Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Way to play

After taking 2 of 3 from the Cardinals and actually losing a game in the division race, it’s only natural to feel a bit frustrated. Winning 2 of 3 every time should get a team into the playoffs, but it doesn’t help when your competition is having a cakewalk the same weekend.

After a good weekend series, the typical Philadelphia mindset will see the team facing the worst record in baseball and expect them to drop two games headed into the biggest series in two years. That’s understandable. With 125 seasons and 9,991 losses under their belt and only one championship to show for it, it’s natural to expect the Phillies to mess up what should be an easy series.

The Phillies went against conventional wisdom on Tuesday and took it to the Reds. Even with all the adversity of the injuries, struggling players and the potential problems of facing a stud prospect they’ve never seen before, they came out swinging; to the tune of 11 runs and 17 hits, to be exact.

Kyle Kendrick got off to a rough start in the first inning, when he loaded the bases with Cincy’s big bats coming up. He escaped major damage and only allowed one run. Kendrick doesn’t have good numbers on the year, but he’s done a good job filling in for Fraudy Garcia. He’s given the team 6 innings in all three starts, and having a guy that isn’t a mortal lock to wear down the bullpen is nice.

Kyle Kendrick settled down and threw a few more decent innings, giving up 4 earned in 6+. Meanwhile, the offense was bashing Homer Bailey and the Reds’ bullpen. Ryan Howard’s laser in the first inning gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead, and it was off to the races for the good guys from there. Victorino and Utley also hit home runs in the game, and they provided great support that a rookie like Kendrick needs.

After Michael Bourn’s good game on Sunday to help beat the Cardinals, he got another chance in the starting lineup, and he delivered a few more hits, and he also stole second base allowing Carlos Ruiz to steal home. Manuel debuted an interesting lineup, which featured Bourn batting second, bumping Victorino down to the 6 hole, where he would have the chance to use his pop to drive in some runs.

The lineup worked, and Manuel has to keep going with it against righties. The defense in the outfield is obviously great, and if they’re all hitting, no one can complain about the offensive production, obviously. Greg Dobbs also had a nice rebound game, and it looks like he might be back on track as well.

The Phillies showed everyone something tonight. They want to be in command. They’re standing in the face of adversity and in the face of the big bad Mets and saying “We’re ready for you.” Instead of playing down to a team, they buried them. That’s what winning teams do to the Reds.

The four game series against the Mets this weekend is huge. The players are undoubtedly looking forward to it, but there are still two more games against the Reds to handle. They can’t let them slip away; these games are critical. It’s important to go into the series with momentum and show the Mets there’s going to be a race this year.

Hopefully they don’t go and render all this useless tomorrow.

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