Game chat: Myers tries to drop hammer on Brewers

After their win in Game 1, the Phillies are nipping at the heels of the Wild Card-leading Brewers and sneaking up on the division-leading Mets. On short rest, Brett Myers (9-11, 4.22) matches up with Jeff Suppan (10-8, 4.63), seeking the sweep to pull his team into a tie for the Wild Card lead. First pitch is 7:35 ET, airing on the CW Philly. Lineups are posted: Rollins; Werth; Utley; Howard; Burrell; Victorino; Feliz; Coste. Keys to the game: Keep Myers' emotions in check and pitch the type of game he's been pitching; jump on Suppan early.

Comments

[NEPP]

This is it. This is our season right here.

Go Phillies and kick some Brewers Arse!

[joe l]

Myers needs to temper his emotions in the first inning, as I could see him overthrowing and getting into trouble. After dropping the first three, the Brewers will be pressing to salvage a win out of the series. Brett just needs to hit his spots and let them make the bad decisions.

[Sophist]

NEPP - Yeah, that post was mostly a justification of starting Feliz. I mean, Suppan is actually a RHP, isn't he?

So the big LHB are at a statistical cross-roads. Suppan is better against lefties, but our lefties are better against RHP, like Suppan.

[LA Jeff]

As great as this would be, I can't stop worrying about the Astros.

[NEPP]

After his strong effort in the day game, how can you not start Feliz??? Perhaps he makes up with it with a huge effort tonight.

they should shoot Brett with a tranquizer dart before the 1st inning and go from there.

Right now I'll take Howard's hot streak against Suppan's lefty splits.

Go Phillies!

[MG]

Last key: Yost continues being Yost.

[MG]

Ugh. Another less than idea lineup from Cholly. Utley/Howard back-to-back and Feliz and his near .500 OPS since coming off the DL starting against a RHP.

Lineup should be:

- JRoll
- Utley
- Werth
- Howard
- Burrell
- Dobbs
- Vic
- Coste

Really is it that hard to split up the lefties and realize that Feliz shouldn't be starting right now under any circustance against RHP?

[EastFallowfield]

Mike Radano says that the entire Phillies bullpen will be available for the game, including Brad Lidge.

[Terry]

Phils win easy tonight. And looks like I'll have to slum it here with you mooks tonight. PSD is down.

[MG]

Weird. Righties actually seem to have better stats this year and slightly better for career. Does Suppan have a pitch/motion in his delievery that is tougher for lefties to pick or deal with?

[AFish]

The mlb.tv page shows that the game will be blacked out. Ugh.

[Sophist]

I don't know, MG. It's strange. Last year LHB hit .334/.397/.490 off him.

[Sophist]

AFish - I continually received mixed-messages on that. I asked the MLB support earlier, who said it would be on. I believe Phillies.com said it would be on. The link shows a black-out, and the automated voice on the customer service line said it was blacked-out. I don't understand why a baseball game, out of market, would be blacked out at all.

[MG]

Phils better hope that Utley/Howard can win the battle against Suppan tonight because I don't see the bottom half the lineup (Vic-Feliz-Coste) doing much at all tonight against Suppan.

[J. Weitzel]

Dobbs should be in the lineup though, Suppan's left/right numbers be damned. Watch Feliz have a great game now that I wrote that, but come on. Dobbs is clearly the better bet for offense.

[MG]

JW - Don't worry. Cholly is saving Dobbs as the lefty PH option off the bat even though the Phils have Stairs and even now Jenkins back to tack a hack from the left side if needed.

[MG]

Of course want the supposed Beerleaguer anti-jinx kick in and Feliz have a timely hit tonight and make a few really slick plays at 3B tonight.

[Sophist]

Yeah, Jason, I don't have as strong a feeling about this as I would have expected, but it's not as if Suppan shuts LHB down. They crushed him last year and, I think, still bat around .275 against him this year.

[joe l]

OT: Chargers just jobbed by the refs.

[AFish]

@Sophist: ESPN has exclusivity Sunday night. I thought that meant that it couldn't be on at all, but apparently they're letting it be on local tv but not mlb.tv.

[Cipper]

Lets go Phils... I'm not ready to switch into Eagles mode yet this year!

[AFish]

On the radio pregame show, Cholly said that he had Utley bunt because Utley asked him if he should bunt. The Gut at work.

[JMS]

Don't blink or you'll miss Brett's 1-2-3 first inning. Nice start.

GO Phils!

[bay_area_phan]

I can only go by Gameday, but whenever the first two outs are described as a "line out" to the OF and a "sharp" fly ball, I'm a little concerned about the quality of the pitcher's stuff. I can't argue with the results, though.

[Jack]

Nice quick inning by Myers. I like that.

[Cory]

Anyone see that shootout at Invesco? Craziest football game ever. Missed Myers.

[joe l]

Cory - gotta feel for SD in that game.. lack of replay in the 1st half, then the ref botches the fumble.

Go Rollins!! Hustle.

[bay_area_phan]

They need to drive him home & jump ahead. No ifs, ands, or buts.

[Sophist]

AFish - love that story, like the Ruiz one yesterday and the CC one the day before. Seems the Phils know how to work with Manuel He certainly sounds like "a players coach."

[JMS]

I always like to see some runners on the corners. C'mon ChUtley!

[MG]

I was watching the Chargers-Broncos game out here while working. Great game but man the Chargers got jobbed in that game including where the replay equipment wasn't available in the first half. That has to be a first.

[joe l]

Rally towels??? Please don't tell me what color they probably are.

[Will]

Not a fan of the Chargers at all, but they got screwed by several calls in that game.

[Cory]

Agree, no way broncos should have won that game.

[joe l]

Yeah, it's one thing to win a game you have no business winning by a couple fluke plays, but when the refs determine the outcome of the game, no good.

[Jack]

I'll take the run, but that's sort of frustrating.

[bay_area_phan]

That's really too bad. It could have been more.

[JMS]

Whoa, June Ryan Howard showed up to the nightcap.

[LA Jeff]

Let's go Cubbies!!!

[JB]

Anyone know if the game in on in the Harrisburg, PA area? Can't find it anywhere. Grrr.

[Jack]

Well, this is certainly nice.

[BT]

16 pitches through two?

I'll take that.

[J. Weitzel]

JB - Did you try channel 15?

[EastFallowfield]

Game is on ESPN radio, if anyone still has radio out there.

[bay_area_phan]

The Brewers are just up there hacking. Their lineup really does remind me of the Phillies at their worst.

[JMS]

Thoroughly enjoying the fact that they keep throwing the Atlanta/Mets game score up.

[JMS]

Sorry, Counsell. They don't call him the "Speed-walking Hawaiian"

[J. Weitzel]

Nice job, Pete.

[Jack]

2 terrible double plays in 2 innings. That's really frustrating.

[hbgphan]

Not on TV in Harrisburg and as per usual, no radio coverage on any local stations. Lucky for me I have XM......unlucky, I get ESPN announcing.

[John]

Thanks, Pedro.

[AFish]

Pete Happy makes me sad.

[bay_area_phan]

MG messed things up by mentioning the BL Reverse Jinx on Feliz. The Reverse Jinx doesn't work if you mention it.

[Sophist]

Yep, Feliz with his first contribution of the night to the lineup argument.

[hbgphan]

Not on TV in Harrisburg and as per usual, no radio coverage on any local stations. Lucky for me I have XM......unlucky, I get ESPN announcing.

[JMS]

I'm going to go ahead and start the "Myers for MVP" campaign.

[John]

That's how it's done, Pete.

[Jack]

Way to help yourself Brett.

[Sophist]

Brett Myers is just a big-game player.

[joe l]

Go Brett! RBI!

[The Other Kevin]

Nice job helping yourself, Brett!

[BT]

Can Brett play third?

Kidding! (Sorta.)

[bay_area_phan]

I had already typed the following post when Myers singled: "5 base runners in the first 2 innings and only 1 run to show for it. Terrible."

[Durbinator]

Myers can hit too!

[mojoman]

Brett Myers is my hero

[George]

Myers helping his own cause!

[Sophist]

Listening on the radio (via MLB.TV) and it sounds like a very lively crowd.

[The Other Kevin]

A bit off topic, but how, in this day and age, is MLB stupid enough to cling to these archaic blackout rules? I've got, in this house, no less than five different ways to catch MLB games – more than half of those aren't working because of either stupid broadcast decisions (Tigers-White Sox? Really?) or the moronic blackout rules.

This is playoff run baseball here, and MLB seemingly goes out of their way to make sure their customers don't see their product when it's at its best.

[joe l]

Awesome to hear that crowd over the radio feed!

[bay_area_phan]

I had already typed the following post when Rollins got that hit: "1 run in each of the first 2 innings, yet it still feels like the Phillies have let the Brewers off the hook."

[J. Weitzel]

Jimmy is in the mix.

[BT]

Gettin' it done Jimmy.

7 base runners, 4 runs.

No thanks to Pedro.

[Sophist]

JROLL. You know what Suppan's performance is? Eatonesque . . . We all remember Randy Johnson.

[AFish]

The blackout issue here is simple: ESPN gets national rights on Sunday night. The only reason the Phillies are playing now is because of the rainout.

[mojoman]

J-rollin

[joe l]

Oops, Sophist was 3 minutes faster on the crowd comment.

[The Other Kevin]

This is the way to jump on Suppan early. Unless something big happens tonight for them, I've kind of got to think that the Brewers are done. Teams don't often come back from these kinds of disastrous series.

[John]

Seems like it's electric down there. Loving the intensity.

[bay_area_phan]

I think I've figured out the key to the Reverse Jinx. Type the negative post but don't send it. It still triggers the Reverse Jinx, and it spares you the embarrassment of being publically proven wrong.

[George]

Can anyone see this game. I've got it on MLB radio and it sounds like the crowd is on fire. .... But ... oh, they just took the base out of Chase's hands - why?

[Sophist]

TOK - I completely agree. It's bizarre that MLB wants people not to see this game. Of course, they do have a nice contract from ESPN to protect.

[JMS]

B-e-a-utiful

[AFish]

Amazing what happens to offense when JStroll returns to being JRoll.

[The Other Kevin]

AFish – I understand the reason behind the blackout, but it's still stupid. The bottom line is that MLB fails to put their best product in front of their customers an astonishing amount of the time.

[EastFallowfield]

I think we all know ESPN has exclusive rights.

Just very frustrating that every year in these crucial games in September we don't get what we have all year-the chance to throw money at MLB to watch our team no matter where we live.

[Klaus]

Why attempt to steal when you have the opportunity to give Myers a breather?

[craig_one]

good question the other kevin. its not as though being unable to watch the phillies on tv (im out of market & blacked out on mlb.tv) will inspire me to turn on espn to see detroit v CWS. instead, im forced to enjoy my game on radio which, all told, is not terrible. but it still doesnt make sense.

[Frank Rizzo]

Nope, not on 15 in H'burg.

[clout]

Other Kevin: I don't fully understand the rule either. The game is blacked out on mlb.TV but it's being shown on Channel 57 in Philly. Must be a modified, limited blackout.

[AFish]

You guys should live in New York. Almost every Saturday the Mets or Yankees have a Fox game, so I can't see the Phillies Fox games unless they happen to be on FSEsp. That's a nationwide blackout, too.

[donc]

Sophist: Agree with the comment about protecting the ESPN contract. But I would think baseball would find it embarrassing that the minute football starts baseball is about one notch above Rollerderby. Think back to last Sunday when the national broadcast took a backseat to Tom Brady's knee. If ESPN ponies up enough $$$ I guess baseball can stand the humiliation. But I think it sucks.

[Durbinator]

I don't understand Rollins stealing there either, but Werth leading off an inning isn't a bad thing. It's not like the pitcher or a weak hitter was at the plate or something

[donc]

30 pitches in 3 innings. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but this couldn't have started any better.

[AFish]

Mlb.tv folks -- the blackout appears to have been lifted.

[bay_area_phan]

klaus: The steal attempt was fine. The Phillies gave Myers plenty of rest with their big inning. They were trying to get Rollins to 2nd so they could add another run if Werth singled. If it doesn't work, you've got one of your highest OBP players leading off the inning. I can't fault them for that.

[BloodStripes]

Take to Suppan early......check
Myers emotions in check.....check

[Sophist]

AFish - I was thinking it should. In our complaining about the Phils blackout, guess what we forgot?

Until recently they were blacking-out the Cubs-Stros game as well. Which means the people of TX couldn't watch their team because they were hit by a hurricane (since they would have been able to watch the game as previously scheduled.)

Talk about short-sighted and insulting.

[George]

Was just reading Metsblog and the locals there are begging for them to take down the magic number. Scared and superstitious. A win tonight and they will feel the warm breath of September 2007 on their shoulders.

[bay_area_phan]

Thanks for the heads-up, A-Fish

[respect]

sweeeet thanks afish