Phils use eight-run inning to steal win from Braves

The Phillies brought 13 men to the plate in the seventh and benefited from a complete bullpen implosion, using four hits and five walks to rally from a 10-3 deficit and avoid the sweep with a 12-11 win at Citizens Bank Park.

The Braves' bullpen unraveled for six walks and a hit batsman, spoiling a solid outing by starter Javier Vasquez. Following a rousing ovation for Pat Burrell during the pregame ring ceremony, his replacement, Raul Ibanez, delivered his best game in red pinstripes, including a two-run homer in the second and RBI single to start the Phillies' rally in the seventh. On the mound, Phillies starter Joe Blanton was knocked around for seven runs on nine hits and two walks over four frames. But after the Phillies seized the lead, their first of the season, Ryan Madson went 1-2-3 to close out the eighth, and Brad Lidge, despite letting up a solo homer to Matt Diaz, notched his first save of the season.

After the amazing turn of events, the Phillies take to the road a manageable 1-2 after being badly out-slugged and out-pitched for all but one inning.

Comments

[Jim]

Kentucky Joe STILL undeafeated in a Phils' uniform - lol

[bay_area_phan]

What's with all the naysayers in the last thread? The outcome of that game was never in doubt.

[Jim]

Kentucky Joe STILL undefeated in a Phils uniform - lol

[Run Up The Score]

That was bananas. I only saw one inning of the game (waiting for an oil change in Harrisburg at Lancaster Brewing Co.), but it was the right one!

[J. Weitzel]

Best story of series: Howard's glove.

[Brian G]

jazzy jeff: that's for giving me props on my prescience. And I'd like to give props to the Phillies for sticking with what works. You gotta think a WFC repeat is a certainty at this point.

Furthermore, I'd like to nominate for "bruceg comment of the day" everyone's favorite pessimist, MG:

That's the game. It was a little high on the inside but man the was a great swing.

Posted by: MG | Wednesday, April 08, 2009 at 04:48 PM

[GM-Carson]

It sure was ugly, but just like Julian Tavarez signing with the Gnats, you take what you can get.

[erich]

PFW!

[NameErich H]

WOW!!!!!!!!! They are the team to beat!! The last time they came back from this kind of deficit, they beat the Mets on the road to the Championship.The teams that come back from these kind of games are the ones that win World F'n Series Championships!! Bonus: Blanton still hasn't lost a game for the Phils! This guy might be our lucky charm!

[Knight]

Hah, thought Condrey got the win. Love when garbage time relievers get the win.

I look forward to when Moylan gets his first out, and his ERA goes from infinity to 108. He's like the Braves' own personal Tom Gordon.

[Phillies Red]

What a fitting win for ring day.

[The Theory]

The story of the game for me is how the Phillies actually accepted that many walks. Kind of rare for a free-spirited, free-swinging team like the Phils.

Hey Run Up- how is the Harrisburg Lancaster Brewing? I was surprised last year when I drove by it... didn't realize LBC had expanded into a second location. It looks really nice from the outside... but I do love my local LBC and it's cozy interior.

Do you know whether they brew beer onsite, or do they import it from Lancaster?

[LA Jeff]

The Braves must really, really hate us.

[philsphan]

This game reminded me a lot of the third game of the season last year. Phillies were 0-2 and the Nationals had the lead for awhile but the Phillies came from behind to win and avoid the sweep.

You can NEVER count this team out of a game, especially when the more unlikely a comeback seems. If the Phils can go 2-1 in Colorado they will be in good shape.

[bay_area_phan]

The highlight of that game was definitely Pedro Feliz's double on a 3-0 count. One can only imagine the (justifiable) outrage on Beerleaguer if he had hit into a DP on that pitch.

[GM-Carson]

Run Up the Score- you from the Harrisburg area? If so, so am I. We should be up at Appalachian Brewing Co. for a brew sometime.

[NEPP]

What a spectacular game!!!!!!!!! Damn firewall at work. I got to listen to most of it on the radio though, which was awesome!

[NEPP]

Burrell would have hit 2 HRs...I'm just sayin'.

[Furnstein]

It was a great and unexpected win. It was nice to see the fans embrace Ibanez after his great game. Perhaps the ring ceremony gave some closure to the Burrell era and now we can all move on.

[NEPP]

Ibanez might have just saved his Phillies career (not to exaggerate much). If he would have say struck out to end the game with a loss instead of being the hero, he would have been ostracized from day one...now he's got a grace period and is the hero for at least one day. Good game, great effort and I'm ecstatic that we won...1-2 is so much better than 0-3.

[Len39]

Thanks for the gift Atlanta. It is obvious that destiny is with us this year. Time to chill the champagne.

[Josh]

Got tickets at the last minute for this one and came down from Hbg. Half my section took off at 10-3. Never give up!

[NEPP]

I'm watching Burrell bat for the Rays on NESN right now...its so weird to see him in a Rays uniform.

[NEPP]

Games like today are the reason I never ever leave a game early...you just never know.

[GoPhilsGo]

Season almost over...but not quite.

[Inside/Outside the Parker]

What a comeback.

Watching Mets v. Reds and it is good to see that the Mets are in late season form defensively with Reyes getting an error in the first. Mike Pelfrey also seems to think that it is September.

If there is one 1B in MLB that I would consider trading Howard (in some alternate universe one in which a time traveling, martini drinking, Pat Gillick communicates telepathically with apes) for, it would be Joey Votto. Votto just took Mike Paltry deep the opposite way (3R HR). He is good defensively, takes walks, and will probably hit 35-40 HR in healthy, full seasons. I, of course, am completely loyal to Ryno.

[bananagrabbers]

I was at the game today. Stuck it out and was well rewarded.

It was a great crowd. There were some negative vibes early on, but I noticed that those were generally the people who bolted early.

Madson's stuff looked great. Ibanez definitely won some people over today (in fact, my pals and I discovered a nickname for him: Squiggles). And it's amazing the love that our crowds have for Matt Stairs. Such an ovation.

[NEPP]

Pelfrey with an impressive 4 ER in 1 IP so far...good to see we're not the only ones with pitching issues in the starting rotation.

I'll be very surprised if Votto has 35-40 HRs this year...I'd guess closer to 30 as he's more of an average guy who hits for power as opposed to a pure slugger.

[BobbyD]

What a turn of events. By the way, disregard all my earlier posts. I'm most happy that Atlanta goes from leaving here with a lot of confidence, to leaving on a big downer. Not that I'm not worried about them channeling the '27 Yankees for the rest of the year at the plate.

[MG]

bruceg - Phils were down 10-3 when I wrote that. Phils likely will lose 97 or 98 times out of 100 when they are down 10-3 in the bottom of the 6th.

[Inside/Outside the Parker]

NEPP: Good point, but Votto has 35-40 HR power, even though he does hit for average.

[NEPP]

So I'm watching the Red Sox game on NESN right now...as I do live in NE afterall...The more I watch Jon Lester, the more I'm impressed with him. He's a really really good pitcher. He'd probably be a #1 on most other teams. His breaking stuff is very good.

[NEPP]

Pelfrey's at 50 pitches through 1 1/3 IP...ouch.

[The Truth Injection]

Remember a few hours ago in the game thread where I was telling people to not jump to conclusions?

Good comeback for the Phightin's. Very good patience at the plate in the 7th and just some solid at bats.

[MG]

Actually looking at FanGraphs the Phils chances of winning were around 1% when they were down 10-3. Doesn't mean I turned off the game or would leave if I was there.

People may bet on those odds (and they likely do other utterly foolish things like play the lotto or play the slots) but the Phils' have spoiled us the past few years with some epic comebacks.

In fact, I would love to go see the last time each team in MLB came back when they were down 6 or more runs entering the 7th (and as a home/away team). Even though the Phils have down this a couple of times the past few years, I would be willing to bet that you would go back years and years to see the last time that some teams did that especially those with crummy offenses the past few years.

[Kutztown Fan]

One word - WHEW!

[NEPP]

Pelfrey: 2 IP, 61 Pitches

On Lester: FB at 92-94 with movement, a wicked curve in the 77/78 range, a good change. Damn he's good. I don't get how all the preseason predictions were salivating about the Yankees when the Red Sox have a pitching staff where DiceK is their #3. They've got ridiculous depth.

[Chris]

What's with the hatin' on Ibanez? I remember quite a few boos for Burrell when he wore pinstripes and failed to deliver . . .

[Jack]

Votto will hit over 35 HRs in one of the next few seasons, if not this year.

NEPP: I have a cousin in Boston who claims he would take Lester's career over Hamels. I disagree, but you can at least make the case. Lester is a very good pitcher.

[RSB]

Quite a reality check for Atlanta...their rotation is decent but their bullpen still looks pretty atrocious. Talk about giving a game away. Though it was a nice reward for enduring the rest of that series, I would feel a little more jubilant if the Phils had actually earned that W. But it is a W and it will make a big difference going into the road trip.

Can't believe people booed Eaton and even the non-present Tom Gordon on a day made to celebrate. I really don't understand how anyone could do that.

[NEPP]

Lester probably has better stuff overall than Hamels but I'd probably hang on to Hamels. They're different animals, even though both are LHP.

Lester has a power fastball and a amazing curve but his change is also a good pitch. Hamels is more of a 2 pitch cat who also throws an average curve.

Lester has more ways to get you out but Hamels change is the best pitch out of either of their repertoires. Its a matter of taste I guess. I'll take Hamels but then I'm a Phillies fan.

[NEPP]

RSB, you're confused as to why they booed Eaton? Its not even how bad he was...its more of his personality. The guy is a prick...he deserves whatever he gets. Though it might have been better to simply not cheer him instead of booing.

[doubleh]

What a game. Unfortunately, I had to leave because my son was getting sick and with the cold thought it wasn't good for him to stay out there. But as we got in the car during the 6th inning, I just had this feeling the Phils were going to do something. We almost crashed the car a few times during the drive home.

Thank you, Braves bullpen. Phils surely do love to hit the relievers.

[doubleh]

The booing of Eaton was embarrasing. I say just stay silent--I actually think that would be more powerful in the long run. Philly fans indifferent? Ouch.

[JG]

Prediction: Bobby Cox has a stroke and/or heart attack this season.

[MG]

0.7% chance of victory. That is what FanGraphs had after Victorino ground out to lead off the bottom of the 7th inning. Amazing stuff.

[NEPP]

Baldelli just made a highlight reel catch in Boston...WOW!

[MG]

RSB - Booing Gordon was completely unjustified. As it would have been with Taguchi, Seanez, or others. I can see why people booed Eaton (even if tacky). Eaton was given every chance to succeed, had excuse after excuse, and quit on this team in Sept even though he was 100% healthy.

[Dave X]

Quite the offensive explosion, hopefully the SP gets it together now. 1-2 looks a bit better than 0-3, although in the long run it isn't really that much of a difference.

[RSB]

Not at all confused as to why people booed Eaton when he was here. But this was not the time or place. It was petty. It was embarrassing. The guy was a bad pitcher, he wasn't Hitler.

[doubleh]

The booing for Gordon wasn't bad but I don't understand why they did it. I mean, why? He didn't make the team lose a championship and it's not Gordon's fault that the Phils gave him the large contract they did even though his arm had been blown out by Torre.

But the Eaton booing was deafening. I don't know how it sounded on TV, but at the park, I actually felt like hiding. My husband, who loathes Eaton, said, "I feel really badly for the guy."

No matter what he did for the club, and his professionalism is very questionable--he is a human being. And no human being deserves to be treated that way.

[NEPP]

I believe Hitler had a better fastball.

[RSB]

doubleh: exactly. It's dispiriting how many people in a large crowd fail to comprehend that.

[MG]

Eaton "isn't Hitler" but he simply quit on his team and his teammates during a tight pennant race in Sept. If that isn't the definition of selfishness, then I don't know what is.

On the other hand, Gordon just simply broke down. It wasn't because he didn't try to get out there to pitch. He was just physically unable to. Really no apt comparison between Gordon and Eaton last year.

[NEPP]

In all seriousness though, I agree with doubleh's above statement on booing him...it was uncalled for and unneccessary. He didn't cost us a World Series or anything...there was no need to boo him. Boo the FO for giving him the money when they need he was a marginal #5 guy...would any of us have said no if the Phillies drive a truck with $25 million up to our house? I know I wouldn't have.

[thephaithful]

Since suckup clout isn't around =), ill take the honors in saying JW is right. Howard's glove was present throughout the series and would be a pleasant surprise if Perluzzo's work with him in the offseason really translated into those types of results so quickly.

Another suckup moment and ill be done - great addition with the spellcheck addition to the posting window, now i can look much smarter when i say dumb things.

[NEPP]

Gordon pitched on a bad shoulder for 3 years...he'll probably never be able to even play catch with his kids because he loved baseball so much and he wanted to help his team win. I've never understood why people hate the guy. He tried to play and he played injured. He's a standup guy and a class act...what the fvck? How do you boo that?

[doubleh]

RSB: Because most people are sheep and can't think for themselves so they go along with the heavily inebriated crowd.

And the bandwagon jumpers--and we have them now--don't really know the story so they just boo b/c they don't want to look like they don't know anything about the team.

[NEPP]

The Orioles are murdering the Yankees right now...again. I honestly don't see the hype with the Yankees, they're an old team and they don't have depth. I think they're gonna dig themselves a huge hole in April with Arod out.

[thephaithful]

So we're sympathizing for Eaton being a horrible baseball player and visible douche from what the general public can see from his time on tv and excuses in articles...but criticizing fans for saying the word "boo"?

Since when is booing such an evil horrid gesture?

BOOO!! ... oh no i am such a horrible person that i made a noise aloud that shows my displeasure for a certain thing or person.

You act like they threw batteries or something.

[NEPP]

This Just In! Nick Markakis is REALLY good. He's not a great player, he's a superstar player. I can't believe he's only 25.

[MG]

Underappreciated moment of the series - Howard's go-ahead RBI today where he hung tough on an outside changeup from Campillo that he got just enough of it tap it to 1B and drive in a run

The four Braves relievers in the bottom of the 7th inning:

63 pitches, 28 strikes (44%) that resulted in 6 BBs. No control at all.

[Spitz]

Boo the FO for giving him the money when they need he was a marginal #5 guy...would any of us have said no if the Phillies drive a truck with $25 million up to our house? I know I wouldn't have.

Posted by: NEPP | Wednesday, April 08, 2009 at 08:36 PM

And NEPP, after the Phillies backed that truck up to your house, if they had asked you to go down to Florida in the playoffs to stay sharp, would you have said no? Cause if you did, then you would deserve to get booed.

Why the hell did Montgomery even invite Eaton to the ring ceremony? Took away from the other guys that deserved to be there (including Gordon et. al.)

[thephaithful]

nepp: i think that was in when he signed a record extension for a player who was entering his first year of arb.

[NEPP]

Honestly though, why boo him at this point? We won a damn world series. He didn't cost us one...that I could see. He came back to get a ring, maybe he shouldn't have but he did. Just ignore him and move on to cheering the next Phillie. I was probably the biggest critic of that POS when he was here but I doubt I would have booed him...How can you boo any of them at this point? During a ring ceremony at least...boo the crap out of him when he comes through for innerleague play.

[Matt]

NEPP, our first two games here weren't all that hot, either. I wouldn't count them out.

[bay_area_phan]

hh: Your son wasn't the only one getting sick. I was also feeling a severe case of nausea which started around the 3rd inning and didn't start to abate until the 7th.

[Kool Earl]

BAP- I get nausea reading you whimper and whine all the time.

[NEPP]

***And NEPP, after the Phillies backed that truck up to your house, if they had asked you to go down to Florida in the playoffs to stay sharp, would you have said no? Cause if you did, then you would deserve to get booed.

Why the hell did Montgomery even invite Eaton to the ring ceremony? Took away from the other guys that deserved to be there (including Gordon et. al.)****

That first paragraph makes a great point. I would have done whatever my employer wanted me to do...especially if they were paying me that much. When I played sports, I was the guy that slid in front of a slapshot, ran out every ball etc etc. I didn't have the most talent on any team I was ever on probably but I worked my ass off when I was out there. I think the guy is a piece of crap and I dont get why he came back. He was invited because it was an MLB event and by their rules he was eligible to get a ring. Why he came is beyond me. He had to know what would happen but he came anyway. Was it to try and be a part of it or was it becaues he was shoving in the fans' faces? I dont know, I dont care. Deafening silence would have been more appropriate and even more awkward I think.

On Markakis: He's like freaky good...he's the ideal RF. He keeps it up he could be something special.

[bay_area_phan]

Kool: Maybe the nausea would go away if you laid off the booze a little.

[bathtubhippo]

no sympathy for eaton. honestly, the man should have known better and taken his ring out of mind and out of sight. how could he not have known what the reaction would be when his name was called?? i really think the guy came just to be a smartass to the fans today. i mean, yeah he was getting booed, but the guy raised his arms to taunt the fans and then flashed the ring right at the camera. so either he's totally delusional (not impossible) or he's a complete douche bag. i'd bet on the latter.

[NEPP]

Probably a combination. He honestly thinks he pitches well most of the time...other than a couple pitches of course...that was when he wasn't throwing the team under the bus for whatever reason. He won't be missed one bit.

[doubleh]

Look: I'm not Eaton fan and I do think he's a bit of a dbag. However, today was not about him. It was about the team and celebrating a championship. When he's on the mound for the O's facing the Phils, boo the crap out of him. But today...it wasn't right, because it takes away from everyone and everything else. You've got Gillick and Burrell crying and then you want to boo some guy who means nothing right now?

Like I said, silence from Phillies fans would have probably shocked him more.

[Brian G]

Like 'the phaitful' said.. who gives sh*t? It's just booing. Nobody died. I agree booing Gordon is idiotic, but Eaton was a mental marshmallow who gave up RBI doubles to Randy Johnson. He deserved to get booed. If Ashlee Simpson won a grammy for her lip synching performance on SNL, then she would and should get booed too. That's the equivalent of Adam Eaton basking in the glory of the Phillies World Championship. If booing hurt his feelings so much, then he should've stayed away, bc it was the most predictable thing ever. But I doubt it does, because again.. IT'S JUST BOOING.

[Spitz]

NEPP: OK, I see you point now. The booing may have cheapened the ring ceremony a bit (and surely will get played on sportcenter). Instead, it would have been better for the fans to use that energy to cheer Utley, Stairs, Howard, Rollins, etc. Agreed.

[NEPP]

Great metaphor...honestly, that pretty much sums it up.

BTW, we're still the World F*CKING CHAMPS!!!

[NEPP]

The fvcking Mets just took the lead...damn.

[Goody]

I missed the ring event, was Selig there? I thought it was his job to hand out the rings, or was he worried about the Eaton treatment that he would have gotten?

MG: I know the odds on slots and the lottery, but I still play. To me "utterly foolish" is betting on your team. You can't enjoy the game unless your team wins, and wins by a certain margin. You can't enjoy the game for what it is.

[Goody]

I don't know about Hitler, but Castro had ML asperations. A lot of people would have been better off if he had made it.

[The_GodfatherSJP]

I'm sure there have been 18 different posts already about how much the Braves bullpen sucked this game. I'm not surprised. The Braves haven't had a great bullpen since they pushed John Smoltz back into the starting rotation, and it's been a problem for a few years now.

I think that's the case this year as well. Gonzalez seems like an effective closer, but no one in the rest of the Atlanta bullpen impresses me. It wouldn't surprise me if this becomes a common sight: the Braves get a good start and a small lead, only to have the bullpen blow it.

[BobbyD]

There's simply no need to boo during a World Series ring ceremony. Doesn't matter why Eaton was this or why Gordon was that. You don't boo during a World Series ring ceremony unless you're trying to be a moron. How does one's emotion turn to that during a moment of bliss?

[Bob]

There actually were a number of positives to take away from the Atlanta series.

-As Jason said, Howard's glove.

-A win on the day of the ring ceremony

-Taking some wind out of the Braves' sails. Don't want then too cocky and confident, feeling the have the Phils' number.

-A nice, well deserved farewell for Pat Burrell.

-And a chance for Ibanez to take a little of the edge off with his performance today.

-The Phils can go to Colorado relaxed and just play rather than having the pressure of getting that first win hanging over them.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

The Eaton booing is an embarrasment. I'm not a fan of his, but to carry it to this point was tacky as hell. I LOATHE the national(and lazy local) media that harp on Philly phans booing/snowball Santa/etc., but this adds fuel to the fire. That said, the Gordon booing was even worse.

[MG]

Braves don't have a terrible bullpen. If the Phils hadn't gone ahead in the 7th, I bet this game would have been alot different with Soriano in the 8th and Gonzalez in the 9th.

Issue is that Moylan is still coming back from his elbow injury and the rest of the pitchers are just like Boyer, Campillo, etc are just interchangeable parts. Over the course of the season, they might give you respectable numbers but there are going to be times they really struggle.

Braves still likely have a better rotation than the Phils. Hell, you could argue that the Mets and Fish do too although there likely isn't much of a difference if Hamels is healthy and effective.

Tomorrow's start by Hamels is by far the most important event in this very early seasonn. A normal outing from Hamels (7 IP, 2-3 ER) with his fastball up around 90-91 MPH would go a long way to easing doubts about the Phils' starting pitchers.

[TNA]

gdmt. krod just pulled a houdini act.

[MG]

Few last points:

- Phils' bullpen certainly didn't help there cause today. They wouldn't have needed a huge comeback if Happ/Durbin hadn't given up another 3 runs over 3 IP.

Happ didn't look terrible out of the pen but he struggled with his control. Given that Cholly is only likely to use him unless he absolutely has to, I don't see how Happ is going to be effective pitching 1/week max for an 1-2 IP.

- Everybody ranted and raved about Howard's great play in the 8th but frankly I was more impressed with his clean picks on some tough throws from JRoll and Feliz this series. Looked like vintage Brogna.

If Howard can remain this consistent, the Phils may just have the best INF defense in the NL.

- Maligned bench came through today including with some quality ABs by Coste and Bruntlett (GW RBI) late.

[doubleh]

If Krod had been facing a lineup with a little more power, he'd have blown that game for sure. Lots of ugly games going on early this season.

[Jack]

MG: You've been the only one consistently pushing this "Hamels is really hurt and they're hiding it from us" meme. Seemingly every post you make insinuates a serious Hamels injury. In fact, if Hamels and his velocity or a possible injury or mentioned, I don't even have to look to see who wrote it, I know it's you.

Honestly, considering he didn't have a lot of ST work, it wouldn't surprise me if Hamels struggled a little bit on Friday and his velocity wasn't up to his usual midseason form. But it doesn't mean he's seriously injured. It just means he's working his way back to normal after a disjointed offseason due to being a WFC. Calm down.

[MG]

Jack - It is only because I went to the game on Sat and Hamels looked very mediocre. It wasn't like he was working on his curveball either.

Granted the conditions weren't great but this argument that he was "saving" it for the regular season doesn't hold much water. Starters don't "save it" in the tune-up start before Opening Day.

Even if he was "saving it" I don't see why he was throwing his fastball around 84-86 MPH. He topped out at 89 MPH on one fastball where he tried to rear back and missed badly. This is a guy who didn't have any trouble in his career in throwing at 90-91 MPH. "Saving it" would mean that he wouldn't try to hit 94 or 95 on the gun to try and strike out somebody.

Maybe it is the lack of work/routine but I find it really odd that his fastball velocity would drop over 5 MPH simply due to a "lack of regular work." Such a drop in velocity usually indicates an injury of some sort.

You will tell very quickly tomorrow (probably by the 2nd inning) if Hamels was "saving it" or if he still is having issues with his elbow yet.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

I haven't seen him pitch so I can't judge it but I don't think Jack was suggesting he's 'saving it'. Hopefully, Jack is right and he's just gaining strength and loosening up the arm. I don't like their chances with a rotation headed by Myers.
(This is where Jack does his Charlie Brown imitation).

[philsphan]

Here is the Fangraphs for the game: http://www.fangraphs.com/lgraphs/290408122_Braves_Phillies_122232506_lbig.png

[Adam Eaton's confidence]

Billy Wagner is about to start throwing off a mound and is targeting an August return

[Sophist]

Diaz, of course, has great numbers against Lidge (2 HR in about 3 AB, IIRC), but as Lidge's HR/9 was unreal last year it's interesting to note how many games it took for him to give up his first bomb.

Last year he gave up his first HR of the year on July 25th, the 103rd game of the year, his 43rd appearance.

[MG]

Hugh and Jack - My only point is that Hamels is likely still having issues with his elbow to some degree. Now if he comes out tomorrow and hits 89-90 MPH consistency with his fastball then he should be in the starting in the rotation.

If he is struggling to get his fastball above 85-86 MPH, then he shouldn't be starting tomorrow night. Especially not in the cold weather. Instead, he should be in the warm weather in Florida strengthening his arm until he achieve his normal velocity.

Utley and Feliz both do appear healthy and ready to go. If Hamels isn't, then he should rehabbing and brought back (2-3 weeks) after he is ready to go.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

MG - if he's hurt, he probably shouldn't be throwing. If the problem is simply ineffectiveness/ lack of velocity due to insufficient practice, at least we agree he should be throwing pitches. As for whether he should be doing it in the rotation, I might sympathize with your viewpoint after he pitches. Since he's starting Friday, he probably threw in the bp today. Anyone see a report on that?

[denny b.]

"Happ didn't look terrible out of the pen but he struggled with his control."

He struggled a little bit, with his command. But, I actually thought he had really good stuff today. He was struggling a bit with his slider, but his fastball, cutter and change were on target. He was just missing off the plate (the 3-2 pitch, to Diaz just missed). He had Schaffer in trouble at 1-2, and made a mistake with a changeup, on the inner-half. It was a bad pitch with bad location.

He mowed them down easily, in his 2nd inning.

Durbin was the one today, who was wild. Which, is very uncharateristic of him. Good thing for Condrey, that he put out the fire, that Durbin created.

Madson was nasty (although, I miss the #61) and Lidge (despite a hanger to Diaz) looked good too.

As bad as they played in this series, getting any win, was big.

[Mike]

Through 3 games:

Ibanez's OPS: 1.021
Burrell's OPS: .125

This means nothing so far. I just wanted to stir the Beerleaguer pot.

[ST]

you guys must have missed Hamels hitting 89 as a high on his fastball ALL OF APRIL LAST YEAR. he didn't hit 90 until May. and he's not hurt. he had an absolutely clean MRI on his elbow.

[ST]

and his bullpen session was fine to answer hugh's inquiry

[ST]

go to brooksbaseball.net and look at Hamels first game against Washington last April. avg 85 on his fastball and his highest velocity was 88. lost 1-0. this is not abnormal. this is what he does