Game chat: Halladay's hibernation ends tonight

Preview: Roy Halladay (11-3, 2.45) hits the hill for his first non-exhibition start in nine days. In retrospect, it was actually kind of nice that Doc was able to sneak in those two innings during the All-Star game because more than a week without live pitching might have bordered on harmful. Rested or not, Halladay will be entering one of the year’s most lopsided pitching matchups as he takes on the Cubs’ Rodrigo Lopez (1-2, 4.02). The Phils saw Lopez twice during their three-game set with the Cubs in the middle of June, both times in a relief capacity. He allowed no runs on two hits in three innings over his two 2011 appearances against the Phils. Lineup looks like this: Rollins SS, Mini-Mart 3B, Utley 2B, Howard 1B, Ibanez LF, Chooch C, Brown RF, Mayberry CF, Doc P.

Comments

[clout]

Jack and I almost never agree on anything, but when we do, you can take it to the Bank.

[Spitz]

Saw some stat yesterday about Doc in his first start after the ASG break. Numbers were bad, and downright awful for Doc. But the Cubs are downright awful, so hopefully this is a win.

[SLO Phan]

Vic to be back tomorrow. As was mentioned on a previous thread, I wish Mayberry played 3B.

[Scotch Man]

Cubs win 11-2. RoLo throws 6 shut out frames. Doc goes 7 allowing 2 runs. Cubbies open the flood gates in the 8th and 9th when Baez and Herndon get some work in.

[Little Ollie]

I didn't expect Hamels to have such a bad game against the Mets minor leaguers on Saturday but with Niese pitching there was a decent chance it would be a tough game. Tonight, it's hard to see how we don't win this one.

[jr]

LHV: Mathieson (0-0, 2.88) vs. PAW: Duckworth (5-6, 4.30) Guess they are trying to stretch him out.

[templin]

SLO Phan
Isn't Mayberry too tall to play third?

[Spitz]

Is that Brandon Duckworth? Is he still tooling around in the minors?

[Willard Preacher]

jr, less about stretching him out than it is about getting legit 'pen prospects some work at the AAA level.

[denny b.]

Current Wrigley Field weather conditions:

Sunny, 90 degrees. SW winds blowing at 20 MPH.

Its hot, humid and there is a good breeze blowing out.

Get your gloves ready in the bleachers tonight. Any ball hit decent in the air, is going out.

[basil fomeen]

Any recommendations for a decent restaurant/bar near Wrigley? Will be there tomorrow.

[Willard Preacher]

So, Polly requested a shot in his ailing back today. Oswalt's back is still an issue. Are we still laughing in the face of "age related injuries?" Just want to make sure I'm clear on where we stand there.

[Chris in VT]

I was unaware that young people are incapable of throwing their backs out...

[pblunts]

Denny-It's scorching here. On a virgin Wrigley trip to celebrate my bro's birthday. Take the tour of the park beerleaguers, the $25 is worth it. We watched Raul take a few cuts with a fungo under the stands-they recently added this one-way glass wall so fand could watch. We got up close with Rhyno, Vic and Mayberry, too. I owe a very belated thx to quite a few of you who posted some tips in response about Wrigley and Chicago back in Spring Training. PS the girls working the Captain Morgan Club are as hot as the weather and Chicago seens over run by Phillies fans, I'm guessing 1/3 of the fans are bleeding Phils red tonight.

[mainerob]

@Chris in VT: responding to your rhetorical question about leaving lots of money on the table. In fact, it real life I did just that and many people do, obviously not the jaded crowd you hang out with. I gave up chasing the almighty dollar to take a job that gave me a better quality of life in Maine and a great place for my children to grow up. I am not disparaging anyone's life choices, but that is a real consideration for friends I know.

As far as Werth is concerned, a counter-argument that has merit for me at least is this: how many tens of millions do you really need? The cynic says "every single one." I say there is a limit. Neither, or both, argument(s) have merit.

[Chris in VT]

You gave up a shot at 60 million dollars? Highly doubtful.

[pblunts]

Basil- a buddy told me mad river bar and grille at sheffield andgeorge is a "philly bar" but dont know the food. We had italian roast beef and garlic fries at cubbie bear, it was excellent but you will pay an absurd six bucks for a beer in a plastic cup that doesnt approach 12 oz. Garlic fries are very good but not Pac Bell (or whatever the hell they call it now) quality. Beerleaguers we are here for the series so more suggestions un wrigleyville and downtown welcome. Thx!

[denny b.]

The Phils better jump on a 3B before the 2 or 3 that are half-way decent are gone. Its a weak position and there are very few available that are any good.

I just have a real bad feeling that even if Polly comes back, he's not going to be very effective in 2011. Hope I'm wrong and he's back in the lineup this weekend. But this has gone on too long and he hasn't gotten better.

I think Betimet makes the most sense. And the fact that we haven't heard the Phils name associated with him, makes me think it might happen.

If you get Betimet, you'd probably be trading for one Wilson and getting rid of another Wilson. Because it would be Valdez's roster spot that he would take.

They DFA'd Valdez a few times last year and never lost him. Maybe they could try again.

They basically refused to trade Singleton last year in the Oswalt deal. If they trade him in a Mike Adams deal, they have likely soured on him a bit. We need to remember how young he is. He has the potential to be a real force, 3-4 years from now.

But if they think Adams is the key to them winning a WS (and they know they'll have him in 2012 too), it might be worth the risk.

Just kinda hate to see one of the few solid position player prospects we have in the system, be dealt. The cupboard would be very bare among position players at Clearwater, Reading and LV without Singleton.

And BTW, Worley will be severely tested on Wednesday if the forecast is to be believed. 96 degrees and 25 MPH winds blowing straight out is an ugly combination for a pitcher at Wrigley. Of course Dempster will be too.

Should be a great series for the Phils to get some more confidence with the bats.

[Chris in VT]

And BTW, I made the same choice for my family by living in VT, where I'm not making nearly as much as I could elsewhere, AND the cost of living is ridiculously high compared to the median income.

But nobody was waving 10-figure checks in my face, and I can guarantee nobody was for you either. Turning that kind of money down is a complete disservice to yourself and your family, regardless of lifestyle choices.

[DH Phils]

mainerob: Maybe Jayson Werth decided that an extra $60 million was better for his family than a second World Series ring. Maybe he thought having his family in one place for 7 years is better than having them in Philly for 3 or 4 years.

You can cheer or boo whoever you want, but you're equating Werth's decision to value personal money over team success as if he were valuing personal money over his family, or his family's quality of life.

I admire your decision to choose quality of life for your family over money, but that's not what this is about at all.

[pblunts]

Chris- I like $ as much as the next guy but don't make blanket assumptions about people's lifestyle choices when you don't know situations. I live an hour south of nyc and have a son on the autism spectrum. Would I like to make a lot more $ to help with ridiculous cost of healthcare? Sure. Would I take a job commuting 90 mins each way to NYC for a lot more money, meaning I hardly see him? Right now? Not likely. So don't make blanket, uninformed assumptions.

[MG]

As one of my favorite heels going up would say:

"Everybody has a price, for the Million Dollar Man"

Rings in almost every experience I have ever seen.

[Chris in VT]

This is degenerating into a silly argument about family values when that's not what it's about at all. Werth isn't married, has no children, and no family to worry about supporting. I don't understand how that really matters, when he's going to be living in the best suburban neighborhoods of Maryland or DC, regardless. But, pblunts, if you had the chance before you were married to make an average of 1.5 million dollars a month for 7 years, knowing that in the future you might be faced with a medical situation where that money could directly benefit your family, the care that family member receives, and your amount of quality time spent with them, would you really turn that down because your previous employer "gave you a chance"? And wouldn't that constitute a disservice to your future family?

[MG]

Why they give US special forces a pile of cash on every mission. The most effective method of escape - evasion. The 2nd most effective method - buy your way out of it with $10 or $20k with a stack of Ben Franklins.

[MG]

Athletes will spout plenty of nonsense about this and that but an overwhelming percentage of them will take the highest $ contract.

[whitey]

Any chance Rollins pulls a Ripken and moves to 3B in a few years and Galvis takes over at SS?

[whitey]

Werth is married with a few children.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Real Estate prices are rising in the DC Metro area. Werth needed the money.

[Scotch Man]

Re: whitey

You're assuming Rollins stays?

[SLO Phan]

Man, this 8:05 start time is killing this thread...

[PhxPhilly]

While guessing on trade options, if the Phillies are willing to trade a "Top 100" prospect (Singleton, Cosart, May) I'd like to see them go after Koji Uehara and Mark Reynolds.

Phillies can include Kenrick in the deal as the Major Leaguer and dump some salary to offset Uehara and Reynolds only getting $5M this year to fit in the tight budget. Not sure Phillies have enough high level prospects for that deal though.
Reynolds is a power bat that can play 3B (and hopefully LF) and Uehara is the setup guy and possible closer next season for only $4M.

[MG]

Phils are -215 this series and -225 tonight. As big as a favorite as the Phils have been all year.

[Willard Preacher]

I don't think that anyone who boos, does so because Werth took the highest offer. I believe it was his comments after signing that would be the basis for such booing activity.

Then again, I cannot, for the life of me, think of a more wasteful use of one's time than writing about and discussing who is worthy of being booed, and their reasons for and against. That said, I wish I had the previous 45 seconds of my life back for typing this comment.

[aksmith]

It's pretty funny that we're discussing Werth's money as if we have any idea what having the kind of money entails.

But here's a wild ass guess. The difference in lifestyle between having 67 million over 4 years and having 127 million over 7-8 years is zilch. And the next generation or two of little Werths probably wouldn't notice the difference either.

That, of course, is assuming they're properly hedged for the coming dollar crisis following QE3.

Any questions?

[Old Phan]

Good news about Vic. Thumbs up!

[SLO Phan]

Are there any Drexel MBA's in the house to discuss the economic realities of $127M vs. $67M????

[conshy matt]

re: Madson from the last thread:

perhaps a fantasy baseball axiom is appropriate here - never pay for saves.

i'd love to have madson back, just not at an astronomical price.

[Willard Preacher]

"That, of course, is assuming they're properly hedged for the coming dollar crisis following QE3."

And steer clear of Tiger Wood's financial advising team....

[Michael Jack]

Everybody knows the Phils wanted Werth gone since he hooked up with Uley's lady.

[Ron Jones]

Interesting on a Cubs blog they are discussing the Phils as a sleeper to acquire Ramirez, the Cubs' 3B.

[MG]

A. Ramirez just strikes me as one of those classic 'trading deadline' stinkers who does little-to-nothing.

It would be a damn shame if the Phils have to make a move for a guy like Ramirez at 3B if Polanco's back is really that bad instead of a stud bullpen arm.

[conshy matt]

Ron - i threw that out as a possibility the other day. it makes some sense, but it really depends on what the team knows about Polly.

[Ron Jones]

Speculation that Ramirez would pull a K-Rod and give up the 16 mil or so option for next year to become a free agent, so basically a rental for the rest of the year.

[Charlie Hayes]

Looks like Pence is on the Pirates' radar - it'll be interesting how the Pirates fare over the next couple of weeks when they play better teams including the Phillies.

[MG]

Here is some food for thought:

Howard (18) and Ibanez (13) look like shoo-ins for 20+ HRs but does anyone else on the team make it?

Actually like JRoll's chances better than Vic.

[MG]

I should add I don't think JRoll or Vic quite get to 20. Don't even think Utley hits 10.

[donc]

Phillies fans are overrated. There are a lot of empty seats tonight.

[curt]

I have to say the batting averages of our starting lineup, as displayed on gameday, looks like a last place team.

[Charlie Hayes]

Lopez wil go 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB

[conshy matt]

curt - yeah, but what about all the POWER??!!

[They Call Me King Of The Bop]

hib to the jib

[BloodStripes]

Sign him up

[donc]

Ouch!

[Andrew]

Basil: pblunts heard correctly that Mad River is a Philly bar. However by that, it means they have an Eagles and Phillies flag above the bar. It's really just a college bar, don't waste your time. Sad.

However, for dinner near the Wrigleyville area, the el connects everything pretty well. I tried this place off the Grand red line (~15 minutes away on the train) stop the other week called Purple Pig. The pork shoulder was phenomenal. Go there for a late lunch/early dinner before the game.

If you wanna stay in the general area, there's a little comfort food cafe a few blocks south called "Pick Me Up Cafe". Pretty good food. A few blocks north is an Italian restaurant I like called "Fortinello Trattoria."

[Ron Jones]

I was just typing that I was in Chicago last year when Halladay was pounded.

[conshy matt]

for anyone listening to tmac and wheels, that was right on cue.

now 8 of ramirez' hr's are first strike pitches. amazing.

[They Call Me King Of The Bop]

son.of.a.dirty.whore

[mainerob]

But that wasn't a strike!

[MG]

Love watching games at Wrigley where the fall just flies out of the park.

[curt]

conshy - lol. Even the lowly Cubs have 4 guys hitting .300, while we top out at .270. Hard to believe the transformation over just 2-3 years.

[mainerob]

That is an example of the new, unimproved Ryno turning his wrists over on a gimme 2-0 pitch that he used to uppercut into the bleachers.

[curt]

L.A.'s still having a hard time accepting the fact that these guys don't hit very well.

[Ron Jones]

They really need Victorino back.

[conshy matt]

how many phillies regulars have hit over .300 over, say, the past 4 years? without looking it up, i say 3:

utley
polanco
chooch

[donc]

Wheels is on pace to break the all-time single game record for cliche's. The old crooked number can't be far away.

[mainerob]

Ugh.

[Ron Jones]

So many empty seats at Wrigley, I like them saying "...the days of being lovable losers appears to be over ..." I'll be there Wednesday afternoon.

[Andrew]

I'm gonna see if I can get some free tickets for tomorrow and try to go tomorrow night.

[goody]

I fear for Worley on Wed. Someone posted his much better #'s at nite. With the weather forcast, the way he sweats, and wears glasses, even fielding his position will be dangerous.

[Cyclic]

I like the way Mayberry is swinging the bat.

[Charlie Hayes]

All of the sudden Soriano plays defense.

[bay_area_phan]

Well, that was impressive first time through the order.

[Charlie Hayes]

Nine up, nine down, so that means a Rollins popup in the top of the 4th on the first pitch - mark it down.

[Cyclic]

Isn't Halladay historically dominant after such a long rest?

[Ron Jones]

JFC, strike three to Fukodome, unbelievable. Halladay sweating like Worley.

[They Call Me King Of The Bop]

what.bleepity-bleep

[Cyclic]

Great hit by Castro

Shut 'em down, Roy!

[Charlie Hayes]

Carbon copy of last year's appearance at Wrigley.

[Von Hayes]

Game=over

[Chris in VT]

Havent seen Doc struggle with his command like this in a while...the ump is doing him no favors, however.

[They Call Me King Of The Bop]

This sucks.

[Marv]

Who's pitching the 6th?

[Cyclic]

Wow, that game Charlie is referring to was exactly a year ago...

6IP 6R 5ER 2HR

[Matt]

Tight strike zone, but Doc is off as well. A quick double play would be huge here.

[Von Hayes]

Here comes home run #2.

[Matt]

Hmm. Should Brown have caught that?

[wes covington]

beware of ramirez..he's had major back problems for about 4 years now. no thanks

[Ron Jones]

Bullpen action?

[Debbie Downer]

Whahh whahhh whaaahhhhh whaahhhhh

[Bake McBride was Here]

Something ain't right.

[Charlie Hayes]

Brown should've definitely caught that.

[Scotch Man]

Halladay looks gassed already.

[Ron Jones]

Can the offense bail him out tonight?

[mainerob]

Too long a rest period. He's caught what afflicted Hamels in NYC.

[curt]

I blame the friggin exhibition game. Bochy got us good.

[Debbie Downer]

Season = over!

[Cyclic]

I wish we had one of our aces like Kendrick or Worley out there

[Charlie Hayes]

Bad defense hurt Hamels early in that game, they are hitting making good contact on Halladay.

[Kber]

Looks like it's going to be a long night.

[Old Phan]

It's was just a bad inning. He'll get over it.