Buzz On Broad

Phillies Sign Carlos Zambrano

Former long-time Chicago Cub, Carlos Zambrano, has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Zambrano, 31, will participate later this week in an extended spring training assignment down in Clearwater.  He has a 3.66 ERA and a 132-91 overall record thus far in his 12-season career.

The recent injury of Roy Halladay and the prior John Lannan sparked the Phillies' interest in acquiring another starter, particularly a veteran.

Earlier this week, a Venezuelen source reported the news of the signing, but Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. called such news "extremely premature".  Well, it's a reality now, and Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock has his optimism about the signing. 

"We're just looking to add some starting pitching depth and some experience. No promises were made. It's low risk and hopefully high reward.  We got positive feedback from everybody who has interacted with him recently. We did our due diligence. It's just good business."

This signing could go either way, it could extremely help the ailing rotation but it also could hurt team chemistry due to his agressive-like behavior.  Hopefully the latter never comes about.

Matt Rappa is a Contributor for Buzz on Broad. You can find him on Twitter @mattrappa.

Pettibone Improves to 3-0 as Phils Win Series Opener, 6-2.

Final: Indians 2, Phillies 6.

WP: Jonathan Pettibone (3-0, 3.41 ERA) LP: Scott Kazmir (2-2, 5.33 ERA)

Think Scott Kazmir dislikes pitching at Citizens Bank Park? Compare his last start in Philadelphia, the game where the Phillies won their second-franchise World Series championship, to tonight. Sure, there is hardly any adrenaline going for a pitcher in the month of May that compares to anything like playoff baseball, but it appears as if his career has declined since the Fall Classic five years ago.

2008 World Series Game 5	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA	BF	Pit	Str
Scott Kazmir	4	4	2	2	6	5	0	4.21	23	103	62

Tuesday, May 14, 2013	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA	BF	Pit	Str
Scott Kazmir	5	6	4	4	2	3	2	5.33	24	96	60

The Phils' bats were alive tonight, and Domonic Brown & John Mayberry were the unexpected center pieces of the production.  Brown went 2-4 with 2 runs scored and a solo-home run for his seventh overall of the season.  Mayberry was even better, going 3-4 with 3 RBIs and a stolen base.  

Jonathan Pettibone surely took advantage of the run support he received tonight as he threw well enough to earn his third win of the season and also his career.  He lasted a career-high 6.2 innings, allowing just two runs on four hits and two walks.  92 of his 57 total pitches were thrown for strikes.

Cole Hamels starts tomorrow afternoon as the Phillies look to sweep the short, two-game series. First-pitch set for 1:05 pm ET. 

Game Summary After the Jump

Eagles Sign Former Cowboys RB Felix Jones

Here is a Tuesday morning player signing for you. The Philadelphia Eagles have signed former Dallas Cowboys running back Felix Jones to a one year deal. To make room on the roster, the Eagles released WR Marvin McNutt. 

Jones is an interesting signing for the Eagles because right now they have a crowded backfield with the likes of LeSean McCoy, Bryce Brown, Chris Polk, and undrafted rookie free agents Miguel Maysonet and Matthew Tucker. When Felix Jones is healthy he can bring a different dynamic to the game and that is speed.

Jones is currently 26 years old and worked out with the Eagles after being with the Cowboys for five seasons and never cracked 1,000 yards rushing. As I said, Felix Jones is good when healthy but throughout his career has battled knee and ankle injuries. His career high in rushing yards came in 2010 with 800 and that would be the closest he would get to 1,000 yards. 

Last season with the Cowboys, he played in all 16 games for them even though he lost the starting job to DeMarco Murray. In those 16 games, he rushed for a total of 402 yards, caught 25 passes for 262 yards, and scored five touchdowns. This would only be the second time in his career that he would play in all 16 games. 

Follow me on twitter @Jovan10 for Sixers, College Basketball, NFL, MLB, and all sports updates.

For any questions contact me via email: jovan.alford@gmail.com

Kendrick Solid, Howard Pulls Through to Secure 4-2 Win; Phils-Dbacks Split Series.

Final: Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 2.

WP: Justin DeFratus (1-0, 0.00 ERA) LP: Matt Reynolds (0-1, 0.96 ERA) SV: Jonathan Papelbon (7)

Trailing 2-0 in the top of the ninth inning, having been shutout by opposing starter Brandon McCarthy for eight innings, the Phillies got to Heath Bell and tied to game.   Chase Utley led the inning off with a double to deep right field, and Ryan Howard followed by advancing him to third on a groundout.  Then, Delmon Young doubled-home Chase on a ball down the middle of the plate by Bell, cutting their deficit in half.  The very next pitch, with John Mayberry pinch-running for D. Young, Domonic Brown singled him home and tied the game on his 18th RBI of the season.

Video Courtesy of MLB.com: Domonic Brown chases down a deep fly ball to left and reaches over the fence to rob a home run from Eric Chavez in the third

Kyle Kendrick threw a respectable seven innings today, allowing just two runs on six hits and zero walks.  The only runs he allowed were in the first inning, a leadoff home run to Parra and an A.J. Pollock RBI single to score Eric Chavez.  Afterwards, he was nearly unhittable and appeared once again to be the effective, efficient pitcher he has been thus far in 2013.  He received a no-decision today.

Then came the top of the tenth inning.  With runners on second and third and one out, Ryan Howard finally broke out of his slump and picked up his first hit of the series with a two-run RBI single to right field.  He was 0 for his last 18 with 10 strikeouts up to that point.

Justin DeFratus earned the win, throwing for the first time in the bigs this season after being recently promoted.   Jonathan Papelbon recorded his seventh save of the season, the 264th overall in his career.

The Phils have off tomorrow as they travel back home to Citizens Bank Park to conclude the westcoast road trip.  They will face the Cleveland Indians for a two-game series, before hosting the Phillies Phestival on Thursday in an effort to fight Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS.  First-pitch Tuesday is set for 7:05 pm ET, as Jonathan Pettibone will oppose Scott Kazmir, former 2008 American League Champion of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Game Summary after the jump.

Lee Earns Fourth Victory of Season, Papelbon Records Five-Out Save as Phils Win, 3-1.

Final: Phillies 3, Diamondbacks 1.

WP: Cliff Lee (4-2, 2.86 ERA) LP: Trevor Cahill (2-4, 2.70 ERA) SV: Jonathan Papelbon (6)

Cliff Lee, Jimmy Rollins, Ben Revere & Domonic Brown.  These four Phillies were the key contributors in tonight's action in securing the Phillies their 17th victory of the season.  Rollins recorded the game's first two RBIs, a sac-fly in a 5th and a single in the seventh that each brought home center fielder Ben Revere.  Domonic Brown provided a necessary insurance run in the top of the eighth inning to extend the lead to 3-0.

Jonathan Papelbon came in with one out in the bottom of the eighth, relieving Antonio Bastardo.  He recorded the five out save for his sixth save of 2013, the 263rd of his career.

Cliff lasted seven shutout innings, allowing just six hits and two walks while striking out six batters. He threw 114 pitches, 78 of them for strikes, and earned his fourth victory of the season.  He is now 129-80 overall in his 12-year career.   Batting-wise, Lee had three sacrifices bunts in his three total plate appearances. Thus he had no official at-bat, keeping his batting average at .231.

Kyle Kendrick (4-1) will start tomorrow in the series finale on Mother's Day.  First-pitch is set for 4:10 pm ET, and the game can be seen on MyPHL17. 

Game Summary after the jump.

Sixers Hire Hinkie, Optimistic for Future

The search for a new general manager and president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, the third-most winningest playoff team in NBA history, has come to a close.  Former executive for the Houston Rockets, Sam Hinkie, ultimately got the coveted open  job.

Hinkie, replacing president Rod Thorn and general manager Tony DiLeo, is known league-wide for taking the Moneyball approach.  Essentially, he focuses on statistics and analysis when evaluating players throughout the league.  

Hinkie will be tested early, as his first move will be in hiring the next coach for the Sixers.  His second move might be just as important, deciding the future of Andrew Bynum on the team.

Matt Rappa is a contributor for Buzz on Broad. You can find him on Twitter at @mattrappa.

Phils Rally Late; Lose in Extras, 4-3.

Final: Phillies 3, Giants 4.

WP: Javier Lopez (1-0, 3.24 ERA) LP: Antonio Bastardo (1-1, 1.69 ERA)

Trailing 3-1 in the top of the ninth inning, the Phillies refused to give up,  having already won the first two games of the series, and get ready to travel to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks.  With Sergio Romo on the mound for San Francisco, Jimmy Rollins started the inning off right with a double to deep right field.  Kevin Frandsen followed by fouling out, allowing Rollins to advance to third base.  After Michael Young walked to put runners on the corners, Chase Utley singled-home Rollins to shrink their deficit to just one run.  With Michael Young now on third base, Delmon Young hit a sacrifice fly RBI to right fielder Hunter Pence, tying the game at three runs a piece.

Jonathan Pettibone made his fourth career start this afternoon.  He lasted five and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and four walks.  One of his earned runs allowed was a home run to former Phillie, Hunter Pence, in the bottom of the second inning.  

Barry Zito was extremely effective for the Giants today, going a solid seven-strong innings, allowing just one run on four hits and no walks.  He allowed a home run to 1B Kevin Frandsen in the top of the fourth inning, Frandsen's first of the season.

Despite the late-rally for the Phils, the bullpen couldn't hold down the fort in extras as lefty Antonio Bastardo in the bottom of the tenth allowed the Giants' winning run to come home on an Andres Torres RBI single to right field.

Cole Hamels starts tomorrow evening in Arizona, as he looks to get back on the right-track and improve his rather disappointing 1-4 overall record.  First pitch is set for 9:40 pm ET.

Game Summary after the jump.

Roy Halladay Will Undergo Surgery, Hopes To Pitch This Season

(via Philadelphia Phillies)

After being put on the disabled list, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay will undergo surgery. In a press conference on Wednesday, Doc Halladay said he will be undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder. Halladay said he has a partial tear in his rotator cuff, due to a bone spur. 

"The doctor seemed pretty optimistic that if what they saw was correct that I could come back and be a lot more effective and have a chance to pitch this year. He said he thought they could turn back the clock two or three years for me. I thought it was very good news. Obviously I don't want to miss time, but as far as scenarios go, I thought it was a lot better than some of the things I anticipated."

"In certain cases, it's been three months, but we really don't have a timetable. I think the timetable is going to come once they go in and confirm that hey, what we saw in the X-rays is exactly what we saw when we went in there. ... They were definitely optimistic that I would be back this year."

Sergei Bobrovsky Is A Vezina Trophy Finalist

(via Columbus Blue Jackets)

What's worse than having a starting goaltender who ducks when a shot is coming towards him? A goaltender who used to play for your team, who was traded to a struggling franchise and then becoming a Vezina Trophy finalists.

Former Flyers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky was named a finalst for the NHL's best goaltender. Bob, along with Antti Niemi and defending Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist, are the three finalists for the honor.

Bobrovsky finished the season with a 21-11-6 record, and was 7th in the NHL in wins. His play almost led a Rick Nash-less organization to the postseason. Bob registered a .932 save percentage (2nd in the NHL), and a 2.00 goals against average, which was 5th in the NHL. He also had four shutouts on the season. 

The Philadelphia Flyers traded Sergei Bobrovsky to Columbus in exchange for three draft picks, which was eventually Anthony Stolarz, Taylor Leier and a fourth rounder in this upcoming draft.

After the jump, the best of Sergei Bobrovsky as a Blue Jacket and a Vezina finalists:

Roy Halladay Placed on 15-Day Disabled List; Joe Savery Recalled

Today, the Phillies placed starting pitcher Roy Halladay on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his throwing shoulder.

Halladay said the pain is something new this spring, and that it began after his last start.

"It started the morning after I pitched against Pittsburgh," Halladay said. "I woke up and didn't really think anything of it. It was just kind of regular soreness. This kind of progressed over the last two weeks or so. It's right-shoulder discomfort."

Left-handed pitcher Joe Savery has been recalled to take his place on the 25-man roster, but there's no word yet on who will take his place in the rotation.