Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Decoded 2nd NL wild card

There is a better shot at that 5th postseason berth for Chase Utley and the Philadelphia Phillies than the numbers display.  What can be discovered inside the final matchups on the schedule?

 

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I will publish after every battle that is not washed out.  I will have many summer-long highlights of puzzle pieces, especially important after drubbings and defeats. If you were directed here by a feed and this review does not mention yesterday’s contest, please go to the Phillies page for my most recent coverage. (Early morning readers may arrive before the latest post.) Scroll down to Tal’s Handy Links at the bottom. Thank you.

 

Check out:  Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Answer at game 162

 

CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT:    16-1 Blowout

NOTE:  Click entries button to open more than the visible 10.

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 Asterisks ( *) = Corresponding Plays And/Or Events

 

MASKED SEPTEMBER NUMBERS:

GB 2nd WC:  4.0 
2ND WC Pos:  4 
Elimination No:  9

 

Remaining 3-Game Series:

TEAM	SERIES TO WATCH OF THE LAST 4	OTHER SERIES OF THE LAST 4
Cards	@ Cubs (1), Nats (3) & Reds (4)	@ 'Stros (2)
Brewers	* @ Nats (1) & @ Reds (2)	'Stros (3) & Pads (4)
Dodgers	@ Reds (1), @ Pads (2) & Giants (4)	Rox (3)

* 4-Game Series

 

 

 

NITECAP INSIGHT

 

 

 

Dissecting The Schedule:

 

There is more than math available to determine the finish of this campaign. The digits do not take into consideration rivalries or games between potential playoff foes. Also, there is the health of the players on those clubs. And no pennant hopeful wants to go into serious competition on a sour note. Like the Pirates found out, there is the pressure of September baseball, and roster holes on contenders become exposed. I broke down the upcoming series into 2 categories for each franchise above.

Firstly, the Cards do not have the full services of Carlos Beltran, who is having difficulty with his balky knees. Their 1st opponent is the Cubs, who are a long-time adversary, and they will do everything they can to cause problems for the Red Birds. Plus, St. Louis will face Washington and Cincinnati to close out the year. Both organizations do not want The Cards to think they are beatable, and the Reds would prefer an October without a squad that sees them a lot.

The Brewers have 4 with the Nats and 3 against the New Red Machine. Both of those postseason-bound squads will not want Milwaukee to believe they can go deep in the playoffs. Their 162 comes down to those 7 battles. Los Angeles is headed in the wrong direction, and Washington just took 2 of 3 from them. The Nats will also want to stop the Brewers next.

 

Series 3: 

TEAM	W - L	GMS	VERSUS
Cardinals	3 - 0	3	'Stros
Dodgers	1 - 2	3	@ Nats
Pirates	0 - 3	3	Brewers
Brewers	3 - 0	3	@ Pirates
D-Backs	2 - 1	3	@ Padres
Padres	1 - 2	3	D-Backs

 

 

 

Recently, the Phils went 5-1 against Washington, and they were 2-1 in Atlanta.  They have also played well against contenders in the 2nd half.  They are 24-17 and 9-2-2 in series against them.  Obviously, if the red pinstripes get past their divisional rivals, it will be important to scoreboard watch.  If you’ve seen their recent contests, certain names pop up prominently:  Jimmy Rollins, Utley and Ryan Howard.  They are the 3 cornerstone regulars of the core 4.

 

2nd Wild-Card Teams:

TEAM	W-L (8/31)	W - L	GB	W-L (SEPT)
Cardinals	71 - 61	84 - 72	-----	13 - 11
Dodgers	70 - 63	81 - 75	3.0	11 - 12
Brewers	63 - 68	80 - 76	4.0	17 - 08
Phillies	63 - 69	78 - 78	6.0	15 - 09
D-Backs	66 - 67	78 - 78	6.0	12 - 11

 

 

 

PRECAP PITCH

 

 

 

Kyle Kendrick:

 

He has lasted 6.1 innings plus in 10 of 22 outings with 4 debacles.  Against the Braves in 2 efforts at the Bank, his ledger reads:  0-0, a 5.23 ERA, 10.1 frames, 11 hits, 6 all-earned runs, 4 BB and 6 whiffs.

 

	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

 

 

 

Tommy Hanson:

 

He has worked 6.1 innings or more in 9 of 28 opportunities with 7 clunkers.  He is 8-4 with a 4.09 away ERA, which is 0.51 lower than at home.  His line against the Phils in both parks (1 each) is:  1-0, a 5.91 ERA, 10.2 frames, 13 hits, 7 all-earned runs, 3 walks (1 intentional) and 9 strikeouts. That stated, he is 0-3 with a 4.62 ERA in his last 5 starts, and he has had control struggles recently.

 

 

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	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

 

 

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