2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

As Zimmerman was crossing home plate, LA remarks "As Lidge goes, the Phillies go..." He of all people should know that this can't be the way the team approaches the remainder of the season. You can't have a closer with an ERA of 5.57 who coughs up a third of his save opportunities. If Manuel stubbornly sticks with him like last year, a 4th straight post season appearance is out of the picture. He's given up 21 hits and 14 walks in his 21 innings of work, and with his complete inability to hold runners close he invariably has people in scoring position to deal with. In 2010 you cannot have this must uncertainty in your closer. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I really think it isn't Lidge.

 

[pirate]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

As Zimmerman was crossing home plate, LA remarks "As Lidge goes, the Phillies go..." He of all people should know that this can't be the way the team approaches the remainder of the season. You can't have a closer with an ERA of 5.57 who coughs up a third of his save opportunities. If Manuel stubbornly sticks with him like last year, a 4th straight post season appearance is out of the picture. He's given up 21 hits and 14 walks in his 21 innings of work, and with his complete inability to hold runners close he invariably has people in scoring position to deal with. In 2010 you cannot have this must uncertainty in your closer. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I really think it isn't Lidge.

I don't know who they have in the minors but they might need to take the hardest throwing 2-3 of them and decide to get them up there for a look. Closers only have to be hot for a few months. I think it is time to try anything and see if they can't find a guy who just happens to be throwing the ball really well, even if he is in AA. Sure, it is a big leap but lidge has plenty of experience in the show and he is killing them.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

I don't know who they have in the minors but they might need to take the hardest throwing 2-3 of them and decide to get them up there for a look. Closers only have to be hot for a few months. I think it is time to try anything and see if they can't find a guy who just happens to be throwing the ball really well, even if he is in AA. Sure, it is a big leap but lidge has plenty of experience in the show and he is killing them.

Scott Mathieson has had success as a closer for Lehigh (AAA) with 20 saves, but closing in the minors and in the majors could not be more different, from a mental standpoint, even without factoring in the Tommy John surgery. I think if there was even a shred of a chance the Phils thought he could be a candidate to close in the majors, they would have worked their roster to keep him in Philly earlier. And Michael Schwimer at Reading (AA) has also seen some success as a closer in the minors, and has pitched pretty well in limited innings at AAA, but again, is a AA pitcher capable of closing in the Bigs? I know they had some success calling up Kendrick some years ago from Reading, and maybe its worth the risk, at least for a look. But I don't think Schwimer was in their plans at all for 2010 and figure they aren't likely to rush him.

But at this point, I believe they will fail with Lidge as their everyday closer, so I wouldn't hold anything against them if they at least try, even if they come up short.

 

[pirate]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

I don't disagree with anything you say...I just think that as they get closer and closer to the realization that only one thing stands between them and winning the division/pennant they will be willing to rush somebody up. Amaro should be questioned why he didn't get an insurance policy for Lidge at the deadline.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

So, was I wrong about Lidge? Is he back? 8 appearances in August, 7 1/3 innings, no walks, no runs and 7 saves in 7 opportunities, throwing strikes on about 3/4 of his pitches. He's sure pitching like he's back.

I have a theory. His fastball is still 3 or 4 MPH slower than what it was before 2009, and while the RADAR is overrated as a tool to evaluate, it does shed some light on how a pitcher is going. Is he just now commanding it as well as he did his faster heater, learning to throw a 90-91 MPH pitch as effectively as his previous 93-94 MPH one? Looks like it to me. If he hits his spots with his FB instead of having to aim it, it makes his slider much more effective. Dunn's strikeout last night was a pretty good example of this, I thought. Dunn was simply unable to hold up on the last two pitches, both sliders, because he spotted his fastball well. Even though one was a ball, it was still a decent pitch, one that Dunn would have been unable to drive had he expanded his zone to swing at it.

The finish may be shaping up to a repeat of 2008, only chasing the Braves instead of New York. Phils had a lead, lost it, then hovered around 2 or 3 games back in the dog days. We know what happened in September. First they took a Wild Card lead, then galloped by the Mets as they stumbled down the stretch. The Braves look about as likely to stumble as I am to root for Michigan, so the Phils will have to beat them head-to-head. Still confident we can see them do it.

Oh, and they activated the Big Man today.

 

[gounhwildcats]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Man Oswalt in a Phillies uni has been inspiring so far. Guy goes 7 scoreless today with 8 K's, scatters five hits and only one walk. It was nice for the offense to show up today and put up some runs for Roy to work with. Now if they would only be so kind to Hamels. I'm getting tired of watching Cole go out there, pitch brilliantly and lose 1-0.

I agree the Braves are unlikely to pull a Mutts, so the Phils will have to do this on their own. They have no excuses as all but 5 (I believe) of their remaining games are against NL east teams.

JC Romero has looked great his last two outings, and Madson has been lights out as well. The most impressive out of the pen though has been Lidge. He's going out there and getting guys out. His slider is unhittable again and he seems to be able to locate his fastball early in counts.

If the offense can show any kind of consistency things look pretty good down the stretch. I'm gonna be in Philly the third week in September and have tickets to 3 games. One against the Nats and 2 against the Braves. The way things are going those games could be for the division title.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

I'm gonna be in Philly the third week in September and have tickets to 3 games. One against the Nats and 2 against the Braves. The way things are going those games could be for the division title.

I was there in '07 for the final weekend as they chased down the Mets. We won Friday and NY lost to give us a one game lead and put all control right there in CBP. The parking lot was unreal as we all were listening to the end of the Mets game and when it went final and we were in first, the place was just phreaking nuts. Of course the Mets pounded Florida the next day and Adam Eaton couldn't get out of the 3rd in Philly and we were tied all over again. All was well the next day though. By the time the Phils took the field the Mets were having their collective rumps handed to them, as Florida scored early and often and had a 7-1 lead by the time Moyer threw the first pitch. Phils won going away as Moyer and the Phils bullpen were awesome and all was well in South Philly. For about 3 days until the Rockies rolled into town anyway... .

Hope you have a great time and see some solid baseball, and maybe, just maybe some celebrating on the field. By the correct team of course.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Jeez, Phillies are trying their best to waste a golden opportunity. Braves lose all three in Colorado and we can't take care of business against a team that rolled into town 15 games under .500. This series is shaping up to be the most frustrating one in years.

 

[Kepler]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

By the time the Phils took the field the Mets were having their collective rumps handed to them, as Florida scored early and often and had a 7-1 lead by the time Moyer threw the first pitch.

May Tom Glavine burn in hell.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

yup, worst, most frustrating series since this post season run began. Reminds me of 2005 when we dropped 6 late season games to these Astros and lost the WC to them by one stinking game. I would have been mildly disappointed with a split of these 4 games. Being swept out of the WC lead when they had a chance to actually take over 1st in the East is pretty hard to stomach. Gotta regroup and gotta do it in a hurry.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

I guess the Phils are the prime example of why you play the games. Lose 4 in a row at home to a team 15 games under .500, then go on the road and sweep the team with the best record in the NL... Nice to see Hamels get his first win in what seems like about 4 months.

Phils are now 22-18 against the other 5 teams in 1st or second places in the 3 NL divisions. They still play some decent teams, but only the 6 games against the Braves out of the 32 they have left are against teams among the top two in any of the divisions. Obviously they control their own destiny, leading the WC and with plenty of games left against Atlanta to erase the 2 game lead they hold.

With all the injuries, Victorino and Rollins both hitting at least 25 points lower than I would have expected, and Lidge either hurt or struggling all the way through the end of July, I have to say I am impressed to see them where they are as August is about to close. Need a solid 5 week run to close it out now.

 

[gounhwildcats]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Big night for the Phils tonight. The Mutts finally made themselves useful by beating the Braves. The Phils pitching tonight was awful, but the Rockies pitching was slightly awfuller. The Phils were down 7-3 in the seventh, and scored 9 to take a 12-7 lead. They gave 3 of those back in the bottom half of the seventh, and 1 in the ninth but hung on to win 12-11.

With the win they move to 2 games back of the Red Necks, and 2 games up on the idle Giants.

The offense finally seems to be heating up as they've now scored 25 runs in their last 3 games. Joey B and the bullpen which had been pitching well of late pooped the bed tonight, but I'll look at is a blip. If the offense is back and with the Roy's and Hamels at the top of the rotation, this team could be scary down the stretch.

 

[Puck Swami]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

I was at the Phillies/Rockies game last night here in Denver, and it was one of the most gut-wrenching regular season games to watch that I've ever seen live. Utley had six RBI including a terrific grand slam to make up for his booting of a second inning sure double-play ball which set the tone for the game.

Pitching and defense were just terrible on both sides, but the 23 runs and amazing hitting made the game highly engaging. not unlike a 9-8 firewagon hockey game where you just don't know how its going to end...Not great baseball, but entertaining baseball at the very least.

Great Phillies fan turnout in Denver, too. I would say at least 5,000 phillies fans among the 30,000 crowd. It's amazing how a a world series win will bring out the colors....

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Great Phillies fan turnout in Denver, too. I would say at least 5,000 phillies fans among the 30,000 crowd. It's amazing how a a world series win will bring out the colors....

I was surprised listening to the game on the radio how loud the Phils fans seemed to be. They also had a sizable turnout in San Diego and LA. Saturday it looked like entire sections behind one of the dugouts were populated by Phillies rooters.

Back home where hopefully the debacle of the Astros series is but a distant memory.

 

[gounhwildcats]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

I was surprised listening to the game on the radio how loud the Phils fans seemed to be. They also had a sizable turnout in San Diego and LA. Saturday it looked like entire sections behind one of the dugouts were populated by Phillies rooters.

Great Phillies fan turnout in Denver, too. I would say at least 5,000 phillies fans among the 30,000 crowd. It's amazing how a a world series win will bring out the colors....

Ya the Phillies seem to be turning into the Green Bay Packers of MLB. Either that or there's a whole lot of people that have relocated from Philly. Everywhere the Phillies go there seems to be a ton of Phils fans in the stadium.

Cole Hamels pitching another gem, but the offense is struggling again. Phils lead the Brewers 1-0 in the sixth.

 

[gounhwildcats]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Cole is back and the Phils are starting to roll. He 3 hit the Brewers tonight, and Chooch drives in the only run of the game as the Phils win 1-0. Huge win as the Fish beat Atlanta and the Dodger's beat the Giants.

So after tonight the Phils are 1 back of the Braves for the division lead, and are up 3 on the Giants for the WC.

I'll give the offense a pass as they had a long day travelling from Denver back to Philly, losing 2 hours and then having to play tonight. They played 3 games in three nights in three cities. What's really been inspiring of late (not including last nights ugliness) has been the pitching. The starters and the bull pen have been excellent of late. After Cole departed in the seventh, Contreras and Madson closed it out. Not exactly the usual set up and closers, but they got the job done, and against the heart of the Brewers order.

Anyways, good stuff tonight, and let's keep it going.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Thought Hamels was masterful last night. Vintage, like he was in late '07 and 2008. I liked his command and the fact that even in some of the Brewers trickier at-bats he didn't try to rely on his curve (always his least efective pitch IMO, maybe tried it 6 times all night) and instead mixed in his cut fastball. Escobar's at bat to end the 7th and Hamel's night was really fun. His fastball looked as good as it had all night and the change-up to get him swinging was exactly how you like to see Cole look. And even with so many pitches he didn't even think of mixing in that curve.

It looks like the division will come down to the 6 games with Atlanta. As good as the Braves have been at home (49-19) they are a less than average 29-38 on the road. A series between these two for the pennant may come down to who has 4 games at home.

 

[gounhwildcats]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Thought Hamels was masterful last night. Vintage, like he was in late '07 and 2008. I liked his command and the fact that even in some of the Brewers trickier at-bats he didn't try to rely on his curve (always his least efective pitch IMO, maybe tried it 6 times all night) and instead mixed in his cut fastball. Escobar's at bat to end the 7th and Hamel's night was really fun. His fastball looked as good as it had all night and the change-up to get him swinging was exactly how you like to see Cole look. And even with so many pitches he didn't even think of mixing in that curve.

It looks like the division will come down to the 6 games with Atlanta. As good as the Braves have been at home (49-19) they are a less than average 29-38 on the road. A series between these two for the pennant may come down to who has 4 games at home.

Agreed on Hamels. Between regaining his control, and a few mph's on his fastball, the cutter, and his change up he's been deadly again. How fun is it having three aces in your rotation?

As for those games against Atlanta, I'm gonna be in Philly and have tickets for 2 of those games. Needless to say, I'm pretty thrilled that my timing worked out for a change .

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

As for those games against Atlanta, I'm gonna be in Philly and have tickets for 2 of those games. Needless to say, I'm pretty thrilled that my timing worked out for a change .

needless to say, I am jealous as hell... This is the first season since CBP opened I (likely) won't make it to a game.

 

[gounhwildcats]

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

Re: 2010 Philadelphia Phillies - Going for the Threepeat...of NL championships that is

needless to say, I am jealous as hell... This is the first season since CBP opened I (likely) won't make it to a game.

It's my first trip to Philly...ever. I've been a fan of Philly's teams for as long as I can remember, but have never actually been there. I'm pretty excited to see this city I've had a love affair with since I was like 7 years old. Plus I'm dying to have a REAL cheesesteak .