Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Mojo madness

Jimmy Rollins is the tribal leader for the Philadelphia Phillies. Can Cholley’s boys ride his wave of enthusiasm to the final 2012 MLB victory?

TAL’S HANDY CAPS

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Check out: Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Believe

CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT: 3-1 Triumph

TYPE	PLAYER	REASON
The Crystal Champagne Toast	Darin Ruf	One-Star Performance
The Penthouse	Juan Pierre Darin Ruf	* Snagged A HR Ball In The 1st Produced A Sac-Fly RBI To Take A 1-0 Lead In The 4th
The Leather Warehouse	Juan Pierre	* Made A Leaping Catch To Bring Back A Paint Scrapper In The 1st
The Fun House Of Mirrors	Phony Phanatic	Losing His Snout During The President's Race
Cholley's Doghouse	Dom Brown	Did Not Hustle On A 6th-Inning Ground Out
The Whitehouse	Tyson Brumlett	Made His MLB Debut In The 9th

Above Asterisk ( *) = Corresponding Play And/Or Event

J-Roll Swats His 2-Run Bomb In The 7th

NITECAP INSIGHT

The Mad Dash:

As I pointed out back on September 3, the wild card has altered the postseason landscape. There was a time when collapses were very rare. The 1951 Dodgers and the 1964 Phillies were the famous ones. However, we’ve seen the demise of the 2007 Mets before the Red Sox and the Braves in 2011. Recently, the 2007 Rox caught fire but this campaign it’s the Phils, Brewers and Pads.

J-Roll Ties The Score In The 6th

The red pinstripes are 35-21 and the Friars are 35-22 since the break. The Brew Crew is 32-26 in the 2nd half but they are 18-5 more recently. After Colorado, San Diego will face off against Arizona, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Milwaukee. The Brewers have 13 difficult games and 6 easier ones. If either organization is for real, they will leave no doubt after the battles that await them.

The locals have the advantage of finishing the marathon before and having 3 fresh stars. Doc Haladay has logged 143.2 frames, which is about 100 less than his annual workload. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are in mid-season form, because they have only competed for 3 months. Cliff Lee is a streak rider, because he is affected mentally by his most recent performances. The crowd and the winning atmosphere are instrumental for his psyche more than the others.

Cinco Ocho’s Victory Yell Was His Longest Of The Season

As they inch closer to a slice of October pie, these warriors become even more dangerous. They are on a miracle run, like the Rox of ‘07. Their swagger has returned, and the opposition’s scoreboard watchers can see the heat-seeking missile on their radar screens. They are beginning to realize that Goliath has arisen from the dead, and is hungry after a 4-year hibernation.

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

Pete Orr Swipes 2nd In the 9th

The Pirates are in the uncharted territory of September baseball, and they appear to have stalled with a 2-9 record this month. The surprising thing about them is that they are in the bottom third of the majors for batting, fielding and starting pitching. Their bullpen has been their strength. They have the Cubs for 4 games but were swept by them last weekend. I don’t expect them to recover because they are headed in the wrong direction.

Series 2:

TEAM	W - L	GMS	VERSUS
Cardinals	2 - 2	4	@ Dodgers
Dodgers	2 - 2	4	Cardinals
Pirates	1 - 2	4	@ Cubs
Brewers	2 - 1	3	Mets
D-Backs	1 - 2	3	Giants
Padres	2 - 1	3	Rox

Tyler Cloyd Discharges His Weapon In Game 2 At The Bank On September 9 Against The Rox

PRECAP PITCH

Tyler Cloyd:

He has lasted 7 innings in 1 of 3 attempts with 1 debacle. That means he has had 1 good, 1 excellent and 1 poor outing.

	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

Lucas Harrell Fires A Bullet On September 7 In Cincinnati

Lucas Harrell:

He is 6-2 with a 2.06 home ERA, which is 3.00 lower in Houston. He has worked 6.2 frames or more in 11 of 28 opportunities with 8 clunkers. Against the Phils in mid-May, his line was: 5.2 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 3 free passes (1 intentional) and 3 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	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 CLIFF LEE
CLIFF'S LINE: 6 INN, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K & 109 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

POLL: Will The Phillies Finish In The Money?

MASKED SEPTEMBER NUMBERS:

GB 2nd WC: 3
2ND WC Pos: 4 (Tied)
Elimination No: 17

NOTE: This poll is still active but was causing feed problems.

The Original Article & Poll: Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Masked September (From 9/3)

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