J-Roll's walk-off blast carries Phillies past Indians

It felt like a loss. But with one swing, Jimmy Rollins, activated a day ago, deposited a two-run, game-winning home run just inside the right-field foul pole, lifting the Phillies to a 7-6 win over Cleveland. (AP)

Jayson Werth finished a triple from the cycle, Raul Ibanez hit a two-run double down the left-field line, and Brian Schneider, who has been hitting balls hard lately, finally got his first home run as a Phillie. While the Phillies celebrated at home, the injury bug struck once again in the top half of the inning as Chad Durbin popped his hamstring and will almost certainly miss a substantial amount of time. That's a huge, huge blow to an already wobbly bullpen. A dramatic finish. A mixture of good and bad hitting. Questionable managing. A nice debut for Mike Zagurski. Poor starting pitching. A major blow to the 'pen. We'll break it down tomorrow ...

Durbin update: Chad Durbin told reporters he's headed to the DL and will miss up to two weeks with a calf strain. Tough spot for the Phils, and I don't know that recent call-up Scott Mathieson is really the best fit. That would be an awful lot of inexperience in the bullpen. One thought might be Oscar Villarreal. He's been solid lately and can pitch more than an inning. And for your darkhorse option, in case the Phils don't mind an influx of youth, how about Mike Stutes? Good arm, recently promoted, can pitch multiple innings and the Phils like how he's throwing.

Comments

[NEPP]

Well, they could always activate Happ and push KK into the long relief role. That'd shore up the BP real well. Or flip that with Happ as a reliever.

[GTown_Dave]

When you're a Phillies fan, every silver lining comes w/ a prominent cloud.

[Iceman]

I remember going through the post-game thread (half-drunk, but I remember this clearly) of NLCS Game 4 last year and someone said right before Rollins came up something to the effect of "This is the last guy I'd want up right here."

Not only shows the power of the BL reverse jinx but the stupidity that comes with short-sightedness. Rollins is a red-light player and has been his entire career. Especially against guys like Broxton or Wood who will groove a heater every now and then. Anyone that wouldn't have Rollins on their short-list of Phils they'd want up with the season on the line is crazy.

[thephaithful]

JIMMY!!!

whoever doesnt think this team is going undefeated for the rest of the year is a dope!

[GTown_Dave]

Matt Gelb (via Twitter): "OK, Durbin isn't dead as Charlie speculated. Grade 1 strain. He'll need the DL. Out 10 to 14 days."

Yeah. We'll see about that.

[st]

mathieson is gonna get called up I think

[The Truth Injection]

Big time hit from a guy who has been a big time player for this Phillies team for a long time now. Man I hope he stays healthy.

Sadly though after what I was told about 1 run wins- this game gets racked up as a loss.

I saw Reading play tonight. Happ looked ok in his rehab but struggled with command and gave up a 3 run homer in the one inning. His velocity seemed to be off yet but the radar gun was doing wacky things as well.

Also, everyone talks about Brown (rightfully so) but let's talk about Freddy Galvis. Defensively that guy is pretty close to, if not ready to go in the majors. His bat is not there yet but he showed some better discipline tonight at the plate than I've ever seen so maybe he is turning the corner some. With a glove as good as his he doesn't necessarily have to be an offensive force.

[J. Weitzel]

Tough call. Don't think Mathieson is what they need exactly. What about Villarreal?

[Meyer]

If you don't believe Chase and Howard aren't happy, you do not know this team.

[Matt]

Werth looks like the Geico caveman in that picture.

[Meyer]

Great shot 0f victory JW. Just add a couple more players and you have the playoff team.

[AL]

I think they need to bring up a guy who can go multiple innings without a true long-innings mop up guy on the roster. Which I suppose means Figgy but I would live with someone else.

[Old Phan]

J-Roll hitless since being activated-wasn't he activated yesterday?

[GTown_Dave]

"If you don't believe Chase and Howard aren't happy, you do not know this team."

"Now correct me if I'm incorrect, but was I told it's untrue that people in Springfield have no faith? Was I not misinformed?"

[J. Weitzel]

The reason I'd hesitate with Figgy is you know he's going to be kinda lousy. Why not see if they can catch lightening with someone like Stutes? You wouldn't care about starting his clock necessarily. Stutes actually pitched a couple times with the Phils in spring training. Looked pretty good from what I remember. Good arm.

[Old Phan]

They need to bring up a guy that is impervious to injury. Do they have one of those?

[Greg V.]

Mike Stutes, eh? I like the thinking!

[Meyer]

Bring Figgy. American Studies Major from Brandies. It's time for him to shine.

[Bay Slugga]

Jimmy Rollins saves.

Jimmy even gave a shout-out to Broxton during his postgame interview. That man must hate the Phillies.

[Heather]

Even Schneider was decent today. I'm feeling hopeful for the catcher position going forward...hopefully he keeps it up and no need to rush Ruiz back from injury.

[Bruce Ruffin]

I'm proud of Jimmy and his bat flippin'. 'Bout flippen' time someone steps up, takes charge, and lays a beatin' on a crappy team. And, guess what. If Rollins gets "...drilled in the back..." tomorrow for the 'effen bat flip, whoever's pitching for the Phil's better retaliate immediately. That's what champions do -- protect their money players.

Let the benches clear, players be tossed, and fines be levied. Not a single Phillie should allow retribution for Jimmy acting as anything other than a champion and a leader. I've had it up to here with “complacency”. That miserable word may have just been deposited -- fair -- inside the right foul pole. For good. Anything now but a sweep of these stinkin' Indians in inexcusable!

[Sophist]

Hopefully Happ and Madson return before any damage is done. I'd like to see Mathieson.

[Bay Slugga]

Amen, Bruce.

[Fatalotti]

If Atlanta loses tonight, the Phillies will be all of 2 back in the loss column, and 3 back in the standings. Honestly, after the terrible stretch they had, where it didn't seem like they could beat me and 8 other randomly chosen dudes, you can't be too discouraged by the position they're in.

[gobaystars!]

Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce!

[Meyer]

Indeed there is faith in Springfield NEPP. It takes time and work.

[Meyer]

About flipp'n time.

[Meyer]

Freddy Galvis with another bomberouski,

[Old Phan]

Thank you, Pale Hose.

[Fatalotti]

Braves with another L. Phillies with 32 losses, Braves/Mets with 30 losses. Right there, we are.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

I thought backup catcher was the teams biggest need?!?!?!!?

[awh]

The Phils are now 2-25 when trailing after 7 innings.

[MG]

Missed the game but nice to see the walkoff from JRoll. I think it is only the 2nd walkoff AB for the Phils this season.

Losing Durbin is a big deal. Bullpen is going to be a bit thin and shaky until the All-Star break. Hopefully by then they will have Durbin & Madson back.

[goody]

Bruce: Retaliating gets Blanton tossed when the pen is short, and the bench-clearing brawl gets more guys injured. It might be worth it against the Braves or Mets, but not against the Indians. After tomorrow, we won't be seeing them for years.

[EastFallowfield]

Why would the Indians take offense at a bat flip when it was nothing out of the ordinary in today's game?

You see huge celebrations by teams in earlier innings even in games those teams end up losing (see Reyes, Jose or Pettite, Andy or our own Romero, JC).

[EastFallowfield]

Daily News Back Cover

Politically incorrect team names=politically incorrect headlines...

[limoguy]

Wasn't last night Happ's final rehab assignment?

Looks like he would be the one taking Durbin's spot on the 25 man.

[Meyer]

It sure is nice to see the Rollins smile again.

[EastFallowfield]

Happ can do two more rehab outings, then decision is to be made.

[Malcolm]

EFF: Best thing about that cover, though?

"Donovan wins a big one"

Oh, Philly.

[Sophist]

Reports are Happ is pain-free but his velocity still isn't where it should be. He didn't walk anyone, so he's pretty sharp (55 strikes on 88 pitches), but his FB was in the high 80s according to philly.com. I'd be surprised if he didn't make at least one of those two remaining rehab starts.

[Bob]

"Anyone that wouldn't have Rollins on their short-list of Phils they'd want up with the season on the line is crazy."

Amen. I think the whole idea of a huge gap between so called clutch hitters and chokers is somewhat overhyped at this level. But there are certain players who do seem to really enjoy that spotlight's glare, and I don't think anyone would question that Jimmy is one of those. I would beware if I were a pitcher in that situation.

Big win IMHO. It was a long slump that I'm not sure has been fully shaken, and to win a few games like this when it feels like a loss, but that get turned around suddenly in a big way are part of the ongoing cure.

I missed the last couple of innings because my wife decided we needed to watch an old movie on the tube together, but through about 7 the game had a dispiriting feeling.

Random thoughts through the first 7:

-Why is it that every series someone on the other team does either a Cy Young impersonation (Pavano) or Joe DiMaggio morph (Choo) for a game or so and absolutely kills the Phils? I mean these guys are good players, but Pavano shut the Phils down like they were a high school team. And Choo with 2 home runs and another 9 or 10 pitch at bat followed by a rocket that Vic had to drag down (the ABs I saw) was almost surreal.

-Last year, no matter what, I never felt the Phils were out of it, even if they were down by 3 in the 9th, or whatever. This year, not so much.

Don't want to overstate, but I think it would be easy to fall into the kind of trap where the team is thinking along the lines of "Geez, no matter what we try, we can't get over the hump, something always happens. We need to keep playing hard, but..." This kind of win goes a long way to eliminate that kind of vibe.

[NEPP]

***Politically incorrect team names=politically incorrect headlines...***

Wow...shocked they would go that route.

[awh]

"I missed the last couple of innings because my wife decided"

Bob, when does she let you take the skirt off? :)

[R.Billingsly]

I want to weigh in on the "bat flipping" conversation. I have no issue with bat flipping or some showing of emotion/swagger/gamesmanship, etc. when it wins the game. The issue I've always had with it (and guys like Reyes, Tatis, Ramirez, and even Howard to a certain extent) is when it occurs in the 3rd inning, or when the team is up by multiple runs already. A walk-off HR is the biggest hit of the game and can be accompanied by some theatrics. A lead-off HR that consists of a bat flip, followed by two minutes of handshakes at the top of the dugout steps is a bit ridiculous (yeah, I'm looking at you Jose Reyes).

Fin.

[phanatic's brother]

Has JC Romero pitched at all decent since he's been back from steroid suspension?
I just dont like that guy. Seems more poised for a Mets uniform.
We need some bullpen help. Madsen soon available?

[R.Billingsly]

Also, good comeback win from the Phils last night. They looked like the team of old that never gave up. Coming back on three separate occasions and winning late was good for this team. Schneider's BB in the 9th was a good way to start things off. And what can you say about Jimmy? Good to have him back.

[thephaithful]

TMac should be immediately fired after the walkoff call last nite.

"Heeeees Baaaccckkk" was the absolute dumbest thing he coulda have said in that situation. Someone needs to punch him in the throat and end this torture.

[Meyer]

Since Strasburg lost a game does that mean he won't get to start for the NL in the All-Star game?

[philwynk]

Bob: "Last year, no matter what, I never felt the Phils were out of it, even if they were down by 3 in the 9th, or whatever. This year, not so much."

awh: "The Phils are now 2-25 when trailing after 7 innings."

Attitude is everything, and Rollins' return will make a huge difference here. Watch for awh's statistic to start shifting in a good direction, and if it does, the Phillies will win the division again without too much trouble.

[NEPP]

****Since Strasburg lost a game does that mean he won't get to start for the NL in the All-Star game?****

25.1 IP, 41 K, 5 BB, 1.78 ERA

Well, maybe but he's still doing alright despite losing the 1-0 game.

[st]

happ will definitely have one or two rehab's left. he's not ready

[awh]

Bob, if fairness to Choo, he's been a pretty darn good player since arriving in MLB. He has 20 - 25 HR power and hits .300.

Sacrelidge to some on this site, I'm sure, but I'd trade him straight up for Raul at any time.

[awh]

phaithful, I agree. That had to be the absolutely dumbest, most idiotic HR call I've ever heard.

I keep praying they'll rotate Franske on the TV, because I think he's great.

McCarthy is just unbearable. Uninteresting.

That's it!!! I nailed why I don't like him. It's been bugging me forever and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Uninteresting."

That's why he's so unbearable. 9 innings of listening to uninteresting commentary.

[awh]

Or rather, I'd trade Raul for Choo at any time.

[NEPP]

***Or rather, I'd trade Raul for Choo at any time.***

We should offer that to the Indians...I wonder what they'd say.

[awh]

philwynk, I pulled that stat out of the AP article on the game that mentioned that, before the game, the Phils were 1-25 if trailing after 7 innings.

I just added last night's game to the win column and there you have it.

2 - 25.

[awh]

Choo's average since 2006:

.298 .390 .492 .882

b-r's "162 Game Average":

680 PA, 40 2B, 7 3B, 21 HR, 94 RBI, 18 SB

Only downside is he K's about once every 4 PA.

NEPP, I think CLE would laugh Rube out of the room.

Similar production, but Choo is a full 10 yrs. younger, and about $10.5 MM less expensive.

Maybe "laugh" is an understatement. I think they'd ask for at least Galvis and Gillies in addition to Raul.

[gobaystars!]

Yo don't want Choo. He owes South Korea two years of military service. They didn't win the WBC so he didn't get an exemption. He's going to be called back home any day now.

[awh]

Actually, NEPP, my point to Bob was merely that Choo is a pretty good player, and that he shouldn't be so surprised that he could take KK deep twice in the same game.

[Bay Slugga]

gobaystars: Can you imagine if that happened to one of our best players?

Chase Utley is out until the 2013 season because he is serving in the military. Yes, he may also be killed.

[Bubba]

I don't know if Chooch & Choo on the same team is a good idea.

[NEPP]

I agree awh...Choo is underrated. He's actually a very solid OF.

[Meyer]

Choo Chooch Charlie. OK

[Cipper]

So wait, if they won the WBC he would be exempt? The scenario is hysterical... the fact that he could be called back at any time, not so much...

[MG]

Indians are a bad team right now and I have seen a few stories that they are really financially struggling because of their low attendance.

They are really handicapped by the Hafner deal (signed through '12 at $13M/year) but it wouldn't surprise me if they have a payroll in the $45M range next year and revert back to being the bottom feeders of the AL for a while again because their farm systme is pretty barren.

[Jack]

Choo is a really good player. One of the best OFs in the AL. Certainly better than Ibanez, and just a tad below Werth as a player (Werth hits for more power).

I honestly don't know much about Mike Stutes or Villareal, but I'm guessing the team will go with Mathieson or Figueroa. The team is just starting to get some wins going, and I doubt management is gonna go with a complete wildcard to fill out the roster--it's just not their style.

[awh]

gobay, I did not know that.

In light of that and the fact that the Phils are in "win now" mode, I'll keep Raul.

Besides, according to Hagen Raul is slowly coming out of his slump.

[gobaystars!]

The short of it is every South Korean male must serve 2 years in the military before he's 30. The 2008 Olympic baseball team was given an exemption for winning the gold. Most people think winning the WBC would have gotten Choo off the hook too. They didn't win. Now there is a chance that if the Indians let him play in the Asian games in December and South Korea wins, they will waive the obligation. Also he might just say screw it, become an america citizen and never go back to South Korea.

[awh]

NL Loss Column:

SDP 29
ATL 30
NYM 30
STL 31
SFG 31
PHL 32
CIN 33
COL 33
LAD 33
FLA 36

[awh]

Even the Red Sox need relief help. They're now worried about burning out Daniel Bard:

http://www.boston.com/sports/columnists/massarotti/2010/06/a_high_five_for_the_sox.html

[awh]

Micahel Bamberger at SI says it's time to give Moyer some credit:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/michael_bamberger/06/22/jamie.moyer/index.html

[MG]

Failure to start?

We keep hearing that Ibanez is going to turn it around. Well, he is now hitting .242/.311/.394 this month with a measly 6 XHB in 66 ABs. He also continues to stink it up vs. LHP (.211/.286/.316) and in LF defensively.

Since he came off the DL last year on July 11th, these are his combined numbers:

140 G, 474 AB with a line of .238/.330/.429 with 17 HRs and 68 RBIs. Horrendous? No, but if you consider how slow he is on the base paths and how his defense has notably dipped since the Phils certainly aren't getting anywhere near value of his contract.

LF who hit .250 AVG/.750 OPS with 15-20 HR power over the course of a full-season generally aren't that tough to acquire. Especially if they are so limited defensively and from a speed perspective.

You can't tell me that Brown couldn't come up next year and at least hit .250 with a .750 OPS while playing better defense at $12M less.

[awh]

MG, I think you're a little hard on Raul's fielding.

I think he's been doing a decent job in the OF and looks good running the bases.

Your criticism of his hitting, however, is well founded, though Hagen would tell you there are signs of life.

[MG]

Contreras hurt?

Contreras didn't look right on Sat. night, hasn't pitched since then, and wasn't even warming up last night.

The Phils haven't said on a word about him since Sat. night but I do really wonder if Contreras isn't going through a dead arm period or is day-to-day with a minor ailment.

[awh]

"You can't tell me that Brown couldn't come up next year and at least hit .250 with a .750 OPS while playing better defense at $12M less."

MG, I doubt anyone here would disagree with the above.

[thephaithful]

Count me as a vote for Mathieson to get recalled. His MiL numbers dont suggest a control problem, so I wouldn't expect his last outing to be the norm. If he can throw his fastball for a strike as he normally does, I thnik he will be a nice addition - at least a good fill-in.

[MG]

awh - Ibanez stinks defensively. If you go to a game, watch the jump he gets on balls hit to left. It just isn't there.

The Ibanez post was because of this article by Hagen.

Slowly, Phillies' Ibanez coming out of slump

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/columnists/20100624_Paul_Hagen__Slowly__Phillies__Ibanez_coming_out_of_slump.html

No, Paul. He isn't. He has bee a mediocre hitter for over a year now who looks more and more like a guy who has lost bat speed and having to cheat/guess to catch up on fastballs.

[thephaithful]

MG: go ahead and read about Brown. Every write-up indicates he has a lot fo work to do in the field still.

Also, Raul has been hitting the ball pretty hard in my eyes lately, Im predicting a nice lil run from him as well.

[kuvasz]

Leaders lead by example. It is nice to see Rollins lead this team. His presence on the field or clubhouse gives this team a tangible boost in energy and confidence.

Getting Jimmy Rollins back was like the Hickory Huskers getting Jimmy Chitwood back.

[The Truth Injection]

MG: Here are the stats again: Since his batting average bottomed out at .229 on June 6, he's 15-for-49 (.306) in 14 games with four doubles, two homers and 10 RBI.

His SLG % is up 30 points. His OPS is up 40 points.

Perhaps you could provide us with your definition of "turning it around" Does he have to hit .400, .500?

He's been getting better swings on balls of late and his bat looks quicker than it did in April. I know you added Ibanez to your hit list of topics you're going to beat into the ground all season but try to be fair.

Also, Ibanez is average defensively. He's nothing spectacular but he's far from the embarrassment that he was speculated to be when he was signed.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Ibanez ain't great but he's not hte butcher he was reputed to be when the trade went down. He lacks footspeed but, he hustles in the outfield and lays out for balls. Definitely an upgrade over Burrell whose defensive savvy consisted of keeping balls in front of him and letting htem fall for hits. Especially ironic to criticize Ibanez's fielding the day after he cuts down a crucial run at the plate with a nice charging scoop and throw.

As for McCarthy - I'm done. I can't take him anymore. In addition to being unbearable, he makes at least one glaring gaffe per game. The whole TV broadcast is unbearable. I'm Tivo'ing the game today and Extra Innings gave me the option of the home or away broadcast. I don't know who does the Indians games but, it's a no-brainer. I always choose the other team's broadcast.

[Sophist]

Raul hit .267/.352/.456 in May, starting June 1-17 and is 15-49 since (4 2B, 2HR). That's 14 games at .306/.370/.510. If any other player were hitting that well the last 2 weeks+ we'd be saying he's heating up. For some reason, Ibanez is held to a different standard.

His BAbip on LD this season is .600 and his BAbip is 30 points below career norms even though his LD% is right around career norms. His career BAbip on LD is .758. Correcting to his career norm gives him about 6 more hits. Suddenly he's batting .270/.360/.425 (if those hits are all singles) on the year, which is probably about right given his low HR/FB so far this year. It's also still too early to say that his HR/FB will be 7% all year. It's gone up 5% this month alone. He's hit 72 FB this year. Small sample.

This same argument goes for Utley, who's hitting .265/.380/.469, fair below career norms. Career .764 BAbip on LD, but .625 this year. His total BAbip is 40 points below career norms. If I made an identical post about Utley, people would say okay (unless you want to go out of your way to be proven wrong the rest of the year). The standard of proof is higher for Ibanez for some reason.