Gamenight: Phillies (75-63) At Nationals (53-85)
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Tue, September 02, 2008 06:36 PM | Comments: 115
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Headline: Hamels set to step up against Nats
The Major Players: Cole Hamels, John Lannan, Chase Utley, Ryan Zimmerman
The Venue: Nationals Park, Washington D.C.
The Number: 2 games behind (Mets)
It was not the result we at Phillies Nation were seeking yesterday, as the Nats beat on Kyle Kendrick and took game one, 7-4. The loss dropped the Phils to two games behind the Mets with 24 left to play. Tonight Cole Hamels sets up vs. John Lannan. The Nats have a seven-game winning streak going.
Eleven Up: Jimmy Rollins has Lannan in his book this season with a homer. He’s hitting .500 against the guy who nicked Utley with a pitch last year.
Lights Out: Hamels has a 2.89 ERA in 18 night starts this season.
Invader Zim: Zimmerman has a seven-game hitting streak (coinciding with the Nats’ winning streak). In that time he’s hitting .428.
Burr-ied: Responding to Pat Burrell’s poor play in the 3-hole (and better play from Werth), Charlie Manuel has slotted Jayson Werth into that spot, moving Burrell back to the five-hole.
Phillies: Cole Hamels (11-8) 3.13 ERA
Nationals: Tim Redding (8-12) 3.92 ERA
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EST
Weather: 90, partly cloudy
Lineup: Rollins/Utley/Werth/Howard/Burrell/Victorino/Feliz/Ruiz/Hamels
MLB TV
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday
Your gamenight beer: You want a good stout? Go with Shakespeare Stout from Rogue, a class brewery from Oregon. Willy was a right scribe, slick with the pen and smooth with the ladies. Maybe. Support good writing and Slick Willie with some sipping power. Eat some beans and chips, British style, for this one.
Go Phillies!
Posts: 0 fred
Nice to see Werth getting a shot in the 3 hole. Actually love the line-up, very strong 6 deep.
Posted: 06:41 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Fred
This or any lineup will only be strong when they start to hit on a regular basis.
Posted: 06:53 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Grrrumpy Miner
Hamels needs to go out there and pitch a gem vs a team that has nothing to lose like the Nats.A loss for your “ACE” can hurt them even more.Oh and glad to see the Mets get Hamels this weekend; another reason he needs this game tonight.Might be Hamels/Niese this Sunday IF Niese cam beat the Brew Crew.
Posted: 07:01 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
How people get on Hamels back and declare he’s not an ace is a mystery to me. He put’s up great ERA numbers and strikeout numbers, yet just because he gets hardly any run support and thus dosn’t win 20 games people say he isn’t an ace ? I’d take Cole over almost any pitcher in the national league on any given day, maybe with the exception of Sabathia and Santana.
Posted: 07:06 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 philsphan
I agree fred. He doesn’t win 20 games because the Phillies offense didn’t support him enough.
Posted: 07:19 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Phil Thadelphia
Hey… 5 posts and no reference to the Mets in 2007. I need you guys to stay on pace so I can win the pool. Please bring up last year more often.
Posted: 07:24 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
Hamels has been unlucky this year, but certain games we’ve needed him to come out and pitch lights out and he hasn’t. We know he has gotten very unlucky this year with run support, and those things happen. But I can recall like 3-4 games where he gave up like 3 runs when we could only give up 2 or 4 runs when he needed to only give up 3.
I don’t know if that makes him an ace or not. Who cares? That’s just a title. I also would take him over anyone else except Zito, Sabathia, or Nomo.
Posted: 07:28 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
Wow shane, nice.
Posted: 07:30 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
It’s like, EARTH TO COLE, you need to give up 0 runs this game because our offense is anemic if it is not hitting homers…
Posted: 07:30 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
Elijah Dukes: crappy baserunner
Posted: 07:31 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Matt
Wow, really Harry? Man, you’ve really gotta go.
Posted: 07:32 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
Who are the only four Phillies to hit a home run in five straight games?
Anyone know this?
Im thinking Thome was one of them. Maybe Howard. Abreu?
Posted: 07:35 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
Ruiz is a scrub at the plate, surprised he beat that out.
Posted: 07:37 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 switch hitter
i say charlie starts the marson era
Posted: 07:40 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
That was respectable baseball. Hamels bunts over and Rollins singles Ruiz in from second, good hustle from Ruiz on the basepaths. Utley then singles J-Roll in from second.
Posted: 07:41 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
Singles! I love it. Come Howard, its the thing to do!
Posted: 07:43 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
LOL Chase Utley is CRAZY!
Posted: 07:46 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
Chase is the man. That’s payback for breaking his wrist !
Posted: 07:47 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
yea that was nuts but why send him when you have your “best player” up with a guy on third. This guy needs to get up
Posted: 07:47 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Fred
Cheap shot by Utley.
Posted: 07:48 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Matt
Next time, don’t block the plate.
Posted: 07:49 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
that wasn’t a cheap shot, he blocked the plate
Posted: 07:51 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
They broke his wrist but that was an extremly hard slide. Some could classify that as a tackle attempt there was no sliding involved there just a straight dive.
Posted: 07:51 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Fred
Foolish play – looks like Utley tweaked his shoulder with the flying body block.
Posted: 07:51 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Matt
Wonder if anything comes of this.. if the Nats had any balls (which they don’t) they’d go after someone on the Phils.
Posted: 07:53 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
Matt – I dont think the Nationals have that fire in them.
Posted: 07:55 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Fred
He was clearly out but decided to spear him. Wonder of he went on his own or did Smith send him?
Posted: 07:56 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Matt
TJ – I agree. that’s why they continually are a sub .500 team. I mean seriously, if the pitcher doesn’t stick up for his catcher, I don’t know who else will.
Posted: 07:57 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Ray
Great hard playing by Chase. Thats what, the 3rd catcher Utley’s knocked out?
Posted: 07:58 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
Chase is something else. You’d think they’d nail him when he comes up again..
Posted: 08:00 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
The nats announcers seem to think it was a perfectly legit play lol.
Posted: 08:02 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
danny – as long as they dont hurt him whatever.
Posted: 08:02 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 TJ
Nice throw by Milledge there, almost had him. The Phils announcers loved it.
Posted: 08:03 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 danny
At what point does Utley get the reputation as a dirty player? My money is on Linda Cohn doing highlights tonight with her typical mets snarl talking about the play and then highlighting other similar plays by Chase.
Posted: 08:06 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
He just plays hard, there’s nothing wrong with diving in if the plate is being blocked. Come on the brew crew, need a win from those boys tonight
Posted: 08:09 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Ray
I remember Mark Grace saying a lot of players don’t like Utley, He ( MArk Grace) says he’s known as a dirty player. I remember when Utley burried Russell Martin a few years ago. Same reaction. non Phillies Phans called it dirty. but it was just hard playing. Pete Rose like.
Posted: 08:11 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Grrrumpy Miner
If a catcher isn’t blocking the plare,they aren’t their job.I remember a few years back when Todd Hundley did the same thing,he said that if the runner was gonna score,he’d have to break his leg.
Posted: 08:17 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
Utley just does what it takes to win, he’s not a dirty player. He’s a gamer
Posted: 08:32 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Fred
Since when does flying head first into a guy’s ribs constitute a clean play? He never made any play for the plate. I like Utley but that wasn’t a clean play.
Posted: 08:36 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
He was trying to knock the ball loose because he was blocking the plate. If he slid, he’d have been out.
Posted: 08:47 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Fred
So when did mlb turn into the nfl? Knock the ball loose by putting your shoulder into the guy’s rib cage?
Posted: 08:50 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
5-1 Mets – this game just turned into an absolute must win.
Posted: 08:53 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
Nice job Jimmy. Let’s get at least 1 more.
Posted: 08:55 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
Lol that’t hardly the NFL Fred.
Posted: 08:57 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 Fred
This is definitely a must win.
Posted: 08:58 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 PhilsPhaninSanJose
Agree – definitely a must win…these Mets just wont roll over and die this year…
Posted: 08:59 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
Good base running by Jimmy there.
Posted: 09:00 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 switch hitter
i think sadley this is a dirty play that will rear its ugly head during the end of the year series and prob cost the phils the playoffs by them wanting to start a fight and to get back for utley stupid dive into the catcher
Posted: 09:02 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
Big double play there. Cole not an ace? I’m not so sure about that.
Posted: 09:06 PM on September 2, 2008
Posts: 0 BeatWritersSuck
Bush League Bush League…..The Philthies play dirty…. Karma
Posted: 09:07 PM on September 2, 2008