Game chat: Phils go back under the lights tonight

Cole Hamels (11-8, 3.13) seeks his first win against the Nationals this season tonight when the Phillies play the second of three with John Lannan (8-12, 3.92) and the Nationals. First pitch is 7:10 ET.

Summary: It's not for a lack of trying. Hamels has held the Nationals to a .164 average and had fanned 17 in 15 innings this season, but the Phils lost both games 1-0. It's possible Hamels will be on a pitch count tonight as a way to preserve him for a possible showdown with the Mets on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Nationals have won seven straight and nine of their last 11. Lineups are posted and Charlie Manuel unveils a brand-new look. Red-hot Jayson Werth slides into the No. 3 hole. Pat Burrell returns to the five-spot. Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz round out the bottom of the card.

Comments

[CJ]

Let's Go Phils!!

[phReed]

Season starts tonight. Go Phightins!

[phReed]

Obviously I want a win, but please take Bob Carpenter out of this game early.

Keys to the game for phReed:
1. Take Bob Carpenter out of game early
2. Score more runs than the Nats

[CJ]

That AB notwithstanding, Werth has been a big hit since taking on a full-time role on Aug. 8th. In the 24 games since then, he's started all but two (entered in the 4th and 8th innings in the other two) and has posted a line of 329/459/684 with 6 HR and 15 RBI.

[THe DUde]

The minor league call ups:
1. Marson - no power/might be able to hit for average and can't field as well as Ruiz but to us he's untouchable.
2. Golson - toolsy! all you need to know
3. Happ - Many posters believe he's the next Andy Pettite but he isn't and the way he's been handled since being drafted indicates the phils think he's nothing special.
4. Eaton - doesn't deserve to pitch for the Camden County Semi Pro League team.
5. Walrond - doesn't deserve to be serving hot dogs and candy at the local little league field.
6. THe Cervanek - WHo? What? where? and wHy?
7. Andy Dick Tracy - This is a guy that actually hit .109, 7 years ago. His wife thinks he swings a big bat but anything he does in the bedroom won't help against major league pitching.

In sum, we brought up 7 players who will not provide any depth or influence down the stretch. With all these great young & almost ready to retire minor leaguers, I'm just so happy that the phils have decided to cut back their Latin American program to control costs. My only lingering question is will Ricky Otero and Timo Perez be next year's big September call ups?

[THe Dude]

But EastFallow will tell us that this year's team is much better than last years by comparing records as of this date last year. HOwever, he forgets to show that last year's team had monthly records that were getting better as the season progressed; while this year's team peaked early and is now struggling to play .500 ball. To win 86 games this year will be a stretch

[THe Dude]

when do we break this scrub's no-hitter tonight? 5th or 6th innings? You make the call?

[THe DUde]

sit down fat boy and grab another donut on your way to the dugout. You can practice your throws to second in between K's for the remainder of the game.

[redbeard]

come on hamels, wtf. dukes?

[philsphan]

Lannan is going to pitch a peferct game until the ninth when... he hits Utley. Phils lose 1-0.

[CJ]

That was fortunate... why didn't the guy at third tag up instead? He scores easily even if the double play happens.

[redbeard]

wow sweet play by vic. dukes is an idiot and i have no idea what belliard was thinking.

[curt]

Ruiz disappoints - no DP.

[redbeard]

did ruiz just almost ground into a dp on a 3-1 pitch?

[redbeard]

nice job jroll, good hard running by ruiz. flores deserves a buzz later for slappin ruiz in the face without the ball in his glove.

[joe l]

Nice hitting for a change.

[MG]

It is one thing to be a bad team but it is compounded for the Nats team riddled with players(Dukes, Belliard, Guzman, Milledge) who just aren't fundamentally sound/play stupid baseball.

[joe l]

Hmmf, interesting ending to that inning.

[redbeard]

that was dumb

[Im a Met Fan]

damn, utley speared em

[Iceman]

What happened there? I'm stuck at work and watching on gamecast. Utley caught stealing home?

[MG]

redbeard - It was a bang-bang play. Hard to fault hustle like that.

[curt]

It didn't work, but good to see a little creativity.

[redbeard]

anyone know how many times utley has been thrown out at the plate this yr?

[Im a Met Fan]

and atleast utley didnt pull a manny and slide in nonchalantly

[curt]

...and Howard isn't looking like he's going to touch Lannon's junk.

[joe l]

@curt - Uhhhh

[Im a Met Fan]

damn flores is raelly hurt... raelly really hurt

[Im a Met Fan]

and i really really cant spell really

[Bridoc10]

Did Utley plow into him? What happened?

[John]

Nice play by Utley, ultimately. Sad that I don't have a lot of faith in our clean-up hitter in that spot.

[MG]

Hope Flores isn't too badly hurt. Hate to see that.

[Im a Met Fan]

It looked like utley was trying to throw himself into the mitt to knock out the ball... looked like his whole body landed on flores' right leg

[John]

And of course an even better play by Flores. Seemed like Utley was pretty confident he was going to beat the tag or knock it out considering how he went in.

Hope he's OK.

[redbeard]

ill fault the third out at home with howard at the plate during a rally when the pitcher has given up a few singles and faced 6 batters that inning, everytime.
going 1st to third on werths single is hustle, trying to steal home under the circumstances was dumb in my opinion.

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

Wow. Chase Utley, that was among the dirtiest plays I've seen all year. Doesn't run into the catcher, decides to dive into him airborn like he was a safety taking out a lifeless receiver. Just gutless. Perfect dirty play representative of the dirty city of Philadelphia. Absolutely disgusting.

[Im a Met Fan]

Posters on metsblog are already calling it a dirty play... utley coulda murdered him if he wanted too... interesting "slide" though

[joe l]

Should he have nicely asked the catcher permission to touch home plate?

[mw217]

Ankle probably broken if they're putting a splint on, twisted under him when Utley collided. It was a clean play, tough luck with Flores having his leg like in that position in front of home plate and Utley coming in from that angle.

[MG]

F'off Mets troll. That was nothing dirty about that play.

[Im a Met Fan]

and there it is...

[MG]

When you add something to the discussion, I don't mind but it seems like an overwhelmingly majority of comments on here from Mets' fans had NOTHING of value.

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

Nothing dirty? You're own fans said Utley "speared" him. I didn't know "spearing" a catcher not blocking the plate wasn't dirty. Hang your head Chase, you just broke a man's leg, be proud. I can't wait for the nats/phils brawl tonight, it's been building since yesterday and now this.

[EastFallowfield]

Mets fans are just jealous. They have Castillo to play 2nd for 3 or 4 more years.

Mets don't play hardball, doesn't fit with their dance routines.

[Im a Met Fan]

I said "speared" and im def not a phils fan. It wasnt dirty, it was unfortunate...

[MG]

Does you even understand what the concept of a spear is (jumping off your feet and leading with your head)?

That is why I hate the Mets' trolls on here. Most of it is retarded smack tack and the other stuff is about a game that doesn't involved the Mets.

Way too many retarded Mets' posters on here lately.

[MG]

It was a collison play that caught Flores with his leg unfortunately positioned. Utley was clearly concerned about Flores well-being after the play.

[EastFallowfield]

Metsblog was filled with happy posts yesterday rejoicing about Sheets injury.

And every time they face us there are tons of posts imploring their pitchers to bean any number of Phillies.

So take their rants with several grains of salt.

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

"Does you"... but mets fans are retarded.

Speaking of retarded.. how many posts on here yesterday were talking about how Sheets leaving after 5 wasn't fair, yet Zambrano was totally scratched from his start against the Phillies. Of course the latter was never mentioned.

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

We're going to talk about "rejoicing injuries" now? Okay, it was clearly the Philly faithful who were on their feet cheering as Reyes laid motionless after sliding into second. HAHAHAHA The same fans that cheer for a professional baseball player who beats his wife. PATHETIC!

[J. Weitzel]

It's always a pleasure to entertain a "Who's more retarded?" debate on Beerleaguer.

Was it dirty? I think it's a fair question.

[Im a Met Fan]

Lol what a way to start a career... 2nd pitch home run to weeks...

[MG]

I am listening to the game and going over a document with some specs for a large database migration before I sign-off. Sorry my syntax isn't perfect.

Really. Either add something about the game or go to MetsBlog. You just don't see people post this crap on that blog.

[Im a Met Fan]

After 8 pitches niese finally throws a strike

[EastFallowfield]

Collisions at home have been a part of the game long as I can remember.

Was it illegal? Don't think so.

And it seems the injury came not from how Utley hit him but by how his leg was positioned. How was Utley to know how his leg was set up?

[MG]

Neither the Nats' announcers (switched over) or the Phils' announcers thought it was dirty and no one in the Nats dugout seemed to get riled up. It was just a bang-bang play that had an unforutnate outcome. Not a dirty play.

[doubleh]

How come I can't post but Met fans talking smack can?

[redbeard]

it wasnt dirty. it was a play at the plate and if the catcher is going ot block it, he is the one who makes the initial decision for it to be a collision.

[wally]

Not often you get your first K, HR allowed, walk in the same inning. Maybe he can throw a wild pitch and get the grand slam.

[J. Weitzel]

I think it's a fair question though. It's not a typical play, certainly. It was definitely an unusually aggressive play. Perhaps that's all it was. An aggressive play. Utley has the broken hand history against Lannan, so I can't rule out an extra incentive.

[GoingtoDC]

Got a posse headed to the game tomorrow... where's the tale gating take place at the new joint?

[Im a Met Fan]

Niese looks a ton like zito... hoping itll be the 2000-2006 zito

[doubleh]

Utley is hard nosed. That cannot be denied. Maybe he needs to lay off the chew.

[KoolEarl]

Hamels pretty economical thus far. 48 pitches after 4. Hopefully he keeps it low and ensures the start vs the Mutts on Sunday

[Sophist]

2008 Phils/2007 Phils

April: 15-12 / 11-14
May: 17-12 / 15-13
June: 12-14 / 15-13
July: 15-10 / 15-10
August: 16-13 / 16-12

----

Rollins since Aug 23: .381/.451/.643
Utley since Aug 20: .408/.532/.510

----

Certainly a fair question, JW. I don't think it was dirty though. A "hard-nosed" play.

[wally]

Utley is so gritty that LavaSoap uses Chase Utley to wash up.

[Im a Met Fan]

If eckstien and paul oniell were on your team i think the ZEN would explode from grittiness

[doubleh]

Don't forget Pete Rose! He's gritty. Dude took out a catcher in the friggin AS Game. Overkill? Maybe. But gritty as h*ll.

[Im a Met Fan]

Hahaha... While we are at it lets put Xavier Mcdaniel and Charles Oakley on just to "keep the peace"

[MG]

Interesting as always Sophist. Funny thing is that just got back and looked at those monthly records you would think the Phils were playing more consistently as the 2008 season has progressed.

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

Thanks for being fair J.W.

I understand collisions have been part of the game forever, however, lunging head first "hit-stick style" leading with your shoulder into a catcher who wasn't blocking the plate is rare. The plate was wide open, Utley could have easily slid and touched the plate with either his hand or leg without breaking another man's leg.

For all the hate on Niese, he lit a few flames but put them out with impressive back to back strike outs. Save your thoughts for when his outing is finished. By the way, mets are up 2-1 in the 2nd.

[wally]

Chase Utley is actively hurting...Flores?

[MG]

Nevermind. Thought 2007 season was 2008. Still, it is pretty clear that the 2008 team is better than the 2007 one to date because the vast improvement of the pitching staff.

[Im a Met Fan]

There was no hate on Niese... Kid really looked good getting outta that jam

[Sophist]

MG, I think their stretch from mid-June to late-July throws people. But then they finished July very well, winning 5 or 6 straight, and have played well since (besides the sweep in LAD.)

[J. Weitzel]

Definitely some technical glitches happening with posting tonight.

[MG]

Get a bad feeling about this game. . . way too many games like this year where Hamels had held down the other team and the Phils manage a meager 2 or 3 runs to support him.

Especially against such a weak team tonight that I bet would roll over if the Phils had scored 4 or 5 runs early tonight.

[Sophist]

I shouldn't leave out

Howard since Aug 22: .289/.396/.667

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

Hammels is looking good tonight. Thankfully, that Philly bullpen will enter the game when he reaches 100 pitches cus fatty has no balls.

[EastFallowfield]

Sophist's monthly breakdown certainly contradicts theDUde's contention that the Phils are playing worse as the season goes along.

Looks like we just swapped a bad June for a bad April.

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

Why no extravagant hand clapping in the first/second basemen's face after that clutch at bat Vicky? I guess Rollins had a talk with her telling her to knock off those celebrations.

[Sophist]

RP ERA

1. PHI 3.16
2. LAD 3.29
3. CIN 3.71
4. CHC 3.72
5. FL 3.86

[doubleh]

M_O_P: You want us to be fair when you make pronouncements like that? And he may have questionable fortitude, but the kid is far from fat. That's our new RF, Stairs, if you must call someone fatty. Or Blanton.

And I would take our bullpen with the occasional meltdown over yours every day of the week and twice on a CW game day Sunday. Even with Wagner. Talk about a guy with no balls. Geebus.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

i was alarmed at Utley's "slide" into home but, I thought Utley was the one who was going to get hurt. A few things: 1) Flores was blockign the plate - get some glasses Mutt; 2) Utley was definitely looking to inflict a good jolt but can't say he was looking to injure; 3) if he were a safety, he wouldn't have left his feet so early - more force if you explode into the guy. Bottom line, f'in Flores still hung onto the ball.

[Im a Met Fan]

HH -- I think he was speaking of Cholly... terrible post either way

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Quite a few good swings by teh Nats tonight are ending up outs. Better to be lucky than good?

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

I never said the mets bullpen was good, but either is the Phillies. The Brewers who have the 2nd best record in the national league have a worse pen than both. Oh no! You can talk smack about the mets, but please don't diss the cw!

[doubleh]

IAMF: What? He expects Cholly to force Hamels to stay in the game? The kid said he was done. I can't wait to see Jerry Manuel's excuse when Pelfrey's arm falls off because he told the pitchers they all had to go the extra mile for this stretch run.

Not that I'm against it, per se, but you see how it's a double edged sword for a manager, right?

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

...I was talking about Cholly, but chalked up his senseless post to a few thoughts of the typical Philadelphian and decided to let it go.

[Sophist]

Phils' BP has allowed the fewest number of ER in the NL by 20.

[Dan]

Where are the runs?

[Im a Met Fan]

HH -- Im not arguing anything here, im just clarifying what M_O_P said.

[Vonderful]

MOF- I believe Hamels is leading the league in innings pitched. I think Cholly leaves him in the game long enough.

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

doubleH -- you are whats wrong with the game. Not that you're a Phillies fan and support an abuser of domestic violence, but the fact that you insinuate Pelfrey's arm will fall off if he throws more than 100 pitches. The pitch count in today's game is just wrong. Pelfrey is a big strong young kid, much like Utley. They should have absolutely NO trouble throwing 120-130. I don't expect Cholly to force Hamels to stay in, it's up to both the pitcher and the manager. Hamels has to show he wants it and Cholly has to have faith that 10-20 extra pitches won't injure his starting pitcher.

By the way 5-1 Metsies.

[Vonderful]

Howard looks to be taking better swings against the lefty tonite. At least the last two at bats. Who knows what will happen tomorrow though.

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

Said Utley instead of Hammels, my fault.

[MG]

C'mon offense. Getting ridiculous watching these outings where Hamels cruises and the Phils manage to put up a pathetic 1 or 2 runs against some mediocre pitching.

[METS_OWN_PHILS]

Vonderful - Hammel's is 2nd in IP to Johan.

[Im a Met Fan]

M_O_P -- Thats prior to todays game.. Hamels now leads

[doubleh]

I am not what's wrong with this game. I don't like the PC myself, but Cholly can't force Hamels to pitch if he says he's done.

I've questioned Hamels' mentality myself for the past year or so; I'd like to see him go to the next level. Don't blame me for today's game. I'm old enough to remember the "old days".