Can't hate the phillies

[jemagee]

so - post season - new thread

So - phils in 4 or 5?

I don't smell a sweep, but I smell a win, the bats won't be silent last as last year and Hamels vs Dave Busch is fun.  Myers has got to snap out of it though if the phils want to get past the NLCS round.

[doc]

I am hoping Phils in 4 because if it goes 5 that means we see CC again in game 5 (where he will finally get to pitch on normal rest) and that scares me. Now I know game 2 will be his 4th consecutive start on 3 days rest but he shows no signs of slowing down.

I like our chances. I think they get things going with Hamels in Game 1 and I agree our bats won't be silent like last year.

[Sub]

I want to say sweep, but four is good. And I think Sabathia gets knocked around a little in Game 2.

[jemagee]

Carlos Ruiz - YOU ARE SLOW - don't bunt for a hit you dink

Lou Marson starting catcher next year PLEASE

[jemagee]

Yeah, so I should have taken YESTERDAY off to watch the game, stupid inventory, todays game has a troubling start, i smell trouble

[jemagee]

I feel better now

[Skates]

They are up 2-0 and not really playing all that well offensively.  Excellent pitching makes up for a lot of sins.  Milwaukee has that (fat and) happy to be here look.

[jemagee]

Oh yeah

http://www.thegoodphight.com/2008/10/3/627466/what-john-smoltz-won-t-tel

[jemagee]

Can always hate Pedro Feliz though ALWAYS

[Derek Bodner]

Joe Blanton better come up big tomorrow.

It would be really nice if we could find a way to pick up a useful C and 3B in the offseason (or, you know, actually put some faith in our prospects).  That one year we got some pretty good production out of the coste/ruiz/lieberthal triumverate,  but those positions have been rotating doors inadequately filled by the front office for too long.

[jemagee]

I think the catching job is Lou Marsons to lose, the phillies actually have a couple pretty good catching prospects and marson either has to be promoted, or traded (the yankees and red sox are both in desperate need of catchers and have young pitchers to part with)...3rd base i think is a cursed position, lose an all star, be cursed for over a decade until the next one shows up (or however long it was between schmidt and rolen)

Adrian Beltre will probably be available this off season, and since i would have liked them to trade for him 2 years ago, i'd be ok with it now if not too expensive.

It's embarassing to have such a piss poor 3rd baseman YEAR AFTER YEAR when you are so good at first second and short...

BTW - have you seen Joe baltnon - every time he pitches he's big....

[bebopdeluxe]

Haven't seen much talk lately on how bad the deal for Blanton was...

Don't get me wrong - Outman and Cardenas were decent prospects...but relative to the free agent market, I like having Blanton under control for two more years...no need to rush Carrasco or Savery now.

I agree, jem...I gotta think the catching job is Marson's to lose next spring.

[Derek Bodner]

Haven't seen much talk lately on how bad the deal for Blanton was...

His ERA for the year was a 4.69, with a 1.40 WHIP.  He had a slight bump in the NL, as pitchers typically get when you go around a league for the first time, but even his 4.20 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP isn't anything more than a #4 or a #5.  If one good start has changed your mind on the deal, you have a short focus.

We traded a top 3 position prospect in our farm system which lacks quality depth for a #5 pitcher in a good rotation (#4 at very best).  I'm never going to approve of that deal.  I don't expect Blanton to have a good year at all.

if he gives us 2 more quality postseason starts, I'll be tickled pink.  But it was still a bad deal.

[jemagee]

Blanton was great last night, but just like the tv guys saying they 'didn't give up much' for blanton - keep in mind that high quality shortstops/2nd baseman are hard to find and jimmy rollins has been in the league for a while now - he won't last forever.

It was a bad deal long term but short term is what Talking Heads and a majority of fans will think so one good outting against a pressing team and everyone is gaga - hell Blanton will tell you he pitched over his head on Saturday, and i'd LOVE it if he did it again, but I still miss what they gave up...even if they were only traded for a 3rd baseman or catcher WHO DO NOT SUCK

God, every time ruiz and feliz bat i die a little inside

[bebopdeluxe]

dabods:

We'll see if Outman becomes the next Gavin Floyd...but in the meantime, Blanton was a better option than anything that we had available in the system at the deadline, we won 10 of his 14 starts (would we have won 10 of Adam Eaton's 14 starts...or 10 or Kile Kendrick's starts...or 10 of JA Happ's 14 starts?), and - to a fair extent, because of how he pitched yesterday - we won our first post-season series in 15 years.  While Gillick's off-season FA deals have been pretty shaky, the in-season deals that he has made the past couple of years have been pretty good, and there is no way we are in this position - with a decent shot to win a championship - if we don't trade for Blanton, IMO.

On this team, a #4 starter who can give us 180 innings and pitch to a 4.20 ERA will be pretty successful.  Neither Eaton or Kendrick could do that for a team that would win a lot of games against another team's #4 starter.  So, if all he turns out to be is an inning-eating #4 starter that we control for the next two years, who gives us 180 innings, a 14-10 record and a 4ish ERA, I'm OK with the deal.