Phillies' offense: Torture
Phillies' offense: Torture
Sam Donnellon, Daily News Sports Columnist
Their final game was emblematic of their season: A quick early surge of offense, nothing in the middle, runners left on base everywhere.
Eliminated by the Giants, 3-2, in Game 6 last night, the Phillies will not make their third straight trip to the World Series because they could not generate rallies, plain and simple. Their biggest hit of the night was Chase Utley’s first-inning double into the rightfield corner, driving in the first run and setting up the second. They were 2-for-2 with runners in scoring position at that point.
Then Jonathan Sanchez left the game.
From then on, the Phillies left two runners on in the third, bases loaded in the fifth, stranded Raul Ibanez on third with one out in the sixth, and could not push the tying run across in the eighth inning after two one-out singles against Tim Lincecum.
Carlos Ruiz ripped an opposite field line drive to first baseman Aubrey Huff. Shane Victorino, overeager as always, was closer to third than second when it hit his Huff’s glove and was easily doubled off.
In the ninth, the Phillies put two runners on with two out, had Ryan Howard at the plate. he ran the count to 3-2, fouled a pitch straight back, and watched a cutter for a called strike three.
The Giants also had their troubles. They recorded nine hits off Phillies starter Roy Oswalt, ran themselves into an out at home in their two-run third inning, had two runners on in the fifth, sixth, and seventh, and came away with nothing.
``Giants baseball: Torture’’ was a tongue-in-cheek description by announce Duane Kuiper that became the team’s rallying cry. But the Phillies co-opted it this series, wasting numerous opportunities in two of the three games played in their home park, torturing fans time and again with sloppy at-bats that aborted rallies.
The Giants pitched well. So did the Phillies. The difference in this series came down to little things, to shortening swings, to smart at-bats. It was something the Phillies were supposed to specialize in, and something the Giants were notoriously bad at. But almost habitually, the Phillies chased balls on favorable counts, failed to make contact with a runner on third and less than two out -- as Ben Francisco did in that critical seventh.
Giants batters prolonged at-bats by fouling off pitches, by throwning their bats at balls sometimes as Edgar Renteria did again last night.
There will be much talk today about the eighth-inning home run Juan Uribe hit off Ryan Madson to break a 2-2 in the eighth inning last night. But it meant nothing without all the self-inflicted wounds that preceded it. Madson was working his third straight game, was in his second inning, trying to bridge the game to Brad Lidge in the ninth. After striking out the first two batters he faced to run his streak to six, his outs came harder, until Uribe’s unlikely opposite-field poke.
So now what? The likely departure of Jayson Werth for one. Some tough calls on bullpen guys, a re-shuffling there as well. An even more lefthanded lineup looms for next year, a lineup that opponents have already developed a blueprint to pitch to.
The big three will be back of course, and if healthy, should make next summer another exciting one. But the days of watching these guys bomb balls over the fence and chip away at you with their speed and smarts may be going, going gone.
Phillies baseball: Torture.
It has a sickening ring to it.
The Phillies had a good season but it seems that the misfit Giants had destiny on their side this year. Congrats on a hard fought series from a San Francisco resident and Giant fan.— walksierra- Ryan Howard needs to add bunting to his game for the Phillies to take advantage of the shift against him. He could have moved up two runners early in the game to potentially score runs later in the inning. For $120 plus million he should be a complete baseball player, not just a guy who swings a big bat at every curve ball. He isn't the only player (or manager) to share blame for this failure but when he accepts the big money he takes on the big responsibility that comes with it, and to just "swing away" when tactics con't call for that is just stupid.— jmort
- Giants baseball: TORTURE!
Now you see what we mean by that. Giants played like this to come from behind to beat San Diego in the last game of the regular season, then to beat Atlanta in a tough series, then to beat the Phillies. Congrats to the Phillies on a great season and great fan support. Go GIANTS!— oakland - Sorry, as a long time Giants/Niners fan, I don't really like Philly or their fans, BUT, I have never seen a series like this.
Thank you Philly, and may our futures be as torturous together as this series was to both us tonight!— dexdah -
- Giants are a better team. Congrats. We have been the World Series for two straight years-- we really can't complain. We will get them next year. Go Phightns!— Corey301
- A few points to ponder after a heartbreaking finish to the season ... The Phillies down the stretch in the regular season waltzed into the playoffs. They made it look easy, and that rarely is the case. The team was bound to go cold. Equally as important, the Giants really are terrific and have great chemistry as a team. You tend to think when your team loses that it's more about your deficiencies than the other team's strengths. The Giants were the better team in critical situations in virtually every game and their pitchers were outstanding under pressure on the road. The outcome to this series also makes me realize that the Braves were a better team than I realized because they battled the Giants in a series of four consecutive one-run games despite an injury list as long as your arm.
— Braves10 - frauds— jibberjabber
- this is big Lon from San Francisco,thanks phillis it was a nice run, but you can watch the world series. GO GIANTS— lonbanks
- Just a horrible managing job by Manuel is this series. He may as well have filled out the lineup card and then went home. How can you have Victorino, hitting badly all series, NOT take until he had two strikes with two out, the bases loaded and a shaky pitcher on the mound? How can you NOT have Victorino running in the 9th to steal second when everyone steals on Lincecum. Ibanez hit would have put him on third instead of second. How can you pinch hit with the awful free swinging Francisco with a runner on base? How can you never move Howard around in the batting order to shake things up?
The whole series he kept waiting for home runs, no bunting, no hit and run, no making batters take pitches, little stealing, terrible pinch hitters. Manuel is a really good manager, but not for this low hitting ballclub as currently constituted. He had a worse series than Howard even!— jimmyj - ooo noooo the phillies wont be making it to the world series for the 3rd straight time. its hard to be upset when your team has been there and won it. cant say the same for san fran.— theeman
- Finally! Things are back to normal! I was worried there for a while. THis winning thing just isn't normal! Thank goodness things are normal again. And now that I think of it, with Ryan Howard, things could stay normal for a while. Hooray.— justacarpenter
- @MRD if you celebrate, remember back to the wall.— hey buddy
- This is what happens when you trade away one of the top three pitchers in post-season history. Watch him get a ring. Sillie Phillies.— Don Cornelius
- Mike Sweeney was 1 for 1 in the NLDS and deserved some at-bats in the NLCS. Mike Sweeney carried this team when Ryan Howard was on the DL but Charlie Manuel showed him no respect. Charlie Manuel kept using Ross Gload and Ben Francisco in this series, but they were awful. The Giants had a lot of contributors from their bench in this series, but the Phillies did not.— Freedom Fries
Reach Sam at donnels@phillynews.com.
