Defeat.
Few expected this outcome. While some were overly optimistic about the Phillies steamrolling the Giants, I don’t know how many expected it to end like this. It just didn’t seem like the Phillies’ night when Chooch scorchedone and the inning promptly ended in a double play. As much as I want to further berate Ryan Howard for his gawking at strike 3, a series is comprised of more than one AB. The Phillies may have been the better team, but the playoffs are all about who has a better series. It was not the Phillies this time around unfortunately.
Until next year.
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“I’ve been fortunate to have some good catchers, but I think as far as a guy that takes pride in calling every pitch, I think he’s probably the highest on that list. There are other guys where you shake and they’re OK with it. He takes pride in it.”
- Roy Halladay
It’s Game 6. The rest of the team needs to take Roy Halladay’s and Chooch’s lead. Specifically Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Not much more to say than that. Hopefully Manuel gives Ben Francisco the start too.
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The line of Chooch:
2 AB, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP
The line of the ace (Roy Halladay):
6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
This game was a wild one even though the score might not indicate it. Roy Halladay struggled early to find his command and it never really got to the point that we expect. It felt as though pretty much every at-bat was a struggle. He often got behind in the count and his velocity was not there. As we would later find out, Roy Halladay pulled his groin in the second inning and toughed it out for the rest of the game. Not too bad given the circumstances. Then he handed off the game to the bullpen that was dominant. How about Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge? Wow.
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“It’s not like it’s over right now.”
- Chooch
At this point, we all have to hope that the NLCS will be a microcosm for the entire season. When it looked like the Phillies were out of it behind the Braves, they dug in one game at a time and remarkably ended the season with the best record in all of baseball. Things don’t look good now, but look for Roy Halladay to bounce back after his last start didn’t go as well as we all thought it would. Perhaps we are the victims of unreasonable expectations after the no-hitter against the Reds, but I also wouldn’t expect the Giants to put up more than 2 runs. Tim Lincecum can be hit, but the Phillies will need to be patient at the plate and not swing at all of the junk that he throws.
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The line of Chooch:
4 AB, 1 H, 3 SO
The line of the pitcher (Joe Blanton):
4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
The Phillies are now down 3-1 in the NLCS. Cheeseburger Joe did not pitch an awful game, but I feel like he did was more people expected. Unfortunately, the rest of the team did a decent job, but it was just not enough. Maybe putting Oswalt in now was not a bad idea, but I do question it. I can only hope that it turns out to be the right choice. Let’s go Phillies!
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“Guys, we need to score some runs today.”
- Chooch
The Phillies are now down 2-1 in the best of 7 NLCS against the Giants. The biggest concern of the year – the inconsistent offense – is giving the Phillies their biggest problem of the postseason thus far. The Phillies will be giving Joe Blanton the ball and the Giants will be starting Madison Bumgarner. Starting Blanton is not a huge surprise here as he performed well after getting his season back on track. Also, Manuel is starting Ben Francisco over Raul Ibanez as well this game in an effort to get something going. I like the move. Ben Francisco was an everyday player and above average when he was playing every day in Cleveland. The worst part about this move is that Francisco has not been playing regularly, so it’s hard to know what to expect from him. Overall though, I expect the defensive upgrade to help them out and bat can only be better than what Ibanez has shown against the Giants.
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The line of Chooch:
2 AB, 1 H, 1 HBP
The line of the ace (Cole Hamels):
6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO
Well, there was simply not too much to say about this game. Cole Hamels pitched a decent game and probably could have thrown another inning, but got little run support as has been the case for much the season. Matt Cain was in a similar position throughout the season but he was able to keep the baserunners from crossing the plate and the Giants got enough out of Hamels to get the win. While it looks dire now, it’s not time to panic. The Phillies are basically in a best of 5 series where they lost the first game. It’s just not the position that we wanted the Phillies to be in at this point. Hopefully Manuel will mix things up a bit to jump start this team.
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“My nickname is Chooch.”
- Chooch
With the series tied at 1-1, the Phillies will be sending Cole Hamels to the mound. Matt Cain takes the mound for the Giants. This is likely to be another great pitching matchup and I expect performances more on par with Game 2 than Game 1. Look for Chooch to have a good game with the bat.
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The line of Chooch:
4 AB, 2 SO
The line of the ace (Roy Oswalt):
8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 SO, 1 HR
BONUS! 1 H, 1 R
Roy Oswalt and the Phillies were able to bounce back from games they’d like to have back. Oswalt pitched very well and took a no-hitter into the 5th inning. He was not phased by the home run he gave up and then went right back to work. Charlie Manuel visited him in the 8th inning, but Oswalt wanted the ball and he kept it for the rest of the inning. Ryan Madson took the ball in the 9th and closed the door without giving up a run despite the baserunners that were allowed.
The sluggers got their act together too during the other side of the innings. The game started off well with Jonathan Sanchez getting himself into a jam very early and Jimmy Rollins getting a walk to force in a run. It was a nice show of discipline on Rollins’ part and it helped to set the tone for his game. Sanchez ran up the pitch count and was obviously flustered. This played right into the Phillies’ hands. Later in the game, Oswalt would help his own cause and score a run. Rollins just barely missed a grand slam and took the bases-clearing double to give the Phillies plenty of insurance.
Overall, this was a very easy game to watch. The Phillies now head to San Francisco with the series tied 1-1. Cole Hamels will take the mound on Tuesday and looks to keep the wins coming. The Phillies are in a good position to take the first lead of this series.
“In the beginning we lived as fastballers, throwing fastballs and changeups for survival. Then came Candy Cummings who brought us the curveball, and with it we forged a new way of life. To reject the curveball is to denounce the Ace.”
- The Ace Book of Tenets
The Fightin’ Philadelphias have lost one game in the series of seven. All seems lost as they have not done this since eight series prior and the ace has fallen…
Yet all is not lost. There is another ace who will look for redemption. It is his game and he will not disappoint those who anticipate a win.
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Tagged Chooch, Oswalt
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