Comments

[MG]

You implying something about 'Purple Drank' and Cole Hamels?

[Jay]

COLE IN THE GAME TREAD+ WIN!!!

[Jay]

THREAD...SRY

[Jay]

Anyway.to me this is a MUST win tonight.....

[Willard Preacher]

"Most important game of the season so far?"

[Jay]

to me yes......want to see some fire in these guys!!!!!!

[Steve]

Please rain...

[bullit]

5 phillies in the line-up with BAs below MLB average of .255. some well below.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

I feel the urge to go back to school and get an MBA.

[Little Ollie]

How can this game be the most impt in the season with the lineup we're fielding? With as bad as the team looks, we're still in first place. Nobody said it was a picnic - that's why it feels so good when you win. Even the best of seasons has some bad stretches, and this is certainly one of those. We're not even playing a division rival. Sure, it would be great to win tonight and every game and it would be great to hold a five game lead all season, but we should let the team overcome some injuries before declaring this game so important.

[bullit]

not the most important of the season so much. but arguably the most important so far as we try to halt a season high winless streak.

[GTown_Dave]

"... we should let the team overcome some injuries before declaring this game so important."

somewhat echoes a Matt Gelb Tweet from earlier today

"A bit confused by all this trade/needs talk. Let's actually see the regular lineup for at least a month before making judgments."

While I agree that tonight's is niether the most important of the season, nor should the Phillies feel forced to make a deal RIGHT NOW!, consider the following:

What happens in the event that getting the Phillies' "regular lineup" healthy & together for a full month never occurs?

It might not be time to panic, but I have a strong sense that r00b will eventually be forced to make a move, & he might want to begin the process sooner rather than later. Given the history of the players involved, the prospects for this team being healthy -- let alone healthy AND productive -- for a significant portion of the season seems like wishful thinking.

[bullit]

nevermind. of course you meant so far.

[whitey]

How do you say Cy Young in Spanish-Coloradian? Jorge De La RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRosa

[Little Ollie]

Whether RAJ makes a move or not depends a lot on Utley and Domonic Brown, IMO.

[Jay]

I agree little ollie

[Little Ollie]

And if Utley and Brown can both be productive in this lineup there's still a lineup for success. I don't think it's panic time unless we learn they cannot be productive.

[Little Ollie]

still a "plan" for success

[GTown_Dave]

Hypothetical: Say Utley & Dom return as regulars, & play well, but then any of the following occur -- Vic has to miss an extended amount of time, Polanco &/or Chooch tweak their backs, J-Roll pulls up lame ...

Barely 25% of the way through the '11 season, & the Phillies have already had the following players miss time due to injury:

Starting 2B
Starting 3B
Starting CF
Starting C
Backup C
#3 Starting Pitcher
#5 Starting Pitcher
#1 Closer
#2 Closer
LOOGY
Promising RHRP

While it may still technically be "early", I think the fact that the replacements the Phillies have on their roster & available from their farm system are NOT enough to keep the team afloat should the injury bug continue to bite has become fairly obvious.

As I said, r00b should feel forced to make a move right this minute, but he ought to keep his eyes open & be ready to deal when capable INF &/or OF bats become available.

[GTown_Dave]

Edit: Duh. Ought to read "r00b shouldn't" ...

[Jay]

raining......

[awh]

I just skimmed the last few threads.

Reading through them made me feel deja vu all over again. Feels like the summer of 2010 on BL.

[GTown_Dave]

Hmmm ...

Current NEXRAD Weather: Philadelphia, PA

The + under the "e" in "Philadelphia marks the approx. location of the ballpark. Looks like the first few innings are gonna be wet.

[conshy matt]

awh - feels like we go thru this at least once every summer. fire charlie. rube/pat need to do something - NOW! fire rube/pat. it just doesn't normally happen when the phils are still in first place.

[awh]

conshy, exactly.

[awh]

Hey, I just had a thought, an intelligent question just for clout:

[typed with an English accent]:

Do you think it makes sense to solve the Phillies catching woes by trading for Jorge Posada?

[conshy matt]

it's kinda funny, actually. and it's not like i'm not frustrated by the phils recent play. sometimes people forget that "it's baseball".

i think mike said it best on one of the last threads: i'm glad some of these posters aren't running this team. (paraphrasing)

[conshy matt]

awh - can i answer?

no.

[conshy matt]

cole just walked amezaga on 4 pitches. trade the bum!

[wes covington]

a lamp post has a better arm than posada.no thanks

[Fatalotti]

Great tag by Polly. Mayberry continues to show he belongs.

[GTown_Dave]

Mayberry!!!

[Fatalotti]

Congrats Cole on your 1,000th inning. So glad you're on the Phillies!!

[nonamePHame]

Mayberry to Francsico "please find your seat on the bench, clown"

[conshy matt]

i haven't seen a thrwarted first to third by the phils all year. nice arm junior.

[The Truth Injection]

Mayberry did a great job of charging that ball and getting off a strong throw.

[GTown_Dave]

L.A. opining that something looks "off" w/ Hamels, he's just not sure what it is.

[gjs]

Nice seeing a putout from rf.

[Fatalotti]

TTI, definitely.

[conshy matt]

the ump looks like 'alien' with that helmet. or is it just me?

[GTown_Dave]

Matt Gelb (via Twitter): "Jose Contreras allows four runs on three hits in his first rehab outing for single-A Clearwater. Can't finish the first. 21 pitches."

[Fatalotti]

I can see it a little bit, conshy.

[GTown_Dave]

Edit: 3 Runs on 4 Hits. Either way, not good.

[conshy matt]

does contreras rehab at a nursing home or at a regular facility?

[Fatalotti]

Conshy, the softball team for a retirement village in Leisuretown.

[GTown_Dave]

16 Pitches. We should celebrate.

[conshy matt]

more of an assisted living then...gotcha.

[SLO Phan]

GTown: Exactly what I was thinking. When was the last time they made the pitcher throw more than 15 pitches in the 1st?

[SLO Phan]

On MLB Gameday, it sure looks like a tiny strikezone. How's it look in real life?

[GTown_Dave]

SLO Phan: Nit-picky. Again.

[3r0ck]

Strike zone is tight, but all TMac is talking about is the cotton candy.

[GTown_Dave]

Chooch'd.

[Fatalotti]

Of course Helton is playing ON the line. Can't buy a hit right now.

[gjs]

Anybody else getting tired of hearing this sentence after inning the Phillies bat? "3 up, 3 down."

[conshy matt]

gjs - very.

[Marv]

I can't believe I look forward to only Mayberry's spot in the lineup.

[GBrettfan]

Cole's good. Can we please reward him with some run support?

[curt]

JW should start a contest to spice things up while we watch the goose eggs roll: guess the month, date, and hitter of the next Phillie HR.

[GTown_Dave]

GBrettfan: No.

[The Truth Injection]

The Stump the Fans answer is Bruce Ruffin

[Fatalotti]

Valdez tried his darndest to GIDP. Once again, the opposing defense bailed us out.

[SLO Phan]

Why is Valdez even allowed to swing? Charlie should send him up there and tell him not to lift the bat off his shoulder.

[GTown_Dave]

Pathetic.

[Fatalotti]

The Phillies have an uncanny ability right now to turn hitters counts into weak groundballs and lazy pop-ups.

[Marv]

Damn, this team is dull.

[jbird]

Cole is good

[GTown_Dave]

I'm glad for the Ks, but I understand the ire of the Rockies. Those were not being called Strikes the first time around.

[bay_area_phan]

I'll venture a guess how this one turns out. Cole cruises for 5 or 6 innings but eventually makes a bad pitch which Car-Go or Helton deposit in the seats for a solo homerun. Romero eventually takes over in the 8th & promptly issues a walk, HBP and single. Rockies win 2-0. Phillies have their 5th straight game with fewer than 5 hits.

[Charlie Hayes]

This offense takes me back to the phils of the late 90's - so many AAAA players in this lineup.

[GTown_Dave]

Chico's not gonna get on base for the rest of the year, is he?

[bay_area_phan]

I don't think I've ever seen a non-pitcher who telegraphs his intention to bunt at an earlier point than Michael Martinez.

[Fatalotti]

BAP, I'm not so sure the Phillies get another hit this night.

[SLO Phan]

Wow. 44 pitches through 4 innings. Not a lot of patience.

[GTown_Dave]

Pitch Count: De La Rosa, -12; Hamels, Eleventy

[Charlie Hayes]

ESPN talking about how great De La Rosa is pitching - every pitcher looks great against this lineup. Can they mention that?

[bay_area_phan]

For all the talk about our makeshift lineup, our terrible offense has less to do with Pete Orr, Michael Martinez, Wilson Valdez, and Dane Sardinha than it does with Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz, Ben Francisco, and Raul Ibanez.

[Fatalotti]

BAP, your prediction almost came true.

[Bobby Cocks]

They just showed Ibanez in the dugout checking the schedule for the next time they play the Nats.

[madubbs]

Wow, Is there somewhere these guys have to be tonight??? Looks like they are trying to get this game over with as soon as possible. Greg Gross, Milton Thompson blah blah blah, it doesn't matter who the batting coach is this team never had, and will never have patience!!!!

[Old Phan]

Nothing dull about watching Cole pitch.

[Bobby Cocks]

The Rox will jack one sooner or later - Cole seems to always give one up.

[bay_area_phan]

Fat: Hopefully that was the meatball I predicted.

[The Black Community]

We are offended by the "Never never never" lady in the WB Mason commercial.

[jbird]

madubbs: Jeebus couldn't make 1/2 these guys better hitters.

[MG]

How high can the jackpot get in the Phils' HR inning? Is there a limit?

[Mick in Houston]

De La Rosa looks odd out of the stretch.

When he doesnt pause on his leg kick he looks uncomfortable.

[GTown_Dave]

Here comes the Inning Ending GIDP ..

[Marv]

Please walk Exxon

[GTown_Dave]

And De La Rosa bails us out!

[Old Phan]

Nice. Can't be an inning ending GIDP.

[Bobby Cocks]

The wild pitch saved Valdez from a double play grounder.

[Andy]

If Exxon were a pitcher they'd bunt him to avoid the GIDP and get to the better hitting guy behind him.

[Charlie Manuel]

I read what y'all wrote about me this afternoon and I am about to call half of you into my office for a mano a fisto. Eskin never showed, how 'bout you Schweitzer and Heather?

[Andy]

As good as...well. Better than a bunt actually.

[The Truth Injection]

That has to be a huge relief. Now let's find a way to get Ruiz home.

[Old Phan]

I'll take that.

[GTown_Dave]

A Run! An actual Run! :-D

[Marv]

Charlie: You're proving them right. You should be watching the game.

[bay_area_phan]

Believe me, I'm happy to have the run. But when was the last time we actually scored a run without the aid of either a defensive blunder or an aberrant bout of wildness from the opposing pitcher?

[The Truth Injection]

See that was a good point by Sarge. With a guy like Lee it's easier to squeeze on since he has good control and is always around the plate. With De La Rosa you not only run the risk of getting a bad pitch to bunt but also Hamels taking one in the chest or knee or something.