Fantasy Baseball Tonight June 8: Welcome Tommy Hanson

Like I always say, young players, and especially pitchers, often struggle.

Tommy Hanson got a rude welcome to the majors today as he allowed six runs over six innings.

If there is one good thing about the start, it’s that Hanson didn’t walk a slew of guys, in fact only one, and he did strike out five in those six innings. Milwaukee is a decent offensive team, but they aren’t exactly Murderer’s Row either.

Continue to start Hanson, and don’t let this one start make you lose any confidence.

Roy Halladay is just straight out NASTY!

The guy threw another complete game shutout today and is now the majors first ten game winner. His ERA is right around 2.50, he is striking out nearly a batter an inning, and his WHIP is among the best in baseball among starters.

What can I say?

If Halladay isn’t the best, he’s definitely in the top five.

Ricky Nolasco was back for the Marlins today, and, although he took the loss, the start was pretty encouraging. He allowed just two runs over seven innings, walked three, and struck out four.

This obviously wasn’t a lights out start, but it is much better than some of the outings he had before being sent to the minors. I like the prospects of a fine season for Nolasco after being recalled, and I think he can win eleven or twelve games.

I continue to read Steve Gardner’s blog over at usatoday.com, and I found a new way for us to compete against each other.

USA Today’s site has two fun games that I have begun to play, and I set up a private league for us to join. The first is called 56 Game Hit Streak in which you try, each day, to pick a guy who will get a hit.

Sounds easy, right?

I started it a few days ago and haven’t picked a guy who got a hit yet. The second is called 3 Play, and that is a weekly game in which you pick an infielder, an outfielder, and a pitching staff and you get points based on their performance.

Points are accumulated for the season. The midseason game starts on Monday. The information you need follows. Both league names are Fantasy Bball 2night, and the passwords are both fantasy.

Please join us and see if you matchup against us.

Antonio Bastardo was called up to the majors to fill in for Brett Myers when he was basically lost for the season. While the Phils have said they would look outside the organization for a long term fix, Bastardo could make them rethink those plans.

Besides having a really cool name, he was having a great season in the minors and is a pretty good strikeout pitcher. He hasn’t been going deep into games, but he has had two quality starts, and has been getting pretty good K numbers.

As long as he is in the rotation for the Phillies, he is worth a look as a potential guy at the bottom of your rotation.

Randy Wells had his first major league win blown for him by the bullpen, but he has now made six starts, and he is still yet to allow more than three runs.

Wells struck out four and allowed two runs in 6.2 innings, and now has a 1.86 ERA. I’m still not on the Wells bandwagon, but he is doing quite well in the majors.

I just look at his minor league statistics and he never did this good for any stretch at any level.

It is just a few days away before Fighting Chance Fantasy officially becomes Fantasy Baseball Tonight. Many of you have already made the switch and I appreciate the feedback I have gotten. Anyone who checks out the new site, I wanna hear what you think.

Bronson Arroyo is either all or nothing.

This time it was another great start for him. Arroyo allowed just one run over seven innings, but wasn’t a factor in the decision. Arroyo isn’t an elite strikeout pitcher and only whiffed two on Sunday.

This start comes on the heels of him allowing five runs against the Cardinals five days ago. I don’t like to have a guy like Arroyo on my team. I don’t want a guy who will likely allow either one run or eight.

What’s wrong with a line of three earned over six with four Ks?

There’s room for that on my team.

Livan Hernandez continues his unlikely season with another win for the Mets.

Hernandez is now 5-1 after throwing seven shutout innings against the Nationals. He hasn’t lost a decision since Apr. 23, which could only mean one thing…there has to be a few outings coming in the near future.

This isn’t 2000 when he won 17 games; Livan is in his mid-30s now and is on the downside of his career. He has been great for the Mets and his fantasy teams, but there has to be a correction coming.

Continue to pitch him, but don’t be shocked if there are some bad outings in the future.

You can also follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fightingchance, and you can also be my friend on Facebook.

Ubaldo Jimenez was great on Sunday against St. Louis and finally got a win for his efforts. He has now given up eleven runs in his last five starts, but this is the first win he had to show for it.

Jimenez allowed two runs over eight innings and struck out nine. Control continues to be his biggest problem, well that and the fact that his team stinks. But, he is steadily improving the more he pitches, and it is looking possible that he could live up to his hype.

If Jimenez is still available, I would consider picking him up, especially in keeper leagues despite the fact his team is in last place.

Vince Mazzaro has now had two major league starts and is still yet to give up a run.

After throwing 6.1 shutout innings in his debut, Mazzaro threw up zeros for 7.1 innings on Sunday. The good news is this time he didn’t walk anyone after issuing four free passes his first time out.

Mazzaro was ranked as the No. 8 prospect for Oakland coming into the year, so this isn’t completely unexpected. However, he likely has some less than stellar outings in his future.

Jose Lopez is finally starting to show some signs of life after an atrocious start to the year. Lopez connected on his fifth homer of the year, and three of them have come in the last eight days. He has also raised his batting average nearly 20 points in the last week.

It is unlikely he will get to the numbers that he put up in 2008, but he is looking less like he should be in your free agent pool. Another good couple of games and I would think about picking him up—the talent pool at second base isn’t the deepest.

Juan Rivera is a decent option for those of you in deeper leagues or leagues that require five outfielders. The Angels OF/DH has had a career full of injuries but a world of potential.

So far, so good on the injury front for Rivera. He had three more hits on Sunday to get his average back over .300, and he now has six homers on the season. He has also driven in a run in seven of his last eight games, including three today.

He isn’t going to shift the balance of power in your league, but if you have been rotating free agents waiting to find someone that sticks Rivera could be that guy.

Paul Phillips had a great game for the Rockies, but his time behind the plate for Colorado is likely short lived.

Chris Iannetta is due back from the Disabled List in the next couple of days, perhaps as early as Tuesday. So, even with his four hit game, I would leave Phillips right where he is, likely in your free agent pool.

 

Mailing List

I’m not going to stop bringing up the mailing list until I get a day where I don’t get a request to join it.

For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, when I find news earlier in the day I will send an email to you about whatever it might be. If you were on the mailing list you would have found out about the callups of Matt Wieters, Fernando Martinez, Nolan Reimold, and others.

The trade of Nate McLouth, and injuries to Jose Reyes, etc. This mailing list is your way to get a step up on your competition. Anyone who is on the list, please leave a comment below on whether you think that you have benefited from the list.

Send an email to either fantasybaseballtonight@gmail.com or fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and put Mailing List in the subject line.

As always, your comments and questions are welcome at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com.

I guarantee a response within 18 hours. Also, don’t miss the “Fantasy Baseball Tonight” podcast four nights a week from Monday-Thursday. The Big Show on Wednesday is co-hosted by Todd Farino of fantasybaseballsearch.com, RC Rizza of junkyardjake.com and myself, Ryan Hallam at fightingchancefantasy.com.

To hear the show go to www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru. You can also hear me weekly on the Tuesday Night show. Join me with Jeff Mans every Tuesday night at 10pm EST for all the the info and craziness we can pack into one hour. A can’t miss if you plan on winning your league.

Phillies Earn Tough Split against NL-Leading Dodgers

It’s been an eventful week for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Cole Hamels pitched a five-hit complete game shutout victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, and the Phillies moved to a season-high 32-20 record. They took a four-game lead over the New York Mets in the NL East.

Phillies fans who write for Bleacher Report began to chatter. Me? My story was “Philadelphia Phillies Making Own Breaks on Way to Third Straight NL East Crown.”

Other headlines included: Philadelphia Phillies Post-World Series Future Bright…for Once ; Phillies Are 30-20 With Five Wins In a Row!; and Asked and Answered: The Phillies Win Seven Straight, What About Eight?

Yep, the Phillies fans, including myself, were feeling pretty good about things. The Phils were playing .600 baseball, and closer Brad Lidge was settling down at last.

Then came two winnable games lost—two straight blown saves by Lidge, his sixth of the season, with 13 of 19 games saved and a 7.27 ERA. At the same time last year, Lidge was 16-16 in save opportunities with a 1.00 ERA.

The letdown was like getting a brand-new, shiny bicycle for your birthday and seeing the air slowly leaking from your tires. Was it going to be a flat, or could you patch it up, just like you did last year by adding Joe Blanton and having Eric Bruntlett fill in for an ailing Jimmy Rollins?

The stage was set for a nationally televised ESPN game Sunday against the Dodgers. Here was an opportunity to split the series with the National League’s best team. The Phillies were the second best entering the series.

Phils rookie Antonio Bastardo pitched a strong five innings, leaving with a 3-1 lead. Former Dodger Chan Ho Park got a run-scoring double-play ball and the final out, with the Phillies holding a slim 3-2 lead.

Not to worry. Park finished with a strong three innings, and long balls from Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, and Ryan Howard led the Phillies to a 7-2 victory and a hard-fought and respectable split with the Dodgers.

Next up for the Phillies? Finish up a long road trip with a pivotal series against the Mets, 7-0 winners over the Nationals on Sunday.

From what Mets fans have indicated to me, the team is injury-depleted and not playing their best ball at the moment.

Lidge? If the Phils have a one-run lead going into the ninth inning of any game of the Mets series, he will be out there to save the game.

Last year, Lidge was 41-of-41 in save opportunities. The Phillies were undefeated heading into the eighth inning with a lead.

Not this year. The Phillies are 32-5 when they have scored four or more runs in a game.

And Cole Hamels is on the hill Wednesday against the Mets.

The lead remains three games for the Phillies. Brad Lidge is not perfect and might be kept on a leash. Don’t read anything into Ryan Madson pitching the ninth in the finale of the Dodgers game. That game was far out of reach.

Two things are for sure (and it ain’t the playoffs): The Phillies will, at worst, be tied for first following the Mets series, and Brad Lidge will be the closer for the Mets series. But if he blows two or more games, he could lose the closer’s role—most likely to Madson.

Hey, the Phils are still the top dog. And it probably won’t change for a while.

All is not lost. The brand new bike continues to run and shows no sign of slowing down.

Jonathan Broxton: The Most Underrated Pitcher in Baseball

When discussing the best relief pitchers in baseball, you will rarely hear Jonathan Broxton’s name arise.

Mariano Rivera, Francisco Rodriguez, Joe Nathan, Trevor Hoffman, or Brad Lidge may very well be some of the answers you hear to that question, but there are more than enough reasons why Broxton needs to be regarded more highly.

You might remember Broxton from the NLCS last season. He surrendered a go-ahead, game-winning two run home run to Matt Stairs in the top of the eighth of Game Five. The home run lifted the Phillies to a 7-5 win and they went on to defeat the Dodgers 4-1 in the NLCS. 

This season, Broxton has rebounded and been back to business as usual. Just take a look at Broxton’s 2009 projections:

76 IP, 14-0, 1.33 ERA, 36 Sv., 14.59 K/9 IP.

Those are not stats from Play Station Three baseball. Those are his projected numbers for a 162-game season, according to baseball-reference.

Thus far in ’09, Broxton has complied 13 saves in 15 opportunities, which ties him for third in the NL, and is posting a 1.24 ERA.

This is Broxton’s first full season as the Dodgers closer. He took over the role for the injured Takashi Saito last July 18.

Big Jon stands at an imposing 6’4″, 295 lbs. and has the power to back up that physique. Broxton displays a fastball that regularly touches 99 MPH. The soon-to-be 25 year old also displays a hard slider that he likes to go to with two strikes.

What has been most remarkable is that Broxton, with six wins, also stands tied for second in the NL in that category. That already surpasses his career high, four, posted in both ’06 and ’07.  

Two of his wins have followed one of his own blown saves.

However, Broxton has earned four gritty wins in one run games at home. Joe Torre likes to bring Broxton in during games that are either tied or the Dodgers trail by one run.

Torre does this because he trusts in Broxton to deliver a scoreless inning. This allows the offense to have a better chance to win the game in the bottom of the eighth or ninth.

The strategy seems to be working, as the Dodgers are 11-1 at Dodger Stadium during one-run games.

This weekend, the World Champion Phillies came to Los Angeles and saw two ninth inning leads turn into one run losses. Brad Lidge blew saves on Friday night and Saturday afternoon proving, after a perfect 41/41 effort in 2008, that he is hittable.

Broxton notched his sixth victory on Friday, pitching a scoreless top of the ninth. The Dodger offense took advantage of Broxton keeping them just one-run behind, and Andre Ethier whacked a two-run walk off double in the bottom of the ninth.

Ethier followed up Friday with another walk off on Saturday, this time a home run to deep center field. Corey Wade got the win and added to the bullpen’s major league leading 17 wins.  

The bullpen, filled with pitchers you probably wouldn’t recognize if they walked into your house, has been a big part of the reason the Dodgers are having so much success.

As for young Jonathan, he has become the leader of the bullpen.

It is probably unrealistic to expect Broxton to keep winning so many games. Let’s just consider he finds a way to win four more games this year, and winds up with a total of 10 at season’s end.

He is also projected to save 36 games. Let me take a second to say that I do think saves are a somewhat misleading stat, but as we analyze Broxton’s other numbers in consideration with the saves, they will further support his overall dominance.

We can adjust his ERA to fall more closely in line with his career numbers. In 2009 he has only surrendered four runs and on average, he allows 22 runs/year. Let’s estimate he gives up 12 more runs, because he is having a career best year, and has a total of 16 runs allowed in 09’. He is projected to pitch 76 innings, putting his ERA at 1.89.

If Broxton can achieve 10 wins, 30 saves, and a sub-2.00 ERA, he would be just the fourth pitcher in history to do so:

	W-L	Saves	ERA
John Hiller (1973)	10-5	38	1.44
Greg Minton (1982)	10-4	30	1.83
Doug Jones (1992)	11-8	36	1.85
Jonathan Broxton (2009)*	10-0	36	1.89

*Projections

Maybe those numbers aren’t enough to convince some people of his dominance. So how about this?

Left-handed hitters have struck out in 26 out of the 50 at-bats they have faced Broxton. Right-handed batters have fallen victim to the strikeout 21 times in 46 tries. That means he is striking out 49 percent of the hitters he faces overall.

He is also yet to allow a home run in ’09, and only gave up two in the entire ’08 season.

Considering the remarkable consistency Broxton has shown since debuting as a raw 21-year old four years ago, we can expect good things to keep coming from the Big righty.

I think it’s time we give him proper consideration and put him in the discussion amongst the elite relievers in today’s game.

Blowing the Lid off of Lidge

It is painful to think of what could have been this weekend.

Tonight the Phillies could be going for their 10th straight win.  They could be going for a four-game sweep of the team with the best record in baseball on the road.

Instead, the Phillies have watched closer Brad Lidge blow two games in a row.  They come into their Sunday night match-up looking to end a two-game losing streak and with a three-game lead over the Mets instead of a five-game lead.  Questions now are popping up about whether or not the Phillies should make a change in the bullpen and let Ryan Madson close instead.

In Brad’s defense, Friday night’s game wasn’t entirely his fault.  Pedro Feliz booted a ball that he should not have.  If Feliz made that play, it’s game over.  On the other hand, last year, even after Feliz makes that error, Lidge finds a way to still get the save.  This season Lidge has had no room for error.

Six blown saves in 18 chances so far this season after a 41 for 41 regular season in 2008.

Is it time for a change?  Probably not a permanent one.  I think it wouldn’t hurt to let Madson close for a couple of weeks and let Lidge figure things out though.

Come playoff time, the Phillies need Romero, Madson, and Lidge at the end of the night shortening games like they did last year.  Two of the three is not good enough.

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Have All The Lights Burned Out?: Brad Lidge Has Lost His Edge

The optimist in me wants desperately to believe that Phillies closer Brad Lidge is still the same pitcher that was absolutely perfect in 2008.  However, this part of me is being shouted down by the raging pessimist in me that cringes every time an opposing batter connects with a Lidge fastball.

Last year, even early on in his perfect season, Lidge produced a confidence that no matter the situation; he would rise to the occasion.

In 2009, that fire and determination seem to be no longer there.  And so goes the confidence as well.

His slider is still a formidable pitch, but he has become far to predictable in his repertoire to be pitch like the 2008 version.  Repetition in a game like baseball will eventually catch up with a pitcher.

It is unreasonable to ask that Lidge perform as he did in 2008.  To ask of perfection is insane wishful thinking. 

For Lidge and this ball club to be successful in the long run, stability in the closer’s role is a must.  Perfection is not a requirement.  Realistically, an 85-90% success rate would make for a well above average year for a major league closer.  This is the kind of ratio that Lidge would ultimately need to fall into.

To kick a player to the curb that brought a city its first championship of any kind in twenty-five years is the most unreasonable thought of all.  Lidge had a year that no closer will ever have again in a single season.  It is expected that the following year would pale in comparison; which is why a grace period should be implemented until things get way out of hand.

Many believe Ryan Madson has closer-type stuff.  In a pinch, Madson can assume Lidge’s duties when called upon.  When this may happen is anybody’s guess. 

Do not be surprised that Lidge’s recent struggles result in a mysterious disabled list stint with Madson taking over at closer.  This may be necessary to get either Lidge’s head or suspect knee cleared up for the time when the games start to count even more down the stretch. 

Lidge needs to bare down to silence the critics that say he has reverted to his post-Albert Pujols home run days.  2008 is over.  2009’s script is yet to be finished.  Will Lidge make the final draft?

Your Former Philadelphia Phillies American League All-Star Squad

While at a Phillies game with the guys from On the DL Podcast last weekend, we were discussing the All-Star ballot. The idea of voting for former Phillies in the American League came up and we all started to analyze the AL ballot to see if it was possible to vote for a former Phillie at each position.

Turns out the idea was not so far-fetched.

 

FIRST BASE – Russell Branyan, Seattle Mariners
Phillies: 2007, acquired via trade for cash

Played a whole seven games with the Phillies in 2007, but ironically played a key role in helping the Phillies on their way to clinching the NL East division.

In just nine at bats he hit two home runs, including a game winning two run homer in his first at bat with the Phillies. The majestic shot came on August 14 against the Washington Nationals. The Phillies won 3-2.

 

SECOND BASE – Placido Polanco, Detroit Tigers
Phillies: 2002-2005, acquired in trade for Scott Rolen

Polanco was one of the most well rounded players while he was with the Phillies. The biggest name to come to the Phillies from St. Louis in exchange for Scott Rolen, Polanco provided the Phillies with a minimum of a .289 batting average, few strike outs, and solid defensive play.

Some wonder what would have happened if Charlie Manuel would have used Polanco at third base more often, allowing a young Chase Utley more time at second base early on. After signing a free agent contract with the Phillies in 2005, the Phillies traded the solid infielder to Detroit in exchange for Ugueth Urbina and Ramon Martinez.

 

THIRD BASE – Scott Rolen, Toronto Blue Jays
Phillies: 1996-2002, drafted in second round in 1993

Scott Rolen is probably the best player to play third base in this franchise’s history not named Schmidt. Rolen had so much talent on offense and defense but he could not get along with manager Larry Bowa.

Rolen pushed for his exit from Philadelphia, causing many fans to detest him, but Rolen was a pure talent. He has dropped off in numbers since his departure, but he did win a World Series with St. Louis.

 

SHORTSTOP – Nick Punto, Minnesota Twins
Phillies: 2001-2003, drafted in 21st round in 1998

Nick Punto was never in a roster battle with Jimmy Rollins, but his speed did come in handy on the base path. He never developed though and recorded just two stolen bases in 77 games with the Phillies. He was traded to the Twins (along with Carlos Silva) in exchange for Eric Milton.

 

CATCHER – Rod Barajas, Toronto Blue Jays
Phillies: 2007, signed as free agent

The 2007 season was an interesting one, as some of the off season moves designed to help the Phillies reach the playoffs fizzled and exploded. On the mound was Freddy Garcia. Behind the plate was Rod Barajas.

After backing out of a deal with Toronto and switching agents, Barajas reached a deal with the Phillies, paying him much less than he would get in Toronto. Barajas saw split action with Carlos Ruiz and once he went down to injury Chris Coste emerged on the scene. Barajas eventually signed with Toronto before the 2008 season.

 

LEFT FIELD – Pat Burrell, Tampa Bay Rays
Phillies: 2000-2008, drafted in first round in 1998

Pat “The Bat” still has his loyal fans in Philadelphia, even if Raul Ibanez has taken over in left field the way he has. Burrell was a power in the lineup for most of the decade and seemed to bleed Phillies red.

The fans loved him and he was always respectful of the fans. But more importantly he put up numbers. 251 home runs, 827 RBI, 100-plus hits each season, and 785 walks. Burrell of course is now with Tampa Bay, seeing most of his playing time as a designated hitter, though he is currently on the DL.

 

RIGHT FIELD – Bobby Abreu, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Phillies: 1998-2006, acquired in trade for Kevin Stocker

Abreu was a tough guy to figure out. He was one of the toughest outs on the team yet he had many people detest him while with the Phillies. Perhaps it was his lack of going all out on defense, though he somehow won a Gold Glove, or the Eskin driven hate machine pointing out his lack of production when it mattered.

Say what you will about Abreu, the best move made by former general manager Ed Wade, but he was a shoe-in for 150 hits, 20 home runs, about 100 RBI and 100-plus walks any given season.

Abreu was traded to the New York Yankees, along with Corey Lidle, for C.J. Henry, Carlos Monastrios, Jesus Sanchez, and Matt Smith in a trade that can only be referred to as a salary dump. The move did set the stage for the team’s future though.

 

CENTER FIELD – J.D. Drew, Boston Red Sox
Phillies: Technically never, but the Phillies did draft him in the first round in 1997

In order to complete the former Phillies AL ballot, somebody has to play center field. In this case J.D. Drew must field the position. True, Drew never did suit up in a Phillies uniform as he and his agent, Scott Boras, failed to go back on their words that Drew would not sign for less than $10 million.

You can debate who was right and who was wrong, but Drew has only put together one all star season, coming last year in a game in which he was named the MVP. Drew opted to play in the independent league and re-entered the draft the next season, being selected by the St. Louis Cardinals. Pat Burrell would be the top pick by the Phillies that year.

Don’t forget to vote for this year’s All-Star teams!

Defending Joe Torre

Whether people want to admit it or not, winning at baseball is always about playing the odds. Statistics and numbers have always had a huge place in baseball, and even people back in the day recognized that it was a game based highly on probability and chance.

The ignorant can whine all they want about nerdy sabermetricians, but those nerds are just doing the same things people did a century ago, except now we have more information to work with.

This leads me into some points about today’s game, and two of Joe Torre’s decisions in particular: Pinch hitting Rafael Furcal for Juan Castro and not bunting with Russell Martin.

With Juan Castro, you have a player who has been a terrible hitter in his career, but he also has a .831 OPS this year and he was 2-for-3 in the game already. On the flip side, Rafael Furcal has been scuffling all year long. He has an OPS of .600, and with a .534 OPS in the last seven days, it’s not like he has been showing any signs of life. If that’s the case, why do you throw in the struggling player in the bottom of the ninth inning to face Brad Lidge?

Torre’s move worked out great, but it made very little sense at the time. Remember, it’s not always about second guessing things that didn’t work, it’s also about questioning the logic behind events that did work.

Why? Because in the long run, constantly doing illogical things that use the wrong process will prove costly.

What would Castro have done in that situation? Nobody knows—probably grounded out or something, but the point is that he stood a better chance at the plate in that moment than Furcal did.

Now, in a shocking turn of events, I’m actually going to defend Torre’s decision making for once, as I believe that fans should not be asking questions about why Torre didn’t force Martin into bunting with nobody out in the bottom of the 10th inning with runners on first and second base.

When we look at the big picture (statistical probability), if there ever were a situation to bunt, this was it. Expected runs with nobody out and runners on first and second is about 1.548. Expected runs with one out and runners on second and third is about 1.542. If you’re just trying to get a singular run though, you’d take the latter scenario over the former, so it seems like bunting is the correct move here, right?

Well, the problem is that those numbers assume there is a 100 percent probability that Martin can actually lay down the bunt. This is something that is frequently lost on television announcers when they rant and rave about how awesome bunting is. Remember, Martin has only one sacrifice bunt in his major league career, and he didn’t look so great on that attempt he made.

Even given those considerations, let’s say Martin does get the bunt down. Now, the announcers calling the game mentioned that Loney’s fly ball would have brought home a run. Well, that would be true, except it wouldn’t have happened that way because the Phillies would have walked the bases loaded to bring the double play and force out into effect.

Then Matt Kemp would have gotten jobbed on bad calls again by that terrible umpire, and it would be all up to Mark Loretta to get a hit or walk to win the game. Sorry, but I’ll pass on bunting, because I’d rather take my chances with Martin, Loney, and Kemp getting a base hit with a speedy Hudson on second base. I’m sure Torre didn’t think about the situation in such a logical manner as I just described (since he hates numbers), but the decision itself was completely fine by me.

The two situations represented opposite real life outcomes for the Dodgers. One worked gloriously, and the other left fans wondering what could have been. However, in actuality, the decision that ended up working out positively used an incorrect process, and the decision that failed used a correct process.

So remember, decisions shouldn’t be made in simple black and white, because when you’re looking at the big picture, the process is far more important than the conclusion.

Philadelphia Phillies: To Warm Up On The Road, Try a Good Hot Flash

You can please all of the people none of the time, some of the people none of the time, and none of the people none of the time.

 

Wait, I think I screwed that up. Let me check my email again.

 

Nope, that’s right.

 

In the short time I’ve been posting on The Bleacher Report (moment of silence in respect), my almost 4,000 reads have yielded surprisingly few comments.  So when I received an email requesting that I delete a recent post, well… it surprised me like a pee shiver.

 

My article was, “Phillies-Padres: I Have A Good Joke For You,” and the reviewer let me know it was disrespectful and should be deleted because it was the top article on a Google News search about Chan Ho Park.

 

Well, you know what first crossed my mind.  MY ARTICLE WAS FIRST ON A GOOGLE NEWS SEARCH!!! WOOO HOOO!! THANK YOU BLEACHER REPORT!! Then I put my childishness aside and considered his words with all seriousness. And if you’ve ever read my blogs, you’ll know how hard that is for me.

 

But first, I couldn’t help but go to Google News and confirm my euphoria at being a top list on the internet. I know, I’m so bad. Jayson Werth, please punish me.

 

After my Jayson fantasy ended, I did a regular Google search on myself. 

 

Low and behold I found another fan. 

 

This time it was on the NBC Philadelphia site and my admirer was a journalist named Karen Araiza.  She seems so nice.  At first, it looked like she wrote an entire article on my entire article: “Philadelphia Phils vs. Atlanta Braves Recap: Un-Happy Mother’s Day.”

 

But then I discovered she wrote her article only to call attention to a single, small paragraph. And you know what paragraph she posted? Yup, one that cast my intention in an unpleasant light.

 

Here’s my misconstrued paragraph:

 

“But the most annoying thing about having so many women at the ball park is they don’t understand that it’s common courtesy to wait until the batter is through before you interrupt everyone in your row with your exit.  Whether you need to empty your bladder, perk your girls, or fluff your do, remember there are other people than you.”

 

Karen’s was a typical piece of journalism—she extruded a paragraph intended to emphasize baseball stadium etiquette, and used it to create a forum that made me out a sexist. This proved only one thing—she’s an angry elf.  It doesn’t surprise me.  I’ve known a lot of those people who love shoes but love more to play the victim. 

 

But there are intricacies about people that her article and the ensuing comments emphasized.  First, no one can laugh at women, especially a woman. It’s as taboo as the cat shitting in the kids’ sandbox. It’s uncouth to think anything we do is funny or make fun of us, even in the mildest of respects.

 

Unless you’re Madonna.

 

The second foible she revealed is, once you’ve taken someone’s message out of context, it’s okay to talk about them behind closed doors.  Now I know how Denis Leary felt when the New York Times took a paragraph from his new book out of context and crucified him for it.

 

Karen, I hope you’re reading.  I’d love to get together and chat about the whims of writing and womanhood. I quite enjoy them both. However, you wouldn’t know this because it felt better to create a piece of journalism that reported a misconstrued spot of sexism by one of your own then call attention to what this woman has really done: created a well-received humorous blog on The Bleacher Report without flaunting blond hair, big boobs, or youth.

 

I always said, if you don’t have anything nice to say, let me say it. Or just share it with me. Then let’s find a way to laugh about it.

 

If you don’t believe me, read one of my posts. Then send me an email right from the B/R site.  Yours doesn’t allow me to contact you directly, otherwise I would.

 

This baseball babe’s door is always open.  And I’ll leave the light on for you.

 

Peace.

 

Top 10 Prospects in the Philadelphia Phillies’ Organization

The Philadelphia Phillies have a nice young nucleus filled with players ready to step up when called upon. This year, the young guns have stepped up and delivered in clutch situations. So, how better to get to know these guys than a slideshow to break down the top 10 most promising prospects in the organization.

Prospects will be ranked by stats, need by major league team, and promise.

Lidge Blows Back-to-Back Saves: Time to Demote “Lights Out” To Setup Role?

 

What was the strength of last year’s World Championship team is now the weakest link on the team.

 

Brad Lidge.

 

He was perfect in 2008.

 

41-for-41 in save opportunities during the regular season, plus an additional 7-for-7 in the postseason. The final pitch of Lidge’s season brought the Phillies the franchise’s World Championship in 28 years, solidifying Lidge’s place into Philadelphia lore.

 

And 2009?

 

He’s been one of the worst closers in baseball.

 

No. Actually, he’s been one of the worst pitchers in baseball.

 

He has been a major weakness for a team that was so dependent on its closer last year.

 

Coming off a six-game streak, the Phillies took on the NL-best L.A. Dodgers in a weekend series.

 

Jamie Moyer pitched seven strong innings, cruising from part of the first through the sixth without allowing a base hit. For the day, he gave up just four hits and two earned runs, leaving the game with a 3-1 lead.

 

Enter Brad Lidge.

 

Lidge got two easy outs to enter the ninth, before a base hit, walk, and throwing error by Pedro Feliz loaded the bases.

 

Andre Ethier’s double drove in the tying and winning runs, handing Lidge his fifth blown save of the season.

 

Tonight was close to the same scenario.

 

Joe Blanton pitched six superb innings, allowing just five hits and one earned run, in one of his finest outings of the season.

 

Heading into the ninth, the Phillies sported a 2-1 lead and once again handed the ball to Lidge to try to nail down the save.

 

And once again, Lidge failed.

 

He surrendered a one-out solo home run to pinch-hitter Rafael Furcal, just Furcal’s second long ball of the season.

 

Both bullpens kept the game going until the twelfth, when Andre Ethier smashed a two-out, full-count home run off of Clay Condrey to win the game. It was Ethier’s second walk-off hit in two days, and Lidge’s second consecutive blown save.

 

It was Lidge’s sixth blown save of the season.

 

Sixth.

 

At what point does it become time to take away Lidge’s role as the team’s closer? He has struggled with mental issues his entire career—see his tenure in Houston for proof—but was thought to have rebounded last year.

 

It’s a difficult decision.

 

I would gladly take a pitiful season in year two if I knew I could have a perfect season and a World Championship in year one. That World Series banner will never be removed, and Lidge’s place in the city of Philadelphia is forever ensured with his performance in 2008.

 

However, it’s time to start thinking about the present.

 

And presently, Lidge does not have what it takes to close ballgames.

 

I don’t feel the confidence I used to when Lidge entered the game. He always has given up many baserunners and gotten himself into a handful of jams, but he’s worked through them.

 

Not this year.

 

After posting a 1.95 ERA in the ’08 regular season and an even-better 0.96 mark in the postseason, Lidge’s ERA for the ’09 season has ballooned to 7.20, nearly four times what it was last year.

 

He is allowing close to two base runners per inning. He’s given up three times as many home runs as he did last year in about one-third of the innings pitched. And he’s converted just 68 percent of his save opportunities.

 

He just doesn’t have it.

 

I would give Lidge about two weeks or so in the setup role just to get his head on straight and get his rhythm back. I don’t care who would close games—Romero, Madson, Condrey—but it would hopefully allow Lidge to settle back and get his stuff back.

 

It’s the cruel reality of professional sports.

 

A perfect dream season for Lidge in 2008, and he’s on the verge of losing his starting job just several months into the following season.

 

That’s the way it works.

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