Sharp on mound and at the plate, Blanton puts Phillies up 3-1
I don't know about you, but I'd call that a slugfest, even if Tampa Bay didn't join the party. So the only thing left to do is for Cole Hamels to go out and clinch this thing at home. The Phillies will have their World Championship and I will have pulled off one hell of a trifecta, prediction-wise.
But first we wait, which won't be easy. In fact, I'm sure the only reason I'll be able to fall asleep tonight is because I'm still so tired from staying up for Game Three. And speaking of exhaustion, as much as I would love to spend some time nitpicking Buck McCarver and the Fox Traveling Circus, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to bed. Monday is shaping up to be a pretty big day.
But before I do, I thought you might appreciate some haikus inspired by tonight's game. Enjoy:
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He of dirty hat
Whether with one arm or two
Blanton is the man
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Dearest Jimmy-legs
Crack crack crack and run run run
When you score we win
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One, two, three runs home
When Ryan swings mighty bat
Oh! Oppo poppo
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Huh? No hits, two runs
Worry not for Utley, still
Quite a strange boxscore
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Big blow by Jayson
So welcome to the party
Could you stay a while?
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Ryan in the eighth
Still holding mighty bat - oops!
He did it again
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Say it ain't so Pat
Will he stay, will he go, or
Will he get a hit?
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Steely-eyed is he
Our Hamels will take the ball
One more win to go
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Showing posts with label cole hamels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cole hamels. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
World Series Game Two - Rays 4, Phillies 2
Rays even series on errors by Werth, home plate umpire
It's time for some straight talk, my friends.
That was a terrible game - and a bullshit win. Can I say "bullshit" here? It doesn't matter, nobody's reading this. As great a game as game one was, this game was the total opposite - and not because the Phillies lost, but because the home plate umpire couldn't get out of his own way. Yet despite their failure (on a mammoth scale) to hit with runners in scoring position, the Phillies still had the tying run at the plate in the ninth.
On the other hand, because of their youth, it's likely the Rays have no clue how truly lucky they were to win that game. There is no arguing the fact that if Jayson Werth fields B.J. Upton's single in the first inning cleanly, then the Rays don't score on any of the next three ground ball outs (one of which might have been a double play). You could also make a good argument that if Kerwin Danley had the balls to continue with the strike out call on Rocco Baldelli that he started, which would have been the second out of the second inning, then the Rays don't score there either and the game is scoreless instead of 3-0, Rays. The run they scored in the fourth was just good baseball.
But none of this matters - not even the ridiculous "nope, sorry Jimmy, that ball didn't hit you" call by Danley with nobody out in the ninth - when the Phillies are 1-28 with runners in scoring position in these two games. That is truly inexplicable.
The bright spots were obvious - if few and far between. Carlos Ruiz turned in some truly remarkable at-bats Wednesday night, which could be a great sign not only for this series, but for next year as well. Shane Victorino continued to collect hits, which may put him back in the two-spot on Saturday. Plus, it is truly a pleasure to welcome the real Ryan Howard back. You were missed. If you have any information on the location of the real Jimmy Rollins, please let us know. By the way, I contacted the authorities about Pat Burrell and I was told I had to wait 48 more hours before filing a missing hitter report.
So what have we learned after these first two games? It's hard to say. Most of the "experts" felt that game one was a must win for the Phillies with Cole Hamels on the mound - and they won. These same experts then proclaimed game two a must win for the Rays because they couldn't afford to leave Tampa down 0-2 - and they won. I'm going to guess that game three will now be a must win for the Phillies so they don't relinquish home-field advantage and they might be right.
At the end of the day - or the beginning of this one - mrs. tmmullen and I both knew that if we wanted to attend a World Series game this year, the Phillies would have to lose at least once (we have tickets for game five). She commented on how odd it was to secretly hope that they would lose one just for that reason and I felt that same way. But I also confided in her - before the series started - that I thought the Rays might feast on a pitcher with a style like Brett Myers and that the Phillies might lose game two. Well, the bad news is that they lost game two, but the good news is that, well, Myers didn't pitch poorly at all. So if he needs to come back for a game six, I will have plenty of confidence in him.
But I'm thinking there won't be a game six: Jamie Moyer returns to form, Joe Blanton wins a slugfest, and then Hamels clinches it at home. Yeah, I'll say it: Phils in five.
---
It's time for some straight talk, my friends.
That was a terrible game - and a bullshit win. Can I say "bullshit" here? It doesn't matter, nobody's reading this. As great a game as game one was, this game was the total opposite - and not because the Phillies lost, but because the home plate umpire couldn't get out of his own way. Yet despite their failure (on a mammoth scale) to hit with runners in scoring position, the Phillies still had the tying run at the plate in the ninth.
On the other hand, because of their youth, it's likely the Rays have no clue how truly lucky they were to win that game. There is no arguing the fact that if Jayson Werth fields B.J. Upton's single in the first inning cleanly, then the Rays don't score on any of the next three ground ball outs (one of which might have been a double play). You could also make a good argument that if Kerwin Danley had the balls to continue with the strike out call on Rocco Baldelli that he started, which would have been the second out of the second inning, then the Rays don't score there either and the game is scoreless instead of 3-0, Rays. The run they scored in the fourth was just good baseball.
But none of this matters - not even the ridiculous "nope, sorry Jimmy, that ball didn't hit you" call by Danley with nobody out in the ninth - when the Phillies are 1-28 with runners in scoring position in these two games. That is truly inexplicable.
The bright spots were obvious - if few and far between. Carlos Ruiz turned in some truly remarkable at-bats Wednesday night, which could be a great sign not only for this series, but for next year as well. Shane Victorino continued to collect hits, which may put him back in the two-spot on Saturday. Plus, it is truly a pleasure to welcome the real Ryan Howard back. You were missed. If you have any information on the location of the real Jimmy Rollins, please let us know. By the way, I contacted the authorities about Pat Burrell and I was told I had to wait 48 more hours before filing a missing hitter report.
So what have we learned after these first two games? It's hard to say. Most of the "experts" felt that game one was a must win for the Phillies with Cole Hamels on the mound - and they won. These same experts then proclaimed game two a must win for the Rays because they couldn't afford to leave Tampa down 0-2 - and they won. I'm going to guess that game three will now be a must win for the Phillies so they don't relinquish home-field advantage and they might be right.
At the end of the day - or the beginning of this one - mrs. tmmullen and I both knew that if we wanted to attend a World Series game this year, the Phillies would have to lose at least once (we have tickets for game five). She commented on how odd it was to secretly hope that they would lose one just for that reason and I felt that same way. But I also confided in her - before the series started - that I thought the Rays might feast on a pitcher with a style like Brett Myers and that the Phillies might lose game two. Well, the bad news is that they lost game two, but the good news is that, well, Myers didn't pitch poorly at all. So if he needs to come back for a game six, I will have plenty of confidence in him.
But I'm thinking there won't be a game six: Jamie Moyer returns to form, Joe Blanton wins a slugfest, and then Hamels clinches it at home. Yeah, I'll say it: Phils in five.
---
Monday, April 7, 2008
A stopped clock is right twice a day
Bill Conlin is a grumpy old man. I could probably end this post right here and the three or four people who read this will agree. But I feel compelled to offer some evidence and - in true Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids fashion - we might even learn something along the way. So I offer Exhibit A from last week, which demonstrates that a stopped clock is still right twice a day and, apparently, Mr. Conlin thinks it's good to be the king.
When I'm King of the World . . .
I'm already annoyed.
Cole Hamels will run for Phillies player representative on the platform of a chicken in every pot and two chiropractors in every clubhouse . . . Now that the Phils have added Dr. Michael Weinik to the biggest medical staff this side of the lovable "Grey's Anatomy" gang at Seattle Grace Hospital, isn't it time for somebody to step forward and admit that Tom Gordon's right shoulder is cooked?
That's textbook writing there boys and girls. Toss a bone to the old folks and give a shout out to the young hip crowd and then get right your point. By the way, "chicken in every pot" is at least 70 years old. That's just inexcusable. But Mr. Conlin does take the Phillies to task with regard to last week's interim closer. So things could be looking up.
The 19-year veteran, whose lack of stuff and command was tragically exposed in a ninth-inning, Opening Day meltdown, has pitched the past two seasons with a torn labrum. I got this e-mail yesterday from an orthopedic doctor friend who used to pitch and understands the slippery slope Gordon is trying to climb: "Why would the Phillies continue to believe that an aging reliever with a known labral injury could stay healthy for any length of time without surgery? Bad shoulders do not get healthier with age and work without getting fixed."
The use of "stuff" and a friend's e-mail notwithstanding, this is a reasonable and rational argument. Perhaps this Conlin column will be informative, interesting and - dare I dream? - coherent.
Astros general manager Ed Wade must have felt right at home when Mitchell Report star Miguel Tejada was a dead duck at second trying to stretch a leadoff single with Houston trailing, 4-0. Gee, where has the Wadester seen that kind of baseball before?
I guess not. And I swear, while I do edit items like this for length, these two sentences are the only ones on this topic in the entire column. More insanity follows.
When I'm King of the World
Please stop.
The Bank sound system will greet Phillies relievers with a stirring excerpt from the spiritual classic, "Dry Bones."
This stirring excerpt:
Your hip bone connected to your back bone,
Your back bone connected to your shoulder bone,
Now hear the word of the Lord!
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones
Now hear the word of the Lord!
Uh Mr. Conlin, are you feeling okay? Have you taken your medication? Maybe you should lie down. And how did we go from Ed Wade to the Phillies bullpen?
Hey, they have the sausage race in Milwaukee and the presidents race in Washington. Why not dress four contestants as an ulna, a labrum, an ACL and a rotator cuff?
Okay, so you sang the bone song because you're not done talking about Gordon and the bullpen. So why the detour through Houston? Wait. Forget I asked.
When I'm King of the World
Seriously, stop that. And apparently now we're done talking about Gordon and the bullpen.
After the Penn State trustees toss a butterfly net over Joe Paterno, the man who has been coaching since Mount Nittany was a hill will be the spokesman for Godfather's Pizza. Hey, can't a guy eat his lunch around here? You writers talkin' to me? No, then who you talkin' to? (Chomp, chomp.) Look, the day I have to worry about not having a contract, I'm in the wrong place. (Which is starting to become more and more obvious.)
Hello kettle? This is the pot. You're black. I guess it takes one grumpy old man to recognize another grumpy old man. But why is he talking about Joe Paterno in a baseball column? Why is that last sentence in parenthesis? And why cannot I not shake the mental image of Bill Conlin standing at the bow of the Titanic proclaiming, "I'm the King of the World!!!"?
Three excellent questions that may never be answered.
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Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Frustrating loss
The worst kind of loss is a 1-0 loss. When a team has this much potential offense, there is no excuse for zero runs and one hit. On the bright side, great job from the mound tonight... although I don't think Hamels has found his groove yet. If the wind weren't a factor, the margin of defeat would have been larger.
Times Harry referred to Ronnie Belliard as "Rafael": 3
Times Wheels made the same mistake: 1
Excruciating at-bats of Sarge's play-by-play: 1
Times Harry referred to Ronnie Belliard as "Rafael": 3
Times Wheels made the same mistake: 1
Excruciating at-bats of Sarge's play-by-play: 1
Monday, March 3, 2008
Hit-and-run
Just announced on MLB.com's game broadcast: Davey Lopes is taking a six-week leave of absence to be treated for prostate cancer. Jerry Martin will take over as first-base coach while Lopes is out.
Saturday provided the first opportunity of the season to see the Phillies in action on TV... Unfortunately, the game coincided with my mid-afternoon crash, and I was asleep for the second half of the game... When I was awake, I heard the TV commentators make reference to the bulked up chest of Carlos Ruiz. I didn't notice that, but Chase Utley seems to have put on some muscle, especially in the lower body... Utley also seems to have modified his batting stance a bit. It looks more exaggerated than last year... Apparently, the going rate for a can of Skoal is $10 million. Ryan Howard sported the new chew-in-cheek look Saturday afternoon... Something that didn't change from last year is the look of Pat Burrell watching a called third strike. (I expect a response from tmmullen on that one.)
Cole Hamels, diva? First, there was chiropractor-gate. Now, this. Regardless of who's right, I hope this relationship doesn't remain as high-maintenance as it has been so far.
Something I forgot to mention about Friday's game: We are now able to project that the Pittsburgh Pirates have the worst broadcasting team in baseball. The Philadelphia guys did not carry Friday's game, so I was forced to listen to the MLB.com feed of Pittsburgh's broadcast. Somewhere around the fifth inning, the play-by-play ceased to exist and we were subjected to the Pittsburgh Pirates talk show. Bats were cracking in the background, cheers and boos were raining on the field, substitutions were being made, but no acknowledgment was given to any of that by the radio team. In fact, it's difficult to call it a radio "team" at all, because the commentators were openly bickering among themselves. They also managed to knock themselves off the air for almost an entire half inning and they had trouble modulating the volume of the broadcast. All around horrible. Thank God for Larry Andersen.
Post your comments on all this and more below.
Saturday provided the first opportunity of the season to see the Phillies in action on TV... Unfortunately, the game coincided with my mid-afternoon crash, and I was asleep for the second half of the game... When I was awake, I heard the TV commentators make reference to the bulked up chest of Carlos Ruiz. I didn't notice that, but Chase Utley seems to have put on some muscle, especially in the lower body... Utley also seems to have modified his batting stance a bit. It looks more exaggerated than last year... Apparently, the going rate for a can of Skoal is $10 million. Ryan Howard sported the new chew-in-cheek look Saturday afternoon... Something that didn't change from last year is the look of Pat Burrell watching a called third strike. (I expect a response from tmmullen on that one.)
Cole Hamels, diva? First, there was chiropractor-gate. Now, this. Regardless of who's right, I hope this relationship doesn't remain as high-maintenance as it has been so far.
Something I forgot to mention about Friday's game: We are now able to project that the Pittsburgh Pirates have the worst broadcasting team in baseball. The Philadelphia guys did not carry Friday's game, so I was forced to listen to the MLB.com feed of Pittsburgh's broadcast. Somewhere around the fifth inning, the play-by-play ceased to exist and we were subjected to the Pittsburgh Pirates talk show. Bats were cracking in the background, cheers and boos were raining on the field, substitutions were being made, but no acknowledgment was given to any of that by the radio team. In fact, it's difficult to call it a radio "team" at all, because the commentators were openly bickering among themselves. They also managed to knock themselves off the air for almost an entire half inning and they had trouble modulating the volume of the broadcast. All around horrible. Thank God for Larry Andersen.
Post your comments on all this and more below.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Rotation shaping up
Phillies.com is reporting the starting pitching plan for the first week of spring training contests (EDIT: Updated pitching plan due to Tuesday's rainout). Young Joe Savery will start tonight's exhibition game against Florida State. Jamie Moyer gets the ball for the first Grapefruit League game tomorrow, followed by Kyle Kendrick on Thursday and J.D. Durbin on Friday. Brett Myers and J.C. Romero will throw a "B" game Friday. Adam Eaton pitches Saturday, and Cole Hamels is Sunday's starter.
The article does not say who will pitch after Sunday; if it starts again with Moyer, we might project that the competition for the fifth starter spot has been narrowed to Eaton and J.D. Durbin.
The rotation will become clearer after March 12 -- the Phils' only spring off-day -- when the cycle will be set to put either Hamels or Myers on Opening Day. This is the first talk I've heard of Myers potentially starting the season. If the team decides to alternate lefties and righties as much as possible, the rotation would either be Myers-Hamels-Kendrick-Moyer-Eaton or Hamels-Myers-Moyer-Kendrick-Eaton.
UPDATE: Turns out Myers will get the ball on Opening Day. Is this a quid pro quo for Myers giving up the closer job? Is it to boost Myers' morale? And how will it affect Hamels'? Based on some of Hamels' past indications, I think it might affect his psyche a bit, and I hope he can put it aside and still go out there and pitch the way he's capable.
The article does not say who will pitch after Sunday; if it starts again with Moyer, we might project that the competition for the fifth starter spot has been narrowed to Eaton and J.D. Durbin.
The rotation will become clearer after March 12 -- the Phils' only spring off-day -- when the cycle will be set to put either Hamels or Myers on Opening Day. This is the first talk I've heard of Myers potentially starting the season. If the team decides to alternate lefties and righties as much as possible, the rotation would either be Myers-Hamels-Kendrick-Moyer-Eaton or Hamels-Myers-Moyer-Kendrick-Eaton.
UPDATE: Turns out Myers will get the ball on Opening Day. Is this a quid pro quo for Myers giving up the closer job? Is it to boost Myers' morale? And how will it affect Hamels'? Based on some of Hamels' past indications, I think it might affect his psyche a bit, and I hope he can put it aside and still go out there and pitch the way he's capable.
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