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Game 161
Brad Lidge has been in a few big games during his career. Actually, he’s been in some really big games with everything on the line, including that one in Houston in the NLCS when Albert Pujols hit that home run.
Yeah, everyone remembers that one.
Though he seems relaxed and laidback away from the field, it’s obvious he gets amped up when he gets the ball. Even if the game is tight and the pressure is about to boil over, Lidge wants the ball.
After last night’s game when the prospect of pitching in the ninth inning of a clinching game was broached, Lidge’s eyes lit up.
“I don’t care if it’s 100-0 – I will be available,” he said. “There is no scenario where I won’t want to be out there.”
Of course Lidge usually only comes into the game when the Phillies have the lead. That thin thread became even more precariously delicate during the eighth inning when Ryan Madson entered and promptly got into a jam.
Unlike Lidge, this is the first time Madson has been in these high-pressure situations. Last season he was on the disabled list when the Phillies made their march to the post-season so all he could do was celebrate with his teammates and watch from the bench.
This year Madson gave up a leadoff single to (Phillie killer) Cristian Guzman and a long double to Ryan Zimmerman. Things really got worrisome for the 45, 177 in the house when Lastings Milledge lifted a blooper into short center field that shortstop Jimmy Rollins somehow hauled in.
But in doing so, Rollins collided with Shane Victorino -- seemingly kicking him in the shins – as Guzman tagged and scored. After the play, Victorino remained on his back, but remained in the game.
Madson stayed in, too and got Elijah Dukes on a broken –bat grounder before whiffing Aaron Boone to end the inning.
When Boone swung and missed, Madson screamed and pumped his fist as he walked off the mound.
The Phillies tacked on one with two-outs in the bottom half of the inning when Victorino legged out an infield single and came around to score on Pedro Feliz's RBI double.
Here comes Lidge…
End of 8: Phillies 4, Nats 2
A few folks milling around here – mostly TV types – are discussing the best way in which to remain dry if the Phillies clinch today and we have to wade into a clubhouse full of champagne and beer spray as well as other tomfoolery.
The truth is there is no good way to avoid the party. The best bet is to dive in, get what you need and get back to the press box to change into something a little less wet.
That’s my tact, anyway. I brought a change of clothes in case the Phillies nail this down. And following last season’s celebration where I had a beer poured down my pants by a player who shall remain nameless as well as other liquids dumped on my head, I should have brought a poncho.
Chad Durbin got the Phillies to within six outs of the clincher by working through the seventh. He had some help from Chase Utley, who turned a neat little inning-ending double play to end the inning.
The Phillies went quietly in the seventh against lefty reliever Mike Hinckley.
I don’t know… maybe the Phillies need another run or two?
End of 7: Phillies 3, Nats 1
It pains me to report that I have never been to Milwaukee. Home to Richie Cunningham, the Fonz, as well as Laverne & Shirley, it always seemed as if there was a lot happening in Milwaukee.
Those thoughts got stronger when I learned about Milwaukeean Jeffrey Dahmer, Lieberace and saw Wayne and Garth visit the city to catch an Alice Cooper gig.
So nothing against the Mets, but it would be neat to see the Brewers get the wild card so the Phillies can have that second trip to Milwaukee. If we go, I hope to visit Schott’s Brewery.
Jamie Moyer escaped the sixth with his two-run lead thanks to some of his wily and crafty work after Ryan Zimmerman and Lastings Milledge singled to open the frame. From there, Moyer went to work and stranded the runners by getting two flies to center and his first whiff of the game.
After six, Moyer has allowed six hits and a walk on 86 pitches. Call it a night, Jamie.
Steven Shell relieved John Lannan and sat down the Phillies in order.
We’re into the bullpens now, folks. The Phillies need nine outs.
End of 6: Phillies 3, Nats 1
One of the worst-kept secrets around the Phillies during the second half of the season was that Chase Utley had been playing through some type of injury. Close observers of the game – like scouts for instance – knew something was up based on how the All-Star took his swing or ran to receive a ball.
Clearly something was bothering Utley because he went from 25 home runs during the first half of the season, to just eight after the All-Star Break. In fact, all of Utley’s power numbers waned, though his batting average remained steady.
Utley ripped a few loud fouls off the lefty John Lannan, but went down on strikes when the pitcher fooled him with a slider. Regardless, Utley’s stroke seems solid.
The Nats got on the board in the fifth when Jayson Werth could not hang onto a long drive hit by Anderson Hernandez when he crashed into the right-field fence. Werth appeared to be shaken up a bit on the play, taking an extra minute to loosen up his shoulder and/or catch his breath after relaying the ball back to the infield.
Moyer, meanwhile, is up to 72 pitches. He should be able to get through seven innings.
Nevertheless, fears that Werth was a little banged up were allayed in the bottom half of the frame when he led off with home run just over the out-of-town scoreboard in right.
Call it a “Citizens Bank Park Special.”
Lannan survived big trouble when Shane Victorino’s long drive was caught at the fence.
The Phillies are 12 outs away from wrapping things up.
End of 5: Phillies 3, Nats 1
Just walked into the dining room to get a diet coke when I caught one of the attendants singing “Strangers In the Night…”
Do be do be do…
Meanwhile, the old-timer Jamie Moyer had a relatively quick inning for a change. In sitting down the heart of the Nationals’ order, Moyer used just 10 pitches.
Perhaps he’s settling in?
In addition to a packed house in the seating area, the press box is stuffed, too. In fact, a writer two with no paper on Sunday turned out to properly describe the action of the local nine. And from what I have heard, Scott Lauber is also offering live updates on his site.
It’s Scott’s birthday so go check it out.
If you decide just to stay here, I’ll tell you that Scott is probably writing about how Chase Utley appears to be finding his swing again. Utley picked up a leadoff single and dashed to third when Ryan Howard followed with another single.
Utley scored the first run of the game when Pat Burrell lifted a sacrifice fly to right and then Howard came in to make it 2-0 when Carlos Ruiz also hit a sacrifice fly to right field.
Call those productive outs… do it.
Moyer walked with two outs to re-load the bases, but Jimmy Rollins could not break it open off John Lannan.
Nevertheless, the scoreboard has been dented. Is it enough for Moyer?
End of 4: Phillies 2, Nats 0
While we’re on the topic of the MVP (weren’t we), it seems as if it is Albert Pujols’ award to lose this season. Interestingly, it was Pujols who said during the build up for the honor in 2006 that he didn’t understand how a guy who didn’t make the playoffs could win the MVP.
Now that the show is on the other foot, don’t count on Ryan Howard making the same kind of statement. After all, Howard and the Phillies are on the path to the playoffs and Pujols’ Cardinals are not.
Still, if Howard helps carry the Phillies to another playoff berth with his 48 homers and 146 RBIs, the slugger makes a strong case despite the strikeouts, low batting average and unsung slugging percentage. Pujols’ all-around numbers are better, but how will the voters judge it.
Jayson Stark, complete with some name-dropping tells everyone how he will vote when he posts his ballot in a couple of days. No link – it’s ESPN… find it yourself. Or ask me to ask Jayson for it – he’s sitting directly in front of me.
Moyer’s pitch count continued to mount in the third thanks in part to a pair of two-out singles the Nats picked up. Still, after three innings, Moyer is up to 49 pitches though the zeroes hang on the board.
Jimmy Rollins got a two-out double to right off John Lannan in the bottom half of the inning, but the Nats’ lefty bounced back to whiff Jayson Werth for the second time.
End of 3: Phils 0, Nats 0
Before the game the local chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America – a secret society in charge of the demise of our great nation – handed out the post-season awards in the form of a handsome plaque.
The writers chose Brad Lidge for the MVP, Cole Hamels for top pitcher despite the fact that Lidge also is a pitcher. Greg Dobbs took home the prize for “Good Guy,” while Jamie Moyer got the special achievement award.
Perhaps the highlight of the brief, on-field ceremony was when the Philly Phantic mused up the flowing locks of the well coiffed scribe, Todd Zolecki. However, with his usual aplomb and a stylish flip of that mane, all returned to order for Zolecki.
Thank God.
Anyway, based on what Lidge said last night he is chomping at the bit to get out there in the ninth with a lead today.
Moyer issued a two-out walk to Aaron Boone, son of ex-Phillie great, Bob Boone. However, he threw 16 more pitches in the second and has racked up 33 through two innings… that’s too many.
The Phillies kicked up a bit of a fuss in the second against John Lannan when Pat Burrell walked and Shane Victorino singled to left with one out. However, Burrell was caught off second base when Pedro Feliz popped out to short center field.
That’s two base-running gaffes this week for Burrell if you are scoring at home.
End of 2: Phils 0, Nats 0
In a neat bit of coincidence, Jamie Moyer is back on the mound for the Phillies in a potential clinching game. Last season in Game 162, Moyer turned in six solid innings to pick up the win over the Nationals as the Phils got their first playoff berth in 14 seasons.
Today, Moyer attempts to give the Phillies their first back-to-back playoff bids since 1980-81.
It’s rather apt that Moyer is the pitcher who get the ball since the story is that he cut school in order to attend the Phillies’ victory parade in 1980.
Clearly, Moyer is the only player on the Phils who remembers the ’80 title team.
Word around the campfire is that Moyer will be the oldest pitcher in baseball history to pitch a clinching game during the regular season… that is if he does it. So far, though, he’s off to a good start. He sat down the Nats in order in the first on 17 pitches (11 strikes) and two groundball outs.
Don’t expect Moyer to go the distance today, but count on him being consistent.
Meanwhile, just before Jimmy Rollins dug into the batters’ box the Mets game went final. Chalk up a complete-game, three-hitter for Johan Santana.
Chalk up a first-inning goose egg for the Phillies in the first as Nats’ lefty John Lannan sat them down in order with two whiffs. The last one was a 11-pitch epic to catch Chase Utley looking.
End of 1: Phillies 0, Nats 0
The fans are filing in to the ballpark for the 3:55 p.m. start and it looks as if the place is going to be packed to the rafters by first pitch.
It also appears as if the Phillies are going to need to win today to clinch the NL East, because Johan Santana just finished the eighth inning at Shea with a shutout intact.
It appears as if the Mets will live to fight another day.
Better for the Phillies or any other team that might have to face the Mets down the road, it appears as if Santana will need a good five days before he pitches again. Through eight innings, Santana has allowed two hits on 104 pitches. This, of course, comes three days after Santana turned in a complete game victory on a career-high 125 pitches in his last outing.
Needless to say, Johan has earned a break.
Meanwhile, we’re getting ready to get busy here in Philly. It looks as if the Phillies will need to win to sew it up.
As with any potential clinching game -- or playoff game -- we will be doing inning-by-inning updates for the big game against the Washington Nationals this afternoon at the Bank. At the same time we also will keep an eye on the proceedings from Shea Stadium with (we hope) a few exclusive updates from some folks in the press box up there.
In the meantime, here are the lineups:
Phillies 11 - Rollins, ss 28 - Werth, rf 26 - Utley, 2b 6 - Howard, 1b 5 - Burrell, lf 8 - Victorino, cf 7 - Feliz, 3b 51 - Ruiz, c 50 - Moyer, p
Nationals 6 - Hernandez, 2b 15 - Guzman, ss 11 - Zimmerman, 3b 44 - Milledge, cf 34 - Dukes, rf 8 - Boone, 1b 53 - Nieves, c 2 - Bernadina, lf 31 - Lannan, p
One more word on the great Paul Newman, who passed on this morning at the age of 83 after a long battle with cancer...
Aside from being one of the most mesmerizing actor I've ever seen. The fact is that no matter the role, it was impossible to take your eyes off him. Whether it was as Fast Eddie Felton in "The Hustler," the title character in "Cool Hand Luke" or even underrated films like "The Road to Perdition" and "Nobody's Fool," Newman brought it all the time.
He was that way off screen, too. The obit in The Washington Post claimed that Newman "mocked his sex-symbol status and said that his personality was closest to the vulgar, second-rate hockey coach he played in 'Slap Shot' (1977)."
Newman was beloved by his acting colleagues, who all seemed to want to emulate him. But really, how could they not? As a devoted family man, activist and artist -- all of the highest order -- there was a lot to copy. He was truly an American icon.
Thankfully Newman leaves behind an epic legacy on the screen and a more important one in the super markets. Newman's Own products have contributed $200 million to charities since 1982 and will continue giving for decades to come.
So as tribute, I'm going to sit here during the Phillies-Nats game and dig into some Newman's Own pretzels and if I get home at a decent hour, watch any of the great films from Newman's body of work...
I think this could be a "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," night.