The Handy Cap:
The run is now 13-3 with 2 games out of 1st place, the trend continues, because The Phillies were in the game. When you feel they are in the game, they are in it until the 27th out, and will win many more than they lose, like the last 2 years. Cole Hamels came up on the short end of a 1-0 game, while Johan Santana had a no-hitter for 5.2 innings. Both starters produced sterling outings with Hamels for 7 complete, and Santana for 7.1 total. Hamels has a 2.87 ERA for his last 12 performances. K-Rod Rodriguez was strong in a 5-out save, as was Mad Dog Madson for his clean ninth in the pitching-dominated game. The game was decided with a first-row park-friendly homerun by Jeff Francoeur. I-Bomb Ibanez hit in his 15th straight, and Polly Polanco’s hit streak reached 7 straight
J-Dub Is Out At 3rd In The 7th
David Wright softly lined a leadoff second-inning single to center, and two-out stole second. Then, in the sixth I-Bomb reached first on a two-out strikeout with a wild pitch, and Polly grounded the first hit for The Phils up the middle. Francoeur hit a first-row right-field Bank homerun, leading off the seventh for a 1-0 game. J-Dub Werth leadoff bottom-frame doubled into the leftfield corner, but was thrown out at third on a grounder. Wilson Valdez bunted a two-out single, but the two-on threat was extinguished. Hamels provided a 99-pitch, 7-complete affair, scattering 6 hits and 1 run (earned) without a BB to 11 punch outs. Chad Durbin was welcomed with an up-the-middle single by Jose Reyes, who was sac-bunted to second, and Wright entertained a 5-pitch free pass. PH Ike Davis drew a pitch-around walk to fill the bags with Mets, but Francoeur was punched out.
J-Roll Rollins muscled a leadoff jam-job leftfield single, I-Bomb lined an eighth-inning opposite-field leftfield single, but Santana threw to third for the first-out force on a decent sac-bunt by Polly. J-Roll’s running was slowed down by that bruised-bone foot, and Santana threw a change-up to give himself fielding time. J-Dub waited out a 7-pitch two-out walk to juice the sacks, but K-Rod got a 3-2 third-out grounder. Santana lasted 7.1 shutout innings on 102 bullets, limiting The Phillies to 5 hits and 3 free passes with 6 K’ed. Mad Dog worked a clean ninth with a strikeout, but K-Rod also had a 1-2-3 ninth for the save with 2 punch outs.
J-Roll Is Forced At 3rd In The 8th
Doc In His Last Performance In Miami On August 3
Doc is 13-8 with a 2.17 ERA in 23 starts for 178 total, parting with 160 hits and 49 runs (43 earned) plus 21 walks to 158 punch outs. He hurled a 108-bullet, 7-full affair in his only August game–1-0, 1.29 ERA–scattering 5 hits and 1 run (earned) with 1 base on balls to 9 in the K zone. He faced The Mets in early May at home–1-0, 0.00 ERA–for a complete-performance 3-hit shutout with a free pass to 6 strikeouts. He has gone 6.1 frames or more in 20 of his 23 outings for 178 innings (203 maximum), and he has 3 shutouts in his 8 complete games, including a perfect one plus a 9 scoreless incomplete game.
Last month he was 3-1 with an 1.54 ERA in 5 contests for 41 total (44 tops), limiting the opposition to 28 hits, 8 runs (7 earned), and 3 BB with 37 retired on strikes. Doc went 2-4 with a 3.27 ERA in June’s 6 appearances for 44 complete (52 achievable), allowing 54 hits and 17 runs (16 earned) with 5 free passes to 42 K‘ed. Doc was 3-2 in 6 May efforts with a 2.15 ERA for 46 full (54 possible), giving up 37 hits, 14 runs (11 earned), and 9 bases on balls to 37 strikeouts. In April (5 outings), he went 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA for 40 total (44 maximum), spacing out 36 hits and 9 runs (8 earned) with 3 walks to 33 punch outs.
R.A Dickey In His Outing On August 3 In Atlanta
The Mets:
Dickey is 7-4 with a 2.36 ERA in 15 starts of 99 total, parting with 89 hits and 30 runs (26 earned) plus 28 walks to 64 punch outs. He is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his only August ballgame on 103 spinners for 6 complete, allowing 5 hits, 2 both-earned runs, and 4 free passes to 2 strikeouts. He faced The Phillies at May’s end in New York–1-0, 0.00 ERA–for 6 scoreless, scattering 7 hits with 3 BB to 7 in the K zone. He has lasted 6.1 innings or more in 9 of 15 efforts, and 5 of his last 7 for 6.2 frames plus.
Last month Dickey went 1-3 with a 1.51 ERA in 6 performances for 41.2 total, spacing out 33 hits, 10 runs (7 earned), and 9 bases on balls to 24 punch outs. In June’s 4 contests, he was 4-1 with a 3.06 ERA for 32.1 innings, giving up 30 hits and 12 runs (11 earned) with 8 walks to 26 retired on strikes. He went 2-0 in 3 May appearances with a 2.84 ERA in 19 complete, parting with 21 hits, 6 all-earned runs, and 7 free passes to 12 K’ed.