[Jump to the newest comments]

Comments

[lorecore]

Phils -125 today. Possibly the lowest you'll see them at home all season long.

[Oliver]

I wish these threads weren't sponsored in such a way that I can't click on the big banner to get to the tread...

[timr]

"The Blanton Effect"

[MG]

Most Brewers don't have much a history vs. Blanton but Betancourt (11-31 with 2 HRs) and Fielder (5-14 with 2 HRs) have solid numbers.

[MG]

Take the 'Cory Lidge' special tonight from Blanton - 6 IP and 4 ER

I don't think Blanton makes it 6 IP tonight though because of a high count.

[GTown_Dave]

Great. Dollar Dog Night. As if JoeBla the Hutt didn't already have enough problems focusing.

[Old Phan]

I predict 3 solid innings from Kentuckessee Joe. That is all.

[GTown_Dave]

I predict 3 solid innings from Kentuckessee Joe.

Pitched consecutively?

[Andy]

I'm predicting an offensive break out tonight!

(Just don't ask me any details.)

[Old Phan]

I meant for the rest of the season.

[Andy]

Amazing work on the graphic, Jason. It must be tough getting a font size that'll fit into the frame with that, um, gigantic head.

[GTown_Dave]

Old Phan: I still think that's ridiculously optimistic.

[Old Phan]

Gtown, you know me, blind optimist and all.

[Andy]

You know, Howard has only had 3 ABs against Marcum, but has gone yard in two of them. Polanco and Rollins have had a few hits, too.

[Andy]

I do wonder if Chollie will wait to call the bullpen to get Kendrick up until after the National Anthem is over.

[Old Phan]

Andy, stop with the SSS (small sample size).

[GTown_Dave]

Andy: Of course. He always waits too long to get the 'pen up.

[Andy]

Boy. Both Joe and Shaun look like they should be sittin on a beat-up front porch throwin empties at hound dogs. And spittin.

[Willard Preacher]

Old Phan/GTown, surely he'll draw the Mets again this year, right?

Oh, and if he's traded, you can mark him down for at least 8 solid innings of 0 run ball the first time he faces the Phils.

[Andy]

Between 'em, these guys average a pretty near awful 6.50 ERA.

[Fatalotti]

Man, talk about a great night of sports. Sixer and Flyers in the playoffs and Phillies at home. I'm going to be doing some channel surfing tonight.

[Willard Preacher]

Haha, TBag says that Cholly thinks that "there are times when he thinks he can bat Ruiz even higher than 7."

Really? Holy crap!!

[GTown_Dave]

Andy: Joe tried to throw empties at a hound dog. Walked it on 4 cans.

[NEPP]

Under most other managers with this lineup, Ruiz would probably be batting 2nd or 5th right now.

[Dave S]

Charlie's just fooling with him. Catchers are supposed to bat 8th.

[JAY]

LETS GO PHILLIES....

[Fatalotti]

I love that Blanton started the game off with a changeup right down Broad Street. Just letting the Brewers know early what they can expect for the rest of the game.

[Fatalotti]

Yeah, Jimmy's still a great defender. He made those plays look effortless.

[Shane]

Joe Blanton looking like ... Joe Blanton

[NEPP]

Big Joe looks good so far.

Not that that means anything at all.

[MG]

Left a few hangers but overall decent enough.

[Andy]

Wow. He threw some tough pitches at Fielder there.

[GTown_Dave]

Looks to me like Joe's starting to wear down. Charlie might wanna cut his losses & get Kendrick ready.

[Willard Preacher]

So, just 2 more innings this season for Joe now?

Might think about getting the 'pen up.

[Iceman]

NEPP- I don't think most managers would put Ruiz at the top of the lineup (1 or 2) because he's slow. There would be some that would bat him 5th.

Personally, despite his lack of speed, I'd love to see him out of the 2 spot. It's not like Polanco is a speedster. I don't think he should be batting any lower than 6th, either.

[Willard Preacher]

Sadly, if Valdez had ANY semblance of a bat, Ruiz would fester in the 8-hole.

[Iceman]

Didn't Marcum dominate the Phils last year when he was with Toronto?

This is really the only game so far that before a pitch is even thrown I'm just expecting a loss.

[Fatalotti]

Polly is a really good hitter with great fundamentals.

[NEPP]

Defense is overrated.

[Fatalotti]

Lucky.

[NEPP]

Crushed that one...

[Fatalotti]

F#*k your spraycharts, Roenicke!!

[GTown_Dave]

The Official Scoring on the Weeks play will be changed from an Error to a Hit because MLB feels he really, really *wanted* to field it cleanly.

[MG]

8th time in 15 games the Phils have scored in the 1st inning . . .

[NEPP]

Someone figured out that you should never ever throw a fastball to BenFran.

That took a good week of real baseball to sort out.

[jr]

I'll stick up for him: JB gets the WIN.That's if Cholly can go off script and get himm out on time instaed of an inning too late.

[Ops]

I'm watching on ESPN3.com and don't have any announcers, just natural sound. Does anybody know of any reason for this or did I just get lucky?

[Andy]

Just a bit high.

[Fatalotti]

This is really the battle of the short striders. Neither of these guys get any extension when they pitch. Marcum almost looks like a knuckleballers with his delivery.

[Fatalotti]

Raul just can't hit a line drive. Frustrating.

[Andy]

If Howard does that fling the ball through the shortstop hole about 5 more times maybe he won't get the shift as much any more.

[Andy]

Aw...c'mon Blue. That was strike 3 and 4.

[Andy]

And 5.

[Fatalotti]

Jimmy....

[Andy]

Joe's on fire tonight. He must have a few ex's in the stands or something.

[Chris in VT]

Just read this tidbit, thought I'd share:

"The defending NL Cy Young award winner is right back at it again. From 2008 to 2010, Halladay led the majors in innings (757 2/3), ERA (2.63)*, ERA+ (161)*, complete games (28), shutouts (10), WHIP (1.07)*, strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.12)*, walks per nine innings (1.3)*, and wins (60)."

Just reminding myself how amazing it is to watch Doc pitch every 5th game...

[NEPP]

Doc is a Hall of Famer in his peak years.

Enjoy it.

[Shane]

nah, it's dollar dog night. He's extra motivated to get done asap.

[Fatalotti]

Is Yuniesky Betancourt the worst player in the majors?

Career OPS+: 83
Career UZR/150: -8.3
Career WAR: -2.2
Career earnings: $8,555,000

Only in America...

[NEPP]

Shane, I'm sure they ferry the dollar dogs down to the dugout for him.

[NEPP]

Where was Jimmy on that one?

WHER!!!

[NEPP]

I wouldn't say he's the worst in the majors but he's probably the worst value in the Majors.

[Fatalotti]

Sheffield led the league in bat speed for years. He and Griffey apparently generated swings around 100 mph. Just wow.

[GTown_Dave]

Sheffield had the fastest bat I've ever seen.

[GTown_Dave]

Good arm.

[MG]

C'mon Ibanez. Hit the f@cking cutoff man and prevent Gomez from going to 2nd. That was a play I would expect from Francisco.

[NEPP]

Sheff had ridiculously fast hands...just incredible to watch him make contact.

Ashame all the other crap happened as he was a HoF talent.

[GTown_Dave]

Anyone care to keep lavishing praise upon Blanton? Anyone? Bueller?

[NEPP]

Ibanez is fast approaching "Worst LF in baseball" territory. Good thing for him that Carlos Lee is still a LF.

[MG]

Too many mental miscues this inning defensively. I thought this was a veteran savvy team?

[Baumer]

ahhhhh....Giving away runs. Break throw Raul.

[Spitz]

Awesome job missing the cutoff man Ibanez. Mayberry would have never done that!

[Baumer]

Excuse me. Great*. Not Break.

[Andy]

Where's the guile?

[NEPP]

Thank goodness that UC is giving Raul every start in LF. I think he'll get better with more reps.

[NEPP]

Also, said this before this week: Raul Ibanez will not be the starting LF by the end of the season. Rube will make a trade or Dom Brown will step up. I'm guessing a trade.

[Spitz]

Um, NEPP, do you know who plays LF for the World Champion San Francisco Giants?

[NEPP]

Burrell is a better LF than Ibanez, Spitz. For one, he has a very accurate arm and his arm does not resemble that of an 80 year old woman.

[MG]

NEPP - It's more like a 58-year old woman with moderate arthritis.

[Willard Preacher]

Burrell has a hell of an arm, and is often among the league leaders in OF put outs. Most teams don't run on his arm.

Yeah, he's a statue, otherwise, but for arm alone, he's better than Raul, who is entering the DH portion of his career.

[MG]

Polanco es en fuego.

[NEPP]

How come Burrell had a defensive caddy and never finished a game in LF but Ibanez is a freaking iron man who is NEVER PH for and NEVER subbed out defensively?

What does UC see in him that no one else on earth see?

[nonmePHame]

NEPP, that is the funniest thing you've ever said.

[Willard Preacher]

But just because there's a capable fielder, with a little power in his bat on the bench, doesn't mean we should sit Raul, right?

[Spitz]

Because Burrell would lose to Sean Casey in a footrace. Arm is meaningless if you can't get to a ball.

[MG]

Starting Ibanez tonight was fine. Even tomorrow night.

Just can't see why they would start him Wed vs. a lefty (Narveson) he doesn't have much of a track record against who has had trouble with right-handed hitters in his limited career. Not like Ibanez is hitting a lick either the last week.

[NEPP]

***he's better than Raul, who is entering the DH portion of his career.***

DHs need to hit...He's entering the pickup softball game phase of his career.

[NEPP]

Raul isn't exactly fleet of foot out there in LF. He's nearly as slow as Burrell.

[MG]

NO BBs through 3. Hard to dink and dunk your opponent to death.

[Shane]

Please, Joe. Please pitch better.

[Old Phan]

I've always "trusted the Gut™", but I never understood taking Burrell's bat out of the lineup. Good question as to why he doesn't do the same with Raul.
Oh, and I was off by one inning with Kentuckessee Joe. I was expecting 3 decent innings.

[MG]

5.33 career ERA in April/May for Blanton. Guess he is ready for business after Memorial Day.

[MG]

Nice job Joe.

[3r0ck]

Sarge and TMac are awful.

[MG]

Sarge and TMac are unwatchable. It got to the point last year I would just turn of the TV and put on the radio. Hell, most times I more than content to just listen to the radio while I am working.

[NEPP]

Am I the only one that would bat Chooch 5th and push BenFran & Ibanez down a spot respectively?

I'm not crazy by thinking that, am I?

[Fatalotti]

NEPP is on fire tonight.

[Andy]

Chances that Francisco sees a fastball in this coming AB - -56%.

[GTown_Dave]

Blanton at 53 Pitches. Total self-immolation should be coming up in the 5th.

[Willard Preacher]

NEPP, so, you're going to ask Ibanez to catch?