Phour for Phour: Win a Pair of Free Phillies Tickets!

Resurrection was the theme on Sunday, as both the Flyers and Sixers gained new life in their respective playoff series. Meanwhile, the Phillies broke out the brooms as Halladay struck out 14 hitters in the finale of a four game sweep of the Padres.

In this week’s edition of Phour for Phour, we’ll take an in-depth look at a rollercoaster week of Philadelphia sports, as well as give one lucky reader a free pair of Phillies tickets.

The Good

- Ville-delphia!

After back to back losses to the Sabres, one of which was a heartbreaking overtime loss, the Flyers found themselves facing elimination on Sunday in Buffalo.

After the first period, Philadelphia was staring down a two goal deficit, which subsequently led to yet another change at the goalie position. With Brian Boucher in and Michael Leighton out, the Flyers fought back, tying the game halfway through the third period on a wrister from Scott Hartnell.

Once again, they found themselves in overtime, but in a reversal of fortune, it was Buffalo who found themselves on the receiving end of heartbreak, courtesy of Ville Leino and his game winning goal.

The series now heads back to Philadelphia for a crucial game seven on Tuesday night.  For the week, the Flyers were 2-2.

Question:  How confident are you in the Flyers entering game seven?

- The Fantastic … Five?

Last week, we lauded the efforts of the Phillies starting pitching rotation, sans Joe Blanton. 

This week, Blanton has returned to form with back-to-back quality starts, ending the week with a line of 14 innings pitched while giving up four earned runs and striking out eight. 

Though he will never be a front-of-the-rotation starter, Blanton isn’t nearly as bad as he seemed over his first few starts.  Aside from the occasional meltdown, he’ll give you six to seven innings while giving up two to three runs.  You’ll have a hard time finding another team that can boast such expectations from its fifth start.

For the week, the Phillies starting pitchers threw 49 and 1/3 innings, giving up 13 earned runs while striking out 38 batters.  That’s a 2.37 ERA for the starting five, which led to a 5-2 record for the week and the first four-game sweep of the Padres in San Diego since 1973.

Question:  Who do you think will pitch a complete game first: Oswalt or Blanton?

- The Bad

Too Little Too Late

It was nice to see Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday drain back to back threes to avoid a sweep by the Heat, but I doubt the win will serve as anything more than a moral victory.

The Sixers have been unable to hold off the Heat, despite double digit leads in each game.  Though it's a young team that is going to experience its share of growing pains, watching the Sixers jump out to early leads every game, just to have them methodically stripped away by Miami, is extremely hard to stomach.

Hopefully, the team can use Sunday’s victory as a confidence builder for next season, but with a 1-2 record for the week, the Sixers find themselves on the losing end once again.

Question:  Which Sixer should have the ball in his hands with 10 seconds to go?

- Musical Chairs

A wise man once said “If you have three goalies, you have none.”

With rookie goalie Sergei Bobrovsky being worn down by his first full NHL season, coach Peter Laviolette made the decision to bring up Leighton while having Boucher start.  Then, Laviolette decided to have Leighton start with Boucher backing up. Now, Laviolette has again changed his mind, naming Boucher the starter for game seven, with Leighton serving as the backup.

Though it seems the Flyers have their goalie of the future in Bobrovsky, that really doesn’t help them in the present.  Both Boucher and Leighton have their upsides, but both have proven to be inconsistent, and both have given up incredibly soft goals.

With the Flyers hosting game seven in Philadelphia, they should be able to get past the Sabres and advance to the next round.  How far can a team with no continuity at the goalie position go? Time will tell.

Question:  Who do you want in goal for game seven?

The Ugly

Two.

That is the amount of runs batted in by Jimmy Rollins, batting out of the three hole. A spot in which most players will feast, Rollins has produced the same amount of RBIs as Joe Blanton, though Rollins needed 75 more at bats to reach such a milestone.

The Phillies offense has struggled mightily, having scored four runs or less in the last 13 games. Rollins is not solely to blame, but he’s a large part of it.

Charlie Manuel can be loyal to a fault, and this is one instance where his loyalty to a player is costing the team (see Lidge circa 2009).  Manuel needs to sack up and drop Rollins in the lineup. Otherwise, the Phillies will continue to struggle as their offense falls into the black hole that is K-Roll.

Question:  Who would you like to see batting third in the Phillies lineup?

Quote of the Week

"We were in worse position last year,  so if there's a group of guys who can do it, I believe in this group of guys here,” said Flyers center Danny Briere, after losing game five in overtime.

Video of the Week

The most exciting play in sports, courtesy of the Flyin' Hawaiian

Want free Phillies tickets?

We're hosting a contest in which one lucky reader can win two tickets to an upcoming Phillies game.  In order to win, you must be the first to answer the following Patch-related questions and be the first to guess the correct number for question six. 

Submit your answers to slavetologic@gmail.com, along with your name and contact information. The winner will be announced at the start of next week's Phour for Phour column.

Ready?

1)  Leann Pettit is the Lead Editor of Ambler Patch. What is her hometown?

     Hint

2)  On Monday, April 18, the Upper Dublin Boys Tennis team swept what team?

    Hint

3)  Matt Buckley recently published his review of Sanctum. What score did it receive?

4)  What was the final score of the Norristown at Plymouth-Whitemarsh girls softball game?

5)  How many runs did Perk Valley score in the second inning of an 11-1 rout of Pottstown?

6)  How many hits will Ryan Howard have during Friday night's game against the Mets?

     Hint:  Your guess is as good as mine!

Remember to submit your answers as quickly as possible to slavetologic@gmail.com. Answers submitted after the start of Friday night's game against the Mets will not be accepted.

Looking forward

This week, the Phillies will finish up their West Coast trip against the Diamondbacks before heading home to face off against the Mets. Both the Flyers and Sixers will look to extend their playoff runs, as well.

Additionally, the NFL will host its three-day draft this week, so check below for time and channel information.

Here is your schedule for the upcoming week in Philadelphia sports

Monday: 

Phillies at Diamondbacks 9:40 p.m. on CSN

Tuesday: 

Phillies at Diamondbacks 9:40 p.m. on CSN

Flyers vs. Sabres Game 7  7:30 p.m. on CSN

Wednesday: 

Phillies at Diamondbacks 3:40 p.m. on CSN

Sixers at Heat Game 5  7 p.m. on TNT

Thursday: 

NFL Draft Round 1  8:00 p.m. on ESPN

Friday: 

Phillies vs. Mets 7:05 p.m. on CSN

NFL Draft Rounds 2 and 3  6:00 p.m. on ESPN

Sixers vs. Heat Game 6  (if necessary) TBD

Saturday: 

Phillies vs. Mets 1:10 p.m. on FOX

NFL Draft Rounds 4 through 7  noon on ESPN

Sunday: 

Phillies vs. Mets 8:05 p.m. on ESPN

Sixers at Heat Game 7  (if necessary) TBD

If you have any questions that you would like to see answered in next week's Phour for Phour column, please email them to slavetologic@gmail.com, as long as they don't include the words "doop" or "soccer."