MVN - Most Valuable Network

Phils Outlast Mets in Instant Classic

5 hours, 17 minutes. 480 pitches. 49 players.

That’s what it took for the Phillies and Mets to decide a game that had first-place implications.

Down 7-0 in the fourth inning and facing a rolling Pedro Martinez, the Phils appeared dead in the water. But two innings, one sac fly (Pedro Feliz), and two two-run homers (Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard) later, the Phils had cut the deficit to 7-5.

Still, a comeback didn’t appear likely, as they trailed 7-6 with two outs and none on in the bottom of the ninth. Jayson Werth hurt the Mets again, however, with a single up the middle, and Eric Bruntlett FINALLY came through with an RBI double.

Werth is an outstanding baserunner, but a good cutoff from Damion Easley likely would have nailed him to end the game.

The Phillies left Bruntlett at second in the ninth, and squandered great scoring chances in the 10th and 11th, but cashed in during the bottom of the 13th.

Shane Victorino led off with an opposite-field triple, forcing the Mets to intentionally walk the bases loaded. Since the Phillies were out of extra men long before this, Brett Myers became the second Phillies pitcher to pinch-hit (Cole Hamels struck out earlier.)

Myers was apparently instructed not to swing (and with good reason, he’s hitting .044 on the year), and was eventually caught looking on a 3-2 pitch from Scott Schoeneweis.

Chris Coste ended the game with a deep fly ball to center, making him 4-4 on the night, in a game he didn’t even enter until the 8th inning.

Kudos to Charlie Manuel for more brilliant managing. And no, I am not being sarcastic one bit.

Manuel decided to leave catcher Carlos Ruiz in the game after pinch-hitting for Greg Dobbs. He shifted Ruiz to third base and kept Coste in to catch, leaving Bruntlett available as the lone extra man off the bench, just in case the pitcher’s spot came up in the ninth.

Ruiz, who came up with the Phillies as an infielder, had never played a single inning as anything but a catcher in the major leagues. An unorthodox, gutsy call by Charlie turned out to be the right one, as a pitcher would have had to bat with two outs in the ninth had Bruntlett came in to play third for Dobbs.

Jimmy Rollins had five hits in his first five at-bats to increase his on-base streak to ten straight plate appearance, before finishing 5-7. Hopefully Jimmy is FINALLY getting hot, something we haven’t really seen all season. As he goes, the Phillies go. Nobody in their right mind could argue that.

This game was an instant classic. It had all the ingredients of what National League baseball is supposed to be about. Tons of situational pitching changes, double switches, every player used except Luis Castillo. Those who love American League baseball probably see pitchers batting in extra innings and laugh, but I’d pick a game like this over any A.L. slugfest.

This is strategy. This is every pitch meaning more than just a pitch. This is moves being made in anticipation of moves being made later. This is the NBA.

Oops, got carried away there. Reminded myself of those corny NBA commercials. But all hilarious joking by me aside, this is baseball.

Seeing the Phils come back from a seven run deficit wasn’t entirely surprising, given the fact that they have been making huge comebacks all season. Don’t believe? BAH! Look at this:

• 4/3 vs. Washington: Down 6-1 in the sixth, Phillies win 8-7 in 10.
• 7/7 vs. Mets: Down 10-1 in the sixth, Phillies lose 10-9, strand tying and winnings runs at 2nd and third.
• 7/22 @ Mets: Down 5-2 in the ninth, Phillies win 8-6.
• 7/26 vs. Atlanta: Down 9-3 in the fifth, Phillies win 10-9.
• 7/27 vs. Atlanta: Down 5-0 in the fourth, Phillies win 12-10
• 8/26 vs. Mets: Down 7-0 in the fourth, Phillies win 8-7 in 13.

Wow.

That’s a team with character.

Pedro Feliz Saves the Day

I used to work with a die-hard Giants fan who told me repeatedly that Pedro Feliz was the least clutch player he’d ever seen. “He never gets the big hit, you’ll hate him. He’s good defensively, but I’m glad to be rid of him.”

Oh yeah, well rid that!

If that doesn’t make sense, blame it on all the Lil Wayne I’ve been listening to recently. (He’s actually really creative and lyrical if you get past the gimmick and most of the radio music he puts out. Used to hate him. Now I don’t so much.)

I guess you could say I share the same feelings for good ol’ Pedro Feliz, who came on in the seventh inning Sunday night as a defensive replacement, and had the game-tying and game-winning hits. His two-out RBI single in the ninth off Jonathan Broxton (whose name is as intimidating as his frame, anyone with an X in their last name has to be rugged) made it 2-2, and his two-out three-run jimmy-jack gave the Phillies a 5-2 extra inning win. There were six dashes in that sentence.

The Phils have taken three straight from the Dodgers after getting swept out in L.A., home of the wave and the fan who doesn’t like baseball much, but a baseball game sounds like fun! Manny Ramirez has been as ineffective as possible, with no RBI or extra-base hits in the series. Maybe the four decimeters he cut off his hair took all his power away.

Speaking of which, why was that a story in any way? Like, why do I know that Manny had a talk with Joe Torre about cutting his hair? Are we all that bored and starved for writing material? What does a horseshoe do? Is there such a thing as horsesocks? Is anybody listening to me?

The Phillies are now a mere 1/2 game behind the Mets, who lost 6-4 in extras to the Astros. It’s hard to blame the Mets bullpen for this one, though, because Brad Ausmus has a ton of opposite field power. You can only hope to contain him.

As for those powerful little Fishies from Florida, former Phillie-killer turned everybody-killer Ricky Nolasco pitched another good game, leading them to a 5-2 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Nolasco is going to be a very good pitcher. He gets a lot of swing-and-misses, has an equal GB:FB ratio, has improved every month this season, and is tied for 8th in the N.L. in complete games. With one. That stat makes me want to cry. CC Sabathia is rolling over in his tub of jelly.

Speaking of Sabathia, the N.L.’s best pitcher, let’s talk about the league’s second best pitcher…Adam Eaton!

How’s Adam doing, you ask? Well, after struggling in Single-A, he’s really turned it around at Double-A Reading, where he is 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA and seven homers allowed in 21 innings. You’re not alone, I can’t wait until he gets his September call-up either.

Brett Myers takes the hill tomorrow night against Chad Billingsley in the final game of this series. Every time I hear Billingsley’s name, I don’t think of his potential, or 3.10 ERA, or 168 K’s in 162.2 IP, or that, like Woody Harrelson, he is from Defiance, Ohio. I think of the scene in the beginning of “Friday Night Lights” where the guy in the passing car yells “BILLINGSLEY! Party at Taylor’s house! Gonna get wasted! BILLINGSLEY!!!”

When I refer to “Friday Night Lights,” I mean the movie. Not the television show that was absolutely awesome during its first season, and pathetically turned into Laguna Beach during it’s strike-shortened second season.

Like Bill Simmons, I highly recommend watching the first season of the show, but don’t bother after that. The football disappears, and in its place comes a love octagon between all eight members of Dillon, TX.

Myers “The Man” Again, Just Ask the Nats

When Brett Myers was recalled from Triple-A following the All-Star break, few new what to expect.

The righty had struggled in every way during the first half, leading baseball in home runs allowed, losing velocity on his fastball, and failing to hold leads. His control was an issue, too, as he was falling behind too many hitters, allowing them to lay off his nasty curve that often falls out of the strike zone.

Maybe Myers was right. Maybe in that month away from the big leagues he regained his swagger, his confidence, his ability to pitch like we all know he can.

The Phils gave the lowly Nationals their 12th straight loss Wednesday night, backed by Myers’ nine-hit shutout. He walked one and struck out nine, improving to 3-1 with a 1.94 ERA since his recall from Lehigh Valley. In his last five starts, Myers has walked five and struck out 28 in 36.2 innings.

To provide proper perspective, we must all remember these are the Nationals. They are the National League’s equivalent to a Double-A team, and Myers’ two best performances during that stretch came at their expense. His next best start was against the Nady-less, Bay-less, good player-less Pirates. But he also pitched well against the Cardinals and Dodgers, two very good offenses.

While a handful of starts won’t definitively allow us to call Myers an elite starter just yet, he is turning it on at the right time and performing up to the lofty expectations set for him.

The Phils bats continued to struggle, mustering only four runs, one of which came by a Nationals error. Two came on a Greg Dobbs homer, and one came on a Jayson Werth bloop double to right.

Pedro Feliz was activated from the 15-day D.L. Wednesday, and will likely be back in the starting lineup Thursday. His presence will allow Dobbs to return to the pinch-hitting role he excels in. It will also send Eric Bruntlett back to the bench, where he can think about life after baseball, a reality that should come true for him in a few months.

The Mets and Brewers also won Wednesday, keeping the Phillies at 1.5 and 4 games back in the division and wildcard races.

Jamie Moyer takes the hill tomorrow night against Tim Redding, a man who had a string of dominant starts against the Phillies until his last. Hopefully the Phils get to him again, as they need a sweep before a string of ten games against the Dodgers, Mets, and Cubs.

Phils Get the Win, Still Not Hitting

Perhaps the Phillies needed to see a team with even worse offensive issues than their own, to salvage this pitiful road trip.

Cole Hamels (10-8) was FINALLY rewarded with his first victory since July 3, allowing seven hits and one run over eight superb innings. The lefty worked fast, had excellent command (no walks, 73 of his 97 pitches were strikes), and gave the dominant performance the people of this city have grown accustomed to.

The 2-1 win keeps the Phillies two games behind the Mets, who used a Johan Santana shutout to win their sixth straight Sunday. This was a very disappointing road trip for the Phillies, who went 2-5, scored only three runs total in their two wins, and watched their previously N.L. best road record fall to 34-31.

Jimmy Rollins led Sunday night’s game off with a single, and promptly stole his 31st base of the season. A throwing error by Padres catcher Luke Carlin allowed Rollins to take third, and subsequently score on a Jayson Werth sacrifice fly.

Pat Burrell added a solo homer in the sixth, his 29th of the season, providing all the insurance Hamels needed.

Although the Phillies picked up a much needed win, this game was still very discouraging from a “big picture” standpoint. This team is struggling so much in a way we haven’t seen over the last few years. Too many strikeouts, too many 1-2-3 innings, and a dearth of extra base hits have contributed to the offensive struggles.

Luckily, the pitching has been very good. Hamels, Jamie Moyer, and Brett Myers have been pitching well enough to win nearly every time out, and you figure that if this team had been hitting the way it is capable of, the Phillies would still have a nice lead in the N.L. East.

I never thought I’d see the day that Pedro Feliz‘ return was so essential, but any additional bat could only help at this point. While it would be unfair to anoint Feliz anything close to a savior, his return would let Greg Dobbs return to being a great late-inning pinch-hit option and allow Eric Bruntlett (possibly the worst player in all of baseball with as many at-bats as he has) to sit on the bench.

As I’ve stated repeatedly, the bottom of this lineup provides nothing. It seems whenever the Phillies have 6-7-8 or 7-8-9 due up, the team is lucky if it gets a baserunner. The Phils 7-8 batters have hit a combined .250 this season. Care to compare that with a true N.L. contender like the Cubs? Chicago’s 7-8 batters have hit .300 this season. Amazing how important production at the bottom can be. In the Phillies case, more hitting at the bottom means more runners on for Jimmy Rollins, who is struggling with a .243/.283/.362 line with the bases empty, but putting up 2007 numbers with a .313/.422/.575 line with runners on.

The Phils have an off day tomorrow before beginning a nine-game homestand. They will start with three against the Nationals, (who they need to sweep), followed by four more with the red-hot Dodgers, before closing it out with a quick two-gamer against the Mets.

Honestly, this doesn’t feel like the Phillies year. It did early on, when they had the look of a team trying to prove last season was no fluke, but now they look more like a pretty good N.L. team that will finish a few games out. The Mets, contrarily, have the look of the 2007 Phillies. They have gotten hot at the right time, and have dominated the head-to-head series.

The last month and a half of the season could play out in various ways, but with the Phillies offense struggling this much and the Mets firing on all cylinders, it’s hard to be too realistically optimistic for 2008. Jose Reyes, who I terribly misjudged in my N.L. East Positional Breakdowns, is being to the Mets who Jimmy Rollins was to the Phillies last year. When you have a leadoff batter consistently getting on to start innings and performing at such a high level, the rest of the lineup has it much easier.

For the Phillies to have a chance, they need more out of everyone. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Rollins, and Geoff Jenkins are all performing well under their capability, and don’t have much more time to get it together.

The one encouraging thing about this current team is how much better they are set up for the playoffs, if they can make it there. The entire pitching staff is performing well, and in a playoff format, Kyle Kendrick probably gets left out of the rotation, leaving the Phils with a pretty nice looking four-man staff.

The 2007 Phillies slugged their way to the playoffs and saw their pitching staff turn it on down the stretch.

Now, it’s the offense’s turn to help their pitchers out.