Ryan Howard Is the Reason The Phillies Won’t Win

When you lose, there’s always a goat, always someone to blame.

Remember when the Cubs turned on fan Steve Bartman for stopping Moises Alou from catching that foul ball in Game Six of the NLCS against the Marlins in 2003?

Remember when Alex Rodriguez was slammed for being unable to perform in the playoffs when he batted just .159 over 13 divisional championship games against the Angels, Tigers and Indians in 2005, 2006 and 2007?

Remember Bill Buckner?

For the boo-boys of Philadelphia, it’s going to be Ryan Howard, the all-conquering, free-swinging All Star slugger.

I am not interested in what he has done over the last four seasons or what he has done in this year’s NLDS or NLCS.

Sports fans are fickle, concerned with the here-and-now, and this can’t be more true of a team than Philadelphia.

It’s that ‘what have you done for me lately’ mentality.

Sure, you can live with Howard’s eight strikeouts in nine playoff games leading up to the 2009 World Series, but only because of the 14 runs he knocked in, eight runs he scored himself, and seven walks he drew.

Howard has always been a guy who will strike out a lot, so people expect a high number of whiffs to go hand-in-hand with awesome power and incredible production.

The problem is, each one of his problems in the World Series is not only exploited, but also magnified.

Fans can blame who they like if the Phillies lose Game Six in the Bronx tonight, but it has to fall on Howard.

Pedro Feliz has certainly been below-par throughout the Fall Classic with the exception of the bomb he launched off of Joba Chamberlain in the eighth inning of Game Four, and Shane Victorino is certainly a goat-worthy candidate with just three hits in five games.

Brad Lidge will also probably come into the question because of the way he imploded at the end of Game Four, losing the game in the ninth inning and leaving his manager with no faith in him, and the finger could even be pointed towards Cole Hamels for failing to give his team a chance to win in Game Three against a decidedly average Andy Pettitte.

But look, Feliz is little more than a .250 hitter anyway, and you have him batting in the seven or eight hole in the lineup.

Victorino has admittedly been poor, but it’s not like he is a massive power threat.  He is there to hit behind Rollins, steal bases and set the table for Utley—and we all know what Utley has done without help from anyone.

Yes Lidge did collapse, but honestly, what did you expect?  He was 0-8 with 11 blown saves and an ERA over 7.00 in the regular season.  He is not the Lidge of 2008, and his appearances against the Rockies and Dodgers were exceptions to the 2009 norm.

And don’t even think about dishing out the lion’s share of the blame onto Hamels.  Has he stunk?  Yeah, he was pretty bad, but as poorly as he pitched, the Phillies were only down by two runs when he left in the fifth inning.

Look no further than Ryan Howard.

He’s 3-for-19 so far with 12 strikeouts.  He has left eight on base and is just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.  Andy Pettitte has as many RBI as Howard does, such have been his woes at the plate.

He has struck out swinging on sinkers down and in and sliders away, and he has been frozen helpless looking at curveballs.

With Pettitte taking the mound in Game Six on Wednesday, don’t expect him to see an inside pitch there either.  It’s going to be slider away all night.

With someone who pulls the ball as much as Howard does, it makes sense to pitch him away.  Make him take it the other way if he wants to find his power stroke and don’t let him get the meat of the bat on it.

More often than not, Howard will ground weakly into a shift.  That is when he does put the ball in play which has been at a premium this World Series.

He was pulling off against CC Sabathia in Games One and Four and fouling off the inside pitches he did see against the righties.  Simply put, although he has improved against southpaws, he is still a really bad hitter against left-handed pitching.

One big difference between 2009 and when the Phillies won it all in 2008 against the Tampa Bay Rays is that the Rays only had one left-handed starter, Scott kazmir.

Howard was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts against Kazmir and just 1-for-12 with eight Ks against the Rays’ left-handed pitchers.  He was 5-for-9 with two home runs against the right-handers.

Maybe if the Rays had another lefty in their rotation, things would have been different. But probably not.

People will argue that Philadelphia will win as a team and lose as a team.  That sentiment is fine and not without merit.

But while the Phillies have by no means been embarrassed by the Yankees, the only person you can blame is Howard.

Statistically it may only represent a few games, but those games are in the World Series, and they are some of the most important of his life.

Howard is better than this, and I’m sure he won’t let it phase him, but the fact is this time around he isn’t good enough.

Or more accurately, the Yankees were just too good.

45 home runs and 141 ribbies count for precious little right now.

Boo all you want.  Howard is having a stinker and he’s the reason the Phillies aren’t repeating.

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A Game Six Classic In The Making

Hollywood would be hard pressed to write a better script than the one we have today in real life.

The New York Yankees go after their 27th World Title in the spanking brand new $1.2 billion stadium replica of the House That Ruth Built. They will attempt this monumental feat on the back of 37-year old Andy Pettitte, who has won more postseason games than anyone else in the history of the sport.

He will face the legendary Pedro Martinez, undoubtedly the finest pitcher of his generation in the very twilight of his career. Most of us believed that Pedro’s remarkable career was over when he didn’t receive any offers coming out of spring training this year despite his fine showing in the World Baseball Classic.

I was besides myself for the Mets not to pick up Pedro as their pitching fell apart early enough in the season to perhaps make a difference in their miserable season. However, they, along with the rest of the league passed on Pedro until July, when the Phillies already sensing another appearance in the postseason took on Pedro and Cliff Lee.

We all know what has happened since.

Tonight’s matchup is classic because it’s not two guns firing 95 mph darts at the opposing batters, but two crafty older and experience pitchers who have learned to change their styles over the years to remain effective. Pettitte will still bore you inside until he either breaks your bat or breaks your fingers.

Martinez will throw his patented circle change at 76 MPH after putting one under your chin at 90 or 91 MPH.

Pettitte goes on a three days rest which has worked so far for C.C. Sabathia but not for A.J. Burnett. If Pettitte can’t get the job done tonight, the Yanks will turn to their ace C.C. Sabathia again on three days rest to complete the series victory for New York.

Game Seven, if there is to be one for the Phillies will see Cole Hamels try to make redemption to his teammates and the Philadelphia faithful for his offbeat comments after losing Game Three in Philadelphia and saying he wished the season already to be over.

Prediction: I still believe there will be a Game Seven; however, I don’t see the classic pitching matchup to take place. I believe both pitchers will be gone by the sixth inning and a good old fashioned slug fest to take place.

The winner of this game goes double digits as the Phillies take Game Six, 11-8.

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Five Years Later, Boston Still Turns To Pedro

He was without a doubt the most dominant, feared, respected and admired pitcher in all of baseball during the steroid-era. He was the one pitcher that you felt the need to watch every single time he took to the mound.

For seven years, Pedro Martinez was Boston.

The undersized power pitcher from the Dominican Republic, who was acquired from Montreal by Boston prior to the 1998 season for Tony Armas Jr. and Carl Pavano, was the center piece in the baseball mecca that is Boston. Although it’s been over five years since Pedro took to the hill for the Sox, all eyes will be on the same man we watched in awe of for nearly a decade.

One can’t logically say that Pedro didn’t give his heart and soul to the Boston Red Sox when examining the numbers, Martinez went a prolific 117-37 in a Red Sox uniform, including six 200+ strikeout campaigns and an average 2.49 ERA throughout his Boston tenure.

While Pedro is considered a shell of his former self, the feeling that the 38-year old hurler still has that one big game left in him is growing largely as the Philadelphia Phillies head into the heart of the Bronx tonight to take on the Yankees in a must-win game six.

Tonight, Boston, along with Philadelphia, turns to Pedro again for perhaps one final time.

Never one shy of the cameras, or the fans, Boston adored their ace and to this day, most still do. Whether he was striking out the side in an All-Star Game, throwing senior citizens down to the ground or asking Karim Garcia just who he is, the Hub will once again rally behind all 5’11” of Pedro and the rest of the Phillies in their battle tonight against the Evil Empire.

The feeling here? Pedro can do this.

“I respect the Yankees, I love the Yankees, but I would love to beat them as much as I look forward to playing them,” an eager Martinez said prior to the beginning of the World Series showdown against the Bronx Bombers.

For Boston, the pain from Martinez’s last must-win start in Yankee Stadium from 2003 still stings, even 1,844 days later. It was Game Seven of the 2003 American League Championship Series when Boston was just five outs away from capturing the American League Pennant and manager Grady Little decided to leave a clearly-gassed Pedro out there for the eighth inning.

The Yankees capitalized, and eventually capitalized off a Tim Wakefield knuckleball that sent them to the World Series.

That was then, this is now.

On the bench for the Phils is veteran manager Charlie Manuel, who will certainly be in the all-systems-go mode tonight with the Phillies standing on their last legs in an attempt to repeat as champions.

Here in Boston, the excitement and anticipation is growing as the Phillies will try to pull off the unexpected and steal a game tonight in New York City to force a decisive Game Seven in the Bronx. While Philadelphia will hope to the tame the free-swingin’ Yankees’ bats with Martinez, the Yankees will send veteran and proven clutch-pitcher Andy Pettite out to the bump tonight on just three days rest.

Can Pedro finally beat the demons that have haunted him at Yankee Stadium and help the Phillies live for yet another day?

Speaking for Boston, I can only say, help us Pedro Martinez, you’re our only hope.

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Phillies Must Stay Focused On One Goal: Winning Tonight

There’s been much talk of who might start a possible game seven for Philadelphia should we get to that point.

But before that can ever happen, they must first focus on getting a win tonight to stay alive in the World Series.  If they can do that, then the first six games will be meaningless and it’ll be mano y mano for the title of World Champions.

The goal in any series is clear: to win the next game.  It’s the only thing you have to do.  It doesn’t matter if you’re up 3-0 or down 0-3, if you win the game in front of you, you’ll take home the trophy.

There’s no time for Philadelphia to worry about the blown leads in games two and three or losing in the ninth inning of Game Four.  They can’t think about whether Chase Utley and/or Jayson Werth will break postseason home run records.  And most certainly they can’t wonder if Cole Hamels will be the starter for a possible game seven.

Their only worry should be scoring more runs than the Yankees tonight.  They should worry about getting Andy Pettitte early and forcing Joe Girardi to go to his bullpen, which has struggled in the World Series thus far, and hoping that Pedro can go five or six strong innings, like his first five innings of game two.

They need Ryan Howard to break out of his slump and they need him to do it against Pettitte, whom Howard is 1-for-9 against in his career. 

Against the left-hander the Phillies will need righties like Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Pedro Feliz, and Werth to step up for all the power lefties in the lineup. 

If Philadelphia can get out to an early lead they can take the crowd of it and have the fans heading for the exits by the eighth inning again. 

Do these things and Philly, you will have accomplished your goal and beaten the Yankees in Game Six.  And then you’ll only have one more goal: Win the next game.

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What Does Pedro Martinez Have Planned? Hey, Old Goats Can Get Lucky Too

Each day I wake, I attempt to do the same thing: be a decent mommy, be a loving wife, cook for my family, gather notes for a blog, and get my goats fed. Since I’m an old goat, I’ve made a lot of attempts at doing these things well, but sometimes I’ve fallen short.

 

Just ask my husband.

 

Two old goats fill the starting posts at position No. 1 for World Series Game Six. One’s called “Andy Pettitte” and the other goes by “Pedro Martinez.” The number that sums up their combined years of lifetime experience is 75.

 

I have two old goats, but from one game to the next, their names change. That’s because I reference them for the most recent Phillie killers. So this morning, one was Johnny Damon—“Demon” for short—and the other I called, “Old Leftie,” in honor of the southpaws who have haunted the Phillies’ big bat, Ryan Howard, through the Halloween season.

 

Howard’s five-game offensive numbers aren’t impressive: .158 average, two runs, one RBI, and 12 strikeouts. But the number that sums up his combined plate performance for the 2009 World Series is 86—cancelled.

 

His stance is off, he’s obviously not seeing the ball, and since the MVP award in his first full season in 2006, lefties have had their way with him. And the scouts have him pegged as a breaking ball bimbo because he falls for it every time.

 

And he’s not even a blond.

 

There’s Lucky Charms, lucky socks, and lucky hats, but Howard’s just hoping to get plain lucky tonight.

 

The Yankees are on and off in areas too. Mark Teixeira has lost his groove even though Hideki Matsui is stuck in his like a bobsled track. But Joe Girardi hopes the last guy in his three-man rotation doesn’t throw a hip out trying to keep up with the Joneses.

 

Joba Chamberlain’s mom is doing time for selling “mommy’s little helpers,” Jorge Posada got TMJ in his overbite from excessive jawing on the mound on Monday, and Nick Swisher shaved off his mohawk hoping to attract a hit.

 

But every day ballplayers wake up and attempt to do the same thing: throw the ball, catch the ball, hit the ball.

 

It would seem simple, but then so is boiling potatoes. And I boiled mine dry last night. Trust me, with all my anxiety over the World Series, I wish the smoke in my home was from a different source. But when the alarm company called, I simply gave them the same old story—“It was my attempt to cook—again.”

 

They understood because they know when I fire up my stove, one of two things happens: we either eat or we order take-out.

 

One of two things will happen tonight: The Phils will either win or they’ll lose.

 

If Howard finds the cure to his left-handed pitching curse, he’ll go out a winner and his previous shortcomings will be forgotten like a bad hair day.

 

If Chase Utley bangs another dinger, he’ll set the record for home runs in a single World Series.

 

And if the Phils tie the series tonight, they’ll have a chance to add the first back-to-back World Series championship to the team’s accomplishments, and avenge the Whiz Kids’ series loss to the New York Yankees in 1950.

 

But if Andy Pettitte pitches like Cliff Lee, he’ll add a record 18th postseason win in his record 40th postseason start to add a record 27th World Series ring to the Yankee’s already record shattering stats.  

 

If that’s the case, my goats will forge through the winter with the names Andy Pettitte and Damn Yankee.

 

And that doesn’t have a nice ring to it.

 

Let’s take the goat by the horns.

 

Think Game Seven .

 

Go Phils!

 

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While the 2009 World Series Is Still Undecided, Its MVP Is Not

Although the 2009 World Series has yet to be decided, the series MVP has certainly been determined.  

Unless Andy Pettitte goes out and pulls a Don Larsen tonight or Alex Rodriguez hits four solo home runs in a 4-3 Yankees victory, MLB can begin engraving Chase Utley’s name into the 2009 World Series MVP trophy.

Utley is batting .333 with five home runs and eight RBI during the series.

No player in the history of baseball has hit more home runs during a single World Series than Utley. His blast in the bottom of the seventh inning in Game Five tied the mark Reggie Jackson set during the 1977 World Series. 

And this is all while batting in front of the coldest hitter in the game right now, Ryan Howard.

It is by no means an exaggeration to say that Utley has hit virtually every decent pitch he’s seen out of the park.

Why Yankee pitchers insist on throwing the ball anywhere in the vicinity of the strike zone with Utley at the plate is as baffling as why many thought Chad Gaudin and his lifetime 4.50 ERA should have started Game Five.

Had the Yankees bombarded Utley with curve balls and sliders out of the zone after his two-home run performance in Game One, Derek Jeter, Joe Girardi, A-Rod, and the gang would have been making their way down the Canyon of Heroes today rather than preparing for Game Six.

If the Phillies happen to pull off a miracle in the Bronx this week, Chase Utley’s name will forever be associated with the greatest postseason performances in the game’s long and illustrious history.

However, if the Yankees win one of the next two games—which is the more likely outcome—Utley’s MVP award will be just an unwanted consolation prize; one that could serve well as a highly-functional bathroom doorstop.  

Whether you’re a Yankees fan, Phillies fan, or simply a baseball fan, a tip of the cap to Utley is certainly warranted.

But, no matter how well an individual player performs, unless his team wins the series, he’ll wind up being just an answer to a difficult sports trivia question five years from now.

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World Series Observations

After having the pleasure of watching five relatively exciting World Series games, there are a few things that have stood out in my mind as noteworthy. The following is a list of some observations from this year’s series thus far:

With his half-dozen mound visits per inning, Jorge Posada is the sole reason these World Series games take four hours to complete . It is my hope that Baseball Reference starts keeping track of this statistic next season, which will be called MVI (mound visits per inning).

Ryan Howard strikes out a lot . And when he does, he always mutters something under his breath in disbelief…even when it’s a swinging strike three.

Kate Hudson just might be the most famous baseball groupie since Alyssa Milano .

Among many other things, Joba Chamberlain needs to wash his hat .

It appears as though Chase Utley has starting using the John Stamos/Jesse Katsopolis line of hair products . Have mercy!

There is so much loose jersey hanging off CC Sabathia , that the spare materials could be used as a tarp to cover the entire country of Cambodia.

Cliff Lee is non-chalant about everything , so would he even get excited if the Phillies won the World Series?

There is no stopping Mariano Rivera. If this World Series goes to a Game Seven, Joe Girardi might be best served to let Mo pitch the entire game himself.

After seeing all the camera time that the Philly Phanatic has been getting , I realized the Yankees don’t even have an official team mascot. How sad is that?

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Phillies Head Back to New York Still Alive

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The Most Important Position in Professional Sports: Fan

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Looks Like Somebody Forgot To Tell Phillies To Start Spreading the News

Following the Yankees 7-4 defeat of the Phillies on Sunday night, I had all but conceded in my mind that the 2009 World Series was over.

The Yankees had erased a 4-4 tie in the eighth inning to score three runs off Phillies closer Brad Lidge. The win gave the Yankees a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

But with Cliff Lee going in Game 5 in Philadelphia, I thought there was a more than better chance of getting the series to at least a Game 6 in New York on Wednesday.

My other thought, was as well as the Yankees played and came from behind, the Phillies were due for an offensive breakout. This lineup top to bottom, especially the bottom, is better than the Yankees.

Chase Utley hit a three-run home run in the first inning and the Phillies continued to pound the ball all game long.

Yankee starter A.J. Burnett was lifted in the third inning with the Phillies holding a 6-1 lead.

Burnett’s line? Two-plus innings pitched, four hits, six runs, four walks, and two strikeouts.

Burnett was working on three days rest and by his own admission, location was a problem all night.

When Burnett got knocked out in three innings, I was confident that the Phils could get to the Yankees’ bullpen. Burnett was 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA on three days’ rest and won Game Two of the series.

Not a problem. Especially for Chase Utley, who is now batting .333 in the World Series, with five home runs, tying a record set by Reggie Jackson in 1977. He also has eight RBI in the five games.

A nail-biting 8-6 Phillies win moved the series back to New York and put the defending World Champs in a 2-3 hole.

Yeah, but the Yankees have two games at home to close the series with Andy Pettitte and C.C. Sabathia, both on three days’ rest.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi was lauded by many baseball experts for his success with a three-man rotation of Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte through the playoffs. But Pettitte has a 4-6 record with a 4.15 ERA on three days’ rest heading into Game Six. He will be faced by Pedro Martinez, who has a 0-1 record in the World Series with a 4.50 ERA.

So I can see the Phillies offense continuing to stay hot and the sooner they get Pettitte out of the game, the better.

I also heard on 660 AM WFAN that Rivera could pitch three innings if needed in Game Six. That is assuming that Pettitte goes six innings.

Martinez is working on full rest.

So I can see my way out of Game Six and the Phillies forcing a Game Seven.

It would be Sabathia, likely facing Cole Hamels. But Hamels will be on a short leash and could be followed by Lee and J.A. Happ.

Will the Yankees just roll over and die? Nope. They have not done so all season.

But it is my theory that the three days’ rest experiment will fall flat on Girardi’s face. Blow up, explode, New York sports stations’ radio lines burning up with criticism.

Starters will not go past five innings in either game and the Phillies will feast on the rest of the Yankee bullpen. The Phillies bullpen will assuredly have to patch together to preserve consecutive wins.

The Phillies? Why did they pitch Joe Blanton Lee in Game Four and not Lee?

Blanton would then pitch Game Five, Martinez in Game Six, and Hamels in Game Seven.

“I’ve see it work, and I’ve seen it not work …” said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel in today’s Philadelphia Daily News.

So let the baseball experts criticize Manuel and laud Girardi.

Who was considered the smart manager in last year’s World Series? Manuel, the country bumpkin or Tampa Bay manager Joe Madden, who spoke eloquently and lost the series in five games?

It is an unmovable force in the Yankees against a Phillies team that believes it can win every night. The Yankees climb back from huge leads, but as the series rolls on I am sure the Phillies bullpen is better than the Yankees, save Rivera.

It is the first World Series to go more than five games in six years.

The Phillies are trying to become the first team since the Kansas City Royals came back from a 1-3 deficit against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985.

In my mind I can more easily envision a Yankees’ series win and the players running out onto the field while “New York, New York” plays on the loud speaker.

I cannot envision the Phillies rolling out onto Yankee Stadium in victory.

That’s OK.

The Phillies can see it.

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