Not in the Manuel: Cardinals 5, Phillies 1

by dajafi on Jul 21, 2010 11:08 PM EDT

The Win Expectancy chart at the bottom of this story suggests that the Cardinals seized control of this game in the bottom of the seventh, when Matt Holliday led off with a solo home run that broke a 1-1 tie and gave St. Louis a lead they wouldn't relinquish en route to their eighth straight win.

Really, though, the game turned about three minutes earlier, when Phillies manager Charlie Manuel made perhaps the single worst tactical decision of his career.

In the top of the seventh, Cardinals rookie Jaime Garcia was losing the strike zone and starting to tire. After retiring Ryan Howard to start the inning, he walked Jayson Werth, allowed a Jimmy Rollins single and, after striking out Cody Ransom, walked Carlos Ruiz to load the bases and bring up pitcher Joe Blanton. To that point, Blanton had worked six innings of one-run ball, and his pitch count was reasonable. But this was a game situation, a prime opportunity for a struggling offense against a starter who seemed on the ropes... and more to the point, Blanton's 2010 body of work in the seventh inning of his starts had been something out of an Adam Eaton nightmare: hitters had gone 15 for 31 against him with 5 home runs and a triple-slash line of .484/.500/1.032.

Four pitches later--the three swings and misses Blanton took against Garcia, for his third strikeout in as many at-bats, and the one Holliday took to drive a Blanton offering over the left field wall--the Phils were trailing. After three St. Louis relievers thwarted a mini-threat in the top of the eighth that ended with Werth extended his hitless streak with runners in scoring position to an unfathomable 26 at-bats, Blanton came back out for the eighth inning. A single, two-base error, and two-run double later, his night was over. The game was also effectively over, leaving only the question of whether the same could be said for this increasingly wretched Phillies season.

via www.fangraphs.com

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I suggest

Whiskey and horse tranquilizers.

by ajay on Jul 21, 2010 11:20 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

For the players, the coaches, or the spectators?

by dannijd on Jul 21, 2010 11:28 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

All of the above

by ajay on Jul 21, 2010 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Some whiskey and PCP…. when you get pulled over for driving drunk only wearing a diaper fashioned out of a used Hefty bag you pulled out some pet hotel’s dumpster , have BIG PELF LUVER written across your chest with roofing tar and need to fight 10 cops then the plan is working.

by j reed on Jul 22, 2010 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions

The mental imagery is positively astounding. Kudos sir.

by PhillyFriar on Jul 22, 2010 12:05 AM EDT up reply actions

Charlie Manuel’s head space tonight was my muse.

by j reed on Jul 22, 2010 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions

On the plus side, ESPN is reporting that Oswalt will refuse the trade unless the phillies guarantee his 2012 option.

by SportingFanaticism on Jul 21, 2010 11:28 PM EDT reply actions

I am not sure what kind of news that is.

by dannijd on Jul 21, 2010 11:35 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Good. Depending on what else is in the deal, I’d probably be okay with it. But I don’t want to commit another $16m for a small pitcher in his age-34 season.

The team needs to get younger and cheaper.

by dajafi on Jul 21, 2010 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions

That decision by Manuel to leave Blanton in was the worst I’ve ever seen him make. And he’s made some highly questionable decisions.

by Baseball Nerd on Jul 21, 2010 11:41 PM EDT reply actions

Oh well, it’s OK. It’s not like we face another Cy Young caliber pitcher tomorrow or anything. Everything will be fine!

by Baseball Nerd on Jul 21, 2010 11:43 PM EDT reply actions

As TP said...

Remember the 2006 Red Sox.

I think I’m pretty even-keeled when it comes to these things, so I don’t say this out of frustration or without aforethought: time to flip the switch to “sellers.” 7 games out of the division, 4 out of the wild card (but more importantly, trailing 5 teams in that race)… PECOTA had the Phils at 12.5% headed into today, a number which will dwindle even more at this point.

That means auctioning off Werth (and whoever else might generate interest, i.e. probably just Contreras) to the highest bidder and sitting out the Oswalt, um, sweepstakes. Any moves have to be made with 2011 at the forefront.

It sucks, but it’s the way it is. Plenty of pieces to make a legit run at it in 2011, but an Amaro panic trade will only serve to hurt the club in subsequent years.

by PhillyFriar on Jul 21, 2010 11:45 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

I’m with ya. I probably was there two weeks ago, to be fair, but now it feels like more than just rank defeatism.

It’s also the case that “selling Werth” and replacing him with Brown, or any of the relievers and replacing them with Mathieson/Bastardo/Zagurski/Schwimer/whoever, doesn’t strike me as much of a dropoff.

by dajafi on Jul 21, 2010 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions

What was this, the fourth or fifth time Manuel has left Blanton in too long this year? Only this time it was compounded by ability to pinch hit for him in the top of the inning. As I was telling my brother while Blanton was flailing away trying to hit the ball, any time you wonder whether or not it is time to take Blanton out of the game, he’s already been in there too long.

by phillies fan in bowie on Jul 21, 2010 11:58 PM EDT reply actions

As Ruiz came up in the 7th, I had the thought that the best case scenario was that he walked and a PH drove in run/s… and the worst-case was that there was no PH.

by dajafi on Jul 22, 2010 12:08 AM EDT up reply actions

Will ownership allow a Werth sale for pure prospects?

I think the general TGP feeling is, let’s drive on, get what we can from Jayson. ideally, prospects from the Rays. But would ownership allow such a give-up when 45K people are showing up every night? And what would happen to 2011 season tickets? Phillies tschotskes?

So, it really would have to be some kind of somewhat-known quantity. Clay Buchholz (we can dream?!) or Upton would be ideal. Give the Sox or Rays a negotiating window to re-sign him.

Yes I am old. I remember the Phils good old days and their bad old days. Course, the good old days I'm thinking of were in 2009.

Homer's Epics: An Odyssey for the Salary Cap, The Quest For the Goalie Grail

by Bud in TN on Jul 22, 2010 12:22 AM EDT reply actions

The plan to make fans dislike Werth so he is an easy sell at the deadline is nearly complete….cue lightning

by Sept.28.Oct.27.Dec.28.2008 on Jul 22, 2010 12:45 AM EDT up reply actions

The current edition of Baseball America reports that “no team has more talent in A ball than the Phillies.”

by Sept.28.Oct.27.Dec.28.2008 on Jul 22, 2010 12:48 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks

I’ll sleep better tonight. :)

by phillyinportland on Jul 22, 2010 1:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Wait a couple of weeks.

Remember the Phitans

by RememberthePhitans on Jul 22, 2010 8:33 AM EDT up reply actions

The other PH option that was gone over on the radio was a PH for Werth with Ibanez the following inning, as Werth has this unfathomable RISP streak and Ibanez was something like 5 for 15 with 3HRs off of whomever was in at the time.

by Wet Luzinski on Jul 22, 2010 6:27 AM EDT reply actions

Fire Cholly.

"F#$% [player]!" --FuquaManuel

by FuquaManuel on Jul 22, 2010 7:49 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

Then who will you be?

by phillyinportland on Jul 23, 2010 2:10 AM EDT up reply actions

I agree that he should have pinch hit for Blanton, but then I’m sure we’d just be mad at the PH making an out rather than Charlie for leaving Blanton in.

by zfg on Jul 22, 2010 8:02 AM EDT reply actions

I never really get “mad” about moves at the time. I was really pissed last night at the moment I realized Blanton was hitting. The issue was that the Phillies can’t score. This was a golden opportunity. The team was staring Ryan Franklin in the face if the Cards got the lead. It was a critical moment when he had to maximize the chance of success. If the PH whiffs, c’est la vie – the team loses with its best option at the plate. This? This?

I’m taking a Phillies sabbatical for a week or so.

Remember the Phitans

by RememberthePhitans on Jul 22, 2010 8:37 AM EDT up reply actions

AWW MAN don’t go.

by j reed on Jul 22, 2010 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions

I said goodnight to my wife before the seventh and came back after Holliday’s homerun. She was surprised, and I told her that I’d rather be pleasantly surprised as opposed to infuriated — looks like I made the right call.

by Trev223 on Jul 22, 2010 8:12 AM EDT reply actions