Game chat: Rain lingering for start of Dodgers series

Satellite images show scattered precipitation lasting throughout the evening. If the weather holds, Kyle Kendrick (5-3, 3.94 ERA) tries for his first win in four starts against Brett Tomko (2-10, 5.67 ERA) and the Dodgers. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Homestand preview: Rather than rewrite something that’s already been written, the Reading Eagle provided a tight little homestand preview, as follows:

Despite a bunch of injuries, numerous slumps and questionable decisions, the Philadelphia Phillies have remained in playoff contention. The next 10 days figure to go a long way in determining whether they can stay there. The Phillies go into tonight just a game out of the National League wild card lead as they open a 10-game homestand with the first of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers (64-60). The San Diego Padres (66-57) will next be at Citizens Bank Park for a three-game weekend series, followed by the NL East-leading New York Mets (70-53) for a four-game series beginning next Monday. The Phillies trail the Mets by five games.

“We have to have a winning homestand,” manager Charlie Manuel told Phillies.com following the team’s lost weekend at Pittsburgh. The Phillies blew a 4-0 first-inning lead in an 11-6 loss to the Pirates Saturday, then coughed up a 4-0 lead with two outs in the seventh in an 8-4 loss Sunday. Not the best way to go into the season’s most crucial stretch.

“We want to come back ready to go,” first baseman Ryan Howard said Sunday. “(We need to) forget about this weekend and get after it. You don’t want to add pressure to yourself, but everybody knows what’s at stake.” It would be nice for the Phillies if Howard could get it going again. The reigning NL MVP is hitting just .121 in the Phillies’ last nine games with one home run, six RBIs and 15 strikeouts in 38 plate appearances. He’s hitting .185 in the 22 games since second baseman Chase Utley went on the disabled list.

Pitching matchups: Tonight: Tomko (2-10, 5.67) vs. Kendrick (5-3, 3.94) Wednesday: Derek Lowe (9-11, 3.45) vs. Cole Hamels (14-5, 3.50): Thursday: Chad Billingsley (7-4, 3.63) vs. J.D. Durbin (5-2, 5.36).

Beerleaguer series preview: Since their hot start, the Dodgers have fallen back and trail the stunning Diamondbacks and pitching-powerful Padres in the NL West. I'm not afraid to call the Dodgers the worst team in the division right now, and that would include the last-place Giants and buzz-worthy Rockies. The Dodgers are playing like a mediocre ballclub, bogged down by a below-average lineup.

On the whole, this could feel like a series with the Nationals. They don't put up numbers, but can smother the opposition with pitching. I’m not particularly afraid of any of the pitchers this series, although Lowe has pitched the Phils tough in the past. Hamels can certainly cancel him out tomorrow night. Billingsley is exactly the type of hard-throwing right-hander the Phils can handle, as they did the last time they met.

Since the Phils are an alleged playoff contender, let's set the bar a little higher. Sweep the Dodgers. People are talking about a 7-3 homestand. Well, an opening sweep would be one way to start it. Make a statement. Light 'em up. It’s asking a lot, but if they're serious, turn on the jets. Can they do it? As always, it's about pitching.

Comments

[loctastic]

Yeah, what he said! Sweep the Dodgers. Mess those punks up!

I have nothing useful to add, other than enthusiasm. I bet tonight's game won't go off anyway.

[J. Weitzel]

That's what I'm talking about. Light 'em up. Time to get serious. Let's go Phillies.

[don phanucci]

Mess em up real good like.

watta you lookin at?

[loctastic]

OK, that settles it. Let's get down there and rough up some Dodgers fans! Hey alright!

[Tray]

Hmm, a sweep's definitely possible. Tonight's a probable win, tomorrow is likely when you consider the huge gap between the offenses, and the Thursday game is hard to call because you don't know what you'll get from Durbin, but Billingsley hasn't pitched well of late. I'd say we definitely get at least 2, maybe 3.

[Crazy Jon]

Got my dream pitching matchup on Wednesday - Cole Hamels vs. Derek Lowe.

[Bridoc10]

These upcoming 10 games determine the season. Now we find out what this team is made of.

To all my NYC/Hoboken area folks...let's meet up to watch the Mets series next week. Reed had mentioned Liberty in Hoboken.

Interested?

[Ben Keeler]

"These upcoming 10 games determine the season"

I agree....they can underperform and then make a typical frantic Sept. run, but it will come up short. 7-3 is almost a must. Anything less than 6-4 would be a terrible blow to the prospects of the playoffs.

[Bridoc10]

6-4 is the bare minimum, in my opinion.

7-3 is good. 8-2 is even better. Sweep of the Dodgers, lose one against the Padres, and drop one to the Mets. If they must.

10-0 would alright, too.

[loctastic]

6-4 is the bare minimum, in my opinion.

7-3 is good. 8-2 is even better. Sweep of the Dodgers, lose one against the Padres, and drop one to the Mets. If they must.

10-0 would alright, too.

Alright? Sorry, nothing short of 11-(-1) is OK.

[CJ]

If we're not 15-(-20) on this homestand, I quit!

[loctastic]

If we're not 15-(-20) on this homestand, I quit!

Seriously. We've got to start involving quantum physics when we're talking baseball here. How else can you explain Howard's batting statistics? Every time up, he hits a HR and strikes out simulataneously.

[CJ]

Seriously though... a sweep here would help make up for the series loss to the Pirates. Every time we lose a series, it makes getting a sweep that much more important.

This team is on track. We've got big games against the very teams we're chaseing. Those are the ones we have to win. They're worth two games in the standings.

[CJ]

locastic... I'm with you. In wholehearted support of an irrational number getting us into the playoffs. After all, nothing else has worked the last few years!!!

[Mike Cunningham]

I think 7-3 would be the target here. 6-4 would be Gillick acceptable. Everything else gravy.... The most important homestand of the season.

The only worry I have about this week is that struggling offenses, no longer struggle in the friendly confines.

[Pat Gillick]

5-5 is acceptable.

[J. Weitzel]

Breaking news: Citizens Bank Park has been named the most vegetarian-friendly park in baseball by PETA.

[HitMan]

All this rah rah stuff is pointless.The fact is that what happens between now and the end of the season largely depends on Ryan Howard's ability to deliver. In recent weeks he has been an unmitigated disaster, killing one scoring opportunity after another. It's entirely unrealistic to expect the Phils to win the WC as long as their big man continues to strike out with men on base. Maybe the time has come for Cholly to bump Howard downward in the batting order, so that his nonperformance doesn't hurt the team quite as much. Maybe it would motivate him to pick it up.

[ajc1]

Loved this line in Marcus Hayes' piece today in the Daily News:

"they put Eaton on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with an ineffective right shoulder"

Not strained, hurt or sore right shoulder ... "ineffective."

[Mike Vick]

Screw PETA.

[Willard Preacher]

More breaking news: Abe Nunez has been named the most pitcher-friendly (f)utility player in MLB.

[strange]

As a vegetarian, I will say that CBP leaves a lot to be desired. But then, PETA is run by a bunch of nutjobs, so I'm not surprised their assesment is flawed.

The veggie dogs are ok, but found only at one vendor in the entire park. Veggie burgers are a little more prevalent, but still not all that exciting. The fare in Ashburn Alley is not bad though. I still prefer bringing in a couple of Vietnamese tofu hoagies though. Thank god for the "hoagie gate scandal" a few years back!

[Longwood]

We have no excuses. The pitching matchups are all in our favor. We miss Penny in the Dodgers series and Peavy in the SD series while they both face the Mets. That should get us back the two games we gave away this weekend. Three back when then start with the Mets.

[ajc1]

My wife - a "recovering vegetarian" - was shocked by that news, considering how good the food is at SBC Park here in San Francisco. I told her it was another reason for her to switch her allegiance to the Phils, and she gave me the finger.

[clout]

HitMan: I second that emotion. Carlos Beltran (9 for 24, 10 RBI, 4 HR) has stepped it up and is now carrying the Mets. It's time for the Big Man to do the same for his team.

[Mr. Mac]

Anyone who roots for Barry Bonds automatically gets the bird from me. I appologize. It's an involuntary reaction. Sort of like Turrets Syndrome.

[ajc1]

Mr. Mac - my wife actually agrees (she thinks Barry is scum), but she's still a SF native and can't abandon her home team. I respect that, since I can't abandon my Phillies either, despite how they break my heart EVERY DAMN YEAR.

[Ben Rivera]

Goin to the game, hopefully they'll get it in. Have fun boys (and girls?).

[MG]

The Dodgers are a lineup of "Punch and Judy" hitters who just don't score many runs unless they can string together 3 or 4 hits/walks in a row.

While the Dodgers are hitting .271 as a team (6th in the NL) and are second in SB with 103, they are among the bottom of the league in HRs (15th), extra base hits (15th), and walks (10th).

So basically, if the Phils can keep Furcal or Pierre in check and prevent them from stealing bases, the Dodgers will be hard pressed to keep pace with the Phils' offense at CBP.

As for the pitching, the Phils catch a break and miss Penny but still have to face Lowe who looks like he is coming around from his injury. Still, I like the Phils in almost any good with Hamels on the mound.

Billingsley has great stuff but still struggles with maintaining his command/mental lapses. Phils just have to hope that Durbin can keep them in the game.

Tomko is the classic example of a guy who looks like a great pitcher but is a complete stiff. He would be one of my first examples of a guy who still has a job as a starting pitcher because starting pitching is just so thin in MLB. If the Phils do play tonight, they should hammer this marginal scrub.

A sweep is possible but unlikely given the Phils' own crappy pitching. I would be more than happy with 2 of 3.

[Lake Fred]

a Phillies victory tonight would be nice.

[Mike Cunningham]

You know with how crazy this season is... and the way our pitching staff has performed... When you look at the pitching match-up tonight... and you see Kyle Kendrick on the mound, you think. Alright... I can relax a little.

[ajc1]

Phils have won 20 of the past 29 home dates. Please God, no rain-out. I shudder to think what a twin bill could do to the bullpen for this vital homestand.

[Mike Cunningham]

Meant to finish...

If that doesn't define crazy... I don't know what does...

[elliott]

I don't see a sweep in the cards. Right now I'm just hoping for a win tonight.

If Barry Bonds was a Phillie, I would certainly cheer when he came up to bat.

As long as I can get a cheesesteak, a good hot dog, and a beer, cbp can win all the vegetarian awards in the world for all i care (should be noted, I actually live in dc)

[elliott]

chance of rain drops from 90% to 30% in philly at 7pm. it stays at that level through 9pm. at 10pm. it rises to 40%.

[CJ]

clout: While true that Beltran has picked it up recently... he's been a HUGE disappointment so far this season (I know, I haven him on my fantasy team).

[Billy Mac]

Lineups

Phils
1. J Rollins, SS
2. T Iguchi, 2B
3. P Burrell, LF
4. R Howard, 1B
5. A Rowand, CF
6. G Dobbs, 3B
7. J Werth, RF
8. C Ruiz, C
9. K Kendrick, P

LA
1. R Furcal, SS
2. J Pierre, CF
3. A Ethier, RF
4. J Kent, 2B
5. L Gonzalez, LF
6. R Martin, C
7. J Loney, 1B
8. S Hillenbrand, 3B
9. B Tomko, P

[elliott]

i know this was discussed before, but who is everyone rooting for tonight (ny v san diego)?

i get the logic in rooting for san diego, and it's very hard to root for ny, but i really see no way we're winning the division.

[Billy Mac]

Root for the Padres. With 7 games remaining against the Mets, the division is still very winnable.

[ajc1]

After a team day off, Coste sits? Sigh ... Not to sound like DavThom here, but does anyone have a reason for this that makes sense? I mean an actual, statistics-based reason that has nothing to do with consipracy theories?

[Mike Cunningham]

Padres.

[Bridoc10]

I'm pulling for the Mets tonight, to get the Phillies even in the WC. Get us there, and then make up the difference with the Mets later in the week.

[Mike Cunningham]

While we could use the help from other teams... the best the Phillies can do is take care of their own business.

And since I follow the immutable law of Root ROOT ROOT against the Mets... I'll be rooting for the Padres... (Or 3 rain shortened ties which are not possible.)

[CJ]

Russell Branyan might have been worth a look in this game... he's 6 for 10 in his career against Tomko with 2 home runs.

Meanwhile... starting right fielder is 4 for 21 (.190) with 6 K's.

Rollins, Burrell and Howard have all hit Tomko well in limited exposure.

[CJ]

I'm with Mike...

This season will come down to what the Phillies do, not what happens to other teams in games we can't control.

With the division still within reach, and 7 games against the Mets yet to come, I'll root for whomever is playing against New York.

[CJ]

Er... two posts ago I should have specified that that starting right fielder who's struggled against Tomko is Jayson Werth.

[Andrew]

Root for rain tonight in Queens. If the Mets and Padres don't get the game in, you can add Young to Peavy and Penny on the list of awesome (see: 1-0 shutout of Phils a few weeks back) pitchers we don't have to see this homestand.

[Jon]

There is no rational reason as to why Coste continues to sit. Its like asking why is Manuel still the manager. Some things are just dumb when it comes to the Phillies and most of that points right back to their inept manager.

[J.R. King]

For those of you outside the area, the skies over South Broad Street are dismal and cold, but the rain has let up for now.

[CJ]

Meteorologist J.R. King gives us the real scoop!

Thanks! My fiancee is out of town tonight so I should be able to watch the game on my computer in peace... assuming it's not rained out!