Comments on: Uninspired Loss Drops Phils Out Of First

By: MetsFan08

MetsFan08 — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:51:37 +0000

Let’s Go Mets!!!!

By: 2007

2007 — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:10:01 +0000

Hey guys! Remember me? I made your children cry.

By: Darren Daulton

Darren Daulton — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:30:54 +0000

I just came back from traveling through time and visiting aliens and I was happy to see that they have things called blogs now. Golly, who would have thunk? I was also suprised to see that the name Jeff is now spelled Geoff? Maybe aliens got to Geoff’s parents too. Oh well, maybe the ghosts of Mitch Williams will never go away. Speaking of Mitch, I visited him when I traveled back to 2003. I can’t believe that such upstanding Philadelphia fans were threatening his life. It just doesn’t fit into their reputation as being classy. Oh well, I am off to my wife beating lessons. Today I am teaching Brett Myers.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:23:37 +0000

I don’t think anyone said there’s anyone on the Phillies staff other than Hamels that’s better than him. That’s not saying much though.

The most frustrating part of Mets fans who come here beating your chest is that you’re acting like a one game lead in July and beating what is proving to be a weak Phillies’ team is winning Game 7 of the World Series. When the Phillies were in first place for 3 months all we were talking about is how this team wasn’t good enough to face the Brewers or the Cubs. Now all I’m hearing about how Ollie Kofax stuck out the magnificent Ryan Howard who, as we all know, never strikes out.

By: RiVLez

RiVLez — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:23:06 +0000

You can’t say he’s not a better SP than anyone on the Phillies except for Cole Hamels. You are crazy if you don’t think so.

Tim Malcolm Says:
July 24th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
No, Perez pitched well. But he only pitches well against hacky, fastball-hitting teams (Phils, Texas, Cincinnati). For the most part heâ€™s pretty bad.

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:22:08 +0000

Virtually the entire offense is in a funk. They better straighten the ship out… and fast! The blew a sensational performance by Moyer.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:53:59 +0000

James, it’s amazing how selective your 10 hours in first place has made your memory. Ollie Perez = ace.

By: Sarah Wayne

Sarah Wayne — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:43:36 +0000

Look Phils: now is the time to step it up. I agree with pretty much everyone here’s conclusion that the team seems to have lost many things (consistent hitting being one of them…oh yeah, and games) and most of all what they’re lacking now is effort. I don’t know where the motivation went, but just about everyone on the team seems to have adopted a blase attitude about the whole thing. I give Ryan Howard credit for his attitude during his first few terrible months this year, because at least he looked like he was trying and concentrating…things just weren’t coming together right, and he admitted it and tried to work through it. This is especially noticeable and admirable given the general feeling out on the field now. What a contrast.

I’m glad that I found this blog, because I’m getting sick and tired of our daily papers shying away from dishing it out. Especially because nearly every reporter is too afraid to say anything about Utley’s performance lately, and that needs to be changed. You can see it in his eyes and his arms, in his whole approach, when he comes up to bat. It’s not that he’s not seeing the pitches–it’s that he doesn’t seem to want to try to.

Thanks for the honesty guys. It’s refreshing to find!

By: James K.

James K. — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:11:59 +0000

@Chase Mutley: You’re a fool if you call a 94 mph fastball and 82 mph slider from Perez “lowball junk”.

First time ever on this site – love seeing these Phillie fans freaking out after this series – imagine if it was a sweep! (like it should have been)

Keep lingering on the other team’s home plate after you score the tying run Shane Victorino, you’re a real hero. Nothing better than to see Jimmy Rollins having an awful season after his 2007 “MVP” coughcoughbullsh*t season.

By: LetsGoMets!

LetsGoMets! — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:30:36 +0000

the phillies just aren’t that good. They represent all philadelphia teams, they’re pretty good……..but they aren’t winners

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:02:04 +0000

Letsgomets,

You’re probably right. But a two month sample at a 3.95 per game clip is no small thing. Something more troubling may be at place here; or you may be right and they will start to hit.

The thing is, they’ve spoiled so many great pitching performances. Before the season, could you imagine if you told the Phils they’d have the fourth or fifth best pitching in the NL? They’d be thrilled. Except…except the offense has not held up their end of the bargain.

Overall though, you’re right – one game out isn’t all bad. The bad comes from being behind 1-0 in the middle innings and feeling like the game is over.

By: letsgomets

letsgomets — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:49:36 +0000

Surprised to read all of the negativity – you guys are only one game out of first with 2 months to play. The Phillies offense is loaded and it’s only a matter of time before they start scoring 8 runs a game.

By: Chase Mutley

Chase Mutley — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:37:58 +0000

Lets try not to argue semantics here Mets fans, Ollie had a “spectacular” game of throwing “low ball junk.” Jaime Moyer has lots of “spectacular” games throwing crafty garbage — he did today. I don’t think any offense was intended.

And c’mon, not to take anything away from Ollie, he pitched a game that most teams would have struggled with but Nolan Ryan Howard sure made it easier on him.

By: PhillyFriar

PhillyFriar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:57:06 +0000

Re: Perez, he’s a two pitch pitcher. Granted, when they’re working, he can be very good, but he’s generally wild and relies on teams chasing out of the strike zone sliders. Maybe calling it “lowball junk” isn’t accurate, but he’s a streaky pitcher who’s not nearly as fantastic as some people believe.

Oh, and how’s this for a microcosm for the Phils’ last month: Bruntlett hits a leadoff double to start the 6th inning, and none of Utley, Burrell, or Howard can bring him home.

By: mg52

mg52 — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:46:02 +0000

Oliver Perez is a good pitcher. His stuff is fantastic and his preparation sound. On the other hand, the Phillies face him frequently. They should understand by now how to reach base when he assumes the mound. His stuff might not permit them, say, nine or ten runs; but enough to support the fine efforts of the Phils’ pitchers is expected. It is baffling that no one in the management corps sees that this offense needs revitalization. It is an unwieldy ensemble that can be tuned up – once more – with some hitters who are intelligent enough to spank the fastball early in the count and to make contact with breaking balls later.
Perez is creative and crafty, but not untouchable. If the Phils learn not to be purely fastball hitters and actually formulate a plan before they put the bats in their hands, he will not be this invincible.

By: Grrrumpy Miner

Grrrumpy Miner — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:39:43 +0000

Geoff……..Terrible or not,Ollie got the job done.Plain and simple. Damn I hate the spell checker on my PDA.

By: Grrrumpy Miner

Grrrumpy Miner — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:31:29 +0000

Geoff……..Terrible or not,Ollie gother the job done.Plain and simple.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:23:01 +0000

The most troubling part is they are wasting fine performances (Hamels Sunday, Moyer today) that they won’t get back. It’s odd to say, but who would have thought the offense would be the downfall here?

It’s one thing if Kendrick goes 5 innings and gives up 6, or if Moyer has an occasional blow-up.

But for MVP-caliber players, and all-star level talent (a quartet any team would take) to go into this long of a slump – nearly two months of mediocrity — is stupefying. I can’t figure it out. I really can’t. Why have they only scored 3.95 runs per game for 2 months?

Other than the fluky ninth, they scored 6 runs in 26 innings against the Mets. That’s just not good enough. I don’t know what the problem is, but I hope it fixes itself soon.

Last year when they were losing, you could see why: A 10-8 loss here, a 9-7 there. Losing 2-1, 3-2, 3-1, etc…is just too exasperating to take.

By: Joshua

Joshua — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:54:54 +0000

The phillies are just garbage and they made a mediocre pitcher look like Tom Seaver.

By: fred

fred — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:51:39 +0000

It’s amazing that he had that year with the Pirates (’04 i believe), when he posted an ERA of 2 with 220 K’s. Shows just how much of an enigma he is that 2 years later in ’06 he was DFA’d. Sometimes great, sometimes awful. Better than Eaton, or for that matter Blanton, who are just always mediocre on a consistent basis.