Yardwork: Philly Takes the Lead in the East
Baseball August 27th. 2008, 9:45am
Phillies 8, Mets 7 (13): It’s LITERALLY 1999 again, when Damion Easley and Fernando Tatis combined to hit 54 homers. Last night, the two went 6-for-9 with two homers and six RBI in a game the Mets choked away for their 22nd blown save. Jimmie Rollins kept the Philly fans on his side with a 5-for-7, three-RBI, three-stolen base effort and Chris Coste ended things with an RBI single in the 13th inning. He went 4-for-4 after coming in as a pinch hitter. The Mets led 7-1 after four, but Philly chipped away with four in the 5th, one in the 8th and one in the 9th.
Brewers 12, Cardinals 0: Milwaukee won its 5th straight at Busch Stadium with mucho RBI from Braun (2), Kendall (3), Fielder (2) and Hall (2). The Cards committed two errors and Rick Ankiel struck out twice. As a fan, I’m not too worried about Ankiel because he’s still developing as a hitter. As an objective viewer, gas him upstairs and throw the hook with two strikes and you’ll have yourself a strikeout.
Douche 7, Suck 3: Tim Wakefield gave up three runs in five innings in his return from the disabled list, and was aided by A-Rod’s 0-for-5 and one error. Jason Bay had two hits and two RBI and Coco Crisp had three hits and an RBI. With JD Drew nursing a wounded earpu**y, the Sox “reportedly” acquired Mark Kotsay from the Braves. That would help the offense a lot if Kotsay wore a Titans jersey and could use a metal bat.
Braves 10, Marlins 9: Atlanta put up four runs in the bottom of the 9th off Kevin Gregg, owner of eight blown saves in 37 chances. Cody Ross had a homer and four RBI for Florida while Blanco, Escobar and Francoeur each contributed two RBI. Chipper Jones played in his 2,000th game under Bobby Cox, extending the record for most games played under one wife-beater.
Blue Jays 6, Rays 2: Roy Halladay defeated the Rays for the first time in four tries this season after giving up two runs and six hits with seven strikeouts in six innings. Halladay is 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA in his last five starts, so suck on that Tampa … YEA! Vernon Wells had three hits and three RBI to provide enough for a victory. The Jays activated Scott Rolen from the 15-day DL and set his return trip for September 12th, at which point he’ll shut it down for the season.
85 Responses to “Yardwork: Philly Takes the Lead in the East”
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August 27th, 2008 at 9:48 AM
Mets fucking suck. A-Rod is a POS I have that bitch in Fantasy and its the last week hes fucking sabotaging my team I hope goes fucking blind POS.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:48 AM
Why would Kotsay wear a Seminoles jersey?
August 27th, 2008 at 9:50 AM
Suck on that…okay. Still in first…
August 27th, 2008 at 9:50 AM
It’s not literally 1999.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:51 AM
Halladay pitched great last night. Tough to beat a guy like that when he is on.
Evan Longoria is scheduled to come back on Sept 1st
August 27th, 2008 at 9:54 AM
cliff lee won his 19th game last night against a reeling tigers team. the indians won their 9th straight game to vault over the motor city shitties for 3rd place in the AL Central. considering the injuries and early season drought the indians went through, climbing back to this spot in the division is quite impressive.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:55 AM
Marlins are not looking good.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:56 AM
The NL East isnt looking good, Marlins still have a legit chance.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:58 AM
And Cliff Lee continues to make pitching look like an easy profession in 3 steps:
1. Throw 90-93 mph fastballs for strikes on both sides of the plate
2. Mix in the occasional curve/changeup, which don’t need to be for strikes.
3. Jog off the mound and get handshakes and high fives from your teammates for another 1-2-3 inning.
19-2 and still counting…
/Tribe is only 11 back!
//wish it was only July…
August 27th, 2008 at 9:59 AM
Spence- How many games back are the tribe they actually look like a team. I thought I was watching clips from major League every time they were on sports center.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:00 AM
tampa…11…it’s been a rough season but this is nice.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:01 AM
Where is Roman War Helmet, I want to read a rant on the Mets collapse.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:03 AM
Did someone say yesterday that the Angels were overrated because they play in a weak division? I wish people would check facts before trying to make statements like this. The Angels are 21-14 in their division and are 28-15!!! against the AL East which is one of the best records any team has vs. another division.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:03 AM
Unrelated: John Clayton on ESPN just now – Jeff Saturday will not start the season at C for the Colts. They likely will start a rookie. Nobody is sure when Saturday will return.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:04 AM
That would help the offense a lot if Kotsay wore a seminoles jersey and could use a metal bat
i thought Kotsay played at Cal State Full Titans?
August 27th, 2008 at 10:05 AM
Marlins need to admit that Uggla belongs at 3rd and Hanley belongs in the outfield so they can get better defensively up the middle. God, that was painful to watch last night!
August 27th, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Good fuck the colts
August 27th, 2008 at 10:06 AM
TBL…that’s fucked. saturday is crucial.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Yea he did. For some reason I always remembered him playing for FSU.
He didn’t like Indians, though; he preferred elephants.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:11 AM
It is just like a Wedge managed team to start playing lights out, when they are hopelessly out of the race. I swear the Indians have done this at least 3 times since he has been manager. Usually the team tanks in April and May. They waited a little longer this year.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:11 AM
I think the Angels are overrated because they’re only 5th in the AL and 9th in MLB in run diff.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:13 AM
Didnt Wedge just get an extension?
August 27th, 2008 at 10:19 AM
slcbuckeye…you’re missing the bigger picture. the tribe is an odd year team, and we’re in an even year. that’s all there is to it, the only thing wedge didn’t do this year is grow a mustache.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:19 AM
That’s it? The Angels are the ONLY team in the AL with a winning record on the road, and there are only a few NL teams that have one. But you know, run differential trumps everything.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:20 AM
cbh…no rant…tough game..it sucked..Petey gave up 5 runs in 5 and the Met offense went to sleep…but this was truly one of the best games I have seen in a long time, even though my heart might need a pacemaker after it…Now…it is easy to feel this way because:
A) The Mets have done this type of epic late game collapse at least 10 times this year out of their 22 blown saves so my skin is thicker and so is their’s since they bounce back every time
B) St. Johan is going tonight and he has owned the Phillies this year and he has been incredible for a month and a half
C) As bad a the Met karma has been, the Phillies also have a tendency to cough back up any sort of success that has gone their way
D) Charlie Manuel is still the Phillie Manager
E) This series is a preliminary for the 3 game series at Shea Sept 5th, 6th and 7th so as long as the Metropolitans can stay in it until then all will be fine
I am fine, the Mets are fine and if things go the way they should tonight (I know baseball is a funny game) The Mets leave Philly where they started.
(Hef just cut and paste this and use it as a post at MLJ.)
August 27th, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Well, my team may be Douche, but at least they’re not Suck.
/optimist
August 27th, 2008 at 10:23 AM
In the 8th and 9th innings this year, A-Rod has a total of 2 RBIs.
Last year he had 31.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:25 AM
@NSR: At the midpoint of next season, we’ll predict how teams will do in their last 81 games. You only look at W/L; I’ll only look at diff. We’ll see who does better.
/Hint: me
August 27th, 2008 at 10:25 AM
sports hernia…if you’re going to give a stat like that, at least give his BA with RISP, that’d be a better indicator.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Again, Fuck A-Rod.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Did you see the press conference…hes all like I sucked. Im like no shit that is unacceptable and I hope you die.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:27 AM
I will also say that their current run differential only has a month of Teixeira not to mention Kendrick, Figgins, and Rivera have been out for quite a bit this year. Their run differential since the ALl-Star break is +37 which I’m guessing is near the tops in the majors. Boston is +16 for the same time period.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:29 AM
2 RBIs is telling me all I need to know, not that I didn’t already know that anyway. I’ve been watching.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Screw it, put Nady in cleanup.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:30 AM
The Yankees are finished, if this was any other team that didn’t get national attention we wouldn’t be focusing on them. They aren’t overcoming either the divisional or wild card deficit.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:30 AM
@NSR: At the midpoint of next season, we’ll predict how teams will do in their last 81 games. You only look at W/L; I’ll only look at diff. We’ll see who does better.
So acquistions and injuries mean nothing? Lackey missed the first month, that probably hurt run differential. Kendrick and Figgins missed large amounts of time. Teixeira has an OPS of 1.085! This isn’t the same team as the one playing in the first half of the season.
And I thought Teixeira was just a product of playing in Texas.
I would think at some point you’d get tired of being wrong all the time.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Only 4 games separate Boston and LAA.
In 1 run games, Boston is 16-19. LAA is 25-17.
There is no outcome more random than that of a 1 run game. That is the ENTIRE reason why LAA’s record is better than Boston’s. It’s a mirage.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:33 AM
so he’s had a lot of opportunities then? he’s had guys on base when he’s come up that late?
seriously…if NY hates A-Rod that much, just give him to the Tribe. we’d be MORE than happy to take that FUTURE HALL OF FAMER. he’s such an awful player, i have no idea how he even made it in to the majors.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:34 AM
oh, and the first part is serious, the second is sarcastic…in case it wasn’t clear.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:35 AM
He’s a great player, he just gets purple lips in big spots.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:36 AM
If you think Teixeira really is a true talent 1.085 OPS hitter, then we’ll need to end this conversation.
Call me crazy, I think his 3800+ plate apperances as a .913 hitter tell me more than his last 100 do.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:37 AM
I’m with Spencer, A-Rod is a dick and I hate him but I would take him on the O’s any day of the week.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:39 AM
i just don’t understand the A-Rod criticism at all. nobody comes thru 100% of the time, and last year, the yanks would’ve been nothing without him.
if you’re going to criticize anyone on that team, it should be jeter and giambi, not a-rod. jeter is just fucking horrendous, oh, but that’s right, he was awesome a decade ago.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:39 AM
Yeah, where was the booing for Giambi when he spaced out and allowed the runner to score from second, or were the fans too busy playing with their fake moustaches?
Yankees suck and I love it.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:40 AM
I mostly agree with you Nick, however as a Boston fan, the LA scares me because the Sox can’t seem to beat them this year (and our bullpen is falling apart, and our starting pitching is inconsistent, and sometimes we start people in the lineup I’ve never heard of).
August 27th, 2008 at 10:40 AM
If it’s random, it proves absolutely nothing one way or the other. It’s a useless stat. Otherwise you could use any random stat and state that’s the ONLY reason Anaheim has a better record than Boston.
i.e. Angels are 15-5 in day games when it’s partly cloudly and less than 75 degrees. Boston is 8-12. That’s the ONLY reason Anaheim’s better.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:41 AM
@st. bear: You couldn’t seem to beat Colorado in the regular season last year, either, as evidenced by the sweep.
Didn’t seem to matter in the WS.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:42 AM
I would say the ONLY reason Anaheim has a better record than Boston, is because Anaheim has beat Boston 8 out of 9 times this year. Might have something to do with it.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:42 AM
If you don’t understand the pass Jeter gets, then I don’t know what to tell you. Of course he’s not the same player he was, everyone knows that.
If A-Rod had come through in October once, just ONCE, the treatment would be different.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:44 AM
Isn’t .913 OPS still pretty good? Or at the VERY least, considerably better than Casey Kotchman’s .745, which Tex replaced?
August 27th, 2008 at 10:44 AM
St Louis won the World Series with a +19 run differential.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:44 AM
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5275/situational;_ylt=Al5D9sCY3Tbm4Z5_ZLsJHQGFCLcF?year=2008&type=Batting
ARod definitely not having an average year, especially when it comes to hitting with runners on base…
That said, I’ll gladly take him at the hot corner at the Prog next year wearing a Wahoo…
August 27th, 2008 at 10:45 AM
@Nick: I think 3 series throughout the year are more telling than a single one. And Boston didn’t have the issues that I mentioned (mainly pitching).
August 27th, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Jason Bay>Mark Texieria
August 27th, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Exactly the point. And Kendrick is better much better then Aybar and Figgins is much better than the guy that replaced him for that time.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:46 AM
i understand WHY jeter gets a pass…but what has he done since 2000? seriously, it was 8 years ago, he’s the worst defensive SS in the MLB this side of hanley ramirez and why would yankee fans boo someone who’s carrying their team instead of some guy who’s obviously hindering it.
so A-Rod hasn’t come through in october…neither has anyone else. and there wouldn’t have even been an october the last few years without A-Rod putting the team on his shoulders.
then again, im not a yankee fan, so i could be way off base.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:47 AM
Spence- because hes from michigan
August 27th, 2008 at 10:49 AM
A-Rod’s stats last Sept/Oct .362/.470/.723.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Who replaced Figgins? He’s been a terrible hitter this year (and he’s below average for his entire career).
Howie isn’t that good, either (average-ish).
August 27th, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Yup, he sucks.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:52 AM
tampa…who’s from Mich?
August 27th, 2008 at 10:52 AM
The last 3 years in October, ARod is batting .159 with 1 RBI and 15 K’s in only 44 AB’s. Not good.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:54 AM
I look to run differential most of the time, but for a team like the Angels, it’s not completely fair. A team with a sub par offense and really good pitching isn’t going to have an outstanding run differential. and that’s the Angels.
Add to the fact that they’ve only had 1 month of Teixeira and they won’t have to use Justin Speier in the playoffs and I like the Angels chances. They’re solid.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:55 AM
Jeter
August 27th, 2008 at 10:57 AM
Ugh. You’re not getting it. Yes Kendrick is average-ish, with a .770 OPS (better than Kotchman), but he’s MUCH better than Aybar and Izturis who filled in with a whopping .690 OPS. And Figgins’ .700 OPS isn’t great, but it’s MUCH better than Quinlan’s .630.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:57 AM
im not surprised. i knew there was a reason i always hated that asshole.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:58 AM
Jeter is from NJ. Not that that’s any better, but I’m just saying.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Jeter went to Kalamazoo Central in Michigan. He might have been born in NJ.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:05 AM
Dude 70 points of OPS is not MUCH better. It *might* be 1 win over 162, so call it 2 wins for both of the swaps.
This also assumes Howie/Figgins are good defenders. Howie, I’m not so sure on.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:10 AM
Someone get Tampa some Prozac, quickly
August 27th, 2008 at 11:12 AM
But it would make a difference in your beloved run differential would it not? Especially when you take Figgins’ .380 OBP out of the leadoff spot and replace him with Izturis’s .329 OBP. And then take Kendrick out of the #2 spot and put Mathews Jr. there (.630 OPS).
You also had Moseley starting for Lackey for the first month when he posted a 7.15 ERA. Lackey didn’t give up more than 3 runs for the first two months he pitched.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:14 AM
You also have to admit the subpar players in the lineup affect ALL players in that lineup. Vlad put up an OPS of .790 in April and .677 in May.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:14 AM
No Diesel, A-Rod needs to get his shit together. I fucking traded Miguel Cabreara and Jeter for this bitch. And for him to suck like this is unacceptable. This is like if Mike Jordan sucking in 1996…Not cool.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:15 AM
FWIW, the spreadsheet found here has Figgins as 2+ runs below average at second base, decreasing his bat value slightly. Aybar was slightly above average.
Figgins is below average also.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:16 AM
The Red Sox will sweep the Angels in the ALDS (again).
/ctl+p
August 27th, 2008 at 11:17 AM
That’s just crazy talk. Aybar doesn’t affect Vlad’s ability to rake.
When you have to break your argument up into ever decreasing sample sizes, you should just stop.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Napoli was also out for a good bit. .834 OPS vs. .637 for Mathis who replaced him.
Again, this is not the same team that started the season.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Like records in one-run games?
August 27th, 2008 at 11:20 AM
While I agree that one-run games are a good indicator, that was a sick burn, NSR.
/Nick, step into my office.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:21 AM
No, but having Figgins and Kendrick go 1-2 instead of Izturis-Mathews, and having Teixeira bat behind him instead of Kotchman might have something to do with it.
You would at least have to admit that Vlad is not a sub .850 OPS guy.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:21 AM
@NSR: Hi, You missed me completely.
/The point
August 27th, 2008 at 11:24 AM
And you can argue all day about injuries and replacement players, but I wonder how much better Boston’s would be with a healthy Ortiz all year? And now JD Drew’s hurt. And Beckett. And Wakefield…
Injuries happen. They happen to the Angels and the Red Sox, and the Red Sox were/are still better.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:29 AM
And Boston hasn’t faired as well with those injuries have they? EXACTLY MY POINT!!! Boston has a ton of injuries and are only +16 in run differential compared to Anaheim’s +37 since the All-Star break. But we judge Boston as how they would be AT FULL STRENGTH!!!! Right?!?!?! Why not Anaheim?
August 27th, 2008 at 11:39 AM
NSR, I believe you mean the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:54 AM
Nick, let’s get back to your point, which was “I think the Angels are overrated because they’re only 5th in the AL and 9th in MLB in run diff.”
I think NSR and others have done a fine job of poking a couple holes in that point. Recapping:
- Their run-differential is better since Lackey came back and they added Teixeira and got Kendrick back.
- Run-differential isn’t as important for a team with outstanding relief pitching.