Game chat: Perfect attendence as Cole holds class

The regular lineup is back together for the first time since my birthday tonight as Bud Norris (6-7, 5.23) and Cole Hamels (7-10, 3.51) duke it out in the second of four from Citizens Bank Park. Keep those Chooch bobbleheads in the packaging if you're headed down to the park. The Weather Channel is calling for a 40 percent chance of rain. (Photo courtesy of some guy on Twitter). [Jump to the newest comments]

Comments

[Malcolm]

Greatest game preview ever? Greatest game preview ever.

[Willard Preacher]

So, are we scheduled for the good Bud Norris, or the bad Bud Norris? Seems like their version of KK (only with a much higher K/9).

[aksmith]

From a previous thread:

"The Brewers are set to honor former club owner and current Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig with a bronze statue on the home plate plaza at Miller Park."

How will they know the difference between that and the actual person?

Posted by: Old Phan

There is a way to tell the difference. The real Bud will be full of doo doo, while the statue will merely be covered in it.

[Reverend]

(Photo courtesy of some guy on Twitter).
This made PBR come out my nose.

[gobaystars!]

The best thing about beerleaguer is the constantly shifting tone of the game previews.

[CJ]

1-2-3 first inning? Seems so rare for our starters these days. Nice seeing that cutter striking out Pence.

[Noah]

10 pitches, 10 fastballs, 3 outs. Wow.

[Willard Preacher]

I will again silently nod my pleasure with being able to wallow in Wheels' douchiness from more than 3,000 miles away. Why couldn't we bench HIM tonight?

[aksmith]

Three up three down in the first. You can do that?

[Willard Preacher]

"Three up three down in the first. You can do that?"

You can do that if you're not Joe Blanton. If you ARE, indeed, Joe Blanton, "three up, three down in the first" applies only to Denny's Grand Slam breakfasts.

[Willard Preacher]

Ironic that game time posting is so light on a night when the headline reads "Perfect Attendance." Where is everyone?

[Willard Preacher]

Chris Wheeler's pitch recognition is just a notch below Helen Keller's.

[Malcolm]

Pitching against Cole Hamels: The medicine a man needs to feel like a great pitcher.

[aksmith]

Wheeler's pitch recognition? Seriously? He's usually pretty good. TBag is usually the one who has no clue what a pitch was. TBag calls pitches as badly as Andy Musser used to call fly balls.

[Marley]

This "bench Werth" nonsense is all over Facebook as well. Really hope he has a big game (more so than usual).

[GTown_Dave]

"TBag calls pitches as badly as Andy Musser used to call fly balls."

What a line! You buried it!

[aksmith]

Nice recovery by Hamels.

[Matt H]

Anyone else think that double play didn't happen?

[J.R. King]

He beat that out

[aksmith]

While expecting the Phils offense to get mowed down again by Sandy Koufax Norris, got a question.

Does anyone else see Jamie Moyer as the modern day version of Jim Kaat. Their Phillies careers are somewhat analogous. And I remember having the same feeling when Kaat was going to start that I got whenever Jamie was going to start. Never very confident, but it often turned out well.

[bay_area_phan]

It's amazing how literally every single good-stuff, poor-command pitcher that the Phillies face completely shuts them down. I mean, every last one.

[Willard Preacher]

Haven't seen it and I'm sure Sophist (if around) has it at his fingertips - what's the history with the Phils lineup against this guy? Have they seen him before?

[Noah]

Saw him before, dispatched him in 2.2 innings in his first start of the season, 6 hits, 4 walks, 3 earned runs.

[TK]

why does the chooch bobble head not have a bubble that says "I'M FROM PANAMA!'

[Willard Preacher]

Working counts and making the pitchers work and hit their spots isn't exactly this lineup's strength.

And after seeing how well they handle the Dickey's of the world, I'm not convinced they don't just go up there hacking when they get a guy who has a good fastball, and hope that they guess right a couple of times.

[Willard Preacher]

Why is the Chooch bobble head not holding an ice cream cone?

[Willard Preacher]

Thanks, Noah. Surprising, actually. They NEVER make short work out of a guy the first time around.

[The Truth Injection]

That was a balk because he turned and stopped and then threw over to first. That little pause got the balk call.

not sure how Wheels missed that.

[Willard Preacher]

I think Wheels is now actively pulling for the 'stros, with his comment about getting the 8th guy (Chooch) out, and not allowing them (the Phils) to turn the lineup over.

I guess I shouldn't be shocked. Wheels is just as qualified to be part of the Astros organization as the rest of the former Phillies who are there now.

[TK]

OMG Vic and Werth have a combined IQ of 4.

[bay_area_phan]

I actually have more faith in Cole Hamels' ability to deliver here than I would for about half the hitters in the Phillies' regular lineup.

[Noah]

Top 5 Innings for the Phillies (runs scored, most to least):

5th, 4th, 7th, 3rd, 2nd

[Willard Preacher]

Noah, what have you done with Sophist?

[king myno]

The more this lineup struggles (and I know it wasn't a week ago, but it has a lot this season), the more Charlie NEEDS to put together a smart lineup.

When Raul's slumping, he needs to be lowered. When Chooch and Werth are getting on base (which is always), you have to bump them up. They need to make it work however they can.

[Noah]

I also don't think it's necessarily stupid to steal 3rd there. Quintero doesn't have a great arm, Bud Norris just balked him to second and is young and might be nervous about balking again. Vic's got speed to burn and at third could get in Norris's face. He's gotta make it and he did.

[aksmith]

You should trust Hamels more than just about all the rest of the lineup. He just hit the second hardest ball of the night off of Norris.

Only Polanco has hit one harder.

Players colder than Cole at the plate with runners in scoring position currently: Howard, Utley, Vic, Ibanez, Werth.

[bay_area_phan]

Every time Vic or Rollins steals 3rd with 2 outs, someone goes into a tirade about how stupid it is. Yet, they haven't been thrown out yet.

Last time I checked, there are more ways to score from 3rd than there are from 2nd -- even with 2 outs.

[aksmith]

This ump has a big strike zone to the low end and outside. But Hamels' pitches are getting a lot of the zone.

[Andy]

Nasty change on Q there.

[Andy]

8 outs. 4 fielded by Polly.

[Willard Preacher]

I'd have to imagine that the cut-aways of people taking a drink of their Buds for the Thirst Inning is stock footage compiled over the last few years.

[bay_area_phan]

Cole's curve ball is a work in progress but that 2nd strike curve to Bourn was pretty nasty.

[aksmith]

Some nasty pitches to Bourn there. Even something that looked like a curve with nice tight break. That's unusual for Cole. His curve usually hangs in the zone more than you'd like.

[aksmith]

2-0 and Rollins swings at a ball at his ankles. Yikes.

[AFish]

Did Vic just stick his mouth guard up his nose?

[Andy]

The guy just walked two out of the last three and threw the first two out of the zone to Rollins. He just HAD to swing at the next one. Just had to.

Why can't anyone wait for a pitcher having trouble to actually throw a strike?

[bay_area_phan]

We'll lose this game 1-0 & some posters will find a way to blame it on Hamels.

[Andy]

Would it kill them to make this guy throw strikes tonight?

WOULD IT?????

[TK]

nice to see that by Chase.

[Noah]

2-Run homer coming here from Howard.

[bay_area_phan]

Andy: Take a pitch on 2-0? That's just what they'd be expecting us to do.

[Willard Preacher]

Utley is taking some much better hacks in the last couple of games. How quickly he shakes off the rust will be key to this playoff run.

[Andy]

Howard prediction.

Ball one.
2nd pitch Ground out.

[Noah]

I mean, if the runs per-inning stats hold, it's gotta be this one or the next two, right?

[Willard Preacher]

BAP, of course it will be Cole's fault. He carries around a puppy in a backpack for crying out loud!!

[Andy]

Well, I was wrong, I guess.

2nd pitch Fly out.

[Willard Preacher]

P.S. don't get Joe Crowley started on backpack puppies and the state of manhood in the 21st century.

[Andy]

I wonder if Gibson is giving Cole a bigger zone out of a realization that he jobbed us last night.

[GTown_Dave]

I was terribly disappointed the Cole Hamels Backpack giveaway did not come complete w/ Small Dog. Missed opportunity there, Phillies Promotional Dept.

[bay_area_phan]

Correction: it will be 2-0.

[Hope SE]

Home run ball bites Cole again.

[aksmith]

Pence just got a single and he looked disappointed. I think the Phillies have spoiled him in the past.

And now it IS Cole's fault.

[Willard Preacher]

Crap.

[Andy]

I do think we'll be able to blame puppy-boy for that one, though.

[aksmith]

Have a nice night, folks. I think the wheels are about to come off of Cole. Too many games with a pathetic offense are finally beginning to wear on him.

[Andy]

Why is it that a 2 run deficit with Hamels pitching seems like an insurmountable obstacle?

[Alex]

Ballgame.

[Willard Preacher]

Just glad that we have unintelligible Sarge after that blast, rather than Wheels talking for the next 35 minutes about what a great player on a bad team Lee is.

[Andy]

Wow. That first pitch to Johnson was the sickest Hamels curve I think I've seen.

[Willard Preacher]

Ah, TBag picking up the slack on the Lee pimping. I think it's about time I start considering the opposing team's TV feed....

[GTown_Dave]

Andy: Because recent team history suggests that it is an insurmountable obstacle?

[Andy]

How are those not strikes? That was strike four!

[Andy]

Good thing Lee didn't leave his Pence out there on the field. There are some moons you simply DON'T want to see.

[Willard Preacher]

If Werth somehow hits a game winning 3 run blast (after Cole leaves the game of course - so TBag/Wheels can continue to harp on the offense while he's pitching) will Heather and Joe Crowley's collective heads explode?

[GM-Carson]

We're witnessing a more mature Cole Hamels. He hung a pitch to Carlos Lee and he tagged it for a 2-run bomb, but he didn't sulk, just bared down and got the next batter. Then the ump dicked him on a pitch right down the middle for what would have been a called 3rd strike, but he didn't let it phase him. Just got the ball and threw it and k'd the son of a bitch anyway.

[aksmith]

Jayson, no matter what Jimmy tells you, 2-0 is not a signal to swing at ball 3.

[bay_area_phan]

That's 2 innings in a row that the leadoff hitter got ahead in the count 2-0 & then proceeded to swing at ball 3.

[Andy]

Just saw this.

"The Brewers are set to honor former club owner and current Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig with a bronze statue on the home plate plaza at Miller Park."

Presumably the statue will be of a two ton weight and they'll honor the commish by dropping it on him Coyote style.

[TK]

eff you Werth.

[aksmith]

Wow, the ump called the exact same pitch one to Ibanez a strike last time. Exact same.

Can these at bats be any weaker? Maybe don't bother taking a bat to the plate. Is that a rules violation?

[Willard Preacher]

GTown, you're absolutely right. I don't fear the "Cole meltdown" after a big hit quite so much any more.

Now, it's more of a "Cole letdown" by the entire Phillies offense.

[philwynk]

I miss the all-scrub offense. They scored runs. This one doesn't, at least not yet.

[aksmith]

2-0. Does Shane swing?

[aksmith]

Two nice at bats by Shane. If Chooch walks, maybe we'll get a good hitter up there next.

[The Truth Injection]

This night is not going our way and if we happen to lose tonight I have a bad feeling about the rest of the series.

[Andy]

I am willing to bet that after Norris comes out of the game (about the sixth inning at this rate), Nelson Figgueroa will continue the shut-out for a couple more innings.

Any takers?

[Andy]

Only it will the Nelson with his last name spelled correctly.

[philwynk]

I miss the all-scrub offense. They scored runs. The opening day offense does not, at least not yet.

[GM-Carson]

This offense is pissing me off.

[bay_area_phan]

No matter what happens this year, the Phillies CANNOT come back next year with the same 8-man lineup, save for a rookie left-hander replacing our best right-hander. This offense has been absolutely dysfucntional for almost the entie season and it's only likely to get worse with everyone a year older. There need to be changes.

[GM-Carson]

Andy- I do believe Figueroa is in the rotation now and doing a fine job for the 'stros.

[Andy]

BL is refreshing REEEEAAAAALLLLYYYY SSSLLLLOOOOWWWWWLLLLLYYYYY tonight.

[GTown_Dave]

The Phillies are gonna have to find a way to nut up & win this damn series. If they can't take advantage of playing the bleeping Astros they don't have a chance against a team as motivated the Braves seem to be.

[bay_area_phan]

Ah, lots of typos in that last post. I type badly when I'm p*ssed.

[Andy]

Carson - yer ruining my fantasy.

[Fatalotti]

How long will the Phillies go until they score a run while Hamels is still on the mound? Any takers?

[Rex]

MMMM I love the smell of Hyperbole in the evening.

[Andy]

Let's see seven hits in a row.

[Fatalotti]

Nate Robertson, huh? Could he be an option out of the pen?

[GM-Carson]

Nate Robertson to a minor league contract...interesting.