Game chat: Phillies seek 5-5 finish to road trip

Cole Hamels (2-1, 2.95) faces Trevor Cahill (1-1, 2.84) when the 8-10 Phillies play the final game of their 10-game road trip today at 3:40.

Notes: For today's header, we honor a couple of new additions who were written off on Beerleaguer before they even stepped foot on the field. I'm talking about Ty Wigginton and Laynce Nix, two guys who've actually managed to get the ball out of the infield regularly, and Chad Qualls, who served up a homer last night but has otherwise stabilized the eighth inning. … Charlie Manuel, who used to use the same lineup over and over, goes with yet another look this afternoon, giving Freddy Galvis the start at short. Pete Orr and Laynce Nix are rewarded with starts following their big nights Tuesday night. Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz are back in. [Jump to the newest comments]

Comments

[Joe D]

Polanco with a bloop hit and 2 hitters later he is actually driven in by Pence.

[GTown_Dave]

Fire Juan Samuel. Just because.

[schmenkman]

"Iceman, yes. I posted to that effect earlier in the season.

Jimmy, IMO, based on historical performance, ought to hit in either the 1-hole or 6-hole. (SSS)

Posted by: awh"
---
Agreed awh, he should be leading off, at least against RHPs. I can see 6th vs. LHPs, with Pierre leading off.

Now about his “selfish” at bat last night, it seems that, without being in his head, or attempting pseudo psych, we have to decide for ourselves whether it was selfish, or whether he’s in a slump. I think it’s the latter, and he was fooled.

[gobaystars!]

1 run but should have been 2, he was safe!!

[clout]

In answer to Jack's question from the previous thread, Galvis has hit enough to ensure that Mini-Mart never appears in a Phillies uni again.

He has not and will not, in my opinion, hit well enough to be an everyday player in MLB at 2B. Possibly he will hit enough to be a good-glove, no-bat everyday SS, but not for a winning team.

[gobaystars!]

Pence needs to run smarter. Bad path, bad slide and he slowed down.

[Joe D]

lol LA....yelling at them to appeal Bloomquist rounding 3rd and not retouching the bag.

[gobaystars!]

Larry Andersen just yelled out of the booth for the Phillies to appeal at third. You could hear him move the mich and yell out the window. So good.
The runner never retouched third on the way back.

[RSB]

I swear to god, Larry Andersen makes me laugh out loud. And not much does.

[gobaystars!]

Everybody in on the run-down!

[GTown_Dave]

That was hilarious. L.A. kills me. "APPEAL IT!"

[lorecore]

so it was bloop that Ransom bobbled and then picked up by Kubel and gunned Pence...going off gameday

[Joe D]

That LA clip better find its way on the internet. I'm still in tears because I can picture him doing it very angrily too.

[Dragon]

Inning would have been shorter had it not taken 20 minutes to tag the D-back runner out.

[Iceman]

What happened with Bloomquist at 3rd? Stuck at work on Gamecast.

[GBrettfan]

Is it just me, or have we run into a lot of outs this season?

[TNA]

I have never seen that situation before. Ever.

[GTown_Dave]

Excellent base running in this game. I blame Juan Pierre.

[lorecore]

Dude i need a translator right now, wtf are these plays?!

A double deflected by third baseman that Pence gets gunned at home?

A rundown starting with Hamels to Polanco on a pickoff?

Ruiz single followed by a wild pitch where he's out at home?

[gobaystars!]

That was different. Juan Pierre has had a terrible influence on this team.

[Joe D]

@GBrett...they aren't a smart team so it's not you. They do run themselves into outs often.

[polly]

Dude i need a translator right now, wtf are these plays?!

A double deflected by third baseman that Pence gets gunned at home?

A rundown starting with Hamels to Polanco on a pickoff?

Ruiz single followed by a wild pitch where he's out at home?

Posted by: lorecore | Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 04:07 PM

Inquiring minds want to know.

[gobaystars!]

What kind of catcher doesn't score from 1st on a wild pitch?

[Phatti]

I'm deeply confused as well. What just happened to Ruiz?

[Joe D]

Guys Ruiz took 2nd on a wild pitch..ball was bouncing around the backstop so he took 3rd...then he got over anxious and saw no one covering the plate...he took off with Ransom racing him down the line to cover. He lost.

[gobaystars!]

Thing is, LA screaming out the window is probably weirder than any of those plays.

[GBrettfan]

What kind of catcher doesn't score from 1st on a wild pitch?

Posted by: gobaystars! | Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 04:09 PM

LOL, gobaystars! I thought Chooch was maybe a little too aggressive on that play, no? Forgot he's not the speediest of fellas.

[TNA]

Cahill's curve skipped away to the Phillies dugout and Cahill wasn't covering by the time Ruiz got to 3B. Ruiz and and Ransom (3B) raced home together and Ransom got the throw from the catcher and tagged Ruiz out on the shoulder at home.

[TNA]

I should've said "Cahill wasn't covering home plate..."

[JRide]

This team is struggling to score runs, they are facing the best pitcher they've seen in a while, and their catcher is trying to score from first on a Wild Pitch. Gotta love the new Phillies approach.

[schmenkman]

"Is it just me, or have we run into a lot of outs this season?

Posted by: GBrettfan"
---
According to BB-Ref, they have the 4th fewest outs on base running plays (excl. steals).

OOB at this link: http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2012-baserunning-batting.shtml

[Joe D]

And I'm still laughing about LA.

[polly]

Why did LA yell?

[Phatti]

Can't wait to see video of that

[GTown_Dave]

I can't wait for the new "Ask L.A.!" advice column.

Dear Ask L.A.

Those goons at the PPA gave me another parking ticket! What should I do?

Signed,

Phrustrated In Philly

Dear Phrustrated,

APPEAL IT!

[Joe D]

lol GTown

Polly on base twice today. Whew this is a weird one.

[bay_area_phan]

About once every 5 games, the Phillies perform the trick of scoring in the 1st and then going silent for the rest of the game. The moment that Polanco crossed the plate, it immediately occurred to me that this would likely be one of those games.

[GBrettfan]

According to BB-Ref, they have the 4th fewest outs on base running plays (excl. steals).

OOB at this link: http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2012-baserunning-batting.shtml

Posted by: schmenkman | Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 04:16 PM

* * *
Thanks!

[bay_area_phan]

As seems to be a recurring problem this season, Gameday is all screwed up today. I may just have to turn on the MLB.tv, even though I'm supposed to be working.

[GTown_Dave]

What w/ the tattoos & scraggy facial hair, Blanco kinda looks like "Prison Chooch".

[Bedrosian's Beard]

BAP: What you essentially just did there was to say "this feels like a loss" w/out really saying it. Bravo and shut up at the same time.

[gobaystars!]

LA yelled because a Dback runner didn't retouch third while returning to second. The Phillies didn't see it and he really wanted them to appeal to third for the out so he tried to tell them.

[bay_area_phan]

In Howard's absence, Pence is doing his level best to make sure that the Phillies still meet their seasonal quota for hideously ugly strikeouts on pitches 6 feet outside the strike zone.

[SLO Phan]

BAP:

It's ok, you are the boss.

[Dickie Thong]

Dude i need a translator right now, wtf are these plays?!

There are currently three videos on gameday that will help you out.

[rubylegs]

Where has Old Phan gone? I miss his sensible yet entertaining commentary.

[Iceman]

"About once every 5 games, the Phillies perform the trick of scoring in the 1st and then going silent for the rest of the game. The moment that Polanco crossed the plate, it immediately occurred to me that this would likely be one of those games."

You say this every time they score in the 1st.

[Phatti]

I just watched the video of the Ruiz play. What annoyed me most is that the whole time it was happening Murphy was babbling about something unrelated. Can't they cut off his mike when something happens?

[TNA]

Gameday just stated that Hamels' effectiveness might start slipping because batter hit in the low .200's for his first 45 pitches and near .300 after that.

Is that metric like a VO MAX for a pitcher?

[polly]

Is that metric like a VO MAX for a pitcher?

Posted by: TNA | Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 04:43 PM

It is when the nipples begin to bleed.

[Iceman]

I thought I'd be home to catch at least some of this game after leaving at 5. Should have known better.

[bay_area_phan]

"You say this every time they score in the 1st."

It's like when there's a big earthquake near the coast, and they tell you to get to high ground in case there's a tsunami. It doesn't always happen, but it happens often enough that you'd be a fool to ignore the warning signs.

[Phlipper (firing up the hibachi on the Benny Frank)]

"You say this every time they score in the 1st. "

I was reading the thread backwards, and saw the quote from you before I saw whose name was attached to the original comment.

I was 100% sure that it was a BAP comment before confirming who wrote it.

A many bellyachers are there are at BLer, he's clearly king (queen?) of the Debby Downers.

[MG]

Don't bunt Polanco here.

[The hook]

Cole straight dealing wow

[gobaystars!]

What will Pierre do next?

[GTown_Dave]

Don't let him hit, either.

[gobaystars!]

CS, pickoff, erased on a DP?

[Phlipper (firing up the hibachi on the Benny Frank)]

And again, I write a comment that appears, then temporarily disappears, and then reappears after a few minutes.

Is anyone else having that happen? It's got me scratching my head.

[MG]

"Cole straight dealing wow" - Yes, yes he is although listening on the radio makes it hard to appreciate.

[gobaystars!]

Pierre and Polanco: OG Small Ballers!

[bay_area_phan]

STFU Sarge. This would NOT be a good situation to bunt!

[Allan Thornburg (AT)]

Polly walks twice in one game? Is this Bizarro World?

[Allan Thornburg (AT)]

Dammit, Vic!

[bay_area_phan]

The Phillies' announcers almost sound incredulous that you would send your No. 3 hitter up to the plate with 2 men on base, and not bunt.

[MG]

Thank you Cahill.

[gobaystars!]

SMALL BALLING!

[Allan Thornburg (AT)]

Face melt!

[Joe D]

Wow look at these guys!

[GBrettfan]

Sitting out for a day with a sore arm seems to have helped Pence. Nice to have him hitting again.

[GTown_Dave]

Wow. The Phils almost look kinda competent this inning.

[HammRadio]

Props where Props are Due... @bap for the BL reverse jinx from 20 minutes ago...

[MG]

Alright. Wigginton stays hot.

[Fatalotti]

Good job by the Phillies to get those 2 runs home. But I'm greedy, I want 2 more runs Come on Orr, you've got one more triple in you, right?

[GTown_Dave]

I see Pete Orr has reset his Baseball Skills Level back to "Suck".

On the other hand, today marks the first time this season in which the Phillies have scored ≥3 Runs in 3 Consecutive Games.

[The hook]

MG
Making all these hitters look "goofy" as wheels says
Love 2 out RBIs. I think with this lead Cole should
Go complete game if shut out still in tact.
Little off note looking at minor stats. And I think we might have something in Franco he's young and looks like he might be legit. Also phils have some good developing pitchers at all levels. I know it's early but seems like they have some talent there. It's still early but with off day tomm good time to go through all classes.

[MG]

Sweep the leg Hamels!

[bay_area_phan]

I can't believe Cole was swinging on 3-1.

[MG]

Put Breslow in a body bag! Hahahahah.

[HammRadio]

MEME: Cole will leave because offense doesn't score for him.

The Phillies are now averaging 5 runs per game in Cole Hamels starts.

[GBrettfan]

I love seeing Cole or Cliff or Roy get a hit. I'll miss things like the pitchers' hitting contest when the DH takes over the NL.

[GTown_Dave]

Hamels > > > > > > Orr

At hitting. And life.

[bay_area_phan]

Cole's pitch count is actually ridiculously low -- especially considering he's not even facing the Phillies.

[NEPP]

This game is going well..

[MG]

Wow 1 hit through 6 IP. It wouldn't surprise me if Cholly tries to get a CG out of Hamels today.

[bay_area_phan]

67 pitches through 6 innings. I say let him pitch through the 8th and then let Schwimer finish.

[GBrettfan]

I don't want to jinx it, but it seems to me that Polly is coming back to life.

[GTown_Dave]

So much for any hope of ever getting Polanco out of the 2 spot.

[MG]

bap - It would be a good spot to give Schwimmer an inning potentially in the 9th to ensure that the doesn't go a week or so without pitching in a game.

[MG]

Polanco's first multi-hit game since April 11th and first time he has been on base 3 times this year.

[3r0ck]

Great game, too bad I have to watch it via Gamecast

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Cahill, Ziegler, Breslow. ARe they playing in Arizona or Oakland?

[GTown_Dave]

Pence, unable to check himself, wrecks himself.

[NEPP]

Hamels has a FA contract to think about...he needs the CG shutout here.

[Mick O]

GTown, What problems does Pete Orr have in life? Are you saying he's a bad person?

[GTown_Dave]

Mick: You're taking me much too literally.

[GTown_Dave]

I believe Cole's done for the day. Seems like he just came apart after giving up the single. Weird.

[GTown_Dave]

Pete F*ckin' Orr. This is why I ride the guy: he STINKS.

[bay_area_phan]

"What problems does Pete Orr have in life? Are you saying he's a bad person?"

He is a bad person, for reasons we just saw.

[HammRadio]

4-6-3...