This will be the first of many series reviews. I’m going to try to keep everything short an to the point and of course, encourage discussion in the comments. If there is anything you would like to see added to this as the year goes on, please let it be known and I’ll do my best to get it in.
2009 Record: 1-2
2008 Record: 1-2
2007 Record: 0-3
Player of the Series: Raul Ibanez (3 for 11, 1 HR, 1 2B, outfield assist)
Goat(s) of the Series: Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino (3 for 27)
The Good News
- It’s April and we just won the World Series. No need to over-analyze at this point.
- The team certainly hasn’t lost it’s fight. On the day they got their rings, down 10-3 in the 7th, there was really no reason to believe the season wasn’t going to start with a sweep. They had good ABs, didn’t swing at bad pitches and finally gave the fans something to cheer about relative to 2009.
- Ryan Howard looks great. He should have 5-6 hits if not for the damn shift, and his defense, including a fantastic play in the top of the 8th today, gives reason to believe his off-season work paid off.
- Ryan Madson looks like he hasn’t missed a beat since October. He was dominant in the 8th today. He threw 7 pitches: 2 fastballs at a legit 95-96 mph and 5 change-ups at 81-84 mph. If he can keep that discrepancy, he’s going to be very tough to hit.
- The new blue helmets are great. The red ones didn’t work with those unis (which in my opinion should be the full-time road unis).
The Bad News
- First inning runs. The starters gave up 6 runs in the first inning and the Phillies didn’t lead until the 7th inning of the 3rd game.
- Brett Myers allowing home runs. This is what killed him last year. He gave up 5 home runs in his 15 starts after his demotion last year, but 3 on opening night.
- Nothing to panic about, but you can’t be happy with any of the 3 starters performance. I don’t think this team could survive a lengthy Cole Hamels injury.
- Rollins and Victorino didn’t give the middle of the line-up any opportunity to drive in runs. Rollins looked locked in the WBC and spring training, so this surprised me a bit.
- Atlanta is not going to lose 90 games again. They are going to be tough all year.
Pre-Series Post: Surprise! Phillies lose 4th straight opener
I’m not going over-analyze the opener, but I did want to have something up for people to talk.
This game was as predictable as they come. Brett Myers was too jazzed up (as always) and left ball up in the zone, resulting in 3 HR’s and 4 runs for the Braves. Meanwhile, Lowe was the perfect pitcher to take advantage of our notoriously flat offense in April.
It’s done with. Now can we PLEASE not start 1-6 again?
I was at the game, and the atmosphere was great to start, but after the McCann moon shot, it was really a dull game. The Phils had a chance to make it real interesting in the 9th, but both Howard and Ibanez were over-anxious and swung at pitches out of the zone, ending the threat.
For this season, I’m going to do a series wrap-up after each series. I’m also going to be counting down the 20 best individual seasons in Phillies history, one per week (more info to come later), and doing a monthly minor-league update.
Is there anything you guys would want to see in the series wrap-ups? I’m going to track our record vs. ’08 and ’07 to keep things in perspective. I’ll also have the best and worst player of series, and some notes of what’s on my mind. Other than that, I’m wide open to suggestions. I will occasionally have a Burrell vs. Ibanez tracker in there (no graphic, sorry bski!).
same old Phillies; they win a World Series and still dont change. they’re not front runners, not in their blood, not their style Pete. I expect a mediocre (not slow) start like 3-3, 4-3. They like the drama. As usual Ryan Howard is not using his head but its tough having the bullseye on you and everyone’s throwing offspeed to you. Phils will be aite, still expect to win the division. not sure brett Myers will be? no movement on a fastball that barely topped Jamie moyers’ pathetic 83mph lumberer. if he cant summon that pitch at will, he’s not gonna do much. Wow he’s like our Oliver Perez; you never know what ure gonna get.
No problem on the graphic, Pete. Good idea on the series wrap up. Are you going to do it like Dannie does for the Sixers—put up a pre-game (in your case pre-series) post to give us a place to talk, and then amend it with post-game (in your case post-series) notes?
good idea bski, I’ll have a short pre-series post up so people can talk through the series.
OK, first game in the books. Time to get talking some Phillies. This is going to be a bit long, but stick with me and let me know what you think. Or, if you prefer, you can just skip over my entire post. I won’t be offended.
As far as the game, without getting into all the cliched responses about it being a long season and this being only one loss, I’m not getting wigged out about it. Lowe was sharp (would that he were in Phillies pinstripes, at least for last night though maybe not a few years from now) and Myers was not. Our offense did nothing against Lowe while theirs hammered Myers’ fat pitches. It happens. What I am more concerned with, and what I hope I don’t see that often for the rest of the year, is what happened in the 9th. I am referring specifically to the at bats by Howard and Ibanez.
On the heels of our failure against the Braves’ lefty closer, Gonzalez, Manuel was immediately questioned about having 3 consecutive left-handed hitters in the middle of the lineup. I’m not accepting that excuse though, at least not at face value. I think the explanation is not really as simple as the lefty/lefty matchup thing. As much as the matchup does play into it, I still feel that it is at least as much about the type of hitter or, more specifically–as demonstrated last night, the type of at bats we get from our left-handed hitters. Let me explain why.
First of all, Gonzalez only threw about 5 strikes in the entire inning with, to the best of my recollection, only one slider among them. He just could not/would not get his slider over. I’m going to look at the at bats by our 3 left-handed hitters.
First up, Utley. Utley immediately recognized how Gonzalez was pitching him. He also recognized that the sliders were off the plate. He laid off of them and he walked.
Next up, Howard. Howard saw how Gonzalez went at Utley so he knew how he’d go after him. He also saw that the sliders were off the plate. Howard obviously went up to the plate with the same approach that Utley took, to lay off the slider, because he took the first pitch, which was a slider in the dirt, for a ball. Why then would he proceed to swing at the second pitch, which was also a slider in the dirt and virtually identical to the first pitch? That blew his whole at bat. He let Gonzalez off the hook and proceeded to strike out looking at a 3-2 fastball. It never should have come to that.
Finally we have Ibanez. He saw how Gonzalez pitched to both Utley and Howard and he was also well aware that those sliders were off the plate. I know this because he laid off them and got up 3-1 in the count. So, in that situation, why in bloody blue blazes would he then swing at a slider off the plate? This is where he gave away his at bat. He then proceeded to go down, swinging, on a 3-2 fastball. Again, it should have never come to that.
I’m sorry if it seems like I’m going on a negative rant after only the first game of the season. That is not my intention at all. It’s just that giving away at bats doesn’t sit very well with me, especially in that circumstance and particularly with those hitters at the plate. If Feliz and Ruiz did that I wouldn’t be as upset. I wouldn’t be happy about it but there is a reason why those guys hit at the bottom of the lineup, right? On the flip side, there is a reason why Howard and Ibanez are where they are in the lineup, and it’s not to do what they did. I expect more from our run producers.
I realize we probably would have lost the game anyway, but who knows? Had Howard and Ibanez done exactly what Utley did, which is take the walk that Gonzalez was giving them, we would have only been trailing 4-2 with the bases loaded and Victorino at the plate, so we certainly would have had a shot at it, don’t you think?
Anyway, I just won’t accept the “ready-made” excuse of the lefty/lefty matchup thing. It’s too much of a cop-out. Both Howard and Ibanez knew how they would be pitched. They both went to the plate with the right approach. They both got ahead in the count. Unfortunately, they both abandoned the correct approach and gave away their at bats. Overanxious, probably. Being impatient and wanting to drive in a run with a hit, I’ll buy it. Just don’t tell me it’s all a lefty/lefty thing.
bski -
Yeah Pete, here’s why I feel that way, as I’m not sure I got it across the way I would have liked to.
IF Howard or Ibanez were up there “bailing and/or flailing” and looking lost, THEN I would say that it was a lefty/lefty thing. You know, that they just weren’t picking up the ball very well or had a difficult time standing in against the pitcher, something like that. That was not the case at all last night.
Both Howard and Ibanez stood in there with no problem, picked up the ball, and recognized the pitches. That much is clear since they both got ahead in the count. There was no “bailing and flailing” going on there. They simply abandoned the patient approach. That is specifically why I’m saying that it was more of an approach/type of at bat situation and not a lefty/lefty thing. Also, the fact that they hit consecutively in the lineup is immaterial.
prediction: Moyer’s pitches lack proper movement in the cold, he gets shelled, Phils offense remains stagnant, 8-2 Braves.
Look at the bright side, Pete. We beat Jurrjens 3 out of the 4 times he started against us last year. He pitched a good game against us on July 25th in Philly(8 innings, 0 runs, 3 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts), but the other 3 starts consisted of one game of 8 hits, with 3 of them being HRs, and 1 walk over 7 innings (7/3), one of 5 hits and 5 walks over 5 innings (9/17). His 3rd loss against us (9/25) was really on the bullpen and not him, but still. Hopefully he will not be anywhere near as sharp as Lowe and our left-handed hitters will do some damage.
Not to get on the lefty/lefty thing again, but Paul Hagen has an article with some good points about how it really shouldn’t be a huge deal.
The thing with me is that every team has strengths and weaknesses and we are not that bad off when you take everything into account. If this team takes advantage of it’s strength and the left-handed hitters beat up on the right-handed pitchers, both starters and relievers, they face, then their weakness of having to face left-handed pitchers becomes much less of an issue. If our left-handed hitters did the job against Lowe, then Gonzalez never would have been in the game.
That said, I still think it’s a good idea to break the left-handed hitters up. Since neither Feliz nor Ruiz are viable candidates, I’m hoping that Werth is up to the task. Once Victorino starts swinging well, he can hit out of the 2-hole and Werth can hit 5th. That should help a little at least.
well – this will mark the 14th time in the last 15 years that the Phillies can’t get out of the gate hot. Only once since 1995 have they started the year 3-1 or better. The starts since 2004 are particularly disturbing.
2006: 1-6
2005: 1-3
2004: 1-6
2003: 2-2
2002: 2-2
2001: 3-1
2000: 1-3
1999: 2-2
1998: 1-3
1997: 1-4
1996: 2-2
1995: 2-2
I’ll say it’s frustrating. Not only are they not scoring but they’re not even hitting many balls hard. As disappointing as it’s been to see our starters get hit hard early, they both kept it under control and stayed away from major damage. Also the bullpen has been very good (suprised at what I’m seeing from Taschner so far). Nothing is going to happen for us until the bats wake up though.
The Phils tend to go through cold spells offensively and collectively throughout the season and then break out with a shelling of runs and offensive production (remember the Astos game last year on 5/25, 16 hits, 15 runs). Hopefully that break out comes today as this should be an emotional game b/c of the ring ceremony.
As far as the starts to the season, I think this is a big problem. Its certainly a trend that needs to be looked at and corrected. Are the starters not getting up to 100% by the end of spring training? Is it a team mentality down in Clearwater that needs to be changed across the board? Its seems like they are just not as prepared physically and mentally as the other teams are, year after year.
Simple case of worship fatigue. If I’m Amaro, I remove all clubhouse mirrors. New year won’t start until they get bored of The Rings.
Joe Blanton: fastball’s pretty straight. Chipper and Brian like them.
As did Joe Adcock and Del Crandell, Matthews & Aaron, Horner & Murphy, Justice & McGriff.
As Pete has documented, getting out of the gate slowly (also having a losing record in April) is nothing new. We do it every year. It bugs me too.
It’s the “perfect storm” of 1) our hitters getting off to slow starts, 2) us being a team that does not score runs by stringing together a few hits and walks (over the last few years, more than 50% of our runs have scored via the homerun), and 3) the ball not carrying in the cold and the wind knocking the ball down, which prevents us from hitting the homeruns we need to score.
I know that the Braves hit 5 homeruns in the 2 games. Why were they able to hit them while we were not (where was the wind when we needed it)? I’d say it was mostly due to the fact that Lowe was much sharper than Myers (like mid-season form vs. still-in-spring-training-form) and Jurrjens was better than Moyer. Combine that with slumbering bats, refrigerate it at 40 degrees over 2 days, and you get another 0-2 start.
On a positive note, Howard’s defense looks good so far. He made 3 nice picks on bad throws (two by Feliz which is very unlike him) and a solid play on a hard hit ball to deep first and toward the line.
bski, You’re reachin’. The ’40 degree frig’ included both line-ups. The Braves’ starting pitchers and hitters did it. The Phillies’ starting pitchers and hitters didn’t. No excuses or overanalysis is necessary. 2 games have been played. One team was ready for both; the other, not as much, evidently. Credit the winners. Phillies will redeem themselves. Someday. Maybe today. As consolation, bullpen sharpness is auspicious.
jjg.…..I know. I’m just saying is all. You are right, both teams are playing under the same conditions and both should be ready. Maddeningly, we always seem to be the team that isn’t.
Last year we had a winning record for the month of April. However, that was mostly due to the red hot Utley and Burrell who carried us. Everyone else was struggling as usual.
While I would prefer to see the entire lineup start swinging the bats like the games actually count—beginning immediately, we had better hope that at least a couple guys start doing something, pronto. Otherwise, we will fall into another early season hole.
no Chipper today, got to take advantage.
also, if anyone has a link to what the ring looks like, it would be appreciated!
unbelievable, we have yet take a SINGLE at-bat this year with the game even tied.
2-0 Braves in the first after Blanton strikes out the first 2 hitters.
You beat me to it, Pete. Can you believe this sh**? Blanton comes out sharp. Two outs. Nobody on. Then??? Double by Escobar. HR by McCann. 2-0 Braves. Geez!
We scored! That tilts the scales toward Ibanez, Pete. Tied at 2. About time.
I am typing this entry with one hand because I am ripping my hair out with the other. This is brutal. We finally score and tie the game only to see Blanton give up 5 runs in the 3rd to put us down 7-2. Unbelievable.
It’s funny really. Myers and Moyer both pitched like it was still spring training and they got knocked around. Today we needed Blanton to continue pitching exactly like he did in spring training but he doesn’t.
At this rate I will never survive another 159 games.
Pete….Todd Zolecki has pictures of the ring on his blog. I’ve been snooping around while I’m listening to the game on the radio.
bski, You’re probably equidistant to New York City. There are 2 teams there that value intelligent passionate disconsolate expatriated fans with brand spankin’ new stadiums and designs on ’09 glory. Just thought I’d mention them. Tickets remain available. Keep your options open.
That ring reminds me of Liberace.
jjg…. I am approx. 2 1/2hrs away from NYC (same as from Philly), but that is not an option.
Holy smokes, what a 7th inning! The Phils just put 8 runs on the board with 4 hits (all singles-Utley, Ibanez, Feliz, Victorino)), 1 HBP (Howard), 5 walks (Werth, Stairs, Coste, Rollins, Utley) and an RBI groundout from Howard. Everything was one base at a time and the Braves used 4 pitchers in the inning. Leading 11-10 going to the 8th.
The Braves have sent 5 relievers to the mound who inherited a total of 10 baserunners, 9 of whom ended up scoring. Leading 12-10 going to the 9th. “Lights Out” time.
Good thing Bruntlett drove in a run with a sac fly in the 8th, as Lidge gave up a HR to Diaz in the 9th. I’ll take any win I can get, so 12-11 is fine with me (Also, add on another consecutive save—45 and counting— for Lidge).
Maybe those bats are starting to warm up this season! GO PHILS!!
KEEP THE PHILLY SPIRIT GOIN’!!
What a freakin way to get your first win of 2009, eh?? Hopefully this kick starts this team’s offensive production and also the starting rotation just needed that mulligan first outing to get into game mode.
Now let’s head out to that beautiful Denver thin air and smash 13 home runs in the series and then travel back east to DC where we flex our ”this is why we’re the champs” muscles and sweep the Nats.