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Controversial decision not to start Mecha-King Ghidorah dooms Phils
By egrissom | November 5, 2009
In their defense, it would have been tough to start him after he said he couldn’t wait for the season to be over after game three.
The. Yankees. Win. They beat a great Phillies team that fought to the end and still has a fantastic core with a lot of games left to play. But not this year. If the Phils came into this series full of swagger, they have to come out of it knowing that if they want to beat the best in baseball they will have to get better.
You get the feeling that the Phillies might get another chance against this group of Yankees before it’s over.
With that in mind, let’s hope they bring some better pitching next time. I would also like to say that if I ever see Pedro Martinez wearing a Phillies uniform to face Hideki Matsui as a Yankee again it may be more than I can bear. That’s pretty unlikely given that neither player is likely to play another game for the Yanks or Phils, but I still think we need to get somebody working on an early warning system of some kind right away.
Charlie Manuel takes a lot of criticism that he doesn’t deserve. He is a fantastic manager, perhaps the best in Phillies history. There may not be another person on the planet that could get more out of the Phillies teams of the past two seasons than he has. He made the worst decision I’ve seen in a long time last night, though. With two outs in the third inning of a must-win game, Hideki Matsui came to the plate with the bases loaded and the Yanks up 2-1. Pedro had nothing. Given enough time we’re going to forget how bad Pedro looked, but he had nothing. He was slinging 84 mile-an-hour fastballs over the plate. Matsui had homered off of him in each of his last two at-bats and reached base the two before that. Happ was ready to come into the game. And Manuel still let Martinez pitch to him. The Phillies were lucky that all Matsui did was smoke a two-run single.
I truly do not understand how you can look at that situation and believe that letting Pedro pitch to Matsui gives the Phillies their best chance to win that game. Yes, I know the Yankees outscored the Phillies 3-2 the rest of the way. Yes, I saw Matsui’s at-bat against Happ later in the game. Yes, I know it was the third inning. Yes, I saw him strike out A-Rod before Matsui came to the plate. No, it didn’t cost the Phillies the game. No, it’s not indefensible or unforgivable. It was still really, really a bad idea. The Phillies needed Manuel’s best move right then, not some sonnet to something Pedro did for the Boston Red Sox half a decade ago. How many at-bats in a row would Matsui have had to have homered against Pedro for Manuel to take him out of the game? I don’t know the answer, but I know that it’s more than two.
Matsui had an epic game, driving in six runs and hitting his third home run of the series.
Pedro started the bottom of the second by walking A-Rod. Matsui followed with a home run that put New York up 2-0. A one-out triple by Ruiz in the top of the third helped the Phillies get on the board at 2-1. In the bottom of the third the Yankees loaded the bases with one out on a single, a walk and it hit batter. Martinez struck out A-Rod for the second out, but Matsui followed with a two-run single that extended the New York lead to 4-1. Jeter started the fifth with a double off of Happ and came in to score on a single by Teixeira. 5-1. Rodriguez followed with a walk and Matsui delivered a two-run double to make it 7-1. Howard hit a two-run homer off of Pettitte in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to 7-3, but that was how it ended.
The New York Yankees have won the World Series, beating the Phils 7-3 in game six last night to take the set four games to two.
Pedro Martinez got the start for the Phillies and went four innings, allowing four runs on three hits and two walks. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a home run by Matsui. Martinez struck out five.
He faced a Yankees lineup that went (1) Jeter (SS/R) (2) Damon (LF/R) (3) Teixeira (1B/S) (4) Rodriguez (3B/R) (5) Matsui (DH/L) (6) Posada (C/S) (7) Cano (2B/L) (8) Swisher (RF/S) (9) Gardner (CF/L). Matsui up to fifth and Posada sixth.
The Yankees had four players on their bench to start the game, righties Jose Molina and Jerry Hairston, switch-hitter Ramiro Pena and lefty Eric Hinske.
He came out throwing slop. It worked in the first, though. Jeter got ahead 1-0 and flew to left for the first out. Damon struck out swinging 2-2 for the second. Teixeira flew to Werth in deep right on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.
Martinez was really not throwing the ball hard. He threw 13 pitches in the inning.
A-Rod started the second and walked on four pitches. Matsui was next and first he hit one way out but foul, then he just missed a double down the first-base line, then hit a 3-2 pitch out to right. 2-0. Pedro struck out Posada 2-2 for the first out. Cano swung at the first pitch and lined to Utley. Swisher flew to shallow left on a 2-2 pitch for the third out.
It didn’t look like Pedro was long for the game. After 24 pitches in the inning he was at 37.
He started the third down 2-1. He struck Gardner out swinging 1-2 for the first out. Jeter was next and lined a 1-1 pitch to center that was misjudged by Victorino. It fell just in front of him for a single. Damon waked on a 3-2 pitch to put men on first and second and Happ started to warm in the bullpen. Pedro’s first pitch to Teixeira hit him in the leg to load the bases. Martinez struck A-Rod out looking 1-2 for the second out. Matsui was next and Pedro stayed in to pitch to him. Pedro got ahead of him, but Matsui lined an 0-2 pitch into center for a two-run single. 4-1 with men on first and second. Posada flew to left 1-1 to set the Yankees down.
Simply an atrocious inning for Manuel. You just can’t let Pedro stay in to pitch to Matsui. After Matsui drives in two more runs you shouldn’t let him stay in to pitch to Posada. Victorino should have caught the ball Jeter hit and it would have changed the inning, although the Phillies may have been lucky as it was that Martinez just gave up four runs. Martinez was at 62 pitches after throwing 25 in the inning.
Pedro threw a 1-2-3 fourth. Cano flew to left. Swisher struck out swinging 3-2. Gardner smoked a line drive on a 1-1 pitch, but Utley snared it to end the inning.
15 and 77 for Pedro.
Durbin started the fifth. Jeter led off and drove a ball to left-center just out of the reach of Francisco. It bounced on the track and went over the fence for a ground-rule double. Hairston, who had taken over for Damon in left, bunted him to second with the first out. Teixeira singled to center and Jeter scored. 5-1. Durbin walked A-Rod on a 3-2 pitch that was way inside. It put two men on and Happ came in to pitch to Matsui. Matsui hit a 3-1 pitch off the wall in right for a two-run double. 7-1. Happ struck out Posada and Cano to leave Matsui stranded.
I never knew how slow Francisco was until watching him try to get to Jeter’s ball. That was in the air for a while. Finally get to see Happ versus Matsui and it doesn’t turn out that well.
Happ came back to start the sixth with the Phils down 7-3. He walked Swisher on a 3-2 pitch. Gardner tried to bunt but struck out looking 2-2. Park came in to pitch to Jeter. Jeter hit a ground ball in between first and second. Howard fielded and threw to second to get Jeter, but the Phillies didn’t have a chance to turn two. Hairston flew to right on a 2-2 pitch for the third out.
Park was back to start the seventh. He struck Teixeira out swinging 2-2 for the first out. He got ahead of A-Rod, but Rodriguez hit a 1-2 pitch that dribbled through Rollins and Feliz and into left field for a single. Eyre came in to pitch to Matsui and struck him out trying to check his swing 1-2 as A-Rod stole second. Eyre walked Posada intentionally to pitch to Cano and struck Cano out swinging 2-2 to end the inning.
Not a fan of walking Posada intentionally with two outs no matter how bad Cano is hitting. It worked out great, though.
Eyre was back to start the eighth. Swisher hit a slow ground ball to third that Feliz bare-handed. He made a nice throw to first to get Swisher for the first out. Gardner grounded to second for the second out and Madson came in to pitch to Jeter. Jeter singled to right. Hairston popped to short to end the inning.
Great play by Feliz.
Lee was the only pitcher who made a start for the Phillies who threw to an ERA under six for the series.
Jeter was 11-for-27 with three doubles and a walk in the series. 407/429/519.
Damon 8-for-22 with two doubles. 364/440/455. You’re going to be okay offensively if the top two hitters in your lineup on-base .429 and .440.
Teixeira 3-for-22 with a double and a homer. 136/296/318.
Rodriguez 5-for-20 with three doubles and a home run. Three walks and was hit by pitches three times. 250/423/550.
Posada 5-for-19 with a double. 263/318/316.
Swisher 2-for-15 with a double and a home run. 133/316/400.
Cabrera 2-for-13. 154/154/154.
Matsui 8-for-13 with a double, three home runs and eight RBI. 615/643/1.385. He led the team with eight RBI.
Gardner 0-for-10 with four strikeouts.
Molina 0-for-2.
The Phillies lineup against lefty Andy Pettitte went (1) Rollins (SS/S) (2) Victorino (CF/S) (3) Utley (2B/L) (4) Howard (1B/L) (5) Werth (RF/R) (6) Ibanez (DH/L) (7) Feliz (3B/R) (8) Francisco (LF/R) (9) Ruiz (C/R). Victorino stays in center despite being hit on the right hand by a pitch trying to bunt in game five. Ibanez is the DH with Francisco in left. Against the lefty Sabathia in the first DH-game of the series, Francisco hit seventh and Feliz hit eighth.
The Phillies started the game with four players on the bench, lefties Dobbs, Stairs and Bako and righty Eric Bruntlett.
Rollins led off the game and took ball one before hitting a ground ball in the hole between short and third. Jeter made a nice play to throw him out. Victorino chopped an 0-2 pitch slowly down the third base line. Pettitte fielded but didn’t have a play. Utley grounded into a double-play on a 1-1 pitch to end the frame.
Just eight pitches in the inning for Pettitte.
Howard got ahead 2-0 to start the second, but grounded to first. Werth drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch that was outside. Ibanez swung at the first pitch and popped up to shallow right. Werth went to second when Pettitte delivered a 2-1 pitch to Feliz that was in the dirt and got away from Posada. Ahead in the count 3-1, Feliz fouled out to the catcher.
Of the five Phillies hitters who had made an out in the game, four of them were ahead in the count when they did it. Ibanez swung at the first pitch for his out. Sixteen pitches in the inning had Pettitte at 24 after two innings.
Francisco led off the third with the Phillies down 2-0. He grounded to third on a 2-1 pitch for the first out. Ruiz was next and he drove a 3-1 pitch into left-center and off the wall. The ball took an odd bounce off the ball and away from Gardner, allowing Ruiz to go to third with a triple. Rollins lined a 2-0 pitch to right for the second out. Ruiz tagged and scored to cut the New York lead to 2-1. Victorino swung at the first pitch and flew to right.
Thirteen pitches in the inning had Pettitte at 37.
The Phillies were down 4-1 when they hit in the top of the fourth. Jerry Hariston was in left for Damon, who had left with a leg problem. Utley struck out swinging 2-2. Howard lined to second on an 0-1 pitch. Werth walked on a 3-1 pitch. Ibanez swung and missed 2-0, but Posada just didn’t catch the ball and it let Werth go to second. Ibanez drew a walk to put men on first and second. Feliz got ahead 2-0, then took a 2-1 pitch that had a ton of the plate before grounding to third 3-2 to end the frame.
After 25 pitches in the inning, Pettitte was at 62.
Francisco started the fifth and struck out looking 0-2. Ruiz walked on a 3-1 pitch. Rollins was next and he grounded a 2-2 pitch to third. The Yankees turned two to set the Phils down.
Pettitte was at 75 pitches for the game after throwing 13 in the game.
The Phillies were losing 7-1 when they hit in the sixth. Victorino grounded to short for the first out, but Utley followed with a walk. Howard was next and he hit the first pitch of his at-bat just out to left. It cut the New York lead to 7-3. Werth was next and struck out looking 1-2. Ibanez hit an 0-1 pitch into the right-field corner for a double. Righty Joba Chamberlain came in to pitch to Feliz and got Feliz on a ground ball to third to leave Ibanez stranded.
Chamberlain started the seventh still up 7-3. Francisco struck out swinging 2-2 for the first out. Ruiz was next and he singled into center on a 2-2 pitch. Rollins hit an 0-1 pitch to second and Cano threw to Jeter to force Ruiz for the second out with Rollins safe at first. Rollins stole second as the count went 2-0 on Victorino, just barely beating the throw by Posada. Victorino walked on four pitches and lefty Damaso Marte came in to pitch to Utley with two outs and two on. Marte threw strike one and strike two. Utley tried to check his swing 0-2 but didn’t and Marte was out of the inning.
Marte looked fantastic, getting ahead with a pitch on the outside corner that was probably a ball and then throwing a pretty breaking pitch to get ahead 0-2. Not a good time to steal a base.
Marte was back to start the eighth and struck Howard out on three pitches for the first out. The righty Rivera came in to pitch to Werth and struck him out 2-2 for the second. Ibanez was next and got behind 0-2, but had a great at-bat that ended when he hit a 2-2 pitch over the head of Gardner for a double. Feliz fouled out to Posada to leave Ibanez stranded.
Great outing for Marte, striking out Utley and Howard back-to-back.
Mariano in the ninth with a four-run lead. Stairs hit for Francisco and lined to third. Ruiz drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch that was inside. Rollins hit an 0-1 pitch deep to right, but Swisher took it at the track for the second out. Ruiz took second as the count went 1-2 on Victorino. Victorino grounded to second 3-2 to end the season.
Four great at-bats from the Phillies in the ninth. Just like you would expect. Stairs hit a moon shot to the upper deck but foul before he smoked a line drive right at Jeter. Ruiz worked a walk. Rollins just missed. Victorino got in an early 1-2 hole, but battled all the way and ran hard to first when he grounded out on the tenth pitch of his at-bat.
Rollins was 1-for-4 in the game and went 5-for-23 with five walks and two RBI in the series. 217/345/217. The Phillies did not win in either five or six games.
Victorino was 1-for-4 with a walk last night and 4-for-22 with a double and three walks in the series.
Utley 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. 6-for-21 with a double, five home runs and four walks. 286/400/1.048. He led the team with eight RBI. Just a monster series for Utley.
Howard was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer last night. 4-for-23 with two doubles, a home run and two walks in the series. He struck out 13 times in 23 at-bats. 174/240/391.
Werth 0-for-2 with two walks in game six. 5-for-19 with five walks and two home runs in the series. 263/417/579.
Ibanez 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk. 7-for-23 with four doubles and a homer in the series. 304/333/609. His seven hits led the Phillies. He also struck out nine times in 23 at-bats.
Feliz was 0-for-4 and left five men on base. 4-for-23 with a double and a home run. 174/174/348.
Francisco was 0-for-3 and struck out twice. 0-for-7 with a walk in the series. 000/125/000. I still think it was a great acquisition for the Phils, but he had a miserable post-season.
Ruiz was 2-for-2 with a triple and two walks. 6-for-18 with two doubles, a triple and two home runs in the series. He also walked five times. 333/478/722.
Stairs was 0-for-1 last night and 1-for-8 with an RBI in the series.
Bruntlett did not play last night but was 0-for-1 in the series.
No game today. Aprilish.
Topics: 2009 World Series |
November 5th, 2009 at 7:37 am
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November 5th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Best headline all year… thanks for cheering me up this AM.
Keep those heads up high boys, we’ll be back!
November 5th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Somewhat down this morning, especially seeing as how I now live in Yankee country. Really, anybody but the damn Yankees. As of right now, I have no reason to believe they won’t get another crack at the Yankees next year.
It just seemed that the Phillies got none of the little breaks/big hits that are needed in a series like this to win. The Yankees were just better.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Yankees just are better. That’s a problem. Alas. I agree that this core of Phililes is going to get another shot at them before it’s over. They are going to need some better pitching when they do.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:17 am
I’m in shock that we had an answer for everyone - EVEYRONE - excpet Hideki Frikkin Matsui.
Jeter’s a singles hitter, mainly. Let him get on base all he wants.
Damon we didn’t answer so much as we offered him a base and an opportunity to show his age, and he delivered.
Tex was bad. A-Rod was bad, except for a key hit against someone too spooked to throw a slider on an earlier night. The bottom of the lineup was bad.
And Matsui.. I’m waiting for him to turn Yankee stadium into a nest and start spawning!
November 5th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Disappointment this morning but not as much as anticipated. The Yanks outplayed the Phils in this seven game series. I do not think however that the Yanks are that much better than the Phils. When your pitching is weak and you dont hit, your gonna lose.
I really enjoy this Phils team right now and having so much of the same team back next year is cause for high optimism.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Ok, too, soon, but
Next year’s rotation:
1. Lee
2. Myers
3. Hamels
4. Happ
5? I bet Drabek battles Blanton for the spot.
I see a lot of 0’s up there, if everyone performs to potential.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:32 am
I think it’s Lee, Hamels, Blanton at the top. I don’t think Myers will be back. The Phils had all three of those guys this year and they had one pitcher who started a game who threw to an ERA under six in the series. They picked Pedro up for almost nothing and gave him two starts in the World Series. It’s inarguable that their bullpen is a huge mess. I think they have some problems with their pitching.
I think it’s reasonable to expect that Hamels will be better next year. I don’t think they used Blanton very well. I think they can hit with anyone, but it sure seems like their pitching needs to be a lot better and a lot deeper if they want to beat the best teams in the AL.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Great year…thanks for the blogs man.
and I love that we are already talking about next years rotation.
that’s the spirit
how many other fans can say they were watching their team in NOVEMBER right?
November 5th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Yep. The Phils are great. They’ve come a long way in the past three years and they still aren’t done yet. They know how good they are and I think they’re going to be fun to watch for a while.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:30 am
All things considered, it was a fun year. While I thought the issues in this series had more to do with the bats than the arms in the early going, it became glaringly apparent that it would be great to have a staff firing on all cylinders in the World Series.
It’s really, really hard to win a lengthy series with multiple regulars hitting under .200. It’s remarkable to make a series lengthy at all with multiple regulars hitting under .200.
It’s equally hard to win a series when the starters on your staff not named Cliff Lee are throwing to a combined 6.00+ ERA.
Things I hope to see for 2010:
1. The aging hitters not showing their age yet. Rollins, Utley, Howard, Victorino, Werth, and Ruiz all have the feel of youth about them. It’s really hard for me to think of any of them as older players. The reality is each of them are near, at, or beyond 30 and they’re the youngest of the regulars. Prime-ish years to be sure, but for how long?
2. JA Happ doesn’t regress, Cole rights the ship, and Drabek gets a shot. Kyle Kendrick had a really good rookie year. Kyle Kendrick did not have a good sophomore year. Who is Kyle Kendrick? I’d like to see JA make the adjustments Kyle never did. Early signs are encouraging: it’s real hard to throw complete games in this day and age but JA seemed to have a knack for it, a good indicator that he was able to show different looks his 3rd and 4th times through a lineup.
Cole Hamels was the NLCS and WS MVPs a year ago and until this season has been generally stellar. It stands to reason that this year was more abomination than the norm. A few months off will hopefully be the cure that ails him, but who knows. Either way, someone rivet his mouth shut.
Kyle Drabek is young and by most accounts nasty. Brett Myers and Pedro Martinez in a rotation (regardless of how much Pedro grew on me this year) feels an awful lot like playing Russian Roulette. I think Drabek gets a good long look and if he doesn’t make the club out of spring training (he probably won’t), will see some time with the big club at some point next year. Yes, please.
3. A healthy bullpen. Yeah Ibanez has been playing hurt and missed some time and the seemingly annual game of “What injury must Chase be playing with now?” was played during the postseason, but I saw a lot of man-games missed in the bullpen. It was a odd-numbered year for Lidge so maybe the nice, round, evenness of 2010 will bring (close to) perfect Lidge back.
Fun fact: If you keep all of Madson’s blown saves from this year but Lidge converts all 11 of his blown saves, the Phillies finish with 104 wins. I’m just sayin’.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I think the offense is going to be okay. I’m not worried about anyone getting old yet except maybe Rollins. I think the offense can be improved. I’m guessing they bring back Feliz, though, which will make that harder to do.
I think they need a third starting pitcher behind Lee and Hamels. They had two this year and Hamels just didn’t pitch well. I don’t think there’s much to be done about that — Hamels is great and I think it makes sense to count on him being great. I think Blanton is pretty good as the third starter, but the pen was so messed up it seems like Manuel didn’t want to let him be starter #3. So maybe they can fix the rotation by fixing the pen. It still astounds me that Condrey and Walker were not on the post-season roster and instead the Phils gave Pedro’s starts to Blanton and didn’t let Blanton pitch much at all.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Feliz worries me. It’s not many teams that can keep a 3rd basemen on staff - and start, no less, and not even platoon - because of his defense. The Phillies pull it off, but I wonder for how long. 9 homers is not a lot for a 3rd basemen.
I was starting to wonder if the Phils could/should shake up their lineup. I was hoping to see Victorino leading off, with Rollins second.
I was also starting to wonder if Ibanez could learn to bat right-handed to give some power boost against lefties. Werth is good, but we need more than that. (Utley WS record-tying performances notwithstanding.)
November 5th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I think the thing with Feliz is that he didn’t hit lefties this year. With Utley, Howard and Ibanez hitting in front of it, I think the Phils need a right-handed batter in that spot that does. The Phils need some more thump from the right — it’s not good if Feliz or Ruiz or Ben Francisco is the second-best right-handed hitter on the team. Ruiz hammered lefties this year, but Feliz hit just 208/278/385. He was better against them in ‘08, but still just has a 259/307/438 line against lefties for his career.
Amazing defense, though.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
For next year, I’m really hoping they let Drabek start at AAA and call him up when he forces their hand. He hasn’t thrown that may innings above A-ball, but did throw a ton of innings this year in general, especially after coming off of major surgery. Let him pitch the first few months in Lehigh Valley and dominate, then bring him up.
A top four of the rotation of Lee, Hamels, Blanton, Happ is pretty strong if they pitch to their potential. Kendrick is serviceable as a five. They can probably pull somebody else off of the scrap heap as well.
The pen is going to be overhauled. I see Lidge, Romero, and Madsen back for sure. The rest are questionable. The good news is there are plenty of decent arms on the farm that can have an impact. If Myers is back, he’ll be in the pen. I think they’d like to bring back Park. But, the second lefty (Escalona/Bastardo/outside the org?) and the rest of the pen will look a lot different.
I have a fear that they will re-sign Feliz to play third as well, and that Rollins will continue to be a black-hole in the leadoff slot. It’s amazing to me that this team won so many games with a leadoff hitter that had a less than .300 OBP. The rest of the team I expect (hope?) to continue to perform pretty much the same as this year, with the exception of maybe Ruiz getting a little better.
My hope is that the Phillies will use some of the outfield depth they have in the minor leagues to make a trade for a major league third baseman. We shall see though.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
P.S. PLEASE UPGRADE THE BENCH!!
November 5th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
^Agree w/ Greg.
Can we not put Bruntlett on any roster next year, playoff or otherwise? Being mediocre at everything only goes so far..
I’m a fan of Stairs, but occupying a roster spot for a smattering of pinch homers and a lot of pinch outs probably isn’t economical either.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
It seems like Rollins should be a lot older than he is, but he won’t turn 31 till the end of the month. So let’s just hope that the .296 OBP isn’t a decline with age.
Escalona and Bastardo I think are both players that can contribute and help the Phillies during the regular season. I don’t think they’re the guys who are going to help you win the World Series next year, though. Or Drabek. I think you need elite players for that. A closer who can close and a Cole Hamels pitching like Cole Hamels. I think you need one more pitcher in addition to Lee, too, or you at least need to be in a position to let Blanton or whoever the third starter is be the third starter.
I think the scrap heap guys can help you win the regular season. Not so much against the best in baseball.
I agree the bench is a mess. Stairs for the whole year was a bad idea, especially if you had to pay Jenkins not to play, and it didn’t work. I think Dobbs needs to be usable defensively to be on the team, too. I know he was terrible in the playoffs, but I think Francisco can help a lot over a whole year. A catcher who can hit righties if we’re dreaming.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Francisco looks a lot to me like a guy that needs regular play to excel. He seems to be a very good insurance policy for a guy like Ibanez going down again and not having to rush back and perhaps return to the team at 70% (or worse) instead of 100%.
I know Ibanez was lionized for coming back so soon from injury, not complaining, and finishing out the season that way, but I think it can be argued he did a lot more harm hurt in the second half of the season than would have been ideal. He was decent in the World Series but his power has been non-existent for months.
Also, he’s about 300 years old.
I don’t think Rollins’ OBP foibles were a result of his age at all. One of the hallmarks of an aging ballplayer is a decrease in bat and footspeed. Jimmy looks like he’s running as fast as ever and he sure as heck got around on an explosive Broxton fastball at a point during the year where age should be really showing if it were indeed a factor.
J-Roll almost seems to be getting worse with his plate discipline as a whole as he gets older which seems to buck the trend of older players being more selective. Maybe he’s really our very own Benjamin Button.
I’d personally place him in the “trying-to-do-to-much” camp/cliche that seems so popular nowadays (see the media’s portrayal of anyone who’s slumping anymore).
Also, on the opposite side of the “I-can’t-believe-Cole-Hamels-said-that” spectrum, I sure wish Jimmy would take it easy on the bulletin board material stuff. “I think we’ll beat the Yankees in five.” Really? Yikes. I really don’t think enough was made of this comment when it happened.
Anyway, I’m borderline rambling now so I’ll shut it down.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Francisco looked less than fantastic in the field to me in the World Series. He made one throw that was weak and I was surprised how long it took him to get to the ball in left-center last night that he didn’t catch.
No idea on what was wrong with Rollins this year. .296 isn’t going to work, though, unless it’s just a one-year thing. Benjamin Button seems like a good a theory as any.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
We’ll have to agree to disagree on Drabek. I think he is elite. But, only time will tell there.
I’d like to think a strong bench can help in the playoffs, if for no other reason than the regulars will be more rested because they didn’t have to play every day during the season. Of course, an automatic out from the DH spot is a nice thing to not have too.
Realistically, in terms of elite players, I think the Phillies are in good shape. They just need to play like elite players when the time comes. You can’t strike out 13 times or have a 6+ ERA. If Howard was as hot as he was in the first two rounds, or if you have Hamels of 2008 playoffs, this is a different series. I think I’ve said that before though.
Bullpen and bench need a lot of work. Starting rotation and lineup just need tweaks. That’s just my opinion.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I didn’t mean that I thought Drabek wasn’t going to be an elite player. I just don’t think he will be by the end of next season.
November 5th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
I had a heart attack on Sunday evening. The game had not started yet. There is no truth to the rumor that Brad Lidge brought it on that fateful evening.
Got home yesterday could not bring myself to watch the game. A close call to death actually brings you a sense of peace. As I reflected on the Phillies season, I was just happy that they had made it back to the World Series and beat the hated Dodgers once again.
We need another starter. I believe that Drabeck should start in AAA and be the first callup. I have never liked Feliz. We signed him after one good power year in SF. I know he is a good fielder, but we need a better RHed hitter. They need to lead off Vicorino and drop Rollins to the 6 hole.
November 5th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Glad you are (presumably) feeling better. Whether you watched the game or not you can be pretty sure you love the team when you write three paragraphs and the first sentence starts is “I had a heart attack on Sunday evening” and the last sentence is “They need to lead off Victorino and drop Rollins to the 6 hole.”
Not a Feliz fan, either. They could do worse, though. So I hope they come up with something better before they let him go. Rollins can’t stay in the leadoff spot unless he does a better job of getting on base. I think he will. I like the idea of everyone moving up in the order with just one of Rollins and Victorino hitting in front of Utley, Howard and Werth. I think dropping Victorino to sixth behind Ibanez might work, too. I think Victorino would do more hitting sixth than Rollins.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Phils pick up Cliff Lee’s 2010 option!!
http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091106&content_id=7632048&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi
What interested me in that article is the fact that Amaro was none too commital when speaking about Feliz’s option. If he goes, what options are out there that make sense for this team? Figgins? Beltre? DeRosa?
Figgins interests me. Versital and Fast. Would make it easier to drop Rollins in the order no? How much will he command though? He made something like 5.5 million in 09. Had a nice season too. His age is right with Utley and Rollins (about).
November 6th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
No surprise on Lee’s option. They will probably still work on an extension.
They probably are thinking they want Feliz, but not for $5 mil. So far he’s looking more like a defensive replacement than a core piece of the lineup - the Doug Meinketvitch (pardon my spelling) of 3rd base.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
It’s great news about Lee. Not a big surprise. I think it would be a very nice time to sign him to an extension if you can, too.
Myers will not be back, says Todd Zolecki.
http://zozone.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/11/myers_wont_be_back_in_2010.html
Of the third base options, the two that look like upgrades to Feliz look like Figgins and Beltre. I think Glaus would be as well if he is healthy.
I don’t think they are going to add Figgins — he is a nice player, but I’m not sure he’s a great fit for this team as long as they have both Victorino and Rollins. I am going to be surprised if the Phils have all three of those guys in the lineup.
I think the Philies will probably keep Feliz. I think DeRosa would be an upgrade, too.
November 9th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
And Feliz’s option is officially declined. Should be interesting then - even if they resign him for a lower price, there may be a bona fide position battle in spring training.
November 9th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
I was surprised to see that one. I think it’s the right decision, though. Hopefully they’ve got something in mind — they could surely do better than Feliz, but anyone who has been watching the team for a while should know they can do worse, too.