Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Believe

Kyle Kendrick is the 4-slot hurler for the Philadelphia Phillies, if they reach the NLDS. That stated, have you realized what’s going on yet? Remember, the poll for Masked September is here, if you haven’t voted yet.

TAL’S HANDY CAPS

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Check out: Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Weird to bizarre?

CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT: 3-1 Triumph

TYPE	PLAYER	REASON
The Crystal Champagne Toast	Kyle Kendrick	Four-Star Performance
The Penthouse	Darin Ruf Kyle Kendrick John Mayberry Jr. Jeremy Horst	Smoked A 2-RBI Triple To Open A 2-0 Lead In The 2nd During His 1 For 2 Night With An IBB Nursing A 2-Run Advantage, Punched Out Werth With A Runner At 3rd To End The 5th, & Escaped A Harper-At-3rd One-Out Jam In The 6th Fired 7 Scoreless, 4-Hit Innings Made A Superb Catch Of A Blooper In A Critical Spot During The 8th Ended The 8th-Inning Threat With A Called K On The 4-Hole Stick
House Call	Jimmy Rollins	Has A Calf Issue

Above Asterisks ( *) = Corresponding Plays & Events

Dom Brown Rockets A 2-Run Missile In The 5th

NITECAP INSIGHT

Behind The Numerical Illusion:

This is the an acceleration of thought from my last article, which will continue beyond this review. There are a lot of branches that lead from the trunk to explore.

Today I’ll cover St. Louis. Their bullpen is in the bottom third of the MLB, and their rotation is weaker than their stats. Chris Carpenter will be experiencing his spring training during the final weeks of the campaign, like Doc Halladay did in July. After missing last season, Adam Wainwright was inconsistent for the 1st half, but has been solid in July and August. The rest of their staff could struggle in September and October with the increased pressure for the final postseason berth, which includes any one-battle scenarios before the NLDS. They have a potent offense but their relief corps would make me nervous. Yes, more than the locals.

Mini Mart Doubles In The 5th

These are the matchups in the first group of series, while the red pinstripes entertain Miami. The Pads are 33-22 since the break, which compares to the Phils at 33-21. They are a hot club with nothing to lose, facing a franchise up by 1.5 games for the 2nd wild card. The Red Birds got trounced 11-3.

Meanwhile, the Bucs were outlasted by the Reds in a 14-inning affair, which tells me Pittsburgh ran out of arm talent. The gist here is a squad that gets its first taste of playoff-style baseball, which includes all the distractions. The Pirates are fighting for their lives, while they use Cincinnati as a yardstick to measure their own progress. The interesting thing was that Aroldis Chapman was pulled in the 10th after 2 outs, 3 free passes and 22 target-missing bullets (only 7 strikes). The competition, like the hometown 9, is not perfect either. Milwaukee was able to beat Atlanta in their first contest, while the Snakes and Dodgers have 2 battles this week.

Mini Mart Scores In The 5th On A Slightly Wild Pitch

As you can see, the Brewers, Bucs, Dodgers, Cards and D-backs do not have easy pickings. The locals got a game closer to St. Louis and Pittsburgh, while they lowered the distance between idle Los Angeles as well. Remember, the new math from my last post reveals that collapses are not necessary to reach serious autumnal baseball. The translation is that the teams in front of Cholley’s boys are closer than they appear.

Series 1:

TEAM	W - L	GMS	VERSUS
Cardinals	0 - 3	3	Padres
Dodgers	0 - 2	2	D-Backs
Pirates	0 - 3	3	Reds
Brewers	3 - 0	3	Braves
D-Backs	2 - 0	2	Dodgers

Doc Dials Up A Cutter On September 5 In Cincinnati

PRECAP PITCH

Doc Halladay:

He is 5-1 with a 3.00 ERA for his last 7 outings. His ledger reads: 48 total, 43 hits, 16 all-earned runs, 9 BB and 37 whiffs. Against the Fish at both parks (1 each), his line is: 1-1, a 2.57 ERA, 14 complete, 11 hits, 4 all-earned runs, 2 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

Nate Eovaldi Loads Up A 2-Seam Fastball At Home On September 5 Against The Brewers

Nate Eovaldi:

He is 3-5 with a 4.85 ERA as a Marlin. Overall, he has worked 6.2 frames or more in 3 of 18 attempts with 5 clunkers. However, he has only achieved 6 innings 7 times. In Los Angeles and Miami against the Phils, his mark was: 0-2, a 4.50 ERA, 10 full, 14 hits, 6 runs (5 earned), 5 free passes and 5 strikeouts.

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

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

1 or 2 categories (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

MASKED SEPTEMBER NUMBERS:
GB 2nd WC: 5
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 (& Poll From 9/3)

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