Brown Homers!: Nationals 10, Phillies 2
by WholeCamels on May 31, 2011 10:05 PM EDT
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PrintPhillies outfielder Domonic Brown connected for his first Major League home run of the 2011 season in the fifth inning, and was immediately followed with another solo shot from John Mayberry, Jr., as the Phillies went on to lose to the Washington Nationals 10-2.
Cliff Lee, the Phillies starter, struck out four and retired 16 Washington Nationals batters. He allowed just two home runs to Nationals' rookie second baseman Danny Espinosa. On the night, the Nationals managed only 18 baserunners.
Nationals pitchers managed only four strikeouts over nine innings pitched.
In addition to the home run in the fifth, Brown also stroked a double in the seventh inning. The rookie right fielder raised his season batting average to .333. Carlos Ruiz and Placido Polanco each also collected two hits apiece.
Phillies relievers Danys Baez and Mike Zagurski each successfully took the mound and delivered multiple pitches without injury to either themselves or any (known) animals.
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Boy when Cliff has a bad game, he doesn’t mess around, huh? Blech.
Oh, well. Let’s get ’em tomorrow.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
His ERA is now 3.94 — higher than the league average in this new pitching-dominated era we’ve entered into — despite peripherals that are still stellar. The only “luck” stat that’s totally out of whack is his BABIP, which at .342 coming into the game (and which obviously wasn’t helped by tonight’s outing) was well above the .387 league average. Anecdotally, it seems like his command in the strike zone has been a bit off lately, and Phuture Phillies pointed out on Twitter that he’s getting hurt on his cutter (3.4 runs below average) while throwing it more than he ever has before (at 22.6%).
by PhillyFriar on May 31, 2011 10:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Right on re: the ridiculous BABIP. As far as the cutter goes, he’ll adjust. He’s too good not to.
The Good Phight, Big Black Kids, and now NotGraphs. Fun!
by FuquaManuel on May 31, 2011 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions
.387 league average BABIP? Do you mean .287?
by Phrozen on Jun 1, 2011 12:07 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, I’m not at all worried about him, but WIP is of course blowing up about it. They seem to gloss over things like luck and command, but he’s had stretches like this before and always comes around.
What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.
It’s so true. When Halladay has a bad game…see yesterday, it’s winnable. When Lee has a bad game it’s hard to watch.
Oh well, fortunately, in both cases they don’t occur often. Oh and we have Roy Lite and Cole up next.
"You can commit no mistake and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." - Jean-Luc Picard
BUST
Why look'st thou so?' -"With my crossbow
I shot the Albatross."
by RememberthePhitans on May 31, 2011 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, he still can be optioned when Victorino comes back
This is my Cerberus .sig, while the regular one is on the DL.
The sad part is that while he’s safe, Mayberry isn’t, due to organization’s ridiculous infatuation with Martinez. God forbid they expose a 28-year old who can’t hit to waivers, right?
by PhillyFriar on May 31, 2011 10:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Francisco of the 0.9 WAR?
No, the clear choice here is to cut Martinez and risk losing him. I have no problem with erring on the side of keeping a Rule 5 guy if somebody else has options like they did with Herndon last year, if the Rule 5 guy has any talent. But Martinez doesn’t have any talent. He stinks.
That’d be like firing a competent employee because one guy in the office staples papers very nicely. Mayberry wouldn’t be a terrible pinch runner with his speed, plus he provides solid defense behind Victorino and can produce more consistently than Martinez.
by Senor Octubre on May 31, 2011 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Sure, but have you seen him collate?
by Phrozen on Jun 1, 2011 12:08 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Podsednik will also prove valuable as a pinch runner once rosters expand in September (and on a potential playoff roster, since not nearly as many relievers will be needed). And potentially missing out on three months of Martinez’s pinch running doesn’t justify losing Mayberry’s contributions.
by PhillyFriar on Jun 1, 2011 12:11 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
You know who else is just as fast and can’t hit MLB pitching at all? Half the players in Lakewood, Clearwater and XST. Keeping a guy because he’s pretty fast and otherwise, fairly useless is a terrible strategy.
If they really want to keep Martinez, offer Washington Drew Carpenter or some similar organizational filler guy and if they bite? great. If they don’t? Who cares.
Also, if they love Martinez that much, they can always try to swing a deal with the Nats to keep him around. (Although Rizzo may try to pull another “Sure I’ll give you Mike Morse… for Domonic Brown” move.)
by PhillyFriar on Jun 1, 2011 12:16 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Funny note on Mike Morse: he only has something like 5 walks against 30+ Ks this season.
The Good Phight, Big Black Kids, and now NotGraphs. Fun!
The fact that Mayberry has been an everyday starter, and is playing very well, makes me think they’ll keep him up. If they really wanted to keep Martinez, he would play a hell of a lot more.
Samesis
Clearly, he needs to sit against left handed hitters.
It's in his wheelhouse!!
Carlos Ruiz, My Nickname is Chooch.
Manuel made clear post game that he has no intention of starting Brown vs. lefties.
I hate him sometimes.
The Good Phight, Big Black Kids, and now NotGraphs. Fun!
What’s really dumb about it is that sitting Brown against every lefty means that Ibanez plays against every lefty (at least in the absence of Victorino). Were it Brown sitting for Mayberry while Ibanez sits for Victorino, I’d be more accepting of the situation.
by PhillyFriar on Jun 1, 2011 12:20 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
And by “Victorino” in the last sentence, I of course mean “Francisco”.
by PhillyFriar on Jun 1, 2011 12:21 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
but doesn’t Ibanez hit leftys better than both Mayberry and Francisco?
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." - Inigo
Probably depends on whether you’ve got Raul Jekyll or Raul Hyde.
I think the most important point is that Dom’s got to learn how to hit lefties. He isn’t just some random part-time player, he’s the future of the franchise. I don’t think he necessarily has to play against every single lefty this year, but his development is really important, and he needs to play against at least some of them.
ops splits
Francisco
2011: .767 vs RHP, .646 vs. LHP
2009-11: ~.760 vs. RHP , ~.780 vs. LHP
Mayberry
2011: .619 vs. RHP, .738 vs. LHP
2009-11: .622 vs. RHP, .831 vs. LHP
Ibanez
2011: .711 vs. RHP, .788 vs. LHP
2009-11: ~.820 vs. RHP, ~.845 vs. LHP
It’s not as if .780 is terrible, and it’s probably a more reliable figure than either Mayberry’s or Ibanez’s. Mayberry has the smallest sample, while Ibanez is on the downslope of his career and his ‘09 vs-LHP stats were a big outlier (not saying he’s lost it, just that he’s probably at least a little worse than any average taken over the last X years). Add fielding to the mix and it looks to me like all three guys are basically pick-ems against lefties. It doesn’t matter who sits, as long as two of them do, in at least some of the games.
Word.
The Good Phight, Big Black Kids, and now NotGraphs. Fun!
by FuquaManuel on May 31, 2011 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions
What’s the o/u on comments from those who miss the proverbial boat while reading this recap? … looks like there might be a couple already
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." - Inigo
Yeah, I’m not on the boat, for sure.
???
by Phrozen on Jun 1, 2011 12:09 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
underscoring how bad the game was
do you poop on parties professionally, or do you just do it as a hobby?
by CoburnsCuddleBuddy on Jun 1, 2011 1:54 AM EDT up reply actions
Well
to be fair I did not watch the game, so I can’t comment on what happened and therefore don’t “get” the joke I guess other than seeing the score…maybe that is enough though.
by PhilsForever on Jun 1, 2011 12:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Agreed, haven’t laughed like that at a game recap in awhile.
by PhillyFriar on May 31, 2011 10:54 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Definitely- WC should have to recap all of the losses!
Offense, offense, where are you?
by dannijd on Jun 1, 2011 8:38 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Need a little help y'all...
Where would I find league averaage batted ball stats- i.e. league average for grounders, line drives, etc.? Any help you could give me would be appreciated.
Offense, offense, where are you?
by dannijd on May 31, 2011 10:59 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Fangraphs has em. For example, http://bit.ly/k7eXYx
I haven't died. Right now I'm drinking a beer and eating fried chicken. What were you expecting, a funeral?- Yao Ming
I don’t see league averages at that link, and I don’t know that FG has them.
B-R has something similar, although you’d have to do some digging to see if they’re really comparable to FG’s and calculated the same way: http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2011-ratio-batting.shtml
Celebrating 50 years of slightly more Phils wins than losses: 1962-2011
What I am looking more for are advanced BABIP figures- not so much what percentage of balls are being hit on the ground, but what percentage are turning into hits. I wanted to see how league averages compared to how the Phillies are performing. Any ideas, or am I looking for a stat that even BR and FanGraphs does not track yet?
Thanks for your suggestions.
Offense, offense, where are you?
by dannijd on Jun 1, 2011 12:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I did a quick search on groundball babip and found this: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/groundballs-flyballs-and-line-drives/
There may be other stuff that’s more in depth (or more recent).
Celebrating 50 years of slightly more Phils wins than losses: 1962-2011
Thanks!
I know you have done some stat reporting using xBABIP- do you know by any chance what the conversion factors they were using are- it is not quite as good as league averages, but would let me test something.
Offense, offense, where are you?
by dannijd on Jun 1, 2011 4:32 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
It’s not quite that straightforward, but here is the link to the xBABIP calculator.
Cell D23 has the formula.
Celebrating 50 years of slightly more Phils wins than losses: 1962-2011
Thanks- I am trying to write something on the Phillies defense- it seems like they are getting killed on ground balls, and I wanted to see if perception matches reality.
Offense, offense, where are you?
by dannijd on Jun 1, 2011 5:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Excellent recap, WC. Hilarious stuff.
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
Also, say what you like about Brown’s batting stance, but when he catches a pitch…man, it absolutely flies off his bat like nothing I’ve ever seen.
You’ve watched Ryan Howard play right?
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." - Inigo
The Piece pops ‘em, to be sure, but something about Dom’s swing is more…fluid? I don’t know how to describe it. His hits are electric. ’Course, maybe my opinion is just shaded by excitement over young blood.
by Senor Octubre on Jun 1, 2011 1:45 AM EDT up reply actions
updated scouting report
When batting right handed, Danny Espinosa likes the high fastball on the outer part of the plate
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." - Inigo
The Nats only managed 18 baserunners huh?
I spit water on that one.
lost by 7 twice
another beauty
And this, boys and girls, is how Ryan Madson became a reliever!
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI200604200.shtml
OMG that is ugly…
Offense, offense, where are you?
by dannijd on Jun 1, 2011 12:36 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
he always seemed to come up with big hits against the Phils
but I couldn’t help but like Nick Johnson as a player. he could really hit when he was healthy; those years just didn’t last too long.
I was actually at CBP during one of the few Ryan Madson starts in 2006. It was right around the time Barry Bonds was closing in on Hank Aaron for the home run record and thus the story was obviously centered all around him. Madson did not pitch great, but somehow managed to hold the Giants to only 1 run in 6 innings of work.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI200605060.shtml
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
I think my son went to the game the next night that was on Sunday Night Baseball, when Bonds did hit a homer. I believe that was the game where some fans brought the sign that said Babe Ruth did it on hot dogs.
by phillyinportland on Jun 2, 2011 3:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Well
the answer to my second question is reassuring. Its ashame he laid such an egg tonight though.
by PhilsForever on Jun 1, 2011 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions
The Good Phight: Because It’s ALWAYS Sunny in Philadelphia, Dammit…
Time is not made of lines. It is made of circles. That is why clocks are round.
-Michael J Caboose
by TheOrangeCone on Jun 1, 2011 2:18 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
That needs to be the new banner slogan!
Offense, offense, where are you?
by dannijd on Jun 1, 2011 8:35 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
1:05 game today…on a Wednesday? Boo
"You can commit no mistake and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." - Jean-Luc Picard
Required by Players’ Association Rules because the Phillies are an away team going home for an off day tomorrow.
Offense, offense, where are you?
by dannijd on Jun 1, 2011 12:23 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Never mind- I forgot they had to go to Pittsburgh before going home.
Offense, offense, where are you?
by dannijd on Jun 1, 2011 12:58 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Not like those trips are that long – DC to Philly to Pittsburgh could be done in a couple of hours each part.
by phillyinportland on Jun 2, 2011 3:57 AM EDT up reply actions
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