2006 Philles Season Thread

[Geowhizzer]

Thurston was bunting.  That tells me Burrell can not bunt. 

I knew that already.   

Then I have a second question:

If the Phils had Utley at first, would they have "pinch-bunted" for Howard?

Since when was Burrell as good as Howard?

Just a question.  It seems to me that Manuel is pretty down on Burrell, who is supposed to be a good RBI guy, to not only pinch-hit for him, but to do so with the purpose of sacrificing him to second.

[mpmcgraw]

Maybe because Howard would have a hard time scoring on an extra base hit from first as evidenced by the Conine hit?

[BigEd76]

Howard needs 5 more HRs to tie Jimmie Foxx for the Philadelphia HR record (58 in 1932 for the A's)

[PhillyPhreak54]

If this team wants to do anything they need production out of the 5-hole. Burrell is getting some more time now suuposedly because Dellucci is slumping (which he is). So he better get it done. And striking out looking with 0 outs and the bases loaded ain't gettin' it done.

This offense right now is Rollins, Victorino and Howard. Hopefully Utley is on the verge of pulling out of that slump. With him struggling and Dellucci also not doing well they have nothing other than those 3 guys. Pat needs to step it up.

And why were you ripping Charlie?

[Dillen]

I didnt pay attention to the game today and saw that Charlton Jimerson hit a HR in his first at bat. He is Preston Wilson Jr, only with more K's. Seriously, he's leading all MLB organizations (MLB, AAA, AA, A) in strikeouts this year (I think, not 100% sure.) He had 152 K in 448 AB last year. 183 K in 470 AB this year. It's a shame because he has so much talent, he's fast as hell and has an absolute cannon for an arm.

[mpmcgraw]

If this team wants to do anything they need production out of the 5-hole. Burrell is getting some more time now suuposedly because Dellucci is slumping (which he is). So he better get it done. And striking out looking with 0 outs and the bases loaded ain't gettin' it done.

This offense right now is Rollins, Victorino and Howard. Hopefully Utley is on the verge of pulling out of that slump. With him struggling and Dellucci also not doing well they have nothing other than those 3 guys. Pat needs to step it up.

And why were you ripping Charlie?

Some people are saying that Burrell is hurt worse than the Phillies are letting on which blows regurgitated monkey fetus.   

I was ripping charlie because he brought Joe farging Thurston in to pinch bunt for Burrell with farging Roberson sitting on the bench.  Stupid stupid stupid. 

[Geowhizzer]

Maybe because Howard would have a hard time scoring on an extra base hit from first as evidenced by the Conine hit?

Other than the speedy guys (Rollins, etc.) who would have scored from first on that hit?

Definitely not Howard, definitely not Burrell.  Heck, rather than pinch-hit for Burrell, pinch-run for Howard.

Stupid move?  Probably, but you don't take out your 5th hole hitter for a bunt situation- if you have any confidence in your 5th hole hitter.

[PhillyPhreak54]

I didnt pay attention to the game today and saw that Charlton Jimerson hit a HR in his first at bat. He is Preston Wilson Jr, only with more K's. Seriously, he's leading all MLB organizations (MLB, AAA, AA, A) in strikeouts this year (I think, not 100% sure.) He had 152 K in 448 AB last year. 183 K in 470 AB this year. It's a shame because he has so much talent, he's fast as hell and has an absolute cannon for an arm.

He broke up Cole's perfect game. I hope the bastich goes on to strike out every time he steps to the plate now.

MP,

And? So what? Thurston can bunt too. He just didn't get it down. Just like Dellucci didn't hit a sac fly or even make contact and the same goes for Hernandez. When will the players be held accountable for their fargups? I swear that Chralie gets ripped for everything. He deserves it some times. But I crack up when he gets bashed for no reason other than the players being fargups.

Case in point - some fans on another MB were begging for Fidel Castro all year to get in some tough spots. Charlie was an icehole for not bringing him in. So after the terrible BP couldn't get anyone out in the ATL series he brings in Castro. And he gets smoked for a 3R HR. Then Charlie gets ripped because he brought Castro in with the bases loaded and didn't let him start the inning. Too much pressure on the kid, they said. Puhleeeze!

The point is that everything ain't Charlie's fault. But no one seems to realize that. It's all Uncle Chuckles' fault whenever a player shteins the bed.

[mpmcgraw]

Thurston can actually get a hit too though.  IMO Roberson's usefulness is so limited that when an obvious situation comes up to use him, you do not waste a more talented player (IMO of course) especially when Roberson is probably better at bunting.   

Roberson looks so overmatched every time he steps up to the plate, that I hate seeing him get any 'real' at bats in an important situation like he did today.

[MDS]

Wow. Crazy game. All in all, they got the win. Hopefully one good thing to come out of this is that Manuel no longer trusts Rhodes and Fultz. He used farging Fabio Castro yesterday, and Matt Smith today. Good for Chuckles.

Dellucci needs to wake the farg up. He's been terrible for the better part of two weeks. Conine appears to be fairly solid, and Burrell is total vagina, so we really Dellucci.

Chase Utley shows up for the first time in three weeks. Thanks, bro.

[BigEd76]

Fultz hasn't been used recently because he has a sore shoulder too.  Rhodes hasn't been used because he sucks.

[MDS]

Fair enough.

[Seabiscuit36]

Ken Rosenthal / FOXSports.com
Posted: 6 hours ago

PHILADELPHIA - Only the most feared hitters would be walked intentionally to lead off the ninth inning of a tie game between two teams scrambling for a wild card.

This is where Ryan Howard stands as he bears down on Major League Baseball's first 60-homer season since 2001, looking more like the National League MVP with each passing day.

Howard, 26, is in his first season as a major-league regular, and the Astros on Monday treated him as if he were Barry Bonds in his prime.

The Phillies' Jeff Conine labeled the Astros' strategy "Bonds-esque." Astros manager Phil Garner said the comparison was indeed applicable.

Keep in mind that teams were scoring 40.2 percent of the time after leadoff walks entering Monday, 38.6 percent in the National League, according to STATS, Inc.

But no right-thinking manager is going to let Howard beat him in the late innings of a meaningful game in September. And by the ninth inning, Garner already had seen enough.

Howard, a left-handed hitter, had stunned the Astros in his previous at-bat by muscling a cut fastball from right-hander Russ Springer for his major-league leading 53rd home run.

Springer said he threw the 3-1 pitch where he wanted it, up and in. Howard couldn't even get his arms extended. Yet, he still had enough power to pull the ball over the right-field wall.

"We felt like we made a good pitch and he hammered it out of the ballpark," Garner said. "I wasn't going to let that happen again."

As it turned out, the Astros survived the ninth when right-hander Chad Qualls escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam, stranding Howard at third.

But in the 10th, the Phillies' Chase Utley hit a two-out, walk-off homer off Astros right-hander Dave Borkowski, sparing Garner another decision with Howard waiting on deck.

Howard seemed unfazed by Garner's move, saying that while his preference is to compete, he's perfectly content to walk if it leads to the Phillies scoring more runs.

The Astros surely would have approached the situation differently if the Phillies had a more dangerous hitter protecting Howard, their cleanup man. But Pat Burrell, the Phillies' most frequently used No. 5 hitter of late, is not exactly Manny Ramirez to Howard's David Ortiz.

In fact, Burrell inspires such little confidence, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel removed him for pinch-hitter Joe Thurston after Howard's walk, intending for Thurston to bunt.

In any case, the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins contended that the Astros' decision to walk Howard merely reflected the game's significance, not the start of a Bonds-like trend.

"It takes years for that stuff to happen," Rollins said.

Perhaps, but Howard, in Utley's estimation, is "only getting better."

The Phillies traded outfielder Bobby Abreu on July 30, all but conceding their season. But thanks in large part to Howard, they're now within one game of the wild-card lead.

Howard had 41 RBIs in August, the most by a major leaguer in any month since July 1962, when Frank Howard had 41 for the Dodgers. So far in September, Howard is 10-for-16 with four homers and six RBIs.

Oh, he still strikes out a lot — his rate is the third-highest in the NL — but veteran Phillies marvel at his improving command of the strike zone.

"It doesn't matter what kind of pitcher is out there — he makes adjustments, backs you against the wall and puts you in a situation where you feel defeated," closer Tom Gordon says.

Howard is second in the NL to the Cardinals' Pujols in on-base/slugging percentage. He has improved dramatically against left-handed pitching this season. His numbers on the road are nearly as good as they are at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.

And that's just the baseball part of it.

Howard is one of several articulate, engaging young stars at a time when the disagreeable Bonds is fading as the game's pre-eminent figure.

He's a rising African-American phenomenon at a time when the game is struggling to attract African-American fans and players.

And he's a slugger who is untainted by suspicion of performance-enhancing drug use at a time when the game is trying to emerge from the Steroid Era.

No one can state definitively that Howard or any other player is clean, not when players can still beat MLB's drug testing by using undetectable substances.

Likewise, no one can state definitively that a player is dirty unless he tests positive for a banned substance. And fans have shown that even in an age of heightened suspicion, they're not going to assume the worst.

One thing we know for certain: Ryan Howard is a feared hitter. How feared, we found out on Monday.

Ken Rosenthal is FOXSports.com's senior baseball writer.

Fox

[PhillyPhreak54]

Ryan Howard is Jesus.

[rjs246]

Ryan Howard is Jesus.

Jesus is magic.