Game chat: Late rally falls short, Phillies lose 3-1

Braden Looper out-pitched Joe Blanton by shutting out the Phillies for six innings as Milwaukee pulled even in the series.

The Phillies scored their only run in the ninth on a Jayson Werth home run and brought the tying run to the plate twice before Chris Coste struck out with runners on first and third to end it. Actually, Pedro Feliz came within a hair of ending it on a 5-4-3 double play, but Bill Hall underhanded his throw to second. The Phillies hit into some buzzard's luck, and Blanton pitched an effective six, but Looper and the Brewers were just a step ahead tonight. With confidence, this was the most forgettable game of the season. The two sides settle the series tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 in a Business Persons Special.

Comments

[Tray]

I don't know, somewhat memorable in that this is the, what, second decent start we've gotten out of our rotation all year?

[clout]

Jerry: Despite the feelings of many BL, no. Cairo OPS vs RH is .646 career; Coste: .753.

[clout]

I like tomorrow's matchup, Hamels vs. Bush.

[doubleh]

Wasn't the Bush start the only one MIL won last year in the NLDS?

How I wish we were facing Suppan...

[Jonesman]

It really was a tough luck loss tonight. Lots of hard hit balls right at people and some tough calls from the home plate ump (many of which would have been ball 3 or 4 to the hitter). Looper was by no means dominant. He did not strike out a single batter. In hindsight Howard's GIDP in the first was a pretty pivotal play in this game. That seemed like their best chance to get to Looper.

[kilbillrain]

I was at game tonight. Looper was throwing a lot of 1st pitch strikes. It seemed to be a fairly evident strategy. Confusingly however nearly all fightins were taking first pitch! There were a lot of 0-2 counts tonight.

[davthom73]

MPN -- You say "Fact: "DavThom73" has acknowledged that he was an owner in the independent Northern League. Fact: The owner of the Fargo team in that league is named Brian Thom. Fact: Chris Coste thanks Brian Thom in the acknowledgements section of "The 30-year old Rookie." So, question: DavThom73 are you Brian Thom or a relative of Brian Thom?"

Answer: No.

You misread that one post. I said that I had been one of the owners of an independent league team. I did not say that I was an owner of a team in the Northern League --which I was not. And I don't know Brian Thom.

During the 1996 and 1997 seasons -- I was one of the owners of the Grand Forks (N.D.) Varmints -- a franchise in the Prairie League -- an independent league which, like the Northern League, had franchises strewn throughout the Upper Midwest. Our league competed with the Northern League for players -- and I have never had any fondness for Coste's old Northern League team -- the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks. After the Prairie League's Aberdeen (S.D.) Pheasants split a pre-season exhibition series with the North League's Sioux Falls Canaries -- Baseball America's Morris Wolfe [originator of the Northern League] barred Northern League teams from playing Prairie League teams in exhibition games. And the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks tried to put us out of business, because we were within 100 miles of Fargo in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and they wanted our market. Coste began his professional career with the Brandon (Manitoba) Grey Owls of the Prairie League in 1995 - before going to the Red hawks in '96 -- and before I got involved with the Prairie League.

[Mac Tonight]

A likely story, Mr. Coste.

[davthom73]

Mac Tonight -- Funny stuff:)

[thephaithful]

i was at the game tonight and couldn't tell, but was Feliz safe on the attempted 5-4-3 DP? If so, this is truly a sign that something is brewing in Pedrotown. Walks, Opp. field HRs, +.300 avg, and now beating out double plays?!

Yea.. thats how miserable that game was, I came away from the stadium thinking about Feliz beating out DPs.

Also: Ibanez stroked the ball to every single part of the field except for over the fence and only had 1 hit to show for it, very tough luck on his part.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Last businessman's special I attended Pads at Pirates, last season for 3 Rivers. IT was in a "superbox" (it was a dump) thing behind home and right next to teh visitors radio booth, separated by a glass partition. ANyway, that reminded me of a Harry Kalas story I heard the day after he died that made me smile. Guy I work with is from Lancaster and has a 90 year old mother who follows the Phillies religiously. He sat in that box a long time ago and he got Kalas' attention adn he came over and he introduced his mother to him. Later on, he did one of his "Betty Page" of Lancaster is at the game today comments on hte air and made her day.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

"Did Hittin' Season start early this year? Supposed to be in the 80s this weekend, so it sure seems like it."
Posted by: clout | Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at 06:37 PM

I opened up the game thread because I completely missed the game and this is the first comment. I hope your feelign about Hamels v. Bush doesn't jinx them again tomorrow. (I did read teh box score - n Ks but no runs?) Btw, it was 39 when I stopped for gas on the turnpike today. Didn't feel like hittin' season.

[Baumer]

Went to the game tonight. Absolutely miserable night for baseball. Loss made the evening even worse. Phils hit the ball pretty hard all game, but unfortunately right at Brewers. On the positive side, Joltin Joe pitched fine and the bullpen gave us some solid frames. let's take the series tomorrow...

[MG]

Pretty crummy loss tonight. Blanton wasn't great but he pitched well enough to win. Just made a few mistakes especially walking Braun in the 6th when Blanton seemed to lose control when he ran out of gas a bit.

Yeah the Phils hit some balls hard tonight but they also hit their fair share of balls into the ground to the left side of the infield and popped up a bunch of pitches too.

In general a pretty crappy night at the plate for everything including Feliz who looked like Feliz of last year - inpatient and trying to pull all kinds of offspeed stuff regardless of location. Inevitably, he will likely revert to doing that and he hitting around the .250-.260 mark again.

[MG]

Macha definitely had a "Yost" type moment tonight when he left Looper in to face Ibanez in the 6th inning.

Utterly foolish to see in Looper to face Ibanez when the Phils had 2 guys on and Looper was at 100+ pitches/loosing control on his offspeed stuff.

Looper threw 2 offspeed pitches that missed badly to Ibanez to start the AB and then worked the count 2-2. He came him a fastball on the inside of the plate that Ibanez smoked to RF but right at Hart.

Macha was always second guessed in Oakland and it was pretty apparent from rumors there that Beane had no love for him as a manager. He clearly made a mistake tonight by not having Stetters ready to go with so many lefties coming up.

He just got lucky that Ibanez did hit that ball 3 feet further or it would have been a 3-2 game with a guy on 2nd.

[MG]

Phils have managed to play down to their competition this year so far. Instead of beating a team down that isn't playing hitting well at all and has had very shaky pitching, they play down to their competition.

Maybe Hamels pitches well tomorrow or they rock Bush but I bet the Phils get another mediocre outing from Hamels and lose tomorrow. Losing 2 of 3 at home to a Brewers' team that wasn't playing well would be disappointing even in April.

[Tray]

That would be disappointing. What's the last time, anyone, that Hamels pitched well in a day game?

[Dale]

Well, Tray, I can help target your question without even trying:

Certainly not this year.

[EastFallowfield]

Yo, new thread