Game chat: Red-hot offense, Halladay, eye sweep

Roy Halladay (1-0, 1.29 ERA) and the hard-hitting Phillies wrap up their opening road trip against Roy Oswalt (0-1, 4.50 ERA) and the winless Astros. First pitch is 2:05 from Houston.

Notes: Last night, Ryan Howard's third home run of the season fueled a 9-6 comeback for the Phils, erasing a five-run Houston third against Jamie Moyer that unfolded in the time it took me to change a diaper. The Phils received multi-hit games from Howard and four others in a 11-hit, 6-walk assault, the fifth time in as many games that the Phils have posted 10 or more hits. Meanwhile on the injury front, Joe Blanton is reportedly recovering quickly from a mild oblique strain. In Clearwater, J.C. Romero (elbow) allowed one hit and struck out two Saturday in a rehab appearance, suggesting that he could be close to returning from the Phillies' bullpen. It was a different outcome for closer Brad Lidge, who was bombed for four earned runs, three hits and a walk in the same game. ... Last night, the Phillies wore throwbacks. I know I was instantly transported back in time to 1965.

Lineups are posted: Standard formation, meaning the Juan Castro watch has now reached five games. The Phillies' utility infielder has yet to appear, suggesting Charlie Manuel will go another season without a middle infield reservist he trusts.

Comments

[AL]

Count me in the group dying to see Castro get in the should be amazing. Can't blame Charlie not resting any of the regulars yet since they are hitting so well.

[B.Gizzle]

Was Bill Hall ever in the discussion about our bench? He hits right handed, can play SS, 3B, or OF and has some pop...seems like a perfect fit for our bench needs.

[TNA]

Looking ahead to the Nats -- Zimmerman's out until Wednesday and they're bringing up S. Olson to pitch against the Phils.

Oh wait, there's a game today.

[G-Town Dave]

I'll just come right out & say it: the Astros looked sharp, but those Phils uniforms were the sorriest excuse for "throwbacks" I have ever seen. Whomever is responsible for that debacle should be clubbed like a baby seal.

/rant

[denny b.]

Francisco isn't exactly getting much time either. I'd be getting Ibanez as much time on the pine early in the season as possible. The team needs whatever he has left in the tank, for September and October. Not for April and May.

The Castro signing still remains the most puzzling the Phils have made in years.

Of course, Cholly doesn't use that last guy on the roster anyway, so who cares who that guy is. Might as well add another bullpen pitcher who pitches once a week.

[Sophist]

Gizzle, Not sure though Hall wasn't an FA so not really available this offseason. He was traded from Seattle to Boston in the Kotchman deal.

GTown - I liked the hats.

[awh]

AL, they're 5 games into the season. I don't see any need for the regulars to get any rest - at least not yet.

[G-Town Dave]

Sophist: I think the hats were the only part they got right.

[NEPP]

I'm kinda surprised that Francisco isn't getting the start on a Sunday afternoon game. If not now, when?

Especially with the series already won.

[mm]

Not looking good for lidge. Yikes! Time to start grooming madson for closer role I think. Even if Lidge comes back, best to let madson keep his spot, and make lidge take it from him, at this point I think.

[king myno]

Not to brag like...well, everyone else does on Beerleaguer when they're right (and that's meant with undying love), but I said before the season started that Castro, like Bruntlett (and to a lesser extent, like Taguchi), would never play. He's the worst player on the team, and he'll be treated as such.

WOOO JIMMY

[NEPP]

Good work Jimmy

[G-Town Dave]

If the Phillies ever hold one of these asinie "Bark In The Park" promotions, I swear I will take hostages.

J-Roll!!! :-D

[Meyer]

Well that was quick.

[kuvasz]

Damn, I wish Rollins would stop hitting pop-ups.

[G-Town Dave]

Wow. What a play by Matsui. Highway robbery.

[NCPhilly]

No doubt about Jimmy's HR off the bat.
Superb throw by Matsui. Can't believe he put enough on the throw and delivered it accurately.

[NEPP]

Yeah, that was a pure webgem by Matsui.

[NEPP]

Nice double by Chase.

Give Utley credit on that AB.

[Hope SE]

With Chase's hit, top 5 in the line-up now hitting .400.

Must be some sort of record or near record.

[NEPP]

Tough pitch there to Howard. Give Oswalt credit, that's why he's one of the best.

[NEPP]

I love how Jimmy makes those look routine.

[tg082]

What a play!

[G-Town Dave]

I see your Web Gem, & raise you a leadoff HR ... :-)

[Old Phan]

Great play, J-Roll

[awh]

Question for the board:

Romero finished 14 games in 2008 and had 1 save.

If he comes back before Lidge, do you have him share duties with Madson?

[NEPP]

Vic showing off his speed there. Makes up for alot in CF, doesn't it?

[G-Town Dave]

awh: I would. Charlie won't. And Lidge will be the closer when he returns, regardless of Madson's performance. We might speculate, but management is set in their ways.

[NEPP]

Nah, I'd have Romero split the 8th inning duties with Baez. He's well suited for that and UC likes to have guys in defined roles.

[tg082]

Rauuul!

[NEPP]

Ibanez has warmed up...its official, the offense is scary.

[GTang]

Do you guys think maybe the Phillies actually learned something from the Yankees last year? I know its only been 5 games but I am seeing a completely different take at each At-Bat. Instead of being wild hackers, I think they saw how patient and good the Yankees line up was and they are beginning to imitate it. It may also be due to the influence of Polly but I the Phils like INFINITELY more patient this year driving up pitch counts. I saw Howard even laying off a bad breaking ball that he would have been reaching out for last year.

[tg082]

awh: I wouldn't use Romero in the ninth in a tight save-situation. He's too wild.

[Unikruk]

So, in what inning do they pick up the tenth hit? I'll go with the sixth.

[Old Phan]

Nice AB, Vic.

[NEPP]

You know, I'll happily take that RBI groudout with Halladay on the mound...2-0 Phillies.

[NEPP]

So, is Roy Oswalt a potential HoF? I mean, he's quietly had a hell of a career so far.

137-71, 3.23 ERA, 5 times in the Top 5 CY vote.

[G-Town Dave]

NEPP: Nope.

[NEPP]

Really G-Town? He's had a pretty good career so far. If he stays healthy and makes it to 200 wins with his current winning %, he should have shot. He's only 33 this year.

[G-Town Dave]

NEPP: I agree w/ that premise, but don't think it's likely. That's still a lot of wins Roy needs to get to 200, & w/ him not getting any younger & the Astros looking like a pretty bad team, I doubt he'll get there.

[NEPP]

Career ERA+

Roy Halladay - 134
Roy Oswalt - 135

[holy mackrel]

this ump - inconsisent strike zone..

[NCPhilly]

I wouldn't mind seeing Pedro Feliz run more.

[Meyer]

PEDRO showcasing the wheels.

[bay_area_phan]

I wasn't paying much attention because I am working while I watch this game. Was that really Pedro Feliz who just tried to steal 2nd?

[Noah]

I think Oswalt's in the conversation. I just think, ultimately, he's one of those guys who is very, very good but was never considered one of the greatest and will not be elected to the Hall of Fame.

[NEPP]

People bashed Polly this off-season but he really is a professional hitter.

He has transformed this lineup.

[NEPP]

I'm biased as I've always liked Oswalt. I always wanted us to trade for him. Though, if we had to trade for a Roy, I'll take Halladay over him.

[mm]

Wheels: "that would be polanco's first walk of the year, very unusual".

Um, he has Utley Howard and Werth hitting behind him, ya think he's getting pitches to hit?

[G-Town Dave]

Man, the Natinals handed Santana his ass today. 5IP, 5H, 3BB, 1K, 5R (all Earned).

[Noah]

8 or more pitches in each of Utley's first two at bats, that's amazing.

[Zee]

I thought I would enjoy the Mets sucking more than I am. I suppose I'm gonna have to get used to thinking of Atlanta as the bad guys.

[NEPP]

65 pitches through 2.2 IP now.

Weak mistake by Polly.

[G-Town Dave]

Hey, Placido ... WTF?

[Meyer]

POLANCO showcasing the wheels.

[bay_area_phan]

These 2 third basemen seem to be dueling it out to show who is the worse base runner.

[G-Town Dave]

Just saw Heidi's latest Comcast commercial. He gave up a cheap HR to Verizon FiOS & promptly walked DirecTV on 4 pitches.

[NEPP]

Roy has to throw the easiest looking 93-95 mph fastball I've ever seen.

[ZT]

Spaniel? That was Hound-iest looking Spaniel I ever seen. Hopefully T-Mac won't follow HK's footsteps into the puppy bowl too.

[holy mackrel]

phillie weren't patient during that 4th inning. helped oswalt keep his pitch count from really exploding upward.

[Slocs]

gotta love Livian Hernandez 7 shutout innings so far against Mets at Citifield

[kuvasz]

Good grief. We live in Phat Times. It used to be that at the end of an inning of Philly baseball you used to ask "how many runs did the Phils give up." Recently, it was "how many hits did they give up," and now its "how many pitches did they use to get the inning out."

[Meyer]

Roy's rolling through the lineups.

[krukker]

Nice play Polly

[NEPP]

Roy just made Feliz look silly.

[Meyer]

The commercials are longer than the innings.

[NEPP]

8 pitches, 2 Ks, 1 GB out.

[MG]

Halladay is on cruise control today. Not one time has he looked even a bit flustered or challenged by this anemic Astros' lineup.

Always enjoy watching two really good pitchers do their thing on a Sunday afternoon.

[85]

Boy, looks like Doc found the curveball. Once he started throwing that thing for strikes, the innings haven't been long enough for a bathroom break.

And Sarge, you're sitting right next to T-Mac hearing it over and over - it's not OZZWALT! Say it with me: OHS-walt. Ohs-walt. Oswalt. Thank you.

[NEPP]

Its comments like the one from 85 above that make me happy I'm listening to the Astros play-by-play team.

[ZT]

ef Geoff Blum.

[NEPP]

Blum just robbed Utley

[G-Town Dave]

114 Pitches & 2 ER surrendered, & still it never felt like Oswalt had a chance. That's just plain unfair.

[NEPP]

Hell of an effort by Oswalt. He gave us everything he's got.

[Slocs]

i'm thinking you let DOC finish it, with only a 2 run leas

[NEPP]

And it gets interesting. Good thing Utley was backing him up there.

[G-Town Dave]

Chase Utley has the best grasp of the fundamentals of any ballplayer I have ever seen.

[G-Town Dave]

That was not an Utley-esque choice, Roy.

[85]

Not a great play by Doc or Polly there. Need a better throw, but need to make that grab too.

[NEPP]

Damnit.

Should have taken the sure out.

[NEPP]

Polly should have made that catch.

[bay_area_phan]

Well, Halladay's a terrific pitcher but he won't win any Gold Gloves.

[NEPP]

Huge DP there.

That was a terrible decision by Halladay and a poor catch by Polly.

[Knight]

I'll take giving up one with bases loaded no outs.

That was an adventure.

[NEPP]

MLB.tv just died...did Roy just get out of the inning unscaved?

[G-Town Dave]

Nice job by Roy to work his way out of that slop. An interesting contrast to the way in which Hamels responds to similar situations.

[NEPP]

I'll take Knight's comment as a yes..

Roy showed why he's the best pitcher in the game by getting out of that mess.

[bay_area_phan]

NEPP: It wasn't an impossible catch for Polanco, but I don't see how you can fault him for failing to dig a ball out of the dirt with a runner bearing down on him.

Utley really saved that inning. If he hadn't been there to back up Howard on Bourn's bunt, this would be a tie game right now.

[Old Phan]

A good throw would have nailed him at 3rd. Not a terrible decision, just poor execution

[G-Town Dave]

NEPP: He gave up 1 run, which scored on the DP ball.

[NEPP]

****NEPP: It wasn't an impossible catch for Polanco, but I don't see how you can fault him for failing to dig a ball out of the dirt with a runner bearing down on him.****

I agree. My initial reaction was off. It looked easier before the replay showed it a couple times. Roy should have taken the sure out. Ruiz should have told him to throw to 1B too though.

[NEPP]

Good work Roy.

54 games to go till you tie the record.

[Spitz]

Need a couple of more runs! How long does Doc go today?

[NEPP]

80 pitches through 6? He might go all 9.

[bigmyc]

Maybe it's been discussed so far, but why would Cholly sit Ibanez when the guy seems poised for some big offensive games?

You gotta let that guy get his groove..or whatever's left of any kind of groove that he's gonna have.

[bathtubhippo]

so where do the dogs poo?

[bay_area_phan]

If this 1-run lead holds, maybe the Phillies can activate Brad Lidge within the next half hour to close out the game in the 9th.

[NEPP]

Might want to get the BP up. Roy looks a bit tired.

[clout]

Actually a hard throw would've gotten that out. The problem was Polly's momentum. He was racing back to the bag and Roy soft-tossed him so he had to stop short, turn and lunge. Had Roy led him with the throw, even if it wasn't a great throw, Polly's momentum takes him to it and he should make the grab.

[NEPP]

Gold glove Roy...gold glove.