Sunday chat: Phillies take early lead in Florida

Jamie Moyer (2-1, 6.35), who is 11-1 with a 2.95 career ERA against the Marlins, toes the slab in Florida, where Ryan Howard and the Phillies put up a couple early runs on rookie Graham Taylor, making his Major League debut this afternoon. The Phils head to the bottom of the first up 2-0 in search of the three-game sweep. Enjoy the game, and go Phils. [Jump to the newest comments]

Comments

[NEPP]

So we should start every game thread late since we actually have a lead for once.

Coste Sucks.

[Knight]

Curious what kind of strike zone Moyer is going to get today.

[NEPP]

SIT DOWN!

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Coste has to be pissed at himself. Looked at two strikes and swung at a ball.

[mm]

Moyer strike zone is on: looks like we'll have a win today.

[NEPP]

Coste is quickly wearing out his welcome in Philly. He's gonna be a 1 start a week guy when Ruiz is back.

[NEPP]

Moyer looks on in the early going.

Hope he keeps it up.

[NEPP]

~does really bad HK impression~

Swing and miss STRUCK HIM OUT!

[G-Town Dave]

Klaus (edit): I think Wheels is insightful, but he talks too much. McCarver is often nonsensical, & he talks too much. Morgan is downright condescending. McCarthy is a carnival barker, & he's boring.

[NEPP]

Strike 3 is somehow Ball 3...

[NEPP]

IBANEZ!!!!!

[mm]

Hanley Ramirez intro music: Superstar by Lupe Fiasco. Kind of ironic for a fish because the 3rd line of that chorus is "Then have no fear, the crowd is here". There's no crowd in Miami.

[G-Town Dave]

More crappy defense in left field ...

[Knight]

NEPP: I agree, I wasn't too sure about Marson, but he's proven himself to be good enough to play in Ruiz' absence.

Coste is gonna catch Moyer every time he comes up though, since Moyer's system is so complicated.

Wow, what a great catch by Ibanez!

[redbeard]

rauuuuuulll

[AFish]

Burrell would have caught that without having to dive.

[NEPP]

Its "Dress up as an empty orange seat day" in Florida today. Everyone who comes as an empty orange seat gets in free.

[NEPP]

Coste will only get starts when Moyer is starting probably.

Burrell would have played it on the bounce...he always played it safe in LF (probably a smart thing overall for him).

Ibanez is a bit more reckless sometimes.

[NEPP]

What's up with that?!?

At least it was his right arm.

[Knight]

Hm, strike two there to Moyer seemed low. But then the HBP makes it meaningless.

[NEPP]

Here's where the young rookie calms down.

[bay_area_phan]

You'd think with the Marlins' deep minor league system, they could have come up with someone better than this guy to start today's game. But I'm not complaining.

[NEPP]

Anyone else think the Bruntlett drive would fall in? How did that get caught and fairly easily?

[G-Town Dave]

NEPP: I agree w/ you about Burrell. Personally, I tend to be more forgiving when outfielders make mistakes born of hustle (Ibañez) as opposed to mistakes born of being lazy (Abreu).

[mm]

Nice hit by gnome, great catch unfortunatley for us.

[Andy]

b-a-p:
With Moyer pitching, the Marlins were probably looking at this game as a "sumk cost."

[NEPP]

Good eye by Utley...good eye.

[NEPP]

Damn. The shift should be illegal.

[Knight]

The shift eats Howard up again.

[redbeard]

not trying to sound greedy, but they should have more than 2 runs on this yahoo

[Andy]

Or maybe they were going by the "Phils Don't Hit Noob LHP" Rule."

Gosh; I really hate the Howard shift. If teams didn't do that he would have, like, a .400 BA.

[NEPP]

Nice routine play by Feliz...

[Knight]

Moyer is getting that outside corner every time so far.

[NEPP]

nice and easy for Jamie.

[Andy]

I'm wondering about Pete Happy's new shades - did the league make him wear them because he was unintentionally intimidating the fans on the first base side?

[NEPP]

Its a good possibility Andy. Its said that Pedro can kill a small child at 50 yards just by looking at him.

I wonder who would win in a fight between Feliz and Chuck Norris?

[NEPP]

Kyle Drabek starts today in Clearwater in about 10 minutes...should be interesting to follow online.

[Knight]

NEPP, whoever wins, we lose. The destruction would be immense.

[Knight]

Ugh, Phillies are tagging balls right at people.

[Rich]

This could be a good turning point for the Phillies today. I still miss Pat, but already Ibanez is making his self known, he is in the top catagoies for RBI's and so far HR's...

[NEPP]

You keep making good contact and they eventually fall in and go through the infield.

[fljerry]

This is the kind of game that worries me - 2 runs are not enough against Florida, and I am sure that Moyer will not be as good as he has been for the first 2 innings. They let this kids off the hook.

[NEPP]

The TBS announcers are actually COMPLIMENTING the attendance today..."Around 20,000 here today!!"

Yeah, wow!

[NEPP]

Graham Taylor = 73 pitches in 3 IP. So maybe 2 more innings at best?

[NEPP]

Screw Paulino.

[Andy]

NEPP - That's cause some of them are actually watching the game.

[NEPP]

Ah crap...here we go.

[Knight]

I'm feeling a three run HR.

[Andy]

I'm predicting an unassisted Gnome Triple Play.

Or a sacrifice bunt.

Definitely one or the other.

[paco]

what channel is the game on?

[NEPP]

I'm feeling the bunt SO here...

[NEPP]

STRUCK HIM OUT!!!

[paco]

never mind, I found it.

[Knight]

17

[NEPP]

Almost a DP there...great work by Jamie to induce the groundball on the 3-2 count.

[NEPP]

Great work getting out of the inning...

[Knight]

Good job by Moyer to sneak out of that one with no runs.

[NEPP]

There are RH specialists, LH specialists, and then Florida Marlin Specialists when it comes to pitching...Moyer is the latter.

[Knight]

I was halfway through typing "I hope Coste takes some pitches, want to drive up this guy's pitch count" and then he's done on two pitches. Bleh.

Least I can count on Moyer.

[NEPP]

That was only our 2nd hit...doesn't feel like it but damn.

[NEPP]

Coste has just been brutal at the plate lately...no gameplan whatsoever when he's up there.

[G-Town Dave]

Moyer has been on as much in two plate appearances today as Rollins was in the past three games.

[NEPP]

You CANNOT STOP THE GNOME!!!

[NEPP]

Scored a double somehow.

[Knight]

Big spot here for Utley.

[NEPP]

That's UTASTIC!!!

Huge hit for the Phillies.

[Knight]

Making the Marlins pay for the bad defense. I love it.

[NEPP]

93 pitches for Taylor now...

[Sophist]

No question Rollins is struggling, but there is no comparison between this dude, Josh Johnson and Volstad. None.

[NEPP]

Howard swings at ball 4.

[NEPP]

Taylor's day: 98 pitches (49 Strikes, 49 Balls)

Ouch.

[NEPP]

Low strike 3 call there against Werth...really low.

[mm]

stike zone has been all-over the place during this series(at least the past two games i've watched).

[Knight]

Oof, that looked like a ball to me.

[Jonesman]

Low and outside called strike 3 to Werth. I would have preferred to see Ibanez up with the bases loaded.

[NEPP]

So that's a ball but hte pitch against Werth wasn't???

Okay.

[NEPP]

Hate to go there but with Rollins thats a 6-4-3 DP.

[Jonesman]

Well that was a DP is Jimmy is playing

[NEPP]

Vic doesn't make it look pretty sometimes but man he can get back on a ball.

[G-Town Dave]

The Phils also probably don't have 4 runs on the board if J-Roll is playing.

[NEPP]

Yeah, FU Paulino!!!!

[Sophist]

G-Town - You are relentless. You've let 60 AB convince you that Rollins is done getting on base.

[Knight]

Rollins obviously isn't done, but you have to admit he's pretty cold at the moment.

[Sophist]

On a day against a first-time starter no less, in which basically everyone is getting on base.

[NEPP]

Rollins got a needed day off...He'll be back starting tomorrow...as he should be.

[NEPP]

A lot of bloop hits today...

[Sophist]

Knight. Certainly, but I don't think Rollins would have failed to get on base today. Taylor wasn't throwing strikes.

[G-Town Dave]

Almost any other player on the roster starts out as badly as Rollins has, & everybody in town would be screaming for his head. I don't think J-Roll is done, by any means, but I cannot understand why he has been getting leeway that no one else, save perhaps Utley, would *ever* get. His numbers are absolutely indefensible, esp. for a lead off batter. Period.

[NEPP]

Coste sucks.

[NEPP]

Perhaps its because he's a former MVP, team leader and great defender at his position?

Perhaps its becasue we won a WS last year and its harder to rip a guy that was a huge part of that.

[Knight]

If Rollins could keep the bat on his shoulder long enough for Taylor to throw him 4 balls, I agree. He's been swinging at anything within the same zip code as the strike zone.

And Coste with the stunning offensive performance.

[G-Town Dave]

Sophist: Do you honestly believe Rollins would have been patient enough to take those pitches? Lack of patience has always been J-Rolls biggest weakness as a lead off batter. Look at his ABs this season -- one or two pitches, & a weak ground out or pop up. Today would have been no different.

[Jonesman]

If only there were some explanation for why us fans might be showing more patience with our stars from last year... nope can't think of anything

[Sophist]

Or maybe because it's only 60-some AB? Or maybe it's just the degree of your whining? You are incessant. Seems very personal to you.

[G-Town Dave]

Jonesman: Nobody is showing that much patience w/ Hamels, & he's as big of a star as the Phillies had in '08.

[NEPP]

Coste SUCKS...just sayin'.

Take the sure out you fvcking idiot.

[redbeard]

coste stinks

[king myno]

Ugh, Coste. You're killing us.

[Jonesman]

Who is ripping Hamels?

Coste on the other hand, is killing us

[Knight]

Oh, and I think that Rollins should be back in the lineup again tomorrow. I'd like to see him moved down a couple spots, maybe 6th, but he's gotta get ABs to work out of it, and his defense is so good that a slightly lackluster offensive performance is probably worth it.

What is Coste thinking on that play.

Sigh.