Game chat: Streaking Phillies seek sixth straight

 Preview: Kyle Kendrick (9-9, 4.85) tries to overcome his home woes and struggles against the Nationals tonight in the second of three from Citizens Bank Park. First pitch is 7:05 with Jordan Zimmerman (0-1, 5.29) scheduled for Washington. Kendrick, who has a 5.81 ERA at home and a 12.71 ERA against Washington, will look to build on a decent start in his last turn. The Phils will go with their standard lineup against Zimmerman, who is coming off his worst outing of the year. [Jump to the newest comments] 

Comments

[Albert ross]

Seems to me like Valdez is going the other way quite a bit - with a good payoff.

[Fatalotti]

Alright, that's enough at 'em balls for me for one season.

[Unikruk]

Don't look now, but Valdez is hitting .260.

[PhxPhilly]

To address defensive metric inconsistencies read #8 on yahoo's 'think you know baseball' column. Basically says two ranking metrics are almost completely different for an entire team.
Some advanced metrics are more advanced than others as they evolve.

[kilbillrain]

Starting 8 all at or above .260...not to shabby

[MG]

Awesome mustache. Relievers with odd, funny facial hair is one of the most underrated things about baseball.

[bay_area_phan]

With a name like Colin Balester, I'd expect this guy to be a playwright or a poet, not a major league baseball player.

[Fatalotti]

Victorino has raised his OBP nearly 20 points this month. He really likes the leadoff spot right now.

[NEPP]

Polly has had a really rough couple weeks now.

[Scott]

.

[kilbillrain]

ugh....polly looks brutal...

[Kutztown Fan]

Colin Balestar? Sounds like a character in an E. M. Forster novel.

[bay_area_phan]

My dinner will be ready in 7 minutes. I can't afford any drama from Lidge.

[NEPP]

1 down.

[Fatalotti]

BAP, Lidge wants to make you happy, hence the can-of-corn pop up to Howard.

[NEPP]

The Nats are swinging at everything.

2 down.

[Fatalotti]

See what I mean BAP?

[bay_area_phan]

So long as he wasn't on a 3-pitch pitch count, I guess he can stay in to face the last hitter.

[MG]

Fatalott - Yeah and the offense has looked better to boot since Vic has been in the leadoff spot.

Lots of guys are hitting though this month and Ibanez has been on fire since Labor Day.

[bay_area_phan]

Fat: Yes, he's cooperating nicely. But his problems often start with 2 outs.

[Fatalotti]

"If you can limit damage early in the game, it can help you win a game." --Chris Wheeler

That's right out of the John Madden Sport's Commentary quarterly.

[NEPP]

That's Lidgetastic!!!

[Fatalotti]

BAP, I bet you're dinners not even done yet.

[aksmith]

Seems like worrying about Lidge was as silly as it seemed at the time.

[Fatalotti]

**your dinner's**

[MG]

Easy as 1-2-3. Phils just keep rolling and I really like their chances for the sweep tomorrow.

[BloodStripes]

KK into double digit wins. Well done KK.

Phils are clinical lately. Just too good!

[bay_area_phan]

Who would have ever guessed that Madson would be the one to get himself into all sorts of trouble & Lidge would be the one to have a clean 1-2-3 inning?

[bay_area_phan]

Fat: It's not. I even had time to write a post after the game. Now make that 2 posts.

[Spitz]

Phils up 3 games, and the Braves go against Dickey, Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt in their next four game. Good times.

[Fatalotti]

88-61 on the season, 40-15 (!!!!!!!) since losing 7 of 8 to the Cubs/Cardinals right out of the gate after the ASB. 27 games over .500, something they haven't done in a long time, I'd imagine. They ended the 2008 season 22 games over, and ended last season 24 games over.

I wonder when the last time they were 27 over.

[Kutztown Fan]

Nice win for the Phils. Let's hope they do it again tomorrow. I'll be at the game, willing Joe to throw a scoreless first (and 2nd, and 3rd...).

How about that Wilson Valdez?

[Old Phan]

Phillies playing September baseball. Gotta love it.

[Old Phan]

Exxon gets Chevy player of the game. Sweet.

[NEPP]

****I wonder when the last time they were 27 over.****

93 probably...they were definitely 27 over several times that year.

[Heather]

Franzke just said only Halladay and Hamels have more wins than Kendrick.

Why isn't Oswalt counting?

[Fatalotti]

If the Phillies merely go 7-6 the rest of the way, they'll have 95 wins. The only way I see them only going 7-6 is if they clinch early and play the AAAA guys for the last series. Otherwise, it's not crazy to think this team can get to 96-97 wins.

[NEPP]

****Why isn't Oswalt counting?****

Because six of his wins werent with the Phillies.

[Jim]

Huge win.......great job Kyle, and Exxon has become the unsung hero of this team!!!

[MG]

The single biggest thing that has made really confident of this team's chances in the postseason since Aug - Madson/Lidge.

Lidge since Aug 1:

20 G, 18 2/3 IP, 0-0, 0.98 ERA, 0.82 WHIP,

11 for 12 saves opportunities and 12 of his 18 outings where he has pitched 1.0 have been 1-2-3 innings.

Lidge was the single weakspot this team had and he simply has lived up to his nickname the past 2 months of "Lights Out."

[phlipper]

Just curious - when players are "washed up" because of their age, is it unusual for them to perform much better in the second half of a season than the first half?

[Heather]

Duh, thanks NEPP.

[Jim]

Out of curiosity when Kyle started with a single, triple, and a hit by pitch......how many people on here were calling for Vance Worley?

[Kutztown Fan]

At the beginning of the season, I predicted the Phils would win either 95 or 95 games (I don't remember, but I'm sure someone will go back and look at the predictions thread sometime soon). As little as 2 weeks ago, I didn't think they'd even come close to that.

Sometime I love when I'm wrong.

[Old Phan]

Phlipper, someone installed a fountain of youth in the clubhouse.

[Fatalotti]

Madson only threw 23 pitches that inning? For having walked 2 guys and having loaded the bases, and also struck a guy out, that's not that many pitches.

[Jim]

I'm assuming you guys are talking about Ibanez, I am assuming he is healthy, he had that offseason surgery and it probably took him most of the season to feel healthy again, I think that explains his resurgance!

[Lincoln Hawkes]

"Franzke just said only Halladay and Hamels have more wins than Kendrick.

Why isn't Oswalt counting?"

For the same reason that when everyone raves about how great CL was for us, they say he went 7-4 instead of 14-13.

[MG]

Have you seen this man?

A young man who plays OF for the Phils who was last seen in Philly during Labor Day weekend.

If you have any knowledge of the whereabouts please call the Phillies' Front Office at 215-555-2342

[Matt]

Ricky Bo is a gem. I hope he doesn't go national.

[Fatalotti]

You know, they say there are some pitchers who are slump-busters, in that they give struggling offenses a chance to get off the schneid.

Well, I wonder what they call the reverse of that, because Cliff Lee is facing the Mariners right now (shutting them out through 4), and talk about a team that can help a struggling pitcher regain his form, and build some confidence.

[Kutztown Fan]

I agree, Matt. Ricky Bo is so much fun to watch. He's so cranky. I expect Marshall to burst into tears any minute.

[Jim]

@fatlotti he pitched 8 gave up 2 hits, and 1 run against the Yankees last Sunday.

[brother]

The Phils were actually 27 games over .500 last year. In fact that was their high-water mark--they were 88-61 at this point last year, exactly the same as their record right now. They ended up going only 5-8 the rest of the way last year.

[Kutztown Fan]

I wish "Going Pigeon" would change his handle to "Going Away."

Speaking of going away, I think the Mets were mathematically eliminated after their loss today.

[jim]

what is this clowns site, I would love to see what it is......he amuses me!

[aksmith]

Since Cliff Lee came back from his back problems, I think he's back to being Cliff Lee. Which may prove that his back problems were causing his pitching problems.

Seems like he's going to help the Rangers a lot during the playoffs. I could see them toppling the Yankees if he gets at least two starts against them.

[EastFallowfield]

Mets supposedly still alive in the Wild Card race, but I don't know if those elimination numbers take into account the games teams ahead of them play against each other where one team or the other is guaranteed to win 2 of 3 or 3 of 6 of the head-to-head games.

Of course, the only series the Braves have won since the last series of August were against the Mets.

[not going pigeon's mom, seriously]

Strange as it may sound, I actually enjoy Going Pigeon's blog.

I mean, it's ridiculous. But he obviously puts a lot of time into it, and it's very creative.

[limoguy]

Nats made it easy for Lidge by swinging early in the count. Probably not the best approach against him, but I'll take it.

[CJ]

I was shocked... SHOCKED... to come on here and see the venom sent KK's way from the usual suspects. It's a shame they can't simply be objective about it. They've invested so much in KK's failure. Really, really sad.

[CJ]

By the way, Giants lost to move back into 2nd place. They're a full 5 games behind the Phils with just 13 left to play (Rockies are 5.5 back). Let's say the Phils finish just 5-8 in their last 13 games (93 wins)... the Giants would have to go 10-3 to tie and 11-2 to pass us... while the Rockies would have to go 11-3 to tie and 12-2 to pass us.

About those playoffs? Yeah, they're happening.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

***They've invested so much in KK's failure. Really, really sad.***

Considering he's originally from Houston and how so many have invested in his failure, maybe we should call him Enron.

[bay_area_phan]

Ok, I admit that, after Kyle Kendrick went 10-4 with a 3.87 ERA in 2007, I took a $500,000 short position on his rookie card. Every time he pitches well, my investment takes a beating.

[MG]

Let's go Padres!

[Michael stubel]

After doing some digging:

Mike Schmidt's first 863 games (28 years, 9 months old): 195 HR, 563 RBI.

Ryan Howard's first 863 (30 years, 10 months): 252 HR, 742 RBI.

[Iceman]

Fatalotti- I didn't say the criticism was undeserved. I said it was over the top. Kendrick frustrates me as much as he does anyone because even when he does pitch well, watching him is like getting a root canal. When he pitches poorly, it's as close as I ever come to just turning the game off.

But he's a cheap fifth-starter option with a sub-5 ERA that had an adequate performance against the Mets in his previous outing. He had given up one run in this game and people immediately started getting out the pitchforks calling for his removal from the rotation. I just don't get the hatred, I guess.

[Marley]

Kendrick criticism is always over the top, plus he and Blanton (to a lesser extent) have had to pick up much of the BL knee-jerk overreaction slack with Moyer on the DL.

In other news, check out this phillies.com quote from UC:

"I could see myself managing at 85," Manuel said before Saturday's game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. "Pennsylvania is known to have old coaches and managers. What the heck?"

Mr. Amaro, prepare the Kovalchuk contract!

[clout]

The most baffling thing to me is that JW continues to allow Going Pigeon to use Beerleaguer as a vehicle to promote his own Web site. In pre-Comcast days, JW would've pulled the trigger a week ago.

[Cliff]

Love the mood around here these days. Baseball, unlike the other sports, has a way of creeping in to the cracks and seems of my everyday routine, so positive momentum from the Phils really uplifts my day-to-day. I never let sports get to me all that much (hey, I got kids), but when the Phils are hot there's an extra pep in my step.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

I think the first inning "pull Kendrick" posts were pretty funny. I don't like watching him but, seen him enough to know he had a chance to come through it. Still, can't recall the last game I saw with so many hard hit outs, both ways. (The posters who refer to Kendrick "hatred", need to grow up a bit, or grow a vocabulary. He's not your little brother, dude, you don't have to take it personally.)

Kendrick had some good fortune but, biggest reasons he went 6 are: 1) that 2 seamer on the inside corner to lefties, and 2) where'd he find that changeup?

Polanco had a rough night. Good night for guys whose names end in Z.

As for Bautista being on the juice, he looks more like Davey Johnson (43 homers in '73) than Brady Anderson (or Luis Gonzalez) to me.

[Andy]

clout - I disagree.

A month ago.

[awh]

"not going pidgeon's mom, seriously" displays the sort of cowardice on an anonymous blog that is laughable.

For someone who normall posts anonymously to change his/her handle again is just plain stupid.

Unless, of course, it's Going Pidgeon.

[awh]

Brad Lidge Watch (including last night:

Since August 1st:

20 G, 17 GF, 0-0, 13 S, 1 BS, 18.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 19 K, 0 HR,

0.96 ERA, .750 WHIP, .125 .211 .141 against

BAbip .178

Has Brad Lidge been the best closer in MLB since August 1st?

[awh]

CJ, thanks for the rundown.

Yep, if the Phillies keep winning, every game they get closer to the end of the regular season because that much more difficult for them to get run down and passed by another team.

Ass-u-ming they can win behind Blanton today, they'd be at 89 wins with 12 to go.

A 6 - 6 record the rest of the season would mean even Atlanta would have to go 10 - 2 to win the division.

If they win today, a 6 - 6 record the rest of the season would put them at 95 wins........not too shabby.

However, this is baseball.

Never ass-u-me.

[J. Weitzel]

Clout: Not so much "pre-Comcast." Pre-baby.

[J. Weitzel]

Just blocked him by the way. I had two minutes to spare.

[Smee]

Interesting stats, the phillies lead the league in on-base percentage since the break. they also lead the league with most strikeouts and fewest walks since the beak.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

I never doubted that the Phils would get better at the season went on, nor did I think we would crash and burn and miss the playoffs by a mile.

But right around midseason with the way things were going I couldn't help but think we'd be in a tough fight for the wild card.

Yet right now, league wide, we trail only the Rays in road losses and are third in home wins behind the Braves and Rox. The methodical way this team re-established itself as one of the best in baseball is remarkable.

[Fatalotti]

Just as crazy Lincoln, this team was projected to win 100. At this point, even if they don't play their starters in the final series (if they clinch best record early) that this team can win 97 games.

With all the injuries, slumps, and games we were back of 1st place, to be a 97 win team is astounding.

But, I guess that's what going 40-15 over a 55 game stretch will do for you.

Oh, and having three aces.

[CJ]

Raul Ibanez since Labor Day (11 games):

452/511/810, 1.320 OPS

His OPS for the season is back up 793. He's had an OPS at or above 800 after just two games this season, the 4th game (.800) and the 113th game (.805). Of course, each time he reached that plateau, he went on about a 20 game slump... so here's hoping this particular hot streak runs right through October!

[CJ]

Yo, new thread.

[GTown_Dave]

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JAYSON WERTH: ALL IS FORGIVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!