Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Near the edge

Cole Hamels mulls over the latest offer from the Philadelphia Philles, while the team teeters on the border between breath and death. Can they re-sign Hamels and keep a pulse?

TAL’S HANDY CAPS

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I will publish after every battle that is not washed out. I will have many season-long highlights of puzzle pieces, especially important after drubbings and defeats. If you were directed here by a feed and this review does not mention yesterday’s contest, please go to the Phillies page for my most recent coverage. (Early morning readers may arrive before the latest post.) Scroll down to Tal’s Handy Links at the bottom. Thank you.

Check out: Philadelphia Phillies storyline: War games

CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT: 7-2 Outcome

TYPE	PLAYER	REASON
The Crystal Champagne Toast	Chase Utley	Four-Star Performance
The Penthouse	Pete Orr Chase Utley Dom Brown Chooch Ruiz	* Smoked A 2-RBI Gap Double To Close Within 1 Run In The 2nd During His 1 For 2 Game Stroked A 2-Run Single To Tie It Up At 4 In The 5th During His 2 For 4 Night With A SB, A BB & 3 RBI A 2-Out RBI Triple To Take A 5-4 Advantage In The 5th Smacked A 2-Run Double To Open A 7-4 Lead In The 7th During His 2 For 5 Evening
The Workhouse	Home SP	* A 39-Pitch 2nd Inning
The Leather Warehouse	1B Darin Ruf	Made A Spectacular Over-The-Shoulder Catch Of A Foul In The 5th
The Fun House Of Mirrors	Home RF The Defense	Takes 1st On A SO WP & 2nd After A Throw (E2) To The Bag In The 8th A SO WP With The Bags Full & A DP Tag At The Plate To End The 8th
House Call	Ryan Howard Tyler Cloyd	Season-Ending Big Toe Injury Shut Down With A Dead Arm

A Bright Spot In The 6th

NITECAP INSIGHT

The Must Clusters:

In order for this squad to have even a remote postseason chance, they need mostly wins. They will have to take every series and sweep every 3rd or 4th one. Remember, they suffered a setback in the first game after the break, which means that 1 loss is survivable by a degree or two.

J-Roll Pilfers A 5th-Inning Bag

In the 3 washouts the reasons separate the weaknesses from the poor performances. The first one, which was coughed up by the bullpen, was in Colorado after Cliff Lee was lifted for a pinch hitter during the 7th. The second was a combination of a strength and a shortcoming. Cholley Manuel successfully played the percentages by burning 4 relievers in order to finish the 9th with a lead for Jonathan Papelbon. His hammer was nailed, and his ‘pen only offered the choice between a lefty specialist or a Triple-A fill-in with checkered MLB numbers. Last night it was a counted-on starter who didn’t succeed, which means a soft spot was not exposed.

J-Roll Waits For The Thief In The 7th

The 3 in the 4-3 mark since the break has been a 50-50 proposition, and the middle relief corps was exposed twice. That’s 4 breakdowns in 7 matchups, which includes the first-and-ninth-frame arms and a weak bullpen. The offense, defense, rotation and the closer are strong, which is what you would expect from a club that had 102 victories last year. King Cole needs to command the Giants from his earthly throw-n, and start earning his expensive contract before the ink is applied.

King Cole Rules On July 15 In Denver

PRECAP PITCH

Cole Hamels:

He has a slight advantage at the Bank with a 5-3 record and a 2.76 ERA, which is 0.62 lower than his road average. He has worked 6.2 innings plus in 13 of 18 efforts with 1 debacle.

	STARTER	RECORD	TM	STARTER	RECORD	DAY & TIME
1	LHP Cliff Lee	1-6, 3.72 ERA	@ Nats	RHP Stephen Strasburg	11-4, 2.76 ERA	Tuesday, Night
2	RHP Vance Worley	5-6, 3.88 ERA	@ Nats	RHP Edwin Jackson	6-6, 3.52 ERA	Wednesday, Night
3	LHP Cole Hamels	11-5, 3.31 ERA	@ Nats	LHP Ross Detwiler	5-4, 3.24 ERA	Thursday, Night

Matt Cain Delivers A 2nd-Inning Pitch At Home On July 15 Against The ‘Stros

Matt Cain:

He is 5-1 with a 3.28 away ERA, which is 1.32 higher than by the Bay. He has lasted 6.1 frames or more in 14 of 18 attempts with 1 clunker. He faced the Phils at home in mid-April with a CG, SO 2-hitter, walking 1 and striking out 4 on 91 darts.

DELIVERY = PITCHER’S 2012	DEFINITION OF SEASON
Over The Top	Excellent
3-Quarter Sidearm	Good
Sidearm	Above Average
Short Arm	Approximately Average
Submarine	Below Average

Quality number of the pitcher: 1 – 5

Slot on his club: 1 – 5

Ranking is 1 to 5 & 15 for the less adventurous.

HURLER	Cole Hamels	Nate Eovaldi
NUMBER	A One	A Five
CLUB SLOT	Two	Four
FOR 2012	3-Quarter Sidearm	Short Arm
'12 RANKING	2nd of 5 Categories	4th of 5 Categories
LAST START	Knuckleball	Slider
LAST HIGH OR LOW	11th of 15 Categories	7th of 15 Categories

DISPLAY NOTE: Non-listed results can go up or down by

* 1 notch & ** 2 clicks (This note will only appear when it’s relevant.)

* 1 Tick UP

	PITCH	INN	ER - R- H		PITCH	INN	ER
1	Gyroball	9 (CG)	0 - 0 - 3	10	Screwball	6	4
2	Fastball	9 (CG)	0 - 0	11	Knuckleball	5	3
3	Cutter	9 (CG)	3	12	Forkball	0 - 4.2	Monstrosity
4	Split Finger	7	2	13	Eephus Pitch	0 - 2.2	Disaster
5	Curveball	7	3	14	*Palm Ball	Ejected
6	Sinker	6.1	3	15	*Spit Ball	**Ejected+
7	Slider	6	2		*Breaking Ball	Injured
8	Changeup	6	3		*Fosh	Rain Interrupted
9	Slurve	5	2		*Knuckle Curve	Pitch Count
	** = Suspended				* = A 2nd Pitch Also

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