Balls, in Play: Twins 4, Phillies 1
by dajafi on Jun 20, 2010 4:11 PM EDT
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PrintDesperate for a crisp win behind ace Roy Halladay to take some of the sting from Saturday's implausibly nightmarish 13-10 loss to the Twins, the Phillies turned in an offensive performance fully in line with the Deadbat Period (tm) of mid-May to mid-June. Carl Pavano, whose name spoken above a certain volume constitutes a crime in New York City, held the Phillies to four hits as he improved to 8-6 on the season--the same record to which Halladay fell with his third straight loss.
Doc wasn't at his best Sunday afternoon--he surrendered a season-high 11 hits, including solo home runs to Denard Span and Justin Morneau--but he deserved better than what he got. The Twins batted .360 (9 for 25) on balls in play over Halladay's eight innings, with a seemingly endless stream of grounders up the middle for hits. By contrast, the Phillies were 3 for 28 (.107) against Pavano, including a bunch of hard-hit balls in the early and middle innings that died on the warning track or landed in the gloves of Minnesota defenders. (h/t PhillyFriar, who noted the BABIP disparities at several points in the game thread.)
Between the bad luck on balls in play and the bafflingly awful approach taken by Phils hitters--Pavano threw ten pitches or less in five of his nine innings, and finished the day with 105--this game was as frustrating to watch as any in the team's painful last month-plus. Wilson Valdez provided the lone bright spot, and saved the Phillies from their eighth shutout of this still-young season, with his fifth-inning solo homer, his second in as many days.
After an off day Monday, the team hosts the Indians for three games. Perhaps by then Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz will be back in action, and the spark the team seemed to catch in winning four of five against the Red Sox, Yankees and Twins will be back in evidence.
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This loss boils my blood for so many reasons
You guys finally give us a taste of the HR-hitting Phils we know and love, and tease us into thinking that you’re out of that slump, and then you promptly turn it off once again?
Your ace is on the mound for the crucial series-deciding third game after your bullpen blows a 9-4 lead in the 9th inning of the previous game, and then you put forth this pathetic performance?
God, I hate this team right now.
Me too— I think the most painful thing was that I had allowed myself to start believing in them again— scoring and winning has that affect on me. I want to believe that this is not the slump returning, but I am beginning to get nauseous from the roller coaster this team is on.
On another note: at the beginning of the local broadcast today, one of the announcers was discussing the AL Central Standings an mentioned that the White Sox at 5 1/2 games back were almost out of contention. The Phillies are now 5 1/2 games out— should I make the vacation plans (for a place where I will not be able to watch or track baseball) for the second weekend in October?? Or should I hold out hope for a while longer that this team can come back?
by dannijd on Jun 20, 2010 8:57 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
If it would make you happier to stop watching baseball, you shouldn’t feel obligated to continue. Because for long term baseball fans, this is normal.
No… I love them… For the most part… I am just tired of feeling like their evil identical twin keeps showing up on gameday instead of the team I know they can be, as that team makes just enough cameo appearances to taunt and tantallize me.
As they lost the game, though, I just kept thinking back to what was said about the record in the early part of the game and wondering at what point a team hasfallen too far to get back up…
by dannijd on Jun 20, 2010 10:01 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
But I thought you hated them? I’m so confused.
by Wet Luzinski on Jun 20, 2010 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions
There is this masochistic love-hate relationship between me and this team right now… I love them… I spent the winter counting down the days to baseball, then craving my arm around so that AtBat would stream Spring Training games while I was working. I track every game as closely as life will allow. I try to watch every minute I can… But of late, this team leaves me feeling frustrated… My best friend calls me a masochist because I will not shut it off, even when they are playing badly… Right now I am just tired… Tired of this team finding new ways to phold. Tired of it finding new versions of phutility every time I think it has turned a corner. I miss the team I saw on April and early May, and I wonder if it was just a dream— I wonder when the real Phillies will stand up… Or if they already are?
by dannijd on Jun 20, 2010 10:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
You do know that the Phillies won the World Series two years ago and were in it again last season? Or is that before your time too?
You talk about them like they are the goddamned Cubs or something.
I’ll be the first to cop to the fact that I am a pessimistic person when it comes to this team, but since their recent run of success I now have some perspective and I like to think that I have improved in a lot of ways. But you lack any shred of perspective whatsoever, and it is made painfully clear by each of your rambling post-loss screeds about how the Phillies are so disappointing to you and how you are ready to give up on them. Please, next time you are at the ballpark, look out to centerfield and watch the 2009 and 2008 banners flap in the wind, take a deep breath, and think about the good times.
You do realize that it is possible for a team to be good one year and then suck the next, right?
Life is extremely short. There are many things we could all be doing with our time instead of watching sports. While I enjoy watching sporting events, I personally don’t have time to watch a team play if that team doesn’t put forth an effort, or doesn’t perform up to expectations. If the Phillies are not hitting, they are not worth watching.
Only fools live in the glory of past accomplishments, especially when it comes to sports. I don’t care if you won the past 10World Series – if you suck right now, you better improve if you want me to keep supporting you. What have you done for me lately?
Braves won
Looking forward to the Kevin Kolb era.
5-8-10...the day the Purdue Boilermakers basketball team won the 2011 NCAA Championship!!
Damnit!
Can we not catch a break?
I think we’re legitimately out of the slump, I really do. I think they we were just stupidly unlucky today.
The Royals were involved— I would have fallen over from shock had they lost.
by dannijd on Jun 20, 2010 9:05 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
We suck. It looks like teams actually practice and watch film or something. The Phils look like they expect some retarded thought that Dobbs is going to hit like 08 and lidge will turn into 08. This is sad to me after the last 2 years it doesn’t look like they know how to say " roll with the punches" anymore
I wasn't even a year old but I stayed up to be outside the Vet with my Dad and Mom when the Phillies won the World Series 1980.
I kinda meant the last 3. And I maybe lashing out at Dobbs I don’t like him and let me say it again I just hate Baez!!!!!!!!
I wasn't even a year old but I stayed up to be outside the Vet with my Dad and Mom when the Phillies won the World Series 1980.
by Christopher A on Jun 20, 2010 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Really?
there is a lot things wrong when you mention “Pavano outdueled Halladay”
How do you figure???? It is kind of the size of what happed.
by dannijd on Jun 20, 2010 9:06 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
What Should the Phillies do About Valdez?
As mentioned in the writeup for this game, the one bright spot of the day was Valdez hitting his second homerun in as many days. With Jimmy Rollins returning, a roster spot is going to have to be opened up for him, which means one of the Replacements (Dobbs, Gload, Castro, or Valdez) needs to be sent down/ waived. While I think they are going to waive Valdez, I also think that is just the wrong move. Valdez seems to be a better all around shortstop than Castro, and with Colorado and the Angels both losing shortstops to injury, I am not sure that he clears waivers. This is particularly important since Rollins is probably going to need careful handling to avoid yet another DL stint with his calf. I think Valdez would be a much better player to use on a semi-platoon situation than the fragile Castro. If I were the Phillies, I would cut or DFA Dobbs to allow Valdez to stay on the major league squad— with Rollins not likely to be 100%, I think he is too important to lose.
by dannijd on Jun 20, 2010 9:16 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Keep him and DFA Casto.
Looking forward to the Kevin Kolb era.
5-8-10...the day the Purdue Boilermakers basketball team won the 2011 NCAA Championship!!
Probably what I would do. But then I didn’t get why Castro was supposed to be better than Exxon in the first place. That’s Special GM Knowledge, I guess.
by dajafi on Jun 21, 2010 12:04 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Could someone explain why get rid of Castro instead of Dobbs? I know that neither of then are all that good, but it seems like every time Dobbs plays there are two constants— craptacular hitting and hellacious defense… At least Castro both saved us from a no-hitter ad helped with Halladay’s perfecto… Dobbs would have found a way to mess it up… Yet he gets to stay? Why?
by dannijd on Jun 21, 2010 12:08 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Probably the inclination is to keep Dobbs ’cause he can play OF, and he appears to be better offensively (normally) than Castro. Valdez is probably the most useful of the three.
What I REALLY wish they’d done was to sign or trade for a long-term fillin for Rollins a la Tadahito Taguchi when Utley was hurt in 2007.
Speaking of TT, Baseball-reference indicates he’s not currently playing. Why not sign him and dump Dobbs AND Castro?
Well we have Francisco..Gload is serviceable at best.
Gload can play LF, RF and 1B
Francisco can play OF
Valdez can play 3B, SS, 2B, LF and RF
Schneider can play C
So that leaves you with one bench spot…Dobbs, who can play 3B, LF and RF or Castro who can play 3B, SS, 2B…I agree, I’d rather have Castro but for some reason I don’t see them giving up on Dobbs yet.
Looking forward to the Kevin Kolb era.
5-8-10...the day the Purdue Boilermakers basketball team won the 2011 NCAA Championship!!
Ordinarilly, I would not care which they kept (Castro or Dobbs), but I have a lot of concern about organizational depth at shortstop, and with there not really being a wealth of free agent options at shortstop, I feel that keeping two of them to back up J-Roll may be the smartest thing. With other organizations feeling the hurt at that position (the Angels and Rockies come to mind, although I am sure there are others), I am very concerned that if he has to go through waivers, some other team will claim him.
I’m not so concerned. For every 10 cats that cough up a furball, there’s one sub-replacement value infielder to be had somewhere.
by Wet Luzinski on Jun 21, 2010 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions
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