Posted: Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 11:35 PM | 11 comments |
 

A good lookin' win (mostly)
options
 

If you like the Phillies, you had to like tonight’s win, because the team showed what they can be when the get a good effort from their starter and closer.  The only blemish was a hairy ninth--which was on Chad Durbin, not Brad Lidge, and was made hairier by Ryan Howard’s throwing error. But the big guy has earned some slack with solid defense this season, wouldn’t you say? That was, after all, his first error of the year.

The gaffe allowed Lidge the opportunity to earn a save, and the embattled closer pitched well after a leadoff walk (he admitted that he was “amped” coming into the game, but was quickly able to settle). Lidge has been insisting lately—you’ve all seen the million or stories where he does this—that he feels good, everything’s coming along. After tonight’s save, he went a step farther, predicting that he was about to take off on a long run of successful appearances. 

Joe Blanton broke through, and snapped the pattern of pitching well for several innings at a time but falling victim to one lousy inning. I wrote in Tuesday’s paper about a mechanical adjustment Blanton made from the stretch, moving his feet further apart; he utilized the new approach tonight and held the Marlins to 1 for 7 with two walks when there were runners on base. That was after opposing batters were hitting .342 off him with runners on, and .286 with the bases empty so far this season.
 
Shane Victorino, who began the day by climbing into a steel laundry basket while Brad Lidge made fun of Monday's baserunning error (I don’t know why the man does the things he does, but he is quite often entertaining), went 4 for 5 with an RBI an run scored. He denied after the game that he was motivated by or thinking about Monday. Whatever the reason, he bounced back nicely.
 
Jayson Werth broke a 2 for 30 stretch with a seventh-inning double. Some interesting stuff about Werth from Charlie Manuel in tomorrow’s paper. Sample quote: “This is the year that we see if he’s really an everyday player.”
 
***
Two links for you: my live chat from earlier, in case you missed it, and the New York Times story on how Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor became a friend to baseball.
Posted by Andy Martino @ 11:35 PM  Permalink | 11 comments
11
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:01 AM, 05/27/2009
    Howard's D has definitely been solid. No biggie
    — andwhysee
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:10 AM, 05/27/2009
    Yeah, right. If it wasn't for Sonia there wouldn't be baseball anymore. Give me a break.
    — bigtbone
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:12 AM, 05/27/2009
    Howard made the throw without hesitation, which has been a bigger problem for him in the past.
    — lmwsport7
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:57 AM, 05/27/2009
    What do you mean "If you like teh Phillies"? Isnt that why we read your bland blog? To try to get some more indepth information? Just becasue you're a Mutts fan.....btw, can you spell CHOKE?
    — jeff gross
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:28 AM, 05/27/2009
    Did I miss something? Is Andy realy a Mutts fan? I kinda figured him for a Yankees fan.
    — Lako
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:53 PM, 05/27/2009
    Jeff, I regularly read the Mets blog even though I despise them. The best intel is enemy intel. So one (Andy in this case) can only assume that some of the readers here are not Phillies fans.
    — RAS
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:16 PM, 05/27/2009
    Speaking of which.... I got this tidbit from their blog today " The Mets have won four of their last five, and after the Nats, play the Marlins, Pirates, then Nationals again. Just what the doctor ordered for a team riddled with injuries. " The Phillies should be poised to put the Mets away while they have at least four starters on the DL. While the Mets will be bottom feeding, the Phillies play the Nats but then have to go the West Coast. The Mets are hanging around when baseball logic says they should be faltering. They have Santana going tonight against the Nat's Zimmerman. The Phils need to hit better at home and have more consistent pitching or this could get real interesting.
    — RAS
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:27 PM, 05/27/2009
    "If you like the Phillies" is what's called a joke. The whole lets-jump-on-Martino-since-he's-from-NY is super old and ridiculous. Let it go guys.
    — hayes9
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:21 PM, 05/27/2009
    The Nats just cut P Daniel Cabrera. He'd be a good low risk project for Phils farm system. He's got a good arm but has gradually lost his control over the last couple of years.
    — RAS
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:27 PM, 05/27/2009
    First of all, Ras, I too, log on to teh Mutt's blog to see what they have to say (I never bad mouth their team on their blog, though out of respect) but they dont' have a Phillies phan writing it either. Second, As hayes figured out, Andy was joking and I was playing with him and ragging him playfully a bit
    — jeff gross
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:59 PM, 05/27/2009
    Andy, I'm not sure we can say going 1 for 4 is breaking out of a slump. But one thing is for sure: Jason can carry the team every now and then.
    — Erich H


11 comments
About Matt Gelb and Bob Brookover












Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb team up for their third straight season covering the Phillies for the Inquirer and philly.com.

This is Brookover’s second stint writing about the Phillies, having joined the coverage team after seven years as an Eagles beat writer. Brookover was hired by The Inquirer in 2000 as the Phillies beat writer after spending 13 years writing about the team for two suburban newspapers. While on the Eagles beat, Brookover, who had covered just two winning Phillies teams in 15 seasons, saw the Phillies move into a cash-cow new ballpark and begin playing a brand of the game he found unrecognizable. Follow him on Twitter here.

Gelb is in his third season covering the Phillies. He was hired by The Inquirer in August 2009 after graduating from Syracuse University. He has also covered baseball at The Star-Ledger and Cape Cod Times. Born and raised in Bucks County, he attended Central Bucks High School West. Follow him on Twitter here.
To submit a question for Matt Gelb's Phillies mailbag, click here.

Join on Facebook    Follow on Twitter

Advertise Here
BASEBALL NEWS FROM PHILLY.COM
The Phillies Zone: 2-year deal for Kendrick - 10:36am
High Cheese: Blanton and the luxury tax
Regular season only half the battle
Amaro obsessed with pitching
The Phillies Zone: Qualls yet to report - 10:33am
Papelbon thrives on pressure
Latest Phillies Videos