The Slide
By DAVID MURPHY dmurphy@phillynews.com SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Jimmy Rollins wasn’t just dead. He was Fredo Corleone dead. He was William Wallace dead. He was 12-point-buck-on-Roy-Oswalt’s-ranch dead.
The Slide
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
By DAVID MURPHY
dmurphy@phillynews.com
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Jimmy Rollins wasn’t just dead. He was Fredo Corleone dead. He was William Wallace dead. He was 12-point-buck-on-Roy-Oswalt’s-ranch dead.
“There’s a lot that goes through your mind when you know you are out,” Rollins said. “And it’s not good. It’s really like two words. The first one is ‘Oh.’ And you can guess what the second one is.”
Truth be told, Rollins doesn’t know what happened next. One minute, he was rounding third and sprinting toward home, sure as the pleasant SoCal weather that Yorvit Torrealba had caught the throw from center field in perfect position to make the tag. The next, he was flying by the catcher’s outstretched glove, twisting his torso and raising his arm and then slapping the corner of the plate with his hand.
He called it his Karate Kid fly-catcher move. Chad Durbin said it looked like something out of The Matrix. Brad Lidge, whose blown save on a bases loaded balk forced home the tying run in the ninth and led to the circumstances that unfolded in the 12th, called it the most athletic slide he’d ever seen.
Whatever the description, it resulted in the run that lifted the Phillies to a 3-2 victory over the Padres, in the run that snapped their four-game losing streak, in the run that cut their deficit behind the Braves in the National League East to two games.
Right up until the point he popped up from the dirt with an emphatic pump of the fist in the shadow of umpire James Hoye’s safe call, Rollins and the Phillies seemed destined to lose another heartbreaker. In the eighth, after seven innings of frustration at the hands of 22-year-old Padres righty Mat Latos, they’d taken a 2-1 lead on Raul Ibanez’s RBI single off of reliever Joe Thatcher. But like most of their leads this week, it evaporated quickly, this time in an excruciating ninth inning in which Brad Lidge hit Ryan Ludwick with a 2-2 pitch to load the bases with two out, then balked the tying run home.
It never would have happened if it were up to Roy Oswalt. The veteran righthander dominated the Padres for eight innings, allowing his only run and one of five hits on a solo home run to Yorvit Torrealba in the third. By the end of the eighth, he had thrown 102 pitches and retired 13 consecutive batters. Relying heavily on his fastball, he struck out six and walked none, throwing 78 strikes and just 24 balls. After retiring the eighth in order, catcher Carlos Ruiz egged him on.
“Carlos told me, ‘You’re going to finish this game.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to try to,” Oswalt said.
But Charlie Manuel scuttled that plan, pinch-hitting Domonic Brown for Oswalt to lead off the ninth with the hope of adding another run.
“At that point in the game, he was leading off the inning, I wanted to send someone up to hit,” Manuel said. “We had the top of the line-up coming up, and also he had already did his job.”
Oswalt, whose season high is 119 pitches, wanted to stay in the game.
“I felt like I could have probably finished the game,” Oswalt said. “I lobbied for it a little bit. I mean, I understand, as far as trying to get the leadoff man on, maybe score another run, get a little more cushion. . .But I felt like I had good enough stuff that I could go back out there and finish it.”
Lidge entered the night having thrown 10 straight scoreless outings, seven of which resulted in saves. After allowing a leadoff single to Matt Stairs a sacrifice bunt to David Eckstein, he got Miguel Tejada to ground out. But with two out, things unraveled. He intentionally walked Padres star Adrian Gonzalez, then hit Ludwick. Then came the balk, which Lidge said happened because he lost his grip on the ball at the beginning of his delivery, which started his momentum toward home.
“When I was taking (the ball) to my glove to get my grip, it started coming out, and I had to look down to get my grip, otherwise the ball probably would have fallen out of my glove,” Lidge said. “By that time, my momentum was taking me forward, so I basically I had to step off or I would have fallen on my face. Kind of hard to explain. It happened pretty quick. But suffice it to say, I wasn’t thrilled about that, and probably in million more wind-ups, something like that would never happen.”
The damage was limited to three extra innings by the bullpen, the last two coming from Durbin. Rollins led off the 12th with a double off the wall in right. Then, Placido Polanco singled up the middle, and third base coach Sam Perlozzo waived Rollins home. Center fielder Luis Durango charged the ball and unleashed a laser to home plate, where Torrealba appeared to have the sprinting Rollins lined up.
But then came the slide.
“I was really just trying to avoid him,” Rollins said. “It’s just a bad feeling, going ‘Oh. . .’ And he started to swing the glove around, and by the time I looked back, he was behind me. Somehow I ended up in front of him. I don’t know what I did. And then I just tapped the plate. I’d given up. Not given up, but as in, ‘I’m out.’ Until he didn’t tag me.’”
eaglesman, I agree with you. Charlie has told these guys to play low scoring games so they don't get tired running the bases......— phineas- Howard has to hit for us to have a chance.The hitting coach[Greg gross?]not teaching him to hit to left pathetic.Striking out with pitches in the dirt pathetic ,has no discipline at plate and does not seem to get better as game goes on.I know hit 200 Hr."s 1 season and drove in 324.Let Shane lead off ,Jimmy natural 2nd hitter,.Manuel only smart because doesn't get on his players too much his decision making totally random and when it works everyone says he's a genius.He and Reid need to go to big buffet and leave town stuffed— lawrence2465
- ESPN has the video of the balk and the slide. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300827125— mannoman
- Charlie would have to out-manage Bobby in 5 of the 6 head-to-head games. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. PRAY FOR THE WILD-CARD.— garcia7
- Howard clearly isn't 100% but to say he is a waste is to just ignore he was leading the league in RBIs before he got hurt in a year where the 1-3 hitters before him gave him nothing to work with. And until recently Werth gave Howard no protection behind him either.— sbdons1982
- Eagles "man" Dude, you football guys don't get that baseball is a 162 game grind. Go back to the Birds page and squawk there. Same old tired whining evey damn day. This game had a total playoff feel. Love watching Oswalt pitch. To me, that balk almost seemed like the hitter had asked for time and Lidge stepped off. They need to keep the foot on the gas with a win today...— Nigel#1
- You were think the Heart of the Order was going to "drive him in from 3rd" Having you been watching the heart of the lineup. It was 1st and second no outs, did Howard and Werth drive anyone in? Howard is a complete liabiiity at the plate,an automatic out,easy out! Werth wants 15million per year but cant hit a fastball,did anyone else see the way the Padres and Bud Black challenged Werth? They are going right after the Phils,Howard cant hit breaking ball and Werth cant touch fastball. They need to be more selfless at the plate,especially Howard and Werth,just knock the runners in, shorten your swings and play team baseball,move runners and get sac flies. VIctorino was just as bad,hiting weak grounder with basesloaded and one out. Vic has to atleast drive something in the circumstances. I think Howard and WErth need to moved in the order and Victorino needs to ride the bench until he starts playing the game right. The Phils got to be the worst plate disciplined team in MLB! IF HOward is just gonna strike out everytime, then why with 1st and 2nd,no outs,is Howard not bunting to get 2nd and 3rd,one out, so Werth can ground into week DP,especailly since they would have had to play the infielders in? DOes Charley do any actual MANAGING, or does he just tell his boys,SWING FOR THE FENCES BOY! Its all they do, SELFISH BUNCH
dedhed, and all you other myopic peabrains, here's what you don't get. If you are going to blame any loss on any manager, you have to credit him with wins as well. Because what you geniuses miss is the fact that the manager is making decisions in the winning games too. The best thing a manager can do is create an atmosphere of winning among his players, and this guy sure seems to have done that. Nitpicking every decision that goes wrong is a fool's game.— John621- What was Whatshisname doing sending Rollins with no outs and the 2, 3 and 4 coming up??? Fire his @ze. And Lidge looked like he took he missed the exit for Williamsport. The guy is going to kill them if that ole buzzard keeps bringing him in in the 9th. Ole skin & bones Cholly is mgr of the year when the top half of the order is having career years. This year he has to actually manage. When will Ryan hit even a loud foul again... in Clearwater?— OC Joe
Comment removed.- As for Rollins going home. He was being aggressive. I think you have to go for the win, as the road team in that situation. Lidge is another story. Lidge bobbled the sacrifice bunt by eckstein. Then Lidge almost threw the ball away on the intentional walk to Gonzalez. He hits ludwig with 2 outs and 0-2 to load the bases. The ump was GIVING the corners to say the least. The guy at the plate when lidge balked almost got tossed the pitch before for arguing the pitch. Then he Balks in the tying run. !?!?— Sam Adams
The Phils WILL catch the Braves. Look where they are with their offense and injuries. With a modicum of offense and their 3 strong arms they can handle anyone.— Rotcod- Charlie should make Werth sit down and watch film of Jimmy sliding into home.— watsonmr
- Thanks to Mannoman for the video reference.Hope Comcast hires you and gets rid of bozos they are presently utilizing.— jakelbi
If Howard is right, the Phillies win comfortably. How do you think winning teams that play in big parks actually win? The way the Phillies did last night. Take chances, be aggressive running the bases. The Phillies are not right offensively, but did enough to win. I was never one to over analyze these types of games. The Phillies played lousy at home, they go to San Diego and there was some improvement. Nuff said!— road515
