BeLeeve: Phillies 5, Rockies 1

by dajafi on Oct 7, 2009 5:47 PM EDT Comment 61 comments

His September struggles forgotten, Cliff Lee burst onto the playoff scene with a dominating complete-game win. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

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The Phillies took the first step toward a possible repeat world championship on the strength of performances by guys who were nowhere to be seen when the 2008 club reached the mountaintop. In his postseason debut, Cliff Lee pitched a complete game and came within one strike of a shutout, dominating the Rockies in a 5-1 win to claim the opener in the National League Division Series.

Lee dominated a lefty-heavy Rockies lineup, getting ahead of virtually every hitter all day long. After allowing three hits to the first seven Colorado hitters, Lee retired 16 in a row, not allowing another hit until Garrett Atkins doubled with two outs in the seventh. By then, the Phillies had a 5-0 lead, and he headed into the 9th working on a four-hitter with 96 pitches under his belt. Carlos Gonzalez singled with one out, and came around to score two batters later on Troy Tulowitzki's double. But Lee came back to strike out Atkins on a low-90s heater that ended it. He threw 114 pitches in all, allowing six hits and no walks while striking out five.

Through the first four innings, Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez was every bit as good as Lee, holding the Phils to just two singles--one by Lee himself, who then became the first Phillies pitcher ever to steal a base in the postseason. But the Phils got to Jimenez in the fifth, as Jayson Werth led off with a walk and Raul Ibanez, making his first playoff appearance since 2000, doubled past Todd Helton to drive him in. Two batters later, Carlos Ruiz scored Ibanez on a full-count single to right. In the sixth, the Phillies kayoed Jimenez as Chase Utley led off with a single and Ryan Howard followed with a drive to the wall in left that Gonzalez couldn't quite haul in, plating Utley and leaving Howard on second with a double. Werth then crushed what looked like a sure home run to left center, but the gusting wind pushed it toward the deepest part of the part--and it bounced off the top of the wall, just beyond the reach of Rockies center fielder Dexter Fowler. Howard scored, with Werth having to settle for a triple. Jimenez gave way to Joe Beimel, and Ibanez greeted him with his second run-scoring hit in as many innings to stretch the lead to five.

With a first victory under their belts, the Phils will look to go up 2-0 tomorrow behind Cole Hamels. Aaron Cook starts for the Rockies.

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Amazing.

by SJPhillyVT on Oct 7, 2009 5:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The Philadelphia Phillies...

Eating aces, and crapping postseason victories since 2008.

http://www.thegoodphight.com

by WholeCamels on Oct 7, 2009 5:54 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 7, 2009 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This was fun. Let’s do it again sometime…like tomorrow.

by FuquaManuel on Oct 7, 2009 5:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Doh.

I got out of class early and thought I’d somehow make it back to see the end. Oh well. We got our “other” ace, or World Series MVP ace, (whatever you prefer…), next. If he plays like the ol Cole we all know and love, we are comfortably up 2-0.

"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain

by soman319 on Oct 7, 2009 6:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Lets hope the good Cole shows up tommarow, and lets also hope that it wont be quite so windy.

by philiafan14364 on Oct 7, 2009 6:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Let’s hope that the batters facing cole don’t continue the bout of hit it where they ain’t itis that’s been snake biting otherwise fine pitching this year

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let’s hope the playoffs bring the best out of those who choose to belabor the same points over and over.

by Steve J on Oct 7, 2009 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I only belabor the same point over and over if others choose to keep saying that ‘cole has pitched badly’ this year.

If it hadn’t been mentioned i wouldn’t have to point it out

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Who are you refuring to, me or him or both?

by philiafan14364 on Oct 7, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I haven’t lost my fur – thank you very much

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

goddamn iPhone…

by philiafan14364 on Oct 7, 2009 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes – it’s the technologies mistake – stupid technology – i hate when it thinks for itself

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You are in rare form today. Jeez.

by FuquaManuel on Oct 7, 2009 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You’re just upset cause you had very little complain about after the first inning :)

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Haha. No sir. I’m a happy camper today.

by FuquaManuel on Oct 7, 2009 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh come on – we all know you’re much happier when the games close and gives you things to doom and gloom about – it’s ok – we understand ;)

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No. Not true. I’m quite happy right now.

by FuquaManuel on Oct 7, 2009 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh – wait – they adjusted your dosage?:)

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No. I’m not on meds.

I’m really, truly happy. Remember this moment.

by FuquaManuel on Oct 7, 2009 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

How can I forget it – it’s like the moon landing

or when my 8th grad history teacher choked me a little (I deserved it and no i didn’t think of reporting him because I realized i deserved it )

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Was your 8th grade teacher a priest and did he attempt to penetrate you?

by FuquaManuel on Oct 7, 2009 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

NO this was I was in gym class when the space shuttle blew up – i didn’t believe it – made inappropraite joke – teacher over reacted in an emotional moment – i deserved it – i didn’t run to the principal and cry about it.

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’ve actually never wanted to choke you. Maybe slap you upside the head, but not obstruct your airways.

But I bet that teacher was REAL nice to you for the rest of the year.

by FuquaManuel on Oct 7, 2009 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not really – as you may have sussed out – i was a giant pain in the ass in school – in the mid to late 80s kids with severe cases of ADHD were just seen as problem kids – so – i was the class pain in the ass (the honors class pain in the ass but still)

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Besides, think about how often’ YOUVE wanted to choke me

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i’ve wanted to choke you on a few occassions.

by Bilzo on Oct 7, 2009 10:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Me too.

"I am the Walrus?..... I am the Walrus." - Donny Kerabatsos

by The Navigator on Oct 7, 2009 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

1 down

by fantasybc88 on Oct 7, 2009 6:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Fantastic performance from Lee. His command was very good, and he got ahead of everyone and worked quickly. None of the Rockies hitters looked comfortable at all.

And a minor — but potentially important — observation: Torrealba and Atkins had 2 of the Rockies’ 6 hits. Tracy is really doing the Rockies a disservice by sitting Iannetta and Stewart in favor of those two; they’re both better hitters, and Stewart is a far superior fielder to Atkins. But Tracy could be a victim of his own confirmation bias here… “See, Torrealba and Atkins should be playing, because they got hits!” And that would definitely be a good thing for the Phils.

by PhillyFriar on Oct 7, 2009 6:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I looked up Torrealba’s lifetime numbers against the Phils during the game. He has a career OPS of .822 against us, compared to overall .706. That plus what he did in ’07 could keep him in there. Which, given his noodle arm, is fine by me.

by dajafi on Oct 7, 2009 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Did you look at home away splits cause we all know that colorado is awesomeness for hitters :)

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yahoo page only has career numbers vs. teams. I guess we could figure it out by looking at his lifetime numbers at CBP and then subtracting, though.

by dajafi on Oct 7, 2009 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just wondering if it was because it was the phillies or just cause he crushes the phillis in colorado – of course CBP is homer friendly to.

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

okay, now I'm kind of curious

.296/.296/.471 in 27 career (regular season) AB at CBP. So, better than his overall career OPS, but he has done most of his damage against the Phils in Coors.

by dajafi on Oct 7, 2009 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

thanks

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The MLB/Phils stats break out by site, but I can’t replicate the drilldown menus to get them to display correctly.

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 7, 2009 9:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Atkins

He has pretty awesome career numbers against the Phils too: .310/.381/.540, in 30 games. Of course, he was pretty much awful across the board this season.

(And without looking at his contract status, I still think there’s a shot he’s our 3b at some point.)

So, to PhillyFriar’s point, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Torrealba and Atkins in tomorrow for sure, and maybe even for the games in Denver depending on who starts.

by dajafi on Oct 7, 2009 6:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

With Happ warming in the 9th today wouldn’t that indicate cupcakes for game 3?

With days off and such – would Lee be rested enough for game 4?

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think Happ warming up today rules him out for Saturday. But you probably could make an argument for having Blanton go in Game Three, then trying to finish them with Happ on Sunday if need be and going back to Lee for Game Five if that doesn’t work.

by dajafi on Oct 7, 2009 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I believe Happ warming up was just because you dont want to give the pitchers too much rest. I feel as though even if he were scheduled for a Game 3 start, warming him up today, and putting him in for an inning or so would not make a difference. Keep in mind this is the playoffs, and pitch counts, days rest etc, kind of have different rules.

by Whack8888 on Oct 7, 2009 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rockies fans before the series seemed to think Iannetta would start at least one game, and maybe with the Phils running wild on the bases today, that’ll come true.

But it’s starting to look like Atkins will be entrenched at third for any game started by a lefty. I know Stewart hit .178/.278/.386 against southpaws this year, but : (1) that was partially the product of a .220 BABIP; and (2) through his minor league career*, his .282/.358/.483 line against lefties was just barely bested by his .278/.362/.499 mark against righties. Add in that Stewart is a far superior fielder, and we should be overjoyed with each game Tracy pencils Atkins in.

*Well, as far back as Minor League Splits goes (to 2005).

by PhillyFriar on Oct 7, 2009 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In fairness to Tracy, even if Stewart is a better hitter against LHP than his stats have shown this year, it’s not like Atkins is a bad hitter against LHP: 268/363/428 this year, 357/414/600 last year. So I doubt that they’re losing all that much by using Atkins, even if they might not be gaining as much as Tracy thinks.

The Iannetta/Torrealba thing is clearly inexcusable though.

by taco pal on Oct 7, 2009 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But Jim Tracy turned around a team that was hopeless – without jim tracy this same exact roster would have lost 100 games – jim tracy is more of amazing than that 9=8 fella -

So how could he make such an obvious mistake – it’s unpossible.

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You’re right in that they’re probably losing very little (if any) on offense; Stewart has more raw power, but Atkins has superior contact ability. The loss comes on defense, where Atkins carries a career -4.9 UZR/150, while Stewart’s is a 5.7 UZR/150. Especially with Cook pitching tomorrow, that could be crucial.

by PhillyFriar on Oct 7, 2009 11:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good point, hadn’t thought of that. It would definitely be a bad idea to play him today. Less of a big deal yesterday, since Ubaldo gets so many K’s.

by taco pal on Oct 8, 2009 9:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don’t see starters listed for game 3 anywhere

but saw this

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-phillies-howardball&prov=ap&type=lgns

12 year old girl (her mother) sues phillies for 200th home run ball…after agreeing to exchange for other stuff.

Suing – the American Way

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 6:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i’m sure she has the ball back….or at least some ball….“sure kid…THIS one’s really the one you caught”

by Bilzo on Oct 7, 2009 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Weather forecast for Denver

this weekend calls for snow showers on both saturday and sunday. If Game #3 were to get moved back to Monday, do you think the Phillies would then go with a three man rotation and bring Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels back to pitch games three and four if need be?
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Oct 7, 2009 7:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I meant games four and five.
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Oct 7, 2009 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m going to start signing off all my posts with gobbledygook as well.

jo, Bilzo

by Bilzo on Oct 7, 2009 10:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You really shouldn’t make it so easy for folks – you know that right?

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 11:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

sometimes when you lob ‘em up and people fan, it’s just as entertaining.

by Bilzo on Oct 8, 2009 9:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s embarrassing to even take a swing, it’s like Pujols against a little leaguer, you want to spare them the embarrassment and shame.

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 8, 2009 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Depends on if it’s 2-0, or 1-1, depends on how the cards dodger series is going…if you have faith in blanton/happ to get one win – you save them to be able to pitch 1-2 in the NLCS (in my opinion)

Don't frack with me or you'll get a punch in the kidneys...you've been warned

by jemagee on Oct 7, 2009 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I DVRed it today…had to work, managed to not have any spoilers ruin it for me.
My take on the game:
Lee looked dazzling. I couldn’t believe how poorly they did against his fastball.
Umpires were pretty bad on all fronts. Reminiscent of the WS last year, except today it was in the Phils favor 2-1 (not counting crap at the plate).
VIc has to freeze on that LIDP ball. Duh.
Torrealba is the suck when it comes to throwing base runners out. Howard got nailed, but overall, worth the risk. Get in his head. Make him think he sucks.

by Bilzo on Oct 7, 2009 10:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs