So last night didn't go exactly according to plan, with Cole Hamels and the Phillies losing to the Mets, 4-2, on a rain-soaked night. Cole wasn't on early, and even if he had been, the run support didn't come around anyway. Just one of those nights, and aside from the lingering concerns around Hamels, there's nothing to read into the series opener.
But what kind of night will we see in Game 2? JA Happ faces Tim Redding, our old friend from the Nationals. I'll be honest here—I didn't expect Happ's hot streak to last anywhere near this long. Three or four solid-to-great starts? Sure, that happens for a talented young arm with a limited book. But I'm perfectly OK with being wrong about Happ, who has made 16 starts this season, winning nine and losing just two. His ERA (2.66) and WHIP (1.16) are the best marks among Phillies starters, including Cliff Lee if you include his AL service time this season.
With playoff baseball already prevalent in the minds of Phillies fans, many are sketching out the four man rotation and trying to figure what order Happ, Hamels, and Joe Blanton will fall into, presuming that the new ace Lee will take the ball in the first game of any playoff series. There's still plenty of baseball left to determine all that, and a heavy factor in the decision will likely be that Charle Manuel is a loyal, players' manager. If he's stayed with Brad Lidge through tough times in 2009, would he do any different for Hamels, his 2008 ace and World Series MVP?
But tonight is about Happ and is bout with Redding, whose been getting rocked so far in a Mets uniform. Happ will have the full arsenal in the lineup behind him tonight, which should be more productive than they were in the opener. Right?
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2009/08/le...
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August 20, 2009
