Comments

[Tom P]

First.

I've been waiting for this series all year.

[king myno]

If I was writing a thesis on "Will the Phillies ever smack around an unknown quantity," Brandon Beachy would be my thrilling conclusion.

[aksmith]

I don't see why anyone will be surprised. Here is what's going to happen. Beachy will breeze through the Phils' lineup for the first three innings. That is what always happens. Tonight will be no different. This game will be won or lost after the first three, and possibly the first four. If Hamels can shut out the Braves for the first four or five, that will give the Phillies time to adjust. But everyone has to know the Phillies will not hit this kid until they've seen a bunch of at bats. That is all.

[Willard Preacher]

Something tells me that we need just one more crisis to complain about and debate before the playoffs, and a Brad Lidge blown save, just as he's worked himself into our good graces again would do such a thing.

Don't underestimate the battle of the bullpens, where we have just as much a disadvantage as we have an advantage in starting pitching.

(the above may or may not be an attempt at a reverse jinx, as far as you're aware....)

[vegas]

It's time to take some pitches and let the crowd and atmosphere get into Beachy's young head.

[MG]

aksmith - Yeah. I would be pretty surprised if the Phils score tonight in the first 3 innings unless Beachy is just really wild and issuing plenty of BBs.

Looked at Baseball Prospectus but couldn't find a single article that really took at the issue of when teams face a starter for the first time.

BTY - Who is behind home plate tonight?

[CJ]

Great graphic, JW.

I'm so pumped for tonight's game, despite the fact that it so clearly feels like a loss.

[baxter]

I think its the other way around- we need to go after his fastball & not allow him to establish it early on.

[MG]

WP - Honestly with our well Lidge has pitched the last 6 weeks, I wouldn't mind if he blew a save this series.

He simply has been "Lights Out" the past 6 weeks and it has almost gone completely under the radar.

[philyinnyc]

hope we totally deflate beachy ball

[philyinnyc]

er... sorry about that one...

[MG]

Does Beachy have a changeup and/or slider? If he does and can get them working he will gives this team some trouble especially with a changeup.

[Willard Preacher]

Anyone know if Chipper still makes the trips and sits in the dugout? I want him to have a good first hand view of the next 3 games (and be within earshot of the Phaithful).

[CJ]

MG: Fastball, curve ball, changeup.

[Fatalotti]

Wow, the amount of anxiety on here about an unproven pitcher is baffling.

Would you guys rather have the certified Phillie killer, Jair Jurrjens going tonight?

Each player on this team has faced a pitcher for the first time, several times, and they haven't lost every time that happens.

Methinks there's some confirmation bias going on here. The Phillies will get "shut down" if the kid pitches well, but then again, they'd get shut down if anybody pitched well. If the kid is wild, and then starts serving up cookies, he'll get eaten for dinner.

[philyinnyc]

i looked at his his Minor League Stats - with small exception - his ERA is in the 2's - 3's
I know they are just MiL Stats - still some concern,

they need to be patient at the plate.. very patient!!!

CJ -> phillyinnyc----> to Victorio - he now has the word -- and will pass it to his teammates... Patience is the word....

[Willard Preacher]

Fatalotti, I've appreciated your insights in the last couple of months and I may have missed it, but I'm curious as to where in the hell a handle like "Fatalotti" comes from.

[Willard Preacher]

philyinnyc, Great, you just wrote the Inky's headline for them already: Another Day at the Beachy.

[denny b.]

I'd rather see Jurrjins out there, myself.

He has looked pretty bad lately.

[aksmith]

Maybe this kid will pitch like Matt Beech. Anything's possible.

[Willard Preacher]

It really is a shame that this series has to be tainted by that taint, TBag.

[CJ]

No one mentioned it yet, but standard lineup for the Phils:

Victorino, Polanco, Utley, Howard, Werth, Ibanez, Ruiz, Valdez, Hamels

For the Braves:

Infante, Heyward, Prado, Lee, McCann, Diaz, Gonzalez, Cabrera, Beachy

This lineup probably gives the Braves their worst OF defense of the various combinations that they'd be willing to use.

[Willard Preacher]

Sad that when you posted "standard lineup" I already assumed that it included Valdez.

[bay_area_phan]

Nice start.

[CJ]

Because those chumps over at Talkingchop.com like to do this so much after strike outs:

STFD

And that's the last time I'll ever do that.

[Willard Preacher]

Ah yes, 3 straight days of Wheeler professing his man-love for Heyward, too.

I need to switch to the radio broadcast.

[Spitz]

CJ, what does talkingchop say after a 5-4-3 DP?

[outofmarket]

anyone know where you can watch the game online for free?

[Steve]

so why isn't Dom Brown in the line up...hasn't he seen this pitcher before? rh pitcher?

[CJ]

Spitz: They call it a Vidro. Maybe because Jose Vidro grounded into a lot of DPs? A Heyward hit is an Autohit.

They're weird.

[Willard Preacher]

Steve, who do you sit for Dom to start? Redhot Ibanez, Redhot Werth, or Orangehot Victorino?

[NEPP]

Calling the low strike tonight, eh?

[CJ]

Steve: Bocock is the only player on the Phils roster to have seen this guy before. And Brown hasn't played in something like 6 weeks... so there's NO cause to start him tonight. Who would you sit down?

[Jack]

Dom is hurt, which is why he hasn't even pinch-hit recently. There's an article in today's paper about it, available on Philly.com

[Willard Preacher]

At least Vic waited until the 6th pitch to pop up.

[bay_area_phan]

Steve: In a game this important, do you really want your starting lineup to include a .214 hitter, who hasn't had a single AB in the last 2 weeks? Who would he replace?

[CJ]

Bah... that's what I get for referencing their defensive OF.

[NEPP]

Is it just me or does the zone seem huge tonight?

[bay_area_phan]

Typical.

[CJ]

This game feels like a loss. We're getting dominated by an undrafted AA pitcher.

[Matt]

Two hard hit balls. That's a good sign.

[NEPP]

http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/cache/zoneplot.php-pitchSel=all&game=gid_2010_09_20_atlmlb_phimlb_1&sp_type=1&s_type=7.gif

Talk about calling that low strike. Beachy will kill us if he gets that call all night.

[aksmith]

Looks like the bandbox is playing like the Grand Canyon tonight in left.

[Tray]

An undrafted AA pitcher, but one who's pitched his way into legit prospect-dom.

[NEPP]

Bandbox.

[bay_area_phan]

Great. Everything about this game feels like a loss. Cole is due for a bad game.

[CJ]

Bah... McCann always has been a Phillies killer. They should just walk him every time.

[philwynk]

First inning, Polanco and Utley hit the ball squarely and a good distance. Both of them hit a 4-seam fastball, around 92 mph.

The Phillies hit fastballs well. Expect at least 4 runs in the first 7 innings.

[Tray]

McCann, going into night, had a career OPS of .997 against Hamels. That's his 6th double off of him in 34 career ABs.

[Willard Preacher]

I hate Brian McCann.

[Steve]

Why feed mccann a fastball like that?

[Matt]

Hmm, lots of fastballs tonight from Hamels.

[NEPP]

Not the best start here.

[Jack]

Hamels getting smoked right now. They're jumping all over balls over the plate.

[CJ]

Cole Hamels is mentally weak. Never could pitch in a big game.

[bay_area_phan]

The Braves' lineup isn't all that great, but it sure does have a lot of Phillies killers. McCann, Diaz & Prado all mash against us.

[Tray]

Melky 4-9 off of Hamels lifetime.

[bay_area_phan]

Ok, that wasn't so bad.

[NEPP]

Great job Cole, Great Job.

[CJ]

Wow... Braves lead off with single, double, single and get just one run? Nice Houdini act there by Cole.

Now let's get some runs!

[Jack]

Good job getting out of it. Now let's hit. Howard hits one out here.

There, I said something good about Howard. He better make me look good.

[BloodStripes]

So after 1 inning we're being dominated and gonna lose. BL is the best.

[Willard Preacher]

He used Happ's old smoke and mirrors there.

[Jack]

You gotta pitch around McCann whenever possible, in this series.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

This game feels like a game that feels like a loss until it's all of a sudden a lopside Phils win.

[Willard Preacher]

Bloodstripes, the kid has a no-hitter going against us and the Phils NEVER hit guys the first time they see them! The sky is falling!!!

[aksmith]

As long as Cole pitches around Chipper, he'll be fine. And McCann. And Diaz. And . . .

He'll be fine.

[CJ]

Overpaid.

[bay_area_phan]

A single would have been better, considering who's coming up.

[Jack]

Howard always disappoints me. I expected a homer there.

[BloodStripes]

"Cole Hamels is mentally weak. Never could pitch in a big game."

08 WS was nothing of course. Tell me you are joking CJ.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

Way to go fatwallet.

[Willard Preacher]

Big problem should have realized that Werth hates RISP. Should have just stopped at first like the singles hitter he's become.

[Dukes]

That was not a strike, Wheels.

[Bob]

nice work getting out of a dicey inning. Would be nice for the Phils to get a couple of runs early, get the crowd fired up, put some pressure on the kid and not let him settle in, and not let the Braves think this is going to be anything other than a long series.

Phils are making good contact thus far.

[bay_area_phan]

Howard cost them a run by not taking 3rd on that fly ball.

[bay_area_phan]

Unless he scores anyhow, that is.

[Thump Bump]

Chooch is the man!

[CJ]

M
V
P

[Bob]

Chooch is en fuego with RISP.

[BloodStripes]

Choooooooooooooooooooooch. Hit that beaking ball perfectly. Awesome hittin'

[Steve]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Carlos Ruiz.

[mikeh]

bap- the sentence should have included the word "potentially". Senor OCTUBRE!

[Willard Preacher]

The kid should have shown Chooch the respect he deserves!

[CJ]

Bloodstripes: Come on man, who are you talking to? :-)

[CJ]

I lied, Hoover, Bocock and Mayberry Jr have all seen Beachy.

[Willard Preacher]

Phillie-killer or not, I'll take Chooch over McCann 7 days a week and twice on Sundays.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

Chooch just made BAP look ridiculous, and a man in his position can't afford to be made to look ridiculous.

[Thump Bump]

Vick should have pitched tonight.

[Bob]

I'm sure it's just my imagination, but I would love to see a graphic of Ruiz at the plate waiting for the pitch now, next to one from say, three years ago. He just seems to have a much more confident presence, not someone a pitcher would take lightly at all, a far cry from the automatic chopped DP ball machine of times past.

[bay_area_phan]

Lincoln: I don't mind looking ridiculous but I actually added my 7:37 caveat a few seconds before Chooch's hit.

[Willard Preacher]

Who in the hell at Bigelow thought that Joe Torre would be a good spokesman to sell Green Tea to Phillies fans? Was LaRussa not available?

[NEPP]

Chooch for MVP.

[Matt]

Cole getting squeezed?

[Andy]

Aw...c'mon. That was a strike.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

Bap: Saw the caveat after I reloaded. Truth is I watched the Godfather for the umptillionth time last night and that line has been going through my head all day. Saw a chance to use it, and took it.

[BloodStripes]

@ CJ.......LOL......sarcasm is good.

1-2-3 for Cole, alright!!!

[NEPP]

Cole got pissed...he's in this now.

[Call me Ishmael]

Lincoln - I knew I recognized it that line. Not too shabby, truth be told.

[Willard Preacher]

Can we all chip in and buy a Phanatic Around Town for clout? A pink one, if they have it.