The Phillies were unable to get much mileage out of the DH in the first two games. Francisco and Stairs combined for one single, a marginal one at that. Greg Dobbs has become odd man out. Manuel should have used Dobbs as DH and held Stairs for pinch-hitting. The Phillies have a dearth of contact hitters and could use Dobbs in the lineup.
Ryan Howard has had an exceptionally productive stretch at the plate going back to August. Since he started crouching more in his stance, he seems to be seeing the ball better and swinging at fewer bad pitches. However, he is long overdue for a slump and in Game 2 last night he struck out four times and looked badly out of synch. If this is the beginning of a trend, it couldn't come at a worse time.
Pedro Feliz currently seems lost at sea at the plate. He seemed to fade a bit late in the regular season after a hitting well for most of the season. Right now he is a liability on offense, prone to the double play or strikeout. At what point does Manuel consider starting Dobbs in his place?
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Should Manuel Hold Lee Until Game 2?
With the Phillies' starting rotation leaking oil in the last couple of months, there is added pressure on Cliff Lee, the only consistent starter of late, to succeed. Game 1 against the Yankees therefore becomes particularly significant. If the Phils were to go down with their ace on the mound, the prospects for the rest of the Series would be dire.
Perhaps Pedro Martinez can replicate his gem against the Dodgers. Perhaps Hamels can regain his form. Perhaps Blanton and/or Happ, or even a short-rested Lee, can go deep in a Game 4. But given recent history, and the intimidating Yankee lineup, none of these scenarios are in the high probability category.
The problem is that even if Lee performs well in the opener, it could be wasted against the venerable C.C. Sabathia. No one is unbeatable, as the Phillies proved Sabathia not to be in his previous incarnation as a Milwaukee Brewer. But he is one of the great pitchers in the game, coming off a solid season, and certainly capable of dominating the Phillies' lineup. And memories of his loss to the Fightin's last year can only serve to incentivize him even more this time around.
Should Charlie Manuel go outside the box and start Martinez in Game 1, and give Lee a better matchup in Game 2? It depends on what you consider more important. Do you want Cliff Lee to have the opportunity to start in 3 games, or do you want to increase your chances of winning at least one of the first two games in New York?
Perhaps Pedro Martinez can replicate his gem against the Dodgers. Perhaps Hamels can regain his form. Perhaps Blanton and/or Happ, or even a short-rested Lee, can go deep in a Game 4. But given recent history, and the intimidating Yankee lineup, none of these scenarios are in the high probability category.
The problem is that even if Lee performs well in the opener, it could be wasted against the venerable C.C. Sabathia. No one is unbeatable, as the Phillies proved Sabathia not to be in his previous incarnation as a Milwaukee Brewer. But he is one of the great pitchers in the game, coming off a solid season, and certainly capable of dominating the Phillies' lineup. And memories of his loss to the Fightin's last year can only serve to incentivize him even more this time around.
Should Charlie Manuel go outside the box and start Martinez in Game 1, and give Lee a better matchup in Game 2? It depends on what you consider more important. Do you want Cliff Lee to have the opportunity to start in 3 games, or do you want to increase your chances of winning at least one of the first two games in New York?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Umpiring in Major League Baseball is a Major Issue
The Phillies pulled off an exhilarating win in Game 4. Jimmy Rollins was able to turn around a 99 mph fastball from one of the game's best relievers to drive in the tying and winning runs. And Jonathan Broxton has nobody but himself to blame for walking Matt Stairs on 4 straight pitches.
However, the game was somewhat diminished by the surreal home plate umpiring. Ball-and-strike calls were as unpredictable as El Nino. Randy Wolf has to be still talking to himself after having three consecutive called balls clearly shown on replay to be three consecutive strikes, in some cases by a wide margin.
No two umpires have precisely the same strike zone. This has been understood from time immemorial. But what we saw Monday night, an egregious but by no means isolated example, is undermining the credibility of the game and asking the players to perform with one hand tied behind their backs. Major league baseball's powers-that-be need to put this issue at the top of their to-do list.
However, the game was somewhat diminished by the surreal home plate umpiring. Ball-and-strike calls were as unpredictable as El Nino. Randy Wolf has to be still talking to himself after having three consecutive called balls clearly shown on replay to be three consecutive strikes, in some cases by a wide margin.
No two umpires have precisely the same strike zone. This has been understood from time immemorial. But what we saw Monday night, an egregious but by no means isolated example, is undermining the credibility of the game and asking the players to perform with one hand tied behind their backs. Major league baseball's powers-that-be need to put this issue at the top of their to-do list.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Phils-Dodgers Game 2 - Manuel and Utley
Phillie Notes:
In his tenure as Phillies' manager, Charlie Manuel has had an annoyingly predictable penchant for pulling starting pitchers too early and insisting on lefty-lefty, righty-righty matchups with his bullpen. This was on full display in game 2 against the Dodgers. Pedro Martinez looked strong and unhittable after 7 innings but Manuel stuck to his playbook and brought in Chan Ho Park. He then removed Park, who was the victim of some bad luck, so Scott Eyre could pitch to lefty Jim Thome. A few minutes later Ryan Madson exited in favor of J. Happ with the bases loaded so Happ could pitch to a lefty. Of course, all these moves backfired although it may seem easy to second guess with the benefit of hindsight. We will never know if Martinez would have been effective in the 8th, or if Park or Madson could have gotten the next batter. But when in doubt, why not stick with someone who is in the flow the game? And in case you haven't noticed, Eyre and Happ in no way resemble Mariano Rivera.
In a regular season game in late September, Chase Utley made a throwing error. In the radio broadcast, announcer Larry Anderson remarked that Utley had been throwing "horribly" for the last month. It looks like Anderson was on to something.
In his tenure as Phillies' manager, Charlie Manuel has had an annoyingly predictable penchant for pulling starting pitchers too early and insisting on lefty-lefty, righty-righty matchups with his bullpen. This was on full display in game 2 against the Dodgers. Pedro Martinez looked strong and unhittable after 7 innings but Manuel stuck to his playbook and brought in Chan Ho Park. He then removed Park, who was the victim of some bad luck, so Scott Eyre could pitch to lefty Jim Thome. A few minutes later Ryan Madson exited in favor of J. Happ with the bases loaded so Happ could pitch to a lefty. Of course, all these moves backfired although it may seem easy to second guess with the benefit of hindsight. We will never know if Martinez would have been effective in the 8th, or if Park or Madson could have gotten the next batter. But when in doubt, why not stick with someone who is in the flow the game? And in case you haven't noticed, Eyre and Happ in no way resemble Mariano Rivera.
In a regular season game in late September, Chase Utley made a throwing error. In the radio broadcast, announcer Larry Anderson remarked that Utley had been throwing "horribly" for the last month. It looks like Anderson was on to something.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Bring On the Yankees
It may be the equivalent of a death wish, but the Phillies' dream scenario would be to meet the Yankees in the World Series.
In winning last year's World Series, the home team generated euphoria throughout the Delaware Valley, but the rest of the country yawned collectively, as evidenced by the Series' TV ratings. By some measures, those ratings were the lowest ever. And for many of those outsiders who watched, the Phils' victory was a fluke accomplished in the snow and cold. It often seemed that Rays' manager Joe Madden got more camera time than Utley, Rollins and Howard.
What the South Philly squad has now is the opportunity to cement their credibility as the best baseball franchise of the latter part of this decade and hopefully beyond.
A second world championship would go a long way towards accomplishing this. But pulling this off against the Bronx Bombers - the most storied franchise in sports history, a roster with a bushel of future hall-of-famers, in their new Taj Mahal of a ballpark - would render the cynics defenseless.
Unfortunately, there is that small matter of the Rockies and Dodgers/Cardinals.
In winning last year's World Series, the home team generated euphoria throughout the Delaware Valley, but the rest of the country yawned collectively, as evidenced by the Series' TV ratings. By some measures, those ratings were the lowest ever. And for many of those outsiders who watched, the Phils' victory was a fluke accomplished in the snow and cold. It often seemed that Rays' manager Joe Madden got more camera time than Utley, Rollins and Howard.
What the South Philly squad has now is the opportunity to cement their credibility as the best baseball franchise of the latter part of this decade and hopefully beyond.
A second world championship would go a long way towards accomplishing this. But pulling this off against the Bronx Bombers - the most storied franchise in sports history, a roster with a bushel of future hall-of-famers, in their new Taj Mahal of a ballpark - would render the cynics defenseless.
Unfortunately, there is that small matter of the Rockies and Dodgers/Cardinals.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Phillie Notes - The Secret to Their Success
Phillie Notes:
With their third successive division championship, the Phils have established themselves as one of the top franchises in the majors. The primary reason for this is not the brilliance of Charlie Manuel, or the loyal fan base, or the friendly confines of Citizens Park. It is the solid nucleus of everyday players - Rollins, Utley, Howard, Victorino, and Werth - which matches up with any in baseball. They are all in their prime, in their late 20's or early 30's, and most are under long-term contracts. The professionalism of Rollins and Utley in particular really sets the tone for this squad. There are many other factors of course, but this is the key.
Charlie Manuel/Rich Dubee are being universally praised for bringing in Brad Lidge to get the last out against his old team on the night of the division clinching. Lidge himself seemed to revel in it. It was certainly harmless but what was the big deal? Manuel had already proved his loyalty to Lidge over and over again, and it's hard to see how pitching to one batter with a seven run lead, with the division already won (the Braves having lost) is much of a confidence-builder. It's a little too much like a college basketball coach putting in his seniors in the last minute of a blow-out game.
It's difficult to overstate the importance of Pedro Feliz this season. Even though his batting average is only in the .260's, that's 20 points higher than last season, and he's been one of the team's more consistent hitters in 2009 with few prolonged dry spells. He has also added 20 or so RBI's from 2008 to go along with his impeccable fielding. And with the marked improvement in Ryan Howard's glove work, the team's infield defense is as good as there is.
Last year, Chase Utley's offense faded late in the season. The media, almost unanimously, attributed this to Utley's injured hip, even though Utley himself repeatedly denied it and there was no visible evidence that the second baseman was favoring it. This year, Utley's bat has once again been weak in September. It seems more likely that something else was and is going on - the best guess here is old-fashioned fatigue.
With their third successive division championship, the Phils have established themselves as one of the top franchises in the majors. The primary reason for this is not the brilliance of Charlie Manuel, or the loyal fan base, or the friendly confines of Citizens Park. It is the solid nucleus of everyday players - Rollins, Utley, Howard, Victorino, and Werth - which matches up with any in baseball. They are all in their prime, in their late 20's or early 30's, and most are under long-term contracts. The professionalism of Rollins and Utley in particular really sets the tone for this squad. There are many other factors of course, but this is the key.
Charlie Manuel/Rich Dubee are being universally praised for bringing in Brad Lidge to get the last out against his old team on the night of the division clinching. Lidge himself seemed to revel in it. It was certainly harmless but what was the big deal? Manuel had already proved his loyalty to Lidge over and over again, and it's hard to see how pitching to one batter with a seven run lead, with the division already won (the Braves having lost) is much of a confidence-builder. It's a little too much like a college basketball coach putting in his seniors in the last minute of a blow-out game.
It's difficult to overstate the importance of Pedro Feliz this season. Even though his batting average is only in the .260's, that's 20 points higher than last season, and he's been one of the team's more consistent hitters in 2009 with few prolonged dry spells. He has also added 20 or so RBI's from 2008 to go along with his impeccable fielding. And with the marked improvement in Ryan Howard's glove work, the team's infield defense is as good as there is.
Last year, Chase Utley's offense faded late in the season. The media, almost unanimously, attributed this to Utley's injured hip, even though Utley himself repeatedly denied it and there was no visible evidence that the second baseman was favoring it. This year, Utley's bat has once again been weak in September. It seems more likely that something else was and is going on - the best guess here is old-fashioned fatigue.
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