victorino, who went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in the Phillies' game 4 loss to the Giants on Wednesday night, spoke with the media following the game. Despite the team's pressing predicament, Victorino expressed his positive outlook going forward in the series. Check out the media player below to listen to his comments. Victorino has batted lead-off for the defending National League champions throughout this postseason. He has posted a low .214 batting average (6-for-28) in 7 playoff games thus far in 2010. In his last 13 postseason games, dating back to the start of last year's World Series, Victorino is 10-for-50 (.200 avg). The Phillies and Giants go back at it in game 5 of the NLCS on Thursday evening at 7:57 EST. _______________________________________________________________________ For updates, facts & stats, follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter by clicking HERE .

Matt Cain led the way for the Giants to take control of the best-of-seven series, grabbing a 2-1 lead over the Phillies on Tuesday afternoon at AT&T Park. The right-handed Cain held the defending National League champions to just 2 hits over 7 innings and the San Francisco offense was able to squeak 3 runs out of Phillies hurler Cole Hamels. The Giants got on the board against Hamels in the 4th inning, after he had been perfect through the first 3 innings. As he's done all postseason for the Giants, Cody Ross did some damage and broke the scoreless tie when he smacked a 2 out single to left field that drove home Edgar Renteria, who led off the inning with a base hit. Aubrey Huff then singled to right field, to plate Pat Burrell with the game's 2nd run. "He plays with no fear," Giants manager Bruce Bochy told the media after the game of Ross. "That’s what you like about the guy." Ross is now 8-for-23 (.348 avg) this postseason with the Giants, who claimed...

PHILADELPHIA- Productive outs were something the Phillies lacked in the National League Championship Series opener against the Giants on Saturday night. With strike outs in key spots, the Phillies came up short by a run and San Francisco took a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 was not the same case, as moving runners over and the underrated baseball aspect known as the sacrifice fly came into play, and helped the Phillies tie the series against the Giants at 1 game each. The Phillies got the scoring started in the bottom of the opening frame against Giants starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, in support of their own starter Roy Oswalt, when Chase Utley scored on a bases loaded walk to Jimmy Rollins. Philadelphia led 1-0 until the top of the 5th, when San Francisco's game 1 hero Cody Ross smashed another solo homerun to left field. Ross hit 2 solo shots off Roy Halladay in game 1. Ross has had tremendous success at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park in his career. In 35 games played at CBP,...

The much anticipated pitching match up in game 1 of the National League Championship Series ended with the younger of the two aces earning a victory, and the veteran came out of the contest already focused on redemption, but it was a late season addition from the waiver wire who became the star of the game for the Giants. Cody Ross shined, slugging 2 solo homeruns off of Roy Halladay, who was fresh off throwing the second no-hitter in MLB postseason history last week against the Reds. Ross was cut loose by the Florida Marlins and scooped up off waivers by the Giants, reportedly as a preventive measure, so that he would not end up with the rival Padres. As a Marlin earlier in the season, Ross was on the down side of Halladay's other big outing this season, his perfect game on May 29th. With one out in the 3rd inning, Ross ended Halladay's postseason hitless streak, delivering San Francisco's first hit and first run of the game, by smashing a solo homer to left field. The Phi...

For the third straight season, the Phillies will be battling it out for a chance to move on to the World Series with a team from California. This year the Dodgers sit at home, while a new contender, the San Francisco Giants, has stepped up. As the Phillies look to become the first National League team to win 3 straight National League Championship Series, the Giants will seek to surprise many around baseball, as they are widely considered the underdog. The focus in this series will be on the pitchers and each team will send its ace to the mound for game 1. For the Giants, it will be Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, who tossed a complete game shut out against Atlanta in his postseason debut last week. For the Phillies, it will be Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay, who hurled a no-hitter against Cincinnati in his postseason debut last week. Neither pitcher expects a repeat of their gems from his last time out, but that doesn't mean both men won't be trying. Offense is expecte...