Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Masked September

Jimmy Rollins is trying to will the Philadelphia Phillies toward serious October baseball. How close will he come to his goal? Yes, there is a poll.

TAL’S HANDY CAPS

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Big John Scores Run 5 In The 1st

Check out: Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Expectations for Cholley and Rube

CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT: 8-7 Outcome

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

Above Asterisks ( *) = Corresponding Plays And/Or Events

King Cole Bangs A 2-RBI Double In The 3rd

NITECAP INSIGHT

Virgin Turf:

The forgotten beauty after August is the elusive chase for that final playoff spot. Before 2007, that was the annual heart-slaying ritual in the early 21st century. The days of promise followed by the hours in the disappointing downward spiral, when reality trumps wishful thinking.

A 2nd-Inning Omen?

This has been a unique campaign. The organization has 3 aces and a top-tier closer. They have enough offense and defense to back the rotation. However, they have a gaping hole in between the starter and the hammer. Cliff Lee, the 8th-inning bullpen stats and the loss of 3 stars for half the tour have bedeviled them.

There is 1 player who is always the first to arrive, and that athlete works harder than everybody else. In Philly, that guy was always Chase Utley. In Toronto, it was Doc Halladay and it was Juan Pierre for Miami. Most teams have one or none. Then, there are the other infield core members: Rollins and Ryan Howard. J-Roll is on record as having his sights aimed toward the 2nd wildcard with a we-are-eyeing-that statement. In his case that plural has always been Ryno. A few days later they are within striking distance of that goal. Before you answer the poll prematurely, please, read the last paragraph.

MASKED SEPTEMBER NUMBERS:
GB 2nd WC: 8
2ND WC Pos: 6 Tied
Elimination No: 21

This is a weird 162. But what if it hasn’t reached its strangest point? It could be the most unforgettable summer in franchise history. Could it be everything in one 7-month timeframe? If ever there was such a year, this would be it. The first experience was remaining viable with $60M on the DL. Then, there was the extended confinement in the basement, like the good old days. Now, it’s the middle of the pack, which is similar to many seasons past. The next stage would be the roller coaster of chasing the postseason dream. That was followed by barely making it , winning the championship and parading in a sea of red.

NOTE: This poll will appear in every September article for you to check the current results, if it is still worthwhile.

Tyler Cloyd Loads Up At The Bank On August 29 Against The Mets

PRECAP PITCH

Tyler Cloyd:

He makes his 2nd appearance after a nice MLB debut. His line was: 6 complete, 7 hits, 3 all-earned runs, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts on 102 tosses.

	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

Johnny Cueto Fires A Bullet On August 28 In Phoenix

Johnny Cueto:

He has lasted 6.1 frames or more in 19 of 27 showings with 3 clunkers. He faced the Phils at the Bank recently with this mark: 5 innings, 5 hits, 2 both-earned runs, 3 free passes and 4 K’s on 111 misfired bullets.

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	B.J. Rosenberg	Gio Gonzalez
NUMBER	A Five	A Two
CLUB SLOT	Five	One
FOR 2012	1st Start	Over The Top
'12 RANKING	-- of 5 Categories	1st of 5 Categories
LAST START	1st Start	Changeup
LAST HIGH OR LOW	-- of 15 Categories	8th 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

STATS APOCALYPTIC HORSEMEN COLE HAMELS
COLE'S LINE: 7 INN, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K & 99 DARTS

ACE	W - L	ERA	INN+	CONV	CG - SO	BAD	INN	ER	BB - IBB	SO
Total	34 - 23	3.48	6.1	59 of 86	2 - 2	12	582.2	225	114 -2	557
Hamels	17 - 06	3.05	6.2	21 of 31	2 - 2	03	215.1	073	050 - 2	218
Lee	06 - 09	3.16	6.1	23 of 30	0 - 0	02	211.0	074	028 - 0	207
Halladay	11 - 08	4.49	7.0	15 of 25	0 - 0	07	156.1	078	036- 0	132

17TH RIDE OF THE HORSEMEN:


ACE	W - L	ERA	INN+	CONV	CG	SO	BAD	INN	H	R	ER	BB	IBB	SO
Total	2 - 0	2.84	6.1+	2 of 3	0	0	1	19.0	14	6	6	4	0	20
Halladay	1 - 0	7.20	6.1+	0 of 1	0	0	1	05.0	06	4	4	3	0	07
Lee	0 - 0	1.29	7.0+	1 of 1	0	0	0	07.0	03	1	1	0	0	05
Hamels	1 - 0	1.29	7.0+	1 of 1	0	0	0	07.0	05	1	1	1	0	08

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Tal’s Handy Stats is daily coverage. I am alternating the 2012 ERA For The NL East and the 2012 ERA For The MLB 5. Thank you, to all who bookmarked my page.