Game 3: KK leads manship of RHPs into rubber game

We're going to see the right-handed relievers tonight - you can bet on that - be we're not going to see Jimmy Rollins.

Rollins is not in the lineup Wednesday for the Phillies' rubber match with the Rangers in Arlington, Texas. Instead, the shortstop is headed back to Philadelphia to be with his wife as the couple is expecting its second child. Instead, Jayson Nix is making his Phillies' debut at short. Kyle Kendrick makes his season debut on the bump. Ryan Howard will DH. The John Mayberry Jr. experiment at first continues into the 2014 season, and I know you're excited about that.

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[Hugh Mulcahy]

Well, his dad played first base. Maybe they just like seeing his name there. Plus, he has the glove.

[Cyclic]

I dont think we'll be seeing the right handed relievers.

KK for the complete game, ya'll!

[Meyer]

I want to see the rookie beautillion again. He's already initiated by Texas Hellfire.

[Willard Preacher]

A few months ago, remember how we all just assumed that Howard would be our DH for this entire series as they eased him back in after his prolonged injury stint(s)? Pretty ironic that it took until the 3rd game and at the expense of a crappier 1st baseman...

[GBrettfan]

Nice to see you, Weitzel. Not sure I agree that there was nothing wrong with Holland's baptism by fire, and I definitely don't understand the use of Diekman. But you're right that there's the whole summer before us to second-guess our manager.

BAP, in the 80's, the closer didn't pitch only 1 inning, either. If he came in to pitch the 7th, he stayed in the rest of the game, unless he got in trouble.

May Jimmy's wife be blessed with an easy and safe delivery of a healthy baby.

[Willard Preacher]

I was finally able to use the radio audio overlay last night when I accessed mlb.tv via PS3. It was damn refreshing to hear Franzke's voice again while getting to actually watch the game (though there are still glitches with buffering and cutting in/out). Hearing how much he knew about the TX squad reminded me that this is his stomping grounds and how lucky we are to have him in our booth, calling our games (I believe he actually turned TX down a year or two back to stay with the Phils?). At any rate, for all of the TBag bashing I do, I freaking love Franzke and hope he's around for a long time.

(I'm fully expecting RAJ to find a way to trade him for Abe Nunez, Jr. by the deadline)

[Cyclic]

Mayberry is a bad first baseman as well?

I thought it was just CF he sucked at... (and hitting RHP)

[GBrettfan]

Matt Gelb ‏@magelb 12m
Why April 29 is looking like a safe bet for Cole Hamels' return: http://bit.ly/1iiyHbk

[Cyclic]

"If Hamels pitches every fifth day and does not suffer any setbacks, it could put Hamels back in the Phillies rotation around April 26. But the Phillies could cushion a few of those outings with extra days and have Hamels pitch the opener of a homestand vs. New York on April 29.

That scenario makes sense because it would come on the regular turn for the fifth spot in the rotation. David Buchanan will start triple-A Lehigh Valley's season opener Thursday. That puts him on schedule to pitch April 13 at Citizens Bank Park.

Buchanan would make three starts — at home vs. Miami and on the road against Colorado and Los Angeles — before Hamels replaces him April 29."

So Buchanan has the inside track now? What about Pettibone?

[Rally Red '67]

Jason - How long will this place stay safe? I sacrificed a well-known handle to the troll - he simply cut and pasted the TypePad url and posted under my name.

To those who use a Typepad-registered handle, it's not very useful. Unless security has been upgraded, anyone's TypePad url can be used to hijack your posts.

Back to baseball. Two out of 3 from the Rangers and a win for Kyle Kendrick would be a great start to the season.

[GBrettfan]

If Ross has reverse splits, then what's the logic of playing Mayberry?

[Willard Preacher]

RR67, yeah, any troll can cut/paste the TypePad URL, but at least you can click on said URL/TypePad profile to see actual verified posts from the logged in user, to substantiate which are legit and which are the result of trolldom. Not a perfect fix, but the link they're pasting will actually contain only a list of legitimate posts.

[GBrettfan]

Mike Adams is also on track to return mid-late April.

[Willard Preacher]

"If Ross has reverse splits, then what's the logic of playing Mayberry?"

Best I can come up with is that when you're electing to use a 24 man active roster, you're going to be limited in your options. When it's the Phillies using a 24 man active roster with that expertly assimilated bench, you just smile, nod and give thanks that the Michael Martinez era has come and gone (for now...).

[Willard Preacher]

Though I'd kill to see even a single shred of an explanation on how/why a team with the 3rd highest payroll* in MLB is electing to use a 24 man roster. It's not like they didn't know JRoll's wife was pregnant.

*please save me the "cost of travel" line of b.s.

[bay_area_phan]

Rally Red 67 is cut fastball?

[GBrettfan]

It's true there aren't many options. Sandberg might have had Dom DH, Howard at 1B and Gwynn in LF, like he did opening day.

[Cyclic]

Any word on how Adams' stuff looks?

[bay_area_phan]

It's a true testament to the hideousness of the Phillies' bench that, even against a pitcher who completely dominates RH hitters, Mayberry might still be our best option. At worst, he's the 2nd best after Cesar Hernandez.

[bay_area_phan]

Oh brother.

[GBrettfan]

Chooch!

[Cyclic]

Chooooooooooch

[Cyclic]

Wooo!

[GBrettfan]

Utley!

[bay_area_phan]

Nice start.

[Cyclic]

He stands so far off the plate. No wonder he's useless against outside pitches.

[GBrettfan]

Howard....

[Cyclic]

This lead is safe.

CGSO for Kendrick

[GBrettfan]

Cyclic, I can't find anything on how Adams looks. I just heard Amaro say that he's progressing in a straight line.

Galvis is also improving, per Amaro.

* * *
Well, we got 1 run, at least.

[Meyer]

I'm believing this is Kendrick's year starting tonight. 10 man roster should cover it with an 8 inning shutout performance.

[GBrettfan]

Anonymity:

Todd Zolecki ‏@ToddZolecki 16m
Rangers TV broadcast yesterday used Cody Asche's photo for Jayson Nix. Today they're using Cesar Hernandez's photo.

[bay_area_phan]

"I just heard Amaro say that he's progressing in a straight line."

Unfortunately, he was referring to Adams' velocity, which is progressing in a straight line to 65 MPH.

[DCPhilsfan]

Hey, I was just googleing the Phillies ownership, and noticed that one of the Phillies owners Claire S. Betz passed away in February, is that true or do I have the wrong lady. They have made no public statement about her at all.

[GBrettfan]

Oh, KK!

Oh, Dom!

[MG]

Brown is such a lousy defensive OF.

[GBrettfan]

My above post was meant to be read in a sighing voice, by the way.

[bay_area_phan]

That may have been the worst throw of Domonic Brown's career.

[Shoeless Joe]

#fundamentals

[Phanatic]

DCPhan, that's the CB on the Jersey.

[GBrettfan]

Chooch, standing up and throwing his chest at that pitch to block it. Love him.

[MG]

Fielder bailed out KK there.

[Juums]

Prince Fielder is reminding us we aren't the only team with an overpaid LHB 1B who can't lay off stuff low and away.

Thanks, Prince!

[BobbyD]

Wow. The defense. Got lucky there.

[Meyer]

Brown practiced worse throws at LV.

[GBrettfan]

More stellar defense with KK bobbling the ball. However, it worked out OK because Choo got confused.

[MG]

One of the strangest scoring decisions you will see

[GBrettfan]

I love that Utley ran over to cover 3B.

[bay_area_phan]

If you replay that sequence on the computer 1,000 times, it ends with a worse result in 992 of them.

[Juums]

I suspect Ranger BL just exploded in anger over Fielder's chasing that third strike followed by Choo's baserunning shenanigans.

[NEPP]

Oh KK...you crazy diamond.

[Jack]

I have no idea how they didn't score a single run there.

[GBrettfan]

Well, they should be, Juums.

I can't believe KK got out of that inning without a run.

[MG]

Take it but man it took a lot of pitches (24) to get out of the inning.

[spike]

@juums, righto sir. I wonder if when asked whether he prefers batting 4th or 5th in the lineup, Fielder can offer up more than Howard's childish "I don't know"

[Meyer]

A 6.5 inning shutout for Kendrick would be more than enough for this guy.

[Juums]

GBrettfan:
Oh, I think we'd be livid too. $50MM/year in new salary obligations just screwed the pooch royally. It's the kind of thing we've come to expect from, well, the Phils.

[bullit]

the graphics on espn are far superior to comcast's. you can actually read the pitch speed. also it's placement in the lower right doesn't compete for space w/ the closed captioning.

[bay_area_phan]

Getting 0 runs out of that was something I'd have expected from the Phillies.

[clout]

Key to that inning was the routine DP ball going through the SS hole because Choo broke for second and Jimmy raced over to cover. Otherwise it's an easy inning.

[Jack]

By the way, that was a terrible decision by our 3B coach holding Chooch initially on the single by Utley.

With Howard on deck against a lefty, you send just about anyone there. He's lucky the CF bobbled the ball and gave us the run.

[bay_area_phan]

"Key to that inning was the routine DP ball going through the SS hole because Choo broke for second and Jimmy raced over to cover."

Jayson, you mean.

[NEPP]

Asche starts, Asche hits.

Maybe we should just start him for a bit to see what we've got instead of platooning him with Jayson Nix.

[NEPP]

Jayson Nix...just terrible.

[Phanatic]

Nix redux

[clout]

This is twice in 2 games that Asche has swung at an outside pitch out of the strike zone and slung it right down the third base line. If he can do that at will, he'll be a big success.

[Juums]

Nicely threaded ball there by Asche. Good to see that plus bat control manifesting itself to let him go the opposite way like that.

[clout]

BAP: Yes, Jayson. I'm used to the other guy being there.

[Jack]

It'd be a better sign if Asche was hitting line drives than little slappers down the line.

But I'll take what I can get here. I like what Asche has done so far.

[MG]

KK doesn't have good feel early on with any pitch. Missing his spots and not locating his cutter well.

[Jake]

Who was it that said Dom Brown playing defense looks like a giraffe on acid?

[clout]

MG: He's missing with his changeup to LH hitters, which will burn him eventually if he can't fix that.

[MG]

clout - Yeah and even his sinker has been up. Hopefully he settles in and can give the Phils at least 6 IP tonight.

[GBrettfan]

An aside, retweeted by Zolecki:

Chris Haft/SF Giants ‏@sfgiantsbeat 12m
Pat Burrell, now a Giants scout, just dusted off his muscles and hit a batting-practice home run

Sign him, Ruben! Just kidding.

[Meyer]

"Giraffe on Acid" was spot-on soon after I witnessed the same at LV. It had to be LV area poster. He's a regular lurker, can't remember name but it was the perfect description. Arms - Legs going all ways.

[MG]

Phils used to just pound a starter like this who tried to get by with 4-seam fastball after 4-seam fastball.

[GBrettfan]

He did it! Howard with a HR! Yee haw!

[MG]

Meatball slider and Howard crushed it! Alright Big Man!

[bay_area_phan]

Wow. This guy really does suck against LHP if he's giving up homeruns to Ryan Howard.

[clout]

Cue post by Albert Ross.

[NEPP]

HR...of a LHP too.

Damn.

[Ryan Howard]

That's why they call me the BIG PIECE!

[Albert Ross]

Washed up indeed!

[Albert Ross]

Check the scoreboard boys my brother Chase B. and Me.

[MG]

Given Brown nothing but 4-seam fastballs and still badly overmatched Brown in his 2 ABs so far.

[Big Piece]

How impressive was that homerun, though?

[Jack]

That Howard HR should answer once and for all whose splits matter more, the pitcher or the hitter.

[MG]

That curve wasn't even close. Terrible called 3rd strike on Asche.

[Meyer]

Revere needs some discipline on this AB.

[bay_area_phan]

This is an incredibly charitable strike zone.

[NEPP]

That's putting it mildly, bap.

3 games, 3 very very odd strikezones so far.

[Juums]

The umpires are doing their damnedest to make the case for automated strike-calling.

[bullit]

guys on espn talking about the loop/hole in dom's swing.

[MG]

More good defense by the Phils.

[NEPP]

Howard makes that scoop.

[bay_area_phan]

I was about to say that Howard's scooping ability has really declined, and then I realized that isn't Howard.

[SeanofDead]

Burrell would've dug that one out.

[EDGE]

bullit: Jamie mentioned the same thing on the CSN broadcast.

[Meyer]

Dick Stuart nabbed that one.

[GBrettfan]

Howard would have made that play.

[NEPP]

Burrell was a solid 1B compared to Mayberry. Hell, he was drafted as a 3B if you'll remember.