The sun is shining brightly here in Clearwater, Fla., a city where one can purchase illegal fireworks and a big bottle of Boone's Farms Chablis with a twist-off cap at the Target on the Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. It should be noted that folks tell me that the Chablis goes nicely with the grouper they like to eat with damn-near everything around these parts.
You got your grouper sandwich...
You got your grouper kabob...
Grouper fritters...
Sautéed grouper...
Buffalo-style grouper...
Blackened grouper...
Grouper Mediterranean...
Also around these parts, the Phillies opened the Grapefruit League season with a resounding 8-1 victory over the new-look Cincinnati Reds yesterday at Bright House Field. The big story of the game, of course, was the Phils' pitching, mostly because scoring eight runs ain't no thang for the club's offense. The truth is, the Phillies are going to bash the hell out of the ball this summer, but we'll dive into that in a bit.
Back to the pitching...
As noted extensively and exclusively (for the first time since the last time), cagey vet Jamie Moyer was stellar in his three-inning stint. His lack of velocity on his fastball was in mid-season form and, as the lefty noted, his curve and change are a step or so ahead of the hitters at this point in the spring.
"I got away with a lot of pitches. The first strikeout to (Ryan) Freel was a real bad pitch, but those guys are just getting started as hitters. I would never get away with that during the regular season," Moyer opined. "I don't like to make pitches like that, but when you do it forces you to figure out what's going on. I think, if anything, that's what I take out of it. It took me two innings to figure out the minor things and now I'll have something to work on for my next bullpen moving ahead."
Mentioned, though not delved into too deeply, was the fact that Rule 5 pick-up Travis Blackley also tossed three shutout innings in relief of Moyer. Certainly the outing bodes well for the left-handed Australian in his quest (yes, a quest!) to make the ballclub. If Blackley doesn't make the club he has to be offered back to the Giants, and only if the Giants don't want him back can the Phillies slip him down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
It's the same type of deal the Phillies had with Shane Victorino two years ago when the Dodgers didn't take him back.
Anyway, Blackley says he likes what he's seen from his Phillies' teammates so far and really hopes he can fill a role on the pitching staff.
"I'd prefer to start. I've always started, but I just want to pitch at that level," Blackley said. "I'm just down to throw. If it happens to be a bullpen spot, sweet, I'll take it. If it doesn't work out here, I'm throwing for other teams as well."
Grouper parmesan...
Grouper chowder...
Grouper casserole...
Grouper au gratin...
Pan-seared grouper with curry cous cous...
As for the offense, all the big off-season acquisitions smacked doubles. Infielders Eric Bruntlett and Pedro Feliz went 2-for-2, while Geoff Jenkins went 1-for-3.
The theory floating around is that the Phillies should count on big years from Jenkins and Feliz because they can comfortably slide into the team's lineup without any pressure to carry the load. For the Brewers, Jenkins was counted on to slug 30-plus homers and to be the team's main run producer for years, but with the Phillies he will likely bat sixth in the lineup comfortably behind Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell.
Out of San Francisco, Feliz no longer has to protect Barry Bonds in the batting order. Instead, he'll fit into the battom-third of the order and could be a 30-homer threat at cozy, Citizens Bank Park.
Anyway, here's the lineup for this afternoon's epic tilt against the Pirates here at Bright House Field:
11 - Rollins, ss 99 - Taguchi, cf 26 - Utley, 2b 6 - Howard, 1b 7 - Feliz, 3b 10 - Jenkins, rf 28 - Werth, lf 19 - Dobbs, dh 51 - Ruiz, c
Pitchers: Kyle Kendrick; Joe Savery; Josh Outman; Francisco Rosario; Lincoln Holdzkom.