Bullpen tagged with devastating loss

Rheal Cormier and Ryan Madson allowed the Marlins to get close in the eighth, Billy Wagner surrendered the tying run in the ninth, and Amaury Telemaco and Aaron Fultz relinquished the game in the 10th as the Marlins beat the Phillies 4-3 in a heartbreaker.

A night of champions ... and Phillies
There were plenty of main events last night on the TV dial: Phillies vs. Marlins; Myers vs. Beckett; Underwood vs. Bice (“American Idol”); Mora vs. Manfredo (“The Contender”); Nash vs. Parker (NBA Western Conference Finals); and don’t forget reality-TV celebs Rob and Amber (“Rob and Amber Get Married”).

The Phils and Marlins stood toe-to-toe with all of them until Aaron Fultz vs. Carlos Delgado proved too much for the Phightins, as the slugging first baseman laced a double into the gap in left-center, driving in the winning run from first.

The bullpen squandered another brilliant performance by Brett Myers, who lasted seven sweat-soaked shutout innings and lowered his season ERA to 1.69. The former amateur boxer outpunched his opponent Josh Beckett, but earned a no decision.

Folks … this was one the Phils really needed. They fall to 7.5 back of the division leaders. I have a feeling that when the season ends, we’ll look back at this game with some importance.

I’m interested to know your thoughts on the loss, on Charlie Manuel’s decision to insert Cormier and not Madson into the eighth inning, on Jim Thome, who was hitless again tonight, and what you watched last night on the tube. Here’s how I prioritized:

1. Phils-Marlins
2. The Contender
3. Spurs-Suns
4. American Idol
5. Rob & Amber (or as Boston Rob would say, Rob and Amba)

Comments

[theragtopguy]

This team needs a manager that has some baseball brains. I don't care if Manuel is a lifer or not. His managing sucks point-blank. Myers was pitching great, why not leave him in there? Only 100 or so pitches, not much for a young stud. Manuel has absolutely no feel for this team or any situation at hand. Yesterday he brings in Thome to PH against Willis? Automatic K. Tonight he takes Myers out because McKeon (a brilliant baseball strategist) brings in a LH Pinch hitter. He knew that Elmer would take out Myers, that's why he did it. Don't you think that these other teams are just dying to get into our weak-ass bullpen? Of course they are. So McKeon got what he wanted and Cormier gave it up because he's done also. One by one the old retreads are falling by the wayside. They need some young arms in that pen, not these old retreads.

They really need a good strategist managing this team, not Thome's buddy Elmer. Maybe they should bring Lamont up to run this squad before some other teams snatches him up. And they absolutely need a new GM from the outside, Hunsicker would be perfect. As a lifelong Phil fan (about 40 years or so, I was a kid in the tub listening when Chico Ruiz stole home) I am totally disgusted and appalled because this team actually does have a good offense when firing on all cylinders and with a couple young good arms could win it. Not with these guys running the show now, no way.

Sorry for the long rant, but I am totally bummed out after this loss. Another one that in my opinion Elmer has cost them with his dumb moves. That would be at least 4 or 5 wins that he alone has cost this team!

If they would've hired Leyland I'm sure that they would be at the top of the division or damn close to it.

[tc]

This loss was terrible. To make it worse, I was watching it on the mlb.com gamecast (I live in Boston) and the damn thing went screwy and listed the 8 as the 9th - I thought the Phils won. I was pumped. Later, I went to check why Wagner wasn't in (I thought Madson ended the game) and had to reload the page a few times before I was convinced the Phils actually lost in the 10th. I think that may have been worse than if I had watched them lose the game. It is like a bad dream.

I don't understand Manuel's use of pitchers. I started yelling at the computer as soon as I saw Cormier's name come up (of course, I thought it was the 9th). Why not put Madson in and if he gets in trouble, put Wanger in for a long save? Of course, Wagner ends up blowing it but I'd rather take my chances with Madson-Wagner that Cormier.

[kuff6]

Horrible loss, though I disagree about Myers. He said that he was totally gassed (it was very hot/humid) after 104 pitches. I may be giving Manuel too much credit (a rare event!), but I think he sent Myers to the mound in the 8th with no intention of using him, but to get McKeon to burn his left-hand hitter Harris.

My problem with Manuel last night was his (non)use of Wagner. Wagner had not pitched since Thursday (5 days), and only threw 15 pitches in the 9th. Why not let him pitch the 10th? I'm also pissed with Wagner and Lieberthal for the Easley at-bat, when they tried to throw the same pitch to the same spot 5 times in a row. I don't care if you do throw 100 mph, that is just not going to work against a major league hitter.

[Oisin]

I don't think you can blame manuel for pulling myers, who according to accounts this morning said he had nothing left in the tank.

We definitely needed this win. With our lousy start, I think that the only way we're going to make the postseason is by winning the division. Giving ourselves a chance to take two of three from the marlins was crucial. The more I think about it, the more it feels like we've blown our best opportunity to get back in the saddle.

reading the account this morning, it's pretty obvious that the minute cormier was sent in, of course mckeon would switch to a right-hander from the bench. I don't know how much use we get out of cormier as a situational lefty these days, and I would just have given the inning to mad-dog instead. His occasional horrors aside, his WHIP is fairly respectable at the moment - 1.10, and it suggests he would have given us a better chance of holding down the eighth.

As for thome, I feel its okay to play him - provided the management have got good assurances that his back is recovering and are confident that he's not saying everything's okay when it continues not to be. I'm not confident that they've done this however, and given's thomes attitude to the game, I suspect he's rushed back too quickly. A healthy ryan howard would probably give us a better chance right now.

[Wade Bloggs]

The point is there should be more than two dependable arms in the bullpen at any given time that aren't automatically going to blow the game. But mainly, I just stopped by to say BOOOOOOOOOO!

[Brendan]

Last week I was beginning to think the offense was finally at the level we all thought it would be after the additions of thome and bell to the already existent lineup that offered up Abreu and Burrell. Good pitching and good hitting, they finally put it together against two good teams (the cards and o's)...ah, I've been falling for this for four straight years now. Up, down...three wins in a row, three losses in a row...etc etc etc!
Last night, the only question I have is, why put Rheal in when he's been terrible. Why doesn't this team sit the players that aren't performing, but tend to play the higher paid players that jumped the shark a long time ago, and have been and are a contributor to many losses?
The balk seemed like a bad call as well...what are all your thoughts?