Sportsrageous

The 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies have just wrapped up spring training in clearwater Florida. Now the team must get primed for the long haul of a 162 game season behind 6th year Manager Charlie Manuel in their quest for another World Championship. The headlines of the offseason have been their acquisition of veteran ace pitcher Cliff Lee in free agency and the new contract extension for Charlie Manuel that will keep him with the Phillies throughout the 2013 season. Many believe the Phillies have assembled arguably the best pitching rotation in the history of the game.  One thing not in the Phillies favor thus far has been their multitude of injuries and questions surrounding the ability for the club to replace former outfielder Jason Werth.

Coming off their defeat to the eventual champion San Francisco Giants in the NLCS last season the Phillies went out and beefed up their pitching. Free Agent Cliff Lee signed a 5-year $120 million dollar deal. With Cliff Lee returning to Philadelphia, the Phillies boast the most loaded pitching staff in the majors. The rest of the staff includes returners Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Jeff Blanton. Many feel this staff has the potential to win 100 games becoming the first to do so since the 2009 Yankees who went on to defeat the Phillies in the 2009 World Series.

The injuries of players in key roles on the team will definitely be an obstacle, on their path to 100 wins. Starting second basemen Chase Utley said he has no timetable for his return from patellar tendinitis. Some speculate he may not return until July. Brad Lidge who is in his fourth season with the Phillies will miss the first three to six weeks of the season with a tear in his posterior rotator cuff.  The positive news is neither Utley nor Lidge will require surgery. On the other ‘hand’ Dominic Brown will need surgery to repair his broken right hand he suffered early in March. The timetable for his return is between four to six weeks.

The Phillies have the tough task of trying to keep the ship afloat without causing any more damage to the remaining crew.  Wilson Valdez will have to fill in for Chase Utley until his return. Last season Valdez had a .258 batting average with 4 home runs, and 35 RBI’s in 111 games with 333 at bats. Not quite the numbers of Utley but he is a suitable temporary replacement. In the outfield Ben Francisco will be the answer until Brown can nurse his hand back to 100%. He finished last with a .268 batting average, hitting 6 home runs, and driving in 28 runs in 88 games with 179 at bats.  Both men have the advantage of starting the season at their positions instead of being forced into a potentially uncomfortable situation mid-way through a season.

The Phillies open their season with a series against the visiting Houston Astros beginning on Friday and ending on Sunday. Their next three opponents all of which are division foes will be the New York Mets who they play April 5^th-April 7^th, the Atlanta Braves April 8^th- April 10^th, the Washington Nationals April 12^th-April 14^th, and the Florida Marlins April 15^th-April 17^th. This should be a good test for the Phillies and great indication for Charlie Manuel as to the readiness of team with a heavy mix of division games.