Postgame: Worley to Stutes to Bastardo? Believe it

To say the least, this isn't how Ruben Amaro Jr. drew it up back in March: Vance Worley gives way to Michael Stutes before Antonio Bastardo closes it out. Against the Red Sox, no less. But in impressive fashion, that's the way it played out in the Phils' 2-1 win over Boston on Wednesday.

The back end: With closers #1, #2 and #3 all on the DL, the Phillies got their first look at closer #4. And Bastardo didn't disappoint, retiring Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia in order for his third career save. It should also be noted that Stutes logged a 1-2-3 eighth against the top of the Boston order.

The missing man: Raul Ibanez sparked the offense with three hits, including the go-ahead homer in the seventh. Ibanez, who also had an RBI single in the second inning, finished a triple shy of the cycle. He entered the game in a 1-for-22 slump but finished 3-for-3 on Wednesday. Raul improved his career numbers against John Lackey to 22-for-57 (.386).

The Vance Dance: Worley went a career-high seven innings, allowing only an RBI double to Lackey. He threw 116 pitches – also a career high – and gave up just five hits and a pair of walks. Worley has yielded a total of two runs in 18 innings over his last three starts in lowering his ERA to 2.57.

Next up: Cole Hamels and the Phillies go for the sweep on Thursday afternoon against Jon Lester in an awesome matchup of talented left-handers.

Comments

[Rob]

Wow. Just fantastic work by the young guys.

[NEPP]

Lidge? Nope
Contreras? Nope
Madson? Nope
Bastardo? Good to Go!!!

Best 4th Closer in Baseball!!!

[CJ]

What a nice win. Vance Worley with 7 great innings and then Stutes and Bastardo with ice water in the veins against some great hitters.

I know at some point these kids may show some cracks, but they really have been remarkable.

[bay_area_phan]

Damn. You sure write fast.

[NEPP]

Pretty sweet to go back to Boston for Game 3 already up two games to none.

[gobaystars!]

Is this the shortests turn around on a recap ever or is my radio on a 20 minute delay? The game just ended right?

[Andy]

And these aren't even the "top line" guys in the system.

I love the way Worley pitches. He takes no prisoners.

[Fatalotti]

This baseball is a funny, funny, funny, funny game.

If I had told you that the Phillies would win a game 2-1 with the current state of their bullpen and the three starters being Lee, Worley, Hamels...who would have predicted that it would come in teh Worley game, especially when he's going up against Lackey and his 7+ ERA?

Great game. These Phillies just keep on winning and winning.

[NEPP]

That recap was literally posted the moment the ball hit Polly's glove for the 3rd out.

[bay_area_phan]

Out of curiosity, did you also write a "Young Bullpen Melts Down" thread, in the event of an alternative ending?

[CJ]

The vaunted Red Sox offense has tallied 7 hits and 1 run in 2 games against the Phillies. And their position players have tallied just 6 hits and 0 RBI.

I think someone suggested this lineup wasn't all it was cracked up to be before this series started... hmmm...

(That someone wasn't me. I sarcastically replied to that person and still got called out.)

[The Truth Injection]

51-30!!

Imagine how good we'd be if this wasn't a terrible team.

I would be worried if I was the Braves. This team has a real shot at having 58-60 wins going into the ASB and is known for playing considerably better after the ASB. They may be impossible to catch this season.

[Uncle Cholly]

Tony's my guy.

[Andy]

Nice easy math. Halfway through the season. 51 - 30. That's a 102 game pace.

[NEPP]

This game adds more credence to the theory that the basis of a strong bullpen is a fantastic rotation that goes deep into games. Our relievers are overall rested and ready on a night to night basis thanks to the herculean efforts of Doc, Colbert and Clifton.

[EastFallowfield]

This ballpark is a joke.

[erich]

I could get used to this Bastardo guy.

[Soso]

That was large.

[NEPP]

Raul drinks John Lackey's milkshake...HE DRINKS IT UP!!!

[Kutztown Fan]

The Braves don't have to catch the Phillies to get the wild card. But the hell with them. The phils are 21 games above .500 in June. Life is good.

[NEPP]

***Out of curiosity, did you also write a "Young Bullpen Melts Down" thread, in the event of an alternative ending?***

I have to assume that much like Eisenhower's "D-Day has failed" speech, it was ready and in the on-deck circle.

[EastFallowfield]

From David Hale:

So tonight officially proves the Iron Pigs could win the AL East

[the_berger]

We need some photoshop skills to make a "Young Guns" movie poster with the faces Worley, Bastardo, Stutes, etc. superimposed on Sheen, Estevez, etc.

Go internet.

[Andy]

Boston should just be glad we didn't loose Drew Carpenter on them.

[NEPP]

The best part of all this...Worley, Bastardo and Stutes will cost the Phillies a total of $1.2 million this year and the same amount for all of next year. 3 young, cost-controlled roster pieces.

[TheTheory]

"***Out of curiosity, did you also write a "Young Bullpen Melts Down" thread, in the event of an alternative ending?***

I have to assume that much like Eisenhower's "D-Day has failed" speech, it was ready and in the on-deck circle."

More likely we simply wouldn't have gotten a new thread until tomorrows game chat. haha.

[Drew]

I'm very superstitious - I wasn't going to write the Bastardo part until he closed it out. I've been burned way too many times at other jobs by Jose Mesa and Brad Lidge, among others.

For me, tonight wasn't just about the 6 up, 6 down from Stutes/Bastardo. It was the confidence they displayed out there against a talented lineup. I didn't see that last year, particularly from Bastardo. Impressive stuff, great win.

[Kutztown Fan]

Just saw some kids holding a sign that said:
Pitching - 2
Batting - 0

[EastFallowfield]

Does someone know where to find the IL breakdown in terms of league vs league. Seems like the NL has made a big comeback from the earlier lousy record.

[denny b.]

"They may be impossible to catch this season."

As long as Halladay, Hamels and Lee stay healthy.

Any of those three hit the DL, and its a whole new ballgame.

You aren't going to get 116 pitches and 7 innings out of Worley and Kendrick very often. And I think they are all wary of over-using Stutes. So, you could see Herndon in the 8th inning some as well.

I could see Madson being shut down until right after the All Star game. So the Iron Pig Bullpen will have to keep it going for the next 10 days.

While we are at it, might as well dump Baez and go with Schwimer to just make it a "All Pig" bullpen for a while.

One thing to remember about the final series before the break against Atlanta...You will probably see Worley in the bullpen for that series (since he is unlikely to start). So that will give Cholly somebody else down there as well, just in case.

[bay_area_phan]

"I have to assume that much like Eisenhower's "D-Day has failed" speech, it was ready and in the on-deck circle."

Of course, if I were writing the blog, and were under orders to have the article posted immediately after the game ended, it would have been the Beerleaguer equivalent to "Dewey Defeats Truman."

[They Call Me The King Of The Bop]

PHILS TAKE A SERIES FROM THE RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!
PHILS TAKE A SERIES FROM THE RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!
PHILS TAKE A SERIES FROM THE RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!
PHILS TAKE A SERIES FROM THE RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!
PHILS TAKE A SERIES FROM THE RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!
PHILS TAKE A SERIES FROM THE RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!
PHILS TAKE A SERIES FROM THE RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!
PHILS TAKE A SERIES FROM THE RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!
PHILS TAKE A SERIES FROM THE RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!
PHILS TAKE A SERIES FROM THE RED SOX!!!!!!!!!!

[EastFallowfield]

ESPN telling me the Braves may be a better team than the Phils. If you go by something other than W/L, runs scored and runs against, sure.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

Worley, Stutes, and Bastardo aren't even our top flight Young Gun minor league talent.

They're more like our Irregulators.

And I'm totally cool with that. Mount up!

[Rob]

ESPN post game really talking up the Braves: "Better team overall [than the phils]."

[NEPP]

It is pretty annoying that we've been playing great baseball for several weeks and the Braves have matched us win for win.

[wes covington]

i thought the whining, complaining, and hand wringing up here in the northeast today after last night was a riot. I can't wait to listen to weei tomorrow. the "nation" is in full panic mode and i'm loving it. 3 rookies shut down "the best team ever". it rarely gets better than this.

[Rauls grandpa]

Can we get an old Faith No More shirt with "you fat bastard" on it and Ortiz's profile on the back?

[bullit]

cholly could become the phils winingest manager on the last day of the season.

[NEPP]

The Phillies are 22-11 since May 25th.

Not to bad.

[bay_area_phan]

If the Phillies follow their usual m.o., tomorrow's game has already been dropped in the mail box.

[NEPP]

Team ERA is 2.98.

[The Truth Injection]

EFF: SO Jack is an ESPN analyst? Which one do we think he is?

[GM-CArson]

Best offense in baseball held to 1 run in 2 games by the Phils. Wow.

[aksmith]

Let's not make too much of shutting down the "best offense in baseball." The Phillies happen to be catching the Red Sox in a slump that started before they got to town. In the past that hasn't mattered much as the Sox usually mauled the Phillies anyway.

So, it's a good series win for the Phils. But the school girl giddiness is a bit overboard.

And the other way to look at things: Even though the Braves have been winning a whole bunch of games, they haven't gained one bit on the Phillies. That has to be a little frustrating for them. Too bad there's a wild card available to them.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Yes, do not enjoy this guys and gals.

[Mike G]

Yes, do not enjoy this guys and gals.

Posted by: Bedrosian's Beard | Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 10:10 PM

Best post of the thread. LOL

[st]

man, enjoy the moment. geez

[Drew]

The fact that the Red Sox have been in a slump is a fair point. But I mean, jeez, the Phillies are without 2/5 of their rotation and about 80% of their projected bullpen.

[aksmith]

Count on BL to go overboard. Of course enjoy it. But to act like the Phillies are firing on all cylinders on the way to a 102 win season is a bit silly.

I suppose the reason the Phillies have been so good the last four or five years is that they don't get too high or too low. Probably should emulate that just a bit. That's all I'm saying.

[keith]

I must be old school because I love watching great pitching. I remember only watching when the phillies batted because watching the pitching made me sad. I have noticed I watch the entire game to the chagrin of my wife. I am enjoying watching this team with school girl giddiness bvecause I lived a lot of crappy phillies teams over the years and I won't apologize for expressing my unbriddle joy. Love this team including mini mart and baez

[George]

No one has said it this way yet, but the kids are all right.

[TheTheory]

Actually, aksmith, no one is saying the Phillies are firing on all cylinders.

What we are saying instead is that the Phillies are firing on 2 cylinders and yet are STILL on their way to 102 wins.

Now stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

[bullit]

"But to act like the Phillies are firing on all cylinders..."

a perfectly constructed strawman.

[CJ]

Are the Red Sox really in a slump? They scored 4 runs in each game coming into the Phils series. It's true they scored just 2 runs in the two games before that, but they scored 30 runs in the three games before that.

The "slump" is all of two games against SD and Pit.

[CJ]

Leave it to aksmith to go all troll-like and say anyone here is claiming the Phils are hitting on all cylinders... since NO ONE IS SAYING THAT.

But that's okay. It's fun to throw up strawmen so you can pretend you're better than everyone else.

[dlhunter]

I WILL say that all this "100 wins" talk needs to be shelved until September. We're way too far out to get caught up in that WIP nonsense.

[CJ]

dlhunter: Nothing wrong with saying the Phils are on pace for 102 wins, since that's a fact.

But don't worry, Jack has assured us that 97 wins or more is impossible.

There's A LOT of season left and this team has been ravaged by injuries... another injury in the wrong place could derail the express.

[Lincoln Hawkes]

"But to act like the Phillies are firing on all cylinders on the way to a 102 win season is a bit silly."

Being 51-30 after 81 games is *literally* the definition of being on the way to a 102 win season. That's just the way mathematical projection works.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

I'm enjoying the last two nights thoroughly but, slump or no slump, the Red Sox are a 3 error abomination of a game on Sunday from having lost 7 straight and 8 of 10.

Tomorrow should be fun. When's the first post from MG about "Daylight Hamels" due?

[Phlipper]

Please, stop talking about how many games the Phillies have won and using that number to project their final record.

It is a well-documented fact that when blog readers project teams to win 100 game over the course of the season, the players hear that talk, become complacent, and subsequently go into a slump over the remainder of the season.

Also, don't forget that whenever the Phillies win a game, you can't change your underwear until their next loss. It has been proven that blog readers wearing unclean underwear prolongs winning streaks by 27.3416 %

[dlhunter]

I'm a just big believer in the BL jinx.

[PhxPhilly]

A great win for the Phillies.
A hyped series regardless of how well each team is playing. Both teams have to look at it as a special challenge to showcase their talents.

All wins are important in the end but it is nice to have some signature wins to look back on during losing streaks. There is still a lot of season left and the playoffs are quite unpredictable. But this team has so many entertaining games.

[Spitz]

What is the phillies predicted final record using run differential?

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Did Worley earn an "LG" tonight?

[BloodStripes]

Raul just snapped out of a slump to plate the 2 runs and 3 rookies pitched an excellent 9 innings for a Phils victory. After what Lee did last night and Brown for that matter the Phils did something they have been unable to do for several years. Win a series against Boston. I'm giddy.

[Meyer]

Worley LVG.

[bullit]

he did, bb, until he took his hat off in the dugout exposing his mohawk.

[JJG]

I'm not sure which I enjoy more. Beating the AL favorites or serving up a tall glass of shut up juice to Jack, GTown Dave, Heather, and BAP.

But instead of emulating their endless, vacuous game-by-game doomsday extrapolations, I won't make the mistake in reverse by proclaiming the Phils set for the postseason.

Ideally, they improve in both the bullpen and RH OF. With a maxed out budget, Amaro is strongly hinting at bullpen help as the choice, if both are not possible.

However, if both Bastardo and Stutes can handle the pressure of closing in big regular season games in Madson's absence, does that not recommend them to set up in postseason?

And even if we would feel a little better with some additional help to bolster the backend of bullpen, we have the possibilities of Contreras, Lidge, Worley, or even Oswalt, if Doc goes on three days rest in postseason. Just one of them may be necessary to come through in the end.

We have no commensurate possibilities currently on the roster or the DL to improve the hitting. Our lineup in an AL park during a World Series would look even more sickly than '09 when the Yankees threw DH Godzilla at us.

All things being equal, I'd be fine with tackling the bullpen with a zero sum budget. But given the greater options currently feasible to caulk the holes in the bullpen, I lean towards investing in a hitter.

[cut_fastball]

Chase Utley looks as if he's never been hurt. That's absolutely sensational for Chase and the Phils.

However, I really feel I've been "punked". Sometime in late March and April, "experts" were stating his career was likely over, due to irreversible chondromalacia and arthritis of the knee.

Who was lying about the injury? Chase? The Phils (that never happens!)? Or did they get Chase stem cell therapy on the down low? Or is it a bit of both?

Regardless, this might just be a 100+ win team if Utley stays right for the rest of the year (and if he can co-exist with Dom). Now, if we can only get Howard untracked...

[TNA]

From the AP recap: (there's also a good quote from Papi on Worley)

He (Worley) sent someone to get Pedroia's signature on a ball before the game, but came up empty.

''He wouldn't give me one until I met him,'' Worley said. ''Then I threw one up and in on him so I probably won't get it now.''

Worley dusted Pedroia with a high-and-tight fastball inside in the first inning and left an impression with his solid performance.

''He had great mound presence, and we were all very impressed,'' Pedroia said. ''It's really good for a kid that young to have a presence like that on the mound. He's going to be a good one.''

[TheTheory]

I love that Worley wanted to get Pedroia's autograph. Just like a fan.

[Meyer]

I would like this Red Sox team even if I didn't hate the Yankees.

[Fatalotti]

Vance Worley gets his mug on the home page of both ESPN and SI.

Congratulations.

[Fatalotti]

I think it was EFF who was wondering, but mlb.com, next to the game recaps, has a running count of the IL record between the AL and NL.

NL 97, AL 101

Pretty close if you ask me.

[goody]

Before we get too giddy, it should be noted that Raul's HR was 13FT. short of impressive.

[MG]

Few thoughts:

- Glad that Ibanez were able to have some real success against a guy he has owned in the past. Odd thing was he only saw 6 pitches all night

With other guys he had real success against in the past, it has been a real crap shoot this year. Hit Lannan and Vasquez well. Not so much with starts against Volstad, Hudson, and a few others.

- LA said it wasn't a knock on Schneider's defense/presence behind the plate when he was removed for Chooch late tonight. Yeah right.

- Really amazed that Stutes continues to get it done with largely just throwing hard with his 4-seamer. Throw 9 tonight of his total 12 pitches.

Ditto Bastardo who uses his 4-seam fastball even more than Stutes does. The difference though is that Bastardo's slider this season has been unhittable at times. Isn't the case with Stutes & Bastardo has slightly better control too on his fastball.

- Phils should be thankful for the long ball the last two nights. Just 1-8 with RISP tonight and 2-8 last night.

[phantom limb]

Raul's Grandpa, nice call on the Faith No More shirt. JW, King For A Day would be a good fit on the rotation, which needs to be updated! Thanks to you I rediscovered Mogwai. Great stuff!

[goody]

MG: A lot is said on here on being patient and taking pitches. One of the things I look at in the boxscore is who saw the most pitches. It is rarely the guy who had the best nite.

[SLO Phan]

Ortiz has already said he won't be playing tomorrow.

[Luis]

If not for injuries none of these guys probably would of got the call from the Phils. Blessing in disguise so far. I would still like to see another LH in bullpen for Phils. Assuming Stutes keeps up the good work he will take the space that Baez vacates next year. Bastardo wasnt in the top 10 prospects(#11) but it was known from almost the get go that he had the right stuff just had slight control issues an was leaving too much stuff in middle of plate. Soon as he figured out he couldnt do that in the Majors he was ok. Lester is good Lefty but he can be hit an is no Cole the Phils can take this.

[awh]

"Phils should be thankful for the long ball the last two nights."

What a profound thought, MG.

[denny b.]

What about some of the "whining" from national types (which we hear EVERY year at this time) about "that gosh darned interleague play; who wants to watch Ortiz playing 1B or Gonzalez playing RF???"

Guess what? If Ortiz was a real baseball player, he'd need to play defense too. Cry me a river he has to find a glove for once and not just sit on his HGH-created backside all night and swing the bat 4 times. And nobody forced Tito to put A-Gon in RF either.

All of these American League whiners, who have a bunch of one-dimensional players on their roster, need to pipe down. You can still play your slow-pitch softball game 153 times a year. For 9 games a year, you actually have to play real baseball.

I imagine we see Francisco in RF on Thursday and Valdez at 2B.

[Cyclic]

Spitz--- I think coolstandings.com uses run differential. They have us projected at 97.6 wins right now.

[Luis]

I think your right Denny bet Valdez gets in tomorrow to give Chase a day off. We need Utley for September baseball. He might of run like Chase of old but you dont really know what kind of pain he is in an what kind of Pain Management (meds) he is on.

[EastFallowfield]

Well, my (easy) prediction that the series would be significant here only if the Phils lost only took 2 games to become true.

Beating the Red Sox, who have the second best record in their league, is just like beating the Astros.

[Fatalotti]

Technically, the Yankees have the second best record in the league.

And are absolutely abusing the Brewers.

[EastFallowfield]

"Their league" is the American League. Yankees have the best record in that league. Technically.

[Iceman]

This series is insignificant in that the games don't count any more than other games on the schedule. But what is significant about it (or should be) is that maybe certain people on this site will view this team a little bit differently than they have been.

If you listened to some fans on BL you would think that this team's offense is so bad that it will literally cripple the team down the stretch because the pitching isn't enough to completely carry them. We just saw that team over the weekend- the Oakland A's, who someone actually compared favorably to the Phils' lineup.

The fact is that this offense is average. It's not bad- it's average. And the pitching is more than enough to carry them- it has been historically good. Couple it with an offense that can scratch out 3 or 4 runs a game and you have a team that will win a lot, and can beat anybody, no matter how much of a 'juggernaut' the other team is offensively. Can you imagine the wins they will rack up if Worley keeps this up?

People that piss and moan about the offense all the time are missing the forest for the trees. Of course the team can improve offensively. Every team can improve. The point is that people here who thought Boston would come in here and "beat the crap out of us" need to change their perspective on what this team is capable of. They are making the playoffs, and once they get there, they are better equipped to win series (against ANY TEAM) than anyone else in the majors.

[phargo]

Good Morning!

Fatalotti, you tease- I went to ESPN.com and the picture was Raul Ibanez, not Worley. No dimples, no glasses. (Phargo does makes passes at boys who wear glasses.) He is still on SI, though.

How lovely to see the youngs guys pitch and the old guy hit.

I'll worry about the Braves some other time.

[Fatalotti]

EFF, missed the "their". Apologies.

[Fatalotti]

phargo, I swear by Zeus and Odin that Vance Worley, and his goggles, were on the main pages of both SI.com (Pitching for History was the headline) and ESPN.com (Follow the Lee-der was the headline) last night.

[phargo]

Ah, I guess the morning bird doesn't get the dimples on ESPN, or something like that.

[lorecore]

crow never tasted so good. I never thought Worley would have the control and command like he has shown this year.

[awh]

"All of these American League whiners, who have a bunch of one-dimensional players on their roster, need to pipe down."

dennyb, I agree with what you posted, but, being someone who enjoys watching players actaully have to play a posision in the field, I offer this crude and blunt modification to your post:

"All of these American League whiners, who have a bunch of one-dimensional players on their roster, need to STFU."

[awh]

lorecore, after watching Worley last season, I thought he had the raw stuff to be successful at the MLB level. Decent fastball...good movement on his offspeed pitches.

Still, as he was quoted in the paper this morning, teams don't realy have a "book" on him yet, so let's see how it plays out over the next couple of years to wee where he actually slots into a rotation.

[Fatalotti]

Worley with a studly 149 ERA+, notably 5 points higher than one Cliff Lee. Seriously, who's the $125 M pitcher here. Let's not even act like Worley didn't face a tougher lineup. :)

Also, it was said a couple days ago that some posters would like to see Utley return to the .900 OPS player that he was. This misses the boat. Offense must be viewed in light of the league. Utley's career OPS+ is 129. He's sitting at 131 so far this year. Utley is exactly who we hoped he'd be right now.

[R.Billingsly]

Those "American League whiners" should definitely pipe down (or STFU, as awh says). If last night's game was in an AL park, the Sox would have been shut out for the second night in a row. Their only run came off a Lackey double for crying out loud.

I loathe the DH.

[Scratch]

Utley's doing fine considering he had no spring training to get his timing down, and just a short rehab down in Florida.

[Bay Slugga]

Attention BLer:

For the third time, please stop using OPS+.