NLCS Gameday: Phillies vs. Giants, Game 4
Posted by Michael Baumann, Wed, October 20, 2010 05:19 PM | Comments: 757
2010 Gameday, Posts
Philadelphia Phillies (1-2) at San Francisco Giants (2-1)
Joe Blanton (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Madison Bumgarner (1-0, 3.00)
Time: 7:57, AT&T Park
Weather: Sunny, 62
TV: FOX
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As demoralizing as yesterday afternoon’s loss was, a 2-1 deficit is hardly the end of the world. After all, this was exactly the position in which the Phillies found themselves through three games in the 1993 NLCS, against a far superior Braves team–and we all know how that ended. Tonight, the Phils take another crack at San Francisco, and the national audience gets its first chance to see Joe Blanton.
Blanton, for his part, recovered in a big way after a rocky start to the season. In the Big Easy’s last 20 starts, he’s 8-1 with a 3.81 ERA. For his postseason career, Blanton’s 2-0 with a 3.89 ERA in eight appearances. What’s more, he’s been a Cody Ross killer (who’d'a thought that would become important?). According to ESPN’s Stats & Info blog, Ross is 3-for-11 in his career against the former Kentucky Wildcat, but has struck out in each of his last four plate appearances.
Opposing Blanton will be Madison Bumgarner, a 21-year-old lefty out of Hickory, N.C. Bumgarner, a former top-10 pick, had the dubious distinction of being about the fifth-most-hyped rookie to make his debut in the NL at age 20 this season. If you’ve got a name like Madison Bumgarner, you either get stuffed in a locker every day of your life or you grow up to be a total badass. That Bumgarner started and won a postseason clincher on the road against Derek Lowe, 10 weeks after turning 21, suggests the latter. Still, he’s only pitched 121 major league innings, so he’s far from a known quantity.
In other interesting news, Raul Ibanez has been relieved of his place in the starting lineup. After leading the Phillies in most offensive categories in the NLDS, Ibanez has gone 0-for-11 against San Francisco. With Madison Bumgarner, a lefty who relies on power breaking stuff, on the hill, Uncle Cholly has seen fit to remove his aging left fielder and replace him with righthanded-hitting Ben Francisco. The former Cleveland Indian had a .284/.344/.557 slash line against lefties this season and was hit in the head in his only plate appearance thus far this postseason.
Game 2 Lineup: Victorino CF, Utley 2B, Polanco 3B, Howard 1B, Werth RF, Rollins SS, Francisco LF, Ruiz C, Blanton P
Your gameday beer: Left Hand Sawtooth Ale
Seems to me like this postseason’s narrative has been the performance of various lefthanded pitchers. All due respect to Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum, we’ve been hearing a lot about the continued domiance of Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, and the emergence of Jonathan Sanchez, C.J. Wilson (today’s shellacking notwithstanding), and Bumgarner (God willing, ditto). With that in mind, today’s offering comes form Left Hand Brewing Company in Longmont, Colorado. This is a solid, medium-bodied American ale that took home bronze in its category at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival. You won’t stop going to bars that won’t stock it, but if you try it, I dare you not to like it.
- PG
Posts: 0 matt
all started with two lead off fusking walks, why did they pull jose
Posted: 10:13 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 SAM
Hey! Don’t we have other pitcher’s in the bull pen?
Posted: 10:13 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 Geoff
This is a disaster..this team better wake up. We better start hitting…and soon.
Posted: 10:13 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 jeff of Nova
Really Charlie WHAT THE F ARE YOU DOING YOU DUMP ARSE COUNTRY HICK!
Posted: 10:13 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 jt
Cholly can’t manae a pitching staff no way durbin should be in he’s garbage…I would of brought oswalt in because our bullpen is f u c k I n g terrible.
Posted: 10:13 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 matt
he cant throw a strike
Posted: 10:13 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 SAM
They should have never pulled Jose.
Posted: 10:14 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 biz
Durbin is brutal.
Blanton’s inability to get anyone else exposes us to our rag-arms in the pen.
Trash > Blanton/Durbin
Posted: 10:14 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 matt
no no kyle
Posted: 10:14 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 Geoff
I mean, might as well just give up home run here, why not right?
Posted: 10:14 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 AC in NJ
You know, I forgot about Kendrick. He would have been a better choice than Durbin.
Posted: 10:14 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 bostonkate
Unf*@!.’G real. We have a chance to win and blow it.
Posted: 10:14 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 jeff of Nova
GOD CHARLIE WHY IS HE STILL IN THERE!!!! NO OUTS YOU Pulled Blanton for Contreras with 2 outs and you are going to let Durbin make this game unwinnable!!!!
Posted: 10:15 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 Ryan H.
shoulda double switched and let contreras get 4 outs
Posted: 10:15 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 SAM
The Giant’s are pumped again, the fans are pumped …. if we win this game it’ll be a friggin miricle and no thanks to Charlie.
Posted: 10:15 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 AC in NJ
im ok with lifting Blanton for a PH. It’s just that the PH should have been Mike Sweeney, not D. Brown.
Posted: 10:15 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 PhillyMike
between gurbij and romero they couldn’t get 6 outs if you spotted them 5. no middle relief any where to be found – and it was apparent all year. they’re going to need to get out of this just a run down if we’re going to have a chance at all.
Posted: 10:16 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 Geoff
Whatever…no excuses. That doesnt change the fact that they really still need to win this game. Go score some runs. If this team is worth anything anymore they will come back and this lineup will prove its not getting…well, old.
Posted: 10:16 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 matt
this game reminds me of the rockies games in september, back and forth
Posted: 10:17 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 matt
another walk, WTF
Posted: 10:20 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 AC in NJ
Durbin was up 1-2 and still gave up the walk to Renteria. He is absolute garbage.
Posted: 10:20 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 SAM
Are you kidding me? Does Charlie realize this is a playoff game?
Posted: 10:20 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 jeff of Nova
If Charlie does not get his butt out there soon I am going to burn down his farm in VA
Posted: 10:21 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 jt
GET HIM OUT CHOLLY!
Posted: 10:21 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 AC in NJ
WTF. Ruiz – go talk to Durbin or something.
Posted: 10:21 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 biz
Why is he still in?
Posted: 10:21 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 Geoff
Hes STILL out there, hahaaha
Posted: 10:21 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 matt
LOLOLO
Posted: 10:21 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 jeff of Nova
I will say one thing these Giants are playing like it means something to them….. something our guys are clearly not doing!!!!
Posted: 10:21 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 Geoff
whew
Posted: 10:21 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 miked63
DURBIN THROWS A BATTING PRACTICE FASTBALL HE’S HORRIBLE
Charlies loyalty is gonna cost us this game and the series
Posted: 10:21 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 AC in NJ
very very lucky to get out of that inning without further damage.
Posted: 10:22 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 jeff
walks to scrubs. cody ross is barry bonds. cholly doesnt know when to take blanton out. lefty lefty. duh.
should of started doc. must win. bottom line.
Posted: 10:22 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 matt
i am drained,
Posted: 10:23 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 jeff of Nova
If I see Durbin on the mound again in this series I burning the farm Cholly!!! I will drive from my comfort in Northern VA and light the match myself!!!! His stupid dumb F Grin is starting to piss me off tonight!!!!!
Posted: 10:23 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 biz
Kyle Kendrick’s coming in in the 7th.
Posted: 10:24 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 SAM
How many millions did they resign Howard for? Maybe he can hit a home run in this game. We need are big guns to come out smokin!!!
Posted: 10:24 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
time for our guys to dig deep……..
Posted: 10:24 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 matt
there not enough liquor in the world, maybe if i drink enough, i could fool myself into thinking the phillies are really winning
Posted: 10:25 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 charlie
Durbin sucks and he will be the jackass that costs us the trip to ws
Posted: 10:25 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 Ryan H.
their bullpen is really really good. need to manufacture something. they’re not gonna break out the big bats. walks. stolen bases. sacs.
Posted: 10:26 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 AC in NJ
C’mon Victorino…gotta get on now. YES!
Posted: 10:26 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 miked63
Someone else said it , lets see what theyre made of . This the whole series 9 outs to win this thing. Will they respond ? Top of the order put the pressure on them take some pitches get on base. This is the season
the way our bats have been were not beating the Giants 3 straight.
Posted: 10:26 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 Ryan H.
I hope Chad Durbin’s dad doesn’t still read this site. haha
Posted: 10:26 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 AC in NJ
steal Vic, steal!
Posted: 10:26 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 matt
stealing ????
Posted: 10:27 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 jeff of Nova
Lets make them pay
Posted: 10:27 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 SAM
Watch how quick the Giants pull this pitcher if he gets in trouble. We need to at least tie it up this inning.
Posted: 10:27 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 matt
i hope the the police doesnt read this for jeffs sake
Posted: 10:28 PM on October 20, 2010
Posts: 0 Terri
utley is getting like rollins.
Posted: 10:28 PM on October 20, 2010