Preview: The only three players hitting with much regularity are in tonight's lineup. Quietly, back-up catcher Brian Schneider is 8-for-his-last-16. He's in for Carlos Ruiz, who is hitless in his last 22 at bats and tweaked his ankle last night. Wilson Valdez is hitting .281 in his last 17 starts at short; he replaces Juan Castro, who snapped an 0-for-16 and failed to range to his right for a key play to keep the game close last night. Meanwhile, third baseman Placido Polanco, who has been the Phillies most consistent hitter, is riding a nine-game hitting streak. The Phils trail the Braves by a not-insurmountable 3.5 games.

Comments

[Scotch Man]

Phils lose 32-5. Book it.

[MPNPhilly]

Welcome back Photoshop!

[MG]

Banish Castro to the bench!

Since May 1st:

(23 G) .172/.210/.224 for a .434 OPS in 58 ABs

That is the 2nd worst in MLB since that time for a positional player. Give me Valdez and his GIDP anyday.

[Heather]

Dear Jamie Moyer,

Now would be a good day to have another one of your complete game shut outs. Not another game where you give up 5 runs in the first inning.

Can "good" Jamie show up today?

[Heather]

Cheezit, I just read Dobbs was DH'ing today. WTF.

[MPNPhilly]

True love is hard to find, sometimes you think you have true love and then you catch the early flight home from San Diego and a couple of nude people jump out of your bathroom blindfolded like a goddamn magic show ready to double team your team...

[jr]

Good Jamie,Bad Jamie. Just see how the ump calls things the first inning and you will know.

[gjs]

Utley and Howard. Utley and Howard. Utley and Howard.

Without Rollins back and at 100%, they carry the load offensively. They start hitting watch how everyone around them starts hitting. If they don't...

...it will get to be a long, hard summer soon.

[HammRadio]

@JW -- It's about time you got back to making game chat images! Geesh!!!

:)

I'm about to go celebrate my "belated" birthday with my sister and nieces. Jamie Moyer is on the mound. I celebrated my birthday with my parents on Friday night. Jamie Moyer was on the mound.

I hope history doesn't repeat.

I'd like to enjoy my birthday cake tonight.

:)

[Ghost of Luis Aguayo]

@HEATHER- this got lost when I tried to post in the last thread, so here is a repost: the BP playoff odds do not presume to know the odds of the PHILLIES making the playoffs, but rather the odds of a team in the phillies' place in the standings with their runs scored/ runs allowed profile. it knows nothing else. since every thread in the last three weeks on this site has been about disgnosing what is wrong with the phillies, it is foolhardy to rely on the current "profile" as a proxy for them.

[baxter]

anyone think the solid numbers of the Yankees outfield, combined with Werth's unremarkable season will lower his price tag to a reasonable and signable level?

[MPNPhilly]

baxter: what if last year was Werth's career?

[MPNPhilly]

career year that is

[timr]

I can't believe that Heather is getting so much crap for that initial post, when the logic of it is obvious: the Phils are not in a great position right now, and the odds of them making the playoffs have markedly decreased during this prolonged slump. Regardless of semantic debates about the very meaning of 'probability' or how accurate the 15% figure is, surely we can all agree that its going to be much harder for them to make the playoffs now than it looked like it would be a month ago.

[HOLY MACKEREL]

q The bench has struggled. Why? Is there a chance to upgrade?
RAJ- I'm actually OK with how the bench has played to be frank with you. It's just as a team we have to play better baseball.

Q: Sounds like you're in a stay the course mode?
RAJ: We're not making any major moves here. This is our team out here and they'll be fine. If we get the guys healthy we'll be fine.

Is Rube watching the same team as the rest of us?

[EastFallowfield]

Ruiz out with sore ankle.

[dcphilsfan]

I have a feeling Chooch may need some time with that ankle.

[EastFallowfield]

Brian Schneider has come closer than anyone but Ben Francisco to hitting a homer for the Fightless Phils in one of the three games I've attended this year in three different ballparks.

Go, BS, go!

[Old Phan]

Rube can't panic the way the fans can. I'm sure he doesnt like what's going on anymore than we do, but he knows there is no point to making any moves right now, drastic or otherwise.

[George Hill]

I live in Boston and am getting the game on the WWL tonight. Wondering if I should watch ...

[RR]

My guess RAJ is not worried as much about 2010--attendance and his bonus prospects are great--as he is about 2011, 2012, 2013, etc. (Halladay too ["WTF, boys!"]) RAJ and PG have been extremely generous, but all the extra years doled out are very limiting. My guess is the Phils shake off their malaise this year and make a run of it, but what if these slumps keep getting worse and longer each year, while the competition (e.g., WSH) keeps getting better? And paying Howard with Utley hurt or gone, into the middle of the next decade, is looking a whole lot goofier than sticking with the current bench.

[GBrettfan]

Go team!

[RR]

"Roger that!" Go Phils.

[dcphilsfan]

Hot or not, you can always count on Chase to get plunked from time to time.

[GBrettfan]

Not the beginning I was hoping for

[Mick in Houston]

Did the ESPN announcers just refer to Yankees stadium as 'spacious'?

[Old Phan]

Nice job, Youngster!

[GBrettfan]

All right, Jamie!

[Old Phan]

Mick, maybe they were referring to the bathrooms

[josh in la]

There is one, and ONLY ONE incident that directly coincides with this epic slump, and it's the Rollins' reinjury.

ummm not to be beat a dead horse..but it seems there was one more incident that has coincided with this slump. what was it? hmm i think it was.... oh yeah the nocs.
Now I know this is going to be lambasted but at what point do you think maybe multiple teams making the same accusations independently of each other actually have some merit when combined with actual facts of the phils getting caught cheating? Doesn't it seem somewhat reasonable tat if such a plan was in motion it would do a lot to keep guys from having such bad slumps.. if a major leaguer in a slump knows what pitch is coming, my uneducated guess is that the odds of him putting that ball in play are much greater than if he is relying on guessing or picking up spin/rotation. Hence slumps are minimized and at the very least power numbers are up as it has to be easier to square up on a ball when you know the projected speed before it is thrown. When does this become a logical explanation? Im just saying what else makes sense? when rollins first got hurt they played awesome won every night.. was it the emotional loss of him going down again? If so id rather it be lack of cheating because that's big time soft!!
i dont know......

[Mick in Houston]

Your right Old Phan, I think they were talking about the 25k seats.

[DMarley]

Great graphic and a nice 1st inning from our young phenom.

[josh in la]

This division is diff. this year too. the mets actual hustle every play like the phillies of old..the nats dont suck ass so much anymore the braves are in 12st?? jesus and the marlins are always a pain in the ass

[RedBurb]

josh in la - Prove to me that you can relay the signals being stolen from the catcher from the bullpen to the batter in under 5 seconds and you may have a case.

[DMarley]

Outstanding interplay from Franzke & LA on binoculars in the bullpen and the slump. LA is absolutely killing it. Worth finding the audio after the game.

[Hope SE]

Are you serious? An Ibanez steal and a Dobbs single?

[Old Phan]

...rubbing eyes...

[Hope SE]

a BL negativist couldn't have conceived a better script for the 1st run.

[BloodStripes]

Ibanez steals and Dobbs rips one. WTF? Go Phils.

Larry reckons all the pitchers should take binoculars to the bullpen so the Phils start hitting again. Dobbs rips one and Larry says..."just mere talk of the binoulars is working". Too funny. Awesome stuff.

[Old Phan]

Close call there, Exxon.

[Mick in Houston]

Well thats luck

[josh in la]

red... my guess is it is more stealing signs from catcher ie. what pitch is the go pitch with men in scoring position.. if he can relay the catchers sign to say the leadoff batter in the dugout who can relay to his cohorts that the second sign per say is the pitch..the guy on second now knows a change is coming and he easily relays that to a batter by a touch of a certain body pert per se. Its reminiscent of the pats taping other teams signs so they were able to decipher defensive coaches using hand signals during games.. a lot of it is tendencies i'm sure ..all human beings have them and in stressful situations people are more prone to repeat behavior that is familiar to them as opposed to coming with new stuff. So in short if the phillies know that a pitcher is going to his second or third sign when there are men on base that night and what that sign translates too, they have a greater chance of connecting with the bat then if thy had no information.
Thats my guess as to how it would work

[BloodStripes]

Franzke.....before station ID........"this is the Phillies binocular network".

[DMarley]

Franzke @ station break: "you're listening to the Phillies binocular radio network"

[josh in la]

wow i type like amonkey

[Sophist]

about damn time

[Mick in Houston]

Nice to see, finally we break it open on a pitcher who doesnt look good.

[Old Phan]

Wow. Wheels called that one.
VIC !!

[DMarley]

Bloodstripes, how great is this radio today?!! I mean, they're always great but this inning is a masterpiece.

VICTORINO!!!!!!

[BloodStripes]

Clear 'em Vic!!!!!!!!!!!!Woooooo.

Make 'em pay. Huge hit.

[Hope SE]

Shaner!!!!!!

[RedBurb]

josh in la - So basically what you just told me is what every team does on the field by watching the 3rd base coach. Also in your scenario, the only way this would work is if someone is on 2nd. So you are relying on a system that has someone on 2nd relaying the signs to you, when we all know that every at-bat someone isn't on second.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

Hey, Troll in LA, yeah, everyone who follows baseball knows how stealing signs works. Because every team in baseball has been doing it for a century and a half. If you're gonna keep posting garbage go jump off the bridge you clearly live under.

and F*CK YEAH SHANE! Nice time for a triple.

[BloodStripes]

DMarley its a total crack up. Lovin' it.

Larry...."did you see that through your binoculars?" They are going to have to do this all game. Its working.

[Old Phan]

That inning looked like Phillies baseball.

[Sophist]

The Phils have been in the top 5 in RS in the NL since 2003. It would be pretty amazing if some incredibly convoluted sign stealing mechanism could do that.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

Lead off man gets a triple and we fail to bring him home. Same old Phils...

[Fatalotti]

What is going on with Chase's swing? It's not fluid at all. It's starting high and rolling over everything he hits. He's not getting any lift on the ball.

[BloodStripes]

Its just taken a while to perfect the new sign stealing system thats been put in place. Therefore the slump. Things are coming around tonight so far.

[Jack]

For 2010, at least, it looks like Robbie Cano is the best 2nd baseman in the game.

[Old Phan]

No problem, Young Jamie.

[Old Phan]

Jack, agreed.
Good job, JM

[Old Phan]

That's a Ryno special.

[Hope SE]

Now that's Rhyno ball!!!!

[dcphilsfan]

Nice shot, Ryno!

[BloodStripes]

At last big Ryano touches 'em all. Cmon Phils!

[Old Phan]

Bandbox!

[BobbyD]

what's going on here.. must be the hard-throwing pitcher with the pedigree

[dcphilsfan]

Great to see Werth going the other way. This is the offense I know!

[BloodStripes]

Now thats a Werth homerun. Smokin line drive. Back to back....what the...?

[josh in la]

ok great shocking responses
answer me this
1st i never said they couldn't get anyone on base.. my theory was the nocs kept multiple guys out of slumps by increasing odds of contact ..that's all. And has turned this once potent offense that had been compare to an AL team into a not so potent offense just a regular one if not a less than regular one.. That is all im saying
second.. clearly they were using binoculars to examine the opposing teams catcher.
they have been accused by multiple teams of the same tactic going on 3 years ( a tactic i think is awesome by the way)
if it didnt help them why on earth were they doing it? and why on earth did they get reprimanded for it
clearly it helped somewhat being they did it!!!

[Mick in Houston]

Could be a quick night for AJ. Already at 80 pitches and doesnt look like he has it tonight.

[RedBurb]

They had not been accused of the same tactic. Come on man. So a team who won 3 division titles and 2 straight NL Championships did it on the backs of a bullpen coach with binoculars? Right

[EastFallowfield]

What you're missing if you're not watching the Yankees broadcast:

Color man surprised how fast Victorino is.

Quite a few shots of Milt after Phils score runs. It has been a good night for Milt so far, after the slump he's been in lately.

[Old Phan]

Milt is swinging the bat well tonight. I guess he gets to keep his job at least one more day.

[josh in la]

good thing they didnt fire milt...whew!!!

[josh in la]

no red they did it on piss and vinegar and a fire that i dont see this year

[Lincoln Hawkes]

I'll tell you what happened, last night Burnett and Posada scripted out every pitch they were gonna throw today, regardless of situation. Then they wrote them all down on the back of a cocktail napkin and left it at the bar. LA, being the fan of inebriation that he is, was at that bar and found it, passing it along to Phillies hitters.

Only explanation. Because we all know this particular players have never been able to hit without knowing what was coming...

[Scott]

Milt was the only guy in the Clubhouse back in '93 that didn't give Rube atomic wedgies. He's got a job for life.

[George Hill]

glad i decided to watch tonight!

[Lincoln Hawkes]

I miss Inky and Eisenreich. When they sat on the bench next to each other, they looked like Laurel and Hardy.

[BloodStripes]

Whats doing Vic? Tag up speedster

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Should've been a run there.

[Bruce Ruffin]

And now we test the Dr. Bruce Ruffin hypothesis, postulated and proven so brilliantly in my brilliant revelation after the crushing loss against the Boston Red Stockings on Friday evening:

Moyer is so washed up... he's totally dependent on the kindness of umpires; has no shot against a lineup of patient, professional hitters. Harrumph.

If this game keeps up as is currently progressing, each and every one of the usual BL posters can call me a "smacked rear end" (although that's probably happened already).

Can anyone tell how giddy I get when I witness a couple of cracklin' good innins' by the Phils????

[Mick in Houston]

Wow, for all the baserunning errors the Phillies have had, the Yanks pitchers look awful in the field

[josh in la]

a.j eat it!!! that will go over well in NY lol

[josh in la]

i guess hes finally over the flu!!!

[josh in la]

boy after listening to al leiter an 18 year veteran mlb player ..he pretty much backed my whole argument up.. but i guess you guys all know more about bullpens and baseball sign stealing than al leiter...of course you do.. im so sorry my mistake

[Mick in Houston]

I really dont know what to make of Jamie Moyer. He has given up one hit and has three strike outs.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

Moises Alou also pissed on his hands to make them strong. Just because they baseball doesn't make them smart.

[josh in la]

Wait i thought moyer was too old to pitch and should br DFa'd what is this a mirage? no BL'ers all claimed him to be awashed up mess..hmm something is fishy here

[Old Phan]

Jamie knows how to pitch. It's really that simple. Of course he will have bad innings from time to time.

[Kieren McDonald]

Listening to the TV team, I realized that Jamie has been pitching in the major leagues for 6 more years than my oldest nephew, who is about to graduate high school, has been alive.

Anyone know, or know of a website that would quickly show, what pitchers were in the game when I (or anyone) was born in 1961 (any year) who were still playing when I graduated HS in 1979 (any grad year)? I just did a random check of Jim Kaat and he's one.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

LA and Franzke are definitely on tonight.

[Scott]

25th anniversary of Jamie's first career start. Hard to believe, Harry...

[Hope SE]

LA and Franzke are always on.

[Scott]

Yes, it is non-stop riffing up in the booth tonight.

[NEPP]

Had a feeling the offense would show up tonight.

[MG]

Boone Logan has done a nice job of keeping the Yanks hanging around this game.

Have a bad feeling the Yanks get 1-2 runs here with the lineup rolling over for the 3rd time.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

They just mentioned Simon and Garfunkle are in the stands sitting together. Little know fact, Art Garfunkle is a huge Phillies fan. Has been since he saw the Phillies play at Ebbets field when he was a kid.