The Good Phight

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2010 - Roy Oswalt	4-1	9	7	0	0	0	0	47.2	32	11	10	3	15	41	1.89	.99

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2010 - Anibal Sanchez	11-8	26	26	1	1	0	0	160.1	155	67	56	7	58	126	3.14	1.33

Belabored: Marlins 7, Phillies 1

2010-09-06T20:25:28Z

More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

Years from now, when Adalberto Mendez is chilling back in the DR and his short big-league tenure is a fond memory, this day will be the first and best story he tells. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

On a day when America honors its working women and men by giving (most of them) the day off, the Phillies lineup followed suit. Facing Marlins starter Adalberto Mendez, a 28 year old rookie making his major league debut, the Phils managed one single in six innings, off the bat of Brian Schneider in the second; Mendez might have gone further, but hurt himself in the top of the seventh rounding first after notching the first base hit of his big-league career.

Thus unsupported, Phils rookie Vance Worley lost his first big-league start despite turning in a solid performance: five innings, two runs, six hits, a walk, five strikeouts. Worley surrendered an RBI single to Dan Uggla in the first inning and a solo homer to Chad Tracy in the second; otherwise he kept the Marlins at bay and his team in the game. With pitching coach Rich Dubee evidently steamed at struggling Kyle Kendrick, it will be interesting to see if Worley's work earns him a second spin in the rotation next weekend against the Mets.

Relievers David Herndon and Antonio Bastardo kept the game at 2-0 into the eighth, waiting in vain for the Phillies' bats to wake up. But Chad Durbin dampened the possibilities of a comeback by allowing a two-out, two-run homer to Florida rookie Mike Stanton in the eighth, then Mike Zagurski surrendered three in the ninth to put it out of reach. The Phils managed to avoid both the shutout and suffering their, I dunno, let's say 17th one-hitter of 2010 when Ryan Howard doubled to lead off the ninth, then scored on Jayson Werth's single. Thrilling, no doubt, for those left in attendance from the season's biggest crowd.

They do it again in a few hours as Roy Oswalt faces Anibal Sanchez.

Florida Marlins
@ Philadelphia Phillies

Spillover Pennant Chase Thread: Braves at Pirates, September 6, 2010

2010-09-06T20:09:51Z

Spillover Pennant Chase Thread: Braves at Pirates, September 6, 2010

Discuss away. Pirates leading 3-1 with one inning to go, in a game started by Tommy Hanson vs. Brian Burres.

AdVance to Go: Marlins at Phillies Game Thread the First, September 6, 2010

2010-09-06T17:00:45Z

The Marlins and Phillies square off in game one of a Labor Day day-night doubleheader and are sending their rookies to the hill for the afternoon's action.

Adalberto Mendez gets the ball for the Fish, and Vance Worley, recently called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, goes for the Phillies. Please call him "Nite Owl" - it pleases Wet Luzinski.

Discuss the game below.

Next Game

Monday, Sep 6, 2010, 1:05 PM EDT
Citizens Bank Park

Adalberto Mendez vs Vance Worley

Sunny. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.

Salisbury: Rich Dubee is helluva pissed at Kyle Kendrick

2010-09-06T15:38:06Z

Salisbury: Rich Dubee is helluva pissed at Kyle Kendrick

This does not bode well for the Phillies' fifth starter. Wow.

Some perspective regarding Kyle Kendrick

2010-09-05T23:06:01Z

Promoted to front page for stat-engendered deep thoughts. -Wet Luzinski

Phillies fans love having a scapegoat. Whether its a position player like David Bell or the new trendy player to pick on, Kyle Kendrick, Phillies fans are quick to hurl negative thoughts during a player any time they do something wrong. Over his past few starts, Kendrick has been receiving alot of ill will from what I have seen from twitter, the game threads and other sources throughout the web.

I am going to try to give you all a little perspective on his season so far. Maybe you have looked into this, maybe it has been mentioned here before but it needs to be brought up again. Kyle Kendrick is our #5 starter and because of this, he is not having that bad of a season.

I wanted to compare him to other #5 starters. So let's take a look at Kendrick's stats compared with other #5 starters (as currently listed on MLB.com depth charts with some additions) in the National League.Listed are the stats I think are crucial in evaluating a pitcher's true performance.

Kyle Kendrick (26 starts)

4.72 ERA/5.04 FIP/4.82 xFIP

.287 BABIP, 69.8% LOB, 0.6 WAR

Kenshin Kawakami (Braves #5 starter for most of the season, 16 starts)

5.11 ERA/4.24 FIP/4.57 xFIP

.323 BABIP, 63.0% LOB, 0.9 WAR

Mike Minor (Braves current #5 - small sample size alert)

3.91 ERA/2.45 FIP/3.66 xFIP

.372 BABIP, 68.6% LOB, 0.8 WAR

Kyle Lohse (Cardinals, 12 starts)

7.12 ERA/4.40 FIP/5.19 xFIP

.369 BABIP, 52.7% LOB, 0.5 WAR

Todd Wellemeyer (Giants, started 11 games then replaced by Madison Bumgarner)

5.68 ERA/6.31 FIP/5.69 xFIP

.266 BABIP, 74.2% LOB, -0.6 WAR

Madison Bumgarner (Giants, 13 starts)

3.76 ERA/4.37 FIP/4.43 xFIP

.316 BABIP, 78% LOB, 0.8 WAR

Mike Leake (Reds, 22 starts before being replaced)

4.23 ERA/4.70 FIP/4.33 xFIP

.317 BABIP, 72.5% LOB, 1.2 WAR

Travis Wood (Reds, 12 starts)

3.19 ERA/3.62 FIP/4.47 xFIP

.256 BABIP, 70.7% LOB, 1.5 WAR

Wade LeBlanc (Padres, 25 starts)

4.15 ERA/4.76 FIP/4.57 xFIP

.306 BABIP, 80.4% LOB, 0.1 WAR

So fact of the matter is, when you look at KK compared to pitchers in his position, he does not really look all that bad. Sure, some teams have better #5 starters but do you really want to give someone up to upgrade slightly over KK?

Plus, I think if any of these guys on the farm were any more than marginally better than KK, they would have had a spot by now. Maybe one of them (including Worley on Tuesday) will get a start down the stretch and pitch well. However, we have seen KK pitch well this season and I think that with him under contract, it is better to use him than to have pulled one of the young guys up and start their arbitration clock.

So let's be fair to KK. Let's not put the same standard we put on Halladay, Hamels or Oswalt but be fair with him. He is the #5 starter and when you compare his production to similar starters, I think you will come away more than satisfied. If not, gain solace in the fact that he will only pitch 3-5 more times in the regular season and probably (hopefully?) zero times in the postseason.

Devoured By Wolf: Brewers 6, Phillies 2

2010-09-05T23:44:22Z

More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

DUH-DUNK, DUH-DUNK, DUH-DUNK, DUH-DUNK (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Up against their former lefty "ace," the Phillies dropped a deuce. By that I mean they only scored two runs, en route to a 6-2 defeat in the final game of the season against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Kyle Kendrick turned in his fifth straight poor start, allowing five runs on seven hits in just four innings, "highlighted" by Prince Fielder's three run bomb in the first inning. Randy Wolf turned in a solid outing, allowing just two runs over 6 2/3 innings.

Scott Mathieson made his first appearance for the Phillies since June, allowing an unearned run due to an error by first baseman Ryan Howard.

The game was not without questionable moves from Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel. Notably, the decision to use Mathieson in a close, pressure situation, in addition to not pinch-hitting for left fielder Ben Francisco in the eighth inning, with runners on first and second and representing the tying run against righty reliever John Axford. Francisco flied out to right, effectively ending the day for the Phillies.

Both Phillies runs scored in the bottom of the second inning on a two-RBI double from Carlos Ruiz.

With the Braves ten inning loss to the Marlins in Florida, the Phillies remain just a game back in the NL East.

Milwaukee Brewers
@ Philadelphia Phillies

Sending the Wolf: Brewers at Phillies Game Thread, September 5, 2010

2010-09-05T17:00:33Z

The Phillies go for the home sweep today verus former Phillie Randy Wolf, who is not really having his best season. He'll be opposed by Kyle Kendrick, who is, well you know...

Discuss the game below.

Next Game

Sunday, Sep 5, 2010, 1:35 PM EDT
Citizens Bank Park

Sunny. Winds blowing from left to right field at 5-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2010 - Kyle Kendrick	9-7	28	26	1	0	0	0	154.1	170	88	81	24	42	72	4.72	1.37

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2010 - Randy Wolf	10-10	30	28	0	0	0	0	172.0	182	98	91	26	78	111	4.76	1.51

Mathieson, Worley, Robertson promoted

2010-09-05T13:29:54Z

Mathieson, Worley, Robertson promoted

The Phillies have added pitchers Scott Mathieson, Vance Worley, and Nate Robertson to the active roster. Robertson and Worley arrived in Philadelphia on Saturday night, Mathieson is expected today. How's that splitter coming?

Stat Notes - September 5

2010-09-05T04:51:34Z

The buffet today features some fresh stats on the Phils' big 3, and a Triple Crown update highlighting Carlos Gonzalez.

Phillies Starters
When the Phillies acquired Roy Oswalt, these were the NL rankings of the Phils' top 3:

NL rank	(out of 52 qualifiers)					Through 7/29
	ERA	FIP	xFIP	SIERA	WHIP	GB/FB
Halladay	2	2	1	2	3	7
Oswalt	19	11	6	6	6	31
Hamels	22	35	15	12	27	34

Updated through Saturday (SIERA through Friday):

NL rank	(out of 51 qualifiers)					Through 9/4
	ERA	FIP	xFIP	SIERA	WHIP	GB/FB
Halladay	6	3	1	1	3	5
Oswalt	11	11	9	11	5	28
Hamels	15	23	8	6	13	29

- Halladay has stayed at or near the top of the league.
- Oswalt has moved up in ERA while falling back in FIP and SIERA
- Hamels has moved up significantly, and has a 2.75 ERA since May 16th

"Very Bad" Starts
Admittedly arbitrary, I label a start as Very Bad if the ER allowed are greater than the Innings Pitched. In the Phillies' first 92 games through July 19th, they had 11 Very Bad Starts (VBS), and 50 Quality Starts (54%). Since then they've had only 1 VBS in 44 games, with 29 QS's (66%).

Games	QS	VBS	other
first 92	54%	12%	34%
last 44	66%	2%	32%

Triple Crown
Non-Phillies note for a change, but significant enough that I think it needs to be tracked. In spite of the advent of new stats in recent years, the Triple Crown still captures the imagination. There hasn't been a Triple Crown winner since Yastrzemski in 1967, and none in the NL since Joe Medwick in 1937.

Batting Average		Home Runs		RBIs
1. Carlos Gonzalez, COL	.335	1. Albert Pujols, STL	35	1. Joey Votto, CIN	98
2. Joey Votto, CIN	.324	2. Adam Dunn, WAS	33	2. Albert Pujols, STL	96
3. Starlin Castro, CHC	.321	3. Joey Votto, CIN	32	3. Carlos Gonzalez, COL	95
4. Martin Prado, ATL	.317	4. Mark Reynolds, ARI	32	4. Adam LaRoche, ARI	90
5. Albert Pujols, STL	.311	5. Carlos Gonzalez, COL	31	5. David Wright, NYM	90

Gonzalez has inserted himself in the race in recent weeks, and it's largely due to his performance at Coors, where he's been phenomenal -- I don't think I've ever seen a more extreme home-away differential:
Home -- .391/.436/.790 (1.226 OPS), 24 HR
Away -- .275/.295/.434 (.729 OPS), 7 HR

Prior to this year, in 620+ PAs he's had a more conventional home field advantage:
Home -- .273/.313/.488 (.801 OPS), 10 HR
Away -- .251/.313/.392 (.705 OPS), 7 HR

So his Road performance has barely budged, but his stats at Coors have skyrocketed.

Human Sacrifice: Phillies 5, Brewers 4

2010-09-05T02:16:21Z

More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

They owed Roy this one: four homers allowed, all solos, and win number 17. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

At Citizens Bank Park on Saturday night, Roy Halladay had one of those nights about which other pitchers must have warned him when first Doc set his heart on joining the Phillies: he allowed four home runs in the game for the first time in his career, probably two, maybe three of which would have been homers in most other venues. But shockingly, considering the non-support he's so often gotten from his mates in 2010, Halladay earned the win anyway, as the Phils found a few different ways to score against the Brewers in a comeback 5-4 win.

Their last two runs came on one sacrifice fly to shallow left by Placido Polanco in the bottom of the seventh, as Carlos Ruiz raced home ahead of a Ryan Braun that bounced away from catcher Jonathan Lucroy--and Wilson Valdez, who'd walked when sent up to pinch-hit and presumably sacrifice for Halladay, crossed the plate behind Ruiz to give the Phils a 5-4 advantage they would successfully defend.

The two runs got Halladay off the hook from the second solo homer he'd allowed to Corey Hart in the top of the seventh, following solo bombs surrendered in the top of the second inning to Prince Fielder and Alcides Escobar. The Phils had pulled even in the bottom of the inning behind back-to-back bombs from Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth off Brewers starter and Philly-area homeboy Dave Bush. Milwaukee had gone ahead again in the third on Hart's first home run, with the Phillies tying the score at 3 immediately after as Chase Utley singled in Jimmy Rollins.

After Valdez's baserunning derring-do, three Phillies relievers closed out the Brewers in order. J.C. Romero retired Fielder to start the Milwaukee eighth, then gave way to Ryan Madson who set down Casey McGehee and Chris Dickerson. Brad Lidge finished things off for his 20th save of 2010 by inducing an Escobar groundout, striking out pinch-hitter Mat Gamel and getting pinch-hitter George Kotteras to fly out to deep center.

As the Braves turned aside the Marlins 2-0 in Miami, the Phils remain a game off the pace in the NL East, but stretch their wild-card lead to 3.5 games pending the Giants-Dodgers contest later on.

Milwaukee Brewers
@ Philadelphia Phillies

Brad Lidge Wobblehead Night

2010-09-03T23:03:00Z

Promoted as promised. Well done, TwistyWristy. I used it to great effect in tonight's game chatter. For a little context, inspiration came from this story in the Denver Post. - Wet Luzinski

In honor of our "wobbly closer" Brad Lidge, it's wobblehead night!
The first 5000 fans will receive a hastily, but lovingly crafted Brad Lidge Wobblehead. While they are not necessarily collectors items, they can be thought of as treasure of another man's trash.

Big thanks to perfectdepth, the creative genius in the marketing department who came up with the idea and our sponsor, Wet Luinski. Of course, we also have to thank all of our fans, who give their support to Lidge or at least boo him during ninth inning havoc to let him know you care.

Brew With Roy: Brewers at Phillies Game Thread, September 4, 2010

2010-09-04T22:30:25Z

Roy Halladay, who pitched the last game the Phillies lost (Monday's 3-0 defeat in Los Angeles), tries to get back on the winning track (what a bum) tonight versus Dave Bush and the Milwaukee Brewers.

A win tonight, and a Braves loss, means a tie in the National League East. Let's do this.

Discuss the game below.

Next Game

Saturday, Sep 4, 2010, 7:05 PM EDT
Citizens Bank Park

Dave Bush vs Roy Halladay

Clear. Winds blowing from left to right field at 15-20 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 70.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2010 - Roy Halladay	16-10	28	28	8	3	0	0	214.0	197	60	54	17	26	190	2.27	1.04

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2010 - Dave Bush	7-11	34	26	0	0	0	0	147.0	171	92	77	25	54	90	4.71	1.53

Cole on Top: Phillies 1, Brewers 0

2010-09-04T02:16:08Z

More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

Who's your favorite? Mine is the guy in the black shirt in the lower left corner. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Cole Hamels is on the mound, so you know there's a great chance of Phillies offensive ineptitude. However, for once, the left-hander found himself on the winning end of the equation.

Hamels held the Brewers to just three hits and three walks in seven innings, striking out seven in the process. He faced the minimum through five innings despite a hit and a walk thanks to a couple of double plays. He only really ran into trouble in his final frame, allowing a leadoff walk to Ryan Braun and a single to Prince Fielder to put two runners on with no outs. He proceeded to retire the next three Brewers batters without incident.

The Phillies sole run came on an RBI groundout by catcher Carlos Ruiz, which was made possible only thanks to a botched fly ball by left fielder Braun and center fielder Lorenzo Cain that turned into a double for Shane Victorino, who advanced to third on a Raul Ibanez groundout.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Phillies loaded the bases with no one out, but came away empty handed after an Ibanez strikeout and a line-drive double play from Ruiz.

Jose Contreras pitched a perfect eighth inning, striking out two, and Ryan Madson -- death to so many Cole Hamels victories -- pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save of the season.

Milwaukee Brewers
@ Philadelphia Phillies

Spillover Pennant Chase Thread: Braves at Marlins

2010-09-04T01:40:52Z

Spillover Pennant Chase Thread: Braves at Marlins

We pick up the scent in the top of the 8th, Marlins up 6-1

Home Brew: Brewers at Phillies Game Thread, September 3, 2010

2010-09-03T23:00:31Z

The Phillies return home after a triumphant 6-1 west coast/mountain state trip to face the Milwaukee Brewers and starter Chris Capuano. The Phillies will counter with Cole Hamels.

Will Earl wreak havoc? Tune in!

Discuss the game below.

Next Game

Friday, Sep 3, 2010, 7:05 PM EDT
Citizens Bank Park

Chris Capuano vs Cole Hamels

Mostly cloudy,rain. Winds blowing in from right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 85.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2010 - Cole Hamels	8-10	28	27	1	0	0	0	174.0	158	67	64	24	50	176	3.31	1.20

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2010 - Chris Capuano	2-2	18	3	0	0	0	0	32.0	34	18	18	5	11	33	5.06	1.41

Homestand Pitching Probables (Sept. 3-8)

2010-09-03T20:11:50Z

Here are the current pitching probables for the homestand that begins today. Not all of these guys have been officially announced, so some are just educated guesses. Of course, everything is subject to change in the event of a rainout, injury, arrest - what have you.

Incidentally, it came to my attention that the Phillies' website has Joe Blanton scheduled to pitch in the night game of Monday's doubleheader. This would be on only three days' rest. If this information is right, then it would make no sense unless Charlie is planning not to use a spot starter at all in the series, and instead start Blanton, Hamels, and Halladay on short rest in three consecutive games. Could that possibly be what he's thinking? It seems to me that this would be extremely unwise regardless of the fact that there's an off-day coming up on Thursday. Yet it would also be consistent with Charlie's character.

For purposes of this chart, however, I am going to assume that Charlie will not be an idiot.

Day	Pitcher	G	GS	IP	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	BABIP	GB%	LD%	FB%	HR/FB	ERA	FIP	xFIP	SIERA

Friday	Hamels	27	27	174.0	9.10	2.59	1.24	.299	43.9	17.6	38.4	11.0%	3.31	3.84	3.47	3.21
	Capuano	18	3	32.0	9.28	3.09	1.41	.336	44.0	17.6	38.5	14.3%	5.06	4.20	3.66	3.43

Saturday	Halladay	28	28	214.0	7.99	1.09	0.71	.303	51.3	19.0	29.7	9.4%	2.27	2.80	2.91	2.90
	Bush	27	26	147.0	5.51	3.31	1.53	.310	40.3	17.9	41.7	12.1%	4.71	5.27	4.99	4.82

Sunday	Kendrick	28	26	154.1	4.20	2.45	1.40	.287	44.4	17.2	38.4	11.8%	4.72	5.05	4.82	4.93
	Wolf	28	28	172.0	5.81	4.08	1.36	.294	39.5	19.9	40.6	11.5%	4.76	5.30	5.13	5.00

Monday #1	Oswalt	27	27	176.2	8.20	2.50	0.82	.270	44.4	18.8	36.9	9.0%	3.01	3.36	3.55	3.42
	Sanchez	26	26	160.1	7.07	3.26	0.39	.312	43.8	18.5	37.7	3.9%	3.14	3.28	4.25	4.16

Monday #2	TBA	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
	TBA	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

Tuesday	Blanton	23	23	142.1	6.39	2.09	1.39	.337	42.6	18.0	39.5	11.6%	5.14	4.45	4.26	4.16
	Volstad	25	25	143.2	5.64	3.32	0.88	.306	47.5	18.1	34.3	8.8%	4.82	4.39	4.64	4.62

Wednesday	Hamels	27	27	174.0	9.10	2.59	1.24	.299	43.9	17.6	38.4	11.0%	3.31	3.84	3.47	3.21
	Miller	3	1	10.0	4.50	6.30	0.90	.256	48.3	13.8	37.9	9.1%	4.50	5.50	5.71	5.80

Happy 23rd Birthday Domonic Brown!

2010-09-03T19:28:02Z

Happy 23rd Birthday Domonic Brown!

Officially old for his level. Non-prospect. Non-tender or trade for scraps...

Some Phillies Links For You, September 3, 2010: Attack on Denver, Savage Philly Brutes, Free Tyson

2010-09-03T12:19:52Z

More photos » Barry Gutierrez - AP

Ha ha! (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)

Rockies fall to Philly, drop 6 1/2 games behind in wild card
This is one of the most woebegone articles ever written. O NOES.

Dear Philadelphia Phillies (A Rockies Eulogy)
Awwwww, what's the matter, sweetie? Seriously, what a schmuck.

Galvis' glove helps R-Phils go out in style
You expected his bat? Wait, what?

Paul Hagen: Phillies have playoff pieces in place | Philadelphia Daily News
Pretty much agree witchoo, Paul.

Two behind Braves, Phils get crack at Capuano
Please, score a jillion runs tonight.

Tyson Gillies Pleads Innocent To Cocaine Charges - SB Nation Philly
Well, I'd only object to the "complete bomb" comment in light of the fact that he was injured basically all season.

Cole Hamels on the Cy Young Award Ballot?
It's a bit much to expect any significant number of voters to look at DIPS (FIP, SIERA, etc.) when casting their ballots. That said, if Hamels has a great September, and a couple of the current leaders falter, he might sneak into the top five, but that's it.

Phillies focus on winning division - The Denver Post
Seriously, Colorado, the Wild Card is for nurds.

Mets 4, Braves 2: All Your Braves Are Belong To Us - Amazin' Avenue
It's nice to see that Johan Santana and the Mets are good for something other than golf course shenanigans.

I Am, In Fact, Kidding You: Phillies 12, Rockies 11

2010-09-03T03:58:50Z

More photos » Barry Gutierrez - AP

Have I got a game plan for YOU! (AP Photo/Barry Gutierrez)