Phillies Breakfast Links, September 11, 2009: Greet the Mets, Mother May He?, Looking Ahead too Soon

by WholeCamels on Sep 11, 2009 8:49 AM EDT

Struggling Phillies closer Lidge tries to save face
Frankly I think Lidge is taking this very well, at least based on what he's saying to the press.

Akron puts R-Phillies in 0-2 hole
Aeros beat the Reading Phillies 6-2, Yohan Flande got knocked around. Mike Cisco will attempt to stop a sweep tonight in Reading.

Lakewood's May looks to close out series
Rising star prospect Trevor May goes for Lakewood tonight versus Kannapolis in game two of the Best-of-three series, weather permitting.

Newcomer Marson may become fixture
Profile piece on former Phillies prospect Lou Marson.

Hamels hopes to peak as postseason nears
No time like the present.

Mets try to stay motivated vs. Phillies
I'm sure they'd love nothing more. Trap series!

Paul Hagen: Did Phillies slump away homefield advantage?
It's possible. All you can do at this point is try to win the division.

Manuel Frustrated After Phillies' Loss to Nationals
Hopefully the Phillies can respond to Cranky Charlie.

Shane Victorino Has A Landing Strip On His Head
Shane? Uh...

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Jugger..Not

“Juggernaut: A force regarded as unstoppable.” Admit it. When the Phils picked up Cliff Lee they were already white hot. Lee’s addition just seemed to give them an air of invincibility… a very good team that just got immeasurably better. A deep, deep playoff push seemed like a foregone conclusion.

The last few weeks have been disconcerting. The improbable comeback wins aren’t happening with the same ease. Problems in the bullpen. Blown saves. Some bad outings from our starters. Streaky hitting. Injuries. Losing too many games to bad teams. Disappointed closer. Angry manager…. sigh.

We have 24 games to go with a 5 game lead, and 2 in hand over the Marlins. The division is still almost certainly ours, but that feeling of inevitability of a deep playoff push is gone — at least for me. But I’m trying not to lose Phaith. The Phils are due for a hot streak. Let’s hope it starts with a good beat down of the Mets.

by Boundforbeach on Sep 11, 2009 9:18 AM EDT reply actions

That’s healthy, because that feeling of inevitability was always a mirage anyway. The playoffs are a crapshoot no matter how strong you think you are. Just get there.

by taco pal on Sep 11, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions

For post season runs, I feel it is better to have to fight to get in the playoffs as opposed to clinching early anyway. That said, it is also a lot more stressful to have to fight to get in the playoffs, but hopefully the Phils can finish the job!

by Whack8888 on Sep 11, 2009 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions

2008

Last year was the first year since 2001 that there wasn’t a Wild Card team in the World Series (and the Red Sox made it pretty close). Getting to the postseason is by far the most important thing, there’s a huge luck component after that.

http://www.thegoodphight.com

by WholeCamels on Sep 11, 2009 11:15 AM EDT reply actions

2002-2007

That’s a pretty amazing stat that I don’t think has been pointed out. I forgot that the year the Tigers went they were officially the wild card team although I think they’d clinched a playoff berth before the Twins got in. The NFL seems to have it happen quite often, too, with the Super Bowl, although it’s tougher when you have to play an extra game/week more than the top seeds.

by phillyinportland on Sep 12, 2009 3:22 AM EDT up reply actions