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Third time’s the replica
By egrissom | October 19, 2009
Cliff Lee came into game three with the Dodgers having made two post-season starts for the year and for his career. In those starts he had thrown 16 1/3 innings with a 1.10 ERA and an 0.86 ratio. He improved on both of those impressive numbers last night, holding the Dodgers to three singles over eight innings as the Phils blew LA out 11-0.
The Phils were all over Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda, who would only get four outs in the game. A two-run triple by Howard put the Phils up 2-0 after they had sent four batters to the plate. Werth followed with a two-run homer and it was 4-0. Ruiz started the second with a double as the Phils scored two more to make it 6-0. Chad Billingsley took over for Kuroda in the second and kept the Phils quiet until the fifth, when a two-out walk by Ibanez was followed by a triple by Feliz and another hit from Ruiz, this one a single that put the Phils up 8-0. Lee was masterful all the while, throwing eight shutout innings and allowing just two singles to Manny Ramirez and another to Ronnie Belliard while striking out ten. The Phils took an eight-run lead into the bottom of the eighth when Victorino pounded a three-run homer out to right to make it 11-0. Durbin finished off the Dodgers with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Over the last two games, Phillies starting pitchers have thrown 15 innings, allowing five singles without walking a batter. The last extra-base hit of the series for the Dodgers was the double that Ethier hit off of Bastardo to start the seventh inning of game one.
The Phillies won game three of the NLCS last night, topping the Dodgers 11-0. They lead the best-of-seven series two games to one.
Lee faced a lineup that went (1) Furcal (SS/S) (2) Belliard (2B/R) (3) Ethier (RF/L) (4) Ramirez (LF/R) (5) Kemp (CF/R) (6) Loney (1B/L) (7) Blake (3B/R) (8) Martin (C/R). That was a change from the lineup Hamels faced in game one. Belliard is up to second in the lineup with everyone else moving down a spot. Loney and Blake are switched in the order after Blake hit fifth in game one. Blake came into the series 1-for-8 with a single.
The Dodgers had six players on the bench to start the game, lefties Jim Thome and Juan Pierre, righties Mark Loretta, Juan Castro and Brad Ausmus and switch-hitter Orlando Hudson.
Furcal led off the game for the Dodgers and got behind 0-2 before flying to left. Belliard was next and he lined a 2-1 pitch to left where a sliding Ibanez took it for the second out. Ethier struck out swinging 2-2 for the third out.
Lee threw 13 pitches in the inning.
He started the second with a 4-0 lead. Manny led off and singled into center on a 3-2 pitch. Kemp was next and he lined softly to Utley for the first out. Loney grounded a 2-2 pitch to Howard and the Phillies turned the double-play nicely, with Howard going to Rollins and then back to Howard to set the Dodgers down.
Sixteen pitches had Lee at 29.
The Phils were up 6-0 when Lee started the third. He struck Blake out swinging 2-2 for the first out. Martin hit a ground ball back to the mound for the second. The pitcher Chad Billingsley was next and he swung out swinging 1-2.
Thanks to the double-play, Lee had faced the minimum through three innings. After throwing 14 pitches in the inning he had thrown 43 in the game.
Furcal started the fourth and worked the count full, then fouled off three pitches in a row before striking out looking for the first out. Belliard grounded to Howard and Howard tossed to Lee covering for the second out. Ethier hit a ground ball to Utley on a 2-2 pitch and Utley made another bad throw to first, but Howard dug it out to set the Dodgers down.
Lee threw 18 pitches in the inning and was up to 61 for the game.
Manny led off the fifth and swung at the first pitch, hitting a ball to right that dropped in front of Werth for a single. Lee struck Kemp out swinging 1-2 for the first out. Loney hit a 1-1 pitch to second. Utley fielded and made a nice throw to Rollins to force Ramirez for the second out with Loney safe at first. Blake grounded to short for the third out.
Just 11 pitches in the inning for Lee, who was up to 72.
Lee was up 8-0 when he started the sixth. Martin got ahead 2-0 but popped to Werth in short right for the first out. Orlando Hudson hit for Billingsley and he got ahead 2-0, too, but also flew to right. Werth took that one just in front of the track for the second out. Furcal struck out swinging 0-2 for the third out.
12 and 84.
Belliard started the seventh and singled to right on a 1-0 pitch. Ethier got behind 1-2 and hit a ground ball to second. Utley fielded and threw to first for the first out with Belliard safe at second. Manny struck out swinging 3-2. Kemp struck out swinging 3-2.
Nineteen pitches in the inning for Lee had him at 103 for the game.
He threw a 1-2-3 eighth. Loney struck out looking. Blake flew to right on an 0-1 pitch. Martin struck out swinging 1-2.
114 pitches in the game for Lee.
Durbin started the ninth with an 11-0 lead and set the Dodgers down in order. Mark Loretta lined to left for the first out. Furcal grounded to second for the second. Belliard fouled out to Ruiz to end the game.
The Phillies lineup against righty Hiroki Kuroda went (1) Rollins (SS/S) (2) Victorino (CF/S) (3) Utley (2B/L) (4) Howard (1B/L) (5) Werth (RF/R) (6) Ibanez (LF/L) (7) Feliz (3B/R) (8) Ruiz (C/R).
The Phillies started the game with six players on the bench, lefties Dobbs, Stairs and Bako and righties Francisco, Bruntlett and Cairo.
Rollins led off the bottom of the first and flew to right on a 2-1 pitch for the first out. Victorino was next and singled to right 1-0. He stole second as the count went 2-1 on Utley. Utley singled into right on a 3-1 pitch, sending Victorino to third. It brought up Howard with two men on and Howard lined a 3-1 pitch into right field for a bases clearing triple that put the Phils up 2-0. Werth was next and blasted a 2-1 pitch out to center. 4-0 with Chad Billingsley warming in the LA pen. Ibanez got ahead 3-0 but struck out swinging. Feliz grounded to third to end the inning.
Kuroda threw 29 pitches in the inning.
Ruiz started the second and hammered a 1-1 pitch from Kuroda into the gap in left-center for a double. Lee bunted him to third for the first out. Rollins was next and he grounded a 3-1 pitch past a diving Loney and down the first base line for a double. Ruiz scored and it was 5-0. That was it for Kuroda and lefty Scott Elbert came in to pitch to Victorino. Victorino walked on five pitches, putting men on first and second for Utley. Elbert’s 1-0 offering to Utley was in the dirt and Martin couldn’t handle it, allowing the runners to move to second and third. Utley went on to walk on a 3-1 pitch, loading the bases for Howard. Howard swung at the first pitch and hit a dribbler to first. Loney took it and tagged Howard out for the second out as Rollins scored to make it 6-0. Righty Chad Billingsley came in to pitch to Werth and struck Werth out swinging 0-2 to leave both men stranded.
Billingsley was back to pitch the third and set the Phillies down in order. Ibanez got ahead 2-0 and hit a ball hard, but on the ground to Belliard at second for the first out. Feliz grounded softly to short and Ruiz flew to right.
Lee flew to center to start the fourth. Rollins was next and he did the same, making it six in a row for Billingsley. Victorino was next and broke the string, walking on a 3-1 pitch that was outside. Utley laced a ball down the right field line but just foul before he grounded softly to second to end the inning.
Billingsley had thrown 30 pitches in the game.
Howard flew to right for the first out of the fifth. Werth got ahead 2-0 but went down swinging for the second out. Ibanez drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch and Feliz followed with the first hit off of Billingsley for the Phils as he blasted a triple off of the right field scoreboard for a triple. Ibanez scored to put the Phils up 7-0. Ruiz was next and he hit a 2-1 pitch into right-center for a single. Feliz scored and it was 8-0. Lee struck out for the third out.
Righty Ramon Troncoso pitched the sixth for LA. He struck Rollins out looking 2-2 and then Victorino swinging 1-2. Utley crushed a 1-0 pitch to center, but Kemp took it at the wall to set the Phillies down.
Troncoso was back for the seventh. He walked Howard on four pitches. Werth was next and he draw a walk as well. Ibanez struck out swinging 3-2, though, and Feliz chopped a double-play ball to third to end the inning.
Righty Ronald Belisario started the eighth for LA with the Phils up 8-0. Ruiz led off with a walk and moved to second when Lee followed with a single to center. Rollins grounded out to first for the first out, moving the runners to second and third. Victorino was next and he hit a 1-1 pitch from Belisario way out to right, putting the Phils up 11-0. Utley followed with a single and went to second on a passed ball with Howard at the plate. Howard grounded to first for the second out, with Utley moving to third. Werth grounded out to third to end the inning.
Thanks to some nice work by Billingsley, the Dodgers pen didn’t suffer too terribly from Kuroda getting just four outs. Billingsley threw 57 pitches in the game, Troncoso 36 and Belisario 28. Billingsley seems sure not to pitch tonight, but that could help the Phils out if we see Troncoso or Belisario in game four.
Rollins was 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI in the game. 2-for-14 in the series.
Victorino 2-for-3 with two walks and a three-run homer. 4-for-12 with two walks in the series.
Utley 2-for-4 with a walk and no throwing errors. 3-for-12 with two walks so far.
Howard 1-for-4 with a walk, a triple and three RBI. 4-for-10 with a double, a triple, a home run, three walks and six RBI in the series.
Werth 1-for-4 with a walk and a two-run homer. 1-for-10 with two walks and five strikeouts.
Ibanez 0-for-3 with a walk in the game and 2-for-10 with a big home run in the series.
Feliz was 1-for-4 with a triple and an RBI last night and is 1-for-10 with a walk in the series.
Ruiz 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI. 5-for-8 with a double, a home run and three walks in the series to put his line at 625/727/1.125. Howard’s amazing post-season may be blocking out what Ruiz has been doing with the bat, but Ruiz has been outstanding as well.
Rollins, Utley, Feliz and Werth are a combined 7-for-46 (.152) in the series with four RBI. Victorino, Howard, Ibanez and Ruiz are a combined 15-for-40 (.375) with 16 RBI.
Game four is tonight with Joe Blanton facing Randy Wolf.
Topics: Playoffs |
October 19th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Big fan of the blowout. It’s seemed every game of the playoffs so far has been nail-biting worthy so it’s nice to see the Phils can just leave a team in the rear-view mirror still. I suppose it helps when the other guy’s starter explodes magnificently.
The Dodgers look like a mess all of a sudden and it wasn’t just Cliff Lee. No extra-base hit in more than two games? Ouch. I suppose, though, that it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the reigning AL Cy Young award winner and a former All-Universe righty (Lee and Pedro, respectively, for anyone confused) can just flat out put zeros up.
I hope Rotundo Blanton can put zeros up, too.
October 19th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Amazing performance by Lee and the Phils. And Pedro in game two for that matter.
I feel good about Blanton and the Phillies chances to hit Wolf, too. Of course I felt good about their chances to his Padilla, too, so who knows.
Phils didnt’ do quite as much damage to the LA pen as I was hoping after knocking Kuroda out after 1 1/3. Alas.
October 19th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I find LA’s bullpen to be a much more daunting beast than their starters in general. Billingsley, Sherrill, and Broxton are a scary, scary group. The Blue Crew might do better to just have the three of them throw three innings a piece every 5th day.
October 19th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
I think their starters are pretty good, too. The Phils can just hit. I think Wolf, Kershaw and Kuroda all had really good years and Billingsley should be very good before too long. Given Kuroda’s recent injury problems I would guess that Billingsley would take his start if it comes up again. Sherrill and Kuo are just scary, but no matter what they do Ibanez already got them once and it cost LA the game. I actually feel like the Phillies can hit anybody. Less sure they can stop anybody, but their chances look good when Lee’s on the mound.
October 19th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Did anybody notice Utley made another bad (low this time) throw to first last night? Fortunately Howard was able to scoop it up. I thought something Mitch Williams said last night after the game on MLB TV was interesting (and he backed it up with freeze-frame video). He thought that Utley was having trouble going back on his heels to make these throws because of continuing (or maybe he said re-occurring) pain in his hip and that was likely the cause of his defensive lapses. He didn’t think the hip problem would affect any other aspect of Utley’s game, but it would give him difficulty with turning and throwing. Of course Utley would never say anything about it. That’s why these guys are the TV analysts. I would never notice anything like that.
October 19th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Vics homerun laded like 3 rows from me…saw the laces and all spinning as it flew past me…was pretty cool
You have to assume that us killing Kuroda has Torre mixed up on what starters to use. But it would be nice if he does not have to make that decision if you know what I mean.
Why did Lee bat in the bottm 8 if they took him out to pitch in the 9th…just to let him swing the bat and score? That felt funny to me…
in fact I thought they were either going to pull him after 7 or let him go 9…not pull him after 8. Felt kind of funny to me.
Since baseball is a game of momentum…boy did we get it going in the 1st! That was pretty sweet…
We just need Blanton to be the Blanton he was all year!
and be nice if JImmy went like 4-5 or something!
October 19th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I wondered the same thing about Lee. I wonder if Manuel just changed his mind about letting him pitch the ninth after the Phils went up by 11? Don’t know, though.
I think Blanton will pitch well. He should definitely be well-rested.
I heard the Mitch Williams theory about Utley, too. Don’t know what to make of it, but an injury would explain a lot. Utley has had stretches where he’s had big problems throwing to first before, though. Remember the start of 2008?
http://www.philliesflow.com/2008/04/14/cubs-open-the-door-but-phils-getting-more-e4-than-you-would-hope-for/
October 19th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
My understanding was that Manuel was going to send Lee back out in the ninth until the Phillies’ inning took too long, especially with Lee having to run the bases, and then he changed his mind.
October 19th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
And speaking about that eighth inning, I noticed that when Lee came up to bat with Ruiz on first and nobody out, he didn’t even try to bunt. Is it because bunting at that point would have been considered bad sportsmanship?
October 19th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I noticed that, too. I don’t know if he didn’t because it’s bad sportsmanship or cause they didn’t want to risk him getting plunked in the hands with such a big lead.
The inning took too long seems like a good theory on Lee. I don’t think I’ve seen anything from Manuel anywhere where it says why definitively. This (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jon_heyman/10/19/ryan.howard/1.html) seems to suggest that Lee was told that he would pitch the ninth if the score stayed 8-0, but I dunno.
October 19th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
I think I did read somewhere this morning Manuel specifically referencing Lee getting on and running the bases as the reason he was pulled. Lee, wanting to finish the game, quipped “if I’d known that (I’d be pulled for getting on)I would have tried to hit into a double play.”
I like Cliff Lee.
October 19th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Me too. Here’s that Lee quote.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/sports/othersports/2009/10/19/11447531-sun.html
October 19th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
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October 19th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
ESPN’s account of the game itself says Manuel was going to send him back out.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=291018122
October 20th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Yeah, I thought that was odd too (sorry, I’m late to the party. I’ve been away from a computer) about Lee. I would’ve thought you just hit for him if you’re going to pull him. But, glad they pulled him none the less. 114 pitches is plenty and 11 run leads (or
are also (hopefully) sufficient. Although you never can tell with this bullpen.
I think it says a lot about Charlie’s confidence in the pen right now. Last year, there would’ve been no doubt that he would’ve pulled Lee from the game with the way the pen was pitching.
Utley’s throws are very troublesome right now. Let’s hope he doesn’t cost somebody a game here soon.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
I agree with all of this. Eight runs should be enough. Given how many innings Lee threw this year the Phils should be looking for reasons to get him out, not keep him in.
No idea what was up with Utleys’ throws. Looked good last night, so lets hope it’s over, whatever it was.