Gameday: Dodgers (59-54) at Phillies (62-50)
Posted by Jonathan Fogg, Wed, August 11, 2010 05:52 PM | Comments: 156
2010 Gameday, Posts
Los Angeles Dodgers (59-54) at Philadelphia Phillies (62-50) 
Chad Billingsley, RHP (9-6, 3.82 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt, RHP (6-13, 3.50 ERA)
Time: 7:05 p.m at Citizens Bank Park
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Weather: Partly cloudy, 89
Twitter: @philliesnation
When the Dodgers hang a 15-spot on the Phillies, there isn’t a whole lot to feel too good about. But the way the Phillies allowed most of those runs is even more troubling.
Forget that Kyle Kendrick didn’t make it out of the fourth inning. KK had put together three very good starts in a row, and last night was an example of what common folk call “the law of averages” and math majors refer to as “regression to the mean.” Plain and simple, he was due to get hit around, and did he ever against the Dodgers.
Over the course of a 162-game season, any team’s fifth starter is going to give up plenty of runs and have more than a few bad nights. After all, that’s why he’s the fifth starter. Injuries notwithstanding, the Phillies’ real problem was encapsulated by what happened after Kendrick was out of the game. The offense mounted a rally, but the bullpen couldn’t keep the Dodgers at bay, allowing nine – nine! – earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. David Herndon, Danys Baez and, sadly, even J.C. Romero … do you trust these guys to consistently get batters out when called upon? (I won’t lump Antonio Bastardo with them because he’s only recently returned to the Phillies, but his ERA is 5.54, so maybe he should be grouped there too.) After Tuesday’s blowup, the Phillies’ bullpen ERA is 4.26, which ranks 10th in the NL and 19th in the major leagues. The Braves, by comparison, were almost a full run better (3.22) entering Wednesday – good enough to rank third in the league and fifth in the bigs.
Ruben Amaro has apparently hitched his star to starting pitching, and the Phillies are going to need an extra-strength dose of it tonight from Roy Oswalt. As for the team the Phillies are chasing, the Braves won again today – despite another blown save by Billy Wagner and the absence of Larry Wayne Jones, who reportedly was feeling much better after spraining his left knee in last night’s comeback win over the Astros. Jones is scheduled to have an MRI Thursday, and it appears the outlook is much better than when he was writhing in pain on the field.
Also, don’t forget – you can reach us on our new hotline to rant and rave about all things Phillies. The number is (801)-TRADE ME. That’s (801) 872-3363.
LINEUP: Rollins SS, Polanco 3B, Gload 1B, Ibanez LF, Werth CF, Brown RF, Ruiz C, Valdez 2B, Oswalt P
Your Gameday Beer – Melanie Brewing Company Beer 30 Light
My roommate got this once in college. The name stuck out, as did the fact that you could get a 30-pack for the same price as a case of Natty Light. That’s right. This beer is cheaper than Natty Light. I was too scared to try any, but according to my roommate, it’s the pisswater to end all pisswater. And this is coming from the guy who drank heavy Busch for four years. Enjoy.– By Michael
GO PHILLIES!
Posts: 0 Andrew from Waldorf
Need to win this.
Posted: 06:07 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Andrew from Waldorf
3 games back
Posted: 06:10 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 psujoe
Wagner is now at 80% save percentage slightly high than Lidge’s 77.8. The catcher totally picked off ankiel in the 10th but the first baseman booted it. Oh well, it is baseball.
Need a big win tonight. huge outing for the Big O.
Posted: 06:22 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Bart Shart
Let’s continue the hitting. Oswalt deserves a nice offensive output from the Phightins. Hopefully the bullpen will show up tonight and not blow the game. Keep all fingers and toes crossed. We really need this win. Billingsley can be very tough.
Posted: 06:23 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Bart Shart
Incicentally, somebody told me that Chad Billingsley is the grandson of Barbara Billingsley, who starred as the mother on ” Leave It To Beaver”
way back in the 1960′s and sometimes still seen as a rerun on TV today.
Posted: 06:25 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 psujoe
Amazing that the Phils are tied in the loss column for the WC. Need to beat the Dodgers so we can pull for them down the stretch, just in case.
Posted: 06:26 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Sam
We got this one tonight, don’t forget we are only 1 out of the wildcard with tons of games left guys don’t panic haha. Good Job Brown last night hitting his first dinger
Posted: 06:26 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Andrew from Waldorf
Bart I looked aroud could not confirm that.
But its a nice story.
Posted: 06:47 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 jeff
I saw the pictures and article of Howard walking around Dorney Park on Monday. If these pictures are real, and they are thats aweful. 4 hours in the park. I thought he was hurt. This is whats wrong with the players of today. If you can walk a theme park then get on that field and play hard in pain. We all did. Heck I played college ball at rutgers with a torn muscle. They told me to have surgery. I said noway. I played every minute in pain.
Posted: 06:57 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
THIS IS A MUST WIN MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT!!!
Posted: 07:02 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
PSU JOE-Guess who the first basemen was????PEDRO FELIZE!!!!!
Posted: 07:03 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
FELIZ-SRY
Posted: 07:04 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Andrew from Waldorf
@ Jeff
you crack me up. You hate everything but you love Wheeler. In some perverse way thats fitting.
Posted: 07:07 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 psujoe
Roy looks on tonight.
Posted: 07:14 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
VERY NICE START
Posted: 07:15 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 psujoe
JAY,
I missed that because my sound was off. Credit to RAJ in letting him go and gettin Polanco. That worked out great.
Posted: 07:15 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
C-MON BROWN!!!!
Posted: 07:24 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
HE NEEDS SOME WORK IN THE FEILD…….
Posted: 07:26 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
NO HARM NO FOUL…….
Posted: 07:30 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 jt
Vic hit a triple in his first ab with the iron pigs looks like he’s ready to come back…now the phils need to get bat going and score some runs for oswalt…
Posted: 07:34 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 miked63
greetings all ! ———– sup phillyboy ? —– dam astro’s , wagner blows the save and braves hammer them anyway . I tell ya what , the braves are not gonna make this easy theyre pitchin is too good. I keep waitin for them to go on 3 and 7 trip but it ain’t happening. This game tonite is the exact reason we got oswalt , tomorrow’s pitching matchup favors dodgers so he has to give us a gem tonite.
Posted: 07:41 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Andrew from Waldorf
I figure after Oswalt starts about 40 games for the phils they will have scored 9 runs total.
Posted: 07:43 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
LOL ANDREW-WHATS UP MIKED63….
Posted: 07:46 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
I’M WITH YOU MIKE,KEEP WAITING FOR THE BRAVELESS TO GO AWAY…..
Posted: 07:47 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 psujoe
Vic coming back is a bitter pill if Brown goes down. I’d definately send down Dobbs, but then you only have one reserve infielder.
Posted: 07:48 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Andrew from Waldorf
How can brown go down? Its almost unimaginable.
Is it seriously being discussed?
Posted: 07:50 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
WEAK CROWD AGOIN TONIGHT….
Posted: 07:50 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
YEP I THINK THET ARE GOING TO SEND HIM DOWN ANDREW….
Posted: 07:52 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Andrew from Waldorf
weak hitting by the fightins leads to that
Posted: 07:52 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 miked63
charlie loves dobbs —– he’ll keep him up if he has a say in it
Posted: 07:54 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
C-MON BLUE!!!!!!
Posted: 07:59 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
ROY2 LOOKS GREAT-LETS GET SOME RUNS…….
Posted: 08:00 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 miked63
the phils will say d-brown needs to play everyday . There may be some wisdom to that , can he perform off the bench (cold) in a big spot ?
My answer would be , NO WORSE THAN DOBBS ! —– that how the phils will spin it though if they send him down.
Posted: 08:01 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 The Original Chuck P
There’s a story on the Phillies website indicating that Brown would be the odd man out… I said it a few days ago… something’s gotta give and unfortunately, I’m not sure if they feel like Brown is best suited sitting on the bench (which is what he would do with Vic, Werth and Ibanez inked to start). However, they would add him once rosters expand and if we made it into the WS, you could have him start and let Ibanez DH. One step at a time but we would have one hell of a lineup in AL format.
Polly is one hell of a ballplayer… I was one of the biggest advocates for keeping Feliz and not spending the money on a guy that I thought couldn’t play third but I’m happy to say that I was wrong. Dynamite player…
Posted: 08:04 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 miked63
time for a raul BOMB !!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted: 08:05 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 The Original Chuck P
Nice catch… effin Peter Gibbons.
Posted: 08:06 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 miked63
I MEANT A RAUL WALK !! HA HA —- COME ON JASON PICK ME UP !
Posted: 08:07 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
LETS GO!!
Posted: 08:08 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 The Original Chuck P
It would be nice to see Billingsley lose his control a little bit… walk a couple guys, get his pitch count up and get him out of this game in the 6th.
Posted: 08:09 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 The Original Chuck P
Yessirr… c’mon D-Bro!
Posted: 08:10 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
LETS DO THIS D.B.!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted: 08:11 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 ChuckS
Ugh, c’mon chooch
Posted: 08:11 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 miked63
when we were pressing during the slump the free swinging was making me nuts , remember the game PAVANO started , he threw like 80 pitches thru 8 innings , i like the selectiveness i just saw from raul and jason.—– make this gut throw strikes ! i hate the YANKEES but nobody takes more pitches than yankees/ and red sox. ——- dom browns speed prevents DP ! ——- NICE RBI YOUNG MAN!
Posted: 08:12 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 The Original Chuck P
Kid has been the king of sac RBI’s so far…
Posted: 08:12 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Andrew from Waldorf
Wow a run for one of the Roys. Rare
Posted: 08:15 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Andrew from Waldorf
crap
Posted: 08:17 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 mark
lets face it- this a MUST win for Oswalt.
they lose here and they likely get swept at home by a .500 team. CAN’t happen.
Posted: 08:17 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 Andrew from Waldorf
OK PAL is great but this is annoying during the game
do it pre or post game
Posted: 08:20 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 miked63
KNEE BUCKLING CURVE !!! SEE YA !!! I KNOW IT WAS THE PITCHER BUT THAT WAS PHILTHY !
Posted: 08:21 PM on August 11, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
WHAT I MISS WE ARE LOSING?
Posted: 08:21 PM on August 11, 2010