Comments on: NLDS Game 1 : Brewers At Phillies

By: Georgie

Georgie — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:57:50 +0000

Hey Richie Allen, catching up on posts from yesterday, saw you asking about my dad’s cat, thanks for thinking of us. Unfortunately, she has spots on her lung, so we are going to have to put her to sleep today, I still haven’t told my dad, this is really rough. Later.

By: Don M

Don M — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:40:50 +0000

If he blows a save in the postseason i’ll say that it sucks, but he’s been perfect all year, and without him we wouldn’t even be in the postseason..

the thing with Lidge is that its not like he’s trying to throw lots of pitches every time out.. he’s just being careful not to get beat, and when you have the heart of the Brewers lineup coming to bat, you don’t want baserunners in scoring position.

I really think its being too picky for anyone to get on Hamels/Lidge in the 9th, who should have been in.. it was a save situation, they went to the closer, as they should have.. and he didn’t look real sharp, but got the job done anyway… its nice to know that even without his best stuff he can still get it done!

By: NEPA

NEPA — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:30:55 +0000

And people keep saying “Hey, he’s 42 for 42 (or whatever the number is now), give him a break.” I’m not saying he hasn’t been amazing this year because he has and I think he has been the team MVP. But if he blows a save in really big spot this post season, we’re all going to be sitting here saying “Well we all saw it coming.”

By: NEPA

NEPA — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:28:49 +0000

Yea, but giving them something to drive isn’t that bad when you have no runners on and a 3 run lead. Lidge needs to start throwing the fastball earlier in his saves and make the other team hit him. He’s got a great defense behind him and could use it a little more often now that every save seems to be 25+ pitches. Lidge has avoided giving up the “big hit” with runners on this year. But he’s pressing his luck, and I feel like one of these times he’s going to put 2 or 3 runners on and someone is going to light that fastball up in a 3-2 count when he can’t locate his slider.

By: Don M

Don M — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:18:22 +0000

Its easy to say no walks.. but with a lead.. its alright to nibble, and make sure you don’t get too much of the plate and give their hitters something to drive. I have no complaints with the way Lidge is pitching at all

By: Geoff

Geoff — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:12:42 +0000

Hamels was what weve all been waiting for him to be in a big game, but the bottom line is that even though I think its ok to leave hamels in there, its also ok to put lidge in. Lidge HAS to clean that up a bit. It sounds like his problem is he falls in love with his slider. He throws it the second he gets two strikes and the hitters know it and ALL lay off it now. Lidge has to use his fastball more often and not be afraid to spot it on the corners. Because he throws 94-97, if he spots it that on the inside or outside corner, there arent many hitters in the game who can take that out of the ballpark. His control has to improve, no doubt, but so does his pitch selection. He thrrew close to 40 pitches yesterday, too much for a closer in the 9th inning. way too much.

How much longer can he keep tightroping it? I dont know. You cant walk runners in a save situation. You just cant. Thats unacceptable and its going to eventually bite him. NO WALKS LIDGE.

By: Don M

Don M — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:58:36 +0000

Manuel said after that game if they got any runners on, he would have pulled Hamels anyway.. and that Closers don’t like coming into the game with runners on base..

I think it would have been “cool” to see Hamels go CG, but we didn’t need him to, he did more than we thought he would and didn’t overuse him in the process

By: NJ

NJ — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:47:06 +0000

Would have been nice to see Cole finish it out but the way Lidge has been successful has been by dispelling all the myths that followed him so Charlie was right getting him and getting that monkey off his back with every opportunity.

By: Don M

Don M — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:43:36 +0000

Isn’t Lidge the closer? Wasn’t that a save situation?? No matter what Manuel did in that spot, people would bitch.. and if he left Hamels in and he lost the lead, people would have asked for Charlies head there.. Lidge has been perfect all year (struggled a lot lately, but still good enough)..

By: christopher

christopher — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:39:58 +0000

smoltz wasn’t negative about any of that stuff today. he was very fair and insightful on color.

i don’t mind the move to pull hamels. if he were to get into trouble in the ninth, run some pitch counts up, then you take the best start of his career and turn it into something that leaves him feeling uncertain going into the next one.

By: ryan

ryan — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:36:41 +0000

it’s gonna take an awful lot for CC to top what our Ace gave for us today. only a CG shutout could possibly top it.

By: Richie Allen

Richie Allen — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:35:56 +0000

Wonder how Georgie’s dad’s cat fared today?..hope he’s ok…

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:16:36 +0000

Yes! Great win! Hamels dominated!

I was getting worried about the rain. Where I was, it poured. I thought there might be an early rain delay, therefore messing up Hamels. They’d have to go to the pen. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, and no delay! Hamels was amazing. First postseason win since ’93! CC tomorrow, gonna be tough. GO PHILLIES!

By: SJ Mike

SJ Mike — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:08:38 +0000

I wish I was hearing Harry, TMac, Wheels, and hate to admit it, even Sarge today.

Just feel kind of dirty hearing John Smoltz try to pay compliments, considering how often he complains about the Phillies, the ballpark, and the city….

By: ILOVENY

ILOVENY — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:07:11 +0000

Anyone here the Mets score today?????

By: J-Man

J-Man — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:05:30 +0000

Lidge is relying on that down in the dirt slider alot and hitters just aren’t chasing it.

By: SJ Mike

SJ Mike — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:03:35 +0000

Hamels was brilliant today. Good monkey off our back with this win today!

By: Don M

Don M — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:02:00 +0000

Oh yea…. HAMELS IS AN ACE!!!

By: Mike N

Mike N — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:00:11 +0000

Only if Hamels *asked* to come out of the game would this make any sense

By: J-Man

J-Man — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:59:49 +0000

Wow nice to win today game…I’m still not happy with Cholly pulling Hamels for Lidge because Hamels was crusing along and Lidge threw alot of pitches in that 9th and prolly won’t be avaliable tomorrow…I’m already dreading having to face CC tomorrow because the bats weren’t really swining today we just had a good inning and he’s very dominate.