Rollins, Blanton help hot Phillies roll Giants 8-2

Jimmy Rollins smashed a three-run homer and finished a double from the cycle, and Joe Blanton pitched smoothly into the seventh, as the Phillies assaulted the Giants with extra-base hits Wednesday night. The Phils, who previously couldn't buy an extra-base hit, twice doubled (Utley, Werth), twiced homered (Rollins, Brown) and thrice tripled (Rollins, Ibanez, Ruiz). Despite all the minor league seasoning he's missed sitting on the bench instead of getting regular starts for the 48-76 Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Domonic Brown dunked a pinch homer into the second deck in right. Unfortunately, the Braves walked off on the Nationals to maintain their division lead, so the Phils will need to sleep on a two-game edge in the Wild Card. More tomorrow ...

Comments

[toddzilla]

Man Dom crushed that ball, looking forward to bombs like that for the next twelve years

[denny b.]

awh,

I don't think its too outrageous to think Chaser may not start tomorrow.

Guy hasn't played in 2 months. We are in the middle of a LONG stretch of games. Just about everyone is going to need a night off at some point during this 3 1/2 week stretch.

Giving Chase the night off against a guy who has serious control issues and is left-handed, wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to do. The Phils got this thing rolling, by getting contributions from just about everyone (except the 2 guys that never pitch in the pen). Keep everybody in the game. The main guys are going to play almost everyday. But keep those extra guys sharp. Without them, where is this team in 2010?

[NEPP]

Braves are starting to get annoying.

[Pizzda]

Braves have always been annoying.

[Dukes]

Looking at the Phils/Nats matchups this weekend, the Braves got the back end of the rotation. We have a new Marquis (he was hurt when we shelled him earlier in the year), Strasbourg, and Olsen. We can beat them, but the Braves had the easier matchups.

[shipsass]

Dom Brown hit that ball really hard, but his swing was more Jeff Francour than Chase Utley/Matt Stairs. I hope he can keep doing it that way successfully.

[Mr. Mack]

This year's Braves BP is looking like the Phillies 2008 BP. It is really the difference between first & second place in the NL East right now. I have to agree that the Phillies have 3 quality BP guys in Durbin, Madson & Contreras.

At this point, I am still not convinced about the re-emergence of Lidge, and those who say they are, are really just whistling past the graveyard. He still frightens me every time he gets the ball in a one or even a two run game.

[toddzilla]

shipsass- His BB/K rate in the minors proves he is no Jeff Francoeur. That is an insult to the greatest baseball player in history.

[Dukes]

Feeling down about second place? This will give you perspective on just how good it is to be a Phillies fan these days!

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/08/marlins-extend-wes-helms.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[Pizzda]

Todd, he is the greatest athlete in history, not just baseball player.

[Sophist]

Venters is in his first major league season and he's already thrown 61.2 IP, including 25 of their last 36 games. Wonder if they can continue to lean on his arm.

[Dukes]

Mr. Mack... Right on about Lidge. We're aweful quiet about him these days, but he could easily and single-handedly ruin our season.

[Dukes]

It's so funny, so many of our posts talk about how Wagner won't have enough gas to make it through the end of the season, how Venters will leak oil cause he's a rookie, and how Hudson hasn't pitched this many innings since 2007.

But don't Braves fans (all 18,000 of them) have even more to be optimistic about when they look at our pitching staff? How about our manager (justifiably) not trusting our only left-handed pitcher in a spot that obviously calls for a lefthanded specialist? How about a closer that nobody is comfortable with? How about Madson being our only real lights out bullpen guy? Just cracks me up how biased we can all be (including myself).

[MG]

JRoll had more XHB (2) tonight than he did all of the last 3 weeks. He only had 2 doubles this month and has been SLG at a .273 clip over the last 18 G.

[CJ]

Braves relievers have thrown 43 more innings this year than Phillies relievers (not including tonight's game). I suppose that's not much over about 120 games, but let's look at the workload of the top bullpen arms:

Braves:
Venters 60.2
Wagner 51.2
Moylan 48.0
Saito 46.0

Phillies:
Durbin 50.0
Contreras 40.0
Madson 28.2
Lidge 27.1

Some of that is a result of the injuries to Madson and Lidge, obviously, but being fresher down the stretch may make a difference. Particularly with the Braves leaning on a couple of 40-year old pitchers and a rookie.

[awh]

20 - 5 the last 25 games.

The shame of it is that if they had scored just 2 runs in each of Hamels 2 prior starts, they'd be 22 - 3 and tied with the Braves in the loss column.

Oh, well...water under the bridge.

Let's hope they can score for cole tomorrow.

[MG]

Brown is a rookie:

You see how fast he rounded the bases tonight on his HR? About twice as fast as Howard.

[CJ]

awh: Yeah, give Cole some run support and keep Lidge from pitching to Zimmerman and we're 23-2 in the last 25.

This team is very good... and just now getting healthy.

[awh]

"How about our manager (justifiably) not trusting our only left-handed pitcher in a spot that obviously calls for a lefthanded specialist?"

Dukes, Torres is a switch hitter. He would have simply moved to the other side.

[Dukes]

Can't do the "if's" cause they can go the other way as well. Hello foul ball in Florida and ball through Blake's legs.

[MG]

Nice to see Utley get 2 hits tonight too.

[CJ]

MG: Yeah, I saw that. Did everyone notice how excited Werth was about it? Must have celebrated with him three or four times. For all the talk of Brown forcing Werth out the door... doesn't seem to be affecting the camaraderie in the dugout.

[phlipper]

Brown's HR went 440 some feet.

[MG]

Draught over?

Werth RBI knock tonight ended an 0-35 with RISP streak.

[CJ]

Dukes: Let me get this straight... we should be more worried about our own bullpen than in the age and overuse of the Braves bullpen. And we can't look wistfully back at games we very well could have won because there are games we very well could have lost.

I wonder what category I'll put you in...

[steve]

simply put tomorrow is a very important game. give cole some runs, please

[Dukes]

awh: ouch, you got me. at the same time, he still can't be trusted.

[Sophist]

If you're team has excellent SP and (what seems to be finally) an excellent offense, who cares about the BP arms? Lidge has cost the Phils very few games this year (and that was before Oswalt and during stretches where the offense wasn't so hot).

[gobaystars!]

"who is derek lee? what has he done?" Pedro Martinez

[Sophist]

well, that came off way more simplistic than I meant. Of course, I care about the BP arms. Madson threw a huge inning last night. I just think their value is diminished in the regular season with a team like the Phils.

[Dukes]

Not sure, CJ, what category will you put me in? What does that even mean? Why do we have to put people in categories? I'm just sayin' that the Braves have a better bullpen and no matter how many innings they've pitched it's still better. And as far as not looking back on games we should have won, I'm just saying it goes both ways. So go ahead, put me in a category of some kind, but do tell me what it's called.

[Sophist]

Am I a homer if I point out that Omar Infante is batting 70 points about his career line with a .387 BAbip (.314 career)?

[awh]

Dukes, no argument on whether Romero can be trusted. We agree.

I was just simply pointing out that the "handedness" of the batter didn't factor into Charlie's decision.

[Dukes]

Sophist: You're right, their value might be diminished, but we aren't going to win every game by 5 runs. There will be close games that Lidge will be called in to close and for those I will continue to cross my fingers.

[toddzilla]

MG- I think the Verlander homer in ST (and the cadillac posing) encouraged dom to just round the bases as quickly as possible.

[Dukes]

awh: and i'm admitting that i didn't know that. thanks for pointing it out.

[CJ]

Dukes: It begins with wet, it ends with et and in the middle is __________

It's okay, you have plenty of company. It's passe to be optimistic and look at the bright side of things. And there's plenty like you on this list to "bring us back to earth."

[CJ]

Phils are now just 1 game behind where they were one year ago at this time.

[MG]

Listening to 610 WIP as I wrap up some work and man I am tired "fans support this team, blah, blah, blah"

I have been at a dozen games this year at CBP and there have been a number of times where an overwhelming majority of the crowd has left by the 8th inning. Worst example was probably the Twins game 2 months ago where almost everybody left after the Contreras/Lidge collapse in the 9th even though the game was tied and going extra innings.

Phils have No. 1 in attendance in NL but as this team has become successful there are a number of fans who are attending the game as much as for an 'event' as for the baseball. If the Phils are up/down a couple of runs late, I would say at least 25-30% or more of the crowd is leaving by the 8th.

[CJ]

We've now won 5 consecutive series and 7 of the last 8, our only lost series thanks to the Zimmerman walk off. Three of series were sweeps.

[CJ]

MG: I'm hard pressed to complain about the fan support for the team this year. Sure... perhaps 25% leave, but I'd guess that number is as high if not higher for most other teams in the league. That means the Phils likely have more fans left in the seats in Late & Close situations than almost any team in baseball.

[Sophist]

Yeah, CJ, but how many families left early after spending hundreds of dollars not supporting the team?

[Sophist]

Phils had their - what? - 99th consecutive sell-out? Braves had about 18K tickets sold, probably fewer in the stands.

[awh]

MG, it happened last night. I was there. About 1/4 to 1/3 of the people started leaving immediately after the Phils put up the 5 spot in the 8th.

I think part of the problem is the length of games, and the extreme difficulty exiting the parking lots. Traffic patterns are not handled very well. I know it's a tough job for the people in charge, but they don't handle it very well. I was parked in a spot after one sellout last season where it took us 40 minutes just to get out of the parking lot.

Last night, it was a 7:05 game, and I didn't get home until about 11:20. A lot of people who were leaving early were the families with young children.

When I was a kid games were no where near as long. All of this crap from the players who walk out of the batters box after every pitch (many Phils are guilty too) to adjust something is just crap. It unnecessarily lengthens games, and I don't see any of them performing any better than the players I grew up watching. Have any of them won the triple crown like Yaz? Hit .400 like Williams?

So, frankly, I don't think it has to do with "bad" fans when an inning is as long as the bottom of the 8th last night. It was over half and hour.

Fans have kids and need to get home.

The Phillies and the City could help the situation also by making it easier to get home.

[Pizzda]

When I was a kid, I used to fight with my Dad every time he took me to a game,because I hated leaving early and he hated staying. I usually got my way, but when I think back on it he was probably tired and wanted to get home. Didn't make him less of a fan, he just didn't need to see all 9 innings. To this day, I still don't leave until a game is over.

[Sophist]

a 5-6 run game in the top of the 9th on a weekday night? I don't think it's a serious knock on the fanbase that a bunch of people - esp. older people or families - try to get out early. They've sold out every home game for over a year and people spend tons on merchandise. People went crazy for a bunt last night. MG is holding fans to too high a standard.

[MG]

awh - Games are too long several reasons. Hitters are allowed to step out too long, commercials have become longer, etc. Baseball is just meant to be played in 3+ hours but that happens too often even in the NL.

If you have little kids, I definitely can see why they want to leave early. Hard to get little kids to be interested & focused for anything for 3+ hours especially if it is late or hot.

As for parking - no-brainer is the lot next to the NovaCare Center. It is where a ton of the workers park. You walk a little longer but time savings is 3x-4x. It is easy to get in and out and all you have to do is take a right onto Patterson to have a short ride down to 95 N/S.

[Jack]

I find it hard to fault parents with families leaving with their kids at 10 PM in the 8th inning of a game where we're up 5+ runs. Come on.

The team has sold out 99 straight games, and we all know how good they've been at home the last couple years down the stretch and in the playoffs. And there seems to be plenty of fans there to watch the comebacks when we're down. The simple fact is that the last few years, the relationship between the Phillies and the fans is among the best it's ever been between a team and this city.

To complain about fan support is to pick nits far beyond faulting Charlie for throwing a certain reliever in a certain game situation. It just seems wrong to me--and yes, I've been at plenty of those games myself.

[Bruce Ruffin]

Department of Really Sad Things: In the ESPN "Power Rankings" (whatever the bleep that means) 9 of the top 12 teams has a link to an ESPN-friendly blog. Guess what. The stinkin' Bobby Cox-led, Larry "The Legend" Jones’ Braves? No link, no blog (along with the Rays and Cincinnati; both “small market” teams).

How that city continues to "support" a MLB team escapes me.

[CJ]

A fan base that's #1 in the league, #2 to just the Yankees and is often credited by players for helping to fuel comebacks is a bad fan base because about a quarter of the 48,000 decide to leave when the home team gets up 5 runs in the 8th?

If these fans are bad, I guess the fans in the rest of baseball are despicable.

[MG]

Old Phan - I was the same way and my dad/uncle always stayed unless it literally started raining.

Little kids/older people I can see leaving early. There is just alot of people who are leaving early even on games I have been going to on Sunday afternoons and more so than a few years ago.

[awh]

MG bitches about everything.

Consider the source.

[Bonehead]

Yeah, awh, but the conditions you describe have been that way for a while.
I agree with MG in noticing a slight 'softening' of the CBP crowd over the last year or two....leaving earlier, arriving later, a little less knowledgeable, a little less hard-edged.

[Sophist]

Yeah, Novacare if you don't want to park for free and risk the FDR riff raff.

Phils have had a ton of short games this year, though. A quick glance of their B-R.com time of game data has around 40 or more games at roughly 2.5 hr or less.

[phlipper]

When I was a kid.....

I didn't realize they had baseball in the Dark Ages.

[Pizzda]

I also learned to stop dissing Dodger fans about the show up late/leave early thing once I moved to LA. It is not easy getting to Dodger Stadium. I went to a concert there a few years ago. Left with plenty of time (and I dont live that far from there) and I missed the 2 opening acts. I wasn't sure if I would ever get there. It was all about traffic.

[Pizzda]

Phlipper, they didnt use baseballs, they use eyes of newt.

[MG]

CJ - When did I say it was a bad fan base? As usual, you are putting words in someone's mouth.

Just saying I have noticed a fair amount of fans leaving early this year than I did in previous years.

[gobaystars!]

People who live in the suburbs deserve to miss the end of the game and/or sit in the parking lot for an hour. PHILADELPHIA Phillies.

[Heather]

Not everyone needs to be an uber fan. I have no issue with folks who enjoy the game but leave because they have a 1.5 hour drive ahead of them and have to get up for work the next day at 6. Or families with kids who need to be in bed at a reasonable hour.

They're supporting the team as much as they can but still need to manage being a fan with their real life. That's totally cool with me. Not everyone can be rooted to their seat till the bitter end.

[MG]

Old Phan - Getting to Chavez Ravine or everywhere in LA especially if you have to use the 5 is a crapshoot. Traffic in Philly by 7 is usually minimal by comparison.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

I can't believe i'm reading about fan support now.

[Pizzda]

I've always felt that they should lock the gates until the game is over so no one can leave early.
I wonder how many people left in the 7th inning of the Dodger game?

[CJ]

MG: "Listening to 610 WIP as I wrap up some work and man I am tired "fans support this team, blah, blah, blah""

I can't imagine there's another way to read this other than you disagree with the sentiment that the fans support this team. I think 99 straight sellouts and the largest average attendance in the NL and the 2nd largest television audience in the NL begs to differ.

Perhaps your definition of fan support is different than mine. You need only ask the players themselves and I'm sure they'd tell you.

But I guess I could give you the benefit of the doubt and try to figure out some other meaning of the post.

[Pizzda]

MG, true. There are about 5 freeways and a bunch of surface streets that all go to Dodger stadium, so it can be difficult to show up on time. I missed the 1st inning of the big Matt Stairs/Vic game.

[GBrettfan]

Gobaystars, did you just suggest that only residents of the city Philadelphia should be Phillies fans?

[Sophist]

Beard - I think we should debate how many of the last 25 games Herndon has cost the Phils. Or maybe we could talk about how the Phils have outscored one of the NL's best teams 17-5 in the last 2 nights.

[Bruce Ruffin]

Sorry for the off-topic mini anti-Braves rant. I confess my young kids (girls) haven't been to a ballgame yet. I can't imagine how they'd react to missing a Sunday afternoon (they play soccer in the spring and fall), and the evening games ending late are just too much. Regardless, I've promised at least a couple Sunday ballgame/family outings in '11.

[Sophist]

Here's a coupla hot topics to get the conversation moving:

PHILADELPHIA -- Rick Ankiel resurrected his career when he stepped off the mound and grabbed a bat. Joe Savery could do the same.

Phillies assistant general manager Chuck LaMar said Wednesday that Savery will see some time this season as a hitter with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He also said the Phillies are considering bringing him to the instructional league to hit.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100818&content_id=13623722&notebook_id=13623726&vkey=notebook_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi&partnerId=rss_phi

and

Now that the signing deadline has come and gone and the 2010 draft is officially in the books, it’s time to take a look at what Philadelphia director of amateur scouting director Marty Wolever has brought into the organization.

Wolever has done a fine job in recent years of building the club’s farm system through the draft, but this season’s draft class could take on an added bit of importance if only for the simple fact it could be Wolever’s last with the Phils. The expected front office upheaval in Queens means that the Mets will likely have a whole new crop of executives, and sources close to Wolever have said that if New York is interested in bringing in a new director of amateur scouting, he’d be more than a little interested in having a discussion with team owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon

http://www.csnphilly.com/08/18/10/A-Closer-Look-at-the-Phillies-2010-Draft/landing_phillies.html?blockID=292945&feedID=704

[gobaystars!]

No. Everyone can and should be a Phillies fan! The Phillies is for everyone!
It was 99% a joke. But I will admit to having little sympathy for suburban folk after what they've did with that whole global recession thing they caused in 08.
But seriously, the Philadelphia before the name just makes it better.

[MG]

Phils will likely have a time scoring against Sanchez tomorrow night but doubt he lasts long. Gone 7 IP just 1 in the last two months. Just of question if he is 'wildly effective' tomorrow night where he sprinkles in 3-4 BB among 6-7 Ks tomorrow night.

[dlhunter]

Can't we all just get alone?
-Rodney King

[Heather]

Get alone, folks! Stop congregating in places! Lock the door and BE ALONE!

Apparently Rodney King said so.

[dlhunter]

Well, fvck you Heather, it was a typo. I'm gonna go drag a trucker out of his cab and beat him in an intersection.

[Old Phan]

I'd like to get a loan.

[Bruce Ruffin]

Now, now folks. Play nice. Remember, 17 over on August 18. What a tremendous launching pad for our march to a 100-win season!

[Heather]

Hunter, sorry, that was my attempt at humor. I guess it failed...what can I say, it's late.

[dlhunter]

It's okay Heather, tonight I'm mostly interested in race riot humor from 20 years ago. To each their own.

[MG]

Sophist - Give Savery a bat because that is the only way he has a shot at making the MLB roster.

As good as year as it has been for some of the players in the lower system, the previous 1st round picks have really struggled including Hewitt and Collier who both have little/no growth in the 2nd year and look like busts.

[Bruce Ruffin]

I'm suffering? nuts? from insomnia this week. Can anyone explain how that 2009 train wreck called the San Diego Padres now have the best record in the National League of Baseball Clubs?

[MG]

Speaking of 20 years ago:

Saw an article yesterday that said kids entering college this year almost never wear a watch, seldom use email, and I would be willing to bet don't really remember the lean years of the Phils during the mid-80s through 2000. For them, the Phils have generally been a competitive team that has been really good the past couple of years.

[Noah]

This Mets-Astros game might be the single worst game of the year.

[Old Phan]

Bruce, I was thinking the very same thing about the Padres.

[Fatalotti]

Carlos Gonzalez just crashed into the wall hard. I hope he's ok. He's a great looking young player.

[Old Phan]

It was 20 years ago today,
Nick Leyva taught the team to play...

[Bruce Ruffin]

MG -- I was convinced that the Phil's mid-season slide would hammer attendance this year. You pegged it, however inadvertently. I don't think most younger fans really care about the Phil's as a team and how well they do day-to-day.

For 20-somethings, going to CBP is an event; a place to see and be seen. How else can you explain the riotous success of "Dollar Dog Night"? Geesh.

[Fatalotti]

Apparently Jimmy Rollins now holds the lead for the most triples in Phillies history. Nice accomplishment for Young James. It's going to be a great day when they put him up on the Phillies wall of fame. He gets a lot of flak lately, but Jimmy Rollins has been as close to the hey reason that this Phillies team has reached such high heights recently. I'm glad I've been able to watch him play.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Weitzel: "twiced homered "

Aahten the light oncest, and tragh me aht th'winda a kisss.

and, reddup yer blog. it lookslike a cyclone hitit.

[MG]

Bruce - Combination of a few really good players (Latos, A. Gonzalez, Bell), couple of savvy trades that have given them a real boost (Tejada, Ludwick), best team in MLB at identifying and nurturing bullpen arms over the past 10 years, and a ballpark that turns average/above average starters into Golden Gods.

[Bruce Ruffin]

Phan -- The Padres scare me more than the Braves. No expectations, no pressure; can that translate to no playoff losses? Here's hoping that doesn't come to pass.

Whatever "secret sauce" that they use to prop up their starters and 'pen hasn't been tested for yet. Heck, maybe they're just damm good.

[Fatalotti]

MG, if the Phillies "only" capture the wild card, I wonder how good Halladay, who often looks like a golden God CBP, would look in that pitcher's haven. I also wonder how Oswalt and Hamels would pitch there.

[bay_area_phan]

Anything can happen in a short series. Anything except the Nationals beating the Braves, that is.

[Bruce Ruffin]

MG -- From a fan's perspective, baseball is truly a sport that can't be mastered, only managed. I consider myself a dedicated fan, yet few if any of those names "rang a bell". Regardless, I believe we'll all be hearing them often, and sooner than we'd like.

[goody]

Hugh: I thought you were from Reading, not Oley.

[MG]

Even Joe Blanton would be a stud in PetCo but what is really odd is how Blanton has been a much better pitcher at CBP during his tenure as Phils' pitcher than on the road (Not including tonight):

ERA at CBP: 4.08 (33 GS)
ERA on the road: 5.09 (30 GS)

You would think that a guy who doesn't strike out a ton of hitters and is prone to the long-ball would be a better pitcher on the road.

He isn't the only starter though to have an odd split like that. Hamels also likes home-cooking & his own bed much more:

ERA at CBP - 3.38 (68 GS)
ERA on road - 3.83 (72 GS)

This is the first-year that sunlight hasn't made Hamels a weaker pitcher either:

Day ERA - 4-2, 3.36, 9.1 K/9, 3.3 K/BB .248 BAA (11 GS)
Night ERA - 3-7, 3.31, 9.3 K/9, 3.3 K/BB .239 BAA (13 GS)

[goody]

MG: Do you have any stats on how Werth does, depending on who's bed he is in?

[MG]

Nats are just 5-13 after tonight vs. Braves this year.

Phils are just 5-4 vs. Nats and play them a numbing 9 more times this season.

Damn shame if the Nats end up costing the Phils a playoff spot but the Nats have played a huge role in the last few seasons in helping the NL East winner.

Phils are a whopping 44-19 (.698) against the since the start of the '07 season. Yeah the Nats supposedly play the Phils tough but in the end they have been the Phils' red-headed stepchild since then.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

goody, my only knowledge of Oley is carnal.
My nana is a Dutchie. born in philly, raised in reading (w/o indoor plumbing) / died in reading

[MG]

More Nats' ineptitude:

Mets in '06: 6-12
Atlanta in '05: 9-10

Gateway to the NL East Title really has gone through DC the past 5 years since they relocated from Montreal. Too bad it has just generally been the NL East leader bashing their face in on their way to the title in part because of the Nats' inepittude.

[MG]

Guess Roy likes home-cooking too:

CBP - 1.95 ERA (14 GS)
Road - 2.62 ERA (11 GS)