That Was Delightful: Phillies 3, Giants 0
by lizroscher on Aug 5, 2011 1:16 AM EDT
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Hunter Pence, Placido Polanco, and Cliff Lee put on a show for everyone tonight as the Phillies beat the Giants 3-0. These late games are always tough, and the middle innings were slow going with Lee and Madison Bumgarner each retiring a long string of opposing hitters. The game got off to an inauspicious start, with Bumgarner allowing straight singles to Jimmy Rollins and Polanco. Jimmy would be caught stealing, and after Shane Victorino walked, Ryan hit a liner to third and Polanco was doubled off. But everyone would shake off the first inning and get down to business. Here are some highlights:
Back to Back Jacks: Hunter Pence and John Mayberry Jr. each went yard in the second inning. It was the first time since Memorial Day that the Phillies had back to back home runs (those homers were hit by Dom Brown and Mayberry). It was also Pence's first home run as a Phillie.
Hunter Pence: And hey, speaking of Pence, he went 3-for-4 tonight, with the aforementioned homer and two singles. He brought in two of the Phillies three runs tonight. Guys, I think I'm in love.
Placido Polanco: Polly put on a one man show tonight at third base, making a cadre of impressive plays to save hits and runs. My favorite was in the seventh inning. He went totally vertical and just snatched a ball out of the air, preventing Orlando Cabrera from getting a hit.
Cliff Lee: Cliff threw his fifth shutout of the season, and the tenth of his career. He allowed seven hits on the night, just one for extra bases. He got out of a jam in the eighth with two on and one out by striking out Aaron Rowand (ha), and Jeff Keppinger grounded out to end the inning.
Cody Ross: Cody and his strange looking head struck out four (4) times tonight. If you don't know why this is worth mentioning...who am I kidding? Everyone has to know why this is worth mentioning. If it hadn't been for Pence whacking balls left and right, Cody's 4Ks would have been my favorite thing about this game.
Tomorrow, Vance Worley pitches against Jonathan Sanchez at 10:15pm. Back on July 26, Worley completely dominated the Giants, pitching a three hit, two run complete game -- his first CG in the majors. What a pleasant memory to end the evening with.
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Gotta give a little love to Ryno for his defensive gems tonight…if only he could combine the good parts of the past 2 games, people would stop complaining about him…maybe
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
by DirtyWaters on Aug 5, 2011 1:22 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Never. If Ryan Howard was the WS MVP for the next five straight seasons, some people would still hate him.
"What's gonna happen is that you jerk off the ball. You almost want to let this guy here jam you, and if it comes, it comes." Gary 'Sarge' Matthews
by Senor Octubre on Aug 5, 2011 2:00 AM EDT up reply actions
Nice to finally see some off days for Utley & Raul
J-Roll is a career 2-20 against Sanchez….maybe his turn tomorrow?
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
rested & ready
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
OT, but I love Colbert
He takes over MLB’s twitter accountall day tomorrow
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
SCORE UPDATE! Seattle Salamanders 7, Albuquerque Balloons, aught. Also, it’s Toss Your Trash On The Field Day at all stadiums! #Colbert
If I’m in charge of MLB tweets, I can do trades, right? Cardinals, I’ll give you two cameras and a Teleprompter for Albert Pujols. #Colbert
"What's gonna happen is that you jerk off the ball. You almost want to let this guy here jam you, and if it comes, it comes." Gary 'Sarge' Matthews
by Senor Octubre on Aug 5, 2011 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions
A made-up source tells me that the Giants don’t use video to study pitchers, so here’s hoping My Main Man Vance can repeat his dominance against them tomorrow.
Might as well just hand them over.
by All ur Aces R Belong to Us on Aug 5, 2011 1:37 AM EDT reply actions
It seems Mayberry is really turning into a nice 4th outfielder. Plays all 3 spots and has some nice pop.
by Dpez71 on Aug 5, 2011 1:39 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
As much as I love Yayberry, I hope he doesn’t get an excessive amount of playing time next year. ’Cause that would mean Brown, Vic, or Pence is hurt/slumping.
"What's gonna happen is that you jerk off the ball. You almost want to let this guy here jam you, and if it comes, it comes." Gary 'Sarge' Matthews
by Senor Octubre on Aug 5, 2011 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Might be nice to give them a break down the stretch and he’ll be a good bench player and possibly give them a break here and there next year. Or maybe we can showcase his talents and flip him next year… wishful thinking maybe
by Cole_Hamels_Can on Aug 5, 2011 2:29 AM EDT up reply actions
How is it wishful thinking? If he continues to be a more-than-capable hitter with surprising pop, in addition to his outfielding ability, the Phillies could find themselves being in demand if another team’s outfielders go down.
It's in his wheelhouse!!
Carlos Ruiz, My Nickname is Chooch.
It seems weird to correct me for making the same argument… I was merely qualifying what I was saying.
by Cole_Hamels_Can on Aug 5, 2011 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m really starting to like Mayberry a lot. I’ve always rooted for him a little because he seems like a guy who could end up being pretty good and he’s starting to really show it.
Doesn’t he have something like 40 hits and half of them are extra base hits? That’s insane.
Actually I just looked up his MLB stats. Granted it’s a small sample size, but over 50% of his career hits are for extra bases, haha.
But is it enough to keep him on the big league club this time?
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 5, 2011 12:58 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Cliff Lee is awesome! Dude has ice in his veins pitching in a big game in a hostile setting.
Most fun pitcher to watch in all of baseball with his triple threat skills of pitching, fielding, and hitting. (and he’ll even try to steal a base if he gets on first). So glad he’s wearing the red pinstripes!!!!!
It really isn’t a figure of speech when they say Pence lunges at the ball
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
someone here wrote that he runs like a 5 year old being chased by bees. best description yet.
by lpfist on Aug 5, 2011 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
You know, you really can’t put a WAR value on the joy I’m gonna get over the next 2+ years watching Pence’s ‘scared 5 year old being chased by a horde of bees’ running style. That might just be worth Singleton all by itself.
It is strange- I know that Pence is “Not that good”, so to speak, yet I really enjoy watching him play- ain’t nothing graceful about his style of play, but it sure is fun!
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 5, 2011 1:33 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Reading the comments on the Giants blog
It is pretty funny. They know what just happened. Also, nice recap Liz.
You mean this one?
http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2011/8/4/2345792/post-game-thread-cliff-lee-something-something
Yeah, Lee hurts. The Phillies make me sad. You are, however, a very good team.
Can we please now end the “Cliff Lee won’t help against the Giants because of last year’s World Series” meme? We’ve now got an “undefeated when Hunter Pence gets a hit” thing going that’s twice that sample size, and more reliable after Cliff Lee Cliff Lee’d the Giants tonight.
Oh, and hanging the Sombrero on CFR was the perfect way to end the game.
this would of happened in the NLCS if we hadn’t traded cliff lee
by taco pal on Aug 5, 2011 8:45 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah your BABIP (Blogs about baseball impressing people) has been kind of on unsustainably high given your past numbers… regression is bound to happen
by Cole_Hamels_Can on Aug 5, 2011 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions
I was a wee bit tired of hearing how the Giants “own” Lee.
(Also tired of hearing how the Phillies didn’t hit the Giants in the NLCS. Really, they did ok, outside of the Cain start. It’s not like Lincecum blew them away; 6 runs in 14 innings is entirely respectable against him.)
The WS still looms large, and rightly so, but these were the stats before last night’s game. Just another illustration of the Giants getting hot/lucky at the right time:
regular season: 3-0, 1.13 ERA
post-season: 0-2, 6.94 ERA
combined: 3-2, 3.03 ERA
Celebrating over 50 years of slightly more Phils wins than losses: 1961-2011
Vance Worley is gonna bang some hot superhero chick tonight. I’m ready
I eat sentimentality for breakfast, but stats stop me dead in my tracks
by CoburnsCuddleBuddy on Aug 5, 2011 9:21 AM EDT up reply actions
TImmy is pitching Sunday… oh you said hot chick.
by Cole_Hamels_Can on Aug 5, 2011 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Scandanavian chicks…I know where I’m moving after shit gets real
I eat sentimentality for breakfast, but stats stop me dead in my tracks
by CoburnsCuddleBuddy on Aug 5, 2011 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Real nice win for the fightins. Great to see cliff dominating the giants. I didn’t like the overpayment for pence but so far he’s been real solid and I’m really starting to like the guy
by aPHILLYated on Aug 5, 2011 2:33 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Nice that the result was much better than the last time Cliff pitched in SF – World Series Game 1 last year. That was his first (and only) bad postseason outing in ten starts from 2009-10.
by phillyinportland on Aug 5, 2011 2:49 AM EDT reply actions
There’s also Game 5 of the 2009 WS: 7 IP, 7H, 5 ER, 3BB, 3 SO
Celebrating over 50 years of slightly more Phils wins than losses: 1961-2011
That’s probably a bad game in other circumstances but considering it was a victory in an elimination game in the World Series I don’t call it a bad outing. That was a game where he was ahead 8-2 after 7 excellent innings: 2 R on 4 H. Gave up three hits to start the 8th inning. No harm in the big picture but it made his night look a lot less impressive. I was reminded how amazing Lee has been when I looked at the overall numbers that he has put up in the last two years of postseason play.
by phillyinportland on Aug 5, 2011 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope they make a golden sombrero big enough for cody ross’ giant mis-shaped head.
"Philly fans are the greatest in the nation" --- Anyone with common sense
Weird head and a douche-face… I’ve always hated him and would hate him even if he was on the Phillies.
Last night I just started talking about how there’s just something about his face that makes me want to punch it. Then my girlfriend asked me if it was like the scene from Stepbrothers with Rob Riggle and Will Ferrell and I said, “Exactly like that.”
I know exactly what you mean. He always makes that face too where he squints and shows his teeth like he’s squeezing out a turd.
"Philly fans are the greatest in the nation" --- Anyone with common sense
Since we’re on the subject of guys we hate…
Does anyone remember that weirdo is who would lick his shoulder in the batters box?
Seriously… WTF!?
Chris Carpenter agrees with the original spelling, schmenkman.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 5, 2011 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Matt Williams used to do this, too.
Why look'st thou so?' -"With my crossbow
I shot the Albatross."
by RememberthePhitans on Aug 6, 2011 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Hunter Pence has gotten a hit in every game thus far as a Phillie. I mean, that’s just mad production. If Pence can continue to make the bat meet the baseball, the Phillies offense is in great shape.
I want Pence and Howard to swap places, Howard in the clean-up spot. More runs, more!
Uh… Howard bats cleanup now.
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 5, 2011 8:00 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
ffs LeQuan
http://www.thegoodphight.com
by WholeCamels on Aug 5, 2011 8:02 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Let’s move Roy Halladay into the starting rotation too!
by taco pal on Aug 5, 2011 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Ehh. Let’s not get crazy here. His surface stats are good, but look at his peripherals. I think his stuff plays up better out of the pen.
Let's go eat...a triceratops. /velociraptor'd
by LeepinLizardz on Aug 5, 2011 8:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Ha! I lol’d at that. Well played!
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 5, 2011 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions
And while we’re at it, let’s have Ryan Madson close some games. Some thing tells me that will work.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 5, 2011 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
You know what else would be crazy?
If we had Rollins bat lead-off. That’d be a different look for him.
by The Mad Hopper on Aug 5, 2011 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Pence is growing on me, and Mayberry might be the best storyline of the season.
I’m still shocked that they didn’t trade Francisco at the deadline, and I’m kinda wondering if there isn’t gonna be a waiver deal with him soon. He brings value to a ML team, and it would be a shame to just option him to AAA and not resign him next year. He’s arb eligible still. Curse, we can always offer arb and then deal him too.
25.8/106 CURRENTLY HOT!!!
I think they’ll keep him as a PH through the end of the year and then nontender him in the offseason. He’ll get picked up by a sub-.500 team and get more playing time next year.
With the way Mayberry has been killing it with the bat(and we all know that’s the fastest way to Charlie’s heart, Gut™?) that he has most likely earned himself a spot on the team for the rest of the season and that Benny is probably going to end up getting sent down, using his last option.
Ed Snider is a crotchety old fuck.
That is all.
I’m not sure about Francisco being optioned once Oswalt coming back. I’m guessing it will be one of the backend bullpen options. Unless the Phillies do decide to do a six man rotation for the stretch run. Then Francisco will probably be optioned, but I still think he gets the nod over mini-mart for the playoff roster.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 5, 2011 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m not sure who they would send down though?
Your pen right now:
Kendrick
Herndon
Stutes
Lidge
Madson
Bastardo
Perez
Perez seems like the only logical candidate given how little Charlie seems to use him. I’m guessing that’s probably who goes.
Ed Snider is a crotchety old fuck.
That is all.
But Charlie loves his LOOGYs who can’t throw strikes.
"What's gonna happen is that you jerk off the ball. You almost want to let this guy here jam you, and if it comes, it comes." Gary 'Sarge' Matthews
by Senor Octubre on Aug 5, 2011 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah I guess Perez, although now when I think about it they might want to keep Perez around during the stretch run so the other six you listed don’t get too many innings during the stretch run, since those six +Worley will probably be the bullpen for the playoffs.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 5, 2011 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ve got more modest expectations. Phillies win 3 of the 4 games this series, thereby putting the Phillies at 4 wins, 3 losses at the season series, and quieting the people who say the Phillies don’t have the Giants’ “grit” and “hustle” (I don’t even care if they say it is all because of Hunter Pence) necessary to those “gritty underdog hustlers.” Like seriously, if the Phillies take the season series from the Giants, that’s good enough for me.
Of course, Giants fans may still point out the tired “post-season is more important than the regular season card,” but whatever. If they can’t realize their team got lucky last October, that is their problem, not mine.
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
Although I still feel the improvement is marginal with Pence, especially if ibanez is in left instead of Brown, but he is as advertised. Sold MLB player that looks really goofy doing anything. I’m glad to see him excel thus far. He does seem like a nice guy as well.
Cholly really needs to work on getting pence to stay up the middle better. He tries to pull every pitch he sees. I’m sure he would have ample power to center and right as well.
"I tried to run him over but Eli had his big boy pads on and he kind of stopped me from getting in the end zone. The next time I’ll try to jump over his head.’’ - Asante Samuel
by foos05 on Aug 5, 2011 8:46 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I don't see that
He’s a line drive hitter. Lot of hard ground balls too, seems to me most between SS and 2B. The one thing I’ve gotten purely from watching him play this week is I’m starting to think I was way off in believing he was bound for a huge BABIP regression. He’s definitely been lucky on the yeR, but I think he ends up around .350 when all is said and done if he doesn’t start hitting a lot of fly balls. That’s purely observational, though.
25.8/106 CURRENTLY HOT!!!
He’s really a ground ball hitter, not a line drive hitter. He’s had one of the highest GB rates in MLB for several years running, including this year.
Other than 2009 during which Pence’s 25 GIDP helped the Stros lead the league in GIDP, I thought with his high GB rate he’d be the second coming of Valdez but his career numbers aren’t outrageous. So he’s got that goin’ for him, which is nice. However, receiving total consciousness on his deathbed… doubtful.
25 GIDP playing for the Astors doesnt tell me much… and I dont see how someone could suggest that pence is the second coming of Valdez….
jesus ….
" You dont seem like a scientist ... You seem more like a Game show host..."
Joe… I have said this before and I will say it again. I think that argument is without merit in THIS case because if I understand your — and Justin F and some others —point correctly …..you seem to be basing that off of what he did in the last 3 years since he has been up in the major with the Astros.
Dude… its the Astros. They arent bad. They flat out suck.
Maybe I be along with this but it seems to me that putting a relatively young high energy guy like Pence changes not only the Phillies Line up but changes what Pence can and will do.
" You dont seem like a scientist ... You seem more like a Game show host..."
Is it more of a mental thing for Pence then?
"They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
All this being said, Bumgarner pitched very well after those first couple innings. I know, " how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?"
http://www.thegoodphight.com
I heard that on the radio. How bad of a call was the caught-stealing at third on Rollins? According to both Franzke and LA, he was clearly safe.
I have MLBtv and I have been noticing that Sarge and Wheels actually call a pretty level headed game compared to everyone else.
I’ve been watching some Pirates games with a friend of mine and theirs are bad, although not Marlins bad…
by Clyde Simmons on Aug 5, 2011 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions
From what I’ve heard, the Giants announcers are good as well. Probably better than Wheels, Sarge, and T-Mac. Then again, they know that it is okay to shut up every now and then.
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
Lol… So where does the Halladay call on Wed. (safe at the plate) fit on that scale?
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 5, 2011 1:40 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I wonder if Ibanez is off again today. I’d rest him again, and sit Rollins, who looks like he could use a day.
Sanchez does have a pretty substantial platoon split this year, though it’s smaller for his career and was actually a reverse split in 2010. Utley has good numbers against him though.
How about: Victorino, Polanco, Utley, Mayberry, Pence, Francisco, Ruiz, Valdez/Martinez, Worley
I like it. I don’t see Howard sitting though.
Also, is Martinez in Charlies doghouse or something? For weeks all we see is him, now it’s Valdez again.
Charlie sticks by His Guys™. Just giving his utility men fair chances.
"What's gonna happen is that you jerk off the ball. You almost want to let this guy here jam you, and if it comes, it comes." Gary 'Sarge' Matthews
by Senor Octubre on Aug 5, 2011 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ve been wondering the same thing- he had that huge error in his last start, and I wonder if fielding percentage is leading Charlie back to Valdez.
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 5, 2011 6:41 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I mean July. What a fail.
This is what I get for giving up coffee.
Ed Snider is a crotchety old fuck.
That is all.
Cliff Lee had two games in July where he got no decisions. One game he gave up 1 run in 8 innings against our rival Braves. The other he gave up 2 runs in 6 innings but was lifted for a pinchhitter as we were behind. It’s not like he was terrible in July but he can’t pitch a shutout every time out. With a couple of runs of support, he actually could have won 3 games in July. Of course it wasn’t like his June … but then again that was just plain sick.
You’re right, and I was in no way implying that he sucked in July or anything like that. The offence, or lack there of cost him probably more than he cost himself. That said, I was just more making the comparison that he was crazy good in June, couldn’t get the all import WIN in July and in his first start of August, a CG SO.
Ed Snider is a crotchety old fuck.
That is all.
Worried about Cliff Lee after last night?
Steve Berthiaume tried to make an issue of Cliff Lee not being consistently great on
Baseball Today. “Cliff Lee in July … the entire month … went south … the numbers are the numbers.” He then went on to gripe that Phillies fans should be concerned which Cliff Lee they’re going to get in October – the one in June or the mediocre one for the entire month of July. It seemed important to him to emphasize that Lee had struggled for an “entire” month and therefore he was suspect two months into the future.
I had no idea Steve Berthiaume had anything to say about the Phillies except “Fill thine horn with oil, and go.”
by phillyinportland on Aug 5, 2011 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I think a lot of that was residual fatigue from the string of CG shutouts. I’ve said it before, but of all the starters, Lee is the one who needs to be monitored the most, pitch count wise. When he goes 115+ consecutively, he puts up a real bad start to follow pretty consistently.
25.8/106 CURRENTLY HOT!!!
20% (19.5 to be exact) of Mayberry’s hits have been homeruns.
That’s extraordinary and in no way sustainable. But amazing nonetheless.
51% of his hits are XBH. Also incredible.
Ed Snider is a crotchety old fuck.
That is all.
by EREX21 on Aug 5, 2011 9:07 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I don’t quite understand how he does it. It’s as if he swings for the fence every chance he gets
I eat sentimentality for breakfast, but stats stop me dead in my tracks
by CoburnsCuddleBuddy on Aug 5, 2011 9:22 AM EDT up reply actions
If he were to somehow sustain that rate (unlikely, I know), which role would be more dangerous in: as a spell-OF or as the primary PH option, or is this not mutually exlusive?
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 5, 2011 9:47 AM EDT up reply actions
I think if he were to sustain that (big IF), than you start him in left.
"Learning to eat soup with a knife"
by h2o_34_35_44 on Aug 5, 2011 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
There’s nothing I like better than the smell of Cody Ross failure in the morning. Goddamn, that coffee sure tastes good!
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.
OT – but has anyone caught the new “Total Quarterback Rating” thing on ESPN – it sounds like an attempt to quantify WPA in football. Could be interesting.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
I saw that and was hoping someone at TGP would analyze it’s legitimacy. Certainly seems better than the obviously flawed QB rating.
by Eaglesadvocate on Aug 5, 2011 10:16 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah I completely don’t get how the QB rating gained such wide acceptance. I guess it makes it seem “official” since it uses all the major QB stats (albeit in a flawed manner) but it’s terribly missleading. If anything, the college QB rating system might work a little better.
Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love, now GTFO
by Veni Vidi Vici on Aug 5, 2011 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Even more OT- I’m playing fantasy football this year. I’ve never watched a regular season football game in my life. Does anyone have any tips or know of any good free websites I coyld visit for advice?
Let's go eat...a triceratops. /velociraptor'd
by LeepinLizardz on Aug 5, 2011 10:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Yahoo usually has a whole slew of basic fantasy stuff, ditto CBS Sports and even ESPN.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 5, 2011 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Hunter Pence has nice calves.
Oh wait. Did I just post that out loud?
Let's go eat...a triceratops. /velociraptor'd
you know what they say about guys with nice calves
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
They have nice Cows?
"Learning to eat soup with a knife"
by h2o_34_35_44 on Aug 5, 2011 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Glad I am not the only one thinking that :)
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 5, 2011 2:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
seems like everything is going right for the Phils…well, almost
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
good story on Pence Protection angle over at Philly.com
Howard always get hot sometimes super hot in the 2nd half of the season. No one can deny that.
Since the trade…Pence 6 gms .360 BA 4R 5RBIs, 1 hr
Beltran 8 gms . 264 3R 2RBIs.
Phils 6-0, SF 2-6.
Its not Pence per se who is good all around player …it is the good start by Pence — that he is NOT choking and does not need " adjustment " time" with the Phillies – that seems to me to be the bigger factor .
Since Hunter Pence has joined the Phillies lineup, slotted directly behind Howard, the slugger is hitting .409 (9 for 22) with a 1.595 OPS. An astounding eight of his nine hits are for extra bases.
“I’ve seen a lot more fastballs, at least this series,” Howard said Tuesday. "HP is getting it done. If they want to keep throwing me fastballs, I’m not going to get mad at them
" You dont seem like a scientist ... You seem more like a Game show host..."
Hey
If HOWARD wants to buy into him needing protection, and suddenly he feels he can hit better, then that’s worth it to me.
It's in his wheelhouse!!
Carlos Ruiz, My Nickname is Chooch.
Thing is (and I believe Gelb pointed this out somewhere), Howard has not seen that many more. That being said, Howard believing it may impact his mentality at the plate and may help him.
"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."
by dannijd on Aug 5, 2011 2:33 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
So, what you're saying is...
Pence has not only turned Howard into Ted Williams, but he also bribed Carlos Beltran into being Ben Francisco?
Interesting theory.
Was at the game past night.
Some thoughts…
A really incredible stadium. Got in early and walked the whole thing while the Phillies were taking BP, and there were a ton of Phillies fans there. Thought my Moyer jersey would be the most random in the stadium, but the guy with the Mick Billmeyer jersey clearly had me beat.
Nice to see Utley get a day off, even if it does kind of suk that it’s a game I paid to go see.
Bumgarner really settled down after the early innings. Fans around me were saying he’s typically been slow to get going in his starts, and tonight was no exception. Kid’s a really nice pitcher, though. I do wonder if he’s just about reached his upside — he’s a damn good pitcher, but I don’t really see him as a real Cy Young candidate at any point in his career, though obviously that’s a discussion for another time.
Finally, Lee really was masterful. I know the Giants don’t have much going for them offensively, but I can honesty remember only a handful of hard hit balls all night. Should put to rest that whole misguided idea that the Giants own him, at any rate.
by PhillyFriar on Aug 5, 2011 11:29 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Lee vs. SF after last night:
Regular season: 4-0, 0.82 ERA
Pst season: 0-2, 6.94 ERA
Combined: 4-2, 2.42 ERA
Celebrating over 50 years of slightly more Phils wins than losses: 1961-2011
Was at the game last night.
Some thoughts…
A really incredible stadium. Got in early and walked the whole thing while the Phillies were taking BP, and there were a ton of Phillies fans there. Thought my Moyer jersey would be the most random in the stadium, but the guy with the Mick Billmeyer jersey clearly had me beat.
Nice to see Utley get a day off, even if it does kind of suk that it’s a game I paid to go see.
Bumgarner really settled down after the early innings. Fans around me were saying he’s typically been slow to get going in his starts, and tonight was no exception. Kid’s a really nice pitcher, though. I do wonder if he’s just about reached his upside — he’s a damn good pitcher, but I don’t really see him as a real Cy Young candidate at any point in his career, though obviously that’s a discussion for another time.
Finally, Lee really was masterful. I know the Giants don’t have much going for them offensively, but I can honesty remember only a handful of hard hit balls all night. Should put to rest that whole misguided idea that the Giants own him, at any rate.
by PhillyFriar on Aug 5, 2011 11:29 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
In terms of WAR we now have the number 1, 7 and 8 pitchers in the MLB… pretty damn good.
by Cole_Hamels_Can on Aug 5, 2011 11:36 AM EDT reply actions
on an unrelated note… shouldn’t they renme SIERA as your “Halladay Score”
by Cole_Hamels_Can on Aug 5, 2011 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions
OT
Dave Spadaro is such a douche
"Have you seen this Perez guy pitch? I'm a pacifist, but I've never seen anything so violent look so beautiful."
Cody Ross, look into my eyes.....
See, there are some uses for Pantera other than Cthulhu chum and Dimebag Darrell riffs. Excuse me, that’s PanterA. Like this song but the drum production is god awful.
WHY MUST YOU REFERENCE GHOST RIDER
I eat sentimentality for breakfast, but stats stop me dead in my tracks
by CoburnsCuddleBuddy on Aug 5, 2011 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Because some of us like the COMIC BOOK, it’s been around for a long time. My uncle used to ride with the Pagans when I was a kid. I thought he was Ghost Rider.
Something tells me CFR rates somewhat higher than Mild Annoyance in the Reediverse.
"Ninety percent of this game is half mental" - Yogi Berra (SI, May 14, 1979)
by bandwagonesque on Aug 5, 2011 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
This game was great, not good.
Writer at SB Nation's Philadelphia Union blog, The Brotherly Game. Follow me on Twitter.
YES! One of my “friends” on facebook just posted this: ESPN needs to cool it on the rediculous baseball stats. Give me Batting Avg, on-base percentage, and ERA. I don’t need 15 stats that have 200 page explanations.
I’m not sure which way I want to respond…
by Eaglesadvocate on Aug 5, 2011 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Obviously, your friend must be related to Jeff Francoeur.
A proud member of the Church of BaseBa'al
by WanderingMoses on Aug 5, 2011 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions
best thing about last night's game
may be how quick it was. made me think of Lee rushing the yankees through their at-bats in the ’09 WS. Sigh. such an effing stud <3
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