Tag Archives: Jonathan Papelbon

27 Aug

that’s great, but …

Jonathan Papelbon notched his 100th save as the Philadelphia Phillies closer on Tuesday, finishing off a win for the second straight game over first-place Washington. Papelbon is 100-for-114 in save opportunities in three years in Philly. That’s good stuff. But barring a trade, which seems unlikely at this stage, the former Mississippi State star will miss the postseason for the third straight season. He has made it very clear that he isn’t happy about that. The Phillies reportedly have tried to accommodate his wish to be moved but have found no takers for the brash, 33-year-old right-hander with the fat contract. Papelbon has had a very good year for a scuffling Phillies team: He is 33-of-36 in saves with a 1.60 ERA. Earlier this season, he recorded his 300th career save — an impressive milestone — and is 319-for-362 in his 10-year career. He also won a World Series ring with the 2007 Boston Red Sox, his original club. He saved three games in what has been his only Fall Classic appearance to date. Can’t really blame him for wanting to taste that experience again before he’s done.

24 Jul

whatever happened to …

Matt Tolbert, three years removed from his last big league appearance, is toiling in Double-A in the Philadelphia system. The former Ole Miss star from McComb (and Centreville Academy) has battled injuries for a couple of years. He spent some time in Triple-A this season but is currently with Reading and hitting .172 in 21 games. A switch-hitting infielder, Tolbert, 32, was drafted by Minnesota in the 16th round in 2004 and once looked to have a bright future. He played in the 2007 All-Star Futures Game and made his MLB debut in ’08, batting .283 in 41 games for the Twins. But he just couldn’t hit enough to stick. He played parts of the next three years in the majors, never getting into more than 87 games. His career average is .230. Tolbert’s chances of getting back to The Show don’t look good, even if the Phillies gut their roster before 2014 is over. P.S. Jonathan Papelbon blew a save on Tuesday when he allowed a home run for the first time this year. On Wednesday, the ex-Mississippi State star melted down, rankled by a controversial ball call, and suffered a loss. So what’d he do today? The enigmatic Phillies closer worked a perfect ninth for his 24th save. Papelbon, who wants off of Philadelphia’s sinking ship, has only three blown saves to go with a 1.91 ERA. But reports say he is generating little trade interest.

10 Jul

sounds like a yes

Under the category of “Duh,” we have this: When asked about whether he would welcome a trade from Philadelphia, the unabashed Jonathan Papelbon reportedly replied: “Some guys want to stay on a losing team?” Former Mississippi State star Papelbon racked up his 22nd save on Wednesday night as the Phillies (40-51, last in the National League East) beat Milwaukee 4-1. He reduced his ERA to 1.24 and has just two blown saves. Papelbon, who recently topped the 300 career save mark, is in the third year of a 4-year, $50M contract (with an option in 2016), which might make him hard to deal. Still, a quality closer is a valuable commodity in September and beyond. P.S. On the topic of trades, former MSU standout Tyler Moore might be a chip that NL East leader Washington can throw in. Moore is batting .305 with four homers and 18 RBIs in 34 games at Triple-A Syracuse; there appears to be no room for him (other than as a pinch hitter) with the Nationals. … Ole Miss product Seth Smith, who recently got a new contract from San Diego, hit his 10th home run on Wednesday; the Jackson native has reached double digits in five of his six full MLB seasons. … Ex-UM star Lance Lynn notched his 10th win as St. Louis beat Pittsburgh 5-2 in an NL Central showdown. … Ole Miss alum Chris Coghlan saw his nine-game hit streak end in the Chicago Cubs’ 4-1 loss to Cincinnati. But over his last 10 games, Coghlan is batting .400 with two homers, six RBIs and 10 runs. … Taylorsville product Billy Hamilton has seven hits, three walks, seven RBIs, three runs and two steals in the four games (all wins) of the Reds’ current five-game series with the Cubs. However, Hamilton left Wednesday’s game with a tight hamstring and could sit today’s series finale. … Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson (hitting .327) sat out Colorado’s game on Wednesday with a sore left wrist. … If the Cardinals have to put catcher Yadier Molina (thumb) on the disabled list, former MSU star Ed Easley, now at Triple-A Memphis, might get that long-awaited first call-up. Easley, on a recent tear, is batting .259 with five homers and 20 RBIs. … The MLB DL includes Mississippians Cliff Lee, Mitch Moreland (out for the season), Drew Pomeranz and Alex Presley, and down in the minors, ex-East Central CC standout Tim Anderson is out (possibly until mid-August) with a broken right wrist. The Chicago White shortstop prospect is batting .297 with six homers, 31 RBIs and 10 steals at high Class A Winston-Salem.

11 Jun

mr. 300

What is shaping up as a forgettable season in Philadelphia will include at least one memorable moment for Jonathan Papelbon. The former Mississippi State star notched his 300th save with a scoreless ninth inning in a 5-2 win over San Diego on Tuesday night. Papelbon, 33, reached the milestone in his 552nd appearance. Of the 25 other pitchers with 300 or more saves, only all-time leader Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman got there in so few games. Things got a bit hairy for Papelbon on Tuesday: He gave up a leadoff double to Ole Miss product Seth Smith, yielded a one-out single and then hit a batter with two outs to load the bases. A bouncer to the shortstop ended it. Papelbon has 14 saves (and a 1.48 ERA) this year for the ph-lopping Phillies, who are 26-36 and last in the National League East. The save was the first for the uber-competitive Papelbon since May 24, and he has had only three opportunities since May 10. There is still some speculation he might be traded, though his big contract could be a sticking point. P.S. Ex-Ole Miss star Zack Cozart got plunked in the helmet by a Josh Beckett pitch but stayed in the game for Cincinnati and later delivered an RBI single (off MSU alum Paul Maholm). “I’m a big believer that if you’re fine, you stay in the game,” Cozart told mlb.com. The Reds, scuffling for runs, lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1.

05 May

a just reward

He batted .355, belted three home runs, scored eight times — once from second base on a sac fly — and piled up 23 total bases. Those nifty numbers were good enough to earn Desmond Jennings the American League player of the week award, which was announced today. It’s the first time the former Itawamba Community College star, who has been with Tampa Bay since late in 2010, has won the weekly award. P.S. Former Mississippi State star Jonathan Papelbon didn’t win an award, but his numbers of late are also worth mentioning. After a sluggish start to this season, the Philadelphia closer has made 11 straight scoreless appearances during which he has yielded just six hits and two walks. He has saved nine of the Phillies’ 15 wins.

03 Apr

tale of two dogs

Mitch Moreland was diplomatic in his comments after his Texas team rallied to beat Philadelphia and closer Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth inning on Wednesday night. “That’s a good team over there and Papelbon has definitely had a lot of success,” Moreland told mlb.com. Moreland — like Papelbon, a former Mississippi State star — had one of the four hits and scored one of the three runs the Phillies right-hander allowed in a jolting 4-3 loss. There is some serious heat on Papelbon, who is in the third year of a 4-year, $50 million contract with Philly. He blew seven of 36 save chances last year, his ERA over the last couple months jumped over 4.00 and his velocity reportedly was down. He got just one out Wednesday and wound up walking in the winning run. “One of the strong points of my game is being able to bounce back …,” Papelbon told mlb.com. Stay tuned. P.S. Ex-Ole Miss star Lance Lynn, who won 15 games for St. Louis last season, starts today against Cincinnati and ex-Taylorsville High star Billy Hamilton, 0-for-8 in two games so far.

18 Dec

wait and see

Jonathan Papelbon, the outspoken former Mississippi State standout, was a phone guest on MLB Network’s Hot Stove this morning, but he offered no news on rumors that Philadelphia is shopping him. “I haven’t heard a whole lot,” Papelbon said. “Right now, I’m a Phillie. … If it happens, it happens.” Papelbon had a solid second season with the Phillies (5-1, 29 saves, 2.92 ERA) but wrankled some with comments about being unhappy playing for a non-contender. The New York Yankees are among teams reported to be interested in Papelbon, who has a big contract and a limited no-trade clause. … Another former Bulldogs star, Mitch Moreland, is still being mentioned as a trade piece in Texas, which now has Prince Fielder to play first base. … Also in limbo are ex-MSU left-hander Paul Maholm, Ole Miss alum Chris Coghlan, Weir’s Roy Oswalt and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product Tony Sipp, all free agents. … Former Taylorsville High star Billy Hamilton may also be having an anxious winter as he waits, with the rest of us, to see whether Shin-Soo Choo re-signs with Cincinnati or goes elsewhere. (Choo reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from the Yankees.) If Choo leaves, Hamilton figures to get a long look in center field by the Reds in the spring. … Mississippians who already have changed places in the off-season include UM alum Seth Smith (Oakland to San Diego), ex-Rebels pitcher Drew Pomeranz (Colorado to Oakland) and Hattiesburg’s Robert Carson (New York Mets to Los Angeles Angels).