The task is less daunting than it appears for Jimmy Rollins and the Philadelphia Philies. But is there enough time on the clock to sneak into the postseason party? Remember, the poll for Masked September is here, if you haven’t voted yet.
TAL’S HANDY CAPS
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CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT: 3-2 Triumph In Game 1
TYPE | PLAYER | REASON |
|---|---|---|
| The Crystal Champagne Toast | Kyle Kendrick | Four-Star Performance |
| The Penthouse | Juan Pierre Chase Utley Kevin Frandsen Ryan Howard Chooch Ruiz Kyle Kendrick Antonio Bastardo | * Smoked A Triple & Scored In The 1st For A 1-0 Game * An RBI Groundout In The 1st Homered For A 2-1 Advantage In The 3rd ** A Solo Blast In The 4th For A 3-1 Score **A Solo Bomb To Open A 4-1 Lead In The 4th During A 2 For 3 Night With A BB & 2 RBI 6.2 Strong Innings A Solid 8th-Inning Hold |
| Greenhouse Cholley's Bats | Juan Pierre | * Tripled & Scored On A Groundout In The 1st |
| The Animal House | Ryan Howard Ryno & Chooch | ** 3 Straight Games With A HR ** Consecutive Homeruns In The 4th |
Above Asterisk ( *) = Corresponding Play & Event
CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT: 7-4 Triumph In Game 2
TYPE | PLAYER | REASON |
|---|---|---|
| The Crystal Champagne Toast | Darin Ruf | Four-Star Performance |
| The Penthouse | B.J. Rosenberg Darin Ruf | Escaped A Bags-Full, 1-Out Jam In The 2nd Picked-Off A Runner At 1st To End The 4th * Hit A Solo HR To Take A 1-0 Lead In The 4th * Smoked An 0-2 HR, Closing The Score To 3-2 In The 8th During His 2 For 4 Night |
| The Fun House Of Mirrors | All | Fog Game #1 For 2012 |
| The Outhouse | HP Ump | A SB On A Questionable Foul Tip In The 5th |
| The Animal House | Darin Ruf | * A 2 HR Night |
Chase Scores In The 3rd Inning Of Game 1
NITECAP INSIGHT
The New Math:
There are other determining factors that are overlooked, while the dog-eared thinking for serious October baseball remains intact. The wild-card era has altered the dynamic, but the mentality hasn’t changed since there were two 8-team leagues. Back then there were fewer organizations in the mix, but now with a 5th qualifying berth, the quantity of collapses required per campaign has not increased. It only gives that impression erroneously. The chart below indicates a hypothetical outcome where clubs basically play .500 ball during their next 3 series. I took into consideration all 2, 3 and 4 game matchups during that period, where one of the mentioned squads plays another. That means these are realistic possibilities.
Ryno Holds Onto The Throw During The 6th Inning Of Game 1
There are differences with one or two extra playoff positions, canceling out some old benchmarks. Additional franchises equal more head-on competition among the hopefuls, which dramatically increases the odds for the .500 mark. This is why there have been more collapses and surprising comebacks during the last 5 years–not just 1 every 10-20 seasons. That stated, the red pinstripes have 10 total battles against the Fish, the ‘Stros and the Mets. So, the formula switches to the hot contender among the group in the next 9-10 contests. The thinking is that only one might catch fire besides the Phils with their favorable schedule.
Projected Next 3 Series:
Games against: CON = Contenders, BAL = Also-Rans, GB = Games Behind, and GMS = Games Remaining After
TEAM | W - L | CON | BAL | W - L | W - L | GB | GMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cards | 75-65 | 4 | 06 | 5 - 5 | 80-70 | ----- | 12 |
| Dodgers | 74-67 | 9 | 00 | 5 - 4 | 79-71 | 1.0 | 12 |
| Pirates | 72-67 | 3 | 06 | 5 - 4 | 77-71 | 2.0 | 14 |
| Phillies | 69-71 | 0 | 10 | 8 - 2 | 77-73 | 3.0 | 12 |
| Brewers | 69-71 | 6 | 03 | 5 - 4 | 74-75 | 4.5 | 13 |
| D-backs | 69-72 | 5 | 03 | 4 - 4 | 73-76 | 6.5 | 13 |
Ryno Singles In 2 During The 5th Inning Of Game 2
In the past there were the postseason bound and the spoilers, but now there is a third classification, where the locals find themselves. The also-rans will play the in-it teams tougher than other fringe units, which means that Cholley’s boys have 10 games against competition that doesn’t see a foe worthy of an upset. Meanwhile, the hometown 9 performs at their peak level, like Atlanta. In other words, Miami will be more up for the Braves than the Phillies. Those organizations will also gauge their young talent more against perceived long shots. That’s why the next 10 battles are key before the final two weeks.
All the other contenders have flaws and are beatable. I will evaluate each tomorrow. For the red pinstripes, Chooch Ruiz in the 5 spot strengthens the lineup. Antonio Bastardo, reversing his fortunes, and Phillippe Aumont solidify the setup role. Jeremy Horst and Josh Lindblom would man the 7th, while the other 2 would be the best of the rest. Continued success in these areas would plug their biggest holes. Remember–as it is–they are 10-5 against the Reds, Nats and Giants in the 2nd half. That said, if they went 10-0, they would be 8 games over .500, making more than just a little noise.
Kyle Kendrick Loads Up His Pitch On September 4 In Cincinnati
PRECAP PITCH
Kyle Kendrick:
He has lasted 6.1 innings plus in 9 of 20 outings with 5 debacles. Against the Fish at both parks (1 each), his line is: 2-0, a 1.46 ERA, 12.1 frames, 13 hits, 2 both-earned runs, 3 walks and 10 punch outs.
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 |
Wade LeBlanc Hurls His Dart In The 3rd At Home On September 4 Against The Brewers
Wade LeBlanc:
He is 1-2 with a 3.51 ERA as a starter. He has worked 7 innings in 2 of 6 attempts with 1 clunker.
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
* = As a starter
HURLER | Kyle Kendrick | John Lannan |
|---|---|---|
| NUMBER | A Five | A Five |
| CLUB SLOT | Four | Five |
| FOR 2012 | Sidearm | Short Arm |
| '12 RANKING | 3rd of 5 Categories | 4th of 5 Categories |
| LAST START | Eephus Pitch | Slurve *** |
| LAST HIGH OR LOW | 13th of 15 Categories | 9th 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 |
18TH 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 |
MASKED SEPTEMBER NUMBERS:
GB 2nd WC: 6
2ND WC Pos: 4 Tied
Elimination No: 17
NOTE: This poll will appear in every September article for you to check the current results, if it is still worthwhile.
The Original Article: Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Masked September
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