Phillies Vs. Braves, Too Close for Comfort Edition
Remember the days when the Mets were fading, the Marlins had completely imploded, and the Phillies looked like they could be well on their way to cruising to their third straight NL East title? Y'know, like...two, three weeks ago? Well, after appearing to turn things around a little in Toronto, the Phils looked dangerously close to a team in freefall last night--our ace far from dominant, our sluggers overmatched, our leadoff hitter...well, the less said about Mr. Xtreme right now, probably the better. And consequently, those once-floundering Fish are but a half-game shy of our far from formidable 39-36 record, as our boys face the humiliation of getting swept in a park where they went 9-0 just a season ago.
Not to sound too gloom and doom about everything, mind you--the Phils went through a similar rough patch pre-All Star Break last year, and that ended up turning out OK. Plus, tonight we send J.A. Happ to the mound, fresh off his first-ever complete game shutout, and starting to make a pretty good case for being the team's most consistent pitcher through the first half of the season. Rauuuul is also inching back to health, about ready to start a minor league stint in Reading, on his way to getting the team its depth back and helping to spare us from ever having to see Eric Bruntlett or Paul Bako in a pinch-hitting situation again.
Still, with the Marlins real close, and the Mets coming up real slow...the Phillies are certainly making it hard for me at least, these days.*
*Yes, I know what the song is actually about. Humor me.
how many more ABs until Rollins dips below .200?
Posted by: Zack | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 07:50 PM
J-ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.
I kid, I kid...
Posted by: river327 | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 07:58 PM
J-ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.
I kid, I kid...
Posted by: river327 | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 07:58 PM
!b!
Posted by: 3t1 | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 07:58 PM
As unlikely as it is I would like to blow the game open in the 8th to avoid another heartbreaker. And just in preparation...fuck the Mets.
Posted by: Philly@UMass | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 09:48 PM
thats called momentum....
plus ryan madson has sucked ever since they moved him to closer..such a shame they fucked up his whole mental state..
Posted by: Mike | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 10:14 PM
I'm at a loss for words lately.
Posted by: enrico | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 10:14 PM
Happ is the only consistent pitcher on the whole team right now...he is like the ace of the staff right now
Posted by: Zack | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 10:18 PM
There's nothing to say anymore. Madson is god-awful, but it's the whole team at this point. Nothing is going right. Absolutely nothing. This is beyond just the usual slump that you're confident they can get out of.
Posted by: phillyfan412 | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 10:24 PM
@Zack, he's definitely our Ace, but Blanton has pitched consistently recently as well. We know what to expect with Big Joe, two or three earned runs over seven innings. Like I said, you know there's a problem when your best pitchers, are a Rookie, and Joe Blanton.
Posted by: PhiPhan5648 | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 10:25 PM
For the love of God, PLEASE send Madson to AAA to get his head straight till after the All Star Break.
Posted by: David F. | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 10:26 PM
i'm glad we're not in sole possession of 1st place. they have been justifying their horrible playing by saying, "we're still in 1st place." well, we can't say that completely now. the marlins have 2 more wins than us, they mets still are in it (even with a AAA team), and the braves are now in it thanks to us. we don't deserve 1st place. madson is a joke, and we wasted a great game by happ. three batters after he left and the game is over. this is embarrassing!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: andy | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 10:31 PM
A couple of things...
1) Nice to see J-Roll hit the ball, and get on base to break up the longest 0-For in his career.
2) J.A. Happ is truly looking like a gem, pitching well consistently. I think he’s going to be the Number Two Guy on the staff given enough time.
3) Ryan Howard seems to have lost some of his power, failing to launch a longball, and do what he’s paid to do.
4) Jayson Werth, he worked some great counts at the plate today, making the pitcher work. He had a 9 pitch at-bat in the 6th. He saw 27 pitches in four at-bats total, that’s an average of 8 pitches an at-bat.
5) Paul Bako is pretty much worthless.
6) Ryan Madson needs to retire that fucking Cutter, immediately. Everytime he throws it, it fails epically. Face it Mad-Dog, you aren’t Mariano Rivera, stop throwing it.
The NL EAST is now a four team race, after it looked like the Phils could walk away with the division earlier on. My confidence in this team is starting to wear thin. I think it’s close to time to hit the panic button. The deadline for my prediction will be the same as the trade deadline. If the Phils are quiet in trades, then I think we’ll be quiet in the Playoffs.
All in all… it doesn’t look good my friends. Not good at all.
Posted by: PhiPhan5648 | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 10:35 PM
please make it stop. please.
Posted by: bcapp | Friday, July 03, 2009 at 02:08 AM
Dear Ryan Madson,
Stop throwing fucking fastballs when you have hitters buried 0-2 or 1-2.
Signed,
Everyone
Posted by: TheOtherJim | Friday, July 03, 2009 at 02:20 AM
this is the phillies we grew up with. nonsense baseball that makes you scratch your head. at what point will they decide to stop feeling sorry for themselves and just go out there and play with a purpose. i dont care if its early july. april/may/june/july/august/september = october.
have no fear though, ruben will trot out our 4th rookie starter of the year. maybe this one can join happ and actually throw quality pitches that dont qualify as meatballs.
Posted by: will.H | Friday, July 03, 2009 at 11:56 AM