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? 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: 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 |
MASKED SEPTEMBER NUMBERS:
GB 2nd WC: 3
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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