Posted: Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 1:41 AM | 23 comments |
 

Wednesday Morning Quarterbacks, Take Heart
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First thing's first: you can blast Charlie Manuel all you want for leaving Jamie Moyer in the game to face Emil Brown, but it looks like the right decision. Moyer had been lights out for six innings, and the two hits he allowed to put men on base in the seventh were relatively cheap. Plus, he'd struck Brown out once and got him to pop to short the other time. Durbin was warm in the bullpen, but I can't fault Manuel for this one. Moyer just made a bad pitch. One of  the few he made all night.

Second thing's second: Nobody is hitting right now. Nobody. Hard to win games when nobody is hitting.

That's about what it boils down to from this one. In a game where the hitters don't hit, one pitch will do you in.

Geoff Jenkins is is now hitless in his last 22 at-bats and has just two hits in his last 37.

Here's the interesting thing about the DH: in the top of the seventh, the Phils had bases loaded with one out and Ruiz up at the plate. Ruiz was batting ninth. In most games, the pitcher is up. That means Manuel would have had to choose between leaving Moyer in to hit with a one-run lead and the bases loaded or putting someone -- Dobbs, perhaps -- in to pinch-hit. What would he have done? I gotta think he would have pinch-hit. And I've got to think that would have worked out better than Ruiz's inning-ending double play.

Feel free to disagree.

For those keeping score at home: Phils have lost six straight for the first time since 2006 and 10 of 13. Yet they are still a game up in the NL East.

 

 
Posted by David Murphy @ 1:41 AM  Permalink | 23 comments
23
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:04 AM, 06/25/2008
    It's all becoming very disheartening when you think of how very little this team is getting done after being so very hot so recently. The way they are approaching every situation is like it really doesn't matter. With that attitude, they may not win another series all year. Well, at least they won't have to worry about the World Series, will they?
    — DonEck
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:45 AM, 06/25/2008
    When is Charlie going to start raising hell in the clubhouse?
    — Suze26
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:11 AM, 06/25/2008
    When players don't care enough to do the little things to win ballgames, the losses will continue to mount. Anyone else get the feeling that these guys got a little too proud of themselves for getting off to a decent start to the season and figured they could coast for a while? Guess what, boys, you can't coast! Bad habits are hard to break, and they turn into slumps and losing streaks.
    — psuflyers
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:04 PM, 06/25/2008
    I've got to disagree with David Murphy who wrote this article. Moyer didn't deserve to go back out in the 7th. Myers didn't deserve to go back out in the 8th of the previous outing. Hamels didn't deserve to go back out in the 8th of two of his blown losses. Myers didn't deserve to go back out in the 7th with over 100 pitches on two other occasions and Eaton didn't deserve to go back out when he was over 100 pitches against the angels the other night. Manuel only holds the "up to 100 pitches" rule with Moyer and he violated it last night. ALL starting pitchers should go before they start the next inning if they've thrown 100 pitches. Moyer should never be back out over 90+ pitches. We can talk about hitters not hitting and pitchers not pitching, but it's the Manager's job to keep us in the games and hanging starters out there is not getting it done - we're 2-8 when he does it.
    — diehardphan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:04 PM, 06/25/2008
    you say pinch hit for the pitcher in an NL park? why not put coste in for ruiz last night? i dont know the numbers of grounding into double plays and avg with runners in scoring position with less than 2 outs, but no way coste doesnt get that run in from 3rd.
    — mikeb
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:09 PM, 06/25/2008
    diehardphan is wildly over zealous. why do you keep freaking out on every single comment you make? 100 pitches is just a number. you have to take into account tough pitches. a 2-2 pitch might be thrown harder than a 3-0 pitch, or an 0-2 pitch. sometimes 100 pitches is a lot, other times, like last night, 100 isnt bad. there is no "rule" of 100 pitches. moyer was absolutely handling the A's with help from the ump and showed no signs of slowing. why take him out? you stink, diehardphan.
    — mikeb
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:37 PM, 06/25/2008
    diehardphan - it is so easy to second guess. I remember when managers never removed a pitcher who was throwing a shutout. You take Moyer out and the reliever gives up a hit and everybody would be screaming at the manager about that decision. The Phils had opportunities to win that game, the blame is on the hitters and not the manager.
    — phillies fan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:43 PM, 06/25/2008
    Can anyone explain why Jenkins, in as big of a slump as can be, was the DH last night while Dobbs rode the bench?
    — Reggie Noble
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:54 PM, 06/25/2008
    Moyer was pitching a great game. He wasn't showing any signs of tiring. So, why take him out. He just located that particular pitch badly. Manuel's decision to leave him in was not what lost the game. NO HITTING is what lost the game. This is a club that is supposed to average 5-6 runs a game, and they have gone in the tank lately. That is what everyone should be concerned about, not nit-picking managerial moves.
    — John621
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:03 PM, 06/25/2008
    This team will not win in the playoffs unless they get two more stud starting pitchers. The Boston and LA Angels series showed how far behind they really are.
    — feudi
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:05 PM, 06/25/2008
    David - you touched on a favorite point of mine. People say managing is tougher in the NL because of "when to pinch hit for the pitcher" situations, etc. ABSOLUTELY OVERRATED. In fact, it's harder to decide when to pinch hit for a starter as in last night's game. Also, pitchers have to be evaluated on how they're pitching as to when they're pulled, not simply because the offensive situation dictates an obvious decision. I've argued for years that managing in the AL can be *harder* than in the NL.
    — hairball
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:08 PM, 06/25/2008
    First:Ditto on Reggie Noble's observation. Second: All the moves in the world by Charley is not going to change anything with this club, right now. This awful scoring slump will end when it ends.In a way, this can be a good thing, this black hole they've fallen into now. What better time? If it was at the beginning of the year, the safety nets would have to be strung under the bridges. If it was at the end of the season in a tight race (anybody remember the Mets?), Hizzoner would have to call out the horse cavalry just to get the poor players back to the dugout between innings. (And they'd have to dis-arm most of the cops!) They will be Phine! These Phightin's have what it takes to weather the storms! Don't jump ship....you there! give back that life-vest....it's Mine!!!
    — TBear
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:35 PM, 06/25/2008
    I'd really like to see Coste DH if not catch. You know, because he can actually hit the ball. As much as I love Ruiz and his .222 average. And Jenkins and his looking baffled the entire game. Once a pitcher who has been lights out the whole game gives up two hits in a row (bloops as they were), he's done. He needs to be taken out. I think Moyer is great, but it's pretty sad we need to rely on a 45 year old to be our #2 guy. The good thing about the Phils losing streak (if anything) is that no one other team seems to want to take the division right now and are all as flawed as the Fightins'.
    — LetsGoFlyers
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:35 PM, 06/25/2008
    I'd really like to see Coste DH if not catch. You know, because he can actually hit the ball. As much as I love Ruiz and his .222 average. And Jenkins and his looking baffled the entire game. Once a pitcher who has been lights out the whole game gives up two hits in a row (bloops as they were), he's done. He needs to be taken out. I think Moyer is great, but it's pretty sad we need to rely on a 45 year old to be our #2 guy. The good thing about the Phils losing streak (if anything) is that no one other team seems to want to take the division right now and are all as flawed as the Fightins'.
    — LetsGoFlyers
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:36 PM, 06/25/2008
    I'd really like to see Coste DH if not catch. You know, because he can actually hit the ball. As much as I love Ruiz and his .222 average. And Jenkins and his looking baffled the entire game. Once a pitcher who has been lights out the whole game gives up two hits in a row (bloops as they were), he's done. He needs to be taken out. I think Moyer is great, but it's pretty sad we need to rely on a 45 year old to be our #2 guy. The good thing about the Phils losing streak (if anything) is that no one other team seems to want to take the division right now and are all as flawed as the Fightins'.
    — LetsGoFlyers


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About David Murphy
David Murphy joined the Daily News as its Phillies beat writer in February of 2008. Born in Upper Merion and raised in the Poconos, he attended college at La Salle University before taking jobs with the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun-News and the St. Petersburg ( Fla. ) Times. E-mail Dave at dmurphy@phillynews.com.

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