Skip to main content

Phils Pitchers Look to Stay Hot


With confirmation coming from Phillies manager Charlie Manuel that the Phillies' pitching rotation in the next round of the playoffs will remain the same as is was in the Division Series against Cincinnati, a famous exclamation from TV character Homer Simpson may be what the Giants will be saying once the National League Championship Series begins. The Phillies' big trio of pitchers- Doc, Oswalt and Hamels will set out to continue their dominance that they've displayed since Oswalt joined the Phillies in late July.

Since the Phillies acquired Oswalt from Houston on July 29th, the "D'oh!" inducing trio have troubled their opponents, posting a combined 23-7 record with a 2.23 ERA, 248 strike outs and 48 walks in 262 innings pitched (39 games).

Combined in 21 career postseason games, "Doc" Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels have posted an 11-3 record with a 3.31 ERA. In those games, they've struck out 106 batters while walking just 38 in 130 1/3 innings pitched.

Manuel is expected to use Joe Blanton as the Phillies' 4th starter. However, if the Phillies trail in the series, headed into game 4, it is likely that the Phillies would use Halladay on short rest.

Blanton has been strong over the same stretch in which his staff mates have shined. In his last 13 games of the regular season, Blanton posted a 5-0 record with a 3.45 ERA. In Blanton's last 12 starts, the Phillies went 10-2.

With so much focus on the Phillies' hurlers, the Giants' starting staff should not be overlooked. Their starting pitchers, Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner combined for a 2-0 record with a 0.93 ERA in 4 games of the NLDS against the Braves.

So, while the Giants' offense could struggle and be pressed toward quoting Homer Simpson, it could also be the Phillies' lineup that faces a frustrating batch of pitchers that have them uttering expressive catch phrases in disappointment.

____________________________________________________

Be sure to follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eric B Needs to be Cut (and My Name is Rakim)

While the Phillies are on a hot streak this month, one player on the team is not. Eric Bruntlett is 1-for-12 in July. Since the start of May, Bruntlett's apex in batting average has been .167 on June 14th. Bruntlett's ineptitude can be tolerated no longer. Get rid of this guy NOW! Eric B. is the 2009 Endy Chavez. Remember Endy...the guy who in 2005 managed just 2 hits in his final 42 games played as a Phillie? That is about the sort of output the Phillies are getting from Bruntlett, and it's time to fix this void. Julio Lugo was designated for assignment last week by the Red Sox and is expected to become a free agent. The Metropolitans are rumored to be interested. Why wouldn't the Phillies be interested in a guy who could surely outhit Bruntlett? Lugo was hitting .284 through 37 games played this season with Boston. Suspended Lehigh Valley IronPig Pablo Ozuna is eligible to return next Wednesday. Ozuna is batting .294 through 51 games at triple A. Miguel Cairo is also...

Yankees Fans Misled By Pepsi Promotion

**** Today, New York Yankees fans attended a Pepsi promotion in Times Square hoping for chances to win opening day tickets to the new stadium, but the tickets, which were difficult to track down due to poor organization on Pepsi's part, were actually for a game in June. Furthermore, the 250 pairs that were promised were actually only 100 pairs. The fans, who were made to sprint through traffic over multiple city blocks when locations for the promotion changed, quickly turned against the soda brand by pooring out their beverages and chanting anti-Pepsi phrases. Yankees fans are even threatening a boycott of Pepsi. An appearance by Yankee great Goose Gossage could not even settle the angry mob, as he had to be whisked away, as a precaution, according to the Daily News . Ooo , I'd hate to see what "the worst fans in sports" (Philadelphia fans) would have done to their free Pepsi cans and beloved reliever in that situation. Because this happened in a non-Philly city, th...

5th spot, Wall, Old timers, Links

The race for the Phillies' fifth starter spot is still on. While it's not fully fair to compare Grapefruit League stats, when some of the pitchers have had "B game" and scrimmage outings mixed in, Kyle Kendrick and Carlos Carrasco look to be falling behind Chan Ho Park and "Jay" Happ. Happ added to his solid Grapefruit League stats (2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP in 4 games) today against the Rays. Pitching coach Rich Dubee had been displeased with Kendrick even before he surrendered 8 earned runs in 3 innings of work yesterday against the Braves. Park has been working on improving his change up, with (Coach) Jamie Moyer. Park noticed Moyer's location control on his change, so he sought out Moyer to teach him the grip and positioning of the ball. Moyer, of course, feels good about helping anyone on the Phils' staff. Park has been coached by greats like Nolan Ryan with the Rangers and Sandy Koufax with the Dodgers, so Moyer is in great company. Park is working h...