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Sunday, October 12, 2008
Line-ups for Game 3/Tough match-up for Phils

here are the line-ups.

1. Jimmy Rollins SS
2. Shane Victorino CF
3. Chase Utley 2B
4. Ryan Howard 1B
5. Pat Burrell LF
6. Jayson Werth RF
7. Pedro Feliz 3B
8. Carlos Ruiz C
9. Jamie Moyer LHP

1. Rafael Furcal SS
2. Andre Ethier RF
3. Manny Ramirez LF
4. Russell Martin C
5. Nomar Garciaparra 1B
6. Casey Blake 3B
7. Matt Kemp CF
8. Blake DeWitt 2B
9. Hiroki Kuroda RHP

The all-knowing Gods of Vegas have the Dodgers as a pretty heavy favorite in this one, and it's easy to see why. If Jamie Moyer can find a way to shut down this Los Angeles line-up tonight, it might be one of his most impressive performances of the season. To say the Dodgers have had success off of Moyer in the past is an understatement. As a team, L.A. has combined to hit .307 with 15 home runs in 176 at-bats in their careers off of the veteran lefty. To put that in perspective, Ryan Howard for his career averages a home run every 11.7 at-bats. The Dodgers as a team average a home run every 11.7 at-bats off of Moyer.

Manny Ramirez is 18-for-53 with 10 home runs and 20 RBI off of Moyer in his career.

Nomar Garciaparra is 15-for-36 with a home run and five RBI

Both of Casey Blake's hits off of Moyer have been home-runs, although he is hitless in his other 15 at-bats.

Matt Kemp is 1-for-3 with a home run off Moyer.

Rafael Furcal, who will likely get the start instead of Garciaparra, is 2-for-7.

This would seem to indicate that the Phillies will have to put up some runs to have a chance. Except they haven't been able to do so off of Hiroki Kuroda. Chase Utley, Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz are a combined 4-for-12 off of the righthander this season, but the rest of the team is hitless in a combined 30 at-bats.

I guess you could say I'm a little skeptical about today's game.

If anyone has a good reason why I shouldn't be, feel free to share it.

^

Charlie Manuel will talk with the media today for the first time since his mother passed away Friday morning. He has a news conference scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Manuel will leave the team after Game 5 to fly back to his native Virginia. He will then re-join the team on Friday for Game 6. The funeral is in the morning on Friday, but the Phillies are providing him with a charter plane, so he isn't expected to miss any action.

^

As expected, Dodgers righthander Derek Lowe will start tomorrow night against Phillies righthander Joe Blanton. Lowe allowed three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings in the Phillies' 3-2 Game One loss. But Lowe pitched very well before a couple of mistakes that resulted in home runs by Chase Utley and Pat Burrell.

If Game 5 is necesarry, LHP Cole Hamels will square off against RHP Chad Billingsley.

 

Posted by David Murphy @ 5:03 PM  Permalink | 10 comments
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Comments
Posted by Barryboy 04:44 PM, 10/12/2008
Bets are heavy on the Dodgers......go with the Phillies....
Posted by catnameddomino 05:38 PM, 10/12/2008
I think that this game can end up like Game 2 of the Brewers' series. No one thought that the Phillies would beat Sabathia, but he ended up gettting knocked out early while the Phillies went on to win it. Will the same happen today - who knows, but I think that the pundits are writing the Phillies off far too quickly.
Posted by Rajah 06:06 PM, 10/12/2008
None of what you wrote means a thing. Statistics baloney. This is one game. If the Phillies win, it will not change those stats but the Phils will have won this game. So the same odds against Moyer can be cited the next time, but so what?
Posted by 93phils 06:48 PM, 10/12/2008
rajah, then what is a sportswriter supposed to write about? I think stats vs opposing pitcher are about the only thing you can go by in trying to predict a game.
Posted by MrPhillie 07:27 PM, 10/12/2008
Every time I watch Moyer pitch I think to myself if ever there was a major league pitcher I could get a hit off of, it would be this guy. But all he does is goes out there and puts the ball in perfect spots. I'm thinking that if opposing players were completely honest, they would say that they cannot wait to get a crack at Jamie and his slower than batting-practice fastball. But that is what Jamie does, he gets in their heads, makes them over-confidant and has them jumping at the ball. So no matter what the statistics say, I won't be surprised if Jamie pitches a great game. Truthfully, I'm more concerned about the Phillies offense taking care of their end of things.
Posted by Bill R4 07:55 PM, 10/12/2008
I'd give credence to their stats against Moyer but none of this happened in the playoffs. Howard had 48 homers and 140+ ribbies in the regular season and hasn't done squat in 6 playoff games. Also, the Phillies seem to play best when they are the underdogs. If they win this game, the Dodgers spirit will be broken and they'll get swept.
Posted by Bill R4 07:55 PM, 10/12/2008
I'd give credence to their stats against Moyer but none of this happened in the playoffs. Howard had 48 homers and 140+ ribbies in the regular season and hasn't done squat in 6 playoff games. Also, the Phillies seem to play best when they are the underdogs. If they win this game, the Dodgers spirit will be broken and they'll get swept.
Posted by randy_w 08:00 PM, 10/12/2008
MrPhillie-- I agree that the offense needs to be there. That was all too familiar in the regular season... we'd getting the pitching but the bats were dead. Howard is due to have a good game. It couldn't come at a better time. Everyone else (Vic, Pat, Utley, Myers (!)) has contributed their bats getting to this point. Now the stage is set for the Big Man.
Posted by stop2think 08:04 PM, 10/12/2008
Moyer needs two things to beat the Dodgers: aggressive batters and a plate umpire who is willing to give him the black. Those things combined will make this an interesting game and a Phillies win. Also, weren't Lowe and Billingsly billed as awesome pitchers that were virtually unstoppable? This may be the Phillies year....period.
Posted by scars73 11:06 PM, 10/12/2008
Jamie Moyer stinks. I really hope they don't resign him.
10 comments
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.
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