Showing posts with label rockies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rockies. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Friday, May 20, 2011
'Are You Guys Giambi's Zombies?'
True story. Back in 2002, silver fox, Arkansas Fred, The Charles and I (possibly some other people too that I can't recall at the moment) were heading to a Phillies game one summer afternoon. We hopped on the subway and took a couple seats.
A few moments later, this albino-looking old man, very creepy looking, walks up to us and asks, "Are you guys Giami's Zombies?'
That really happened. No lie.
Oh, and last night I went to the game with silver fox and Toonces to watch Jeremy Giambi's older brother Jason Giambi drop bombs on Kyle Kendrick and Danys Baez. Every game the three of us have been to together this season, the Phillies have lost and the weather has been shitty. At least we're consistent.
Free Dom Brown.
A few moments later, this albino-looking old man, very creepy looking, walks up to us and asks, "Are you guys Giami's Zombies?'
That really happened. No lie.
Oh, and last night I went to the game with silver fox and Toonces to watch Jeremy Giambi's older brother Jason Giambi drop bombs on Kyle Kendrick and Danys Baez. Every game the three of us have been to together this season, the Phillies have lost and the weather has been shitty. At least we're consistent.
Free Dom Brown.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Rockie Road to Victory
Some people may wonder how to survive the baseball season, while people like myself revel in it. Why do I love it so much? Because each and every night, you have the chance to see something you've never seen before, something exciting and excruciating and enthralling. And that's exactly what happened last night in Colorado.
The game began unspectacularly for the Phillies, with Joe Blanton pitching about as awful as a pitcher can pitch, surviving just 4 and a third innings where he was smacked around for 10 hits, 6 runs — 4 of them earned — three homers and two walks. The Phils fell behind 7-3, and given how anemic the bats have been most of the season, it looked as though that 7 spot would be enough for the Rockies.
Just when you think you have a grasp on what's about to happen, BAM!, the seventh inning rolls around and completely changes everything. Polanco doubles. Chase follows suit with an RBI single, and suddenly it's a three-run game again. Up comes the big man, with Chris Wheeler putting his soothsayer hat on, saying, "If Ryan can pop one here, we've got ourselves a game." Almost as if on cue, Joe Beimel throws a hanger, Ryan Howard turns on it and suddenly it's a one-run game.
But not for long. Not after Jayson Werth smoked one to left, making it back-to-back jacks. Just like that, the game was tied. And the Phils weren't done yet. Raul flied out, but Shane followed with a single. Brian Schneider made it two singles in a row, pulling one in the hole on the right side, allowing Shane to go first to third. And Benny Francisco made Charlie look like a genius for pinch-hitting him against a righty instead of forcing Colorado to bring in the lefty against Domonic Brown, making it three straight singles as he drove in Victorino to give the Phils an improbable 8-7 lead.
And they still weren't done. The Phils could smell blood. They could taste it. And they wanted to feed. Jimmy made it four singles in a row, though somehow Schneider didn't get a read on the ball despite it being literally right over his head, forcing Sam Perlozzo to hold him at third. No matter, Placido was up, a guy who always makes contact and more often than not gets the job done.
Only this time he didn't. Not at all. Polanco, in a rare instance of failure, had perhaps the single worst at-bat I've ever seen him have. He got ahead in the count 2-0, then got a fat fastball to crank. Somehow, he was late on a 91-mph fastball in a 2-0 count. The very next pitch, the exact same thing. In a hitter's count, looking to drive the ball, he got a fastball, and again he was late. Unbelievable. And to top it all off, Polanco, a player who rarely strikes out, chased an awful pitch down low and struck out. Terrible, terrible at-bat, and a wasted opportunity. It looked like Phils would squander yet another good chance to drive in runs, miss the opportunity to break the game open. Now it would take a two-out hit just to get any more runs home and give the bullpen some breathing room.
That's when the capper came. Chase wasn't about to make the same mistake Polanco had, essentially getting himself out. Utley worked ahead in the count, getting to 3-1. When ball three was called, I said, "I dare you come in middle in." Sure enough, Delcarmen came inside, and Chase made him pay.
So Taguchi sighting!
Grand slam. Nine-run inning. Phils turn a 7-3 deficit into a 12-7 lead in one half inning of baseball. Game, set, match.
Or so I thought. The normally reliable Chad Durbin — who has arguably been Philadelphia's most reliable bullpen pitcher all year — was not his usual self. He gave up a leadoff double, then a one-out single and another double, 12-8. Right then and there, I was calling for Charlie to get his ass out. Durbin didn't have it. It was clear. And J.C. Romero was available in the pen, with switch-hitting Dexter Fowler due up and the left-handed Carlos Gonzalez on deck. But Manuel, having already used David Herndon and Antonio Bastardo — and with Ryan Madson presumably unavailable after pitching in about 100 straight games — kept Durbin in. And it didn't go well.
Fowler singled in two more runs, 12-10 with Carlos Gonzalez and his NL-leading batting average and 93 RBIs stepping to the plate. I envisioned a two-run home run to tie it, ruining the joy I just had basked in following that huge inning. Apparently, so did Gonzalez, because the guy was swinging from his heels — and ultimately struck out. Durbin got Tulowitzki to end the threat, but the damage had been done. Just as a 7-3 lead for the Rockies turned into a 12-7 lead for the Phils in the blink of an eye, a 12-7 lead had turned into an uncomfortable 12-10 lead.
The Phils would score no more, and J.C. and Contreras made it interesting but got through unscathed in the 8th, meaning Brad Lidge time in the 9th in a two-run game at Coors Field — with the heart of the order coming up.
Things couldn't have started much worse. Lidge did his job and got Fowler to roll one over to first base. But Ryan Howard booted the ball, and Fowler was safe. Gonzalez followed with a single to the right side, allowing Fowler to get to third with Troy Tulowitzki up and no one out. Tulo hit one toward second, allowing Fowler to score to make it a one-run game, and it looked like at the very least he had done his job and gotten the tying run to second. Except Utley, who had already played hero once before with his grand slam and six RBIs, made a tremendous play, and somehow managed to get Gonazalez at second, keeping the tying run out of scoring position.
Of course, that all became a moot point when Lidge walked Todd Helton, putting Tulowitzki on second as the tying run, AND putting the winning run on base. It was all just a little too much to take. Lidge was struggling with his fastball control again, and this had the makings of it blowing up in his face. But then suddenly, he threw perfect, unhittable slider after perfect, unhittable slider, striking out Clint Barmes and getting Ryan Spilborghs to ground out to end the game.
Whew! What a wild one. And something you'll only see in baseball.
The best news of all for the Phillies — well, besides getting the win to go along with a Braves' loss — was that the bats came alive, especially for the big boys. Ryan Howard crushed the two-run homer that brought the Phils within one. Chase Utley was 2-for-4 in the game with two runs scored, six RBIs and that game-winning grand slam. And Jayson Werth collected three hits, scoring three runs and driving in himself with his solo home run that tied the game.
Every Phillies starter besides Joe Blanton had at least one hit, with Placido, Raul and Shane each getting two. Ben Francisco got an RBI pinch-hit. Mike Sweeney got a pinch-hit RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. And the Phils exploded for 12 runs on 15 hits.
It was a rocky game, but it was a win. The type of win that just may awaken these bats for good. After all, it is September, and the Phillies aren't interested in their two-game Wild Card lead. They're looking ahead of them, not behind them. And after last night's loss to the Mets, the Braves are only two games in front.
If that doesn't make you love baseball, nothing will.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Never Say Die
That seems to be the motto here in Philadelphia these days. Even when people are writing them off, even with injury after injury after injury, the Flyers just won't go away quietly. Not after being down 3 games to none. Not after their rejuvenated, red-hot goaltender went down … for the millionth time this year.
Nope, because as luck(?) would have it, Michael Leighton was right there, ironically in his very first game back since suffering a high ankle sprain, to fill in for Boucher the way Boucher did for him, and the way he did for Boucher earlier this year. And the way they both did for Ray Emery (remember him?) way back when. All Leighton did from there on out was stop all 14 shots he faced, combining with Boucher for the shutout. Now he'll be the new man in net, hardly an unfamiliar situation for this team.
The resilience has been remarkable. Down 3-0 in the series, all hope looked to be lost, especially when the Flyers surrendered the game-tying goal to former Flyer Mark Recchi (his second of the game) with just 32 seconds left in regulation in game 4. It was crippling, or at least seemed to be. Then all the Flyers did was go out and win in overtime, with Simon Gagne of all people getting the game-winner and series-saving goal in his first game back since breaking his toe in game 4 against the Devils.
Still, it was only delaying the inevitable, right? The Flyers surely couldn't win four in row; hell, they probably wouldn't even make it back to Philadelphia, what with game 5 in Boston and everything. But then the Flyers came out, outshot the Bruins in every period, got up 1-0 on a goal credited to Ville Leino and possibly actually scored by Scott Hartnell, watched their goaltender go down yet again, rallied, scored three more times, took the abuse from a frustrated and physical Bruins team, and got halfway to their goal.
The 4-0 victory made it a 3-2 series, now headed back to Philadelphia with the Flyers having the chance to even this thing up. There's always pressure on the team facing elimination, something the Flyers have faced now for two straight games and handled, something they faced on the final day of the regular season and conquered. But there is no shortage of pressure on Boston anymore either. Not with a game 6 on the road. Not with a seventh winner-take-all game on the horizon. The Flyers looked dead in the water just a few days ago. Now they're very much alive, even without Jeff Carter, without Ian Laperriere, now without Brian Boucher.
The Briere-Leino-Hartnell line was outstanding last night. Both Leino and Briere have been impressive offensively since they've taken the ice, and Hartnell is finally coming around. It only took him eight months, but the guy is finally joining the party. Last night's game was by far Hartnell's best of this entire year, scoring a goal and getting his stick near another (I think the first goal was his still). He was all over the ice, generating chances, staying on his skates and taking the body. Scott Hartnell was actually good.
Richards and Pronger continued to be workhorses out on the ice, with Pronger again leading all skaters in ice time and Richards throwing hit after hit after hit. And Simon added two more goals following his overtime winner from Friday, finally finding himself with a hot stick. The Flyers just won't go quietly into the night, something I don't think anyone really thought this team had in them, not after last season's collapse and what looked to be a repeat this year. They're finally showing the fight we've been craving all along. Let's hope it's not too little too late.
The never say die attitude didn't just apply to the Flyers last night either. We all know how incredibly resilient the Phillies have been over the past few seasons, making come-from-behind victories look almost routine at this point. Well, against the Rockies last night, they came from behind not once, but twice … and then failed to hold the lead. But they still found a way to win, just like you expect good teams to.
With the Phils holding a 5-4 advantage in the 7th, in came J.C. Romero, who promptly blew a save thanks to a one-out walk that killed him and the Phillies. Up a run late in the game, you never, ever want to walk a guy, especially when that guy is a speed-burner like Dexter Fowler. Yet that's exactly what Romero did immediately after being the only Phillies pitcher to that point to actually get Seth Smith out (Smith went single, double, triple in his first three at-bats). Then Brad Hawpe came out first-ball swinging on J.C., ripping a single to right and moving the speedy Fowler from first to third. Romero did make a good pitch to Jason Giambi to seemingly get one steroid-abuser out by another. He got Giambi to shatter his bat and hit a weak blooper, but the damn thing dropped in no-man's land, just out of the reach of Chase Utley, allowing Fowler to score to tie the game. That was it for Romero, whose line went like this: a third of an inning, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 earned run and a blown save … plus he left with two men on base he was responsible for and just one out.
Great job, J.C. I suggest getting back on the juice ASAP.
When David Herndon and his horrible pitching entered the game, I thought the lead would be lost for sure. But then, as if hearing Harry Kalas on the mic up in heaven reliving his "Chase Utley, You are the MAN!" routine, Chase made a miraculous diving stop on a scorching ground ball, flipped to Wilson Valdez at second who quickly made the toss to first, 4-6-3 double play, threat over.
After Wilson Valdez grounded out to short and Greg Dobbs flied out to start the 8th, the Phils got something cooking. Shane Victorino worked an awesome walk. Then Placido Polanco hit a pop-up right. As soon as he hit it and I saw Brad Hawpe coming in, I starting yelling, "Drop it! Drop it! Drop it!" Wouldn't you know it, Hawpe dropped it. It's the second time this year I've yelled drop it as an outfielder camped under a fly ball by a Phillie, and the second time said outfielder dropped it. True story. With runners on first and third with Chase up, I was sure the Phils were going to take the lead. But the Rockies brought in a lefty that Utley couldn't quite handle, flying out the opposite way to end the inning and leave Victorino stranded on third.
When Danys Baez and his nearly 7.00 ERA took the mound for the 8th, I was convinced again the Phils were going to find themselves trailing before long. But Danys and his stupid name struck out Ian Stewart, then got Miguel Olivo to fly out to Shane to get two quick outs. However, the real Danys Baez then stood up, hitting Clint Barmes with a pitch, and then giving up a single to Phillie killer Ryan Spilborghs and his ridiculous mustache with Seth Smith coming up to the plate, just a homer short of the cycle.
Once Smith stepped in, I said, "Well, this is where he completes the cycle." Only he didn't. Baez collected himself, made a decent pitch and got Smith to ground out to Utley to end the inning. I was stunned. And feeling good. The Phils had the big man leading off and the rest of the middle following.
Manuel Corpas came in and hit Ryan Howard on an 0-2 pitch. Good start. Then he got Jayson Werth to pop out, but he followed that with a wild pitch, putting the go-ahead run in Howard on second. That prompted an intentional walk to Raul Ibanez to get to Chooch and set up a double play possibility. Apparently, the Rockies didn't get the memo on the new and improved Carlos Ruiz. Where in the past, you fully expected the slow-footed Ruiz to ground into an inning-ending double play in this spot, version 2.0 Chooch now turns his swag on in these spots. Why do you think he's kept that batting intro music?
Apparently, Curbball's 3-for-4 night, including a homer and RBI, to that point wasn't enough to make the Rockies think twice. Neither was his well over .300 batting average and ridiculous on-base percentage. Well, if they didn't know all about that before, they sure as shit do now, as Chooch ripped a single through the hole between third and short, bringing home the big man for the go-ahead run. Then Ross Gload followed with a great at-bat, getting ahead 3-1 in the count and looking for a pitch to drive pinch-hitting for the batless Valdez. And drive a pitch he did, smoking a line drive home run to right-center that just scraped over the wall, 9-5 Phils. Good night, Colorado.
Jose Contreras continued his ageless brilliance, going ground out, ground out, double to Giambi and then a fly out to Melvin Mora to end the game. The outing dropped Jose's ERA to a miniscule 0.60 with an awesome 0.77 WHIP. He's been quite a stalwart out there in the pen, just like his receiver has been incredible all season long.
Not matter what some jerk might say, Carlos Ruiz is the most improved player in the entire division, perhaps the entire National League, to this point in the season.
With his 4-for-5, 2-run, 2-RBI, one-homer game last night, the career .254 hitter is batting .354 on this young season. Ruiz has an on-base percentage of .481 presently, a full .133 point higher than his career .348. He's slugging .488, .102 higher than his career average, and his OPS is at .969, .235 higher than his career line. He already has 21 walks, on pace to obliterate his single-season career high of 47. And he's doing it all while continuing to play stellar defense behind the plate. Chooch has been nothing short of incredible. He's putting up all-star numbers and giving an already potent Phillies lineup that much more punch. Once Jimmy Rollins returns, if he ever does, this team won't have a single weak spot outside of the pitcher in the entire lineup if Chooch can somehow keep this up. And with the rotation suddenly settling in, it may just be a matter of time before the Phillies start to run away with things again in the National League East.
Nope, because as luck(?) would have it, Michael Leighton was right there, ironically in his very first game back since suffering a high ankle sprain, to fill in for Boucher the way Boucher did for him, and the way he did for Boucher earlier this year. And the way they both did for Ray Emery (remember him?) way back when. All Leighton did from there on out was stop all 14 shots he faced, combining with Boucher for the shutout. Now he'll be the new man in net, hardly an unfamiliar situation for this team.
The resilience has been remarkable. Down 3-0 in the series, all hope looked to be lost, especially when the Flyers surrendered the game-tying goal to former Flyer Mark Recchi (his second of the game) with just 32 seconds left in regulation in game 4. It was crippling, or at least seemed to be. Then all the Flyers did was go out and win in overtime, with Simon Gagne of all people getting the game-winner and series-saving goal in his first game back since breaking his toe in game 4 against the Devils.
Still, it was only delaying the inevitable, right? The Flyers surely couldn't win four in row; hell, they probably wouldn't even make it back to Philadelphia, what with game 5 in Boston and everything. But then the Flyers came out, outshot the Bruins in every period, got up 1-0 on a goal credited to Ville Leino and possibly actually scored by Scott Hartnell, watched their goaltender go down yet again, rallied, scored three more times, took the abuse from a frustrated and physical Bruins team, and got halfway to their goal.
The 4-0 victory made it a 3-2 series, now headed back to Philadelphia with the Flyers having the chance to even this thing up. There's always pressure on the team facing elimination, something the Flyers have faced now for two straight games and handled, something they faced on the final day of the regular season and conquered. But there is no shortage of pressure on Boston anymore either. Not with a game 6 on the road. Not with a seventh winner-take-all game on the horizon. The Flyers looked dead in the water just a few days ago. Now they're very much alive, even without Jeff Carter, without Ian Laperriere, now without Brian Boucher.
The Briere-Leino-Hartnell line was outstanding last night. Both Leino and Briere have been impressive offensively since they've taken the ice, and Hartnell is finally coming around. It only took him eight months, but the guy is finally joining the party. Last night's game was by far Hartnell's best of this entire year, scoring a goal and getting his stick near another (I think the first goal was his still). He was all over the ice, generating chances, staying on his skates and taking the body. Scott Hartnell was actually good.
Richards and Pronger continued to be workhorses out on the ice, with Pronger again leading all skaters in ice time and Richards throwing hit after hit after hit. And Simon added two more goals following his overtime winner from Friday, finally finding himself with a hot stick. The Flyers just won't go quietly into the night, something I don't think anyone really thought this team had in them, not after last season's collapse and what looked to be a repeat this year. They're finally showing the fight we've been craving all along. Let's hope it's not too little too late.
The never say die attitude didn't just apply to the Flyers last night either. We all know how incredibly resilient the Phillies have been over the past few seasons, making come-from-behind victories look almost routine at this point. Well, against the Rockies last night, they came from behind not once, but twice … and then failed to hold the lead. But they still found a way to win, just like you expect good teams to.
With the Phils holding a 5-4 advantage in the 7th, in came J.C. Romero, who promptly blew a save thanks to a one-out walk that killed him and the Phillies. Up a run late in the game, you never, ever want to walk a guy, especially when that guy is a speed-burner like Dexter Fowler. Yet that's exactly what Romero did immediately after being the only Phillies pitcher to that point to actually get Seth Smith out (Smith went single, double, triple in his first three at-bats). Then Brad Hawpe came out first-ball swinging on J.C., ripping a single to right and moving the speedy Fowler from first to third. Romero did make a good pitch to Jason Giambi to seemingly get one steroid-abuser out by another. He got Giambi to shatter his bat and hit a weak blooper, but the damn thing dropped in no-man's land, just out of the reach of Chase Utley, allowing Fowler to score to tie the game. That was it for Romero, whose line went like this: a third of an inning, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 earned run and a blown save … plus he left with two men on base he was responsible for and just one out.
Great job, J.C. I suggest getting back on the juice ASAP.
When David Herndon and his horrible pitching entered the game, I thought the lead would be lost for sure. But then, as if hearing Harry Kalas on the mic up in heaven reliving his "Chase Utley, You are the MAN!" routine, Chase made a miraculous diving stop on a scorching ground ball, flipped to Wilson Valdez at second who quickly made the toss to first, 4-6-3 double play, threat over.
After Wilson Valdez grounded out to short and Greg Dobbs flied out to start the 8th, the Phils got something cooking. Shane Victorino worked an awesome walk. Then Placido Polanco hit a pop-up right. As soon as he hit it and I saw Brad Hawpe coming in, I starting yelling, "Drop it! Drop it! Drop it!" Wouldn't you know it, Hawpe dropped it. It's the second time this year I've yelled drop it as an outfielder camped under a fly ball by a Phillie, and the second time said outfielder dropped it. True story. With runners on first and third with Chase up, I was sure the Phils were going to take the lead. But the Rockies brought in a lefty that Utley couldn't quite handle, flying out the opposite way to end the inning and leave Victorino stranded on third.
When Danys Baez and his nearly 7.00 ERA took the mound for the 8th, I was convinced again the Phils were going to find themselves trailing before long. But Danys and his stupid name struck out Ian Stewart, then got Miguel Olivo to fly out to Shane to get two quick outs. However, the real Danys Baez then stood up, hitting Clint Barmes with a pitch, and then giving up a single to Phillie killer Ryan Spilborghs and his ridiculous mustache with Seth Smith coming up to the plate, just a homer short of the cycle.
Once Smith stepped in, I said, "Well, this is where he completes the cycle." Only he didn't. Baez collected himself, made a decent pitch and got Smith to ground out to Utley to end the inning. I was stunned. And feeling good. The Phils had the big man leading off and the rest of the middle following.
Manuel Corpas came in and hit Ryan Howard on an 0-2 pitch. Good start. Then he got Jayson Werth to pop out, but he followed that with a wild pitch, putting the go-ahead run in Howard on second. That prompted an intentional walk to Raul Ibanez to get to Chooch and set up a double play possibility. Apparently, the Rockies didn't get the memo on the new and improved Carlos Ruiz. Where in the past, you fully expected the slow-footed Ruiz to ground into an inning-ending double play in this spot, version 2.0 Chooch now turns his swag on in these spots. Why do you think he's kept that batting intro music?
Apparently, Curbball's 3-for-4 night, including a homer and RBI, to that point wasn't enough to make the Rockies think twice. Neither was his well over .300 batting average and ridiculous on-base percentage. Well, if they didn't know all about that before, they sure as shit do now, as Chooch ripped a single through the hole between third and short, bringing home the big man for the go-ahead run. Then Ross Gload followed with a great at-bat, getting ahead 3-1 in the count and looking for a pitch to drive pinch-hitting for the batless Valdez. And drive a pitch he did, smoking a line drive home run to right-center that just scraped over the wall, 9-5 Phils. Good night, Colorado.
Jose Contreras continued his ageless brilliance, going ground out, ground out, double to Giambi and then a fly out to Melvin Mora to end the game. The outing dropped Jose's ERA to a miniscule 0.60 with an awesome 0.77 WHIP. He's been quite a stalwart out there in the pen, just like his receiver has been incredible all season long.
Not matter what some jerk might say, Carlos Ruiz is the most improved player in the entire division, perhaps the entire National League, to this point in the season.
With his 4-for-5, 2-run, 2-RBI, one-homer game last night, the career .254 hitter is batting .354 on this young season. Ruiz has an on-base percentage of .481 presently, a full .133 point higher than his career .348. He's slugging .488, .102 higher than his career average, and his OPS is at .969, .235 higher than his career line. He already has 21 walks, on pace to obliterate his single-season career high of 47. And he's doing it all while continuing to play stellar defense behind the plate. Chooch has been nothing short of incredible. He's putting up all-star numbers and giving an already potent Phillies lineup that much more punch. Once Jimmy Rollins returns, if he ever does, this team won't have a single weak spot outside of the pitcher in the entire lineup if Chooch can somehow keep this up. And with the rotation suddenly settling in, it may just be a matter of time before the Phillies start to run away with things again in the National League East.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Agony of Victory Tastes So Sweet
Holy calamity, scream insanity! That was either the ugliest great victory in this franchise's history or the greatest ugly victory. I can't really decide which one, but I do know that it was incredibly painful to watch. From the runners left on base to the errors to the bullpen to the comeback, it was exhilarating and horrifying all at the same time. Seriously, playoff baseball is the most agonizing experience of a sports fan's existence … at least this sports fan.
Things started out well enough, with the Phillies hitting a solo home run in the first inning for the second straight game to take a 1-0 lead, this time courtesy of Shane Victorino, and last night, we didn't fuck around at my house, syncing up the TBS broadcast with Larry Andersen and Scott Franzke on 1210. No more boring-ass TBS announcers who insist on calling the regular season the regular year. It's season, you schmuck, not year. Regular year is a stupid term, and if you say it, you are an asshole. Simple as that.
The funny thing about Shane's home run is that right after Shane's first swing, Adam EatShit said to me, "I feel like Shane hasn't really been hitting the ball that hard. When's the last time you saw him hit a solid line drive?" Seven pitches later, Victorino ripped his line-drive home run right into the Phillies' bullpen, almost on cue, as if he heard my roommate all the way in Denver.
However, from then on, the Phillies' offense sputtered. Luckily, Cliff Lee was on the mound. After another shaky start to his first inning, surrendering back-to-back singles to that son of a bitch Carloz Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler, he got Helton to ground into a fielder's choice, and even after allowing a wild pitch to let Helton advance, putting runners on second and third with just one out, he blanked the Rockies, striking out Troy Tulowitzki and forcing Garrett Atkins to ground out. I had complete confidence in Lee from that moment on.
I think his teammates did too. In fact, maybe they had a little too much confidence in their ace, because they decided to not score many runs for him. Yes, Ubaldo Jimenez was sharp, mixing his pitches well and looking much more composed than he did late in game 1, but the Phillies let the young righthander off the hook time and time again. Take for instance, the third inning.
After Jimmy Rollins led off the inning with a ground out, Victorino, with Adam EatShit's words ringing in his ears, singled to right. Then Chase followed suit, singling to right himself, and Victorino, with not a great jump and sort of stumbling, took off for third. That bastard Carlos Gonzalez came up firing to third — and wouldn't you know it, that prick has a good arm too — and it looked as though Shane was a dead duck at third. The throw certainly beat him there, but the swipe tag by Atkins came awfully close to Victorino's foot hitting third. It was a close play, but I thought for sure he was out. And I was pissed. But the ump called him safe, and Chase, being the incredible base runner that he is, took second on the throw. Second and third with one out. Very nice.
Not taking any chances, Jimenez intentionally walked Ryan Howard to load the bases, and up came Jayson Werth. Now, if I said it once, I've said it a thousand times — under virtually no circumstance should a player swing before seeing a strike with the bases loaded (especially if the pitcher had just walked guys) and if they do swing before seeing a strike, it at least better be a meatball that they drive, otherwise, it's just not smart to swing until you take a strike. The pressure is all on the pitcher. He has nowhere to put the batter. He has to come to you. Make him throw you your pitch, and at least make him prove he can get one over. Jayson Werth, who is great at working counts in all other situations, is notorious for going against my golden rule, and last night was no exception.
After taking the first pitch for a ball, Werth decided he was going to swing no matter what, fouling off a fastball up in the zone. I'll admit, it was a strike. But it was up and in, a pitch he probably wasn't going to do a whole lot with, and he swung anyway. With the bases loaded. And it gets worse. Much worse. The next pitch, which was even higher and more inside, he took a hack at again, fouling it off. It was ball two. I mean, the thing wasn't even close to a strike. And on the very next pitch, he chased a changeup in the dirt to strike out. All he had to do was get his bat on the ball, especially considering he's tough to double up, and at least one run would score. Instead, he struck out with one out and the bases loaded by chasing two incredibly awful pitches. If he simply would have been patient, Werth would have found himself up 3-1 in the count, a great hitter's situation, and probably would have gotten an RBI, either by driving a meatball 3-1 pitch, or walking in a run. Instead, he struck out like a jackass, because he took an absolutely horrible approach at the plate. I was murdering him for it.
Then Raul followed up with a strikeout of his own, but at least he worked a tough at-bat, seeing a strike and laying off some nasty pitches. Too bad he couldn't lay off that final deadly slider. Give Jimenez credit for striking out two batters with the bases loaded and one out, but also admonish the Phils for making his job too easy in a tight spot. And yes, I mean you, Jay Werth.
Getting out of that jam gave Jimenez a shot in the arm, because after that, he was on point. In the 4th, he sent down Pedro Feliz, Carlos Ruiz and Cliff Lee in order, making it five straight Phils retired. He added to that with a perfect 5th, extending his streak to eight straight outs. Luckily for the Phils, Cliff Lee was keeping pace, doing exactly what he did in game 1.
After avoiding damage in a tough first inning, Lee set down the Rockies in order in the 2nd, making it six straight Rockies retired. He followed up by getting Jimenez to ground out to start the third, and after a one-out walk to Gonzalez, he got the speedy Dexter Fowler to ground into a double play courtesy of a Chase Utley tag on Gonzalez and throw to first. It looked like Lee just may be able to go the distance again, and I had a feeling that he just may.
He set them down in the order in the 4th, and after giving up a leadoff single and then a two-out single to, of all people, his counterpart Jimenez, he actually managed to get Carlos Gonzalez out — 5 innings pitched and still no runs for Colorado. Great trade again, Rubes. Great trade.
But this game was definitely turning into a nail-biter. After failing to execute in the third, Jimenez had shut down the Phils, and when he got Ryan Howard to ground to lead off the 6th, it looked like whoever got into the opposition's bullpen first was going to win. However, Jayson Werth, who royally fucked up in that third-inning, bases-loaded, one-out at-bat, made up for his transgressions — and he did it, surprise!, by being patient. Seriously, why can't he just take his normal approach with the bases loaded? I don't get it.
Anyway, after taking a first-pitch strike, Werth took the second for a ball, then missed a curveball, fouled off a nasty fastball, took another ball to bring the count even, and then Jimenez made his first mistake since the first inning, hanging a changeup out over the plate. And Werth did not miss it, crushing a solo shot to right center to put the Phils up 2-0. I immediately forgave his previous sins, screaming his name and clapping my hands. A 2-0 lead with Lee on the mound? Oh yeah, L.A., here we come!
Not so fast …
Jiminez settled down, got Raul to fly out and then Pedro Feliz to ground out on one pitch — his second straight at-bat getting out on one pitch. And in the bottom of the sixth, the Rockies struck back. With one out, Todd Helton worked a walk, and it came back to bite Cliff Lee. But here's the thing, that walk was a complete travesty. After throwing his first pitch clearly high, Lee threw three straight perfect strikes at the knees, no doubt about it strikes, yet the umpire called them all balls, awarding Helton first base. It was complete bullshit. All three of his final pitches were strikes, but Lee got squeezed and Colorado took advantage. The bad umpiring continued (again for both sides).
Tulowitzki followed with a double that plated Helton, and I was furious at the ump. Yes, Lee could have retired Tulowitzki and gotten out of it with no damage, but still, he got screwed on that walk, plain and simple. Luckily, Lee regained his composure and got Atkins to line out to Feliz, and thanks to some horrendous base-running by Tulowitzki, who was halfway to third for some reason, turned it into an inning-ending double play. Da da, da da da, da da da da, TU-LO! What a fucking gay chant. Way to run yourself out of the inning TU-LO!
Both Lee and Jimenez got through the 7th unscathed, and the Rockies made the first move to the pen. With a 2-1 lead and Lee on the mound, and with the Rockies now in their bullpen, I really liked our chances. And my confidence only grew stronger when Franklin Morales came in and walked Chase Utley to start the 8th. And I got even more excited when Chase stole second … that is until Howard was called out on strikes on a pitch that was, in my opinion, outside. But such is life in this series: shoddy umpiring with floating strike zones. It's been maddening. But the Phillies were still in good shape. The lefty Morales intentionally walked Werth to set up the double play and get to the lefty Raul Ibanez.
Showing some rare patience that he has actually be displaying all series, Raul never took the bat off his shoulder, walking on 5 pitches to once again load the bases for the Phillies with just one out — the same scenario they failed to take advantage of in the third. After a pitching change, up came Pedro Feliz to face Rafael Betancourt. Feliz, who had just gotten out his last two at-bats seeing a grand total of 2 pitches, had to be up there taking at least one pitch, especially with a new pitcher in there fresh out of the bullpen, right? Wrong. Instead, Pedro continued his retardation at the plate, swinging at the first pitch Betancourt threw, a low slider no less, and popping out to shortstop. I wanted to wring his fucking neck. Three at-bats, three pitches, three outs. What a fucking idiot. And for the second time in the game, the Phillies took terrible approaches with the bases loaded at one out, this one even more retarded than Werth's third-inning at-bat. If I could have killed Feliz through thoughts, he would have died a horrifying, torture-filled death. It was the single worst at-bat in Phillies history, no doubt.
Then Carlos Ruiz followed up by grounding out, and again swinging before taking a strike. The Phillies failed yet again to get anything out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation. They had two chances to blow the game wide open, to give their ace a big cushion, and they couldn't do it. Twice. I was beside myself, and I wanted to break anything and everything in sight. Stupid, stupid baseball. I hate the playoffs.
To my surprise, Charlie had no one up in the bullpen during the top of the 8th, meaning it was still Lee's show. And this time, he got Carlos Gonzalez, that fucking jerk, to fly out. The Phillies, holding the slimmest of leads, were now just five outs away from a rematch with the Dodgers in the NLCS. But then, Lee got squeezed again, walking Dexter Fowler on four pitches when at least two of them were strikes, no doubt in my mind. I was pissed. I can only imagine what Lee was feeling.
Two pitches later, disaster struck. The normally sure-handed Phillies, one of the best fielding teams in all the land, shot themselves in the foot. Todd Helton hit a weak grounder to Chase, who bobbled the ball slightly as Fowler leapt over him to avoid runner's interference, and Chase hastily backhanded the ball to second. It was too hot to handle for the typically flawless fielding Jimmy Rollins. Safe all around, as I yelled at Jimmy to "catch the fucking ball!" Upon further review, it was a tough play all around, from the runner being so close to Chase, to the tough throw, but still, it's a play that has to be made. Now the tying run was on second and there was just one out. And that was it for Lee. Time for Ryan Madson.
At this point, my heart was beating, but seeing how effective Madson has been this season as the setup guy, I was still slightly confident. Then, on the third pitch he threw, Tulowitzki hit a flare to left that I thought for sure was dropping. I was ready to lambast Madson and curse Rollins and Utley for royally fucking up that ground ball. But out of nowhere, Ben Francisco, who came in when Madson entered as part of a double switch, made an insane diving catch keep the lead. It was simply incredible, and I was freaking out. What a fucking catch! Unfortunately, he couldn't double up either runner, throwing a tweener throw toward first that missed the cutoff, but it looked like Fowler actually read it well and was heading back to second anyway, somehow, there wasn't a great chance of getting the runner at first.
With that catch, I thought for sure the Phils would get out of it. Hell, it should have been the third out anyway. But no such luck. On the next pitch, pinch-hitter Jason Giambi singled to left to plate Fowler, tie game. I was cursing the defense, Madson and the entire team for giving the game away by leaving the bases loaded twice. And things got worse. Two pitches later, Yorvit Torrealba, another Rockie I despise, crushed a Madson fastball over Victorino's head, scoring Helton and Giambi, 4-2 Colorado.
I was livid. I fucking crushed Madson and the Phils in complete and utter disgust, ranting about how they gave the game away, how they deserved to lose. But I also felt awful for Cliff Lee, because while the team certainly deserved to lose, coming up small in key spots at the plate and making a critical error in the 8th, Cliff Lee certainly deserved to win. He pitched excellent again, but his teammates gave him no help. I resigned myself to preparing for game 5, because I just thought they had played too poorly and too sloppily to put things together this late, even when Madson got out of it to keep it a 2-run game.
I should have known better. As this team proves over and over again, they are never out of it until there are 27 outs. Never. No matter what the score is. Though the way the 9th started, I had no confidence. For some crazy reason, Charlie Manuel decided to lead off the 9th by pinch-hitting Greg Dobbs for Ben Francisco. Yes, the Rockies had their closer, the right-handed Huston Street, in the game, but Greg Dobbs has done exactly jack shit this season for the Phillies. Ben Francisco, on the other hand, has been the best bench player on the team since coming over from Cleveland. The best bench fielder and the best bench hitter. And, if the Phils somehow miraculously did find a way to tie it up or even take the lead, who the hell was going to play left? Dobbs is a horrible outfielder, and Francisco, as he displayed the inning before, is a very good outfielder. So to sum things up, Charlie took out Francisco, who is a better hitter and fielder and runner than Greg Dobbs, simply to get a lefty-righty matchup. Got it. As I expected, Dobbs continued his shitty season by striking out. Great start guys.
But then, as has been the case with the Phillies since, well, since Jimmy Rollins took over the shortstop spot, J-Roll ignited the seemingly dormant Phils by singling up the middle. Unfortunately, Shane Victorino hit a chopper to second, and Rollins was out at second. The Phils were down to their last out with Victorino on first and Utley at the dish. Chase, being the professional he is, remained calm and patient, working a 6-pitch walk off Street, and suddenly, me, Adam EatShit and our roommate began to believe, but none of us dared to say a word for fear of the jinx.
OK, that's not entirely true. My one roommate said if Howard isn't trying to hit a home run here, he never will. And on the fourth pitch he saw, Street made a mistake and Howard unleashed on it. As he hit it, we all started going nuts, and I leapt off the couch, almost hitting our ceiling fan with my head, and went bonkers. In Citizens Bank, that ball is long gone, but no matter, it got the job done. A crushed two-run double to tie the game. We all exchanged pain-inducing high-fives and went ballistic.
Six pitches later, I again almost jumped through the roof, as Jayson Werth made me forget all about that third-inning shitfest, singling home Howard to give the Phillies an improbable 5-4 lead. Holy hell! I couldn't believe it, and after the Rockies finally got out of the inning, I turned to Adam and asked him if that really just happened. Yes, yes it did. Ryan Howard, you are a Cot-Damn Beast. And Jay Werth, man oh man, have you been a steal. Good job, Mr. Gillick.
I was so excited I could hardly breathe, but this thing was far from over. For the second straight night, the Phils headed to the bottom on the 9th with a one-run lead, in a one-run save situation. We all know how they've gone for Philadelphia this year. Plus, who the hell was going to play left? Dobbs? Well, no, it turns out. Miguel Cairo, an infielder by trade, manned that post. OK then.
To our surprise, Charlie didn't go with Brad Lidge to start the 9th, instead opting for Scott Eyre, fresh off a rolled ankle. Eyre got pinch-hitter Eric Young Jr. to ground out, but then that pesky Carlos Gonzalez struck again, singling to left. We all looked around wondering whether Charlie dare bring Lidge in, with a speedy runner on first who could surely walk to second base to put the tying run in scoring position. Larry Andersen wondered the same thing.
The answer was no. Charlie stuck with Eyre against Fowler and with the lefthanded Todd Helton on deck. Eyre got Fowler to line out to short. The Phils were one out away from reaching the NLCS for the second straight year. But Todd Helton was not ready to go home, singling to center to keep the Rockies alive. And he represented the go-ahead, now on first base and the righthanded Troy Tulowitzki at the plate. I was pulling my hair out. The cleanup hitter was up, the prefect spot for Colorado. That's when Charlie called on Lidge, and Philadelphia's collective hearts stopped beating.
For the second straight night, it came down to Lidge vs. Tulowitzki. And for the second straight night, Lidge came through. Boy did he come through.
He threw some devastating sliders to an overmatched Tulowitzki, and again, I almost flew through my roof, jumping higher than I ever have. Somehow, some way, the Phillies pulled it off. Brad Lidge, for all his struggles during the regular season, has remained perfect in the playoffs as a Phillie. Lights out, Colorado. L.A., here we come!
It was, without question, one of the most heart-stopping, gut-wrenching games ever played, and certainly the most entertaining elimination game thus far in the playoffs. And the Phillies, who I left for dead after a disastrous 8th, resurrected for the 9th and eliminated the Rockies. New flash: These guys are good. And as Adam EatShit said after the game, they're winners. Might as well keep on winning.
LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!!!
Things started out well enough, with the Phillies hitting a solo home run in the first inning for the second straight game to take a 1-0 lead, this time courtesy of Shane Victorino, and last night, we didn't fuck around at my house, syncing up the TBS broadcast with Larry Andersen and Scott Franzke on 1210. No more boring-ass TBS announcers who insist on calling the regular season the regular year. It's season, you schmuck, not year. Regular year is a stupid term, and if you say it, you are an asshole. Simple as that.
The funny thing about Shane's home run is that right after Shane's first swing, Adam EatShit said to me, "I feel like Shane hasn't really been hitting the ball that hard. When's the last time you saw him hit a solid line drive?" Seven pitches later, Victorino ripped his line-drive home run right into the Phillies' bullpen, almost on cue, as if he heard my roommate all the way in Denver.
However, from then on, the Phillies' offense sputtered. Luckily, Cliff Lee was on the mound. After another shaky start to his first inning, surrendering back-to-back singles to that son of a bitch Carloz Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler, he got Helton to ground into a fielder's choice, and even after allowing a wild pitch to let Helton advance, putting runners on second and third with just one out, he blanked the Rockies, striking out Troy Tulowitzki and forcing Garrett Atkins to ground out. I had complete confidence in Lee from that moment on.
I think his teammates did too. In fact, maybe they had a little too much confidence in their ace, because they decided to not score many runs for him. Yes, Ubaldo Jimenez was sharp, mixing his pitches well and looking much more composed than he did late in game 1, but the Phillies let the young righthander off the hook time and time again. Take for instance, the third inning.
After Jimmy Rollins led off the inning with a ground out, Victorino, with Adam EatShit's words ringing in his ears, singled to right. Then Chase followed suit, singling to right himself, and Victorino, with not a great jump and sort of stumbling, took off for third. That bastard Carlos Gonzalez came up firing to third — and wouldn't you know it, that prick has a good arm too — and it looked as though Shane was a dead duck at third. The throw certainly beat him there, but the swipe tag by Atkins came awfully close to Victorino's foot hitting third. It was a close play, but I thought for sure he was out. And I was pissed. But the ump called him safe, and Chase, being the incredible base runner that he is, took second on the throw. Second and third with one out. Very nice.
Not taking any chances, Jimenez intentionally walked Ryan Howard to load the bases, and up came Jayson Werth. Now, if I said it once, I've said it a thousand times — under virtually no circumstance should a player swing before seeing a strike with the bases loaded (especially if the pitcher had just walked guys) and if they do swing before seeing a strike, it at least better be a meatball that they drive, otherwise, it's just not smart to swing until you take a strike. The pressure is all on the pitcher. He has nowhere to put the batter. He has to come to you. Make him throw you your pitch, and at least make him prove he can get one over. Jayson Werth, who is great at working counts in all other situations, is notorious for going against my golden rule, and last night was no exception.
After taking the first pitch for a ball, Werth decided he was going to swing no matter what, fouling off a fastball up in the zone. I'll admit, it was a strike. But it was up and in, a pitch he probably wasn't going to do a whole lot with, and he swung anyway. With the bases loaded. And it gets worse. Much worse. The next pitch, which was even higher and more inside, he took a hack at again, fouling it off. It was ball two. I mean, the thing wasn't even close to a strike. And on the very next pitch, he chased a changeup in the dirt to strike out. All he had to do was get his bat on the ball, especially considering he's tough to double up, and at least one run would score. Instead, he struck out with one out and the bases loaded by chasing two incredibly awful pitches. If he simply would have been patient, Werth would have found himself up 3-1 in the count, a great hitter's situation, and probably would have gotten an RBI, either by driving a meatball 3-1 pitch, or walking in a run. Instead, he struck out like a jackass, because he took an absolutely horrible approach at the plate. I was murdering him for it.
Then Raul followed up with a strikeout of his own, but at least he worked a tough at-bat, seeing a strike and laying off some nasty pitches. Too bad he couldn't lay off that final deadly slider. Give Jimenez credit for striking out two batters with the bases loaded and one out, but also admonish the Phils for making his job too easy in a tight spot. And yes, I mean you, Jay Werth.
Getting out of that jam gave Jimenez a shot in the arm, because after that, he was on point. In the 4th, he sent down Pedro Feliz, Carlos Ruiz and Cliff Lee in order, making it five straight Phils retired. He added to that with a perfect 5th, extending his streak to eight straight outs. Luckily for the Phils, Cliff Lee was keeping pace, doing exactly what he did in game 1.
After avoiding damage in a tough first inning, Lee set down the Rockies in order in the 2nd, making it six straight Rockies retired. He followed up by getting Jimenez to ground out to start the third, and after a one-out walk to Gonzalez, he got the speedy Dexter Fowler to ground into a double play courtesy of a Chase Utley tag on Gonzalez and throw to first. It looked like Lee just may be able to go the distance again, and I had a feeling that he just may.
He set them down in the order in the 4th, and after giving up a leadoff single and then a two-out single to, of all people, his counterpart Jimenez, he actually managed to get Carlos Gonzalez out — 5 innings pitched and still no runs for Colorado. Great trade again, Rubes. Great trade.
But this game was definitely turning into a nail-biter. After failing to execute in the third, Jimenez had shut down the Phils, and when he got Ryan Howard to ground to lead off the 6th, it looked like whoever got into the opposition's bullpen first was going to win. However, Jayson Werth, who royally fucked up in that third-inning, bases-loaded, one-out at-bat, made up for his transgressions — and he did it, surprise!, by being patient. Seriously, why can't he just take his normal approach with the bases loaded? I don't get it.
Anyway, after taking a first-pitch strike, Werth took the second for a ball, then missed a curveball, fouled off a nasty fastball, took another ball to bring the count even, and then Jimenez made his first mistake since the first inning, hanging a changeup out over the plate. And Werth did not miss it, crushing a solo shot to right center to put the Phils up 2-0. I immediately forgave his previous sins, screaming his name and clapping my hands. A 2-0 lead with Lee on the mound? Oh yeah, L.A., here we come!
Not so fast …
Jiminez settled down, got Raul to fly out and then Pedro Feliz to ground out on one pitch — his second straight at-bat getting out on one pitch. And in the bottom of the sixth, the Rockies struck back. With one out, Todd Helton worked a walk, and it came back to bite Cliff Lee. But here's the thing, that walk was a complete travesty. After throwing his first pitch clearly high, Lee threw three straight perfect strikes at the knees, no doubt about it strikes, yet the umpire called them all balls, awarding Helton first base. It was complete bullshit. All three of his final pitches were strikes, but Lee got squeezed and Colorado took advantage. The bad umpiring continued (again for both sides).
Tulowitzki followed with a double that plated Helton, and I was furious at the ump. Yes, Lee could have retired Tulowitzki and gotten out of it with no damage, but still, he got screwed on that walk, plain and simple. Luckily, Lee regained his composure and got Atkins to line out to Feliz, and thanks to some horrendous base-running by Tulowitzki, who was halfway to third for some reason, turned it into an inning-ending double play. Da da, da da da, da da da da, TU-LO! What a fucking gay chant. Way to run yourself out of the inning TU-LO!
Both Lee and Jimenez got through the 7th unscathed, and the Rockies made the first move to the pen. With a 2-1 lead and Lee on the mound, and with the Rockies now in their bullpen, I really liked our chances. And my confidence only grew stronger when Franklin Morales came in and walked Chase Utley to start the 8th. And I got even more excited when Chase stole second … that is until Howard was called out on strikes on a pitch that was, in my opinion, outside. But such is life in this series: shoddy umpiring with floating strike zones. It's been maddening. But the Phillies were still in good shape. The lefty Morales intentionally walked Werth to set up the double play and get to the lefty Raul Ibanez.
Showing some rare patience that he has actually be displaying all series, Raul never took the bat off his shoulder, walking on 5 pitches to once again load the bases for the Phillies with just one out — the same scenario they failed to take advantage of in the third. After a pitching change, up came Pedro Feliz to face Rafael Betancourt. Feliz, who had just gotten out his last two at-bats seeing a grand total of 2 pitches, had to be up there taking at least one pitch, especially with a new pitcher in there fresh out of the bullpen, right? Wrong. Instead, Pedro continued his retardation at the plate, swinging at the first pitch Betancourt threw, a low slider no less, and popping out to shortstop. I wanted to wring his fucking neck. Three at-bats, three pitches, three outs. What a fucking idiot. And for the second time in the game, the Phillies took terrible approaches with the bases loaded at one out, this one even more retarded than Werth's third-inning at-bat. If I could have killed Feliz through thoughts, he would have died a horrifying, torture-filled death. It was the single worst at-bat in Phillies history, no doubt.
Then Carlos Ruiz followed up by grounding out, and again swinging before taking a strike. The Phillies failed yet again to get anything out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation. They had two chances to blow the game wide open, to give their ace a big cushion, and they couldn't do it. Twice. I was beside myself, and I wanted to break anything and everything in sight. Stupid, stupid baseball. I hate the playoffs.
To my surprise, Charlie had no one up in the bullpen during the top of the 8th, meaning it was still Lee's show. And this time, he got Carlos Gonzalez, that fucking jerk, to fly out. The Phillies, holding the slimmest of leads, were now just five outs away from a rematch with the Dodgers in the NLCS. But then, Lee got squeezed again, walking Dexter Fowler on four pitches when at least two of them were strikes, no doubt in my mind. I was pissed. I can only imagine what Lee was feeling.
Two pitches later, disaster struck. The normally sure-handed Phillies, one of the best fielding teams in all the land, shot themselves in the foot. Todd Helton hit a weak grounder to Chase, who bobbled the ball slightly as Fowler leapt over him to avoid runner's interference, and Chase hastily backhanded the ball to second. It was too hot to handle for the typically flawless fielding Jimmy Rollins. Safe all around, as I yelled at Jimmy to "catch the fucking ball!" Upon further review, it was a tough play all around, from the runner being so close to Chase, to the tough throw, but still, it's a play that has to be made. Now the tying run was on second and there was just one out. And that was it for Lee. Time for Ryan Madson.
At this point, my heart was beating, but seeing how effective Madson has been this season as the setup guy, I was still slightly confident. Then, on the third pitch he threw, Tulowitzki hit a flare to left that I thought for sure was dropping. I was ready to lambast Madson and curse Rollins and Utley for royally fucking up that ground ball. But out of nowhere, Ben Francisco, who came in when Madson entered as part of a double switch, made an insane diving catch keep the lead. It was simply incredible, and I was freaking out. What a fucking catch! Unfortunately, he couldn't double up either runner, throwing a tweener throw toward first that missed the cutoff, but it looked like Fowler actually read it well and was heading back to second anyway, somehow, there wasn't a great chance of getting the runner at first.
With that catch, I thought for sure the Phils would get out of it. Hell, it should have been the third out anyway. But no such luck. On the next pitch, pinch-hitter Jason Giambi singled to left to plate Fowler, tie game. I was cursing the defense, Madson and the entire team for giving the game away by leaving the bases loaded twice. And things got worse. Two pitches later, Yorvit Torrealba, another Rockie I despise, crushed a Madson fastball over Victorino's head, scoring Helton and Giambi, 4-2 Colorado.
I was livid. I fucking crushed Madson and the Phils in complete and utter disgust, ranting about how they gave the game away, how they deserved to lose. But I also felt awful for Cliff Lee, because while the team certainly deserved to lose, coming up small in key spots at the plate and making a critical error in the 8th, Cliff Lee certainly deserved to win. He pitched excellent again, but his teammates gave him no help. I resigned myself to preparing for game 5, because I just thought they had played too poorly and too sloppily to put things together this late, even when Madson got out of it to keep it a 2-run game.
I should have known better. As this team proves over and over again, they are never out of it until there are 27 outs. Never. No matter what the score is. Though the way the 9th started, I had no confidence. For some crazy reason, Charlie Manuel decided to lead off the 9th by pinch-hitting Greg Dobbs for Ben Francisco. Yes, the Rockies had their closer, the right-handed Huston Street, in the game, but Greg Dobbs has done exactly jack shit this season for the Phillies. Ben Francisco, on the other hand, has been the best bench player on the team since coming over from Cleveland. The best bench fielder and the best bench hitter. And, if the Phils somehow miraculously did find a way to tie it up or even take the lead, who the hell was going to play left? Dobbs is a horrible outfielder, and Francisco, as he displayed the inning before, is a very good outfielder. So to sum things up, Charlie took out Francisco, who is a better hitter and fielder and runner than Greg Dobbs, simply to get a lefty-righty matchup. Got it. As I expected, Dobbs continued his shitty season by striking out. Great start guys.
But then, as has been the case with the Phillies since, well, since Jimmy Rollins took over the shortstop spot, J-Roll ignited the seemingly dormant Phils by singling up the middle. Unfortunately, Shane Victorino hit a chopper to second, and Rollins was out at second. The Phils were down to their last out with Victorino on first and Utley at the dish. Chase, being the professional he is, remained calm and patient, working a 6-pitch walk off Street, and suddenly, me, Adam EatShit and our roommate began to believe, but none of us dared to say a word for fear of the jinx.
OK, that's not entirely true. My one roommate said if Howard isn't trying to hit a home run here, he never will. And on the fourth pitch he saw, Street made a mistake and Howard unleashed on it. As he hit it, we all started going nuts, and I leapt off the couch, almost hitting our ceiling fan with my head, and went bonkers. In Citizens Bank, that ball is long gone, but no matter, it got the job done. A crushed two-run double to tie the game. We all exchanged pain-inducing high-fives and went ballistic.
Six pitches later, I again almost jumped through the roof, as Jayson Werth made me forget all about that third-inning shitfest, singling home Howard to give the Phillies an improbable 5-4 lead. Holy hell! I couldn't believe it, and after the Rockies finally got out of the inning, I turned to Adam and asked him if that really just happened. Yes, yes it did. Ryan Howard, you are a Cot-Damn Beast. And Jay Werth, man oh man, have you been a steal. Good job, Mr. Gillick.
I was so excited I could hardly breathe, but this thing was far from over. For the second straight night, the Phils headed to the bottom on the 9th with a one-run lead, in a one-run save situation. We all know how they've gone for Philadelphia this year. Plus, who the hell was going to play left? Dobbs? Well, no, it turns out. Miguel Cairo, an infielder by trade, manned that post. OK then.
To our surprise, Charlie didn't go with Brad Lidge to start the 9th, instead opting for Scott Eyre, fresh off a rolled ankle. Eyre got pinch-hitter Eric Young Jr. to ground out, but then that pesky Carlos Gonzalez struck again, singling to left. We all looked around wondering whether Charlie dare bring Lidge in, with a speedy runner on first who could surely walk to second base to put the tying run in scoring position. Larry Andersen wondered the same thing.
The answer was no. Charlie stuck with Eyre against Fowler and with the lefthanded Todd Helton on deck. Eyre got Fowler to line out to short. The Phils were one out away from reaching the NLCS for the second straight year. But Todd Helton was not ready to go home, singling to center to keep the Rockies alive. And he represented the go-ahead, now on first base and the righthanded Troy Tulowitzki at the plate. I was pulling my hair out. The cleanup hitter was up, the prefect spot for Colorado. That's when Charlie called on Lidge, and Philadelphia's collective hearts stopped beating.
For the second straight night, it came down to Lidge vs. Tulowitzki. And for the second straight night, Lidge came through. Boy did he come through.
He threw some devastating sliders to an overmatched Tulowitzki, and again, I almost flew through my roof, jumping higher than I ever have. Somehow, some way, the Phillies pulled it off. Brad Lidge, for all his struggles during the regular season, has remained perfect in the playoffs as a Phillie. Lights out, Colorado. L.A., here we come!
It was, without question, one of the most heart-stopping, gut-wrenching games ever played, and certainly the most entertaining elimination game thus far in the playoffs. And the Phillies, who I left for dead after a disastrous 8th, resurrected for the 9th and eliminated the Rockies. New flash: These guys are good. And as Adam EatShit said after the game, they're winners. Might as well keep on winning.
LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!!!
Monday, October 12, 2009
A Call from Denver
If you are looking here for any sort of recap from the Penn State and Eagles games, go to the nearest mirror, look at yourself and then smash your head into said mirror over and over again until your head is bloodied to the point of feeling woozy. Because if you want to read about two boring-ass blowout football games when a nearly four and half hour playoff baseball torture-fest that ended early this morning just took place, you enjoy pain.
Last night, as I was driving back to Philadelphia from my parents' house in Bucks County, I received a phone call from my friend Tommy C. at 8 o'clock on the dot. Tommy C. is a guy I've known since grade school, a kid I became even better friends with in college. And upon graduation from Penn State, Tommy moved to Durango, Colorado, doing his thing out west. Two years ago, when the Phillies played the Rockies in the first round of the playoffs after a 14-year hiatus from postseason play, Tommy ventured to Denver to take in game 3 of the NLDS. Of course he did it again this time around, under much better circumstances — the Phils tied 1-1, not down 0-2.
Tommy called me from Denver, two hours before game time, from a bar right down the street from Coors Field, a bar owned by a Philadelphia native that was filled with Phillies fans. He was excited, telling me how the place was flooded with Phils fans, so he certainly wasn't going it alone in the belly of the beast. I immediately asked him about the weather, the cancellation and how much snow they got out there. To my surprise, he said there was only really a dusting and that the temperature was the same last night as it was Saturday night. In his words, "They definitely could have played Saturday." Thanks, MLB, because I sure know I'd rather have to stay up all sorts of late for a 10:07 p.m. EST pitch time on a Sunday freakin night instead of stay up late on a Saturday for a 9:37 p.m. start. Because, you know, Sundays are hectic for everyone, and no one has anything to do on Monday, right?
Tommy went on to tell me how he's been pacing all day, nervous as hell, and how he couldn't even imagine how nervous J.A. Happ must be. After all, Tommy's just a fan — all he has to do is watch the agony. J.A. Happ had to live it, starting in the postseason for the first time in his young career. I didn't even really think of that myself, not with the way Happ has handled himself since getting called up last season. The guy's been virtually unflappable and extremely good. Nerves weren't going to get to him, I thought. I was certain Happ would throw a good game. After all, he had his best start ever against the Rockies earlier this year, a complete-game, 4-hit, 10-strikeout shutout on Aug. 5.
How little I underestimated the power of nerves. After I got off the phone with Tommy and continued my trek home, I got to my house and saw Adam EatShit, our roommate, uncle jellyfish and our friend Miff, all ready to take in the game. With an hour and half-plus until game time, I went in my room and quietly calmed myself down as best I could. Tommy's phone call had got my juices flowing big time, and I needed to relax a little before what I knew would be a draining, insanely late night.
When I descended from my third-floor room, I took my post on our couch, with the four other gentlemen around me and a fifth, our other roommate, securing his spot. It was game time, and now, finally getting a chance to watch a playoff game at home, on my couch, on my TV, I was getting amped. And that adrenaline almost made my head explode when Chase jacked one to give the Phils a 1-0 lead, just like he did in game 1 of the World Series last year.
Sadly, my slight elation didn't last long. For the first time, well, ever, J.A. Happ came out and looked like an overwhelmed rookie. He struggled to command his pitches from the onset, routinely falling behind hitters 2-0, and the Rockies kept working themselves into hitter's counts. First, a leadoff single by Carlos Gonzalez, followed by a single by Dexter Fowler, and then an RBI ground out by Todd Helton. Run given right back. Two more hits by the Rockies before the inning was through, and that 1-0 lead turned into a 2-1 deficit. Happ couldn't find his command, and he was getting squeezed a bit by the home plate umpire. As Tommy's words began to ring in my head, Adam EatShit was killing Happ, calling him everything from a fraud to a fuck.
A slight aside: The home plate umpire last night was atrocious — for both sides. All we hear about is how all players want is consistency from an umpire. Well, last night, Jerry Meals was atrocious. From pitch to pitch, no one knew what was going to be called a strike and what was going to be called a ball. As a result, both the pitchers and the batters were struggling to get a hold of the strike zone, and at points throughout the game, both dugouts were barking at Meals. He should never be allowed to umpire another playoff game again … though I sure am glad he was the home plate umpire last night.
But back to the game at hand. After Happ gave up another run in the third by serving up a meatball to Garrett Atkins, I called for Joe Blanton. Far be it from me to question Charlie, but my feelings heading into the playoffs were that the Phils had a clear No. 1, 2 and 3 in the rotation — that being Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton — with J.A. Happ and Pedro Martinez dueling for that 4th spot in the playoff rotation. And when J.C. Romero was lost for the season, I thought that meant Happ to the pen for another lefty out there, and Pedro as the fourth starter. But Charlie didn't see it that way, and all hell broke loose in game 2. Charlie insanely used both Blanton and Happ out of the bullpen, Happ got mildly injured, and Pedro was announced the starter for game 3. Then it was postponed and Charlie named Happ the starter for game 3. Joe Blanton was left in limbo. I couldn't understand it for the life of me, but then again, I don't have a big old ring on my finger either.
You could almost sense the game getting away, but then last season's playoff standout, Shane Victorino, got things going in the top of the 4th to help pick his struggling pitcher up. A leadoff walk by Victorino, followed by a single from Chase, and suddenly the Phils had two on and no one out for the big man. And Ryan Howard delivered, singling in Victorino to make it 3-2. Then the Phillies took a cue from Shane and worked some awesome at-bats. Werth battled to earn a walk to load the bases, and Raul did the exact same thing, fighting off pitch after pitch and laying off some nasty breaking balls to work an RBI walk to tie the game.
Unfortunately, Pedro Feliz didn't get the memo that Jason Hammel had just walked the bases loaded, then walked a guy with the bases loaded to force in a run. Because after getting ahead 1-0, Pedro swung and missed, bringing the count to 1-1. He swung before seeing a strike, with the bases loaded, when Hammel had just walked back-to-back batters and walked in a run. That is the biggest pet peeve of mine in baseball. And Pedro capped off that craptastic approach by swinging at the very next pitch, hitting a weak grounder right back to Hammel for the 1-2-3 double play. I was livid. That's just dumb, horrible baseball.
Thankfully, Chooch was there to pick him up. Perhaps the most underappreciated player in the Phils' run last postseason was Carlos Ruiz and his bat. After a terrible offensive 2008, Ruiz picked it up big time in the playoffs and helped lead the Phillies to the World Series title. And guess what? He's at it again. Curbball hit a curbball for a two-out single that plated Werth, and the Phils lead 4-3.
It wouldn't be his last big hit of the night.
Unfortunately, that's all the Phillies got in the inning. Now, three runs to recapture the lead sounds like a good inning, and it was, but Pedro's double play really killed what could have been a really explosive inning for the Phils. They had a chance to blow the game wide open, but that at-bat just killed them. And it came back to bite them.
After Greg Dobbs hit for Happ after Ruiz's hit and got out, Joe Blanton took the mound. He got the first two batters with ease, but then Carlos Gonzalez, who I had never even heard of until a few weeks ago, hit a solo home run to tie it. Again, the Phils gave the lead right back, and I was pissed. Who the fuck is Carlos Gonzalez and when the hell did he became Babe freakin Ruth? The Phillies can't get this fucker out, and he's by far been the most dangerous hitter in this series — for either team. Meanwhile, Brad Hawpe, who made the freakin All Star team, sits on the bench. What the hell is going on here?
Things were incredibly intense again, and I was finally feeling like I did last postseason — unhealthy watching playoff baseball. It's just so god damn agonizing. And it didn't help that it was well past midnight.
After a scoreless fifth, it was Curbball to the rescue again. Following back-to-back one-out walks to Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz (yeah, now you decide to be patient), Ruiz, for the second time in the game, put the Phils ahead, this time with an RBI single up the middle to plate Ibanez. I leapt in the air and began pounding the floor with the Jim Thome bat I was holding since the 4th inning. The Phils were winning. Again. And we were all going bonkers.
However, the Phils couldn't hold the lead, again. After getting the final out in the 6th, Scott Eyre came out for the 7th to face Gonzalez, and that little fucker did it again, doubling to left center. I really hate that guy. Dexter Fowler followed, squaring to bunt to get Gonzelez to third with less than two outs. He laid it down, and as Eyre went to go for it, he rolled his ankle and went down in a heap. Safe all around, and our only experienced lefty in the bullpen left hurt. Just great. Guess J.A. Happ isn't getting anymore starts this postseason. I think. Maybe.
First and third with nobody out, and Ryan Madson came on with a huge task at hand. After striking out Todd Helton with some high heat, he looked up to the challenge, especially once he got up 0-2 to Troy Tulowitzki by pumping fastballs. We were all expecting a disappearing low and away changeup, but on that third pitch, he threw a high, tight fastball that almost hit Tulowitzki. Luckily it didn't and now it was definitely set up for that changeup, and Curbball called for it. The problem is, Madson missed his spot with it, leaving a fat hanger over the plate, and Tulowitzki crushed it. Thankfully, he didn't get all of it, but he got the job done, hitting a sac fly to tie it. It was a terrible 1-2 pitch, and now the game was tied. He did strike out Torrealba and limited the damage, doing a decent job, but that doesn't excuse that bad pitch to Tulowitzki. Again, the Phils couldn't hold the lead, and I couldn't take much more of this, especially since it was now past 1 a.m. Ugh.
But then the Phils looked like they had had enough. After Jayson Werth struck out to lead off the 8th, Raul worked another patient at-bat and walked. Then Pedro, trying to atone for his rally-killing double play earlier in the game, doubled to left, putting runners on second and third with just one out … and Curbball, who had already gotten two go-ahead hits for the Phillies on the night, was at the dish. All he had to do was get his bat on the ball past the infield, and the tie would be broken yet again. Only this time, he struck out, swinging through two very hittable fastballs. Then pinch hitter Matt Stairs did the same thing. Second and third and just one out, and the Phils couldn't even get their bat on the ball. Game still tied, and my anger reaching unprecedented heights. That's just awful, awful baseball. Choke up, cut down on your swing and put the ball in play. Instead, Curbball took a huge hack at a 1-1 pitch and wound up striking out, and we all know that no matter what, Matt Stairs tries to hit home runs, which means he'll either hit a home run or strike out. Frustrating.
Thankfully, Chad Durbin got a painless 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th, but that didn't really calm the nerves all that much. It was tied 5-5 in the 9th, our bullpen has been a mess for a while now, and it was approaching 2 a.m. I couldn't take much more.
Then Jimmy Rollins finally decided to show up, leading off the 9th with a single. Nice of you to join us, James. Shane fundamentally soundly laid down a beautiful bunt to get Jimmy into scoring position, and Chase stepped up to the plate. This is where my happiness of having terrible home plate umpire Jerry Meals comes into play. Chase took a halfhearted swing and made contact, hitting a nubber off the plate, and hustled down the line after slightly hesitating. Huston Street went to field it, and with Chase hustling like he always does, had to get the ball over Utley to Helton. The throw took Helton off the bag, safe all around as Jimmy moved over to third. Upon further review, it was clear that ball hit the plate and then Utley, going off his right leg, meaning it should have been a foul ball. But Meals missed it, and the Phils were in business.
And the big man came through. On a pitch he just missed hitting out of the park, Howard sent one deep to left center to score Jimmy and give the Phils the 6-5 lead. We all knew that with Madson out of the game, if the Phils got the lead Brad Lidge was going to come in. We knew it, but it didn't really sink in until they showed him warming up in the pen. Right then, when TBS went to the shot of Lidge warming up, all five of us in the room at the time groaned. When the inning ended with the Phils up 6-5 and TBS came back from commercial, the announcer said it perfectly: "I don't know who's more nervous, Rockies fans or Phillies fans." That's what Brad Lidge has done to us this year, made us crazy with pessimism come any save situation.
No one knew what to expect, but after a first-pitch ball, Lidge got Brad Hawpe to ground out to Utley. Two pitches, one out. Good start. But of course, it couldn't be that easy. His next three pitches missed the zone, and he fell behind the red hot Carlos Gonzalez 3-0. After getting a fastball over, Gonzalez fouled off a slider, then another, and then another. Seriously, I fucking hate that guy. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat he walked. Great. Of course, he stole second to get in scoring position as the tying run. Things were very uneasy. However, Lidge did get Jason Giambi to pop out to Feliz in foul territory. Two outs. I couldn't even breathe.
Up came the Rockies best hitter, Todd Helton, with the tying run on second and Brad Lidge on the mound. Not good. After a mound visit from Charlie, it looked as though Lidge pitched around Helton, walking him on five pitches. Not a horrible strategy, but it did put the go-ahead run on base. I wasn't sure how to feel, so I didn't even bother trying to dissect it. I just accepted it.
After throwing a ball to Tulowitzki, I was nervous. He fell behind another hitter, the tying run was on second and the winning run on first, now in the form of pinch runner Eric Young Jr., who is fast as hell. Fuck. But Tulowitzki got antsy himself, went after the next pitch and flew out to left. Game over, heart attack avoided. Save Brad Lidge.
After celebratory high fives and catching my breath, I headed up to sleep, now past 2 a.m. drained and dreading today. As I got to my room, I checked my phone. There was a text message from Paul "lil' Jon" Runyan that read: "Please tell me we rnt gonna pitch lidge in the btm of the 9th?"
Well, Charlie did. And far be it from me to question the man with the ring.
LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!!!
Last night, as I was driving back to Philadelphia from my parents' house in Bucks County, I received a phone call from my friend Tommy C. at 8 o'clock on the dot. Tommy C. is a guy I've known since grade school, a kid I became even better friends with in college. And upon graduation from Penn State, Tommy moved to Durango, Colorado, doing his thing out west. Two years ago, when the Phillies played the Rockies in the first round of the playoffs after a 14-year hiatus from postseason play, Tommy ventured to Denver to take in game 3 of the NLDS. Of course he did it again this time around, under much better circumstances — the Phils tied 1-1, not down 0-2.
Tommy called me from Denver, two hours before game time, from a bar right down the street from Coors Field, a bar owned by a Philadelphia native that was filled with Phillies fans. He was excited, telling me how the place was flooded with Phils fans, so he certainly wasn't going it alone in the belly of the beast. I immediately asked him about the weather, the cancellation and how much snow they got out there. To my surprise, he said there was only really a dusting and that the temperature was the same last night as it was Saturday night. In his words, "They definitely could have played Saturday." Thanks, MLB, because I sure know I'd rather have to stay up all sorts of late for a 10:07 p.m. EST pitch time on a Sunday freakin night instead of stay up late on a Saturday for a 9:37 p.m. start. Because, you know, Sundays are hectic for everyone, and no one has anything to do on Monday, right?
Tommy went on to tell me how he's been pacing all day, nervous as hell, and how he couldn't even imagine how nervous J.A. Happ must be. After all, Tommy's just a fan — all he has to do is watch the agony. J.A. Happ had to live it, starting in the postseason for the first time in his young career. I didn't even really think of that myself, not with the way Happ has handled himself since getting called up last season. The guy's been virtually unflappable and extremely good. Nerves weren't going to get to him, I thought. I was certain Happ would throw a good game. After all, he had his best start ever against the Rockies earlier this year, a complete-game, 4-hit, 10-strikeout shutout on Aug. 5.
How little I underestimated the power of nerves. After I got off the phone with Tommy and continued my trek home, I got to my house and saw Adam EatShit, our roommate, uncle jellyfish and our friend Miff, all ready to take in the game. With an hour and half-plus until game time, I went in my room and quietly calmed myself down as best I could. Tommy's phone call had got my juices flowing big time, and I needed to relax a little before what I knew would be a draining, insanely late night.
When I descended from my third-floor room, I took my post on our couch, with the four other gentlemen around me and a fifth, our other roommate, securing his spot. It was game time, and now, finally getting a chance to watch a playoff game at home, on my couch, on my TV, I was getting amped. And that adrenaline almost made my head explode when Chase jacked one to give the Phils a 1-0 lead, just like he did in game 1 of the World Series last year.
Sadly, my slight elation didn't last long. For the first time, well, ever, J.A. Happ came out and looked like an overwhelmed rookie. He struggled to command his pitches from the onset, routinely falling behind hitters 2-0, and the Rockies kept working themselves into hitter's counts. First, a leadoff single by Carlos Gonzalez, followed by a single by Dexter Fowler, and then an RBI ground out by Todd Helton. Run given right back. Two more hits by the Rockies before the inning was through, and that 1-0 lead turned into a 2-1 deficit. Happ couldn't find his command, and he was getting squeezed a bit by the home plate umpire. As Tommy's words began to ring in my head, Adam EatShit was killing Happ, calling him everything from a fraud to a fuck.
A slight aside: The home plate umpire last night was atrocious — for both sides. All we hear about is how all players want is consistency from an umpire. Well, last night, Jerry Meals was atrocious. From pitch to pitch, no one knew what was going to be called a strike and what was going to be called a ball. As a result, both the pitchers and the batters were struggling to get a hold of the strike zone, and at points throughout the game, both dugouts were barking at Meals. He should never be allowed to umpire another playoff game again … though I sure am glad he was the home plate umpire last night.
But back to the game at hand. After Happ gave up another run in the third by serving up a meatball to Garrett Atkins, I called for Joe Blanton. Far be it from me to question Charlie, but my feelings heading into the playoffs were that the Phils had a clear No. 1, 2 and 3 in the rotation — that being Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton — with J.A. Happ and Pedro Martinez dueling for that 4th spot in the playoff rotation. And when J.C. Romero was lost for the season, I thought that meant Happ to the pen for another lefty out there, and Pedro as the fourth starter. But Charlie didn't see it that way, and all hell broke loose in game 2. Charlie insanely used both Blanton and Happ out of the bullpen, Happ got mildly injured, and Pedro was announced the starter for game 3. Then it was postponed and Charlie named Happ the starter for game 3. Joe Blanton was left in limbo. I couldn't understand it for the life of me, but then again, I don't have a big old ring on my finger either.
You could almost sense the game getting away, but then last season's playoff standout, Shane Victorino, got things going in the top of the 4th to help pick his struggling pitcher up. A leadoff walk by Victorino, followed by a single from Chase, and suddenly the Phils had two on and no one out for the big man. And Ryan Howard delivered, singling in Victorino to make it 3-2. Then the Phillies took a cue from Shane and worked some awesome at-bats. Werth battled to earn a walk to load the bases, and Raul did the exact same thing, fighting off pitch after pitch and laying off some nasty breaking balls to work an RBI walk to tie the game.
Unfortunately, Pedro Feliz didn't get the memo that Jason Hammel had just walked the bases loaded, then walked a guy with the bases loaded to force in a run. Because after getting ahead 1-0, Pedro swung and missed, bringing the count to 1-1. He swung before seeing a strike, with the bases loaded, when Hammel had just walked back-to-back batters and walked in a run. That is the biggest pet peeve of mine in baseball. And Pedro capped off that craptastic approach by swinging at the very next pitch, hitting a weak grounder right back to Hammel for the 1-2-3 double play. I was livid. That's just dumb, horrible baseball.
Thankfully, Chooch was there to pick him up. Perhaps the most underappreciated player in the Phils' run last postseason was Carlos Ruiz and his bat. After a terrible offensive 2008, Ruiz picked it up big time in the playoffs and helped lead the Phillies to the World Series title. And guess what? He's at it again. Curbball hit a curbball for a two-out single that plated Werth, and the Phils lead 4-3.
It wouldn't be his last big hit of the night.
Unfortunately, that's all the Phillies got in the inning. Now, three runs to recapture the lead sounds like a good inning, and it was, but Pedro's double play really killed what could have been a really explosive inning for the Phils. They had a chance to blow the game wide open, but that at-bat just killed them. And it came back to bite them.
After Greg Dobbs hit for Happ after Ruiz's hit and got out, Joe Blanton took the mound. He got the first two batters with ease, but then Carlos Gonzalez, who I had never even heard of until a few weeks ago, hit a solo home run to tie it. Again, the Phils gave the lead right back, and I was pissed. Who the fuck is Carlos Gonzalez and when the hell did he became Babe freakin Ruth? The Phillies can't get this fucker out, and he's by far been the most dangerous hitter in this series — for either team. Meanwhile, Brad Hawpe, who made the freakin All Star team, sits on the bench. What the hell is going on here?
Things were incredibly intense again, and I was finally feeling like I did last postseason — unhealthy watching playoff baseball. It's just so god damn agonizing. And it didn't help that it was well past midnight.
After a scoreless fifth, it was Curbball to the rescue again. Following back-to-back one-out walks to Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz (yeah, now you decide to be patient), Ruiz, for the second time in the game, put the Phils ahead, this time with an RBI single up the middle to plate Ibanez. I leapt in the air and began pounding the floor with the Jim Thome bat I was holding since the 4th inning. The Phils were winning. Again. And we were all going bonkers.
However, the Phils couldn't hold the lead, again. After getting the final out in the 6th, Scott Eyre came out for the 7th to face Gonzalez, and that little fucker did it again, doubling to left center. I really hate that guy. Dexter Fowler followed, squaring to bunt to get Gonzelez to third with less than two outs. He laid it down, and as Eyre went to go for it, he rolled his ankle and went down in a heap. Safe all around, and our only experienced lefty in the bullpen left hurt. Just great. Guess J.A. Happ isn't getting anymore starts this postseason. I think. Maybe.
First and third with nobody out, and Ryan Madson came on with a huge task at hand. After striking out Todd Helton with some high heat, he looked up to the challenge, especially once he got up 0-2 to Troy Tulowitzki by pumping fastballs. We were all expecting a disappearing low and away changeup, but on that third pitch, he threw a high, tight fastball that almost hit Tulowitzki. Luckily it didn't and now it was definitely set up for that changeup, and Curbball called for it. The problem is, Madson missed his spot with it, leaving a fat hanger over the plate, and Tulowitzki crushed it. Thankfully, he didn't get all of it, but he got the job done, hitting a sac fly to tie it. It was a terrible 1-2 pitch, and now the game was tied. He did strike out Torrealba and limited the damage, doing a decent job, but that doesn't excuse that bad pitch to Tulowitzki. Again, the Phils couldn't hold the lead, and I couldn't take much more of this, especially since it was now past 1 a.m. Ugh.
But then the Phils looked like they had had enough. After Jayson Werth struck out to lead off the 8th, Raul worked another patient at-bat and walked. Then Pedro, trying to atone for his rally-killing double play earlier in the game, doubled to left, putting runners on second and third with just one out … and Curbball, who had already gotten two go-ahead hits for the Phillies on the night, was at the dish. All he had to do was get his bat on the ball past the infield, and the tie would be broken yet again. Only this time, he struck out, swinging through two very hittable fastballs. Then pinch hitter Matt Stairs did the same thing. Second and third and just one out, and the Phils couldn't even get their bat on the ball. Game still tied, and my anger reaching unprecedented heights. That's just awful, awful baseball. Choke up, cut down on your swing and put the ball in play. Instead, Curbball took a huge hack at a 1-1 pitch and wound up striking out, and we all know that no matter what, Matt Stairs tries to hit home runs, which means he'll either hit a home run or strike out. Frustrating.
Thankfully, Chad Durbin got a painless 1-2-3 bottom of the 8th, but that didn't really calm the nerves all that much. It was tied 5-5 in the 9th, our bullpen has been a mess for a while now, and it was approaching 2 a.m. I couldn't take much more.
Then Jimmy Rollins finally decided to show up, leading off the 9th with a single. Nice of you to join us, James. Shane fundamentally soundly laid down a beautiful bunt to get Jimmy into scoring position, and Chase stepped up to the plate. This is where my happiness of having terrible home plate umpire Jerry Meals comes into play. Chase took a halfhearted swing and made contact, hitting a nubber off the plate, and hustled down the line after slightly hesitating. Huston Street went to field it, and with Chase hustling like he always does, had to get the ball over Utley to Helton. The throw took Helton off the bag, safe all around as Jimmy moved over to third. Upon further review, it was clear that ball hit the plate and then Utley, going off his right leg, meaning it should have been a foul ball. But Meals missed it, and the Phils were in business.
And the big man came through. On a pitch he just missed hitting out of the park, Howard sent one deep to left center to score Jimmy and give the Phils the 6-5 lead. We all knew that with Madson out of the game, if the Phils got the lead Brad Lidge was going to come in. We knew it, but it didn't really sink in until they showed him warming up in the pen. Right then, when TBS went to the shot of Lidge warming up, all five of us in the room at the time groaned. When the inning ended with the Phils up 6-5 and TBS came back from commercial, the announcer said it perfectly: "I don't know who's more nervous, Rockies fans or Phillies fans." That's what Brad Lidge has done to us this year, made us crazy with pessimism come any save situation.
No one knew what to expect, but after a first-pitch ball, Lidge got Brad Hawpe to ground out to Utley. Two pitches, one out. Good start. But of course, it couldn't be that easy. His next three pitches missed the zone, and he fell behind the red hot Carlos Gonzalez 3-0. After getting a fastball over, Gonzalez fouled off a slider, then another, and then another. Seriously, I fucking hate that guy. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat he walked. Great. Of course, he stole second to get in scoring position as the tying run. Things were very uneasy. However, Lidge did get Jason Giambi to pop out to Feliz in foul territory. Two outs. I couldn't even breathe.
Up came the Rockies best hitter, Todd Helton, with the tying run on second and Brad Lidge on the mound. Not good. After a mound visit from Charlie, it looked as though Lidge pitched around Helton, walking him on five pitches. Not a horrible strategy, but it did put the go-ahead run on base. I wasn't sure how to feel, so I didn't even bother trying to dissect it. I just accepted it.
After throwing a ball to Tulowitzki, I was nervous. He fell behind another hitter, the tying run was on second and the winning run on first, now in the form of pinch runner Eric Young Jr., who is fast as hell. Fuck. But Tulowitzki got antsy himself, went after the next pitch and flew out to left. Game over, heart attack avoided. Save Brad Lidge.
After celebratory high fives and catching my breath, I headed up to sleep, now past 2 a.m. drained and dreading today. As I got to my room, I checked my phone. There was a text message from Paul "lil' Jon" Runyan that read: "Please tell me we rnt gonna pitch lidge in the btm of the 9th?"
Well, Charlie did. And far be it from me to question the man with the ring.
LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!!!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Twin Killings
5-4, you whore. First, the Phillies lose game two of the NLDS to the Rockies 5-4, and to add insult to injury, the Flyers lose to the hated defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins by the exact same score, 5-4. Talk about a kick in the nuts.
All season long, we've waited for Cole Hamels to arrive. And all season long, we kept hearing the same old thing: "I'll turn it one once the postseason rolls around, when the juices start flowing." It was the same chorus we heard from the Flyers last season, when they stumbled down the stretch. And that didn't work out too well for them, if I recall correctly. You just can't flip the switch. It doesn't work that way. And yesterday, Cole Hamels proved that: 5 innings pitched, 7 hits, 4 earned runs. He simply didn't get the job done.
After surrendering a first-inning run, Cole seemed to lose all confidence. Three innings later, he served up a fat pitch, leaving a hanging curveball right over the plate, to Yorvit Torrealba, and the Colorado catcher put it in the leftfield seats. Then he gave up one more in the fifth, and before you know it, Cole had spotted the Rockies four runs.
Maybe the 2:37 start time was in his head. Or maybe, understandably so, he was a little preoccupied with his wife going into labor. Word spread that shortly after he was pulled from the game, Hamels left to join his wife, who went into labor. So maybe his head wasn't completely into it, maybe his focus was off. And yes, that's understandable, but it's not excusable. Hamels pitched poorly, simple as that. Just as he has pitched poorly most of the season.
The numbers tell the story: 10-11, 4.32 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 206 hits surrendered in 193.2 innings, .273 batting average against. Those are the numbers of a fourth starter, not an NLCS and World Series MVP. Oftentimes, Hamels seemed to lack focus, lack command, lack confidence. But over and over and over, we were told he'd turn things around, he'd get righted, he'd return to form, especially come playoff time. For a little while, I thought he had, but just as the Phillies went into a September swoon of their own, so did Hamels — and really the rest of the starting staff.
You'd like to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but this is the playoffs. There is no room for error, no room for a lack of focus. No room for excuses, even one as good as your wife going into labor. Cole simply didn't get it done.
Not that he got a ton of help, at least when he was in the game. Aaron Cook, not known as a strikeout pitcher by a long shot, sat down four Phillies on strikes in six innings. Nothing surprising given the Phillies' penchant for swinging and missing, but the alarming thing is many of their strikeouts — including the two off relievers — came looking, getting called out on strikes. A couple with runners on. To me, in the playoffs against a guy who doesn't strike people out or walk many, that's inexcusable. Get the bat off your shoulder and swing. That's what guys like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez get paid to do. Yet there they were, taking called third strikes against a very hittable pitcher, leaving runners stranded and failing to produce runs until they're trailing 4-0.
As he's proven time and again, Charlie Manuel certainly knows what he's doing, so criticizing him — especially after winning a World Series — is a risky endeavor. But I have to admit that I don't really understand what he was doing yesterday once he pulled Cole. Was it really necessary to bring in both Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ, effectively scratching either from any chance of starting tomorrow? I especially don't understand the Blanton move. For starters, Blanton has been the most consistent starting pitcher for the Phillies this season. Sure, his numbers aren't spectacular, but you know what you're getting, and the guy proved last year he can come up big in the postseason. Second, he hasn't been used out of the bullpen once all year. Hell, he hasn't been used out of the bullpen once in his tenure in Philadelphia. What makes you think he could do it?
Yesterday, he didn't. He came in for an inning and gave up a run, a run that turned out to be crucial. And to rub some salt in the wound, J.A. Happ followed up by throwing to one batter and getting hit with a line drive that injured his shin, forcing him to leave the game. X-rays were negative, but now it looks like the Phillies are going to have to go with Pedro Martinez tomorrow, though Manuel has not named a starter and may still consider using Blanton or Happ.
Of course Charlie knows his team better than I do, but it just seems like he put himself in a bad situation for game 3 now, unless he planned to go with Pedro all along. But if not, who knows how Blanton will come back two days later after appearing in a relief role for the first time. Who know if Happ is healthy. And who knows how Pedro, who has struggled mightily in the first inning and had some nagging injury problems himself, will fair in Colorado with the temperature in the 30s and potential snow falling from the sky. There are questions galore. It would have been nice to have a guy like Tyler Walker or Clay Condrey available yesterday, or the injured Chan Ho Park. But Charlie had to sleep in the bed he made, and it came back to bite him, at least for one game.
Having said all that, when the Phillies rallied to score three runs in the 6th, I had a good feeling they'd manage to pull it out. I don't know how or why, but I did. That's what this team does to you, gives you confidence they can come back, as they did many times this season. But then Blanton gave one of those runs right back, making it a two-run ball game.
Admittedly, I was a bit down after that, but when Jayson Werth, who's been killing it the first two games, crushed one to right center to make it 5-4, I again thought the Phils would win. When it rolled around to the 9th, after Ben Francisco led off with a ground out, I thought back to Harry's final home run call, a home run by Matt Stairs off Huston Street. I could picture it, but Stairs missed two meaty fastballs that he's made his career hitting home runs on, instead settling for a walk. After Cairo flied out, I still had a good feeling. The top of the order was up, and it's not hard to imagine Jimmy Rollins or Shane Victorino getting a big hit.
Rollins did manage to get a single, but Shane lined out to second to end the game. 5-4, Phils lose. Cole struggles, the rotation gets disoriented, and now we're headed to Colorado. It was a pretty big letdown. A win would have all but sealed Colorado's fate, but now we're all tied up at one apiece, with the Phillies pondering what to do for a starter come tomorrow. Not good.
Speaking of not good, have you seen the Flyers' defensemen lately? Jesus, they pass the puck to the wrong team more than they do their own. On Tuesday, they gave up 5 goals to the Caps largely due to sloppy turnovers. The Flyers duplicated that last night, surrendering five goals to Pittsburgh thanks again to a plethora of giveaways. And while it was Chris Pronger getting assists for the wrong team on Tuesday, last night it was Braydon Coburn, who had an absolutely awful gave, save for his assist on Danny Briere's first goal.
Coburn was directly responsible for three of Pittsburgh's five goals. On one, he was undressed by Jordan Staal. Then, he turned the puck over to Tyler Kennedy, who beat Ray Emery. And later, he literally scored on his own goal, throwing a puck right off the back of Emery's skate and in. It was a disastrous night defensively for the Flyers.
All night long, Evgeni Malkin was cruising through the Philadelphia defense. Sidney Crosby is a notorious Flyer killer, but last night he was silent. It was the other Hart-caliber center that gave the Flyers fits. Malkin was too big, too strong and too fast for the Flyers, who barely manage to even nudge the talented forward. And Malkin controlled the game throughout, scoring a goal and an assist, and giving Philadelphia all kinds of trouble. The Pronger acquisition didn't seem to make one bit of difference last night.
That loss falls squarely on the shoulders of the defense, because the offense did its job yet again, posting four goals. Linemates Jeff Carter and Danny Briere each scored two goals apiece, showing great chemistry on a dangerous line, but it wasn't enough.
Even though the Flyers outshot the Pens 34-25, they were just too sloppy in their own zone. Too many giveaways, too many prime scoring chances. It was an awful lot like the 2008-09 version of the Philadelphia defense. That's not a good sign. And while the Flyers did manage to beat Marc-Andre Fleury four time, the Pittsburgh netminder came up with some huge saves when Pittsburgh needed it. Ray Emery, while left out to dry on almost every one of those goals last night, didn't. Razor certainly didn't get any help in front of him, but the bottom line is, he didn't make any big-time saves to bail out his teammates. And no matter how you slice it, giving up 10 goals in two games is bad, no matter how quality the chances.
And again, as minute of a detail as it may seem to some, the Flyers struggled in the faceoff circle. Pittsburgh won 37 draws, the Flyers just 30. That allowed Pittsburgh to gain much more puck control, and it had the Flyers doing more chasing than they'd care to, especially against the defending champs.
It's these details — taking care of the puck, winning faceoffs, coming up with a big save — that the Flyers have failed to do the last two games. Of course, it's early in the season and the team is still trying to gel, so it's no cause for alarm just yet. But it's definitely something to keep an eye on, because if this team is serious about raising Lord Stanley's Cup, they're going to have to do the little things right.
Last night, they didn't, and they lost, 5-4, just like the Phillies. That score, 5-4, is a dirty, filthy whore.
All season long, we've waited for Cole Hamels to arrive. And all season long, we kept hearing the same old thing: "I'll turn it one once the postseason rolls around, when the juices start flowing." It was the same chorus we heard from the Flyers last season, when they stumbled down the stretch. And that didn't work out too well for them, if I recall correctly. You just can't flip the switch. It doesn't work that way. And yesterday, Cole Hamels proved that: 5 innings pitched, 7 hits, 4 earned runs. He simply didn't get the job done.
After surrendering a first-inning run, Cole seemed to lose all confidence. Three innings later, he served up a fat pitch, leaving a hanging curveball right over the plate, to Yorvit Torrealba, and the Colorado catcher put it in the leftfield seats. Then he gave up one more in the fifth, and before you know it, Cole had spotted the Rockies four runs.
Maybe the 2:37 start time was in his head. Or maybe, understandably so, he was a little preoccupied with his wife going into labor. Word spread that shortly after he was pulled from the game, Hamels left to join his wife, who went into labor. So maybe his head wasn't completely into it, maybe his focus was off. And yes, that's understandable, but it's not excusable. Hamels pitched poorly, simple as that. Just as he has pitched poorly most of the season.
The numbers tell the story: 10-11, 4.32 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 206 hits surrendered in 193.2 innings, .273 batting average against. Those are the numbers of a fourth starter, not an NLCS and World Series MVP. Oftentimes, Hamels seemed to lack focus, lack command, lack confidence. But over and over and over, we were told he'd turn things around, he'd get righted, he'd return to form, especially come playoff time. For a little while, I thought he had, but just as the Phillies went into a September swoon of their own, so did Hamels — and really the rest of the starting staff.
You'd like to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but this is the playoffs. There is no room for error, no room for a lack of focus. No room for excuses, even one as good as your wife going into labor. Cole simply didn't get it done.
Not that he got a ton of help, at least when he was in the game. Aaron Cook, not known as a strikeout pitcher by a long shot, sat down four Phillies on strikes in six innings. Nothing surprising given the Phillies' penchant for swinging and missing, but the alarming thing is many of their strikeouts — including the two off relievers — came looking, getting called out on strikes. A couple with runners on. To me, in the playoffs against a guy who doesn't strike people out or walk many, that's inexcusable. Get the bat off your shoulder and swing. That's what guys like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez get paid to do. Yet there they were, taking called third strikes against a very hittable pitcher, leaving runners stranded and failing to produce runs until they're trailing 4-0.
As he's proven time and again, Charlie Manuel certainly knows what he's doing, so criticizing him — especially after winning a World Series — is a risky endeavor. But I have to admit that I don't really understand what he was doing yesterday once he pulled Cole. Was it really necessary to bring in both Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ, effectively scratching either from any chance of starting tomorrow? I especially don't understand the Blanton move. For starters, Blanton has been the most consistent starting pitcher for the Phillies this season. Sure, his numbers aren't spectacular, but you know what you're getting, and the guy proved last year he can come up big in the postseason. Second, he hasn't been used out of the bullpen once all year. Hell, he hasn't been used out of the bullpen once in his tenure in Philadelphia. What makes you think he could do it?
Yesterday, he didn't. He came in for an inning and gave up a run, a run that turned out to be crucial. And to rub some salt in the wound, J.A. Happ followed up by throwing to one batter and getting hit with a line drive that injured his shin, forcing him to leave the game. X-rays were negative, but now it looks like the Phillies are going to have to go with Pedro Martinez tomorrow, though Manuel has not named a starter and may still consider using Blanton or Happ.
Of course Charlie knows his team better than I do, but it just seems like he put himself in a bad situation for game 3 now, unless he planned to go with Pedro all along. But if not, who knows how Blanton will come back two days later after appearing in a relief role for the first time. Who know if Happ is healthy. And who knows how Pedro, who has struggled mightily in the first inning and had some nagging injury problems himself, will fair in Colorado with the temperature in the 30s and potential snow falling from the sky. There are questions galore. It would have been nice to have a guy like Tyler Walker or Clay Condrey available yesterday, or the injured Chan Ho Park. But Charlie had to sleep in the bed he made, and it came back to bite him, at least for one game.
Having said all that, when the Phillies rallied to score three runs in the 6th, I had a good feeling they'd manage to pull it out. I don't know how or why, but I did. That's what this team does to you, gives you confidence they can come back, as they did many times this season. But then Blanton gave one of those runs right back, making it a two-run ball game.
Admittedly, I was a bit down after that, but when Jayson Werth, who's been killing it the first two games, crushed one to right center to make it 5-4, I again thought the Phils would win. When it rolled around to the 9th, after Ben Francisco led off with a ground out, I thought back to Harry's final home run call, a home run by Matt Stairs off Huston Street. I could picture it, but Stairs missed two meaty fastballs that he's made his career hitting home runs on, instead settling for a walk. After Cairo flied out, I still had a good feeling. The top of the order was up, and it's not hard to imagine Jimmy Rollins or Shane Victorino getting a big hit.
Rollins did manage to get a single, but Shane lined out to second to end the game. 5-4, Phils lose. Cole struggles, the rotation gets disoriented, and now we're headed to Colorado. It was a pretty big letdown. A win would have all but sealed Colorado's fate, but now we're all tied up at one apiece, with the Phillies pondering what to do for a starter come tomorrow. Not good.
Speaking of not good, have you seen the Flyers' defensemen lately? Jesus, they pass the puck to the wrong team more than they do their own. On Tuesday, they gave up 5 goals to the Caps largely due to sloppy turnovers. The Flyers duplicated that last night, surrendering five goals to Pittsburgh thanks again to a plethora of giveaways. And while it was Chris Pronger getting assists for the wrong team on Tuesday, last night it was Braydon Coburn, who had an absolutely awful gave, save for his assist on Danny Briere's first goal.
Coburn was directly responsible for three of Pittsburgh's five goals. On one, he was undressed by Jordan Staal. Then, he turned the puck over to Tyler Kennedy, who beat Ray Emery. And later, he literally scored on his own goal, throwing a puck right off the back of Emery's skate and in. It was a disastrous night defensively for the Flyers.
All night long, Evgeni Malkin was cruising through the Philadelphia defense. Sidney Crosby is a notorious Flyer killer, but last night he was silent. It was the other Hart-caliber center that gave the Flyers fits. Malkin was too big, too strong and too fast for the Flyers, who barely manage to even nudge the talented forward. And Malkin controlled the game throughout, scoring a goal and an assist, and giving Philadelphia all kinds of trouble. The Pronger acquisition didn't seem to make one bit of difference last night.
That loss falls squarely on the shoulders of the defense, because the offense did its job yet again, posting four goals. Linemates Jeff Carter and Danny Briere each scored two goals apiece, showing great chemistry on a dangerous line, but it wasn't enough.
Even though the Flyers outshot the Pens 34-25, they were just too sloppy in their own zone. Too many giveaways, too many prime scoring chances. It was an awful lot like the 2008-09 version of the Philadelphia defense. That's not a good sign. And while the Flyers did manage to beat Marc-Andre Fleury four time, the Pittsburgh netminder came up with some huge saves when Pittsburgh needed it. Ray Emery, while left out to dry on almost every one of those goals last night, didn't. Razor certainly didn't get any help in front of him, but the bottom line is, he didn't make any big-time saves to bail out his teammates. And no matter how you slice it, giving up 10 goals in two games is bad, no matter how quality the chances.
And again, as minute of a detail as it may seem to some, the Flyers struggled in the faceoff circle. Pittsburgh won 37 draws, the Flyers just 30. That allowed Pittsburgh to gain much more puck control, and it had the Flyers doing more chasing than they'd care to, especially against the defending champs.
It's these details — taking care of the puck, winning faceoffs, coming up with a big save — that the Flyers have failed to do the last two games. Of course, it's early in the season and the team is still trying to gel, so it's no cause for alarm just yet. But it's definitely something to keep an eye on, because if this team is serious about raising Lord Stanley's Cup, they're going to have to do the little things right.
Last night, they didn't, and they lost, 5-4, just like the Phillies. That score, 5-4, is a dirty, filthy whore.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
If You're Stuck at Work
If you are stuck at work during the game right now, fear not. My roommate just sent me this link: www.Atdhe.net. You can watch the Phillies game online there. For free. Fuck MLB TV.
That is tits.
That is tits.
So That's What It's Like Being Blind
Just like the first game of the playoffs last year, I was forced to follow the game sans picture. I guess that's what it's like for a blind baseball fan. No sights, just sounds. I'm glad I'm not blind.
Luckily, this year I had to foresight to bring in a radio so I could listen to all the action live, not follow along on stupid MLB gameday. This was a wise move on my part, one of the few wise moves I've made in my life.
About 45 minutes before the scheduled 2:37 first pitch, I tuned in to 1210 and to my pleasant surprise, they were replaying some of the best calls from the season, reliving the defining moments of the 2009 regular season. That started to get my juices flowing … and getting me pissed off that I was stuck at work. But I made the best of it.
Roughly 4 minutes before game time, Arkansas Fred called me, and the guy was freaking out. His call in turn got me even more amped, and I almost bolted out the door and to a bar to watch the game. But I'm an adult now, or so I'm told, so I stayed and work and got ready for the word from Scott Franzke that yes, the 2009 MLB playoffs had begun.
On the very pitch he's ever thrown in a playoff game, Cliff Lee got Dexter Fowler to fly out. That seemed like a good omen to me, but my feelings quickly wavered. Four pitches later, Carlos Gonzalez singled to left. I was hoping for a nice, clean, crisp 1-2-3 opening inning. Not happening.
Lee did get Todd Helton to ground out, but when Troy Tulowitzki managed to get on with a dribbler to second, I admit that I was worried that the subpar Cliff Lee had shown up, not the impenetrable force from his first few outings as a Phil. Thankfully, I was way off with those feelings. Lee settled down, got Garrett Atkins to fly out, and there wouldn't be much drama the rest of the way from the biggest trade deadline acquisition of the summer.
However, there was some drama in the game going on. Where Lee came out and gave up two hits in the first inning, making me a little uneasy, 25-year-old flamethrower Ubaldo Jimenez came out dealing. He breezed through the Phillies hitters in the first, setting down Rollins, Victorino and Utley in order. And he continued to breeze through the first four innings, only once even letting a player get to second base. And that was Cliff Lee, who got a two-out single in the third and then stole second. Other than that, Jimenez was mowing them down.
Meanwhile, after surrendering a leadoff double in the 2nd, Lee began to do Jimenez one better. After getting a helping hand from Jayson Werth (and the umpire) on a fly out-throw out double play, Lee regained his early Phillie form, dominating the way you expect a Cy Young winner to dominate. He was so dominant that his first out in the 2nd was the first in a string of 16 straight batters Lee retired. 16 in a row. In the playoffs. That's domination.
As one would expect, the game was shaping up to be a pitchers' duel. Jimenez breezed through four innings, and Lee matched him after a shaky 1st. Just what we need, a close game that could potentially come down to the bullpen. Yikes.
Then something strange happened. In the 5th inning, Jimenez, who was blazing his fastball by hitters and getting guys out, began to lose his command and started throwing more and more offspeed pitches. The Phillies, led by Jayson Werth, took notice and began to make Jimenez work. An 8-pitch leadoff walk by Werth got things going. Then Raul did what he had done the entire first half of the season: a huge extra base, RBI hit, doubling down the right field line to give the Phils the 1-0 lead.
I was pumping my fist and trying everything in my power not to yell in excitement. Believe it or not, there were a few people in this office that seemed to have no interest in the game whatsoever. I hate them. A lot.
Then the Phils added another run with small ball, something they rarely do. Pedro Feliz hit a grounder to the right side to Ibanez to third, and Curbball drove him home with an RBI single. 2-0 Phils.
I could hardly contain myself. Jimenez did manage to get out of it with just two runs, but after a quick 1-2-3 by Lee, the Phillies' big boys decided to get in on the act. Chase Utley led off with a single, and Ryan Howard followed with an RBI double on a ball that sounded like it was going to get caught, only the wild winds blew it around and Carlos Gonzalez could not catch it. Utley scored, 3-0.
Five pitches later, Jayson crushed one that both Tom McCarthy and Chris Wheeler thought was going out. Without the wind, it probably would have, but nonetheless, it hit off the cutout in right center, giving Werth a triple that plated Howard, 4-0. Raul followed with his second RBI of the day, driving in Werth with an RBI single.
Now I was feeling all sorts of good, work or no work. You could tell even through the radio that Lee had buckled down and found his pinpoint location. He was plain dealing and there was nothing the Rockies could do about it. Five runs would be more than enough. I knew it. The announcers knew. And think the players knew it, both for the Phillies and the Rockies.
The only question now was could he go the distance, could he get the shutout? The fans were certainly behind him:
When I heard the "Let's Go Lee" chants, I started to get chills. I wanted to badly see how incredibly he was pitching, but I didn't dare leave the office, in fear of missing something, anything. So I sat at my cubicle and listened intently. Next thing I know, Lee has retired 14 straight, then 16 before Garrett Atkins got a two-out double in the 7th. No matter, Lee got the next batter to ground out, and he was nowhere near 100 pitches. I knew right then that he was going the distance, and sure enough, after setting them down in order in the 8th, Lee took his spot on the mound in the 9th, poised to not only pick up a complete game win, but to do it in shutout form.
Unfortunately, it was not to be so. Carlos Gonzalez got a one-out single, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then Tulowitzki doubled him home. Bummer. I really wanted that shutout. But no matter. Lee struck out Atkins to end the game, proving Charlie was more than wise to hand him the ball to begin the postseason title defense.
What a game. What a trade. What a steal. Ruben had to have a big smile on his face. I know I did. Then I headed home, finally, and thought to myself, "You know, other teams have repeated before. Why can't us?"
And today, I have to do it all over again. Same scenario, at work, game time 2:37, me hating myself. Hopefully, it will be a repeat performance, both from yesterday and last year.
Now it's Cole's turn to showcase his stuff. If his résumé is any indication, we can expect another gem from our starter today. Perhaps even a shutout.
LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!
Luckily, this year I had to foresight to bring in a radio so I could listen to all the action live, not follow along on stupid MLB gameday. This was a wise move on my part, one of the few wise moves I've made in my life.
About 45 minutes before the scheduled 2:37 first pitch, I tuned in to 1210 and to my pleasant surprise, they were replaying some of the best calls from the season, reliving the defining moments of the 2009 regular season. That started to get my juices flowing … and getting me pissed off that I was stuck at work. But I made the best of it.
Roughly 4 minutes before game time, Arkansas Fred called me, and the guy was freaking out. His call in turn got me even more amped, and I almost bolted out the door and to a bar to watch the game. But I'm an adult now, or so I'm told, so I stayed and work and got ready for the word from Scott Franzke that yes, the 2009 MLB playoffs had begun.
On the very pitch he's ever thrown in a playoff game, Cliff Lee got Dexter Fowler to fly out. That seemed like a good omen to me, but my feelings quickly wavered. Four pitches later, Carlos Gonzalez singled to left. I was hoping for a nice, clean, crisp 1-2-3 opening inning. Not happening.
Lee did get Todd Helton to ground out, but when Troy Tulowitzki managed to get on with a dribbler to second, I admit that I was worried that the subpar Cliff Lee had shown up, not the impenetrable force from his first few outings as a Phil. Thankfully, I was way off with those feelings. Lee settled down, got Garrett Atkins to fly out, and there wouldn't be much drama the rest of the way from the biggest trade deadline acquisition of the summer.
However, there was some drama in the game going on. Where Lee came out and gave up two hits in the first inning, making me a little uneasy, 25-year-old flamethrower Ubaldo Jimenez came out dealing. He breezed through the Phillies hitters in the first, setting down Rollins, Victorino and Utley in order. And he continued to breeze through the first four innings, only once even letting a player get to second base. And that was Cliff Lee, who got a two-out single in the third and then stole second. Other than that, Jimenez was mowing them down.
Meanwhile, after surrendering a leadoff double in the 2nd, Lee began to do Jimenez one better. After getting a helping hand from Jayson Werth (and the umpire) on a fly out-throw out double play, Lee regained his early Phillie form, dominating the way you expect a Cy Young winner to dominate. He was so dominant that his first out in the 2nd was the first in a string of 16 straight batters Lee retired. 16 in a row. In the playoffs. That's domination.
As one would expect, the game was shaping up to be a pitchers' duel. Jimenez breezed through four innings, and Lee matched him after a shaky 1st. Just what we need, a close game that could potentially come down to the bullpen. Yikes.
Then something strange happened. In the 5th inning, Jimenez, who was blazing his fastball by hitters and getting guys out, began to lose his command and started throwing more and more offspeed pitches. The Phillies, led by Jayson Werth, took notice and began to make Jimenez work. An 8-pitch leadoff walk by Werth got things going. Then Raul did what he had done the entire first half of the season: a huge extra base, RBI hit, doubling down the right field line to give the Phils the 1-0 lead.
I was pumping my fist and trying everything in my power not to yell in excitement. Believe it or not, there were a few people in this office that seemed to have no interest in the game whatsoever. I hate them. A lot.
Then the Phils added another run with small ball, something they rarely do. Pedro Feliz hit a grounder to the right side to Ibanez to third, and Curbball drove him home with an RBI single. 2-0 Phils.
I could hardly contain myself. Jimenez did manage to get out of it with just two runs, but after a quick 1-2-3 by Lee, the Phillies' big boys decided to get in on the act. Chase Utley led off with a single, and Ryan Howard followed with an RBI double on a ball that sounded like it was going to get caught, only the wild winds blew it around and Carlos Gonzalez could not catch it. Utley scored, 3-0.
Five pitches later, Jayson crushed one that both Tom McCarthy and Chris Wheeler thought was going out. Without the wind, it probably would have, but nonetheless, it hit off the cutout in right center, giving Werth a triple that plated Howard, 4-0. Raul followed with his second RBI of the day, driving in Werth with an RBI single.
Now I was feeling all sorts of good, work or no work. You could tell even through the radio that Lee had buckled down and found his pinpoint location. He was plain dealing and there was nothing the Rockies could do about it. Five runs would be more than enough. I knew it. The announcers knew. And think the players knew it, both for the Phillies and the Rockies.
The only question now was could he go the distance, could he get the shutout? The fans were certainly behind him:
When I heard the "Let's Go Lee" chants, I started to get chills. I wanted to badly see how incredibly he was pitching, but I didn't dare leave the office, in fear of missing something, anything. So I sat at my cubicle and listened intently. Next thing I know, Lee has retired 14 straight, then 16 before Garrett Atkins got a two-out double in the 7th. No matter, Lee got the next batter to ground out, and he was nowhere near 100 pitches. I knew right then that he was going the distance, and sure enough, after setting them down in order in the 8th, Lee took his spot on the mound in the 9th, poised to not only pick up a complete game win, but to do it in shutout form.
Unfortunately, it was not to be so. Carlos Gonzalez got a one-out single, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then Tulowitzki doubled him home. Bummer. I really wanted that shutout. But no matter. Lee struck out Atkins to end the game, proving Charlie was more than wise to hand him the ball to begin the postseason title defense.
What a game. What a trade. What a steal. Ruben had to have a big smile on his face. I know I did. Then I headed home, finally, and thought to myself, "You know, other teams have repeated before. Why can't us?"
And today, I have to do it all over again. Same scenario, at work, game time 2:37, me hating myself. Hopefully, it will be a repeat performance, both from yesterday and last year.
Now it's Cole's turn to showcase his stuff. If his résumé is any indication, we can expect another gem from our starter today. Perhaps even a shutout.
LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Cliff Lee, Still the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived
First career playoff game: 9 innings pitched, 6 hits, 1 run, 5 strikeouts and 1-for-2 at the dish with a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt to boot to pick up the 5-1 win. Yep, Cliff Lee is still the greatest man who ever lived.
I'd say Charlie made the right move starting Lee in game 1, huh?
So About That Bomb Threat
No, not that bomb threat — this bomb threat:
Speaking of playoff baseball, if anyone wants to call in a bomb threat to my building tomorrow (or better yet actually blow the fucker up tonight), I'll give you every last cent in my bank account so I can stay at home and actually watch the baseball game, instead of sitting in a cubicle pretending to work as I listen to LA and Franske on the radio.
None of you assholes came through, so here I am at work, praying I get a mass companywide email from the owner telling us to all go home at 1 or something to enjoy the game. But it's now past noon and still no email. Fuck. Ing. Gay.
The prospects aren't looking good. I'm not sure if I hate the MLB or my work more right now. Sure, Major League Baseball could have just scheduled the Phillies, oh, I don't know, at any other god damn time beside 2 fucking 37 today and tomorrow, but then again, the big boss around here could have scored some major points with his disgruntled employees (namely me) and given us all a half day so as to enjoy game 1 of the NLDS between our beloved Philadelphia Phillies and those pederasts Colorado Rockies the way we are supposed to: alone, in solitude in front of our gigantic television or with 40,000-plus of our closest friends at Citizens Bank Park. But no, you had to be a dick and make everyone work during a weekday afternoon like it's our jobs or something. Bull. Fucking. Shit.
Luckily, I did remember to bring one of those — what are they called? — R-A-D-I-O-S, so at least I get to listen to Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen. But it would be nice to, you know, actually SEE the game.
One thing's for sure: I'm not doing any fucking work from 2:37 p.m. until the time I leave. I may have to be here, but I don't have to be productive.
LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!!
Speaking of playoff baseball, if anyone wants to call in a bomb threat to my building tomorrow (or better yet actually blow the fucker up tonight), I'll give you every last cent in my bank account so I can stay at home and actually watch the baseball game, instead of sitting in a cubicle pretending to work as I listen to LA and Franske on the radio.
None of you assholes came through, so here I am at work, praying I get a mass companywide email from the owner telling us to all go home at 1 or something to enjoy the game. But it's now past noon and still no email. Fuck. Ing. Gay.
The prospects aren't looking good. I'm not sure if I hate the MLB or my work more right now. Sure, Major League Baseball could have just scheduled the Phillies, oh, I don't know, at any other god damn time beside 2 fucking 37 today and tomorrow, but then again, the big boss around here could have scored some major points with his disgruntled employees (namely me) and given us all a half day so as to enjoy game 1 of the NLDS between our beloved Philadelphia Phillies and those pederasts Colorado Rockies the way we are supposed to: alone, in solitude in front of our gigantic television or with 40,000-plus of our closest friends at Citizens Bank Park. But no, you had to be a dick and make everyone work during a weekday afternoon like it's our jobs or something. Bull. Fucking. Shit.
Luckily, I did remember to bring one of those — what are they called? — R-A-D-I-O-S, so at least I get to listen to Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen. But it would be nice to, you know, actually SEE the game.
One thing's for sure: I'm not doing any fucking work from 2:37 p.m. until the time I leave. I may have to be here, but I don't have to be productive.
LET'S GO PHILS!!!!!!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
We're Talking About Playoffs Links
Believe it or not, the Major League Baseball playoffs are practically upon us. They begin tomorrow, meaning that it was one year ago that our Philadelphia Phillies began their run that ended a month later with our fair baseball team crowned the World Fucking Champions.
This year, things haven't quite been the same. There was no dramatic come-from-behind finish to claim the division. There was no star shortstop bad-mouthing the fans. And there sure as shit wasn't any perfect closer. While there are many pieces still around from last year's improbable World Series victors, this is not the same team. But that doesn't mean the Phils can't reach the same place.
Sure the bullpen is a mess, the Rockies pose a formidable challenge, as do the all the teams in the playoffs, and repeats don't happen very often for a reason. But this team still has Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. This team still has Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino. This team still is capable of crushing the ball all over the place, and defensively, there aren't many (if any) teams better. Tomorrow, as the majority of Philadelphia fans are stuck at work and wishing they were anywhere but there, the Phillies begin their postseason title defense at 2:37 p.m. in their home ballpark, in front of their hometown fans. Major League Baseball isn't doing us any favors. Then again, they never have. Maybe, just maybe if the Phillies go out and win the whole damn thing again, we can get some respect. Only one way to find out.
Links …
-Cory is none too pleased with the Phillies scheduled not once, but twice in a row for 2:37 game times. Bullshit.
-Neither is Dash. Seriously MLB, go fuck yourself.
-24 x 3 = 72.
-Meet the newest linebacker to work on his craft at Linebacker U:
-Leitch's take on the Phils:
As I wrote back in 2007, "anybody who says the first title just makes you hungrier is full of it." It is to the Phillies' credit that they have rejected this notion; they are going for it this year, all in, as if they didn't win last year at all. Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez, Ben Francisco ... the Phillies are trying to fill in all possible gaps. I have no doubt that if Roger Clemens had any interest in coming in to be the closer sometime in late July, the Phillies would have at least considered it. They have the bloodlust of a team that has never won a title before. In the past, it would have looked desperate. Now it just looks like piling on. Good for them.
Still, it's bizarre to think that the lone repeat champions this decade would come from Philadelphia, doesn't it? (By the way, Philadelphia fans don't receive nearly enough credit for avoiding the Boston plague, immediately turning into our-shit-don't-stink self-important spoiled brats after winning a long-awaited title. They're pretty much the same miserable fucks they've always been, and you have to salute them for that.)
…
You have to grab what you can, while you can. Sometimes if you forget that you've won one, you might just win two. The Phillies' place in history is secure. That they don't think that's enough is impressive, and rare. Good for them.
-Hilarious.
-Whatever happened to Joe Forte?
-Yeah, that's a good block:
-I still can't believe Trotter is an Eagle again.
-I find it even harder to believe that the Eagles may be planning to play Trotter a lot:
Now, in a mind-boggling twist, Trotter is back, and he alternated with Gaither as the first-team middle linebacker yesterday. Yes, in his first practice with the team in two years, he got about half the reps as the starter.
Crazy.
-If you're worried about the Phillies not being quite as hungry, these guys are certainly itching for a ring.
-Cliff Lee is tomorrow's starter.
Let's hope it's first five games as a Phillie Cliff Lee and not the one who has been quite shaky down the stretch.
-The Juice is cut loose from his starting spot at Illinois.
-Saw this on Monday Night Countdown last night:
That is the fastest ball boy alive.
-This is for silver fox, courtesy of Mouthpiece Blog:
-More dunks:
-Yeah, I can see why you'd want to punch the Blue Jays in their faces, especially if you are a fan of the Blue Jays.
-Ed says Bob Stoops and Jim Tressel should be more like JoePa or something.
-10 numbers for the Rockies-Phils series.
-Meech lends a helping hand to 'Duk:
Winning baseball games. Specifically, 11 of them during the postseason. If my memory serves me correctly, that's what they did last year. Can they do it again? I SAY YES.
Tonight, the Flyers take on the Capitals at the Wachovia Center, with Alexander Ovechkin coming to town along with Mike Knuble returning to Philadelphia for the first time since heading south on 95. That's a nice little appetizer to playoff baseball tomorrow.
Speaking of playoff baseball, if anyone wants to call in a bomb threat to my building tomorrow (or better yet actually blow the fucker up tonight), I'll give you every last cent in my bank account so I can stay at home and actually watch the baseball game, instead of sitting in a cubicle pretending to work as I listen to LA and Franske on the radio. Thank you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
