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Thursday, September 25, 2008
Phils need to hurry

Things are still fine for the Phillies. Really, they are. With a magic number of three for both the division title (over the Mets) and the wildcard (over the Brewers), they're going to get in.

But if they don't get it buttoned down by Sunday, they have a problem -- that is, the identity of their Game 1 starter in the playoffs on Wednesday. Because I just don't know that you want to be running Brett Myers out there at this point. I don't know if it would be fair to anybody, Myers included, to put him under that kind of a spotlight. It is why the timing matters here. It is why the Phillies need to clinch before Sunday so that they don't have to use Cole Hamels on the last day of the season.

If Sunday is meaningless, they can set up the rotation like this:

Game 1, Hamels.

Game 2, Moyer.

Game 3, Myers.

Game 4, Blanton.

Game 5, Hamels (with Moyer available on full rest, followed by a cast of thousands, if necessary).

The problems come because of the Phillies' dithering the last two nights. Now Moyer will likely have to pitch on Saturday in a real game, which would make him unavailable to start a playoff opener on Wednesday on regular rest. If both he and Hamels are unavailable for Game 1, that leaves Myers or Joe Blanton. At this point, neither is the ideal. There also is J.A. Happ, I guess, but I can't imagine they'd start him. At the same time, though, don't they have to put him on the post-season roster now as Myers insurance? If Myers has another one of those games, and they have to go get him in the second inning, don't they need Happ, just in case?

Anyway, if Hamels has to pitch Sunday, they can set it up like this:

Game 1, Myers or Blanton.

Game 2, Moyer.

Game 3, Hamels.

Game 4, Myers or Blanton.

Game 5, Moyer (with the Game 1 starter on full rest, followed by everybody).

Comparing the two potential set-ups, it is obvious which is superior. And so, while the Phillies are fine, they do need to hurry.

Posted by Rich Hofmann @ 10:40 AM  Permalink | 27 comments
27
Comments   
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Posted 11:28 PM, 09/25/2008
GOphils321
sorry but I am not in the crowd that thinks the playoffs are a sure thing. I will not even read the article because it is so ridiculous to think of these things when we are so close to being out of the playoffs entirely. Phillies need to win. I can't believe we play the cubs in early sept when it matters, and the mets get them when it doesn't matter, who sets these schedules? its ridiculous!
Posted 11:11 PM, 09/25/2008
stoky
counting the chickens before they are hatched...a sure sign of a hex.
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Posted 06:39 PM, 09/25/2008
sillybilly
I just get over the nervousness about making the playoffs, now I need to worry about pitching? Oy!
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Posted 04:43 PM, 09/25/2008
MrPhillie
I agree that talk of playoff opponents and pitching rotations is somewhat premature. It concerns me that the Phillies continue to require help from other teams. Why not just go out, win your games, and clinch the playoff spot? If the Mets would have won last night as they should have, the mood around Philly would be much more tense. But they didn't win and so yet again, they help the Phils. I just don't like having to rely on help from other teams.
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Posted 02:55 PM, 09/25/2008
booman55
Rich Dubee better be working overtime to find some mechanical reason why Hamels and Myers stink, else it's going to be another 3 and out.
Posted 02:43 PM, 09/25/2008
abfreed
haha. nothing like a octople post to get your point across. i am very concerned though that everybody is counting them in already. i am already reading articles here about who the phillies will face in the nlcs or ws. we're talking about philly sports after all, right? heartbreak central when it comes to sports teams. there's a good chance that after tonight we are only 1 game up on both mets and brew crew. that means if we dont sweep the nats we could be looking at a tied break game. and if we lose 2 of 3 (unlikely but also in the realm of possibility) even smaller chance we get in. id say our chances of being in the playoffs are about 65-70%. while we are the favorite, that still leaves us with a decent percent chance of being heartbroken. remain even keel philly, please
Posted 02:15 PM, 09/25/2008
pringleschief
hey - alwaysphil1 - we get it. learn how to use a computer, numbnuts.
Posted 02:02 PM, 09/25/2008
alwaysphil1
Like you, too many people are talking about the playoffs and not about winning ballgames to get there. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a great collapse.
Posted 02:02 PM, 09/25/2008
alwaysphil1
Like you, too many people are talking about the playoffs and not about winning ballgames to get there. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a great collapse.
Posted 02:02 PM, 09/25/2008
alwaysphil1
Like you, too many people are talking about the playoffs and not about winning ballgames to get there. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a great collapse.
Posted 02:02 PM, 09/25/2008
alwaysphil1
Like you, too many people are talking about the playoffs and not about winning ballgames to get there. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a great collapse.
Posted 02:02 PM, 09/25/2008
alwaysphil1
Like you, too many people are talking about the playoffs and not about winning ballgames to get there. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a great collapse.
Posted 02:02 PM, 09/25/2008
alwaysphil1
Like you, too many people are talking about the playoffs and not about winning ballgames to get there. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a great collapse.
Posted 02:01 PM, 09/25/2008
alwaysphil1
Like you, too many people are talking about the playoffs and not about winning ballgames to get there. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a great collapse.
Posted 02:01 PM, 09/25/2008
alwaysphil1
Like you, too many people are talking about the playoffs and not about winning ballgames to get there. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a great collapse.
Posted 01:23 PM, 09/25/2008
PhillySubsMac
There's no mention of Happ here because you only need 4 starters for the postseason. Whether Happ should be in front of one of those 4 may be another story. Really hard to say what happens with Kendrick and even Happ...they could get Eaton'd off the postseason roster but likely not both. Whichever one seems better suited for bullpen duty will likely make it. Let's get there first...
Posted 12:50 PM, 09/25/2008
thephan
I am not sure if the absence of Happ in the article is expressing lack of faith, or if there is an underlying feeling that he is needed at a moment's notice in case Hamels, or Myers seizes.
Posted 12:34 PM, 09/25/2008
jeff gross
if you have Myers/Blanton pitching game one, why doesn't the otherone pitch game two? based on your logic, If blanton starts game one, Myers doesn't pitch at all during the serries. I think it would probably be Myers-Blanton-Hamels-Moyer-Myers. THis allows Hamels to start game one of the NLCS on regular rest if I have the days off correct
Posted 12:27 PM, 09/25/2008
TBear
We really need the Muts to keep screwing up like they (and we, unfortunately) did last night if we have any hope of getting the rotation set for the Dodgers.....PLEASE the Dodgers.
Posted 12:05 PM, 09/25/2008
Ryan
you can't be concerned with myers. you have to just ride him and hope he pitches well at this point
Comment removed.
About Rich Hofmann
Rich Hofmann arrived at the Daily News in 1980 for a job whose status was officially designated as "full-time, temporary." A senior at Penn at the time, he was hired to fill in on the copy desk during a staff illness. The notion of him covering the Eagles or being a columnist did not exist in anyone's imagination. It was supposed to be six weeks and out, but he never left. It is only one of the reasons why so many people have concerns about him as a potential house guest. Rich has blogged the postseasons of the Flyers and Eagles.

You can now follow The Idle Rich on Twitter.
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