Making his highly anticipated debut for the Phillies is Roy Halladay, who was acquired in a trade this winter.  Halladay is projected by nearly everyone to win the National League Cy Young award, as he was dominant for much of his career in the American League East.  The National League East, while still a tough division, isn’t as strong offensively as the AL East, and Doc will also get to face the Mets, Marlins, and Nationals multiple times a year.  Not quite the same as facing the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays.

John Lannan will make his second-consecutive Opening Day start for Washington.  The 25-year old went 9-13 last year, while posting a respectable 3.88 ERA in more than 200 innings.

Other things to watch for:

Placido Polanco will make his Phillies debut (but not really a debut) today as well, as he’ll man the hot corner and bat in the #2 hole.  Polanco should bring even more offense to this already potent Philly lineup.

Nationals prospect Ian Desmond will begin the season as their starting shortstop, and will bat 8^th.  Desmond appeared in 21 games last season, posting a .280 average.

With Brad Lidge, JC Romero, and Joe Blanton all starting the season on the disabled list, the Phillies bullpen will be a bit thin.  Kyle Kendrick will come from the bullpen to take over for Blanton in the rotation until he’s healthy.  Kendrick had a phenomenal spring, but was unable to take Jamie Moyer’s spot in the rotation away from him.  While the Blanton injury certainly isn’t good news, it will allow Philadelphia to see Kendrick start again, and to see if he can carry over what he started in the spring.  Ryan Madson will be the primary closer while Lidge is out, also.

President Barrack Obama will throw out the first pitch.

After all, the Philadelphia Phillies have now acquired the most dominant pitcher in baseball over the past six or so seasons.  A former Cy Young winner. A six-time All Star.  A complete game machine.  A true work horse.  A proven ace.  And he did it all while pitching in perhaps the best offensive division in baseball.

I like the deal, and think it was a good deal for the franchise, despite what other fans and members of the media are saying.  Basically, I will combine the deal that brought Lee to Philly in the summer of 2009 with the deal that sent him to Seattle, and also netted the Phillies Roy Halladay.  I break it down like this:

Philadelphia Phillies

Give up:  Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp, Lou Marson, Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, Travis D’Arnaud, and Cliff Lee

Receive:  Usage of Cliff Lee for 1/2 season and playoff run, Ben Francisco, Roy Halladay, Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, Juan Ramirez, and $6 million.

Now, let’s break down the prospects (and keep in mind, many of these are very small sample sizes):

Carlos Carrasco:  Carrasco will be 23 by the time the 2010 season starts, and while he has been the top prospect in the Phillies system for a while, he hasn’t progressed like they had hoped.  He never made it up to the big club during his time in Philadelphia, but was called up after arriving in Cleveland and posted an 8.23 ERA and a 2.28 WHIP through 22.1 innings, going 0-4 through 5 starts.

Jason Donald:  Donald, a shortstop who is blocked by perennial Gold Glove winner Jimmy Rollins, was basically expendable.  The Phillies thought about, and tried for a while, to convert Donald to a third baseman, but it didn’t work out.  Donald batted .285 with an .804 OPS through 4 seasons and 359 games in the minors.

Lou Marson:  Marson was once thought of as the catcher of the future in Philadelphia, but like Carrasco, didn’t develop as quickly as many had hoped.  Add to that the emergence of Carlos Ruiz behind the plate for the Phillies, and Marson was virtually expendable.  In 22 games in the Majors with Philly and Cleveland, Marson has a .262 average and a .771 OPS.

Jason Knapp:  Knapp is a young fireballer who is said to throw in the upper 90′s.  In 2 seasons between rookie and A ball, Knapp posted a 3.80 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP through 128 innings.  He also had an impressive 11.7  K/9, with a 4.1 BB/9.

Kyle Drabek:  Drabek is believed to be the piece that the Phillies refused to move in the summer of ’09 when making a run at Roy Halladay.  Apparently, they changed their mind.  Drabek, son of Cy Young winner Doug Drabek, was a highly touted pitching prospect even after going through a Tommy John surgery early in his career.

Michael Taylor:  Taylor, one of the Phillies top outfield prospects, along with Domonic Brown, was flipped to the Oakland A’s shortly after being shipped to the Jays.  Taylor put up nice numbers, with a .312 average and a .898 OPS through 314 games in the minors.

Travis D’Arnaud:  D’Arnaud, another catching prospect, had a .267 average and a .746 OPS through 231 games.  D’Arnaud was rated above Marson by many, but Marson was, and still is, closer to the Majors.

Cliff Lee:  Of course, what can you say about Cliff Lee?  Lee, a former Cy Young winner, was acquired mid-season from Cleveland and pitched great down the stretch for the Phillies.  Of course, he is a free agent after the 2010 season and reports said that he wasn’t open to negotiating an extension yet.  So, the Phillies did what they could and moved him to replenish the prospects they lost in acquiring Roy Halladay.

In addition, Philadelphia received $6 million to cover the salary difference between Halladay and Lee.

The deal that sent Cliff Lee to the Mariners was partially financially motivated, but also replenished the farm system with a pair of young arms and talented outfielder.  The Mariners, looking to add another top arm to go along with young stud Felix Hernandez, sent a highly touted Canadian prospect to Philly.  Phillippe Aumont is said to have “top of the rotation, ace stuff” by scouts.  Juan Ramirez is projected as a potential #2 starter by scouts, and Tyson Gillies is a young Canadian outfielder who is a great story.  Gillies is partially deaf and has to wear special hearing aids just to hear his coaches and teammates.  The 21-year old batted .341 through 124 games, while also swiping 41 bases in High A ball last year.  Ramirez is a starter from Nicaragua who has a fastball that can touch 96 mph, and is still very young.

So, all in all, the Phillies got what they wanted:  Roy Halladay locked up for a long time with a below-market value contract and a few prospects in order to replenish the farm system.

Now, could the Phillies have kept Cliff Lee and also acquired Roy Halladay?  Sure, in a perfect world.  And if they were the Yankees.  Fact is, they’re not.  And this isn’t a perfect world.  Amaro did the right thing here.  He acquired a dominant starter, locked him up in an amazingly cheap deal given what he would’ve commanded on an open marked, and didn’t completely gut the farm system.  They could’ve kept Lee for the year and had the best top of the rotation in baseball, but been well over budget, and have a suddenly shallow pool of talent in the minors…or they could flip Lee to the Mariners, and acquire a few solid prospects while also freeing up a little bit of money to fill other needs such as the bullpen and and some bench players.

In the end, Ruben Amaro & Co. made the right decision, at least for the time being.  Time will tell, and we won’t know for several years who truly won in this deal.  But for now, I like the deal.  And you will too, as soon as you see Doc Halladay take the hill for your Philadelphia Phillies this spring.

The Phillies are apparently prepared to offer the Blue Jays a package consisting of at least J.A. Happ, plus either Domonic Brown or Michael Taylor for Roy Halladay.  I have no problem including Happ in the deal, and while I’d prefer to hold on to both Brown and Taylor, if I had to part with one, I’d hope it would be Taylor.  Of course, if this deal happens, then the Phillies will have little or no choice but to find somewhere to ship Joe Blanton in order to free up cap space.

The Phillies filled the spot at the hot corner, inking former Phil Placido Polanco to a 3 year deal.  I like the move, but would’ve preferred a 2 year deal.  Regardless, if we weren’t going to get Chone Figgins, Polanco is the guy I wanted.  A lot of fans wanted to see Adrian Beltre in red pinstripes, but aside from one (possibly steroid filled?) season, Beltre hasn’t been an offensive force.  That’s what the Phillies were looking for after replacing Pedro Feliz, as Feliz was a good defensive player.  Some people wanted Mark DeRosa, but I’m just not a fan.  Sure, he went to Penn, and I’m sure he’d like to come back to Philly to play every day at 3rd, but I’ll pass.  The only problem I have with adding Polanco (and it was the same I had with DeRosa) is his age.  As time goes on, he’ll need days off periodically and that means seeing Greg Dobbs at 3rd.  Now, I like Dobbs as a pinch hitter, but that’s as far as it goes.  I do not want to see Dobbs at 3rd every 5 or 6 games…That’s just not good for us.

The Phillies also added some pieces to their bench, including former Met Brian Schneider and former Marlin Ross Gload.  I have no problem with either of these moves, and I can’t wait to see the fan group for Ross Gload at Da Bank.  Gload’s Loads will be representing, I’m sure.

Now, on to the big topic…

OMG THE PHILLIES ARE GOING TO GO AFTER ROY HALLADAY!!1!!111 OMGZ

Do not get your hopes up, it’s probably not going to happen.  Of course, I’d blow my “Gload” (see what I did there?) if the Phils had Lee/Halladay/Hamels as the 1-2-3, but it’s probably not worth what it would cost.  I have no problem trading J.A. Happ, because while I like the guy, he certainly isn’t as good as he was last year.  But, once you start throwing around the names of Michael Taylor, Domonic Brown, Kyle Drabek, etc., I quickly lose my hard-on for Doc.  A likely one year rental for Halladay, or the future of our franchise?  Ruben and Co. are smart enough to know what they’re doing, and they’re trying to ensure that, while we’re in the hunt for another World Series championship now, we’re also competitive in the future.  Trading away our top prospects increases our chances for the 2010 season, but then what do we have from the 2011 season on when we lose Lee and Halladay to free agency, as well as likely a few key position players, not to mention the fact that Rollins, Ibanez, Utley, etc. aren’t getting any younger?  If Halladay can be had for a one year rental for the likes of Happ and a few of our prospects who aren’t blue chip guys, go for it.  But chances are, it isn’t going to happen.

It was also reported that the Phillies were inquiring about Cuban defect Aroldis Chapman.  Chapman is said to be one of the top 3 pitchers in the world who is not currently in the MLB.  The 6’4 lefty has a 102 mph heater, and will get a lot of attention.  Could the Phillies acquire Chapman?  Personally, I would prefer the Phillies to concentrate on Aroldis Chapman as oppose to Doc Halladay.  Do they have the money to spend on Chapman?  Doubtful.  But they could create some room to wiggle a bit, as it’s been reported that Joe Blanton might be made available for the right price.  Blanton is due for a nice pay raise due to arbitration, and will command a pretty hefty deal once he hits free agency after this season.  I’m mixed on trading Big Joe, as he’s been one of our most consistent starters over the past year.  However, chances are we won’t be able to afford him once he hits the market.  So, trade him now for the most return, wait until the deadline and see what happens mid-season, or stick to him and hope you can retain him?

In Flyers news, well, they’ve looked like shit.  They’ve lost Razor Ray Emery to an abdominal tear, Gagne is still out, their head coach has been fired, and there have been various other injuries and suspensions.  Last night, they thumped the Islanders for their second win since November 18th.  Their other win?  Against the Islanders…Let’s hope the Flyers can turn things around under a new coach, Boucher can hold steady in net, and Simon can get back soon.

But, if you stop and think about it, we should be saddened, but not disappointed.  This has been an incredible 3 year run unlike any other this franchise has seen in it’s 126 years.  We’ve won 3 division titles in 3 years.  We’ve won 2 National League pennants.  And we’ve won one World Series.  Before this fall, this franchise had never won back to back pennants.  That’s something that is very hard to do, and something to be proud of, for sure.

This core group of players are very talented, and many are home grown.  2 Rookie of the Years, 2 NL MVPs, a perennial homerun king, the best second baseman in the game, a couple of Gold Glovers, and a man behind the plate who just seems to improve as time goes by.  That’s something to be proud of.

The front office has made some great moves, including one big trade for a former Cy Young winner, who helped us win our second consecutive pennant.  A few other moves, who we might not have thought were big deals at the time, such as the deadline deal for Joe Blanton in 2008, who has been solid, and the midseason pickup of Pedro Martinez, who was good as well.  Add to that the addition of Raul Ibanez via free agency, who was simply incredible in the first half of the season, and Pat Gillick and Ruben Amaro Jr. have been very good to us.  We may have all been concerned when Pat Gillick announced his retirement, but Ruben Amaro Jr. has been solid in his first season as GM.  It didn’t help that Gillick stayed on as an advisor, either…

In addition to all that, we lost the voice of our franchise, Mr. Harry Kalas this season.  HK had an enormous impact on many Phillie fans, and was missed a great deal.  The Phillies did Harry proud this year, and at times, I found myself imagining him making these calls instead of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, who truly made me appreciate Mr. Kalas…

All in all, we have nothing to hang our heads about.  Sure, it just plain sucks to lose this World Series, but it would hurt a hell of a lot more if we hadn’t won it all last year.  Keep your heads held high, and wear that Philly “P” proudly.  February 15 is just right around the corner…

The Phillies will send Pedro Martinez to the hill in game 6 at Yankee Stadium.  The Yankees will counter with Andy Pettitte, who will be going on short rest.  Pedro was good for much of the game in Game 2, but AJ Burnett was simply better.  Martinez has a lot of experience against the Bronx Bombers, and the Phillies will be banking on him being able to use that experience to even this series at 3 games each.

Chase Utley, who has been amazingly hot, will probably see very few pitches to hit.  Utley has 5 homeruns in as many games this series, tying “Mr. October” himself, Reggie Jackson, for the World Series record.  The key to Game 6 will be the bats of Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, and Ryan Howard.  If Rollins and Victorino can consistently reach base, the Yankees will be forced to pitch to Utley more often.  Also, if Ryan Howard can get some good swings and start hitting the ball like he did in the NLDS and NLCS, the Yankees will have to think twice about putting an extra runner on base ahead of “The Big Piece.”

A lot of talk has been about the pitching for this game, but I think it’s going to come down more to the bats.  Pedro and Pettitte will likely both be good, but hittable, and it will be up to a few key players.  Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira have to start getting on base and getting good swings consistently for the Yankees.  Likewise, Rollins and Victorino must get on base in order to force New York to pitch to the big boys in the middle of the Philly lineup.

This should be a good game, and I’m really hoping the Phils can send this to Game 7 because I don’t think I can quite handle watching the $200 million team celebrate tomorrow.

Chase Utley was clutch once again, hitting a pair of homers to bring his World Series total to 5 in as many games.  Utley hit his first homerun of the night on the first pitch he saw in the 1st inning.  Jimmy Rollins reached with a lead off single, and then Shane Victorino was hit by a pitch on the right hand while squaring to bunt.  That set it up for Utley, and he deposited the first pitch he saw in to the right field seats.

AJ Burnett, who was pitching on 3 days rest for just the 4th time in his career, was hit hard and early.  The Phillies tagged him for 6 ER in 2+ innings pitched.  The Yankee bullpen did a fine job, holding the Phillies to just a pair of solo homeruns in the 7 remaining innings.

With the win, the Phillies earn the right to fight at least one more day.  They head to the Bronx to take on the Yanks on Wednesday night.  The Phillies will likely send Pedro Martinez to the mound to face Andy Pettitte, who will be going on short rest.

Lee will get the start tonight, at the last game of the 2009 season at Citizens Bank Park, in hopes of keeping the Phillies alive to fight one more day. He’ll have to face AJ Burnett and a Yankees team that can almost taste the champagne. The Phillies must win in order to send this game back to New York for a game 6.

The offense needs to wake up and get on the board early, and Lee needs to just continue exactly what he’s done all postseason: dominate. This is a team that has shown us we should never give up on them, never count them out, but it’s getting harder and harder to keep faith in them. Down 3-1 in a best of 7 series is difficult to overcome, especially when 2 of the final 3 games will be played in New York. But, this Phillies team has shown they can come back from seemingly insurmountable deficits. Remember September of 2007 and 2008…Remember some individual games this season. This team has that “never say die” attitude, but can they keep it up to fight another day? Time will tell, in less than 6 hours, actually.

I just don’t have it in me to write a recap of last nights game. That 8th inning got me so pumped up, and I just knew we were gonna come back and tie this series at 2 games. Then, as quickly as we tied it up, the wheels fell off and suddenly we were down by 3 runs facing Mariano Rivera with 3 outs left.

I don’t wanna get in to the talk about Brad Lidge or Cole Hamels right now. Once the season ends, I’ll get in to that. But this season isn’t over. We’ve still got 3 games to win, or 1 game to lose…we’ll know which one it is shortly.

The key to this game will be the Phillies offense. Ryan Howard, after a torrid NLDS and NLCS, has struggled mightily. He, not Blanton or Sabathia, could be the key to this game. Howard has to get things going, as he is this team’s biggest run producer. He’s been fed a steady diet of fastballs in and breaking balls away, and he’s either got to find a way to adjust, or stay alive long enough to let the pitcher make a mistake.

After a deflating Game 3, the Phillies Phaithful will have to show up big tonight. The Phillies need this crowd to be loud and do their best to help get the home team rolling, and to get in this Yankee team’s heads. However, this Phillies team needs to give their fans something to cheer about first.

During the game, I’ll be posting comments and thoughts after innings 3, 6, and at the conclusion of the game.

Innings 1-3

• Blanton gave up a pair of leadoff hits, but managed to escape the 1st after giving up only 2 runs.
• A-Fraud was hit for the 3rd time in 2 nights, and both teams received warnings…
• Back to back doubles by Victorino and Utley resulted in the first Phillies run. Utley narrowly missed out on a 2 run homerun, with a double off the right-centerfield wall.
• The Phillies have done a good job working Sabathia’s pitch count up in the early part of this game. He’s at 46 pitches with 27 for strikes through 3 innings.
• Blanton’s pitch count is at just 32 pitches through 3 innings, with 20 for strikes. He hasn’t given up a hit since the double to Damon in the 1st.

Innings 4-6

• After a single by Ryan Howard, a stolen base, then an RBI single by Pedro Feliz, the Phillies finally tied the game at 2 thanks to 2 of their coldest hitters coming through.
• After a leadoff walk and an infield hit to start the 5th, however, the Phillies gave up 2 more runs to fall behind 4-2.  Blanton worked out of the 2 on, 0 out jam to escape after giving up just 2 runs thanks to flyouts from Teixeira and A-Roid.
• Philadelphia had a great chance in the bottom of the 5th inning.  Rollins and Victorino both reached to start the inning, but Sabathia was able to get Utley and Howard to pop out before striking out Jayson Werth.  Blown opportunities like that can come back to haunt you, so let’s hope that the Phillies can get some more opportunities and capitalize on them.  Plenty of baseball left to be played.
• Blanton has thrown 94 pitches through 6 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 walks, 4 runs and striking out 7.  He’ll likely be replaced by Chan Ho Park to start the 7th.
• Sabathia is at 95 pitches through 6 innings.  The bottom of the Phillies order was unable to be patient with Sabathia and work the count, and despite allowing a hit, he was able to get through the 6th inning on just 7 pitches.
• Melky Cabrera appeared to pull something in his leg and was replaced in centerfield by Brett Gardner.

Hamels looked great for the first 3 innings, and his only baserunner through 3 innings was Alex Rodriguez, after he hit A-Rod with his first pitch.  However, A-Rod would return the favor.  After a walk to Teixeira, A-Rod hit a ball off the top of the right field wall for a double.  However, replays showed the ball actually hitting off the camera above the wall, and the umpires reversed their call in favor of a homerun.  From there, Hames lost it.  And with that, the Phillies lost the game.

I’m not gonna go in to an in depth recap, tell you all the stats, who did what, etc.  Frankly, I don’t wanna think about it.  The only bright spot for the Phillies was the continuing postseason power of Jayson Werth, who hit a pair of homers.  Unfortunately, the sacks were empty each time for Werth, resulting in just 2 runs in 2 long drives…

We’ll look to Joe Blanton tonight to get us back on track against the short rested CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees.  Let’s hope Big Joe can get us going with a strong outing, and our offense can punish the tired Sabathia.