Quick and Dirty: Phillies 3, Mets 2
by dajafi on Sep 24, 2010 9:59 PM EDT
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PrintThe Phillies stretched their winning streak to 11 games and reduced their magic number to clinch everything clinchable--the NL East, the best record in the league, and homefield advantage throughout the post-season--with the same formula they used this week to sweep the reeling Braves and the same one they'll probably have to rely upon however far they get in October: superior starting pitching, just enough offense and solid late-inning relief. Tonight the defeated foe was the Mets, and the final score 3-2. The Phils handled business in a crisp two hours and change.
Forty-eight hours after Roy Oswalt went seven innings in the 1-0 series-ender against Atlanta before giving way to Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge for the last two frames (and seventy-two after Roy Halladay did the same in a 5-3 win), Joe Blanton followed suit: seven innings pitched, six hits, two runs--both on an Angel Pagan two-run homer in the fourth--one walk, six strikeouts. He left with the lead thanks to Shane Victorino's first-inning solo homer and second-inning RBI double and a run the Phils scratched out in the bottom of the fourth when Raul Ibanez singled, moved to second on an errant knuckleball thrown by Mets starter R.A. Dickey, and scored on a Carlos Ruiz single down the first base line.
Big Joe threw just 74 pitches thru seven, but with the divisional finish line in sight (and the top of the Mets order due in the eighth), Charlie Manuel went to the whip and brought in Madson, making his third straight appearance, fourth in the last five, eighth in the last thirteen and 32nd in the team's last 54 games. And why not? The guy's been great, with an 0.56 ERA over those 32 games, during which the team has gone 28-4. Tonight he got Jose Reyes to foul out, then struck out Lucas Duda and Carlos Beltran.
Lidge wasn't quite as dominant. He got David Wright to ground out to short to start the ninth, but then surrendered a double off the left-field wall from impressive Mets rookie Ike Davis. Pagan flied out to deep center, moving Davis to third with two outs. After Josh Thole walked, Jerry Manuel called on Jesus Feliciano to pinch-hit. The game seemed over when, with one strike, he grounded back to the mound--but time had been called just before the pitch was thrown. Undeterred, Lidge struck out Feliciano on a slider in the dirt to end it.
With the Braves down four in the eighth in Washington, the Phils could clinch as early as tomorrow. Kyle Kendrick gets the ball against Mets rookie Dillon Gee.
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ToddZolecki: “Mets upset with Utley’s slide in the 5th inning. Utley wouldn’t talk. Stay tuned tomorrow.”
What are they gonna do, throw at him? We might as well go ahead and hit one of their batters first, maybe we can get the umpires to put a warning out preemptively.
1. How would we know if they threw at him deliberately? This is a down year for his HBP stat, and he’s still #5 in the majors
2. It’s Kendrick. Depending on which Kendrick shows up, his getting tossed might actually improve our odds.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
I am not so concerned that they will plunk him- David Wright’s comments seemed to suggest that they may try to take him out the way he did Tejada.
by dannijd on Sep 25, 2010 12:12 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Might as well read: Mets upset with their horrible season. Utley wouldn’t talk about it. Stay tuned tomorrow for another stinker."
by David S. Cohen on Sep 24, 2010 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
19-3
September record for the Phils. An amazing month indeed.
by David S. Cohen on Sep 24, 2010 10:08 PM EDT reply actions
Wait… the Phillies lost 3 games? I dont remember that
by PhilliesPhan610 on Sep 25, 2010 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions
David Wright says they’ll reevaluate how they slide to 2nd, if that’s the way he (Utley) wants it, somebody will get hurt when you slide like that.
Of course, talking tough and not delivering is kinda a Mets trademark.
by EastFallowfield on Sep 24, 2010 10:08 PM EDT reply actions
I believe that’s long-time Phillies coach George Myatt. Picture would appear to be from the late ’60s.
by phillyinportland on Sep 25, 2010 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Surely Robinson Cano can't possibly do this...
"And it smells like Arby’s. The WHOLE fucking city smells like Arby’s."
— Deadspin Editor A.J. Daulerio on the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
HA-FUCKING-ZA.
Phillies have the best record in all of major League Baseball. You could not say that in June. At all.
"And it smells like Arby’s. The WHOLE fucking city smells like Arby’s."
— Deadspin Editor A.J. Daulerio on the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Oh good, Braves have an afternoon game tomorrow. If they lose, we can play to clinch, knowing for sure that it will happen in our game if we win.
Braves send Derek Lowe to the mound vs. recent call-up RHP Yunesky Maya. Odds are not good for a Braves loss, but…
Didn’t think the Nats would lay a bunch on Timmy Hudson, but anything is possible.
by WanderingMoses on Sep 24, 2010 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Burrell gave Giants go ahead a while ago too. If SFO makes the playoffs, I would happily pull for them in all cases, except against the Phils, even if they knocked the Phils out.
I have no problem rooting for the team that knocked my team out so long as it is not the Braves, Mets or Dodgers.
5-8-10...the day the Purdue Boilermakers basketball team won the 2011 NCAA Championship!!
When the Phillies were 48-46, the Yankees were 59-34.
Since then, Phillies are 45-15, Yankees are 33-28.
If SD loses, I think we clinch the WC because SD and SF still have to play eachother. I could be wrong though.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
by FuquaManuel on Sep 24, 2010 10:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I believe you are correct.
5-8-10...the day the Purdue Boilermakers basketball team won the 2011 NCAA Championship!!
Phils @ 93-61 (min wins = 93)
Braves @ 86-67 (max wins = 94)
Giants @ 87-67 (max wins = 94)
Padres @ 85-67 (max wins = 94)
Rockies @ 82-71 (max wins = 91
Since the Giants @ padres play each other, both teams cant win more than 93. I think this means the Phils have clinched a playoff spot.
This is wrong.
Giants and Padres max wins prior to their end-of-year series is 159 games minus 67 losses = 92 wins
So after the last series, one team could have 94 and the other team could have 93, which would mean we could finish in a tie for the wild card, which would require us to go to a one-game playoff.
The Phillies are 93-61. They could end up with 69 losses, if they went on an 8-game losing streak.
The Braves are 86-68. They could end up with 69 losses, if they lost one of the next five and swept the Phillies.
The Giants are 87-67. They could end up with 69 losses.
The Padres are 85-67 (and, after tonight, have one more game to play than the Giants). They could end up with 69 losses.
We’re not in yet.
That’s good news, I guess. Timmay pitched an absolute gem.
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.
by FuquaManuel on Sep 24, 2010 10:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Padres 4, Reds 3, Final
Miguel Tejada comes up big for the Padres.
Still leaves the secondary magic number at two to clinch. Right now, even if the Phillies lost all their remaining games, and the Braves won all theirs, and the Padres and Giants each won all theirs going into the last series, the “best” a loser of the NL West could do is finish at 93-69, which would mean a tie with the Phillies under this scenario. I believe one more loss by either SF or SD would mean the maximum record for those two teams heading into the last series would be 92-67 & 91-68. The only way the two teams could both equal or pass the Phillies at 93-69 would be if they tied at 93-69. But I believe MLB rules force those teams into a playoff unless they both make the playoffs anyway (as happened once with the Cardinals & Astros) and that would make the Phillies the Wild Card winner by virtue of a better record than the loser of that playoff. But that scenario would still allow one long shot way of the Phillies not making at least the wild card – that would be if they tied the Braves, and the Padres & Giants tied with the same record and both divisions had one-game playoffs. One more win by the Phillies will take care of all those possibilities.
by phillyinportland on Sep 25, 2010 2:04 AM EDT up reply actions
11 games
This is the Phillies’ longest win streak since they won 13 straight back in 1991. I remember that streak like it was yesterday. It came to an end at Three Rivers Stadium when the Pirates were probably the best team in baseball. The Phillies were down by 1 or 2 and loaded the bases in the 8th or 9th with one out and Ricky Jordan at the plate. The pitcher nearly hit Jordan in the head, but in trying to get out of the way, he accidentally struck the ball with the knob of his bat and bounced into a 1-2-3 double play. I watched it with my grandpa.
They were slightly below .500. 78-84. The season was ruined by Dykstra and Daulton’s drunk driving accident. 1993 would have been less of an oddity were it not for injuries in 1991 and 1992. The team was gradually improving talent-wise in those years, and their peaking in 1993 coincided with the only year they were healthy.
That is true, because we got some glimpses at Dykstra’s goodness as the leadoff guy in ’90, hitting .400 for much of the season, but he missed most of ’91 and ’92 and Daulton started coming around in ’92.
It isn’t so much that they would have been division winners in those years, but they probably would have had a win total in the mid 80’s, which would make the 97 wins in ‘93 look like ’they finally put it together’ year rather than, as you said, the oddity that it was.
by WanderingMoses on Sep 25, 2010 8:35 AM EDT up reply actions
guys!
Happy birfdeee man
http://www.thegoodphight.com
by WholeCamels on Sep 24, 2010 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions
.750 Baseball....how rare?
Now that we’re 45-15 over our last 60, does anyone know (or know how to find out) whether the Phillies have ever played .750 baseball over a longer stretch than 60 games?
I realize this is just a cherry-picked stretch of games, but I’d be curious to know just how rare this ridiculous run of play is (in Phils history at least).
Steve Jeltz
.210/.308/.268
"The reason why I pointed at (Dawkins) is because he taught me how to play the game the right way. That way was to tackle the guy with the ball; you don't try and catch it. You don't get glory for that but if you punish him, you set the tempo and the tone and it affects the rest of the game. When I pointed at him, it was to give respect for what he showed me over the years.
Wow, good work sir.
Steve Jeltz
.210/.308/.268
"The reason why I pointed at (Dawkins) is because he taught me how to play the game the right way. That way was to tackle the guy with the ball; you don't try and catch it. You don't get glory for that but if you punish him, you set the tempo and the tone and it affects the rest of the game. When I pointed at him, it was to give respect for what he showed me over the years.
by Steve Jeltz on Sep 25, 2010 12:47 AM EDT up reply actions
Has to be very rare
Not by the Phillies, but the team that came to mind for an incredible long run but not season-long was the 1984 Detroit Tigers. I remember they started 35-5 and ended up with over 100 wins. But they came back to earth fairly quickly and for the first 60 games they were 44-16! No way they had a better 60-game stretch than that in 1984. How about the other two great records of recent years? The New York Yankees in 1998 got off to a 1-4 start, then went 48-12 in the next 60 games. I don’t have a spreadsheet or access to a program to sort for for this, but I don’t think they could have done any better than that stretch in 1998. Finally, the Seattle Mariners in 2001 also got off to a great start: 47-13 to begin the year. And they put on an amazing push over the final 60 games, going 43-17. So there you have three great single-season records, only two times finding records better than the Phillies’ 45-15 in 60 games.
And the Twins have gone 43-17 in their last 60 games. What a season!
by phillyinportland on Sep 25, 2010 2:39 AM EDT up reply actions
Cookies and Raul both made Top Plays on SportsCenter
Cookies #1, Raul #9
Chapman throwing for the Reds just dismantled A. Gonzalez with 3FB- 102 mph, 102 mph, 103 mph
The phanatic went streaking at tonight’s game.
MLB network
I’m loving the MLB network during this amazing month. I never really watched it until mid August. Between the highlight show and the live look-ins it really is a great channel. Its head and shoulders above the weak ass NFL channel
I'll be at these games. If the Muts start with the retaliatory take-out slides & Utley gets hurt,
I swear to Christ, Baseba’al & the Ghost of Tug McGraw, I will break my “Running on the Field is NEVER Acceptable” rule and before I’m hauled off to jail and banned for life, I will make damned sure that the godawful Queens Quitters leave Philly for the final time this season short one entire infield and as many outfielders as I can get to before I’m tazed.
by Chutley's Impressed by Mac's Speed on Sep 25, 2010 3:12 AM EDT reply actions
Never happen….because Kendrick doesn’t throw groundballs anyway – despite his ‘sinker’.
by WanderingMoses on Sep 25, 2010 8:37 AM EDT up reply actions
phil-er-up
Chutley’s IMS, it’s “Quitter Queens” not Queens Quitters
There is at least one intelligent Mets blog out there.
The Phillies play to win, and they won. The Mets play until they don’t have to anymore. They have nine games remaining. If someone told them they could stay out on a field and plow through 81 consecutive innings to fulfill their contractual commitment, I honestly think they’d take a deep breath and bear down as much as they are capable of bearing down until they grounded into 243 outs if that’s what it would take to get their season over any quicker.
by EastFallowfield on Sep 25, 2010 9:45 AM EDT reply actions
By the way, excellent tagline for the blog up at the top.
by WanderingMoses on Sep 25, 2010 10:53 AM EDT reply actions
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