The Good:
Chase Utley. Here's his numbers from the weekend tilt. 6-11, 4 HR, 6 RBI. Homered in each game, twice in the series finale, most likley sensing that one dinger in each of the previous two games wasn't enough to get the job done. He now leads MLB in home runs with 8 and is batting a robust .351. Utley is doing everything in his power to pick up the slack for the missing Jimmy Rollins (more on him later). And for those who think Utley can't hit lefties because for some reason, most left-handed hitters can not hit southpaw pitchers...Chase is batting .308 with 4 of his 8 long balls off of lefties.
Starting Pitching. Every one of the outings by the starter's was good enough to win. Especially in Citizen's Bank Ballpark. Especially with this supposed thunderous lineup. Especially in 80 degree heat. Yet none of them came out victorious and two of the 3 wound up on the losing end. The Phillies continue to get fairly solid starting pitching. Adam Eaton has already given the team more this season then he did all last year. Moyer has thrown well ever since his rocky season debut. Hamels and Myers are now giving you what we expected from them coming into the year. Kendrick is really the only member not pulling his weight right now, but even his last start was quite solid. The pitching staff reminds you of the Eagles defense for many years; bend, don't break. Here's some staggering numbers: .252, .295, .327, .362, .375. Those are the opponent's batting averages against the Phillies rotation this season. Yikes.
The Rivalry. This is turning into something good. Was down at the game on Saturday. I'll admit it, the Philadelphia fans were a little rowdy, but so were the New Yorkers who made the trip. Saw some entertaining signs in the crowd (although none as clever as my favorite crowd sign of all time; Targeted at the highly talented yet exceptionally disinterested in playing baseball first baseman, Travis Lee, the sign read simply: Travis Leave). There was a fight or two. But most of the verbal sparring was good natured, even if R-rated due to a combination of competitive games and overpriced alcohol. Even I, somewhat intoxicated and somewhat belligerent, let the moment get the better of me. Yes, it was me trying to drown out the Let's Go Mets chants with my own version of the jingle,
referencing methods of post-game celebration that I unjustly (perhaps) accused Mets' players of sharing with each other. But at the end of the day, it was an enjoyable game made even better by the level of contempt that has quickly developed over the past couple of seasons.Couple of quick notes on things I don't get though, while we're discussing this rivalry. I listened to a little bit of NY sports talk on my ride into work this morning and I heard a couple of people call up with the same story. "I drove down to the game with my 10 year old niece and 8 year old nephew. We were taking my nephew to the game for his birthday. He's a big Mets fan. We're all dressed in our Mets gear and people start yelling obscenities at us, for no reason."
Ok, let's get a couple of things straight. First, there was a reason; you were openly supporting the hated opponent. Second, this happens in every city, at least any city that cares about their sports teams. I've been to Mets games wearing my Phillies attire. It's no picnic. Third, we don't scream at your kids. This does not mean that bringing kids with you means you're exempt from the verbal abuse, but rest assured that it is all directed at you and not the children. Listen, everyone knows how this works. If you're going to a game in hostile territory, you can feel somewhat confident that if you come dressed in plain garb and support your team through typical cheering, you'll be fine. If you're decked out in your Doc Gooden jersey, waving your orange foam finger and singing the winner of most annoying baseball diddly award (Jose, Jose, Jose, Jose...), you're equally to blame. I would expect the same treatment if I trekked into Shea wearing my red 'Our second baseman actually is the age he claims' tee shirt.
Second, and this was the thing that perplexed me the most. I'm not one to even yell things at opposing fans who employ such tactics as outlined above. However, when those same fans react to a positive play for their squad by turning and directing their celebration specifically at particular people, as if the fat guy in his Ken Howell jersey with nacho cheese on his chin (come to think of it, maybe that was Ken Howell) just threw the last pitch, it's fairly infuriating. Slap hands with your buddy, yell how much Ryan Howard sucks but don't tell me how David Wright had sex with my mom and that double he just hit proves it.
The Bad:
Ryan Howard. Compare his numbers with Utley's over the series. 1-13. 0 R, 0 RBI, 6K, 8 LOB. There is no reason right now that Howard shouldn't be batting 5th with Burrell hitting 4th, other then Manuel is scared to make the move for fear of hurting the big man's ego. The Mets blatantly pitched around Utley twice on Saturday when there were men on base because they'd rather face Howard. I am confident that he'll turn it around but right now he's killing us, especially without Rollins to help pick up the slack. Hoping that the 3 righties they're facing in the next 4 games, all with ERA over 5, including one over 7, will be the medicine for what ails him.
Jimmy Rollins FINALLY on DL: This should've happened two weeks ago. We've played shorthanded for two weeks and now this decision is made? Rollins almost fell over from his ankle giving out in his first pinch hit at bat and he had to be replaced in his 3rd pinch hit at bat after singling. It was painfully obvious, pun intended, that this move needed to be made, yet it wasn't. Until now. Despicable.
Non-Philadelphia Media: Speaking of despicable. Outsiders criticized fans for presumably booing Reyes when he jammed his neck trying to steal second on Friday night. This is typical uninformed journalists just running with a story about Philadelphia fans booing an injured opponent again. In reality, no one booed Reyes until it was obvious that he was not seriously hurt. Fans started voicing their displeasure when Reyes took about 10 minutes to decide whether or not he was going to stay in the game. He took so long that Hamels had to throw more
pitches to stay warm and sure enough his first pitch after the long delay was stroked for an RBI triple. Philadelphian's booed while Jose took practice runs in the baseline, not when he was down on the ground. What actually was a display of a high level of understanding of the game was written about as though we were savages. Philadelphia fans have a reputation and it is not totally undeserved, but please get the facts straight before rolling out the Santa Claus snowball stories.JC Romero with inherited runners: I don't have the stats right now, but I will, but JC is a different pitcher when he starts an inning versus when he comes in mid-inning. Friday's 0-3 attempt at stranding runners illustrates the point.
The Hero:
Either had to be Utley or David Wright, as the two most productive players throughout the series. Seeing as the Mets won 2 of 3, Wright gets the nod.
The Goat:
Howard, for all the reasons mentioned above.
The Bottom Line:
Winning that game last night was big. Even though they only took one of 3, winning last night is a 2 game swing. And it makes the 7 game road trip that the Phils head on now at least start with a little momentum and good feelings. Kendrick takes the hill in Colorado tonight, a good place to be a sinker ball pitcher. I don't have a good feeling though. Prediction: Rockies 7, Phillies 6. Utley doesnt go yard again, but Feliz will.
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