|
|
|
…in preparation for this weekend’s much anticipated series with the Phillies, I did a quick Q & A with Tom Goyne, who blogs about the Phils for Balls, Sticks & Stuff…
D.J. Short:
How have the injuries to Victorino and Rollins thrown a wrench into the composition of this ballclub? Do you feel it makes you look for the three-run homer a little bit more?
Tom Goyne:
When the Phillies offense is really clicking, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are getting on base and creating havoc with the running game. Between the two of them, they had a 78/10 SB/CS ratio last year, and it set up a few more fastballs to swing at for Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and your favorite Phillie Pat Burrell. So far this year, with the two of them out, the offense has certainly been more station to station. We are hoping to get Rollins back on Saturday and Victorino should be back as soon as he is eligible to return from the 15-day DL.
D.J. Short:
On a similar vein, do you feel the club will eventually regret dealing Michael Bourn over the winter?
Tom Goyne:
I don’t think so. That’s not because I don’t think Bourn will play well, it’s just that you have to give something to get something and Brad Lidge was something the Phillies needed so they could return Brett Myers to the starting rotation where he is more valuable. Remember, even though the Phillies got a reliever in the deal, it was really about improving the starting rotation. Myers and Cole Hamels is a pretty darn good 1-2 combo in the rotation.
D.J. Short:
Tell me one element of the ballclub that has surprised you thus far.
Tom Goyne:
I’ll give you two. The infield defense has been horrific, and that was a strength last year. The other would be the performance of the bullpen. The pen has been pretty solid, which we saw in September last year, but I’m not sure any of us expected it to carry over into this season.
D.J. Short:
Do you ever worry about Ryan Howard’s annual April struggles, or do you feel the flyballs that stay in the yard in April will leave the park in June?
Tom Goyne:
You are reading my mind, D.J. Howard hits a lot of high fly balls and for most of the summer, any fly ball that is a borderline home run gets carried a couple of rows back. But in April, the wind comes from a different direction and batted balls with that same high trajectory, particularly to left field, end up getting caught short of the warning track.
D.J. Short:
For this last one, be honest: In the extra-inning game, do you think Jose Reyes was safe at the plate or not?
Tom Goyne:
Out! But just to prove I’m not a complete homer, I think Geoff Jenkins was actually out at home plate in Tuesday’s dramatic ninth inning win over the Astros.
…thanks, Tom…
 |
 |
 |
RSS 2.0 You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
that one call…jose being called safe…could be the difference in winning the division and going home. the poetic irony would be delicious. baseball’s a funny game.
Wow, that is One Cocky Philly Phool . These clowns talk like they have a chip on their shoulder after last year.
Do these clowns even realize what a joke they were when they actually played in the playoffs.
Did they even win one playoff game last year?
Are you serious?
Alright, I’ll give him credit on something: admitting the fact that Jenkins was out at the plate on Tuesday (Which he was, by a mile - even the Reyes play was closer!)
The Reyes play was so close…If he was called out, I don’t think I could be too angry with the ump..it was a bang bang play
good job DJ. I always enjoy these features.
Yeah, DJ, I think that was great. You should do that with other teams as well.
he did all last year
Matt you must not have gotten my email with proof Reyes was safe. Unfortunately the picture is no longer on the MLB page, but if anyone saw that picture in the Daily News that was taken before the Phillies catcher tagged Reyes, if you watch the video this was clearly taken after Reyes touched the plate. Clearly.
Maybe someone saved the picture?
Agreed. He looked out during the initial play and SNY kept repeating it and each time gary and Sid (maybe Darling or both, I forgot) said he looked out until they hit the 4th or 5th replay at a new angle and it clearly showed reyes being safe…
The throw beat him, but as the catcher (Coste?) was swiping his arm to the left, to tag Reyes, Reyes was tripping over his leg and tagging the plate with his hand. It was about as close as a play can be, and could have gone either way. Just so happens we got the call
No doubt. I wouldnt have been mad if he got called out because it took a million replays to establish he was safe in my mind, but in the end he WAS safe…so its kind of annoying when a Philly fan says he was out when photo and gameplay proof exists proving otherwise, despite how close it looked initially.
It’s just great that a series in April can be a “much anticipated” series. Every time these two teams meet this season, its going to be a grind. Looking forward to it. Let’s go Johan, let’s get it started
Howard hits a lot of homers on the road, but it’s refreshing to see some acknowledgement that the Phillies’ power-packed lineup is a function of the park. It’s blindingly, glaringly, stupefyingly obvious to anyone who has ever seen a baseball, but some Philly fans don’t like to admit that they’re essentially Rockies’ fans. Pre-humidor.
As someone who lives in Denver and follows the stats it still amuses me when voters said that Holliday didnt get the vote because of the batter friendly Coors field over Rollins in CBP, the park i could hit a home run in…
Coors is ranked lower for ER per game and the humidor most certainly has evened that huge field out to at least a fair park, yet Rollins got voted in because he apparently hits in Shea for all of his home games.
that drove me absolutely bananas last year, reading and re-reading that Rollins got the edge because Holliday played in Coors. Sooooo stupid.
Youre right, but to be fair, Utley is an all-star second baseman, the best in the league in my opinion, Howard is a true masher, as is Burrell. Those guys will get their bombs anywhere. The one guy that I think is overated in the Phillies lineup is Rollins. He is a good player and all, but I dont think he is really in the league of Reyes or Ramirez as a hitter, he doesnt walk enough and really just had a career breakout season last year. The RBI’s dont mean much, they will change from year to year and I think Reyes would hit more bombs if you switched their home parks. He certainly can run, and field with the best of them, but I think his hitting abilitites are both overated and the numbers are really a result of his park(and clutch hits against the mets). We will see if last year was just the beginning of his breakout, or if he can use the park to keep on putting up elite numbers (there is no way he puts up a .875 OPS anywhere else besides Cinci or something), or if he reverts back to the .775ish OPS type of hitter he always had been up until 2006. Hopefully for the Mets it is the latter.
No doubt the Phillies have some mashers…but to watch the Phillies get swept by Holliday’s team in the play offs and watch Holliday actually show up to the WS (unlike the rest of the Rockies) and then read the reasoning for Rollins being picked the MVP is absurd and simply poor journalism. The Rockies had to win 13of 14 games or whatever and every other night Holliday had a season sustaining cluth hit…
Mind you Im not a Rockies fan as I grew up in Queens, I just think the media, as usual, have no clue with their votes. Coors has one, if not thee largest outfield in the majors and since the humidor was added the longball has dropped significantly. Pair those two points together along with the Phillies being swept by the Rockies with Holliday having a strong showing and its quite obvious the voters are morons.
I don’t like the idea that they’re futzing with the baseballs, though. Too much incentive for mischief. . . not that it doesn’t happen everywhere, to some extent, but. . . .
I’ll happily jump out on the ledge and say last year was Rollin’s peak year, and he won’t do it again. Cut and print.
Agreed. I’ve even heard some Philly fans say that he wasn’t even the MVP of the Philles…..
“Howard hits a lot of homers on the road, but it’s refreshing to see some acknowledgement that the Phillies’ power-packed lineup is a function of the park.”
Interesting to note that in 2007, the Phillies played 81 games at home & the same number on the road. The difference in runs between home vs. road? 8 runs. That doesn’t seem to be a big number, suggesting that the offense might have been good in various locations.
You used to see the same crap with the Rockies. you don’t stay in slumps when you play in a prissy little bandbox.
The Reyes call was close. He was safe, but given how some of the replay angles looked, you could understand if the ump had given out as well.
The Jenkins play was a total blown call. He was out by a distance.
Well, for all the disadvantage of pitching two lefties to the Brewers (who murder lefties), we reap the benefit of getting to pitch two lefties v. the phillies. Not that Howard’s off to a scorching start anyway, but still an advantage.
Unfortunately I see Santana pitching lights out or getting murdered tonight. No in between…at a park like CBP its one or the other for a pitcher like Santana.
on the bright side, any homers he gives up will probably be solos. Probably. Hopefully.
God I hate that ridiculous park.
Im hoping he pitches lights out, obviously. I would love nothing more than our star acquisition to make the Phillies look foolish at the plate and strike out 10 so we can take a 4-1 season series lead on the Phillies and remind them last year was a fluke…
If the day tickets went on sale was any indication, a fair amount of us are going to Philadelphia tomorrow. Sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere, but any thoughts on an area in the parking lot we can colonize? Sing ‘Meet The Mets’ and have a coupe of pops?
WHO ELSE IS GOING TO THE GAME IN PHILLY ON SATURDAY?????????????????????????
THEY REFUSe TO MAKE poST SO WE CAN MEET UP AND HAVE METS NATION BE VISIBLE