Time is right for Phillies to apply finishing touches

Nobody is mistaking the Astros’ pitching probables for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. With the magic number down to three, and several players ailing, the Phillies need to wrap it up right here and leave nothing to chance. Time for the Phils to flex some muscle and lay waste to four-headed human shield of Wilton Lopez (0-0, 8.44), Yorman Bazardo (0-2, 9.55), Brian Moehler (8-11, 5.21) and Felipe Paulino (2-11, 6.51).

Comments

[Creg_One]

Amen to that

[Willard Preacher]

So, what's the overwhelming feeling on whether or not the Phils even have home field advantage in the NLDS?

[R.Billingsly]

Lopez, Bazardo, Moehler, Paulino? Sounds like 28+ shutout innings to me.

Oh yeah, positive. Uh...18 shutout innings.

[Bay Slugga]

Just said the same thing on 4DR. Amen, JW.

[Kutztown Fan]

Willard - the Card and Dodgers aren't playing very well right now, either, so best record is still up for grabs, IMHO.

[Bubba]

Let's get a few wins early this week, Bruntlett needs some at bats.

[Greg V.]

One thing I do not have the stomach for is to watch these stiffs mow down the Phillies. A mediocre team can handle these guys. The Phillies ought to destroy them.

[Ruben Amaro]

Not worried about my Phillies at all.

[Old Phan]

11-0 Pittsburgh. That falls into the "you never know" category.

[Iceman]

I remember last year a key series with the Nats around this time- I specifically remember it because I was on a date and completely distracted with the game on in the background.

Of course, it was more pressure last year because we were behind and/or tied (forget which). But the Nats threw three stiffs at us and we blew right through them because it was 'necessity' (as Werth would put it).

Needless to say, they need to do the same type of thing here to restore confidence that they are the same team going forward into the postseason. Anything less than 3 out of 4 here would be a big disappointment. And if Cole is out-pitched by some hack, he pretty much loses all the credibility he built up over the second half. It's go time.

[Lake Fred]

Payback is a motherhumper. The Phils need to remember the four game Labor Day weekend sweep spanking that the Astros gave the Phillies earlier this year. I will be satisfied with nothing less than a back sweep of the playing out the string Cooper-less Astros.

From the last thread, it was suggested that Condrey be given a shot as the back up closer on days where Madson is rested. I buy into that idea. Condrey is a workhorse warrior. He will not have the DITHL problems of some of our other hurlers.

[EastFallowfield]

And the Dodgers had an awful meltdown in the 9th yesterday too.

Wonder if their fans panic like the fans of the WFC do?

[Willard Preacher]

Have the Phils seen these guys before? If so, with what kind of results? They're not exactly the team known for beating up on pitchers they're seeing for the first time.

[R.Billingsly]

Good day for LaRoche: 5-5, 2-HR, 2-2B, 4-R, 6-RBI.

[clout]

That Astros rotation is Ed Wade's way of saying "thanks" for Michael Bourn.

[LA Jeff]

Yea I sat Andy LaRoche on my fantasy team this week in favor of Alex Gordon and I'm in a neck to neck race for first place. Thanks Andy, you POS.

[Tony D]

Sweep the leg. Mercy is for the weak.

[EastFallowfield]

Have the Phils seen these guys before?

Bazardo: 0ne inning in 2007 (Ruiz knocked in Nunez-Bazardo was a Tiger)

Lopez: Nope

Moehler: 48 innings, 6.19 ERA

Paulino: Nope

[RK]

why does MLB.com show the dodges have clinched a playoff birth? Theyhave not clinched the division (they lost again today). What am I missing?

[Old Phan]

Because the Dodgers have the best record in the league at this point. If by some miracle they blew the lead, they would still win the WC.

[Kutztown Fan]

Even if the Dodgers blow their division, they would still get the wild card.

[DH Phils]

Condrey's low DITHL numbers are deceiving because he's a native Texan. Everybody knows Texans hide their emotions better than the general population. He could be nervous on the inside and it wouldn't show in his DITHL numbers.

[mvptommyd]

What I don't understand more than anything is how JW preaches that no persoanl attacks, cursing and other behavior will not be tolerated. As we learned when some posters were no longer posting.

Yet these rules do not apply to some of the regular posters who are in good with JW. AWH, cursed me out and personally attacked me in one posted last thread.Yet no action taken

[e]

4 headed human shield i love it

[bigmyc]

OMAGOD! OMAGOD! OMAGOD! THE BRAVES WON AGAIN! WHATAWE DO?!

OMAGOD! OMAGOD!

[ozark]

If they falter at any point it could get very ugly at CBP.

[THe Dude]

MYPTOMMYD - i've been banned a few times. Most notably for being too negative and using two different computers...and i had to wait a year and now somehow i can post again.

I know where you're coming from. Remember its an opinion blog not actual reporting. Personally when all the newspapers are gone, it will be pretty sad because most people will read these blogs and think that the bloggers are doing actual reporting, checking sources etc. when they are just spewing opinions.

[CJ]

clout: "You're wrong more often than most on here, so I don't blame you."

The high irony on this clout gem is that he and I are in agreement on almost everything except Moyer. :-)

[Tony D]

If Hunter Pence turns into Willie Mays again you might see Tony D run on the field and tackle him as he's rounding the bases.

[Tony D]

BTW: Jason, no chance I can see you listening to Juvenile.

[CJ]

Phils. vs. Marlins game on Oct. 3 has been switched to a FOX broadcast with a 4:10 p.m. start time. (via @philaphillies on twitter)

[J. Weitzel]

A little perspective: The discourse on this site is of a higher degree than 95 percent of blogs, largely because of a hands-off approach and trust in posters to police themselves. I don't ask people to log in and I don't put up walls like Metsblog. I don't have time or interest in monitoring comments 24/7. Posters are typically banned for very general offenses, like repeated abuse or posting abuse under multiple handles. Eventually, banned IPs are lifted under the assumption the reader is ready to carry on a normal conversation under a single handle.

[krukker]

The sad thing is that tommy is attacked not for his opinion directly (which sometimes is valid, and I think is in this case) but for the reasoning by which he gets there (which is flawed more often than his overall point).

If you notice, clout sort of comes to tommy's defense in this case, and for good reason. In the past, clout has offered the point that if you move Madson into the closer role, it throws off the entire bullpen because everyone else moves up one step on the bullpen totem pole. This is essentially the same point that tommy is trying to make, yet he is being unmercifully attacked.

The one difference that I can see between clout's view and tommy's view is that clout always advocated putting Lidge into the setup role and Madson into the closing role 1) because Lidge had success as a setup man after failing as closer in Houston, and 2) because the other guys in the pen don't have their roles adjusted.

So clout, am I close here? Is tommy actually right on this one?

[CJ]

krukker: Are you advocating leaving Brad Lidge as closer?

[Petey Pablo]

Put Happ in as closer and leave everyone else where they are. That way, we can protect everyone's role and get someone in the closer spot who should be effective.

[Old Phan]

No one, at this point, is advocating Lidge for closer. Well, except for fans of teams that will be playing the Phils.

[krukker]

Absolutely not. Lidge is about the last guy I want coming out of the pen right and should not make the playoff roster. But my takeaway from tommy's opinion is that roles are important because of the cascading effect it has on the rest of the pen.

[CJ]

krukker: It ends up being a false choice then. No one that I know of has yet presented a legitimate option for both filling the closer role and leaving all other relievers in their "role." Lidge's ineffectiveness and all of the injuries have completely removed that as a possibility. (Save the desperate idea of installing Happ as closer.)

[CJ]

Yo, new thread already...

[Petey Pablo]

Old Phan - Incorrect. I seem to remember a Phils fan on this very site arguing that Lidge should close to help us lose games. The theory, according to this fan, was that the Phils will be better off finishing 3rd in the NL to avoid playing the scorching-hot Rockies in the NLDS, and instead play the Dodgers, who present (so the argument went) a better matchup.

[Old Phan]

Petey, I stand corrected. I guess there is one in every crowd...

[clout]

krukker: Your summary of what my views have been is correct, although I no longer trust Lidge in even a setup role. I currently favor Madson for 2-inning saves generally, with mix and match in the 8th if there are a couple lefties coming up.