Game chat: Phillies seek series sweep of Nationals

Cole Hamels (9-9, 4.41) goes for his 10th win of the season when the Phillies finish their series with Ross Detwiler (0-5, 6.71) and the woeful Nationals. First pitch is 7:05. Ben Francisco gets the start in right field and bats sixth.

Comments

[CJ]

Anyone else get the feeling that Cole's just about ready for the postseason? It's sure been nice seeing him deal the last couple of times out.

[NEPP]

Game on!

Lets get the sweep!

[NEPP]

To CJ: Yes, yes I do. His struggles have actually helped keep his innings down (along with that injury in April. The upside is he should be fresh for Oct.

[NEPP]

Good work Jimmy...keep it on the ground and get on base.

[drake]

haha, charles dickens for the home run jackpot? i wonder if some english major just wanted to enter a fake name never thinking it would get picked.

[Pops]

It's all about clicking and finding your groove at the right time. And chance that we'll have a healthy pen when October rolls around?

[NEPP]

Utley at 91 RBI
Werth at 88 RBI
Raul at 86 RBI

Which will actually make it to 100?

[NEPP]

I mean Utley at 90...don't know why I wrote 91.

[patthebat4ever]

Utley's at 90 RBI actually

[Pops]

Around twenty games left? You would have to say - all three. Depends on how Charlie plays the regulars when the opportunity presents itself.

[drake]

when was the last time the phils won three straight divisions?

[J.R. King]

drake: The only other time in franchise history was 1976, 1977, and 1978. They lost the NLCS each time.

[MSH]

Reds already up 3-0 on the Fish

[bay_area_phan]

I need some guidance here. How many scoreless innings do they have to have against Detwiler before it's appropriate to start bitching?

[NEPP]

I give them at least 1-2 times through the lineup. They'll start hammering him soon.

Hamels looks strong.

[Jack]

Man, what a lost year for Hamels. He sucks. Way too soft.

[NEPP]

You're kidding, right Jack?

[Brian G]

Not that I ever thought otherwise, but at this point it's a lock that Hamels is our #1 starter in the playoffs. For as good as Lee has been, if a guy carries you to a WS title, you keep giving him the chance do so until he proves he can't.

[bay_area_phan]

Jack is like the guy who turns into a werewolf every time there's a full moon. Every time Cole Hamels has a halfway decent game, Jack transforms into clout.

[goody]

Throw out the 2 rain-delay games,and Pedro's first 5 games were great. Lee's first 5 games were also great. What if Pedro's final 3 starts are similar to what Lee's next 3 were? Is he still a lock for playoff starter,or would that depend on how Happ does?

[bay_area_phan]

NEPP: Considering this is Ross Dewtwiler -- quite possibly the worst starting pitcher we have faced all year -- I say bitching commences after the 4th inning.

[NEPP]

Hamels hasn't thrown a changeup this inning...clearly he's tired or fatigued.

[NEPP]

Have we ever faced Detwiler before? If not, I am totally unsurprised at this so far. They'll put some runs up and Hamels has looked good so far.

[Reverend]

If Pedro was any shorter he wouldn't of caught that!

[Old Phan]

Great play by Pete!

[goody]

Pete was just tall enough for that one.

[Conan]

The Nats broadcaster or foreshadowing the unmentionable..not cool, it's only the 4th

[mvptommyd]

Wow, height played a factor on the hot corner. Would figgins have caught that?

[Old Phan]

If he was taller he wouldnt have had to jump so high.

[Scott]

He's shrunk a bit because Charlie has played him too much.

[bay_area_phan]

Ok, I now feel 100% justified in saying that this is an absolutely pathetic display of offense.

[Old Phan]

The incredible shrinking 3rd baseman.

[Conan]

And now they are flashing the Hamels scoreless inning stat. Shut up Nats broadcasters.

[Old Phan]

Funny, I feel 100% justified in saying this is a brilliant display of pitching.

[curt]

It's been such a long time since we clubbed some hapless pitcher into submission.

[Conan]

Wow Hamels. Nats broadcasters just mentioned the P word.

[Kool Earl]

Son of a dirty arse ho, have the Phillies turned into the Giants? Another lame starter shutting them down.

[Kevin Costello]

Wow!! Hamels is PERFECT through 5!!! Completely perfect!!! Go Phils!!!

[Conan]

I'm don't thinking and talking about..not until later.

[Conan]

I can't speak English...

[NEPP]

See BAP, I told you we'd start breaking through.

[MSH]

I love seeing those towels again!

[bay_area_phan]

Rollins seems like he is starting to come around a bit. But he probably doesn't have time to fulfill my prediction, made in early July, that he will wind up with a higher batting average than Pedro Feliz.

[Unikruk]

Take Hamels out now!

/preempted

[SmokyJoe]

I think it would have been much more appropriate to give Vic the night off instead of Raul.

[thames]

Go Jimmy! And Ross Deltwilerererer or whatever is being taken out of the game..bring on that Nats bullpen, lets score some runs.

[thames]

And there goes the perfect game and no no...ah well, go get em Cole.

[Iceman]

Is it some sort of rule that every d*ck in the world has to come out of the woodwork and try to jinx a perfect game?

[MG]

Don't look now but:

Hamels post ASB splits coming into tonight are starting to look VERY similar to last year.

2009 (coming into tonight and dropping as we speak)

11 GS, 4-4, 71 IP, 3.30 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 7.9 K/9, 0.89 HR/9, .239 BAA

2008

13 GS, 5-4, 84 2/3 IP, 2.98 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9, 7.4 K/9, 1.07 HR/9, .248 BAA

[bay_area_phan]

Oh well. At least now I can focus my wrath on the offensive ineptitude, without getting side-tracked by the fact that our guy has a perfect game going.

[Iceman]

It's not always a given that a lousy pitcher is going to automatically pitch lousy. Detweiler looked decent tonight, though he should have been abused in the first inning. That being said, I am deeply concerned about the offense going forward based on the last five innings.

[NEPP]

****Is it some sort of rule that every d*ck in the world has to come out of the woodwork and try to jinx a perfect game? ****

Yes, yes there is.

[MG]

Those towels are completely bush league. They look like something you would see them hand the fans in AZ or FL. Just say no.

[bay_area_phan]

Iceman: The idea that you can jinx a perfect game by talking about it is just silly superstitious nonsense. The real reason that perfect game ended was because of the Beerleaguer Reverse Jinx.

[NEPP]

Guess that single pissed Cole off...3 straight Ks.

[Old Phan]

Where I am watching, the game isn't quite over yet, but why is anyone concerned about the offense based on 5 innings? Give Detwiler some credit.

[MG]

No Dunn tonight but this is much better the pathetic Giants' and Nats' lineup that Hamels blanked earlier this month. Nice to see Hamels just getting first strike after first strike and then making this lineup eat offspeed pitch after offspeed pitch.

[Iceman]

BAP: so the BL jinx trumps all? Can a jinx be jinxed by the BL jinx?

[curt]

Looks like the master plan the rest of the way is to have our starters throw 9 and eek out a run somehow. We're resting the hitters in situ.

[CJ]

How many more runs do we need to score before we can complain about Manuel not removing Hamels?

[NEPP]

Minimum of a 5-0 lead to go that route, CJ.

Anything less and it'd be legit to keep Cole in there.

[MG]

Pirates' lineup but this looks very much like Sept. '08 Hamels. Impressive to watch and tonight if the kind of game where I don't mind seeing Hamels a bit but Cholly has to be a bit leary of Hamels giving up a late inning HR as he is prone to do.

Need another run here or two.

[SmokyJoe]

At what point do we realize that Howard's typical year-end tear came 3 weeks earlier this year, and ended 3 weeks earlier?

That's OK, because maybe he'll cycle back to Hot in October.

[MG]

If Kool Earl took a drink every time that McCarthy or Sarge said the word "hat" between the 4-6 innings most nights, he would likely pass out.

[bay_area_phan]

Iceman: Researchers at Brown University have found that the Beerleaguer Reverse Jinx overpowers any other jinxes with which it competes. I would assume that means it can jinx another jinx. So, for instance, if some poster had come along in the 6th inning and whined about the way Hamels was pitching, it would have overpowered all posts which talked about his no-hitter, & would have caused him to throw another hitless inning.

[SmokyJoe]

This has the Pete Happy DP Special written all over it.

[MG]

One clear improvement in coaching of the 2008 Phils vs. 2009 Phils:

Sam Perlozzo

Only a couple of times I have remembered a guy getting thrown out at home and I can't remember a single time this year where a Phils' play was waived around by Sam and out by 15-20 feet.

[Unikruk]

I preempted you, CJ, you're preempted. No mas.

[Scott]

Nice, productive out.

[SmokyJoe]

BAP, I tried, I really did. I really meant it.

[NEPP]

Time to come up big, Chooch.

[SmokyJoe]

Shorten that swing, Chooch

[bay_area_phan]

These stats are for Denny:

John Mayberry through 53 ABS: .189/.232/.526

Ben Francisco through 60 ABs: .250/.317/.583

[SmokyJoe]

Don't swing Cole.

[NEPP]

Good work chooch.

[MG]

"Pedro is seeing the ball better" lately.

Yeah hitting .190 this month with a line of .230/.345/.574 is impressive.

[NEPP]

Pedro Martinez is doing that well with the bat?

[thames]

well hopefully this game ends before It's Always Sunny!

[SmokyJoe]

This situation is a perfect example of why NL teams score less than AL teams.

[SmokyJoe]

It worked!!!

[bay_area_phan]

Prediction: Cole hits a grand slam.

[Scott]

Glad someone can hit with RISP.

[MG]

Best to way to get help - help yourself.

[thames]

COLE HELPING HIS CAUSE!

[NEPP]

That's Coletastic!

[bay_area_phan]

Prediction: Rollins hits a grand slam.

[CJ]

Bad play by Cole... he increased the chance that Manuel will be forced to remove him from the game to save his arm.

[Jonesman]

I think we need to start sending emails about T-Mac again. It seems obvious to me that they gave him some notes about 1/3 through the season and he started talking less, getting less excited on opposition home runs, etc. But lately he seems to be exhibiting the announcer version of reversion to the mean.

By which I mean he sucks again.

[Scott]

b_a_p is now dabbling in stand-up comedy.

[MG]

Shut up about the towels TMac. They are a cheap marketing ploy that so many other professional sports teams have used.

I was pissed off last year when idiot fans would be waiving them around in front of you so you can't see what the hell is going on at the field at the playoff game I went to vs. Dodgers.

[bay_area_phan]

Prediction: my next prediction, whatever it is, will be wrong.

[Dave X]

Hamels has 2 less RBI than Bruntlett on the season.

[Unikruk]

Quite a pop-up.

[Spitz]

I think Cole might be getting his swagger back. Just in time!

[NEPP]

Hamels is better hitter than Bruntlett...and likely a better utility infielder.

[Old Phan]

Hamels is taller than Bruntlett

[NEPP]

4 pitches Cole?!? Damnit, learn how to do it in 3!

That's the best I can come up with tonight.

[MG]

Rally towels are something they have to hand out in mediocre baseball towns to get the fans excited. They are no better than other terrible things including the "thunder sticks" and the ridiculous cowbells.

Why can't fans just stand up and make noise instead? Would the Yanks had out "rally towels?" I think not.

[NEPP]

Wheels coming off...

[Scott]

Thunder Sticks were developed in Satan's Laboratory.