Game 22: Can Phillies win rare road series vs. L.A.?

The Phillies haven't been so great on the road recently, but they'll have a chance to take three of four at Dodger Stadium with Kyle Kendrick on the mound tonight.

The Phillies are just 14-30 in their last 44 road games. They had a chance to win Wednesday night in Cole Hamels' season debut, but Zack Greinke was just too good (and the bullpen was what we've come to expect it to be).

They still have a chance to win their second road series of the year tonight, but it won't be easy against Dan Haren (3-0, 2.16).

The former three-time All-Star is off to a super start, with 20 strikeouts and just two walks in 25 innings.

A win tonight would give the Phillies a realistic chance to finish their road trip 6-4 -- if they can also take two of three over the weekend in Arizona. That seemed extremely unrealistic after they dropped the first pair of games at Coors Field.

OF NOTE...

• Dan Haren is 1-4 with a 5.09 ERA in eight lifetime starts against the Phils.

• Ryan Howard is 8 for 17 with seven RBIs in his last four games.

• Key matchups for Haren: Marlon Byrd (10 for 21, 2 HR), Ryan Howard (3 for 11, 2 HR)

• Key matchups for Kendrick: Yasiel Puig (5 for 6), Andre Ethier (6 for 22, 2 HR)

• Kendrick has made 11 straight starts without earning the win.

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Comments

[Rally Red '67]

***repost***I love this:

Do Phils have anywhere to turn for bullpen help?

One of our hosts believes Giles can help today. I believe he can help, too. Dammit, he's 23 years old and he throws strikes at extreme velocities. Anything other than the on-again/off-again Manship/Hollands express to late inning heartbreak.

Rollins, Utley Howard, Ruiz and Lee are old, but are playing for pride. This can't be discounted. Nearly every victory the Phillies have this young season "feels" like the scuffling, brawling teams of '06 - '10.

On the other hand, if Mont; er, umm, Amaro trades Biddle for some pack of Wade-sanctioned rag-armed stiffs, I'm turning in my phan card. Maybe for good.

How can you not hope for a great KK performance tonight, and a sweep of the Diamondbacks? That would leave the team 3 games over .500 - with some April still left.

Am I a Phillies junkie, or what?

[bay_area_phan]

I'm pretty skeptical of Giles, because he has an astronomically high career walk rate. And, for all the cliches about how a good stuff/bad command prospect can eventually improve, they usually never do -- especially when they play for the Phillies.

Nonetheless, I'm getting pretty close to my, "What the hell; call him up" threshold. He's throwing strikes right now. It probably won't last, but we might as well ride it as long as it does. And when he crashes, it's not like he's apt to be meaningfully worse than guys like Manship, Hollands, and Diekman.

[NEPP]

I could see Giles immediately imploding when MLB hitters dont chase his pitches out of the zone and then just sit fastball on him.

MLB hitters can hit a 100 mph fastball...especially if they know its coming.

[bay_area_phan]

I could easily see it too. Then again, that wouldn't be all that different from the implosions we're already witnessing on an almost nightly basis.

[jr]

Franco,3 hits including a HR.

[awh™]

"MLB hitters can hit a 100 mph fastball...especially if they know its coming."

Yep, and with Giles providing all that power, if they hit a fly ball...

[Iceman]

I've seen plenty of fine arguments on Giles probably not being able to succeed at this level right now that I generally agree with.

I also think it's easy to agree on this point: half the bullpen right now is as bad (or worse) than Giles skeptics predict he will be- and that has no chance of getting any better. With Giles, there's at least a chance. And it can't get any worse (like, literally, it can't get worse).

If the bullpen doesn't improve, the team isn't competing this year. At some point, they have to shuffle around personnel and hope to find lightning in a bottle.

[NEPP]

I have no issue calling him up...I just wouldn't expect much.

[awh™]

My concern with the game tonight is that Kendrick has been horrid in Dodger Stadium:

22.2 IP, 109 PA, 8.34 ERA, 1.853 WHIP, .363 .404 .539 against

[PLM]

Not to take away anything...Hollands is a 70% experiment and 20% desperation and 10% see what sticks.

[Dickie Thong]

FREE 100 MILE GILES!

[awh™]

PLM, I would say the ratio is 85/14/1.

[Stephen Hawking]

I guess black holes do exist.

[Meyer]

Even Kendrick had trouble getting a good swing against Haren.

[Curt]

It's the blackest of black holes. That was embarrassing.

[Tim]

Why do the walk-up songs in Dodger Stadium sound so much more tinny and obnoxious than in other stadiums? It's REALLY annoying.

[jr]

While you are fixing the pen: try improving 3b and backup infielders. Asche,Galvis and Nix may be worse than the pen.

[GBrettfan]

Come on, Big Piece!

[PLM]

Ugh!

[NEPP]

Brutal,just brutal

[GBrettfan]

I keep reminding myself that the Dodgers have good pitching in order to feel better (or not as bad) about the Phillies' not scoring. But it's hard to watch them put runners on without plating them, with frequency.

[PLM]

Galvis and Ashce (least for time been) should not be in the lineup at the same time unless a injury occurs.

[mainerob]

For the third straight year, this team is unwatchable. In consecutive innings, I have slammed my ipad cover shut after witnessing supposedly professional hitters come up small with runners on base.

It is a disgrace that such a high payroll should yield little league results.

We all should be outraged, but how do you pick your targets? There are so many. Nix/Galvis/Asche should all be sent elsewhere. The latter two need to ride buses for awhile until they learn how to hit. Batting them back-to-back followed by the pitcher is essentially giving up on one-third of the batting order. How can you win games that way? Screw defense. Get me hitters. And what's up with anemic Howard?

Yuck to everything.

[NEPP]

Exactly the pitchers duel we all expected with KK and Haren going.

[GBrettfan]

Nice job, KK! From 3-0 to a K.

Never mind. Followed up the strikeout by giving up a HR.

[mainerob]

Can't score. Just gave up two. Game and season over. Sanity too important. Until tomorrow.

[NEPP]

Ok...time for bed.

[GBrettfan]

Well, splitting the series with the Dodgers isn't terrible....of course, without that error, we'd have lost the series 1 game to 3.....assuming that we do lose tonight.

KK gives up a hit to Haran. KK's falling apart all of a sudden.

[Cyclic]

The offense is just fine. Yep, it's definitely offensive.

[GBrettfan]

Nice job by Revere to go to 3B on that. Come on, Chase!

[Buddy Rydell]

mainerob I suggest anger management

[Iceman]

Howard has looked like a total chump tonight.

[Iceman]

Now we'll see if mainerob/NEPP actually gave up.

[GBrettfan]

Oh, my, an error, a Howard "Oops" that moves the runners, an Byrd's fly ball missed by Puig, and we're in the lead! Woohoo!

Not that I think KK and the 'pen can hold it, but still, we're in the lead for now!

[Jake]

That was fun

[Dickie Thong]

Galvis should get a free base for walking the guy in front of him just like in co-ed softball.

[Jake]

Haren is lucky its not 10-2, Phillies have been bailing him out all night

[GBrettfan]

It would be a good time for Galvis to get a hit. Nope, guess not.

[Curt]

Freddy has really regressed. He doesn't look like he could maintain a .200 average in Wiliamsport.

[Jake]

Galvis now batting .043

[PLM]

Post Steroids Galvis or Galvis still in ST form? No one expected him to be more than a .240 hitter but gosh...

[Cyclic]

Galvis needs his PEDs

[Meyer]

That damn MRSA ate Freddy's hitting confidence.

[Cyclic]

Ugh this will end well

[Jake]

WTF is the difference? He was out by a mile

[Cyclic]

Also of note, it's basically impossible to watch the Dodgers on tv if you live in the LA area

[GBrettfan]

Ruiz did not have his foot on the line. Could have slid around him. I think he should be out, but I bet it's overturned.

[GBrettfan]

Yay, it's an out! Whew!

[Jake]

Tick tock..

[Chasing Ugly]

Replay is on my nerves, that should have never been reveiwed - insane. They are finally going to ruin baseball for me.

[Jake]

Asche with one foot out of the dog house. Great play.

[Curt]

The new phenomenon everywhere you turn: "rules" no one understands.

[GBrettfan]

I can't help but note the irony that the rule put in place for the purpose of protecting catchers from injury makes it harder for them to do their job.

[Bobby Cocks]

Kendrick at 89 pitches in the 5th. No matter what happens this inning, the bullpen will have a few innings so Dodgers will tack on at least 6 runs.

[Chasing Ugly]

From his San Fran days, I hate Uribe.

[Cyclic]

Wow. Awesome. Let's score more

[Curt]

Start the pool on which stiff gets the BS tonight.

[Jake]

The no plate blocking rule is bad, but the fact that it's a challengeable play makes it that much worse.

[Curt]

Actually, I'll take KK to blow the lead in the bottom of the 6th.

[Bobby Cocks]

The futility of the 7-8-9 hitters is unbelievable - really, nobody thought it would be this bad. If they keep this up, we'll eventually see Hamels or Lee pinch hitting for a 7 or 8 place hitter in a late inning.

[Chasing Ugly]

Bobby: Funny that the pitchers have better ABs than Galvis or Asche.

[Cyclic]

Hate Uribe so much

[GBrettfan]

And the fun that is the Phillies bullpen begins.

[Bobby Cocks]

I don't care, leave Kendrick in to finish sixth. They are expecting a miracle to get 3 1/3 innings from this pen.

[GBrettfan]

Come on, Diekman.

[Curt]

At least Diek's 8.10 ERA is better than the BP average.

[Cyclic]

Wooo Kemp sucks

[GBrettfan]

He did it!

Only 3 more innings to hold a 1-run lead.

[bay_area_phan]

Alright, I've given up on the Warriors debacle. Now I'm here to watch the Phillies bullpen debacle.

[Bobby Cocks]

Half of the first row of people behind home plate are messing with their phones.

[Chasing Ugly]

Uribe is the devil.

[bay_area_phan]

Howard's brief little hot streak was fun while it lasted.

[GBrettfan]

Big piece comes up small.

[Curt]

So we were better off when Howard was merely striking out.

[Conway Twitty]

bap: You missed his first 3AB's, where he hit the ball a total of 5 feet.

[Cyclic]

Yep. That's about right

[GBrettfan]

Crap.

[Curt]

And we have tonight's BP contest winner.

[Chasing Ugly]

Scully - "The Phillies' bullpen has done it again."

[Cyclic]

A good bullpen gives up 0 R so this is clearly gonna be a LATTB

[Joe Smoe]

A good bullpen gives up O runs every now and then ...

[Curt]

The tension builds while Freddy approaches the plate...will he or won't he manage to put the bat on the ball.

[Curt]

Moral victory for Frddy!

[Cyclic]

Byrd Brown Galvis... Ugh

[Cyclic]

And how often does a good offense score more than 3?

[Bobby Cocks]

I was curious - Galvis' lone hit was on 4/20 in Colorado. The game in which everybody was hitting.

[The Beard]

FURIBE

[Bobby Cocks]

Asche/Rollins/Revere - strike out, pop out, ground out

[Cyclic]

Oh Gwynn isn't very good. Who knew?

[lorecore]

Gwynn fails, Revere comes through. Its almost like Revere is better than Gwynn or something like that.

[GBrettfan]

In the 7th inning or later the Phillies are hitting a league-worst .174 (I think that was it) as a team, reports Franzke.

[Chasing Ugly]

Coin flip - who do I hate more, Wilson or Uribe?

[GBrettfan]

Chooch!!!!!!!

[Cyclic]

Choooooooch

[Curt]

Wilson looks like a future Phillie.

[Meyer]

Ruiz is blistering hot.

[Joe Smoe]

Nice, walk Utley to get Howard - this should pyss off the Big Piece ...

[Cyclic]

Cue the Byrd GIDP

[GBrettfan]

Let's hope Papelbon doesn't duplicate Wilson's performance.

[Conway Twitty]

Chooch on base 12 of 15 times out of the #2 hole.