Posted: Thursday, September 25, 2008, 10:57 PM | 54 comments |
 

Piniella hands one to Mets
options
 
My night began with a post about how Cubs manager Lou Piniella was resting three of his biggest bats -- Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano -- in a game with huge implications for the Mets, Phillies and Brewers. And how it kind of mocked the notion of the integrity of the pennant race that everyone in baseball loves to talk about.

Then they played the game and it got worse.

The big bats stayed on the bench, right to the end. Daryle Ward was the pinch-hitter Piniella called on in the top of the ninth inning with two runners on base and two outs in a tie game. Yes, Daryle Ward.

And the bullpen? Bob Howry blew the save in the eighth inning. Kevin Hart lost the game in the ninth inning. Carlos Marmol? Kerry Wood? Nope and nope. They stayed dry as the Mets scored one in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the ninth to come from behind and win, 7-6.

Yes, it was wet at Shea Stadium. Yes, you are entitled to give some people some rest after you have clinched your own business. But propriety suggests that you rest one or two guys at a time and no more. Common decency suggests you don't take the field with the Iowa Cubs and then do nothing as the game slips away in the late innings.

But that is what Piniella did. And because of that, the Phillies' lead over the Mets is one game with three to play.
Posted by Rich Hofmann @ 10:57 PM  Permalink | 54 comments
54
Comments   
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:30 PM, 09/25/2008
    Because of two losses to the Braves the Phillies lead is 1 game.
    — natedog
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:31 PM, 09/25/2008
    marlins are a good team, so hopefully they don't act like the cubs. 2/3 for the phils will win this
    — GOphils321
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:32 PM, 09/25/2008
    No, Rich. The Phillies lead over the Mets is one game with 3 to play because the Phils lost 2 of 3 to the Braves. As a fan, I don't want the Phillies or their fans to expect other teams to pick up the slack for them when they can't take care of their own business. If the Phils don't win the division or miss the playoffs altogether, they have no one to blame but themselves. Go play the blame game somewhere else, like in politics or something.
    — mish798798
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:36 PM, 09/25/2008
    I don't like what he did but the Cubs are entitled to do that. If we had taken care of the Braves and if we take care of the Nats, it would be or will be moot. Sweet Lou may take it easy on the Brew Crew this weekend, too. So this presumptive coverage of the Phils making the playoffs is premature. We face two lefty starters and have struggled offensively again. We have a great chance of course but we gotta play until we clinch. The media and we the fans should not make assumptions the way Mets fans and players did in 2007.
    — BoricuaPhilsFan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:41 PM, 09/25/2008
    Win your way in!
    — HO HUM
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:44 PM, 09/25/2008
    Phils need to take care of their own business, which they did NOT do this week vs Atl
    — shoeshineboy
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:47 PM, 09/25/2008
    Agreed that we need to win the games on our own, but c'mon Lou, man up!!
    — kgochenour
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:52 PM, 09/25/2008
    Sorry Phillies, we Cub fans have suffered too long and this team, this year, is our best shot. The Cubs earned the luxury of being able to rest some players. Win your own games and you wouldn't have to worry about what the Cubs do.
    — walworth
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:55 PM, 09/25/2008
    Imagine if the Phillies had clinched early and Charlie went ahead and used his best relievers, who are already desperate for rest, and Hamels, whose potential, necessary start on Sunday is already being bellyached about. Or, god forbid, Utley or Rollins get hurt in a meaningless game (not to mention Utley could probably use a few days off)? Lou's only job is to do what's best for his club, and since the rules basically allow you to put anyone on your playoff roster, all the more reason for him to want to see his other guys in action. I kind of loved the way he made Samardzja work last night - the kid gave up the tying run and could have easily given up another, which would have meant another Mets win. But for Lou, it was like a spring training game with playoff pressure, to be able to put a rookie in that kind of situation. I also saw a Cubs team that was playing hard, even if it wasn't the best line-up. And Kerry wood pitched in an extra inning game last night.
    — jason14
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:58 PM, 09/25/2008
    the braves wanted to take the phils down. the phillies beat the braves about 14 times this year. if lou wants no parts of the phils, he'd beat the mets or else the mets will win the east, the phillies will take the wild card and play the cubbies in nlds.
    — referees
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:00 AM, 09/26/2008
    Hey, we never got any thanks for helping other teams for years by losing.
    — walworth
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:09 AM, 09/26/2008
    Lost in all this is the fact that the "iowa" cubs were smoking the mets most of the game. The cubs just see the mets as their likely match up next week and don't want to show them marmol and wood.
    — pseudofake
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:16 AM, 09/26/2008
    This is such a lame post Rich. So its Lou Pinella's job to risk one of his beest players so the Phillies have an easier path to the playoffs? Why would you evenm post this unless you are scared the Phillies might choke against the Nats? After all, the Phils have been putting non-playoff teams like Atlanta away lately, havent they?
    — duffers


54 comments | View All Comments | View All By Latest
View comments: 1  |  2  |  3  |  4
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. E-mail Rich at hofmanr@phillynews.com

Join on Facebook    Follow on Twitter

Advertise Here