It did continue to rain on Friday, but Padilla took his turn anyway. The D'Backs are only in town this one time, so the teams and the league were forced to schedule a twi-night twin bill on Saturday. Vicente gave up an early run on a Tony Clark homer in the second. As Paris Hilton would say, he's hot. George Steinbrenner is asking, "Where was that in the ALCS last year?" Abreu answered in the third with a two-run shot off Javier Vazquez, who Steinbrenner saw pitch a lot like this last year. The Phils exploded for six runs in the fourth on, among many other hits, Abreu's second homer of the game, effectively putting the game away if not for the continued entertainment value provided by the bullpen. Robbie Tejeda is looking more Adams-like every time out. The Snakes had the tying run at the plate at one one point before Frenchie Cormier got Jose Cruz. Jr. to ground into a rally killing DP to end the 8th. The game 1 final was 10-6, with Jim Thome adding an upper deck homer and Lieberthal singling in a run to complete the Phillies scoring.
The nightcap pitted ace Brett Myers vs. Russ Ortiz, a guy who normally takes four hours to pitch a game, walks about 15, and somehow manages to beat the Phillies almost every time. It goes to the strength of the roll the Phils are on that none of that happened. Maybe it's because Ortiz is not a Brave anymore. The D'Backs got on the board early again on a Luis Gonzalez RBI single. Myers was laboring, looking very Ortiz-like, but he was able to strike out Troy Glaus, and then, after a wild pitch and a Shawn Green walk, Jose Cruz, Jr. and Chad Tracy to wriggle out of the bases-loaded predicament. The Phils tied it on only one hit, a single to center by Polanco after a leadoff walk by Lofton (Rollins was being rested). A couple of fielders choice's later, the game was even at 1-1.
Both pitchers settled down until the 5th, when Alex Cintron and Luis Gonzalez hit back-to-back solo homers off Myers. Myers was out of gas after six, so Charlie Manuel sent up Endy Chavez to hit for him to lead off the bottom of the sixth trailing 3-1. Ortiz was still in there, having retired 15 straight, and more amazingly, walking none since the first inning. Chavez started off the inning with a single, and then scored on Kenny Lofton's triple on one hop off the 365 sign in left center. Placido Polanco even more amazingly, followed with a go-ahead homer, only his second of the year, and suddenly, it was 4-3 Phils. Ryan Madson, who had been spared any game 1 duty, barely, came on to pitch two scoreless innings, and just to prove the first homer wasn't a fluke, Polanco hit another one, this time off the Javier Lopez who didn't use to demoralize us in Atlanta. Billy Wagner came on in the 9th, and the D'Backs killed their own rally by trying a double steal with two outs. Todd Pratt fired to second to get the trail runner Luis Gonzalez by five feet. Thank you very much. The final was 5-3, completing the doubleheader sweep and moving the Phils to 2 games over .500.
Yesterday, my wife and I attended a Wilmington Blue Rocks game in lieu of me napping in front of the HDTV. It was a little warm out there, finally. The best part was that it was "The Dog Days Of Summer", and people brought their pooches to the park. We had a massive German Shepherd at the end of our row, and a little brown poodle named Amber was shading herself under the seats in front of us. The Salem Avalanche players came to the fence and were loving on the puppies, too. The Rocks went out and played like dogs, surrendering an early 2-0 lead and losing 3-2. Rocks manager Dann Bilardello has a very un-Theo like approach to the game that he'll have to straighten out if he wants to make it to the big club. He sent a runner home with one out on a short looper to right. As we know, the Red Sox like to play it station to station unless Damon or someone else reasonably fast is running. Of course, the runner was cut down easily. Later, Dann ordered his cleanup hitter to sacrifice. No thanks, please, we're Moneyball. That move didn't work either, by the way, resulting in a meek pop-up. Get with it, Dann.
As for the Phillies, they sprinted out to another quick lead, 6-0 this time. Mike Lieberthal got the break of the day when his double off the wall was ruled a home run after Charlie Manuel gave the umpires a grounds rules refresher, which only served to help them blow the call. Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin was ejected, and for good reason, since that ended up being the winning run. The Snakes chipped away at the lead against Randy Wolf and the bullpen, especially the bullpen. Our pal Cormier gave up Luis Gonzalez' 300th home run in the 8th to make it 6-5. Pat Burrell hit a bomb in the bottom of the 8th for a 7-5 lead, and Wags held on to barely get the save after giving up an RBI single to who else, Tony Clark, in the 9th for a 7-6 final.
This afternoon's series finale has Cory Lidle facing their putative ace, Brandon Webb. When the NL East merry-go-round stopped Sunday night after the Mets doubleheader with the Giants, your Washington Nationals (?) are now in first place, a half-game better than Atlanta. We're tied with the Mets at 30-27, a game out in third place, and the Florida Marlins (!) are in last place, having lost 8 of 10. I love this. Any team can go 8-2 and take a 3 game lead, or go 2-8 and wind up in dead last. I'd love it more if we keep winning 8 of 10 for a while, and the Braves would lose 8 of 10, of course. Looks like I picked the right year to start blogging the Phillies.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Friday, June 03, 2005
BROOM, BROOM, BROOM!!!
How sweep it is! Sweeping Beauty! How Sweep is my valley? Ok, that's enough. The Phillies managed something they hadn't done all year, take every game of a series, last night against the Giants. It was shaky behind the always interesting pitching of Jon Lieber, but they held on.
The Phils took a quick 4-0 lead in the second on an Utley double, a Lieberthal single and egregious throwing error by Jason Ellison, a near homer by Lieber off the 398 sign in right center, and a for-real homer by J-Roll just inside the right field foul pole. Lieber gave that lead right back with a two out rally including back-to-back homers by J.T. Snow and Moises "Urine Good Hands" Alou. The Phils then quickly regained the lead in the third with a two-run bases-loaded wounded duck into short right field by David Bell. The Giants added a late run in the seventh off Rheal Cormier, who still hasn't got the "improved bullpen" memo. Daddy Wags closed out the 6-5 win with a 1-2-3 ninth. Back to .500. And thanks to a late comeback by the Nats, the entire NL East is now within 2.5 games of the lead.
It's June 3rd, and it may be early, but we are in what is known in baseball circles as a "pennant race". It's an alien concept in these parts, but I've seen them before, and they can be quite exhilarating. This is a particularly good one, involving five nearly indistinguishable and variously flawed teams. The Braves bullpen is a mess, the Marlins just lost 7 of 8 and are getting no production from Mike Lowell (yet) and Al Leiter is terrible, the Mets have weak pitching after Pedro, and the Nats are playing way over their heads. Despite our problems, which have been excruciatingly documented here, we've won 10 of the last 15 and have the only thing resembling momentum in the division, plus a favorable schedule. Now, Rheal, did you get the memo? I'll just forward you another copy, mmm-kay? Thaaanks. (that was my Lumbergh impression, in case you weren't aware).
Try as they might to shelter him and his 7+ ERA from Major League hitters, the Phils are forced to send Vicente Padilla to the hill tonight against the D'Backs Javier Vazquez. On the surface it doesn't look promising, but we're on a roll, and this is as good a time as any to see if Padilla can get it together. The good news is, it's raining. Keep raining! And CBP grounds crew, whatever you do, don't do this!
The Phils took a quick 4-0 lead in the second on an Utley double, a Lieberthal single and egregious throwing error by Jason Ellison, a near homer by Lieber off the 398 sign in right center, and a for-real homer by J-Roll just inside the right field foul pole. Lieber gave that lead right back with a two out rally including back-to-back homers by J.T. Snow and Moises "Urine Good Hands" Alou. The Phils then quickly regained the lead in the third with a two-run bases-loaded wounded duck into short right field by David Bell. The Giants added a late run in the seventh off Rheal Cormier, who still hasn't got the "improved bullpen" memo. Daddy Wags closed out the 6-5 win with a 1-2-3 ninth. Back to .500. And thanks to a late comeback by the Nats, the entire NL East is now within 2.5 games of the lead.
It's June 3rd, and it may be early, but we are in what is known in baseball circles as a "pennant race". It's an alien concept in these parts, but I've seen them before, and they can be quite exhilarating. This is a particularly good one, involving five nearly indistinguishable and variously flawed teams. The Braves bullpen is a mess, the Marlins just lost 7 of 8 and are getting no production from Mike Lowell (yet) and Al Leiter is terrible, the Mets have weak pitching after Pedro, and the Nats are playing way over their heads. Despite our problems, which have been excruciatingly documented here, we've won 10 of the last 15 and have the only thing resembling momentum in the division, plus a favorable schedule. Now, Rheal, did you get the memo? I'll just forward you another copy, mmm-kay? Thaaanks. (that was my Lumbergh impression, in case you weren't aware).
Try as they might to shelter him and his 7+ ERA from Major League hitters, the Phils are forced to send Vicente Padilla to the hill tonight against the D'Backs Javier Vazquez. On the surface it doesn't look promising, but we're on a roll, and this is as good a time as any to see if Padilla can get it together. The good news is, it's raining. Keep raining! And CBP grounds crew, whatever you do, don't do this!
Thursday, June 02, 2005
CHASE AND THE GIANT HIT, PART II
Damn! Why do all the good games happen on Wednesday? I have "a prior commitment" (which has nothing to do with the oft-injured Cubs pitcher) most Wednesdays, and I am usually unable to catch the entire game. I'm really sorry I missed most of last night's strange tilt with the Giants. Is there any better phrase in the English language than "pinch-hit Grand Slam"? There are probably a few, and of course, it really sucks when you're the slamee, but still, when you're a follower of the team that hits one, life is good.
I did catch Scott Graham and Chris Wheeler on WDEL for the first two innings while I was in the car. Wheels pulled a typical Wheels jinx move when he mentioned, not once but twice, that Cory Lidle has not given up a home run to a lefty this year. I thought, "Oh great. The ball will be flying out of the park in bunches tonight." Amazingly this didn't happen, but about everything else did. The Giants started things with a couple of cheap runs when pitcher Kirk Rueter slapped a two-out single up the middle with the bases loaded, and Jason Ellison followed with another single to left. Pat Burrell cut down Mike Matheny, who Marion Jones could outrun even after she stopped taking steroids and while pregnant, at the plate to end the threat. So far not too unusual, but the night was young. In the Phils half of the third, Jim Thome was ejected, for the first time as a Phillie, for arguing balls and strikes with plate umpire Paul Schrieber. I guess I was right when I said he wouldn't get cranking on a monster June last night, but that's not what I meant. Thome later had a run-in with a defenseless water cooler as he exited the premises, which seemed to fire up the Phillies.
The Phils took a 3-2 lead in the 4th on an RBI double by Lieberthal, an RBI triple by J-Roll, and an RBI single by Polanco. Tomas Perez, filling in for Thome, popped up with the bases loaded to end the inning, but his time would come. The Giants regained the lead in the 6th with a 2-run triple by Alfonzo followed by a double by Matheny to make it 5-3. Rollins led off the bottom of the 6th off new pitcher Jeff Fassero with a single, and advanced to second on a Polanco infield hit. Abreu then singled to left, and Pedro Feliz gunned down Rollins trying to score. Just when it looked like a promising inning was falling apart, Tomas took his cue and dribbled a bases-loaded single into center field to tie the game at 5-5.
The Phillies took the lead in the 7th on one of the bigger plays on a night of big plays. J-Mike and Lieberthal led off the inning with singles, and Endy Chavez came on to pinch-bunt, which he did successfully to advance the runners, With the Giants infield playing in and the outfield playing deep, Rollins hit a routine fly to short left that Feliz charged at full speed and reached for just as it neared the turf. The ball appeared to hit Feliz' glove and stick, but the second-base umpire Andy Fletcher immediately called it a trap, which allowed Michaels to score. This was the second time in two nights the Phils caught a break on an outfield play. In game 1, Lofton clearly trapped a ball that was called a catch, which saved at least one early Giants run. Giants manager Felipe Alou had seen more than he could stand, and carried on long enough to get tossed. The Giants immediately re-tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the 8th off Ryan Madson. Jason Ellison hit a one-out nubber to Perez with runners on first and third, which Perez tried to fire home. His throw was off-balance and the ball ended up short-hopping Lieby, several steps too late. Madson regrouped and got Vizquel to bounce into a 6-3 double play to end the inning and preserve the tie.
The Giants decided to go with newly acquired LaTroy Hawkins to start the 8th. As a Cub last month, Hawkins speared a liner and then hit Jose Offerman in the head as he tried to scamper back to first, allowing two runs to score for a 3-2 Phillies win. Until last night, that was by far the strangest game the Phillies had played all season. LaTroy got right to work outdoing himself, ceding a single to Burrell and a walk to Perez, followed by a sac bunt by Bell and another walk, this one intentional, to Michaels. Lieberthal hit a line drive to second for the second out, bringing up the pitcher's spot. Either by chance or by using a heretofore unwitnessed foresight, Charlie Manuel had one hitter left on his bench (other than backup catcher Todd Pratt): Chase Utley. The Giants had lefty Jason Christiansen in their pen, but he had pitched the previous night and presumably was unavailable. Possibly Alou might have brought him anyway, but Felipe wasn't around anymore, so they stuck with Hawkins. On a 1-1 count, Hawkins delivered a slider down and in, which was probably an even worse location than Jose Offerman's helmet. Utley hit what we would call in the engineering field a "quasi-linear parabola" into the third row, invoking that mellifluous phrase mentioned above. Billy Wagner cleaned up the 9th for his second straight non-save.
The Phils are now one game under .500. Naturally, the Braves won, so we're still 3.5 out, but it beats being 4.5 out. At the risk of pulling a Wheels, the Phillies look pretty good right now. The bullpen is improving without Adams and Worrell dragging it down, the starters are doing fine, especially since we keep skipping Padilla's turn, and you can't argue with last night's 19 hits. We're getting breaks, clutch hits, and Thome is 1-0 vs. water coolers in the month of June (Hey Baseball Prospectus, let's see the historical numbers on that).
Tonight it's Brad Hennessy vs. erstwhile ace Jon Lieber. I saw Hennessy first hand last month in Houston, and he didn't impress much. Craig Biggio took him deep twice, and it was only the Astros' otherwise complete lack of hitting ability and four fielding errors that kept the Giants in the game. Still, a series sweep has eluded the Phillies all year. Tonight would be as good a time as any for the first one.
I did catch Scott Graham and Chris Wheeler on WDEL for the first two innings while I was in the car. Wheels pulled a typical Wheels jinx move when he mentioned, not once but twice, that Cory Lidle has not given up a home run to a lefty this year. I thought, "Oh great. The ball will be flying out of the park in bunches tonight." Amazingly this didn't happen, but about everything else did. The Giants started things with a couple of cheap runs when pitcher Kirk Rueter slapped a two-out single up the middle with the bases loaded, and Jason Ellison followed with another single to left. Pat Burrell cut down Mike Matheny, who Marion Jones could outrun even after she stopped taking steroids and while pregnant, at the plate to end the threat. So far not too unusual, but the night was young. In the Phils half of the third, Jim Thome was ejected, for the first time as a Phillie, for arguing balls and strikes with plate umpire Paul Schrieber. I guess I was right when I said he wouldn't get cranking on a monster June last night, but that's not what I meant. Thome later had a run-in with a defenseless water cooler as he exited the premises, which seemed to fire up the Phillies.
The Phils took a 3-2 lead in the 4th on an RBI double by Lieberthal, an RBI triple by J-Roll, and an RBI single by Polanco. Tomas Perez, filling in for Thome, popped up with the bases loaded to end the inning, but his time would come. The Giants regained the lead in the 6th with a 2-run triple by Alfonzo followed by a double by Matheny to make it 5-3. Rollins led off the bottom of the 6th off new pitcher Jeff Fassero with a single, and advanced to second on a Polanco infield hit. Abreu then singled to left, and Pedro Feliz gunned down Rollins trying to score. Just when it looked like a promising inning was falling apart, Tomas took his cue and dribbled a bases-loaded single into center field to tie the game at 5-5.
The Phillies took the lead in the 7th on one of the bigger plays on a night of big plays. J-Mike and Lieberthal led off the inning with singles, and Endy Chavez came on to pinch-bunt, which he did successfully to advance the runners, With the Giants infield playing in and the outfield playing deep, Rollins hit a routine fly to short left that Feliz charged at full speed and reached for just as it neared the turf. The ball appeared to hit Feliz' glove and stick, but the second-base umpire Andy Fletcher immediately called it a trap, which allowed Michaels to score. This was the second time in two nights the Phils caught a break on an outfield play. In game 1, Lofton clearly trapped a ball that was called a catch, which saved at least one early Giants run. Giants manager Felipe Alou had seen more than he could stand, and carried on long enough to get tossed. The Giants immediately re-tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the 8th off Ryan Madson. Jason Ellison hit a one-out nubber to Perez with runners on first and third, which Perez tried to fire home. His throw was off-balance and the ball ended up short-hopping Lieby, several steps too late. Madson regrouped and got Vizquel to bounce into a 6-3 double play to end the inning and preserve the tie.
The Giants decided to go with newly acquired LaTroy Hawkins to start the 8th. As a Cub last month, Hawkins speared a liner and then hit Jose Offerman in the head as he tried to scamper back to first, allowing two runs to score for a 3-2 Phillies win. Until last night, that was by far the strangest game the Phillies had played all season. LaTroy got right to work outdoing himself, ceding a single to Burrell and a walk to Perez, followed by a sac bunt by Bell and another walk, this one intentional, to Michaels. Lieberthal hit a line drive to second for the second out, bringing up the pitcher's spot. Either by chance or by using a heretofore unwitnessed foresight, Charlie Manuel had one hitter left on his bench (other than backup catcher Todd Pratt): Chase Utley. The Giants had lefty Jason Christiansen in their pen, but he had pitched the previous night and presumably was unavailable. Possibly Alou might have brought him anyway, but Felipe wasn't around anymore, so they stuck with Hawkins. On a 1-1 count, Hawkins delivered a slider down and in, which was probably an even worse location than Jose Offerman's helmet. Utley hit what we would call in the engineering field a "quasi-linear parabola" into the third row, invoking that mellifluous phrase mentioned above. Billy Wagner cleaned up the 9th for his second straight non-save.
The Phils are now one game under .500. Naturally, the Braves won, so we're still 3.5 out, but it beats being 4.5 out. At the risk of pulling a Wheels, the Phillies look pretty good right now. The bullpen is improving without Adams and Worrell dragging it down, the starters are doing fine, especially since we keep skipping Padilla's turn, and you can't argue with last night's 19 hits. We're getting breaks, clutch hits, and Thome is 1-0 vs. water coolers in the month of June (Hey Baseball Prospectus, let's see the historical numbers on that).
Tonight it's Brad Hennessy vs. erstwhile ace Jon Lieber. I saw Hennessy first hand last month in Houston, and he didn't impress much. Craig Biggio took him deep twice, and it was only the Astros' otherwise complete lack of hitting ability and four fielding errors that kept the Giants in the game. Still, a series sweep has eluded the Phillies all year. Tonight would be as good a time as any for the first one.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
CHASE AND THE GIANT HIT
As Comcast Sportsnet pointed out last night, the Phillies are playing their NL West doppelgangers this week. The Giants stats and record are eerily similar to ours. The biggest difference is that the Padres are streaking right now and the Giants are several more games back than we are. The other major difference is that the Giants had played nine more home games than the Phils coming into last night.
Brett Tomko, who once pitched a 1-walk, 27-batter no-hitter for my Strat team, faced Randy Wolf in game 1 last night at the Park. Tomko struggled with his control from the outset, issuing walks in each of the first three innings. It wasn't until the 3rd that the Phils finally capitalized. Wolfie led off with a double off the scoreboard in right, and was sacrificed to third by J-Roll. Lofton, playing on his 38th birthday and defying pretty much everyone, including me, who said he was too old five years ago, drove in Wolf with a line single to center for a 1-0 lead. Abreu and Thome followed with walks, setting up a bases loaded situation for Burrell, who apparently no longer thrives under these conditions as he once did. Pat popped up to Lance Niekro at first base, seemingly deflating any chances for a big inning for the Phils. The next batter, Chase Utley, immediately got down 0-2, before fouling off a few high fastballs and basically looking lost. Then Tomko dropped a slider off the plate and down, and Utley, in what was last night's best hitting performance, somehow slapped it into center field to score Lofton and Abreu to make it 3-0. Tomko must have been royally pissed that he let that inning get away, and probably more than a little impressed with Utley, as was everyone who saw that hit.
Wolfie, meanwhile, was also struggling a bit, including a couple of early walks and a hit batsman, but he always managed to escape his self-made jams without allowing any runs. Manuel lifted him in favor of Ryan Madson in the 7th to face Moises Alou with a man on and two outs. I haven't read the full scoop on this, but I'm guessing it was a combination of pitch count, fatigue, and the fact that the Giants had their right-handed cleanup hitter up. In any event, Mad Dog did his job getting the game to Wagner in the ninth. Thankfully, the Phils tacked on a couple of runs in the 8th, because Wags gave up yet another home run, this one to rookie Jason Ellison. The Phils managed to hang on for a 5-2 win, and are now 3.5 games out following losses by Florida and Atlanta. The NL East is tighter than (insert Dan Ratherism here).
I'm getting really worried about Billy Wagner. I keep saying that, but this time I mean it. He once could spot his 99 MPH heater, but now it inevitably ends up right on the barrel of the hitter's bat. He's publicly disavowed using his slider, so unless he comes up with another off-speed pitch, unlikely from a guy who has mentioned retiring after the season, he has nowhere else to turn.
I'm letting up on the "Do Something, Ed" watch. Outrighting Terry "I Hear Scranton Has A Pretty Good School System" Adams and giving Robinson Tejeda a shot at some meaningful work has been enough so far to halt the precipitous slide of the bullpen. Still, it sure would be nice to unload Ryan Howard, who will never play as long as Thome is around, and break up the Utley/Polanco/Bell playing time mess in favor of a reliable young reliever and maybe some help for the farm system. I've heard some folks mention that the A's would love Howard and his potentially sweet OPS, and they have a young catcher, Daric Barton, who they might part with. They also have a deep bullpen we could poach from with the right combination of players. Then again, knowing Wade and having read "Moneyball", the chances Ed won't get fleeced by Billy Beane are pretty remote.
Soft-tossing lefty Kirk Rueter takes on Cory Lidle in the Park tonight. Thome has had some monster Junes in the past (9 and 15 HR's so far as a Phillie), but Rueter is very tough on lefties, so he probably won't get cranking tonight.
Brett Tomko, who once pitched a 1-walk, 27-batter no-hitter for my Strat team, faced Randy Wolf in game 1 last night at the Park. Tomko struggled with his control from the outset, issuing walks in each of the first three innings. It wasn't until the 3rd that the Phils finally capitalized. Wolfie led off with a double off the scoreboard in right, and was sacrificed to third by J-Roll. Lofton, playing on his 38th birthday and defying pretty much everyone, including me, who said he was too old five years ago, drove in Wolf with a line single to center for a 1-0 lead. Abreu and Thome followed with walks, setting up a bases loaded situation for Burrell, who apparently no longer thrives under these conditions as he once did. Pat popped up to Lance Niekro at first base, seemingly deflating any chances for a big inning for the Phils. The next batter, Chase Utley, immediately got down 0-2, before fouling off a few high fastballs and basically looking lost. Then Tomko dropped a slider off the plate and down, and Utley, in what was last night's best hitting performance, somehow slapped it into center field to score Lofton and Abreu to make it 3-0. Tomko must have been royally pissed that he let that inning get away, and probably more than a little impressed with Utley, as was everyone who saw that hit.
Wolfie, meanwhile, was also struggling a bit, including a couple of early walks and a hit batsman, but he always managed to escape his self-made jams without allowing any runs. Manuel lifted him in favor of Ryan Madson in the 7th to face Moises Alou with a man on and two outs. I haven't read the full scoop on this, but I'm guessing it was a combination of pitch count, fatigue, and the fact that the Giants had their right-handed cleanup hitter up. In any event, Mad Dog did his job getting the game to Wagner in the ninth. Thankfully, the Phils tacked on a couple of runs in the 8th, because Wags gave up yet another home run, this one to rookie Jason Ellison. The Phils managed to hang on for a 5-2 win, and are now 3.5 games out following losses by Florida and Atlanta. The NL East is tighter than (insert Dan Ratherism here).
I'm getting really worried about Billy Wagner. I keep saying that, but this time I mean it. He once could spot his 99 MPH heater, but now it inevitably ends up right on the barrel of the hitter's bat. He's publicly disavowed using his slider, so unless he comes up with another off-speed pitch, unlikely from a guy who has mentioned retiring after the season, he has nowhere else to turn.
I'm letting up on the "Do Something, Ed" watch. Outrighting Terry "I Hear Scranton Has A Pretty Good School System" Adams and giving Robinson Tejeda a shot at some meaningful work has been enough so far to halt the precipitous slide of the bullpen. Still, it sure would be nice to unload Ryan Howard, who will never play as long as Thome is around, and break up the Utley/Polanco/Bell playing time mess in favor of a reliable young reliever and maybe some help for the farm system. I've heard some folks mention that the A's would love Howard and his potentially sweet OPS, and they have a young catcher, Daric Barton, who they might part with. They also have a deep bullpen we could poach from with the right combination of players. Then again, knowing Wade and having read "Moneyball", the chances Ed won't get fleeced by Billy Beane are pretty remote.
Soft-tossing lefty Kirk Rueter takes on Cory Lidle in the Park tonight. Thome has had some monster Junes in the past (9 and 15 HR's so far as a Phillie), but Rueter is very tough on lefties, so he probably won't get cranking tonight.
Monday, May 30, 2005
SITH SENSE
Once again, we'll do a brief review, this time of the Phillies successful but not quite successful enough weekend series against the Braves. The Phils hung a 4-spot on John Smoltz in game 1, then coasted home for a 5-1 win behind Cory Lidle, Rheal Cormier, and Billy Wagner. That had to be the easiest win over the Braves I've ever seen. Atlanta scored a run in the first, and never really challenged after that.
Game 2 was a 12-5 laugher, but only after the Phils exploded for 5 runs in the ninth. Jason Michaels was the star, making a superb diving catch and hitting a 3-run homer to put the game away. Jon Lieber was shaky, but he managed to stay in long enough to get the victory. Just as I had written, Robinson Tejeda was brought into a still undecided game to relieve Lieber, and retired the side in order. So far, so good.
Until game 3. The Phillies took a 2-1 lead into the fifth, and appeared poised to get the sweep with ace Brett Myers firing darts. Then the Braves woke up. After two quick singles, Ryan "Islets of" Langerhans hit a two-run triple to give the Braves a lead they would never relinquish. Tejeda came in in the 7th and gave up his first three runs of the season in the 8th to give the Braves a 7-2 win.
The Phillies have managed to negotiate the last 12 games vs. first or second place teams with a 7-5 record. Now, if they could have played as well against the other teams, they would be in first place themselves, but it never seems to work out that way. We're still 5 games out, still in last place, but this stretch gives us a smidgen of hope. The Braves and Marlins are not great teams, and neither appear to be capable of winning 100 games. This division can be won with a sustained run of good baseball, and with the schedule turning in our favor, the time is now.
Elsewhere in my chronologically challenged life, we went to see Revenge Of The Sith. My one-phrase review: Eh. To expand on that, the second half of the film, where Palpatine has been exposed as Darth Sidious, was excellent. It was fascinating watching Anakin slowly turn into Darth Vader, and to see all the other plot elements fall into alignment for Episode IV. Prior to that, the movie was unrelentingly dull. I think the main problem with Eps I, II, and the first half of III is that there is no established villain, at least not one who is nearly as scary as Vader, who you already know is coming. Count Dooku? Are you kidding me? I mean, the name alone sounds like a waste product. General Grievous is a droid for crying out loud. Like a droid is going to defeat a Jedi. Oh, sorry, I went over-nerd there. And the casting of Natalie Portman has got to be the biggest movie mistake since John Travolta discovered Scientology. Still, I'm glad I saw it, as if my social abilities gave me any choice.
Hope you're having some cold ones with your Navy buddies, Dad.
Game 2 was a 12-5 laugher, but only after the Phils exploded for 5 runs in the ninth. Jason Michaels was the star, making a superb diving catch and hitting a 3-run homer to put the game away. Jon Lieber was shaky, but he managed to stay in long enough to get the victory. Just as I had written, Robinson Tejeda was brought into a still undecided game to relieve Lieber, and retired the side in order. So far, so good.
Until game 3. The Phillies took a 2-1 lead into the fifth, and appeared poised to get the sweep with ace Brett Myers firing darts. Then the Braves woke up. After two quick singles, Ryan "Islets of" Langerhans hit a two-run triple to give the Braves a lead they would never relinquish. Tejeda came in in the 7th and gave up his first three runs of the season in the 8th to give the Braves a 7-2 win.
The Phillies have managed to negotiate the last 12 games vs. first or second place teams with a 7-5 record. Now, if they could have played as well against the other teams, they would be in first place themselves, but it never seems to work out that way. We're still 5 games out, still in last place, but this stretch gives us a smidgen of hope. The Braves and Marlins are not great teams, and neither appear to be capable of winning 100 games. This division can be won with a sustained run of good baseball, and with the schedule turning in our favor, the time is now.
Elsewhere in my chronologically challenged life, we went to see Revenge Of The Sith. My one-phrase review: Eh. To expand on that, the second half of the film, where Palpatine has been exposed as Darth Sidious, was excellent. It was fascinating watching Anakin slowly turn into Darth Vader, and to see all the other plot elements fall into alignment for Episode IV. Prior to that, the movie was unrelentingly dull. I think the main problem with Eps I, II, and the first half of III is that there is no established villain, at least not one who is nearly as scary as Vader, who you already know is coming. Count Dooku? Are you kidding me? I mean, the name alone sounds like a waste product. General Grievous is a droid for crying out loud. Like a droid is going to defeat a Jedi. Oh, sorry, I went over-nerd there. And the casting of Natalie Portman has got to be the biggest movie mistake since John Travolta discovered Scientology. Still, I'm glad I saw it, as if my social abilities gave me any choice.
Hope you're having some cold ones with your Navy buddies, Dad.
Friday, May 27, 2005
BIG SLEEP
The Phillies had a day off last night. I went to bed at 7:30 PM. God, I'm old.
I guess I should use today's entry to reflect on the state of the Phillies, but I'm not on Xanax yet, and I don't want to start. Today is Day #3 of the "Do Something, Ed" watch. As Tom suggested in the Moral Imperatives, that something could be to either get fired or quit. In fact, I would prefer that to be the something. Maybe Ruben Amaro, Jr. has half a brain in his head. Heaven forbid Dave Montgomery goes out and hires a Moneyball disciple. Theo Epstein only won the World Series after numerous other GM's failed for 86 years, and we wouldn't want that. Then we'd have to put up bunting around the stadium and plan a parade and all that other profligacy that we just can't afford because we are a small-market team after all. So, so small.
Cory Lidle stepped up to replace Vicente Padilla in the rotation tonight against Big Bad Smoltz. I haven't heard as to why just yet, other than the obvious fact that Padilla stinks right now, and the day off made it Lidle's turn day-wise. I wonder if Madson's available, or if Manuel will try out Robinson Tejeda in high-risk situations. Tejeda has gone 5-plus without allowing a run, which is a hell of a lot better than Geoff Geary or Rheal Cormier. Again, you wouldn't want to go with young relievers who are cheap and effective when you have old geezers available on whom you lavished long-term contracts worth several million dollars. I'm getting Wade's Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Managing General Partner Bamboozlers down pat.
I guess I should use today's entry to reflect on the state of the Phillies, but I'm not on Xanax yet, and I don't want to start. Today is Day #3 of the "Do Something, Ed" watch. As Tom suggested in the Moral Imperatives, that something could be to either get fired or quit. In fact, I would prefer that to be the something. Maybe Ruben Amaro, Jr. has half a brain in his head. Heaven forbid Dave Montgomery goes out and hires a Moneyball disciple. Theo Epstein only won the World Series after numerous other GM's failed for 86 years, and we wouldn't want that. Then we'd have to put up bunting around the stadium and plan a parade and all that other profligacy that we just can't afford because we are a small-market team after all. So, so small.
Cory Lidle stepped up to replace Vicente Padilla in the rotation tonight against Big Bad Smoltz. I haven't heard as to why just yet, other than the obvious fact that Padilla stinks right now, and the day off made it Lidle's turn day-wise. I wonder if Madson's available, or if Manuel will try out Robinson Tejeda in high-risk situations. Tejeda has gone 5-plus without allowing a run, which is a hell of a lot better than Geoff Geary or Rheal Cormier. Again, you wouldn't want to go with young relievers who are cheap and effective when you have old geezers available on whom you lavished long-term contracts worth several million dollars. I'm getting Wade's Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Managing General Partner Bamboozlers down pat.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
NORTH TO ATLANTA
Hey, we won one! I missed most of it of course. I was listening on the radio in the car up until the rain delay, and then I turned it off. I didn't tune back in until the sixth inning when Wolfie almost blew the 8-2 lead. Poor Ryan Madson's right arm is going to fall off and enter the Overuse Protection Program pretty soon. You can't really blame Charlie. Mad Dog is the only guy out there with a semblance of effectiveness other than Wags. It was nice to see J-Roll have a good night. He's been killing us in the leadoff spot with his OBP hovering around .300. Thome also got off the interstate with three hits. Thanks to Al Leiter for showing up for work last night. I think his broadcasting career may start sooner rather than later.
I've decided this is Day 2 of the "Do Something, Ed!" Watch. I'm not even counting Marlon Byrd for Endy Chavez, unless Chavez develops a nasty breaking pitch. The options are there, Eddy boy. Ryan Howard is option number one. You obviously aren't going to play him, so it's imperative that you turn him into a middle reliever or setup guy who can eat innings and keep Madson away from the Andrews Clinic. Get cracking!
On to Chipper-ville after a day off. Oh brother, Padilla vs. Smoltz. I'll have to plan to miss that one.
I've decided this is Day 2 of the "Do Something, Ed!" Watch. I'm not even counting Marlon Byrd for Endy Chavez, unless Chavez develops a nasty breaking pitch. The options are there, Eddy boy. Ryan Howard is option number one. You obviously aren't going to play him, so it's imperative that you turn him into a middle reliever or setup guy who can eat innings and keep Madson away from the Andrews Clinic. Get cracking!
On to Chipper-ville after a day off. Oh brother, Padilla vs. Smoltz. I'll have to plan to miss that one.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
BILLY, YOU WEREN'T A HERO
Ugh. It's never fun when your closer blows a save, and this one was less fun than usual. Brett Myers was cruising along with a 2-hit shutout when he came out for the eighth inning of a 3-0 game. Apparently, from the paper this morning, Charlie Manuel never intended him to pitch in the eighth, instead using him as a decoy to force the Marlins to announce lefty pinch hitter Lenny Harris so that Manuel could bring in the lefty Rheal Cormier, which would cause the Marlins to have to burn Harris and insert a right-handed hitter. Myers, according again to the paper, had told Manuel he was gassed because of the hot Florida weather. I was pretty pissed at the time, but if the guy is done, he's done. Unfortunately, Charlie was stuck with Cormier, who gave up a single to pinch-hitter Joe Dillon and a double to another pinch-hitter, Jeff Conine. With his nightly botching completed, Cormier exited in favor of Ryan Madson. Madson allowed both runners to score, but did at least finish the inning with the Phillies still ahead 3-2. That's one of the many differences between the Marlins and the Phillies. The Phils in that situation score maybe one of those two runners, if they get a break.
The Phils went quietly in their half of the ninth, and on came Billy Wagner. Wags was throwing Dade County heat, registering 101 MPH on the Doplhins Stadium gun a few times, and dispatched the first two hitters, setting up a confrontation with Damion Easley. Easley has pretty much bumped Luis Castillo out of his starting job, which Castillo had held for years until a recent injury. He's always had some pop, although he peaked out at an .810 OPS in 1998. Nevertheless, if you throw him a 99 MPH fastball belt high right over the plate, he knows what to do with it. Billy did. And Damion did. Tie game. Yikes. Billy got Alex Gonzalez to end the inning, and the game went to extra torture, I mean extra innings.
Once again, the Phillies failed to mount a rally against the Florida bullpen, and Amaury Telemaco was brought in to pitch the 10th. Telly had been called up to replace the execrable Terry Adams, who had been outrighted earlier in the day. Now we know why Adams had hung around so long. Telemaco gave up a leadoff single to Joe Dillon, who had stayed in on a double switch. He managed to retire Jeff Conine and Paul Lo Duca, forcing Manuel to bring in lefty Aaron Fultz to face Carlos Delgado, who is fast becoming a Phillie nemesis of the Chipper and Cornelius Floyd variety. Delgado promptly belted another two-out blast, this one to the deepest part of the park in center, scoring Dillon and giving the Marlins the 4-3 win.
What more is there to say about the Phillies bullpen, and Wade's handling thereof? It literally cannot get any worse. The Phils have the worst bullpen ERA in the major leagues. The worst. Finally, Wade's asinine policy of signing 38-year-old relievers to lucrative long-term contracts has bitten him in the ass hugely. Tim Worrell is a mental case of some sort, Cormier can't even get lefties out, and Terry Adams was so bad even Wade had to fire him. There is plenty of cheap, effective relief talent available every off-season, but somehow, Wade always feels the need to hire guys who remember the lyrics to Queen and Supertramp songs. Then there's Wagner. He started out pretty strong, but he's getting more and more hittable every game he enters, and if he goes over the edge, we're looking at 100 losses easy. Maybe it's time to make some radical changes. Ryan Howard can be dealt for relief help today. The same is also true with either Gavin Floyd or Vicente Padilla, although you wouldn't get much for either right now. Placido Polanco or David Bell are certainly guys who might get you a decent reliever. Come on, Ed, do something! We're 7.5 back and fading fast. Maybe Ed is waiting for the July 31st trading deadline to...oh yeah, never mind.
The Phils went quietly in their half of the ninth, and on came Billy Wagner. Wags was throwing Dade County heat, registering 101 MPH on the Doplhins Stadium gun a few times, and dispatched the first two hitters, setting up a confrontation with Damion Easley. Easley has pretty much bumped Luis Castillo out of his starting job, which Castillo had held for years until a recent injury. He's always had some pop, although he peaked out at an .810 OPS in 1998. Nevertheless, if you throw him a 99 MPH fastball belt high right over the plate, he knows what to do with it. Billy did. And Damion did. Tie game. Yikes. Billy got Alex Gonzalez to end the inning, and the game went to extra torture, I mean extra innings.
Once again, the Phillies failed to mount a rally against the Florida bullpen, and Amaury Telemaco was brought in to pitch the 10th. Telly had been called up to replace the execrable Terry Adams, who had been outrighted earlier in the day. Now we know why Adams had hung around so long. Telemaco gave up a leadoff single to Joe Dillon, who had stayed in on a double switch. He managed to retire Jeff Conine and Paul Lo Duca, forcing Manuel to bring in lefty Aaron Fultz to face Carlos Delgado, who is fast becoming a Phillie nemesis of the Chipper and Cornelius Floyd variety. Delgado promptly belted another two-out blast, this one to the deepest part of the park in center, scoring Dillon and giving the Marlins the 4-3 win.
What more is there to say about the Phillies bullpen, and Wade's handling thereof? It literally cannot get any worse. The Phils have the worst bullpen ERA in the major leagues. The worst. Finally, Wade's asinine policy of signing 38-year-old relievers to lucrative long-term contracts has bitten him in the ass hugely. Tim Worrell is a mental case of some sort, Cormier can't even get lefties out, and Terry Adams was so bad even Wade had to fire him. There is plenty of cheap, effective relief talent available every off-season, but somehow, Wade always feels the need to hire guys who remember the lyrics to Queen and Supertramp songs. Then there's Wagner. He started out pretty strong, but he's getting more and more hittable every game he enters, and if he goes over the edge, we're looking at 100 losses easy. Maybe it's time to make some radical changes. Ryan Howard can be dealt for relief help today. The same is also true with either Gavin Floyd or Vicente Padilla, although you wouldn't get much for either right now. Placido Polanco or David Bell are certainly guys who might get you a decent reliever. Come on, Ed, do something! We're 7.5 back and fading fast. Maybe Ed is waiting for the July 31st trading deadline to...oh yeah, never mind.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
TRAIN-ING DAY
So much for the Jon Lieber renaissance. Everything was looking good until the sixth inning, when pitcher Dontrelle Willis inside-outed a one-out single past David Bell down the left field line. Über-pest Juan Pierre, very high on the most-hated list headed by Chipper, followed with a slap hit past Bell through the hole (Bell should have had this one, but he alligator-armed it for some reason). Then the Phils got one of those breaks that usually foretell happy endings. Paul Lo Duca hit a swinging bunt up the first base line which Lieber pounced on and fired to first. The ball hit Lo Duca in the helmet and caromed down the right field line, allowing Willis to score. Immediately, home plate umpire Eric Cooper called interference on Lo Duca, who went into a fit of apoplexy, apparently unaware of the rule stating that the batter-runner must stay in foul territory while running to first. Replays showed that he was clearly in fair territory the entire time, even touching the grass as he got closer to the bag. This made it two outs with runners still on first and second for Carlos Delgado. Chris Wheeler, who was doing play-by-play on Comcast Sportsnet at the time, mentioned that the Phillies were not out of the woods yet. Sometimes, even most times, I wish Wheels would keep his rampant pessimism to himself. Delgado proceeded to take a wayward cut fastball deep into the right field seats for a 3-1 Marlins lead. Miguel Cabrera followed by mashing a first pitch breaking ball at light speed over the Teal Monster to make it 4-1. Terry "We're Throwing In The Towel" Adams, or "The Bearded Hemorrhage" as Dennis Deitch of the Delaware County Daily Times calls him, came in to allow his usual run in the 7th. Bob Abreu stayed hot with an RBI single in the 8th, but there would be no comeback against the D Train, now 9-1 and steaming toward a Cy Young award. Final: 5-2 Fish.
Last night's loss drops the Phillies to 6.5 games back, with two more to play in Dolphins Stadium, followed by three in Atlanta. This would be a good week for Jim Thome to get hot, but last night's pinch-hitting attempt doesn't bode well. Coming up in the 7th as the tying run with two outs, Thome was utterly baffled by Dontrelle's breaking stuff, and struck out looking. I guess I don't understand why if he's not likely to do well enough against Willis to start him and give him four at-bats, you would elect to pinch-hit him in a critical situation against the same pitcher. That's our Charlie: counter-intuitive to the point of utter bafflement, and not in a good way.
Tonight, Brett Myers, who would be in the Cy Young race himself if the Phillies were any good, faces Josh Beckett. The Phillies hit Beckett hard earlier this month at Citizen's Bank, which would be encouraging were it not for Beckett's 0.62 home ERA, with ZERO homers allowed and .167 batting average against. Hey Wheels, chew on those numbers!
Last night's loss drops the Phillies to 6.5 games back, with two more to play in Dolphins Stadium, followed by three in Atlanta. This would be a good week for Jim Thome to get hot, but last night's pinch-hitting attempt doesn't bode well. Coming up in the 7th as the tying run with two outs, Thome was utterly baffled by Dontrelle's breaking stuff, and struck out looking. I guess I don't understand why if he's not likely to do well enough against Willis to start him and give him four at-bats, you would elect to pinch-hit him in a critical situation against the same pitcher. That's our Charlie: counter-intuitive to the point of utter bafflement, and not in a good way.
Tonight, Brett Myers, who would be in the Cy Young race himself if the Phillies were any good, faces Josh Beckett. The Phillies hit Beckett hard earlier this month at Citizen's Bank, which would be encouraging were it not for Beckett's 0.62 home ERA, with ZERO homers allowed and .167 batting average against. Hey Wheels, chew on those numbers!
Monday, May 23, 2005
BEYOND ELEVEN
Let's just do a quick recap of the week. I was unbelieveably busy all week and could not find time to blog.
Tuesday, May 17th - Cory Lidle manages to beat the Cards 7-5 despite five Phillies miscues, three by David Bell
Wednesday, May 18th - Jon Lieber gets clobbered again as the Cardinals win 8-4. Come on, Jon, we really need you.
Thursday, May 19th - Brett Myers, the true team ace, gets win number four as the Phils prevail 7-4. The Phillies score one run in seven different innings.
Friday, May 20th - Interleague play begins in Camden Yards. The Phillies bash the Birds 9-3. Wolfie lowers his May ERA to 2.77.
Saturday, May 21st - The Phils can't solve Eric Bedard and lose 7-0. Vicente Padilla is now 1-5 with a 7.04 ERA. Paging Gavin Floyd? He's 1-4 with a 7.66 ERA at S/WB. Maybe not.
Sunday, May 22nd - Lidle throws a complete game in a 7-2 victory. The Phillies are very sorry to leave Camden Yards.
For the 2005 Phillies, this was an auspicious stretch. They went 4-2, won both series, scored 34 runs, and aside from Padilla, Lieber, and Terry "Please Release Me, Let Me Go" Adams, pitched pretty well. Philadelphia is now 21-24, 5.5 games behind the Marlins, whom they meet for a three-game set starting tonight. Discouragingly, Jim Thome is now hitting .195 with one home run, and it's nearly June. Clearly, this situation has to improve rapidly if the Phillies have any chance this season. And we have to get rid of Adams. He's a three-run rally with ears.
In other news, on Saturday night, my wife and I attended a show by the inimitable Welsh chanteuse Judith Owen and her husband, the omni-talented Harry Shearer, of Simpsons voice-over and Spinal Tap's bassist Derek Smalls fame. The show was at the Tin Angel, on 2nd Street in Olde City. As my wife and I walked into the club, and back out again, we instantly went from the oldest people on the street to the youngest people in the room and vice versa. Second Street was thick with 20-somethings dressed for, it would seem, imminent sexual congress. The Tin Angel itself is an exceedingly long and narrow space on the second floor of the restaurant Serrano. We stood in a line on the stairs waiting to get in while a stout gentlemen at the door went in and out checking to see if the sound check was over. On one of his sojourns outside the door, he made a point to complain about Judith's behavior. Nice. As we sat down, my wife was greeted with a table having the adhesive qualities of a roach motel, only not as appetizing. Why I was expecting more out of musical performance venues in Philadelphia I'll never know. Undeterred, I ordered a fully caffeinated cappuccino in order to keep my aging self awake through the 10:30 show and the drive home.
Finally, Judith and her backup duo took the stage at about 10:45. She mentioned something about the "Non-COMM", which I found out later was a convention for public radio stations that she and Harry had attended that day at the University of Pennsylvania, and then went right into her rendition of Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water". She played most of her new album, interspersing her songs with witty commentary about the Welsh in general, Tom Jones in particular, Beverly Hills cosmetic surgery queens, her impossible husband, her impossible self, the unfortunate souls who had to navigate right past the stage to get to the bathrooms, and the ventilation fan above her that kept blowing in her face periodically. Harry, who sat on a stool in the audience along a sidebar during most of the show and was only mildly harassed for autographs by Simpsons dweebs, came on stage as a backup baritone on the Michael Jackson inspired number "Famous Friends". He then took over for about 10 minutes while Judith took a breather, doing bits from his "Le Show" program, including the hilarious song sung from Barbara Walters point-of-view called "82 Facelifts".
The night belonged squarely to Judith, however. Her songs, most of which she wrote herself, and a few which are covers of contemporary classics such as Sting's "Walking On The Moon", are sung with a jazz-inspired pop style that can only be described as unique, with her strong yet sweet voice punctuated with frequent staccato elongated vowel phrasings. She played her Yamaha keyboard with an effortless virtuousity, and percussionist Jeff Brownlee and bassist Sean Hurley, whom she described as "her hunks", were first-rate as well. The between-song interludes were always funny and often mesmerizing as she exerted her considerable will over the audience. The 40-50 patrons called her out for two encores. For the first encore, she came out and said, "I thought you lot didn't want me to come back out, and I was saying 'Those fuckers!', but now I love you." For the second encore, she sang the England homage "Blighty" from her 2003 album "12 Arrows", and then told us all (a la Tracey Ullman), to "Go home!", which we did, thoroughly entertained and feeling lucky to be part of this intimate group amidst the horny rabble on the street below. Now if they can give our table a good steam cleaning and stop dissing the talent, the Tin Angel will really have something.
Tuesday, May 17th - Cory Lidle manages to beat the Cards 7-5 despite five Phillies miscues, three by David Bell
Wednesday, May 18th - Jon Lieber gets clobbered again as the Cardinals win 8-4. Come on, Jon, we really need you.
Thursday, May 19th - Brett Myers, the true team ace, gets win number four as the Phils prevail 7-4. The Phillies score one run in seven different innings.
Friday, May 20th - Interleague play begins in Camden Yards. The Phillies bash the Birds 9-3. Wolfie lowers his May ERA to 2.77.
Saturday, May 21st - The Phils can't solve Eric Bedard and lose 7-0. Vicente Padilla is now 1-5 with a 7.04 ERA. Paging Gavin Floyd? He's 1-4 with a 7.66 ERA at S/WB. Maybe not.
Sunday, May 22nd - Lidle throws a complete game in a 7-2 victory. The Phillies are very sorry to leave Camden Yards.
For the 2005 Phillies, this was an auspicious stretch. They went 4-2, won both series, scored 34 runs, and aside from Padilla, Lieber, and Terry "Please Release Me, Let Me Go" Adams, pitched pretty well. Philadelphia is now 21-24, 5.5 games behind the Marlins, whom they meet for a three-game set starting tonight. Discouragingly, Jim Thome is now hitting .195 with one home run, and it's nearly June. Clearly, this situation has to improve rapidly if the Phillies have any chance this season. And we have to get rid of Adams. He's a three-run rally with ears.
In other news, on Saturday night, my wife and I attended a show by the inimitable Welsh chanteuse Judith Owen and her husband, the omni-talented Harry Shearer, of Simpsons voice-over and Spinal Tap's bassist Derek Smalls fame. The show was at the Tin Angel, on 2nd Street in Olde City. As my wife and I walked into the club, and back out again, we instantly went from the oldest people on the street to the youngest people in the room and vice versa. Second Street was thick with 20-somethings dressed for, it would seem, imminent sexual congress. The Tin Angel itself is an exceedingly long and narrow space on the second floor of the restaurant Serrano. We stood in a line on the stairs waiting to get in while a stout gentlemen at the door went in and out checking to see if the sound check was over. On one of his sojourns outside the door, he made a point to complain about Judith's behavior. Nice. As we sat down, my wife was greeted with a table having the adhesive qualities of a roach motel, only not as appetizing. Why I was expecting more out of musical performance venues in Philadelphia I'll never know. Undeterred, I ordered a fully caffeinated cappuccino in order to keep my aging self awake through the 10:30 show and the drive home.
Finally, Judith and her backup duo took the stage at about 10:45. She mentioned something about the "Non-COMM", which I found out later was a convention for public radio stations that she and Harry had attended that day at the University of Pennsylvania, and then went right into her rendition of Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water". She played most of her new album, interspersing her songs with witty commentary about the Welsh in general, Tom Jones in particular, Beverly Hills cosmetic surgery queens, her impossible husband, her impossible self, the unfortunate souls who had to navigate right past the stage to get to the bathrooms, and the ventilation fan above her that kept blowing in her face periodically. Harry, who sat on a stool in the audience along a sidebar during most of the show and was only mildly harassed for autographs by Simpsons dweebs, came on stage as a backup baritone on the Michael Jackson inspired number "Famous Friends". He then took over for about 10 minutes while Judith took a breather, doing bits from his "Le Show" program, including the hilarious song sung from Barbara Walters point-of-view called "82 Facelifts".
The night belonged squarely to Judith, however. Her songs, most of which she wrote herself, and a few which are covers of contemporary classics such as Sting's "Walking On The Moon", are sung with a jazz-inspired pop style that can only be described as unique, with her strong yet sweet voice punctuated with frequent staccato elongated vowel phrasings. She played her Yamaha keyboard with an effortless virtuousity, and percussionist Jeff Brownlee and bassist Sean Hurley, whom she described as "her hunks", were first-rate as well. The between-song interludes were always funny and often mesmerizing as she exerted her considerable will over the audience. The 40-50 patrons called her out for two encores. For the first encore, she came out and said, "I thought you lot didn't want me to come back out, and I was saying 'Those fuckers!', but now I love you." For the second encore, she sang the England homage "Blighty" from her 2003 album "12 Arrows", and then told us all (a la Tracey Ullman), to "Go home!", which we did, thoroughly entertained and feeling lucky to be part of this intimate group amidst the horny rabble on the street below. Now if they can give our table a good steam cleaning and stop dissing the talent, the Tin Angel will really have something.
Monday, May 16, 2005
SPLIT-CINNATI
We managed to fly safely on Friday the 13th, debunking that myth for the time being, which really wasn't much of an accomplishment, when you think about it. The only way the myth could have been upheld was if every airplane aloft that day came plummeting down in a fireball, in which case I doubt the airline would let us get on board in the first place, seeing as how our flight was at 4 PM. They're not too bright, but even they would have caught on by then.
The day worked out OK for the Phils as well, who pounded the Reds 12-2 behind the increasingly impressive pitching of Brett Myers. Of course, I was stuck either in a plane or an airport all evening, so I missed it. The Reds took game 1 on Thursday while I was sitting in Minute Maid Park (more on that in a bit) watching the out-of-town scoreboard. Lieber uncharacteristically collapsed in that one. On Saturday, Ryan Madson retired only one batter in relief of Randy Wolf, blowing a 4-2 lead in epic fashion as the Reds scampered to a 12-4 decision. On Sunday, Vicente Padilla, finally done with Spring Training, won his first game by a 4-3 score, although Billy Wagner did his best to lose it for him.
On to my Minute Maid Experience. I traveled from the Kingwood area of Houston with my brother-in-law, my nephew, and my nephew's college friend down to the park, where we met my niece. My niece actually kept score of the game (she's 23, single, and very attractive, guys. Inquiries can be left in the comments section). I have to admit, I got caught up in the atmosphere of a Houston baseball crowd and sat down in my seat along the third base line after the first pitch. I couldn't help myself. At least I didn't get up, go get a beer, sit down, get up, go to the bathroom, sit down, get up, go get an ice cream, etc. like most of the other 29,000 fans. Jeez. It was like a damn conga line up and down the aisles. I must have missed about 30 pitches waiting for someone to get out of the way. After I finally did sit down, the Giants scratched out a run on an infield hit, an error by 3B Morgan Ensberg, a fielder's choice, and a sacrifice fly. Craig Biggio answered right back in the bottom of the first with a towering home run to left center, and Ensberg hit one in almost the exact same spot two batters later. So far, so good for the normally anemic 'Stros.
Andy Pettitte was not very sharp early though, and he quickly gave up the tying run on a Deivi Cruz double and a Mike Matheny single. Matheny was a real pest all night, which is pathetic considering he's not even as much of an offensive threat as Houston backstop Brad Ausmus, which is really saying something. The game stayed tied until the fifth, when Biggio hit a routine pop fly into the Crawford Boxes in left for his second round-tripper of the night. I mean, this thing had no chance in any other park, including Fenway. Moises Alou puts this ball in his back pocket in Wrigley, assuming Steve Bartman stays home. Oh well, c'est la stade.
The Astros paid for their good fortune in the top of the sixth. Pettitte loaded the bases on two walks and a single for Matheny, who hit a humpbacked liner into left that a hobbling Lance Berkman, just off the DL, made a late break on. Berkman not only couldn't reach the ball, but he bobbled it, allowing the go-ahead run to score as well. The Astros never scored again, blowing their best chance in the 8th when Phil Garner curiously sent both runners from first and second on a 3-2 pitch with one out and Jose Vizcaino up. Viz either missed the sign or had a brain cramp, as he took a called third strike. Matheny, with the left-handed hitting Vizcaino up and a clear view of third base, nailed Jason Lane, a slow runner, by five feet at third to complete the double play. It was the kind of aggressive base-running play Garner was brought in to execute, but he picked the exact wrong time to try it. Vizcaino has to at least swing at that pitch, though. That was the most inexcusable part of the whole endeavor. To their credit, the Astros fans actually booed, although I'm not entirely sure they knew who they were booing at.
The Giants tacked on a couple of more runs in the 9th on a Tal's Hill double by Ray Durham, an Omar Vizquel single, a sac bunt, and yet another Ensberg error. Someone named Tyler Walker closed it out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th for San Francisco, and it was back on the 59 Highway for us. Getting back on the freeway wasn't hard, since most of the rest of the "fans" had left after the 8th inning botched double steal.
Minute Maid is as clean and beautiful as I remember it. After years of enduring the Astrodome, it's the one aspect of moving north I really regret. I'm not sure when it started, but after the traditional "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the seventh inning stretch, the PA plays "Deep In The Heart Of Texas", complete with lyrics on the Jumbotron, and the fans eat it up. It's pretty damn cool, I must say, at least for someone who lived in Houston for six years and whose wife grew up there. "The sage in bloom, smells like perfume, CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP Deep in the Heart of Teh-ex-as!" The Phillies aren't ever going to come up with anything to compare, I'm afraid.
I was disappointed that they didn't close the roof, which is an engineering feat to behold. They usually start slowly and silently bringing it forward in about the 6th inning, and the other two times I was there, it took me until about the 7th to notice. After that, I ignored it for awhile and went back to watching the game. Then, suddenly, it's closed, and what was a lovely skyline view a few innings earlier is a bunch of glass panels. It's kind of jarring, like, when did I go indoors? Still, I would have liked to have seen it again, just to satisfy the geek in me.
Off day today. We're 7 games back of the Braves, 5.5 out of the wild-card. "The S-L-G, stinks might-i-ly BOO-BOO-BOO-BOO! Deep in the Heart of Phil-ly"
The day worked out OK for the Phils as well, who pounded the Reds 12-2 behind the increasingly impressive pitching of Brett Myers. Of course, I was stuck either in a plane or an airport all evening, so I missed it. The Reds took game 1 on Thursday while I was sitting in Minute Maid Park (more on that in a bit) watching the out-of-town scoreboard. Lieber uncharacteristically collapsed in that one. On Saturday, Ryan Madson retired only one batter in relief of Randy Wolf, blowing a 4-2 lead in epic fashion as the Reds scampered to a 12-4 decision. On Sunday, Vicente Padilla, finally done with Spring Training, won his first game by a 4-3 score, although Billy Wagner did his best to lose it for him.
On to my Minute Maid Experience. I traveled from the Kingwood area of Houston with my brother-in-law, my nephew, and my nephew's college friend down to the park, where we met my niece. My niece actually kept score of the game (she's 23, single, and very attractive, guys. Inquiries can be left in the comments section). I have to admit, I got caught up in the atmosphere of a Houston baseball crowd and sat down in my seat along the third base line after the first pitch. I couldn't help myself. At least I didn't get up, go get a beer, sit down, get up, go to the bathroom, sit down, get up, go get an ice cream, etc. like most of the other 29,000 fans. Jeez. It was like a damn conga line up and down the aisles. I must have missed about 30 pitches waiting for someone to get out of the way. After I finally did sit down, the Giants scratched out a run on an infield hit, an error by 3B Morgan Ensberg, a fielder's choice, and a sacrifice fly. Craig Biggio answered right back in the bottom of the first with a towering home run to left center, and Ensberg hit one in almost the exact same spot two batters later. So far, so good for the normally anemic 'Stros.
Andy Pettitte was not very sharp early though, and he quickly gave up the tying run on a Deivi Cruz double and a Mike Matheny single. Matheny was a real pest all night, which is pathetic considering he's not even as much of an offensive threat as Houston backstop Brad Ausmus, which is really saying something. The game stayed tied until the fifth, when Biggio hit a routine pop fly into the Crawford Boxes in left for his second round-tripper of the night. I mean, this thing had no chance in any other park, including Fenway. Moises Alou puts this ball in his back pocket in Wrigley, assuming Steve Bartman stays home. Oh well, c'est la stade.
The Astros paid for their good fortune in the top of the sixth. Pettitte loaded the bases on two walks and a single for Matheny, who hit a humpbacked liner into left that a hobbling Lance Berkman, just off the DL, made a late break on. Berkman not only couldn't reach the ball, but he bobbled it, allowing the go-ahead run to score as well. The Astros never scored again, blowing their best chance in the 8th when Phil Garner curiously sent both runners from first and second on a 3-2 pitch with one out and Jose Vizcaino up. Viz either missed the sign or had a brain cramp, as he took a called third strike. Matheny, with the left-handed hitting Vizcaino up and a clear view of third base, nailed Jason Lane, a slow runner, by five feet at third to complete the double play. It was the kind of aggressive base-running play Garner was brought in to execute, but he picked the exact wrong time to try it. Vizcaino has to at least swing at that pitch, though. That was the most inexcusable part of the whole endeavor. To their credit, the Astros fans actually booed, although I'm not entirely sure they knew who they were booing at.
The Giants tacked on a couple of more runs in the 9th on a Tal's Hill double by Ray Durham, an Omar Vizquel single, a sac bunt, and yet another Ensberg error. Someone named Tyler Walker closed it out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th for San Francisco, and it was back on the 59 Highway for us. Getting back on the freeway wasn't hard, since most of the rest of the "fans" had left after the 8th inning botched double steal.
Minute Maid is as clean and beautiful as I remember it. After years of enduring the Astrodome, it's the one aspect of moving north I really regret. I'm not sure when it started, but after the traditional "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the seventh inning stretch, the PA plays "Deep In The Heart Of Texas", complete with lyrics on the Jumbotron, and the fans eat it up. It's pretty damn cool, I must say, at least for someone who lived in Houston for six years and whose wife grew up there. "The sage in bloom, smells like perfume, CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP Deep in the Heart of Teh-ex-as!" The Phillies aren't ever going to come up with anything to compare, I'm afraid.
I was disappointed that they didn't close the roof, which is an engineering feat to behold. They usually start slowly and silently bringing it forward in about the 6th inning, and the other two times I was there, it took me until about the 7th to notice. After that, I ignored it for awhile and went back to watching the game. Then, suddenly, it's closed, and what was a lovely skyline view a few innings earlier is a bunch of glass panels. It's kind of jarring, like, when did I go indoors? Still, I would have liked to have seen it again, just to satisfy the geek in me.
Off day today. We're 7 games back of the Braves, 5.5 out of the wild-card. "The S-L-G, stinks might-i-ly BOO-BOO-BOO-BOO! Deep in the Heart of Phil-ly"
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
HOUSTON, WE HAVE AN ANNOYING CLICHE
I don't have much to say, just a quick note that I'm in beautiful Houston, Texas on a business trip, and the Phillies are still foundering. I caught the end of the Sunday game, which the Phillies lost 3-2 to the Cubs, at my sister- and brother-in-law's house. They are all avid Astros fans, and are even more melancholy than I am about now. I saw most of the Monday 4-2 win over the Brewers on our laptop via MLB.TV. One of these days I'll have to give a complete review of that service, which is fantastic. I completely missed yesterday's and today's epic bullpen collapses. I think the less said, the better. The one good thing I've noticed is that Bob Abreu is volcanically hot now that we're well into May. Aside from that, all is pretty morose in Phan-ville.
Well, I have to run and eat more on the company dole. I probably won't be checking in again until I get home. At that time I'll regale you with tales of my excursion to Minute Maid Park to watch the Astros play the Barry-less Giants.
Well, I have to run and eat more on the company dole. I probably won't be checking in again until I get home. At that time I'll regale you with tales of my excursion to Minute Maid Park to watch the Astros play the Barry-less Giants.
Friday, May 06, 2005
WESTWARD, OH NO
Of course, we lost. J-Roll made it interesting with a three-run homer in the top of the ninth (sorry about that "hits like Lauryn Hill" thing, Jimmy), but Pat struck out again with the tying run on base against Looper, as he did in game three. We're now a very ugly 12-17 as we escape the East for the Central like Steve McQueen tunneling out against the Nazis.
The Cubs are reeling right now, having lost Kerry Wood for at least two months, Nomar possibly for the season, and with many of their other hitters slumping. Unfortunately, we get their best pitcher, Mark Prior, this afternoon, although he's been scuffling a bit as well with minor ailments. We're countering with Lidle, who could be a few wind-blown homers waiting to happen. Corey has been eating innings, though, and keeping the ball around the plate at least. The weekend games have Lieber facing lefty Glendon Rusch and Myers facing Carlos (Don't Call Me Victor) Zambrano. We have to win those last two if not all three to have any hope of getting back in this race by June. Then we head off to face streaking Milwaukee, who has taken over second place in the Central. I wrote it earlier in the year and I stand by it: it's good to be Bud-free.
I stayed up and watched "Breaking Away" for the 348th time last night. It's definitely in the Pantheon, right up there with "All The President's Men", and the movie that gave this place its name, "Real Genius". The Phillies are looking like Mike after he bonks his head in the quarry swimming against the IU kid: bloody and sinking fast. We still have over two-thirds of the movie to go though.
The Cubs are reeling right now, having lost Kerry Wood for at least two months, Nomar possibly for the season, and with many of their other hitters slumping. Unfortunately, we get their best pitcher, Mark Prior, this afternoon, although he's been scuffling a bit as well with minor ailments. We're countering with Lidle, who could be a few wind-blown homers waiting to happen. Corey has been eating innings, though, and keeping the ball around the plate at least. The weekend games have Lieber facing lefty Glendon Rusch and Myers facing Carlos (Don't Call Me Victor) Zambrano. We have to win those last two if not all three to have any hope of getting back in this race by June. Then we head off to face streaking Milwaukee, who has taken over second place in the Central. I wrote it earlier in the year and I stand by it: it's good to be Bud-free.
I stayed up and watched "Breaking Away" for the 348th time last night. It's definitely in the Pantheon, right up there with "All The President's Men", and the movie that gave this place its name, "Real Genius". The Phillies are looking like Mike after he bonks his head in the quarry swimming against the IU kid: bloody and sinking fast. We still have over two-thirds of the movie to go though.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
BLOG ON THE FLY
Something different today: I'm going to jot down my immediate, visceral reactions to the Phillies lousy play as it happens! I have the ESPN Gamecast going as I write this. Looks like Padilla struggled in the second, giving up a couple of doubles and two runs, although the Mets ran themselves out of a bigger inning when David Wright was thrown at the plate by J-Roll. Jimmy then got one back with a walk, steal of second, steal of third, and a wild pitch by Kris Benson. Well, at least we can run, if not hit.
TOP FIFTH
Pratt bounces out. Padilla gets a rare hit. Jimmy singles him to second. Come on Chaser! Three-and-oh to Utley. Take a strike, Chase, Bobby's on deck. OK, 3-1. Walked him. Bases juiced for Abreu. Just noticed: how could they sit Floyd for this game? He popped it up...dammit. Ok, Pat, it's on you. You love this place. Now is the time. It hit him! Tied up at 2-2. That'll do it for Benson. He'll hit the showers, along with three hookers the grounds crew planted so that Anna Benson will make good on her pledge to have sex with the whole team, including the grounds crew, if Kris cheats on her. Aaron Heilman comes in.
Ok, Bell is in there. He and his whopping .216 average. Comebacker. Nice job, Dave. Well, we tied it up, anyway.
BOTTOM FIFTH
Beltran in against Vicente. Ground out to Big Ryan. That'll bring up Piazza. Base hit up the middle. Pizza-boy is a hitting machine. Mike Cameron steps in. Again, where the heck is Yukon Cornelius? Maybe he's hurt. I'll have to research that. Doh! Double by Cameron, Piazza to third. Way to keep the momentum going, Padilla. Minky is walked to load the bases for D-Wright. We need a DP grounder bad here. Nope. Another double! Two runs are in, it's 4-2, Minky heads to third. Ok, Charlie, I think the Flotilla is taking on water. Diaz is walked to load them again. Hey it worked once. Heilman the pitcher is due up. I guess they'll bat him now that he has a lead. Ryan Madson comes on to try to stanch the hemorrhaging. Polanco replaces Bell for the double switch.
Heilman is taking his hacks. Heilman is caught browsing. Nice job, Ryan. That'll bring up Reyes, bases still loaded. Good morning, good afternoon, good night. Struck him out. Madson is clutch as usual. Ok, not too terrible, only two runs. At least Padilla actually made it out of the fourth today. Maybe by July he can pitch long enough to get a win.
TOP SIXTH
Big Ryan up. Big K. Marlon Byrd makes an appearance. He even has a hit already. And another! Marlon heads for second on Cameron's error. Pratt's up. Pratt K's. Polanco, hitting in the ninth spot, tries to get a big two-out hit. Not happening. Bouncer to third. Still 4-2.
BOTTOM SIXTH
The blogger repairs to the facilities...Kaz bounces out. Beltran out swinging. Pizza-boy gets another hit. Cameron hits into an FC. The score remains 4-2.
TOP SEVENTH
I wonder if Heilman will stay in, or if they have a setup guy they like to use. I guess it's Heilman. J-Roll leads off. Is it me, or is J-Roll a dead ringer for Lauryn Hill? Hits like her too. One out, on strikes. The Chaser is up. Ground out to 1B. Now Abreu. K me. So, so quiet. Stretch time!
BOTTOM SEVENTH
Minky grounds to second. D-Wright K's. Diaz bounces to third. Madson mows them down again. Let's get some runs!
TOP EIGHTH
Pat The Bat starts us off. Heilman still dealing. Burrell out on strikes. The pitcher's spot is due up. Offerman will pinch hit. Jose is aboard with a bases on balls. It's about time somebody got on. Ryan is up. Now's the time, rookie. Double play. That's not what I meant. Still 4-2, and time is rapidly running out. Looper is probably getting warm.
But I'm serious, J-Roll and Lauryn Hill could be related...
BOTTOM EIGHTH
Tim Worrell? Oh no. That lead will soon get bigger. Marlon Anderson leads off, base hit. Reyes up. Sac bunt, Anderson to second. Kaz is the hitter. Grounds to second, moving Anderson to third. Any other reliever gets out of this, but Worrell will find a way to allow that runner to score. Beltran is up. He walks on four straight. Piazza must be salivating. He's already 3-4. And there it goes! Three-run blast. 7-2. Drive safely folks. Thanks, Timmy. Have a nice life pumping gas or selling real estate. Cameron doubles for the exclamation point. Come on Minky, put us out of our misery. He popped up to second. God, we suck.
Well, I gotta run, kids. I'll add a post-mortem tomorrow, and a preview of the Cubs series, if I really feel depressed.
TOP FIFTH
Pratt bounces out. Padilla gets a rare hit. Jimmy singles him to second. Come on Chaser! Three-and-oh to Utley. Take a strike, Chase, Bobby's on deck. OK, 3-1. Walked him. Bases juiced for Abreu. Just noticed: how could they sit Floyd for this game? He popped it up...dammit. Ok, Pat, it's on you. You love this place. Now is the time. It hit him! Tied up at 2-2. That'll do it for Benson. He'll hit the showers, along with three hookers the grounds crew planted so that Anna Benson will make good on her pledge to have sex with the whole team, including the grounds crew, if Kris cheats on her. Aaron Heilman comes in.
Ok, Bell is in there. He and his whopping .216 average. Comebacker. Nice job, Dave. Well, we tied it up, anyway.
BOTTOM FIFTH
Beltran in against Vicente. Ground out to Big Ryan. That'll bring up Piazza. Base hit up the middle. Pizza-boy is a hitting machine. Mike Cameron steps in. Again, where the heck is Yukon Cornelius? Maybe he's hurt. I'll have to research that. Doh! Double by Cameron, Piazza to third. Way to keep the momentum going, Padilla. Minky is walked to load the bases for D-Wright. We need a DP grounder bad here. Nope. Another double! Two runs are in, it's 4-2, Minky heads to third. Ok, Charlie, I think the Flotilla is taking on water. Diaz is walked to load them again. Hey it worked once. Heilman the pitcher is due up. I guess they'll bat him now that he has a lead. Ryan Madson comes on to try to stanch the hemorrhaging. Polanco replaces Bell for the double switch.
Heilman is taking his hacks. Heilman is caught browsing. Nice job, Ryan. That'll bring up Reyes, bases still loaded. Good morning, good afternoon, good night. Struck him out. Madson is clutch as usual. Ok, not too terrible, only two runs. At least Padilla actually made it out of the fourth today. Maybe by July he can pitch long enough to get a win.
TOP SIXTH
Big Ryan up. Big K. Marlon Byrd makes an appearance. He even has a hit already. And another! Marlon heads for second on Cameron's error. Pratt's up. Pratt K's. Polanco, hitting in the ninth spot, tries to get a big two-out hit. Not happening. Bouncer to third. Still 4-2.
BOTTOM SIXTH
The blogger repairs to the facilities...Kaz bounces out. Beltran out swinging. Pizza-boy gets another hit. Cameron hits into an FC. The score remains 4-2.
TOP SEVENTH
I wonder if Heilman will stay in, or if they have a setup guy they like to use. I guess it's Heilman. J-Roll leads off. Is it me, or is J-Roll a dead ringer for Lauryn Hill? Hits like her too. One out, on strikes. The Chaser is up. Ground out to 1B. Now Abreu. K me. So, so quiet. Stretch time!
BOTTOM SEVENTH
Minky grounds to second. D-Wright K's. Diaz bounces to third. Madson mows them down again. Let's get some runs!
TOP EIGHTH
Pat The Bat starts us off. Heilman still dealing. Burrell out on strikes. The pitcher's spot is due up. Offerman will pinch hit. Jose is aboard with a bases on balls. It's about time somebody got on. Ryan is up. Now's the time, rookie. Double play. That's not what I meant. Still 4-2, and time is rapidly running out. Looper is probably getting warm.
But I'm serious, J-Roll and Lauryn Hill could be related...
BOTTOM EIGHTH
Tim Worrell? Oh no. That lead will soon get bigger. Marlon Anderson leads off, base hit. Reyes up. Sac bunt, Anderson to second. Kaz is the hitter. Grounds to second, moving Anderson to third. Any other reliever gets out of this, but Worrell will find a way to allow that runner to score. Beltran is up. He walks on four straight. Piazza must be salivating. He's already 3-4. And there it goes! Three-run blast. 7-2. Drive safely folks. Thanks, Timmy. Have a nice life pumping gas or selling real estate. Cameron doubles for the exclamation point. Come on Minky, put us out of our misery. He popped up to second. God, we suck.
Well, I gotta run, kids. I'll add a post-mortem tomorrow, and a preview of the Cubs series, if I really feel depressed.
SO CLOSE, YET SEO FAR
Remember what I said about Brad Wilkerson? It goes double for Cornelius "Cliff" Floyd. Now there's a name I can ridicule. COR-NEEEEELL-YUSSSS!!! God, I hate that guy. He continued to kill us in every way possible last night, hitting another monster homer and robbing J-Mike of a tater, which ended up being the difference in the game. And who the hell is Jae Seo? The Mets are on the verge of sending this guy down to Norfolk, and he throws eight shutout innings. Unfathomable.
The game started out well enough. Wolfie looked pretty good until I left the game in the top of the third, otherwise detained. Soon after I stopped listening, Victor "only hits against us" Diaz homered. Yukon Cornelius singled in a run in the third, and then hit his ninth homer, seemingly his ninth off Phillies pitching this year, in the fifth to make it 3-0. Meanwhile, Seo was meeting little resistance. I know Thome and Lofton are out, but geez, guys, can't anybody here play this game? They managed a David Bell single and two Bobby Abreu walks until I picked the game back up in the top of the ninth. Braden Looper came on to close, and he's had a shaky history against the Phillies, blowing several games last season. Rollins was retired quickly, but the Chaser worked the count to 3-2 on a few close pitches the Mets fans were hollering about. Finally, Looper grooved one, and Utley clobbered it over Diaz for a home run to right. OK, that's one. Bobby followed with a blast on a 1-2 pitch to almost the same location to make it 3-2. Yes! Comeback! Looper is toast! Not so fast, little one. Burrell took a called third strike, and J-Mike was completely overmatched, going down on four pitches. Fuck me. Hello 12-16.
This afternoon's tilt doesn't look any more promising. Vicente Padilla, still in Spring Training mode, goes for the Phils against Kris Benson, who was just activated off the DL. Guess who made room for him? That's right, Mr. Expendable, Jae Seo, who the Phillies hitters just treated like he had the Marburg virus. Thank goodness we're getting out of this division after today and heading to the increasingly Friendly Confines, although we'll probably make the Cubs look good the way we're going. Marburg, anyone?
The game started out well enough. Wolfie looked pretty good until I left the game in the top of the third, otherwise detained. Soon after I stopped listening, Victor "only hits against us" Diaz homered. Yukon Cornelius singled in a run in the third, and then hit his ninth homer, seemingly his ninth off Phillies pitching this year, in the fifth to make it 3-0. Meanwhile, Seo was meeting little resistance. I know Thome and Lofton are out, but geez, guys, can't anybody here play this game? They managed a David Bell single and two Bobby Abreu walks until I picked the game back up in the top of the ninth. Braden Looper came on to close, and he's had a shaky history against the Phillies, blowing several games last season. Rollins was retired quickly, but the Chaser worked the count to 3-2 on a few close pitches the Mets fans were hollering about. Finally, Looper grooved one, and Utley clobbered it over Diaz for a home run to right. OK, that's one. Bobby followed with a blast on a 1-2 pitch to almost the same location to make it 3-2. Yes! Comeback! Looper is toast! Not so fast, little one. Burrell took a called third strike, and J-Mike was completely overmatched, going down on four pitches. Fuck me. Hello 12-16.
This afternoon's tilt doesn't look any more promising. Vicente Padilla, still in Spring Training mode, goes for the Phils against Kris Benson, who was just activated off the DL. Guess who made room for him? That's right, Mr. Expendable, Jae Seo, who the Phillies hitters just treated like he had the Marburg virus. Thank goodness we're getting out of this division after today and heading to the increasingly Friendly Confines, although we'll probably make the Cubs look good the way we're going. Marburg, anyone?
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
TRANSITION GAME
I actually sat down and tried to watch this game from the beginning. Pat Burrell rewarded me with a three-run dinger off Tom Glavine in the first inning. Glavine just isn't getting the corners any more. I'm not sure if it is QuesTec, or Sandy Alderson and his new union-busted umpires getting back at him for being such a big union guy, but that pitch five inches off the plate that used to be rung up with regularity is nearly always called a ball now. Bobby Abreu took advantage of a couple of Glavine-former-strikes to work out a walk ahead of Pat, and he later singled in a pair of runs in the second inning to make it 5-0.
As we've all heard, Jim Thome and Kenny Lofton (big surprise) are on the 15-day disabled list. The Phils called up Ryan Howard and Marlon Byrd from S/WB to fill their spots. Howard was in uniform for the game last night but did not start, because of the lefty Glavine. In my opinion, this can only help in the short term. Thome was slumping badly, probably because of his back injury, and Howard's bat should be an improvement. Byrd and Michaels probably won't be much different than Lofton and Michaels, especially if they just give Michaels the centerfield job full time. He's earned it.
The Phils tacked on three more in the fourth. Abreu drove in two runs with another single and scored the third one on a David Bell single. I hope Bobby's out of his reality-TV-induced funk. Glavine couldn't make it out of that fourth inning, and the rout was on. Cliff Floyd hit another huge home run in the bottom of the fourth to make it 8-1, but the Mets never threatened. The final was 10-3. Tim Worrell managed to raise his ERA to 8.10 by giving up a run in the ninth. He and The Thing need to seriously consider another line of work. If only Wade had the wherewithal to find better alternatives.
Now, I tried to watch this game, but Comcast refused to let me. Since the Sixers were busy getting pantsed by the Pistons, Sportsnet wasn't carrying the Phillies game and Comcast instead had switched it to CN8, their penny-ante news channel. I have the High-Def DVR box on my downstairs TV, and CN8 was working fine there. I decided to catch the end of the game in bed, and upstairs, we just have the usual Low-Def Digital cable box. No CN8. No UPN either, which, coincidentally is the other Phillies station but had nothing to do with the Phillies last night. Weird. I rebooted the cable box, but that didn't help. With the score 8-1 at that point, I was hoping to enjoy a nice leisurely blowout of the Mets, but since the game was in hand, I decided to watch the end of the Kevin Spacey/Danny DeVito film "The Big Kahuna". If it had been close, I would have stayed downstairs. Really, I would have.
Wolfie takes on Jae Seo tonight at Shea. Wolfie pitched great against the Mets earlier this season, taking a shutout into the ninth. The Marlins and Braves have given him plenty of trouble, but that's to be expected. The Phillies are still four and a half behind Florida, who pounded Atlanta last night. Still plenty of time. Go Big Ryan!
As we've all heard, Jim Thome and Kenny Lofton (big surprise) are on the 15-day disabled list. The Phils called up Ryan Howard and Marlon Byrd from S/WB to fill their spots. Howard was in uniform for the game last night but did not start, because of the lefty Glavine. In my opinion, this can only help in the short term. Thome was slumping badly, probably because of his back injury, and Howard's bat should be an improvement. Byrd and Michaels probably won't be much different than Lofton and Michaels, especially if they just give Michaels the centerfield job full time. He's earned it.
The Phils tacked on three more in the fourth. Abreu drove in two runs with another single and scored the third one on a David Bell single. I hope Bobby's out of his reality-TV-induced funk. Glavine couldn't make it out of that fourth inning, and the rout was on. Cliff Floyd hit another huge home run in the bottom of the fourth to make it 8-1, but the Mets never threatened. The final was 10-3. Tim Worrell managed to raise his ERA to 8.10 by giving up a run in the ninth. He and The Thing need to seriously consider another line of work. If only Wade had the wherewithal to find better alternatives.
Now, I tried to watch this game, but Comcast refused to let me. Since the Sixers were busy getting pantsed by the Pistons, Sportsnet wasn't carrying the Phillies game and Comcast instead had switched it to CN8, their penny-ante news channel. I have the High-Def DVR box on my downstairs TV, and CN8 was working fine there. I decided to catch the end of the game in bed, and upstairs, we just have the usual Low-Def Digital cable box. No CN8. No UPN either, which, coincidentally is the other Phillies station but had nothing to do with the Phillies last night. Weird. I rebooted the cable box, but that didn't help. With the score 8-1 at that point, I was hoping to enjoy a nice leisurely blowout of the Mets, but since the game was in hand, I decided to watch the end of the Kevin Spacey/Danny DeVito film "The Big Kahuna". If it had been close, I would have stayed downstairs. Really, I would have.
Wolfie takes on Jae Seo tonight at Shea. Wolfie pitched great against the Mets earlier this season, taking a shutout into the ninth. The Marlins and Braves have given him plenty of trouble, but that's to be expected. The Phillies are still four and a half behind Florida, who pounded Atlanta last night. Still plenty of time. Go Big Ryan!
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
CAN'T TRUST THAT DAY
Golf: no. Great pitcher's duel at Shea: yes, after I went to bed. Terry Adams getting his pink slip: I hope so.
Obviously, I missed the whole thing. It started raining as I left work, and it was far too cold and windy anyway to hit the little white ball. The game was on Rain Delay (a gripping Fran Healy interview with the immortal...Gary Sheffield?) until I packed it in at 9 PM, ailing from pollen overload. It looks like Lieber left after six innings with the score tied 1-1. Manuel called on the only righty he had left after yesterday who could pitch middle relief, The Thing, Terry Adams. As many other Phillies bloggers have wondered, why does Ed Wade keep giving guys like this second and third chances? He bombed out in Boston, failing to make their playoff roster, but now somehow he's good enough for the Phillies. Well, good enough for Carlos Beltran to smack a three-run shot to deep right off of him. Nice job in talent evaluation, boys. The Phillies never recovered, and lost 5-1.
Tonight it's Brett Myers vs. Tom Glavine. If we're lucky, Glavine will be too concerned with Bud Selig's latest steroids plan to concentrate on the game.
Welcome to the world my new grand niece, Anna Michelle (photos not immediately available)! Thank goodness you're a Red Sox fan.
Obviously, I missed the whole thing. It started raining as I left work, and it was far too cold and windy anyway to hit the little white ball. The game was on Rain Delay (a gripping Fran Healy interview with the immortal...Gary Sheffield?) until I packed it in at 9 PM, ailing from pollen overload. It looks like Lieber left after six innings with the score tied 1-1. Manuel called on the only righty he had left after yesterday who could pitch middle relief, The Thing, Terry Adams. As many other Phillies bloggers have wondered, why does Ed Wade keep giving guys like this second and third chances? He bombed out in Boston, failing to make their playoff roster, but now somehow he's good enough for the Phillies. Well, good enough for Carlos Beltran to smack a three-run shot to deep right off of him. Nice job in talent evaluation, boys. The Phillies never recovered, and lost 5-1.
Tonight it's Brett Myers vs. Tom Glavine. If we're lucky, Glavine will be too concerned with Bud Selig's latest steroids plan to concentrate on the game.
Welcome to the world my new grand niece, Anna Michelle (photos not immediately available)! Thank goodness you're a Red Sox fan.
Monday, May 02, 2005
BECKETT PLAY
The Phillies were not waiting for anything against Josh Beckett yesterday, certainly not me. By the time I tuned in, in the car on the way to the driving range after listening to Harry Shearer's "Le Show", the Phils were ahead 5-0. Bobby Abreu, who we'll discuss later, hit a three-run shot before Beckett had retired a batter, and super subs Tomas Perez and Todd Pratt added RBI singles. The Marlins made a game of it while I was warming up with my second-hand "Senior" Calloway driver (if the driver fits...) at the Ed "Porky" Oliver Golf Course. Now, if a guy raises to the level of having a golf course named after him, wouldn't his family insist that the "Porky" part be left off? This once again illustrates that Delaware is a southern state, or at least something "other" than Pennsylvania or New Jersey. Oh yeah, baseball. The Fish drew to within 5-3 in the third on an Alex Gonzalez homer (he now has one more than Bobby again) and a Carlos Delgado sac fly of the D Train, who had gone into pinch hit for Beckett and singled.
Two was as close as Florida would get today, though. Lidle was fairly sharp, not overpowering but generally in command, with no walks and 5 K's. Ryan Madson bailed him out of a sixth inning jam and pitched a prefect seventh before giving way to the rapidly declining Tim Worrell. Those two may be flip-flopping roles very soon, or at least should be. Worrell only managed to get one out while leaving the tying runs on for Daddy Wags, who was once again forced to try for a save of more than three outs due to Timmy's ineffectiveness. Not to worry, at least not yet. Wags arrived to the usual strains of "Enter Sandman", and immediately induced Mike Lowell to bounce into an inning-ending DP. Billy mowed 'em down 1-2-3 in the ninth for an 8-6 final and his sixth save, and has yet to allow an earned run. We'd be in deep shit without him, to put it bluntly.
Meanwhile, this morning, I read a possible explanation for Bobby's horrid (only 1 HR) April: his former Miss Universe fiance was caught fooling around with some guy on a Venezuelan reality TV show. He's managed to avoid the press in Philly, where the fans couldn't find Venezuela on a map if you spotted them the continent, but he's expecting a crush of media when the Phils head to New York today. Apparently, it's huge news in Latin America, where Abreu is something of a superstar. He should be a superstar here, but he has doggedly refused to improve his English, and his easy-going style translates to lackadaisicalness with the overheated knuckleheads who have WIP on speed dial. Bobby is a great, great player, and I hope he manages to put this behind him. Plus, I need him to get hot for my Strat team next year.
Two aces go tonight at Shea: Lieber vs. Pedro. The weather looks good for golf, too. Not bad for a Monday.
Two was as close as Florida would get today, though. Lidle was fairly sharp, not overpowering but generally in command, with no walks and 5 K's. Ryan Madson bailed him out of a sixth inning jam and pitched a prefect seventh before giving way to the rapidly declining Tim Worrell. Those two may be flip-flopping roles very soon, or at least should be. Worrell only managed to get one out while leaving the tying runs on for Daddy Wags, who was once again forced to try for a save of more than three outs due to Timmy's ineffectiveness. Not to worry, at least not yet. Wags arrived to the usual strains of "Enter Sandman", and immediately induced Mike Lowell to bounce into an inning-ending DP. Billy mowed 'em down 1-2-3 in the ninth for an 8-6 final and his sixth save, and has yet to allow an earned run. We'd be in deep shit without him, to put it bluntly.
Meanwhile, this morning, I read a possible explanation for Bobby's horrid (only 1 HR) April: his former Miss Universe fiance was caught fooling around with some guy on a Venezuelan reality TV show. He's managed to avoid the press in Philly, where the fans couldn't find Venezuela on a map if you spotted them the continent, but he's expecting a crush of media when the Phils head to New York today. Apparently, it's huge news in Latin America, where Abreu is something of a superstar. He should be a superstar here, but he has doggedly refused to improve his English, and his easy-going style translates to lackadaisicalness with the overheated knuckleheads who have WIP on speed dial. Bobby is a great, great player, and I hope he manages to put this behind him. Plus, I need him to get hot for my Strat team next year.
Two aces go tonight at Shea: Lieber vs. Pedro. The weather looks good for golf, too. Not bad for a Monday.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
RAIN, MAN
We went to the Blue Rocks game with the sky still looking threatening and a few drops of drizzle coming down. We figured we'd either see a game, or at least pick up our rain checks at the Will Call window. Surprisingly, the parking lot was jammed, and we picked up our tickets and sat down in our box seats along the third base line. It started pouring worse than ever right about at game time. A grade school marching band played the anthem while I ran out to the car to grab the free Blue Rocks umbrellas we got last year. The grounds crew was putting the tarp down as I got back, and we sat desultorily for about a half hour under the umbrellas. Finally, the rain abated, they pulled off the tarp, and it was time to play ball.
That lasted about one half-inning. After the Winston-Salem pitcher completed his warmups in the bottom of the first, the rain started up in earnest again, and the umps called everyone in after Rocks shortstop Iggy Suarez hit a groundout. We sat for a few more minutes listening to rain-themed pop songs blaring from the loudspeaker, and then went home.
The Phillies fared a little better, or worse, I suppose. They started on time, and got a few innings in before their first rain delay. The bottom of the Marlins order conspired for two runs in the second on a LoDuca walk, a Lowell double, and a Gonzalez 2-run single. We got one back in the fourth when Gonzalez blew a double-play ball by Thome, allowing Burrell to take third. Lieby then bounced into a fielder's choice to score Pat. Then some more rain.
They played the fifth, and were delayed again, and by then it was 10 PM, so I went to bed. Apparently they also played the sixth before finally deciding to call it at 2-1. Another loss. So, like the little league team we are, we lose in six innings. I hope they got some ice cream.
Today's matchup as we try to avoid the sweep is their ace, Josh Beckett vs. our number four, Cory Lidle. Lidle's been OK this year, and Beckett, though often overpowering, doesn't win as often as you would think. I'll be out hitting golf balls getting ready for the golf season, which starts tomorrow in our work league. I'll catch as much as I can on the car radio. We need this one bad. Six games out on May 1st is a lot worse than four games out on May 1st. Ok, both are terrible, but you have to have some hope.
That lasted about one half-inning. After the Winston-Salem pitcher completed his warmups in the bottom of the first, the rain started up in earnest again, and the umps called everyone in after Rocks shortstop Iggy Suarez hit a groundout. We sat for a few more minutes listening to rain-themed pop songs blaring from the loudspeaker, and then went home.
The Phillies fared a little better, or worse, I suppose. They started on time, and got a few innings in before their first rain delay. The bottom of the Marlins order conspired for two runs in the second on a LoDuca walk, a Lowell double, and a Gonzalez 2-run single. We got one back in the fourth when Gonzalez blew a double-play ball by Thome, allowing Burrell to take third. Lieby then bounced into a fielder's choice to score Pat. Then some more rain.
They played the fifth, and were delayed again, and by then it was 10 PM, so I went to bed. Apparently they also played the sixth before finally deciding to call it at 2-1. Another loss. So, like the little league team we are, we lose in six innings. I hope they got some ice cream.
Today's matchup as we try to avoid the sweep is their ace, Josh Beckett vs. our number four, Cory Lidle. Lidle's been OK this year, and Beckett, though often overpowering, doesn't win as often as you would think. I'll be out hitting golf balls getting ready for the golf season, which starts tomorrow in our work league. I'll catch as much as I can on the car radio. We need this one bad. Six games out on May 1st is a lot worse than four games out on May 1st. Ok, both are terrible, but you have to have some hope.
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