Phillippe Aumont made his debut in the majors for the Philadelphia Phillies Thursday, which clarified his potential. Now, the red pinstripes are fun to watch again, but will they vie for the divisional crown next season?
TAL’S HANDY CAPS
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Check out: Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Lockdown credentials
CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT: 4-2 Triumph
TYPE | PLAYER | REASON |
|---|---|---|
| The Crystal Champagne Toast | Cliff Lee | Four-Star Performance |
| The Penthouse | Cliff Lee Jimmy Rollins | Worked Out Of A Runner-At-3rd One-Out Jam In The 2nd Fired 7 3-Hit Innings An RBI Single To Tie The Score At 1 In The 8th |
| The Kangaroo Courthouse | Ty Wigginton | Thrown Out Rounding 3rd To End The 2nd |
| The Whitehouse | Cliff Lee | Reached his 200th K In The 5th |
This article did not run on Friday morning due to an area-wide disruption of internet service.
Cinco Ocho Swats The Nats
NITECAP INSIGHT
The August View:
Including last night’s result, Cholley’s boys improved their 2nd-half record to 13-13 against playoff organizations. They split their 4 battles with the Reds, which put their series breakdown at 4 wins, 3 setbacks and 1 tie. That said, Cole Hamels showed his maturity as an ace, when he had to overcome a sudden downpour and a 34-pitch first. Johnny Cueto, on the other hand, had the advantage of mental preparation before climbing the hill. Despite that easier road, he struggled more in his outing and only recorded 15 outs.
Some believe that Chooch Ruiz will leave after the next campaign, and they probably felt that Hamels wasn’t going to re-up either. Chooch will receive a club-option $5M for the next 162, and–like King Cole–he is a major cog on a mound-heavy franchise. Rube Amaro has a preference for hurlers and receivers, while Dave Montgomery’s favorite player is Ruiz. He, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are here for awhile. Utley and the brain trust now realize that his program is year round for both knees.
Chase Utley Singles In Run 1 In The 1st
The other 4 positions at this point appear to be: 3B Freddy Galvis, RF Dom Brown, LF Juan Pierre and LF John Mayberry Jr. Torii Hunter and B.J. Upton are centerfielders on the open market. Upton is 28 and he is currently earning $7M per, which is half of Hunter Pence’s projected 2013 pay. The bench seems to be Ty Wigginton, Laynce Nix, Kevin Frandsen and Erik Kratz. That stated, Frandsen and Kratz will have more difficulty next season when the opposition has a better idea of the holes in their swings. The league caught up with Mayberry after he hit .301 in the 2nd half of 2011. Michael Stutes, Antonio Bastardo and Vance Worley have had varied degrees of exposure, which for Bastardo eroded his confidence.
Stutes, Bastardo, David Herndon, Michael Schwimer, Jeremy Horst, B.J. Rosenberg, Josh Lindblom, Justin De Fratus and Jake Diekman are in the audition mix with Aumont. Baring more than 2 FA bullpen acquisitions, 4 of them will be in the relief corps. Potential free agent arms would include: Mike Adams, Grant Balfour, Brandon League, Clay Hensley and Rafael Betancourt. Perhaps, Cincinnati will be open to trading Ryan Madson, as they are flush with recent ‘pen success. Meanwhile, Aumont has the gas but he needs to command a secondary pitch, which would keep the batters off balance. Remember, Herndon was helped by working at the highest level. If coach Rich Dubee can mold Aumont, he could have his setup man.
Doc Hurls A Dart At The Bank On August 20 Against The Reds
PRECAP PITCH
Doc Halladay:
He is 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA and 23 K’s for 4 August efforts. Against the Nats in late May, his line at the Bank was: 6 complete, 9 hits, 5 all-earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts on 92 defective bullets just prior to his DL stint.
STARTER | RECORD | TM | STARTER | RECORD | DAY & TIME |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | LHP Cliff Lee | 06-08, 3.12 ERA | @ Nats | RHP Edwin Jackson | 09-11, 4.13 ERA | Wednesday, Day |
Gio Gonzalez Unloads His Pitch At Home On August 29 Against The Mets
Gio Gonzalez:
He has toiled 6.1 innings or more in 10 of 25 showings with 4 clunkers. At both venues against the Phils, his mark is: 2-0, a 0.69 ERA, 13 total, 7 hits, 1 run (earned), 4 BB and 16 K’s.
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 |
Starters’ photos, not described otherwise, are in the 1st inning.
Quality number of the pitcher: 1 – 5
Slot on his club: 1 – 5
Ranking is 1 to 5 & 15 for the less adventurous.
*** = Approximately equal to after plus-and-minus computation
HURLER | Doc Halladay | Ricky Nolasco |
|---|---|---|
| NUMBER | A One | A Five |
| CLUB SLOT | One | Three |
| FOR 2012 | Short Arm | Short Arm |
| '12 RANKING | 4th of 5 Categories | 4th of 5 Categories |
| LAST START | Eephus Pitch | Split Finger |
| LAST HIGH OR LOW | 13th of 15 Categories | 4th of 15 Categories |
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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