Gameday: Phillies (73-61) At Cubs (84-50)
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, August 29, 2008 01:41 PM | Comments: 280
Posts
Headline: Former teammates face off for different teams
The Major Players: Joe Blanton, Rich Harden, JC Romero, Shane Victorino
The Venue: Wrigley Field, Chicago
The Number: 1 game behind (Mets)
Yesterday sucked. The Phillies carried a 4-1 lead into the eighth inning but lost to the Cubs, 6-4. Today Joe Blanton faces former teammate Rich Harden, who has been almost unhittable since joining Chicago.
History Lesson: Earlier in the season, Harden beat the Phillies without barely doing much work. He gave up just two hits, both to Shane Victorino. The Flyin’ Hawaiian will need to “do work” today..
Blantonator: Blanton has a 3.00 ERA in his last five starts. Sunday he pitched pretty well against the Dodgers, en route to a victory over the Blue.
Not The Light!: The Phillies are 16-21 in daytime.
Revert: Charlie Manuel is back to the old lineup, with Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hitting three and four and Victorino in the two-hole.
Phillies: Joe Blanton (6-12) 4.75 ERA
Cubs: Rich Harden (9-2) 2.00 ERA
Gametime: 2:20 p.m. EST
Weather: 82, partly cloudy
Lineup: Rollins/Victorino/Utley/Howard/Burrell/Werth/Dobbs/Ruiz/Blanton
MLB TV
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday
Your gameday beer: The Surly Brewing Company presents CynicAle. And why not? I’m pretty cynical about this teamoing into today’s game. Harden sports a 2.00 ERA. I mean, 2.00! And the Phils are not a good daytime team. Add that to recent bullpen woes, and this isn’t a recipe for victory. One can only hope, though! Oh, enjoy this with a chicken pesto and mozarella sandwich.
Go Phillies!
Posts: 0 Fran
http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080829&content_id=3385336&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi
WHY WOULD THEY SEND CASTRO????????????
Posted: 04:25 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
Haha, then 3 straight strikes to Blanco. This team really knows how to irritate the shit out of its fans.
Posted: 04:26 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 SJ Mike
Coste, Rollins, Victorino. Gotta get some baserunners here before Gary Matthews hurts us with his tone deaf singing.
Posted: 04:26 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
Geoff – I was quoting danny from earlier in the thread.
Posted: 04:26 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Georgie
I’m pretty sure Gillick’s drunk most of the time.
Posted: 04:26 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
NOBODY should be surprised here. NOBODY. of COURSE they gave up fabio castro for matt stairs.
Posted: 04:27 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
All I hear about on here is how good Castro is and we trade him for an average lefty who’ll get 50 ABs.
Posted: 04:27 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Griffin
does anyone else think the 2nd to last pitch to Fuku was a strike? Thats why there was all that confusion after ball four. Regardless, we need runs, and I don’t like our chances against Smarzj/Marmol/wood
Posted: 04:28 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
I’m watching the mlb.tv thread, they didn’t say anything about the trade. I stand by what I said though! I’m sorry to offend those of you who are not drunk.
Posted: 04:28 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
right, its ok to trade for stairs. for some NOBODY who will NEVER amount to anything.
but, castro could be a decent bullpen arm in the future, why waste him on that?
its like intentional failure…if theyre going to do that then just trade jimmy rollins already.
Posted: 04:28 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Griffin
Fabio Castro isn’t any good, what’s the big deal with trading him?
Posted: 04:28 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
I really liked Castro too. This is a dumb trade.
Lets get something going here J-Roll. Prove your worth.
Posted: 04:28 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
As a Penn State fan, these hitters better tear Jeff Samardzija a new one here.
Posted: 04:28 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
Good point Geoff!
Posted: 04:29 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Fran
psu student right here. i hate samardzija
Posted: 04:29 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
How much do these announcers love Jose Reyes and Derek Lee?
Posted: 04:30 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
Actually, the Castro for Stairs trade should encourage drunkenness from the entire fanbase today.
Seriously, what do we know? We’re fanboy-nerds who follow millionaires on a sports blog in our spare time. But for real, how can this trade by reasonable? Can someone just defend it?
Posted: 04:31 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 SJ Mike
Now would be a good time for a big clutch hit.
Posted: 04:32 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Griffin
if Fabio was so great, he would’ve been called up instead of going after Scott Eyre. I know everyone loves young pitching, but what good is it if stinks?
Posted: 04:33 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
The Cubs announcers are PMS’ing about the strike zone. Awesome.
Posted: 04:35 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 SJ Mike
Come on, Ryan. Poke a base hit in the hole.
Posted: 04:35 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Greg B
Howard puts one in the seats
Posted: 04:35 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
You’re right Griffin, and that leads me to think that he does stink. He has to. That’s it. I can’t believe the management is that crazy.
Posted: 04:35 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 SJ Mike
The strike zone has stunk for both teams.
Posted: 04:35 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Georgie
So are the Phillies announcers.
Posted: 04:36 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Fran
BULLSHIT
Posted: 04:37 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 SJ Mike
He was safe.
Man this umpire crew is just getting all of them wrong today, aren’t they?
Posted: 04:37 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Fran
nice hustle by howard…he got robbed
Posted: 04:37 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Greg B
how safe was he? LA didnt seem to like it. But then again, he never does.
Posted: 04:37 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Griffin
did they show any replays on the Phils broadcast? These cubs homers are terrible
Posted: 04:38 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Stan
Srage was my favorite until just now
Posted: 04:38 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 SJ Mike
Put it this way. Utley was out. Howard was safe.
They called Utley safe and Howard out.
Posted: 04:38 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
umps legit blew it for us
Posted: 04:38 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Georgie
It looked like Howard beat it or was tie, ump making up for bad Utley call.
Posted: 04:39 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
Runners on the 1st and 2nd with your best hitters up in the seventh inning against a righty. What-re-ya-gonna-do?
Posted: 04:39 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Scheity
At least we can always count on our 3-4 guys to come through. Nice to have that confidence in our lineup.
Posted: 04:39 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
Way to try and pull everything guys. They should just shift the entire infield to the right side of second base for our 3/4 hitters
Posted: 04:40 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Stan
These umps blow
Posted: 04:40 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
Crap, now I got the Sarge on the Cubs broadcast!
Posted: 04:41 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 jay
why cant they use instant replay it means something the game is tied up in the 7th
Posted: 04:42 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Griffin
my point about Castro is that he’s been in the organization for what, 3 years? and he still can’t get onto the team.
Posted: 04:42 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Stan
Does anyone relize we have no shot at anything this year!!!
Posted: 04:42 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Griffin
yeah, Sarge on the Cubs broadcast is an unwelcome kick in the balls.
Posted: 04:42 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
You miss two calls in a row in a game like this how are you an ump? And this strike zone? I know its tied but we’re getting fucked.
Scratch that, not tied because our bullpen has been blown to pieces the last week.
Posted: 04:42 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Greg B
dude. our pen is REELING
Posted: 04:43 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Griffin
well, I’m going to drink now. Have a good weekend everyone.
Posted: 04:43 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 jay
crap just jinxed
Posted: 04:43 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
This is it man. The Cubs primetime players come through when it matters, and ours don’t.
Posted: 04:44 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
Yea, I might pour some Admiral Nelson a little earlier than I thought tonight.
Posted: 04:44 PM on August 29, 2008
Posts: 0 Griffin
Stan, I realize that we have NO shot at anything. I predicted we’d go 0-4 this series and I’ve seen nothing to dispute that. Late in the year, we’ll sweep the braves and the nats and finish 3 or 4 games behind the Muts and make it look like a race, but we’ve been kidding ourselves all along about this mediocre team.
Posted: 04:45 PM on August 29, 2008