Gameday: Phillies (97-51) vs Cardinals (82-68)
Posted by Michael Baumann, Sat, September 17, 2011 06:00 PM | Comments: 28
2011 Gameday, Posts
St. Louis Cardinals (82-68) at Philadelphia Phillies (97-52)
Jake Westbrook, RHP (12-8. 4.61) vs. Roy Oswalt, RHP (7-9, 3.88)
Time: 7:05, Citizens Bank Park
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 63
TV: PHL17
Media: Twitter and Facebook
What this game means depends largely on the outcome of the Mets-Braves game (currently in progress). If the Braves lose, the Phillies will have clinched their fifth (FIFTH!) straight division title, win or lose. If the Braves win, the Phillies will need to either win this game or wait until tomorrow night to try again.
But wait–what the Braves do probably affects St. Louis more than it does the Phillies, because if the Braves lose and the Cardinals win, not only will the Phillies clinch the division, but the Cards will pull to within 2 1/2 games of the wild card with 11 games to play, putting more pressure on an Atlanta team that has seemed a mortal lock to make the playoffs all season.
Roy Oswalt, whose grip on a spot in the playoff rotation grows more tenuous with each called third strike Vance Worley voodoos into existence, is opposed by Jake Westbrook, the last in a long line of Cleveland Indians starters traded to National League contenders at the deadline, including (as we know well enough) Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia. For those of you unfamiliar with Westbrook, he’s about as unremarkable a pitcher as there is, a righty with a four-pitch arsenal who gets ground balls but doesn’t walk or strike out a ton of batters, and as a result, makes 30-33 starts a year and throws about 200 innings with an ERA in the mid-4′s, year in and year out.
Of course, the Phillies will break out their top-shelf lineup this evening for the first time in about seven weeks. If you look at the lineup, you’ll see no Schneider, no Exxon, no Mini Mart, and no John Bowker. I don’t know about you guys, but that makes me happy.
Lineup: Rollins SS, Victorino CF, Utley 2B, Howard 1B, Pence RF, Ibanez LF, Polanco 3B, Ruiz C, Oswalt P.
GAMEDAY BEER: Irish Car Bomb
Anyone else see the Temple-Penn State game this afternoon? That on top of Arsenal’s collapse against Blackburn Rovers this morning, and suffice it to say I could use an Irish Car Bomb. Or seven.
-by Michael
Posts: 1237 Tracey
OK, Roy: It’s time to prove you deserve a spot on the post-season roster.
Posted: 07:14 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 1237 Tracey
Woo hoo! 1-2-3 inning!
Posted: 07:19 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 1237 Tracey
OH BABY!!!
Is it too early to set my alarm clock to go to Models early tomorrow?
Posted: 07:31 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 bacardipr05
Havent turn the game on so i dont know whats going on. Do these guys need some rest ? I have never seen Chase looked so bad than he has lately. Is it me or does J-Roll pop out a whole lot?
Posted: 07:42 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 1237 Tracey
They’re looking good tonight, Bac, and the Cards aren’t looking so hot.
Posted: 07:45 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 Original Jeff
This team will not win tonight. Roy will get beat up.
Posted: 07:47 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 Original Jeff
Why bunt in the second steal Jimmy. Run from the police.
Posted: 07:59 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 Original Jeff
Just pitch around the big planet and pence. Utley and Raul suck big dypsy
Posted: 08:08 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 566 Brian Sr. of CO
Raul is a corpse who cant hit Home Runs or doubles right? VILLAGE IDIOT!
Posted: 01:32 AM on September 18, 2011
Posts: 1237 Tracey
This is a wacky game…
Posted: 08:26 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 1237 Tracey
Original Jeff? You’re sounding an awful lot like Fake Jeff tonight. What’s up with the crudeness and the racism? Did you forget your meds?
Posted: 08:27 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 Original Jeff
Got Ruiz is bad. There offense has gone south and so has there season.
Posted: 08:54 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 1237 Tracey
HOW ABOUT A NICE HAWAIIAN PUNCH!?!?!?!
Posted: 09:04 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 Original Jeff
Good to see Molina hustle on the ball off the wall. If I was the manager I would pull him and bench him for a game. These guys are terrible
Posted: 09:26 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 1237 Tracey
argh…
Posted: 09:40 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 Original Jeff
No left Charlie u stupid fuc. Stutes sucks. U bring in bastardo against roids berkman.
Posted: 09:41 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 bacardipr05
Darn Stutes he should been pulled. I knot they are trying to give Stutes experience but he should of been pulled after 2nd hit.
Posted: 09:43 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 1237 Tracey
WHEW!!!
Posted: 09:45 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 bacardipr05
Alright know the Card’s are handing us the game here with 5 walks an error. Strike Back!
Posted: 09:48 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 Original Jeff
Great Charlie for bunting Ruiz over u dumb fuc. Ruiz scores there. Charly has no clue. My mom can manage this team
Posted: 09:57 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 566 Brian Sr. of CO
LOL. Boy you were right, because The Phillies didnt score in the inning right? What an idiot.
Get a clue will ya. You are completely CLUELESS. Since Charlie took over he has brought the team to 2nd place twice, then FIVE count that…FIVE NL EAST DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS!
Posted: 01:31 AM on September 18, 2011
Posts: 1237 Tracey
YES!!!! Now I can breathe again…
Posted: 09:58 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 Original Jeff
Big clutch 25 million dollars player. Never comes up big in these spots. Big planet
Posted: 10:02 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 566 Brian Sr. of CO
Your right, he didnt hit a game winning double in extras the other day coming off the bench. He sucks. I mean damn, he is only leading the league in RBI’s. VILLAGE IDIOT!
Posted: 01:33 AM on September 18, 2011
Posts: 0 BART SHART
Howard’s biography entitled : :Slugger in Decline — Rapid Decline.
Posted: 10:04 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 1237 Tracey
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Posted: 10:07 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 1237 Tracey
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH :D :D :D :D
Posted: 10:08 PM on September 17, 2011
Posts: 0 Panama foundation
MAYBE US PHILLIES FANS WERE SO SICK AND TIRED OF THE BRAVES WINNING IT EVERY YEAR THEN.
Posted: 09:08 PM on September 19, 2011