The Sermon on the Mound
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
The Sermon on the Mound
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
He's going to take me out. That was Pedro Martinez's first thought. With two out in the eighth inning of a 1-0 game and the tying run on second base, he is going to take me out.
"I didn't like it," Martinez said later.
I'm not going to take him out. That was Charlie Manuel's first thought. With two out in the eighth inning of a 1-0 game and an injury-depleted bullpen at the tail end of a doubleheader and a future Hall of Famer on the mound pitching like he did when he was 32, no way in hell am I going to take him out.
"When I went to the mound, I was leaving him in anyway, because I liked him on their hitters," Manuel said later.
As the manager made his way from the dugout to the mound, the infielders converged to meet him. Trotting in from second base, Chase Utley saw the look in Martinez's eyes.
"He might not get you," Martinez later recalled Utley saying. "(Utley) asked me if I wanted the guy, and I said yeah I want him."
And, sure enough, Manuel asked him the same thing.
"You got anything left?" the manager asked.
"I want him," the pitcher answered.
And then the meeting broke, and the manager trotted back to the dugout, and the infielders returned to their positions, and Martinez toed the rubber and stared in at Jeremy Reed.
"Just looking in his eyes told me that he wanted him," Manuel recalled later.
Two pitches later - the 129th and 130th of the evening for the 37-year-old Martinez - the inning was over, as Carlos Ruiz blocked an off-speed pitch in the dirt, then picked it up and threw out Daniel Murphy trying to take third base. Martinez pumped his fist and walked off the mound to a standing ovation, eight scoreless innings behind him.
Later, after Ryan Madson capped off a pivotal doubleheader sweep by closing out the ninth inning of a 1-0 victory, Manuel walked wearily to a podium deep in the bowels of Citizens Bank Park.
"Whew," he said into the microphone.
The Phillies had entered the day facing the possibility of letting their lead in the National League East slip to 3.5 games. But by the end of it - after six hours of baseball and 15 1/3 innings of starting pitching and a 2-for-15 performance by the line-up with runners in scoring position -- their record had grown to 82-60, and their lead in the divison to 6.5 with 20 left to play.
Plenty more in Monday's paper.
Well written. Yesterday two starters strapped this listless club on their backs and pitched their hearts out. It's time for the rest of this team to knock off the half-hearted efforts and play this game with enthusiasm, focus and purpose. Last night the Phils had 1 hit after the first inning. Last night Jroll's sloppy baserunning cost this team at least 1 run and had probably shortened the only rally of the evening. In the last 15 games, the Phillies have not won a single game by more than 2 runs. Enough is enough. It's time for a wake up call.— defg0003- E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!— jeffmacnow1234
- I don't care if they win a game by 1 or 21--as long as they win. Don't get any style points for winning games.— bobbyuk
- I wonder if the caps lock king still thinks signing Pedro was a mistake.— Captain Splendor
Comment removed.- Pedro pitching lights out gives us so many options. He could either pitch himself into the playoff rotation or when Happ comes back healthy give Pedro a crack as the closer. Cant hurt especially if nobody steps up over the next week or two as the closer. I love the guys fire and mentality out there thats 80% of the battle.— philsfan in the atx
- Madson did NOT get the save, Feliz did.— mick314
- bobbyuk, THE POINT IS: If the Phillies can only squeak by the Nats and the Mets by 1 run, they aren't going to win many against good teams like the Dodgers and Cardinals!— jman
- Nice pitching yesterday by Kendrick and especially Martinez, who will be will be huge in the playoffs. Jimmy's play, in the other hand, is reverting to his poor first half; swinging at the first pitch almost in every AB, hitting the ball in the air in the process and exhibiting a lack of concentration on the bases. The problem is, he knows the offense starts with him, and everything falls into place, but he keeps doing it.— EL Zorro
- These tires that keep jumping in front of my mouse are really starting to get on my nerves...— MFPhils
- Agree jman. This team is having problems scoring runs lately against mediocre and bad teams and the closer situation is really troubling. I don't see them winning a playoff round if the playoffs start today.— EL Zorro
- El Zorro is right, so lets wait a couple of weeks for the playoffs.— mick314
- I'll give 1/2 save to Ruiz on that last play Mick.— EL Zorro
- Dunno it's kind of hard to judge this team. If the playoffs started today, our pitching and hitting may miraculously catch on fire. It's nice having a team with this much talent. Just because they play really bad, doesn't mean they are playing to their potential. So there is always time for them to turn it on...even in a five game series where they've lost 2. Keep hope alive.— MFPhils
- Yeah, they are streaky. Let's hope they turn that switch on, especially Lidge.— EL Zorro
