Game chat: Phillies take aim at series win in LA

Kyle Kendrick and Chad Billingsley square off in a battle of 22-year-old unbeatens when the Phillies and Dodgers wrap up their series today at 3:10 p.m. ET.

Pitching matchup: Kendrick (4-0, 3.82 ERA) continues to pile on the quality starts. The unheralded rookie has lasted at least six innings in all six of his starts, holding opponents to three or fewer runs in five of them. This is the third time he’s been paired against a ballyhooed young starter. He outlasted the Reds’ Homer Bailey on June 26 and the Mets' Mike Pelfrey July 1. Today he’s matched against Billingsley (6-0, 3.29 ERA), the Dodgers first-round pick in the 2003 draft.

Lineups are set: Abraham Nunez gets his first start since July 2. Carlos Ruiz is back behind the plate. [Live Boxscore].

Comments

[MG]

Interesting matchup today. Two younger pitchers who have thrown well recently. Billingsley have better stuff but I like Kendrick's demeanor/guile since he has been called up.

Don't like the Phils though since I don't see either team scoring a ton of runs and LA has a decided edge in their bullpen/closer. Like LA something like 6-4 or 5-3.

[joe]

repost from last thread.

wang (2.2 BB/9) vs kendrick (2.6 BB/9) are actually fairly close, and if you believe in the rookie squeeze, may be even closer.

the HR/9 is a lot higher for kendrick. could be "stuff", home park, or guy calling the signals.

Kendrick however, is only 22, and we should see improvement from here.

[J. Weitzel]

CARRASCO UPDATE

Today in Erie, Carlos Carrasco, the subject of an earlier post, allowed six walks in four innings, staked to a 3-0 and couldn't get the decision. Reading beat writer Mike Drago says that while his numbers look decent, he's tough to watch and is frequently behind in the count. Drago also says his velocity and stuff hasn't been what he had hoped so far.

[joe]

i'm guessing that a sinkerball isn't impressive to watch. it isn't 98mph heater, or a neck break slider, or a 12-6 hook. it just drops 3-4 inches at the very last second.

[MG]

I knew it was discussed on the previous thread but that Hayes article on Gordon just disgusts me as a Phils' fan.

Once again, Phils' management has been lying to the fan base about the extent of an injury to a player. I feel bad for Gordon but he would be crazy to retire at the end of this year. He is guaranteed $5.5 million next year and has a buyout for '09.

If Gordon didn't have a contract next year, he would be lucky to get an invite to a spring training camp let alone have a guaranteed contract.

Contrary to what other people believe or may state, I think the Phils are doing this since they want to keep those ticket sales brisk in Sept. by teasing fans with "well Myers and Gordon are coming back" so we don't need to make a move.

What a load of crap. I basically have come to believe that whatever comes out of Amaro's mouth (who is interestingly becoming more and more vocal and increasingly representing the Phils' management to the media) has to go through a BS filter.

Maybe Sir Alden is actually correct in his delusions about Gillick and we will long for the "good-old days" of Gillick when Amaro becomes the GM in 2009.

[RSB]

Not a very promising first inning. Howard misused his green light by swinging at ball four, then let a hittable 3-1 pitch go by while Victorino was nailed at second. Meanwhile, the only contact off Billingsley was Rollins' weak pop to short.

[Bridoc10]

Not a good start at all.

Why would Victorino be running in that situation?

[Phil]

Fair enough on the walks, but Kendrick's HR rate is almost double that of Wang's. I'm not optimistic that's going to magically improve, either. Wang's career GB rate is about 60%, Kendrick's is significantly lower. Which isn't to say he's trash, a guy who can post a 4.50ish ERA and cost you the league minimum is pretty valuable. I just don't see him as more than a number 3 in the long-term, in a perfect world, and he's likely to regress this year.

[CJ]

Uh oh...

If the 10-run rule holds, we could be in trouble today. Let's hope Kyle settles down.

[MG]

Kendrick has been a nice surprise but comparing him to Wang is just a bit ridiculous.

I just hope Kendrick keeps it up because the Phils have no shot at the playoffs if he reverts back to form.

[GM-Carson]

Kendrick seems to always flirt with danger. Surprised he managed to only surrender 1 run in the 1st inning, Dodgers seemed to be right on the pitches.

[RSB]

Kendrick got a huge break on that line-drive DP. Hopefully he'll settle down, because Billingsley looks like he's no picnic.

[Bridoc10]

That could have been a lot worse.

Let's hope the Phils didn't run themselves out last night. Lots of mashing with not enough recovery time between games could be a bad combination.

[Ribbies]

That could have been ALOT worse. The Dodgers were almost phillies-esqe in their inability to take advantage of an opportunity.

[joe]

you have got to love this kids composure. got out of that with only 1 run.

i don't see a regression in kendrick's future, i see improvement. he is very, very young.

whatever the future, i like the way he pitches right now.

[Bridoc10]

Now THAT is why it was stoopid that Victorino run last inning.

Ryan is starting to catch fire, methinks!

[J. Weitzel]

That was a nice pitch to Betemit to get out of it. He's got moxie.

Howard does it again. One of my second half predictions is coming true, not that Howard would heat up, but that teams would start getting careless again. That pitch was dead center.

[Ribbies]

awesome

[from the district]

why do we feel that the management should be honest to us about the extent of players injuries? No team is honest about their players injuries. It sucks, but just doesn't serve them well to let anyone know. The reasons have been listed before. I wonder why it is still harped on.

In any case, this article didn't really make me any less optimistic about Gordon's return. We all knew that he would be able to only handle an inning every other game or so. This doesn't really change that. But an effective inning two to three times a week is more than we have been getting from the likes of Mesa and company.

With proper conditioning and prudent use, maybe we can get something out of the rest of this contract. Its in everybody's interest: the manager, the ownership, and the player.

I am not apologizing for the ownership, merely stating that they are no different from other teams in this respect.

[GM-Carson]

Prediction: Ryan Howard ends up leading the NL in homeruns yet again this season.

[CJ]

Can we drop the whole "Ryan Howard has been figured out" or "Ryan Howard has lost his swing?"

And Pat Burrell?

Wha? That can't last...

[RSB]

Burrell looks like a confident hitter right now. I'd still like to see more of Bourn, but if Burrell is actually going to contribute, I'm all for it.

[joe]

yeh, we all know that PtB will go back into hibernation, but ride em while he's got the hot hand....

[P O'Neil]

From the District...

I agree about the honesty thing. It makes us feel better to complain about, but it's not in their best interest to be completely open.

[GM-Carson]

Where the hell has this "Bat" been all season? Burrell is on fire!

[Bridoc10]

Burrell has raised his average nearly 40 points in July.

He's always been streaky - in both directions - but let's hope he can keep this going for a month or two.

[CJ]

Chooch!

[ae]

at the risk of continually harping on BABIP - that's where this Burrell's been all season.

of course there's other variables, but really, a hot streak (or as a statistician would call it, return to the mean) could have been predicted weeks ago.

[RSB]

CJ: Howard hasn't lost his swing, but he's become a guy who can be pitched to. Make a mistake, he'll crush it. He and Prince Fielder are going to be in the top 5 in NL homers for years to come. But as a hitter, he's been missing a lot of his dynamism this season.

Wow, the Phils have really come alive again in this inning. Terrible to walk Nunez after an 0-2 count.

[CJ]

Durbin > Kendrick

Well... at least at the plate...

[CJ]

RSB... I agree with you on that to a degree... although in the last month, I think he's been as dynamic.

[CJ]

Bah... bit of a missed opportunity there... but we've got Billingsly on the run. Keep on the pressure!!!

[J. Weitzel]

These right-handed power guys like Billingsley have really been no match for the Phils this season.

[kells]

Billingsley already has 49 pitches after 2 innings.

[Bridoc10]

These right-handed power guys like Billingsley have really been no match for the Phils this season.

They really can hit the heater, this team. Even Burrell.

[CJ]

I know clout has dumped on anyone who suggested leadership matters... but how about mound presence. It's also impossible to manage, but I just like the way KK looks out there.

[CJ]

Reds take the lead on the Braves in the top of the 10th.

[ae]

in June and July, Howard really started to push up his average, hitting .288 for those two months after hitting .222 up to that point.

what's really incredible, though, is that he's improved his average while striking out at an astonishing rate: 61 Ks in 184 PA. at that ratio, he would strike out 233 times in 704 PA (which is how many he had in 2006). that's actually a higher strikeout rate than he had during his early season .222-hitting slump.

I'm not posting this to try to put down Howard, just pointing out how truly bizarre his season's been.

[CJ]

ae:

Like everyone, I'd love to see that K number come down. I guess the questions I have are: How much is it affecting his production? And is it something he can manage moving forward?

[Ribbies]

Can someone describe Jimmy's error?

[CJ]

Hate giving extra outs to a team... but Kyle dug in and didn't let it affect him. That's what you like to see.

[J. Weitzel]

Weak dribbler double clutch on the throw. It would have been a close play had he made it.

[CJ]

Ribbies:

Slow chopper almost right up the middle, Jimmy got to it, had to get it out of his glove quickly but he double clutched and the batter just beat the throw.

[CJ]

Weathers blows the save... Braves tie it in the bottom of the 10th.

[Ribbies]

Sounds like an iffy error. Thanks for the description.

[clout]

CJ: I mentioned KK's compsure and mound presence on this thread before you even knew who he was.

[joe]

>Weathers blows the save...

sounds like our kinda guy. i wonder what the ds want for him.

[J. Weitzel]

CJ is right - slow chopper not weak dribbler.

Back to the action.

[clout]

By the way, composure and mound presence has nothing to do with "leadership" as you've used it on this blog.

[ae]

CJ, it sure doesn't seem to be affecting his production right now; his strikeout rate is as high as ever in the last few weeks and he's got a 1.000+ OPS. is that sustainable? obviously conventional wisdom says no, but who knows?

[CJ]

Ribbies: Iffy maybe... but it was an error. If he doesn't double clutch, I think he gets him.

clout: I'm shocked. But you can't measure mound presence... how many wins has it gotten us??????? /sarcasm

[CJ]

ae: Is this kind of production/strike out ratio unprecedented? I know Jayson Stark wrote about how it was a home run or a strike out with Howard and no one needed a glove. I'm not enough of a stats guy to crunch numbers like that.

[joe]

looks like the dodgers are tired of pitching to howard :-)

[CJ]

Reds have 5 infielders with a runners on first and third and 1 out in the bottom of the 10th.

[GM-Carson]

When did we get a good offense?

Just kidding...sort of...

[CJ]

WOW!!!

Brandon Phillips snagged a sure base hit line drive and doubled Chipper off third. Reds keep it tied going to 11.

[Crazy Jon]

"Bronx Bombers, Philly-style" = Philly Poopers?

[GM-Carson]

Hey, I just saw (this may have been reported on here while I was on vacation) that shortstop Jesus Merchan was promoted to Ottawa and he's ripping up there too.

[CJ]

Vin Scully reports the Phils have had 14 extra base hits in the last 9 innings.

[joe]

ack! what's wrong with beerleaguer comments! haf have disappeared!

[RSB]

Scully also reports that Boom Boom Beck gave up a lot of hits at Baker Bowl.

[RSB]

Scully also reports for the third time in three games that Chico Ruiz stole home in 1964 against the Phillies.

[Ribbies]

Too bad Billingsley had a quick inning there, we could have really worked his pitch total.

[MG]

RSB - You really have a major dislike of Scully. Not a huge fan myself but he is still better than some of the other windbags out there.

[RSB]

MG - there is no bigger windbag on the planet. He obviously is too in love with the sound of his own drone to allow another announcer in the booth.

[clout]

CJ: In this case 4 and maybe 5 if he keeps pitching like he's pitching today.

[CJ]

First real bad pitch of the day for KK... too bad he had ducks on the pond. Time to score more runs.

[clout]

I know one announcer worse than Vin Scully: Scott Graham.

[stjoehawk]

I'm a huge fan of Vin Scully. I love his stories (even if he does repeat them on occasion).

Has he mentioned yet that Brett Myers used to be a Golden Gloves boxer?

[Tim]

you dont like scott graham?

[RSB]

I like the way Kendrick turned around and watched that ball sail out of the park. He appeared very poised and graceful as he took the new baseball from the umpire.

[Mike Cunningham]

If Howard is on that pace... (Although I don't think he's getting 704 PA this year Unless the Phils have more nights like last night where you get 6 or 7 PA in a game) that would be the ML record, which is currently held by Mr. Adam Dunn 195Ks. 196 doesn't seem out of the question. But Howard can be warmed by knowing that Dunn is at 111 strikeouts coming into today's game... (another 2 today)...

[Phil]

I love listening to Scully. As someone said above, his stories are great, he's eloquent for a baseball announcer, and you don't get a lot of the drivel you get with other guys. Perhaps most importantly, he obviously wants the Dodgers to win but isn't too much of a homer to let it cloud everything he says.

[clout]

RSB: One part of KK's game that's a little shaky is lefty hitters. His numbers vs. lefties are pretty bad.

Tim: Scott wasn't the worst I ever heard but he was too syrupy sweet and puppydog enthusiastic for my taste. I doubt I'll ever like any tandem better than Harry & Whitey.

[RSB]

clout: have you heard Scully do a game solo? It's unbelievable.

Those of you fortunate enough not to live out of area: try tuning in a Dodger extra innings or mlb.tv telecast. You will have no idea how brutal this is othewise.

[Tray]

Law might have a point about Kendrick. He always seems to be wriggling his way out of trouble, some of the time all those runners are going to score.

[MG]

Neither pitcher has looked impressive today. I just hope the Phils don't get Billingsley settle down here and go into the 7th.

Dodgers' pen is tough and Saito has been unhittable at times this year.

[CJ]

107 pitches for Billingsly... he won't be back out for the 6th.

[CJ]

If he makes it through the 5th...

[Ribbies]

I hate believing in Burrell.

[MG]

Love how it takes until the 3rd/4th inning for Dodgers fans to finally show up at Chavez Ravine and they usually leave by the 8th.

Great place to watch a game but terrible fans. Ignorant and a majority of them (particularly in the good infield seats) are concerned with everything else but the game.

Going to an Angels' game is a much better experience. Better fan base with people who are there to actually watch the game. Even enjoy the Padres' games I have gone to more than the Dodgers' games.

[Sophist]

Pat B!

[Ribbies]

wow

[RSB]

Impressive 2-out run right there. The Phils are just doing so many things well on offense right now.

[CJ]

Are we allowed to add "the Bat" back to his name for a little while?

[from the district]

I am really enjoying this alternate dimension. I think ill stay

[mm]

Question: Why is Nunez so horribly worthless?

[RSB]

As often as Howard is maligned for his defense, got to give him props for his work around the bag today.

[GM-Carson]

Weird game- Burrell showing some clutch hitting and offensive punch. Howard flashing some leather. J-Roll caught being lazy on a ball to short (laid back on it and double clutched).

All even, 4-4...fun game thus far.

[Tray]

Wheeler just said we're really glad to get Furcal and Pierre out of our division. I guess you can make a case for Furcal, but I'd love to face Pierre's .657 OPS ALL 162 games.... how hard is it to get some intelligence in broadcasting?

[GM-Carson]

For the time being, I for one am adding "the Bat" back to Sir Patrick Burrell's name. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts...

[clout]

For a guy who most posters here were ready to dump for nothing, a la Abreu, Burrell #s aren't too shabby.

[clout]

KK is pitching the better game: 72 pitches, 48 for strikes. Billingsley is at 113, only 64 for strikes.

[mm]

I unfortunatley haven't been able to watch kendrick yet(damn living out of market and no money for extra innings) but it seems like he's real confident out there.

[ae]

clout: "were"?

[GM-Carson]

Horrible approach at the plate today by Rollins. He seems lazy today. I love him as a player, but it seems he's more concerned about lookin' cool in Cali than playing the game with an all-out effort.

Utley will be glad Billingsley is out of there too, because he looked bad against him. Which means, Utley will probably double next inning.

[from the district]

clout - yeah his numbers are alright, but they aren't 14 million dollars a year alright.

[GM-Carson]

Fricken ancient Gonzo goes yahtzee...dammit!

[clout]

ae: Good point.

[clout]

from the district: I agree. And that makes him one of 437 overpaid major league ballplayers.