Nationals & Mets Double-Header Thread

Phillies vs. Nationals

Game 1: O'Sullivan RHP (1-2, 3.68 ERA) vs. Scherzer RHP (4-3, 1.75 ERA)

Game 2: Hamels LHP (4-3, 3.24 ERA) vs. Strasburg RHP (3-4, 5.98 ERA)

Game 3: Harang RHP (4-3, 1.82 ERA) vs. Gonzalez LHP (3-2, 4.94 ERA)

Phillies vs. Mets 

Game 1: Gonzalez RHP (2-1, 7.11 ERA) vs. Colon RHP (6-3, 4.85 ERA)

Game 2: Williams RHP (3-4, 5.44 ERA) vs. deGrom RHP (5-4, 2.75 ERA)

Game 3: TBD vs. TBD

Stats update 5/22:

Yesterday Ryan Howard hit his second home run in as many games and 9th over his last 98 at-bats, marking the first time Howard has hit 9 or more HR over a stretch of 100 or fewer ABs since August 10 to September 11, 2011, when he hit 9 homers in 84 AB. Since April 21st, Howard is hitting .290 with five doubles, one triple, nine HR and 19 RBI in 28 games. Over that stretch he is tied for 3rd in the majors in home runs with Ryan Braun and Todd Frazier, trailing only Bryce Harper (11) and Giancarlo Stanton (10)

Since May 15th, Chase Utley is batting .450 (9-20) with a .542 OBP (4 BB), 4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 RBI and 5 R in six games. Utley has at least one XBH in five of those six games.

Since May 14th, the Phillies have posted a .290 team batting average, which is the 2nd highest mark in the NL and 4th in MLB over that stretch (DET - .313, SF - .309, KC - .307). They are also 1st in doubles (23) tied for 1st in XBH (31), 2nd in hits (79), 4th in OBP (.354), 5th in SLG% (.456), 6th in runs (37), and 8th in runs per game (4.63)

The Phillies have won three of the last four series vs. the Nationals (8-5 overall record since 8/25/14) In those 13 games, the Phillies have outscored the Nats 49 to 47, and Phillies pitchers have posted a 3.46 ERA.

Phillies have not won a road series over their last nine tries, going 0-8-1 since September 15, 2014. Their last road series win came against the Nationals earlier that month. 

Phillies committed two errors yesterday to give them 33 on the year (in 42 games), 2nd-most in the NL and tied for 3rd most in MLB. In 2014, the team committed only 83 errors, tied with the Angles for 3rd-fewest in MLB. The last Phillies team to have this many errors to start a season was the WFC 2008 squad, who committed 35 errors through the first 42 games.

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Comments

[Conway Twitty]

Thank you, mystery moderator, for honoring my request for the handedness of the SP!

[Bubba]

Comments are light tonight as was the Phils offense.

Better luck tomorrow!

[Conway Twitty]

I've said this before: I go to espn.go.com to study boxscores because I like their format, but their game summaries are always filled with errors. Tonite's Phils run scored on Odubel Franco's double!

[Bonehead]

I'm more than ready for Roob to start pulling the trigger on some of these rumored trade possibilities. For almost all of them, its not like I'm expecting any kind of big-time return. I'm just ready to see guys like Ruf, Cesar, Asche, even Dom, etc, out there every day to, once and for all, sink or swim.

[Bonehead]

Sooner rather than later, trade Benny and Piece. Get what can be gotten for Cole and Harang. Time the market for trades of Chase, Chooch, Pap.

Just do it. Move forward.

[GTown_Dave]

Washington has taken to playing elevator music during visiting BP, which also began late & ended early. Sandberg is not amused. What a bullshit franchise. I'd love for the Phillies to respond during Natitude's next trip to CBP by showing highlights of the 2012 NLDS on Phanavision during visiting BP, accompanied by audio of choking/gagging sounds on the PA.

[Wayne]

I think that the big piece will lead the team to the playoffs. Wait till next year to dismantle the team.

[Wayne]

I do not see the Mets making the playoffs. Harvey is going downhill and Wright is out UFN and I see the Phils sweeping the Mets. With Howard and Franco the Mets will be out scored.

[MG]

Another road series, another road loss. Phils have yet to win a road series and I wonder how long they will go before they will win one.

Down at the NJ Shore this weekend and it is amazing how much changed over the past 3-4 years. Couldn't come down here without hearing the Phils at the beach or coming out of somebody's car/house back then. Now nobody is watching nor do you see many signs of Phils' merchandise/memorabilia except fading stickers on the back of people's cars.

Back to the late 90s almost even if this team has been more watchable since the start of May (11-11). Worthwhile to watch a Hamels start just as it was to watch Schilling but otherwise not too many reasons to watch them on TV especially for an entire game. Listen on the radio with Franske/LA, relax with a few laughs, and listen as the Phils generally scuffle along.

[Bubba]

We are going to need to start rotating relief pitchers from AA /AAA to the "big?" club.

Seems like some serious innings are going to the pen about 3 starts out of 5.

I wonder where we stand against MLB average in BP innings ?

[Tal Venada]

Bubba,

There are 13 BPs in the MLB with more innings than the Phils, and there are five NL BP's with more innings. Numbers are through Sunday's results.

Phils have 134 2/3 BP innings for 46 games. Highest MLB BP is Tampa Bay with 153 innings for 45 games, and highest NL BP is Colorado with 150 innings for 41 games.

[Bubba]

Thanks- I would have thought we were on the high end, but that sounds like we are about average.

[Conway Twitty]

Today's highlight: Diekman got his ERA back under 8. in a no pressure situation.

[bay_area_phan]

"Diekman got his ERA back under 8. in a no pressure situation."

An 8.00 ERA is widely regarded as the threshold which separates the ordinary major league pitchers from the truly great ones.

[Phanatic]

Nice to see the Phillies playing like a major league team lately (still a losing team, but not embarrassing themselves). Dominating the Nats on Saturday for a full 9 innings was encouraging, too bad it didn't carry over. It will be a minor miracle if they win even 1 game against the Mets with such garbage starting pitching.

[Phanatic]

Wayne: I love your optimism, but even if Howard channeled his 2006-2009 self, and powered up the offense, we would still need a half-decent rotation to win consistently.

[Willard Preacher]

Hey guys, just a reminder that all of these comments are great and all, but clearly lacking in any intelligence, as the average Phillies Phan is an idiot and unaware of how to implement and execute a "plan" (something that Rube doesn't actually use, if I remember correctly).

[curt]

The last intelligent thought to escape Rube's lips was his observation a few years ago that if he couldn't build a contender with this payroll he shouldn't have the job.

[Lineup]

1-- LF-- B. Revere (L)
2-- SS-- F. Galvis (S)
3-- 2B-- C. Utley (L)
4-- 1B-- R. Howard (L)
5-- 3B-- M. Franco (R)
6-- RF-- G. Sizemore (L)
7-- CF-- O. Herrera (L)
8-- C--- C. Ruiz (R)
9-- P--- J. Williams (R)

[bay_area_phan]

"The last intelligent thought to escape Rube's lips was his observation a few years ago that if he couldn't build a contender with this payroll he shouldn't have the job."

Of course, he doesn't have that payroll anymore, so he's covered.

[bay_area_phan]

Is there some rule that, because he's a Rule 5 pickup, Odubel Herrera absolutely must start? I'm generally in favor of giving the young guys as much playing time as possible, including Odubel Herrera. But, at the same time, the guy has been absolutely awful for about the last month. Yet, he's the one player who is in the starting lineup every single day.

[curt]

Bap - I'm not devoting a whole lot of attention to this edition of the Phillies, but my guess would be that Herrera benefits from the fact that Sandberg never wants to see Revere out there again. If it weren't Herrera, it would probably be Cesar.

[not clout]

As much as I dislike D Brown, Id rather see him than Sizemore everyday.

[BV2ST]

During the 9th inning double switch, T Mac actually said "...even though you hate to take Howard's bat out of the lineup...".

Howard to that point: 0-5 with 4 Ks

[Phanatic]

Our "stellar bullpen" has been coughing up games. 4-3 lead in the 8th is supposed to be a lock.

[Bonehead]

Roob is not aware of how bad he actually is at his job.

[Bonehead]

For Roob, its a joke for him even to utter the word "Plan".

Unless he precedes it with "What is this thing you call"

[Bonehead]

Under Roob, what would one identify as the "Phillie Way" or "Roob's Way"? What is the identity? What is the foundation?

Is it 'pitching-and-defense'? Or 'draft toolsy and develop'? Or 'Billy-ball-ish'? Or 'drill in the fundamentals and play the game right'?

Under Roob, its all of the above. Its none of the above. Its scatter-shot; no plan.

The Phillies organization right now is exactly where Roob led it.

[Bonehead]

I'm just sayin'

[Willard Preacher]

This could be the season when it's next to impossible to determine when "rock bottom" actually occurs in real time. Recent win spurts on the road trip aside, getting swept by a very mediocre Mets team is embarrassing. Yet, I fear that the worst is still to come.

[GTown_Dave]

The good news is it should only take the FO another 3 seasons or so to figure out what the rest of us already know. Namely, that Sean O'Sullivan has no business playing baseball for a living.

[Conway Twitty]

Ryno says Diekman is the new long man. That's code for mop-up work. Finally.

[Iceman]

WP- every 5th day when Sean O'Sullivan pitches, a new rock-bottom has been reached.

[BV2ST]

On the bright side, we didn't get Wilmered today.

[Willard Preacher]

"WP- every 5th day when Sean O'Sullivan pitches, a new rock-bottom has been reached."

Fair assessment!

[GTown_Dave]

Did anyone else enjoy watching Papelbon pitch while the Phils were down 7 runs, a day after he pointedly wasn't utilized in tense, very winnable game? I realize a majority of managers play that the same way, but it still drives me around the bend.

[Willard Preacher]

GTown, the most "enjoyable" part of that outing? - Getting Paps one 'finished game' closer to vesting that option, and getting nothing else out of it! Yet we fans are the idiots!

[Willard Preacher]

BTW, you want a good example of some of the TGP frustration that I can relate to? Take a good look at TTI going to battle (primarily with schmenkman and Mike Lacy) in the RAJ/idiot fan thread. It's tough to read. I actually feel a bit bad for TTI...

[Conway Twitty]

You know things are bad when "The Phillie of the week" on TV is the kid with the Phils hat who caught Howard's HR in Colorado.

[bay_area_phan]

When TTI was posting at Beerleaguer, I always thought of him as the model that all aspiring front office apologists should look up to. Turns out he was just beating up on weak apologist competitition. At TGP, he actually gets taken to task for being excessively critical of Amaro.

When it comes to reflexively fawning over the Phillies' front office, TGP is the big leagues. Beerleaguer is like the Venezuelan Winter Leagues.

[GTown_Dave]

I set out to read the thread in question but my brain was wholly unable to process the concept of TTI as the voice of reasoned opposition, which forced me to abandon my attempt.

TGP must be largely populated by folks who only began following the Phillies this millenium, as no one who clearly recalls the bulk of the 90s (let alone the mid-late 80s) could possibly be so blindly supportive of the FO.

[GTown_Dave]

Conway: So I take it you won't be submitting an advance order for "Hey, Remember The Kid Who Caught Howard's Homer In Colorado? The 2015 Phillies Video Yearbook"?

[bay_area_phan]

Cody Asche back from AAA. I don't know how I can handle all this excitement at once.

[GTown_Dave]

With Asche returning the Phillies might be forced to only carry 14 OF on their roster.

[bay_area_phan]

And then there's Andres Blanco, who can't hit his way out of a wet paper bag but fills the critical need for a third-string shortstop that no MLB team can do without.

[Bonehead]

To Roob, waiting until a guy is ready before calling him up = having a plan.

[curt]

I took a look at TGP a few days ago. It seemed to be an article of faith that not only was Howie tradable, he should probably bring back a real prospect. The old BL Pollyannas were not in the same league as these guys.

[curt]

I also liked the assumption over there that the Phils would be back in contention in 2017. Somehow. Magically, I guess.

[MG]

Amaro certainly deserves to be fired at the end of this season and should have been at the end of last season. Argue strongly that this team hasn't had any kind of larger organizational strategic plan in place that has been the basis of their decisions & operations either.

Instead, they just tried to field competitive-enough teams until the Comcast TV revenues kicked in by riding out this current core & fielding a large MLB payroll. It has been an unmitigated failure with this team beginning the rebuilding en masse either at the end of the '12 season or certainly at the '13 trade deadline & moving Lee.

Bigger issue though with the Phils since Montgomery's illness though has been FO which has been in limbo. Even now, they have an interim President (Gillick) who likely won't be here beyond this offseason.

They haven't bottomed out yet but they are getting close. Imagine it will come after the trade deadline this year especially if they move Hamels. Next GM isn't getting much either to build on especially at the MLB level. About the only good thing for him is that he will have low expectations and only one year (2016) where he has to play through the last of the bad Amaro contracts.

Given the position they are in right now, I won't have any expectations of the new GM until '18. MLB talent and talent at Reading and LV is that lacking especially positional players.

Best case scenario is that Middleton takes over majority ownership of the team next offseason, they hire a legit President to run the baseball operations, a young and upcoming GM, and revamp almost the entire organization.

More realistically the ownership group remains status quo. They will bring someone over from the business side of things to take over the role of the President and hire a new GM (50/50 that it is somebody external). They'll be some changes but nothing profound.

[MG]

This team being good again by '17 is a pipe dream though and what I don't get over at TGP is the continued visceral defense of this team's approach on the international market to date (bottom 1/3 spending and signing large amount of guys for <$100k with a lot of $25k/$50k who never amount to anything) or this spring when they passed on Tomas/Moncada.