Different Day, Same Results: Phillies Lose 8-3
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sun, August 17, 2008 12:31 PM | Comments: 26
Posts
Kyle Kendrick struggled again, walking five, giving up six hits, and allowing six runs in an 8-3 loss to the Padres. It was his second straight bad start, his second straight walk-heavy, hit-heavy start. His ERA now stands at a bad 5.01.
The Phillies offense did nothing to make it a game, however. They got two early runs — in the first they got two from a Ryan Howard ground out (of course) and a Shane Victorino single (the .285 hitter is one of two hitters performing above average right now). In the fourth they got one more run — a Greg Dobbs double (the other one performing above average, scoring Victorino (duh)).
Everything else — strikeouts (13 of them), pop outs, ground outs. The usual crap.
Once Kendrick left, the bullpen did a nice job keeping it close enough. Clay Condrey and Scott Eyre went 2.1 innings of shutout ball; Les Walrond gave up another two runs, lifting his ERA to 7.11. Rudy Seanez was brought back to the Phils after a 15-day DL stint; why couldn’t Walrond be the casaulty and not Mike Cervenak?
Anyway, another loss, another usual storyline. The Phillies are now two games in back of the Mets in the NL East with the loss.
Associated Press photo
Posts: 1650 Tim Malcolm
Amazing how old Victorino looks in that picture. Kind of a nice image for what this team has become.
Also, former Phil Darrin Winston died. He pitched 34 games for the Phils with a career 5.84 ERA.
Posted: 12:35 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Gavin
Sure am glad we didnt get manny Ramirez. Dodged a bullet there.
Posted: 12:47 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
After watching the entire Dodgers series, I decided to take a few days off. I feel great. You guys should do the same.
I forgot how detached I feel when I can just check the boxscore. Life is good again!
Posted: 12:47 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
I would take the game off again tonight, but it’s on ESPN. It’s one thing having to log onto my laptop and watch a 4×4 screen.
But they’re dangling the dope in front of me on national tv. Hello darkness my old friend.
Good call Gavin. Manny would have ruined this team!
Posted: 12:49 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 VA Steve
Manny would have ruined the team? Seems to me we are already ruined. Six weeks to go, better get the lumber going fast, or its gonna be another long winter.
Posted: 12:51 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
VA Steve- I think there was sarcasm in those posts.
I cant believe we are playing a rubber game today against the Padres. If you think this stretch was bad, we play the Dodgers, Mets and Cubs in the next 10 after the Nats series. 3-7 in that stretch or am I being nice when I say that?
Posted: 01:01 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 J-Man
It’s tough to give up on this season,but i’m about ready to because this team just isn’t showing any signs of coming back to life and the organization won’t make any changes because they got their heads so far up their asses.
Posted: 01:28 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Pat
Did the same thing Danny. Went out with a few friends and played some midnight basketball Friday night. Took the kids to see the Clone Wars on Saturday and didn’t turn the TV on when I got back. So far it’s been a great weekend.
Posted: 01:40 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Bigbob
If I were GM…not to sound rash, but if Kendrick has another poor start, I ‘d bring up Happ or bring back Eaton. Kendrick’s pitches are starting to straighten out, and that’s troubling. This bad stretch of two games is equal to what Eaton did earlier this year. I predict the offense will continue to roller-coaster down the stretch, so we need a pitcher who can get through the lineup three or four times. Durbin is obviously tired, and the starters need to eat innings.
Posted: 01:45 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Georgie
On a positive note, hockey season is just around the corner-GO FLYERS!!!
Posted: 02:11 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 That Guy
Flyers?????? This season aint over yet. All we need are a couple guys to have their testicles drop and we are right back in it.
Posted: 02:18 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08230/905005-63.stm
maybe the phillies should actually do this. invest lots of money into scouting and development like this. the pirates know that internal development is the best and cheapest way to rebuild a contender and youll see them benefit form this down the line.
if only the phillies actually cared enough to invest in their farm system deeply like this, because they havent done that at all. its the clearest, most obvious sign that the ownership is not interested in winning championships at all.
with teams that claim to be financially challenged, the pirates, marlins, and athletics all know that you still need to invest in your own system and scouting department to get hte best young players and keep the cycle going. thats so much cheaper than getting free agent garbage like geoff jenkins and adam eaton. even they do that, and the marlins actually win with it, so why cant we?
Posted: 02:33 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
garbage performance last night. kendrick was terrible, hes gotta fix that or else get sent to the minors. im trying to give him a break here but at some point you have to go out and perform. garbage offensive performance again, greg dobbs shouldnt even be on this team next year. he has shown that the ONLY thing he can do is pinch hit, which you can find ANYONE to do. why is someone a pinch hitter anyway? because theyre a bad everyday hitter and they need to focus on one small thing. get him out of here, hes trash too. total black hole up there.
also, heath bell looks like a maniac.
Posted: 02:38 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Michael
If this isn’t the Phillies year when will it ever be? I see the problems with this club starting with the makeup of the team. We have an entire lineup (except maybe Utley and Victorino at times) that get their batting tips from Baseball Tonight. Long ball is the game. Hence no situational hitting because they don’t make contact. Hence no runners on base because they are all trying to hit homeruns. Gillick supposedly strengthened the team by adding Feliz and Jenkins who are weaker versions of Howard and Burrell. Every strikeout is a missed opportunity to put the ball in play and make something happen. In addition, now I remember the Rollins that I hated before last year. The guy refuses to take advantage of his speed by taking a walk now and then. He has no strike zone, especially on two strike pitches. And incidentally, your team has to be in front occasionally in order to be a frontrunning fan. One day on the last day of the season doesn’t count.
Another Gillick blunder is the makeup of the bench. Taguchi, Bruntlett, Ruiz, Cervenak (before last night). Charlie has no flexibility in tweaking his lineup because he has no offensive options. Can we do worse by calling up 4 minor leaguers to replace them?
Lastly, shame on us for wasting all of this wonderful pitching. After bellyaching for years about the pitching who would have thought we would be betrayed by our hitters. The baseball gods remain indifferent to the lowly Phillies fan.
Posted: 02:44 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
thats quite accurate. the management of this organization has to FUNDAMENTALLY change from top to bottom to get real results and sustained winning. the ownership is too incompetent or criminally disinterested (its criminal because the taxpayers paid for their stadiums therefore they are obligated to NOT steal our money) to bring in competent, cutting-edge baseball people who know how to build a winning organization from top to bottom in every facet of operations.
Posted: 02:59 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
By no means am I giving up on this club right now or possibly ever, as much as we hate whats going on in the organization we wouldnt be posting here if we still had hope for the season. Go Phils.
Posted: 03:13 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Gavin
Kyle Kendrick……meet JA Happ. He’ll be keeping your locker warm for the next 5 weeks.
Posted: 03:42 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Gavin
TJ, we all want to give up on this team, but we’re like heroin addicts, we keep coming back for more pain.
Posted: 03:43 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
Gavin, I think heroin addicts take heroin to try to rid of pain but I get what your saying.
Posted: 04:00 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 JStroll
If we want management to change…people just need to stop going to the ballpark, not going to happen, but imagine the front office if the phillies got 20,000 per night instead of 45,000 the rest of the season
Posted: 04:06 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Joshua
Santana pitched a complete game 3 hit shutout. So the pressures on philly to win tonite. btw, the marlins are about to be 4.5 games out
Posted: 04:18 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 BD57
Good pitching?
Two guys in the rotation whose ERA is over 5.00 isn’t “good pitching.”
Lidge has been great. Hammels & Moyer have been good, but neither of them is pitching like a #1 for a pennant contender.
I agree there are too many strikeouts and a lack of situational hitting – the pitching still isn’t anything to write home about.
Last: I agree the Phils don’t seem to think they have the money to build through free agency or by drafting well & developing players in the system.
If a team in Philly doesn’t have the money, I have no idea how Tampa Bay or Minnesota manages to put a team on the field.
Posted: 05:34 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
The bright side is that our record is worse than it was last year at this time.
Oh, wait.. that’s not a good thing. Nevermind.
Posted: 05:43 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
By the way, I’m as a radical and as fervent about a sea change in the way the Phillies operate as anyone on here…
But lets not try and model anything the Pirates do, okay?
Posted: 05:46 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 Richie Allen
Hey Danny.. I also took off the last series ..didnt watch them at all..I also feel pretty darn good…..But The magnet is ESPN…Hamels tonight..cant stay away forever..and hockey sucks
Posted: 06:01 PM on August 17, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
Hahah hell yeah! But the dope man is visiting on ESPN tonight!
Posted: 06:04 PM on August 17, 2008