Game chat: A steep challenge to avoid sweep

Reigning Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum goes in search of his fifth win as Cole Hamels and the Phillies look to get off the schneid in San Francisco.

Howard: Ryan Howard opus is done, but to post 48 hours after the news first broke would be really bush. So I’ve been slicing the main points into 140-character bursts and walking myself through the pros and cons on Twitter, since posting to a mobile phone with one free hand is often the only way to do it these days. Follow me here. On a related note, I’m working on ways to better integrate social networking and Beerleaguer without sacrificing the old-school appeal of the comments thread. You might have seen prompts to sign in using Typepad, Facebook or Twitter. I urge everyone to at least create a Typepad account with your own customizable avatar. Or not. I doubt Clout would do it, but NEPP did it. MPN did it.

Lineups are posted: Standard set against Lincecum, pictured right on the set of "Better Off Dead" (I want my two dollars!)

Lidge update: Mike Drago covered Brad Lidge’s rehab in Reading and reported that he was much sharper than in his one-inning appearance on Friday. “He threw some nasty sliders in striking out the side in the sixth inning; overall he struck out four of seven batters. The only one who reached against him did so on an error.” Drago marked his fastball velocity between 89-91. Meanwhile, Stephen Strasburg started for the Senators and lived up to the hype.

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Comments

[Mike Scuilli]

i signed in with facebook, test

[NEPP]

Wait a minute...we canz have Avatar?!?

[UD Hens]

Signed in with Typepad, but no avatar :(

[Matt]

89-91? Bleh.

[NEPP]

I thought he meant it would show up by our posts in the comments...it is on my profile though.

Not a major issue.

[NEPP]

If Lidge is fully healthy, why has he lost 5-6 mph on his fastball in 3-4 years? He's actually seen a steady decline in his avg FB velocity from its high water mark of 96.0 in 2005 to 90ish now.

He's not ancient (only 33) so it shouldnt be purely age related.

[Willard Preacher]

On paper, today's game is a certain "L." Day-time Cole, offense running on fumes, get-away day game before a day off and a home stand, injuries to key players, going against one of the best pitchers in baseball.

All that said, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who knows that this just SMELLS of a Phils win. Not quite sure how to explain it, but following the Phils for years has shown me that whatever is a "certainty" will only prove to be certainly wrong with this team. If gambling were legal, I may or may not have even dropped $50 on the Phils today.

Yet another litmus test for Mr. Hamels. Curious to see where he nets out today. There's only so many "big starts" I can watch him let me down before I give up hope altogether that he has ace potential.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Can I sign in using my Friendster account?

[UD Hens]

<- That is where the avatar could go

[JeffS]

And Reading's gun is pretty generous.

[NEPP]

The same gun had Strasburg at 94-95...when he typically throws a good bit higher than that.

[GTown_Dave]

A Couple Tweets Of Interest:

@JSalisburyCSN - "Jimmy Rollins is jogging, not close to running, he said. Said his timetable for return is still first two weeks of May."

@ToddZolecki - "Today's Lineup @ SF: Victorino CF, Polanco 3B, Utley 2B, Howard 1B, Werth RF, Ibañez LF, Castro SS, Ruiz C, Hamels P."

[Reverend]

I had spent a whole 7 minutes looking for a good picture to put next to my name. Jesus flipping the bird, I am sorry you all can't enjoy it with me.

[YT Crooks]

I will not cow to your demand of integrated social networking! Or at least not today...

I disagree with your "Bleh", UD Hens. The speed is not the best (but not bad) but K-ing 4 of 7 batters seems good to me, even if they're minor leaguers. And on that note...

Do you really think Strasburg has "lived up to the hype"? He's starting for the Harrisburg Senators, not the real-real Senators.

www.venuing.com/voices

[GTown_Dave]

Even if Rainbow Brite somehow manages to piece together a decent start, this offense has a better chance of curing cancer w/ pine tar & sunflower seeds than it does of scoring 3 or more runs off of Lincecum. I say let's get this loss, & this whole cursed road trip, over w/ ASAP & go home.

[GTown_Dave]

Rev: It can be seen when we click on your profile. Good stuff. Clearly even Christ Himself doesn't buy this "Hard Luck Hamels" nonsense.

[bay_area_phan]

I'll channel clout and say that I'm not terribly concerned about Lidge's velocity. Lidge doesn't use his fastball to strike people out; he uses it to set up his slider. A 90 or 91 MPH fastball has plenty enough velocity to do that. His velocity last year was no more than 91 or 92 but, on the rare occasion that he located it well, he was effective. Command, not velocity, will be the key to Lidge's 2010 season.

[Reverend]

Gtown it was either that or Buddy Christ but that picture spoke to me.

[Old Phan]

G-Town, you are a huge Hamels fan, aren't you?

[The Truth Injection]

I love the now being able to sign into Typepad. My computer decided that it was not going to save my cookies for the site anymore and I had to re-enter the name every time and that's why I shortened my handle to "TTI." Now I can post away and have a profile...Awesome

[bay_area_phan]

I'm in the East Bay, where it's absolutely pouring right now. Don't know if it's the same in San Francisco, but there's a pretty good chance that it is. It wouldn't surprise me if there's a delayed start to this game. Unfortunately, this system is supposed to pass through over the next few hours, so I don't think we're going to get out of facing Lincecum.

[GTown_Dave]

Old Phan: I record Cole's Comcast commercials to remind me that, if nothing else, he's quite photogenic.

[Sophist]

Gtown - I enjoyed that post.

Phils are 4-2 against the Giants when Lincecum starts but 1-2 since 08. Lincecum in those three starts: 23 IP, .782 WHIP, 4 R.

[UD Hens]

YT - that's not my Bleh, it belongs to Matt. Actually, I agree with Matt! 89-91 may be 'lights out' against AA hitters, but probably not effective against MLB hitters.

[UD Hens]

Tweet from Scott Lauber..."Forgot to mention this yesterday: Roy Halladay T-shirts are still on sale at concession stands here at Rogers Centre"

[Chris]

GTown - I often envision Hamels smashing through the first two plates on that Comcast commercial, theoretically getting up 0 balls and 2 strikes, and then giving up a long HR to the Direct TV plate which would be much more realistic these days than him actually getting the third strike.

[MG]

Don't know if the RPhils actually went out and bought a new radar gun because the velocity on the scoreboard last year was always a few MPH above where it normally was. Drabek had a nice fastball but it was 97-98 MPH. Ditto on Zagurski.

[HammRadio]

@JW -- I'll gladly sign in with TypePad if this means it's better to control Mets Trolls. :)

mike cunningham = HammRadio...

[GTown_Dave]

Sophist: Do you happen to have Lincecum's Home/Road splits vs. the Phillies handy? I'm curious.

Chris: I have envisioned the exact same thing.

[ozark]

I thought the Reading gun was 2-4 MPH slow.

[Cipper]

Doesn't Hamels tend to pitch well in California? or is that just LA?

[AL]

I hope we get a chance to see Roy match up with Lincecum when the Giants come to Philly. I can live without seeing him in the playoffs tho.

[Sophist]

3 starts in SF for Lincecum against the Phils

09 - 8 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 SO.
08 - 8 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 2 HR.
07 - 4.1 IP, 5 H5 R, 5 BB, 5 SO, 2 HR.

[MG]

Ozark - You may be right. Too many things on my plate. Need to concentrate and just listen to the game in the background today.

[GTown_Dave]

Sophist: Thanks. Kinda what I feared. Who knows, though. Maybe the Phils offense can pull a Wellemeyer & buck the trend.

[Matt]

Is MLB.com not working for anyone else?

[JeffS]

Did they recalibrate the gun in Reading this year? Last year, it showed Flande and Drabek throwing faster than other parks did.

[GTown_Dave]

Is it just me, or is MLB Gameday FUBAR for anyone else?

[bay_area_phan]

I'm kind of excited that we might get to see a no-hitter today.

[jr]

Please explain why a lead off hitter with an 2-o count swings at the next pitch.

[Sophist]

Utley has hit a bunch of FB like that since ARI, hasn't he? Warning track.

[NEPP]

Not to jinx it but MLB.com is working for me so far.

[bay_area_phan]

If this follows the usual pattern, we'll all spend the first 2 or 3 innings talking about how Cole is really dealing. Then all hell will break loose around the 3rd or 4th.

[MG]

Early tight strike zone . . . not a good thing for Hamels & his fastball.

[Greg S.]

No perfect game for Cole.

[Sophist]

Hamels was locating his FB very well to Renteria there and didn't get a single call.

[Matt]

LA already bitching about the umpires. Only took 1/3 of an inning.

[GTown_Dave]

b_a_p: In light of the Phillies' recent offensive struggles, the Phila. Daily News should change their Home Run Payoff Inning to be that in which they project Hamels will melt down & start serving up the meatballs.

[NEPP]

Way too many pitches here so far.

[NEPP]

20 pitches per will knock him out by the 6th.

I'll temper my enthusiasm and say that Cole has been okay so far.

[holy mackrel]

Jr - Please explain why a lead off hitter with an 2-o count swings at the next pitch.

they re just 2 overanxious~!

[bay_area_phan]

Yeah, 3-ball counts to 3 of the first 4 hitters. Not a great sign.

[MG]

Power outage continues . . . now a career record power slump for Howard.

[Pizzda]

"LA already bitching about the umpires. Only took 1/3 of an inning."
That's how long it took for people to bitch about Hamels.

[NEPP]

Lincecum is putting on a clinic so far.

[holy mackrel]

it's going to be a long game and a longer flight home

[Willard Preacher]

Alice Cooper is dealing.

[NEPP]

Hey, Mitchie Mitchie Mitchie...Mitch Kramer...we're looking for you pal!

[Matt]

Oh Lordy. Gonna be a long game.

[R.Billingsly]

4 of 6 outs via strikeout. Good start for Lincecum. Not for the Phils. Going to be one of those games, I suppose.

[donc]

Glad my radio in the office is not getting reception. Can't stand to hear LA make excuses for the Phillies. Total homer.

[Willard Preacher]

A lengthy rain delay would be fabulous right about......now.

[Pizzda]

Lincecum has an amazing delivery. No one can see the ball.

[MG]

Best pitcher in the NL in action. His evolution has been amazing from a guy who had a tremendous arm but often overthrew & had too many fastballs to a guy who now simply can use 5 valid weapons against you.

Watching Pedro used to be an event when I lived in Boston in the late 90s/early 00s. Watched Lincecum when I could in '08 in SF and would love to watch his mojo if I still lived out there.

[holy mackrel]

27 pitches for 2 inn for Lincecum..

PMS had 21 in the 1st inn alone

[Steve The Met Fan]

C'mon now, you have to be happy about the Met fans who are going to start coming on here talking trash. I mean, wasn't 2009 boring in that sense? lol

[joe l]

Some more crackpot Beerleaguer blog fixups in my Greasemonkey script (remove posts from trolls, highlight posts, comment links, etc.) I don't know if any it can be integrated into BL, but there are a few ideas in action that some may find useful.

[R.Billingsly]

Is the strike zone as small as Game Day is showing?

[bay_area_phan]

With command like this, it's not a matter of if, but when, Hamels is going to melt down. It will undoubtedly happen the 2nd time through the lineup.

[MG]

LA is right to freak out. This strike zone is ridiculous.

[holy mackrel]

it also looks like a trifecta for lousy umpiring - a lot of pitches on the corner - aren't being called strikes

[Mike Scuilli]

LA is going nuts on the radio

"if hamels gets thrown out for arguing i wouldn't blame him one bit"

Is it really that bad?

[NEPP]

Somehow Lincecum is having no problems with it.

[NEPP]

Its a small zone but its not that brutal. LA needs to just shut up.

[R.Billingsly]

Is this the CB Bucknor crew? They are among the worst in MLB in my opinion.

[phlipper]

If the umpire is that bad, then why does Linecum have 19 strikes out of 27 pitches and 4 Ks?

[GTown_Dave]

I'm as hard on Hamels as anyone, but DeMuth's strike zone is utterly insane. Cole is getting squeezed beyond belief.

[holy mackrel]

by the tine this inn is over at least 40+ pitches for PMS

[bay_area_phan]

To read Beerleaguer's comments thread, you'd think that every time one of our pitchers stinks, it's the umpire's fault. Seems to me the same guy has been calling balls and strikes for the Giants' pitchers, and they don't seem to have any trouble throwing strikes.

[The Truth Injection]

Lots of pitches that could go either way at this point. Glad I don't have to listen to L.A. whack out about it. I know some like him but he annoys me to no end.

Good test for Hamels though, see how he keeps his composure.

[donc]

NEPP:Objectivity like that will get you mocked.

[NEPP]

42 pitches for Cole.

Cole would help himself out if he had better control.

[Mike Scuilli]

"I don't know why the giants would even bother swinging" - LA

Hahaha, it's starting to get annoying, but it IS pretty funny

[R.Billingsly]

Valid point, phlipper. A lot of swinging strikes from the Phils, though.

[Willard Preacher]

Easy to throw strikes if the other team's pitcher is waving feebly. Sadly, Cole also thew him a couple of balls, first.

[kart racer]

Honestly at this point, I think Lincecum can just throw it over the middle every pitch and the phillies couldn't do anything about it. That's the kind of slump they are in.

[NEPP]

If Cole had some consistency on his location, he'd probably get the borderline calls. Lincecum hits his spots, Cole doesn't and he pays for it.

[GTown_Dave]

I think the difference between Hamels & Lincecum so far is that the Phillies batters are swinging, whereas the Giants batters are not.

[holy mackrel]

while looking at the Game-day graphics Tin Lincecum was getting a lot of the borderline pitches, where PMS wasn't

[R.Billingsly]

As far as the umpiring goes, I asked a question based on what Game Day was showing (i.e. balls within their "strike zone" called balls). LA is definitely a homer, though, so you can't go by him.

[MG]

BAP & Phlipper - There have been 6 pitches so far that Hamels has thrown that looked like clear strikes on GameDay & on the TV yet were called balls.

I agree with Dave. DeMuth's strike zone is about 2 inches above the knee and below the letters with nothing on either corner so far.

MLB wants to speed up the game and then calls utterly ridiculous strike zones like this.

[Mike Scuilli]

for the record i'm not saying i agree with LA, i can't actually see the game so no comment on that one. Jim Jackson isn't all that bad at this baseball thing

[kart racer]

Jim Jackson got a smooth voice. He has that going for him.

[NEPP]

The difference is that Ruiz has to move his glove to catch it while Molina is frozen...borderline calls go against you when you miss your spots consistently and Cole has been doing that.

[NEPP]

goes for the corner and misses.

[holy mackrel]

the phillies batter-

Script -

pitch1 ,
pitch2
pitch3 -swing and ground ball out - absolutely no discipline at the plate - it's ridiculous

[donc]

If Hamels is PMS (completely appropriate btw) L.A. is OTR.

[tightlines]

You can throw a message pitch to an umpire? I didn't know you could.

[GTown_Dave]

OK, that was hilarious. Cole & the entire Giants team started to walk off of the field, & DeMuth called a Ball. You show 'em who's the star, Blue!

[Mike Scuilli]

Did linecum just throw the ball over the umpire's head? Sending a message? ballsy