Yardbarker: Joe Blanton

Yardbarker: Joe Blanton http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/player/57 Recent articles about Joe Blanton en-us Line Beards and Broomsticks: Mets at Phillies Game Thread, July 5, 2009 Going to the pool.&nbsp; Talk about this baseball game here.  <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" /> <div class="pane sports_data_widget events clearfix"> <div class="next_game"> <h3>Next Game</h3> <div class="pane-body"> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/NYM">New York Mets</a> @ <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/PHI">Philadelphia Phillies</a> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/32678">Sunday, Jul 5, 2009, 1:35 PM EDT</a> Citizens Bank Park <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/733/Johan_Santana">Johan Santana</a> vs <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/65/Joe_Blanton">Joe Blanton</a>  Mostly cloudy. Game time temperature around 80. &nbsp; <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/32678">Complete Coverage &gt;</a> </div> </div> </div> <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" />   <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" /> <div class="pane sports_data_widget player_stats clearfix"> <table class="zebra"> <thead> <tr> <th></th> <th>W-L</th> <th>G</th> <th>GS</th> <th>CG</th> <th>SHO</th> <th>SV</th> <th>BS</th> <th>IP</th> <th>H</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>WHIP</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td class="td-name td-first">2009 - <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/65/Joe_Blanton">Joe Blanton</a></td> <td>4-4</td> <td>15</td> <td>15</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>88.2</td> <td>101</td> <td>50</td> <td>50</td> <td>18</td> <td>29</td> <td>80</td> <td>5.08</td> <td class="td-last">1.47</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" />  <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" /> <div class="pane sports_data_widget player_stats clearfix"> <table class="zebra"> <thead> <tr> <th></th> <th>W-L</th> <th>G</th> <th>GS</th> <th>CG</th> <th>SHO</th> <th>SV</th> <th>BS</th> <th>IP</th> <th>H</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>WHIP</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td class="td-name td-first">2009 - <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/733/Johan_Santana">Johan Santana</a></td> <td>9-6</td> <td>16</td> <td>16</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>102.1</td> <td>95</td> <td>47</td> <td>38</td> <td>13</td> <td>34</td> <td>104</td> <td>3.34</td> <td class="td-last">1.26</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" />  Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:30:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/772339 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/772339 Open Thread: Mets vs Phillies  <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" /> <div class="pane sports_data_widget events clearfix"> <div class="next_game"> <h3>Next Game</h3> <div class="pane-body"> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/NYM">New York Mets</a> @ <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/PHI">Philadelphia Phillies</a> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/32678">Sunday, Jul 5, 2009, 1:35 PM EDT</a> Citizens Bank Park <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/733/Johan_Santana">Johan Santana</a> vs <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/65/Joe_Blanton">Joe Blanton</a>  Mostly cloudy. Game time temperature around 80. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/32678">Complete Coverage ></a> </div> </div> </div> <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" />   <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" /> <div class="pane sports_data_widget player_info clearfix"> <img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/player_photos/l.mlb.com/xt.fss.l.mlb.com-p.4122.gif" alt="" /> <h2> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/733/Johan_Santana">Johan Santana</a> </h2> <h4 class="player-position"> #57 / Pitcher / <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/NYM">New York Mets</a> </h4> <div class="player_info_body"> <label>Height:</label> 6-0 <label>Weight:</label> 210 <label>Bats:</label> L <label>Throws:</label> L <label>Born:</label> Mar 13, 1979 </div> </div> <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" />   <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" /> <div class="pane sports_data_widget player_stats clearfix"> <table class="zebra"> <thead> <tr> <th></th> <th>W-L</th> <th>G</th> <th>GS</th> <th>CG</th> <th>SHO</th> <th>SV</th> <th>BS</th> <th>IP</th> <th>H</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>WHIP</th> </tr> </thead> <tr> <td class="td-name td-first"> 2009 - <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/733/Johan_Santana">Johan Santana</a> </td> <td>9-6</td> <td>16</td> <td>16</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>102.1</td> <td>95</td> <td>47</td> <td>38</td> <td>13</td> <td>34</td> <td>104</td> <td>3.34</td> <td class="td-last">1.26</td> </tr> </table> </div> <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" />   <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" /> <div class="pane sports_data_widget player_info clearfix"> <img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/player_photos/l.mlb.com/xt.fss.l.mlb.com-p.8675.gif" alt="" /> <h2> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/65/Joe_Blanton">Joe Blanton</a> </h2> <h4 class="player-position"> #56 / Pitcher / <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/PHI">Philadelphia Phillies</a> </h4> <div class="player_info_body"> <label>Height:</label> 6-3 <label>Weight:</label> 255 <label>Bats:</label> R <label>Throws:</label> R <label>Born:</label> Dec 11, 1980 </div> </div> <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" />   <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" /> <div class="pane sports_data_widget player_stats clearfix"> <table class="zebra"> <thead> <tr> <th></th> <th>W-L</th> <th>G</th> <th>GS</th> <th>CG</th> <th>SHO</th> <th>SV</th> <th>BS</th> <th>IP</th> <th>H</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>WHIP</th> </tr> </thead> <tr> <td class="td-name td-first"> 2009 - <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/65/Joe_Blanton">Joe Blanton</a> </td> <td>4-4</td> <td>15</td> <td>15</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>88.2</td> <td>101</td> <td>50</td> <td>50</td> <td>18</td> <td>29</td> <td>80</td> <td>5.08</td> <td class="td-last">1.47</td> </tr> </table> </div> <hr class="widget_boundry_marker" />  Swag contest <a href="http://www.swagcontest.com/">is up</a>, more info <a href="http://www.amazinavenue.com/2009/3/24/808870/amazin-avenue-swag-contest">is here</a>. <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/v-5mQHtdNCE6CYdlHdyIJGwk3-Y/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/v-5mQHtdNCE6CYdlHdyIJGwk3-Y/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/v-5mQHtdNCE6CYdlHdyIJGwk3-Y/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/v-5mQHtdNCE6CYdlHdyIJGwk3-Y/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:38:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/772240 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/772240 Gameday: Mets (39-41) At Phillies (41-37) New York Mets (39-41) at Philadelphia Phillies (41-37) Johan Santana (9-6, 3.34) vs. Joe Blanton (4-4, 5.08) Time: 1:35 p.m at Citizens Bank Park Weather: Mostly Sunny, 80 TV: MY PHL17 Twitter: Phillies Nation The Phillies go for a sweep against the Mets this afternoon. In the final game of the series, Johan Santana faces Joe Blanton. Santana has been struggling– for Johan [...] Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:00:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/772150 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/772150 Games of the Day Johan Santana tries to salvage one game against the Phillies as the Mets face Joe Blanton. Santana pitched poorly on the road this years, posting a 5.18 ERA with lots of hits falling in against him. Blanton is striking out a lot of batters this year, but it hasn’t helped his ERA. [...] Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:49:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/772050 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/772050 Today's LineupHow Would YOU Build Today's Lineup? If I were in charge.... Luis Castillo should leadoff today as he's 7 for 14 with a walk against Phillies starter Joe Blanton. Castillo, 2B Church, RF Wright, 3B Sheffield, LF Murphy, 1B Schneider,... NY Sports Dog--a Place for Mets Fans<div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/NySportsDog?a=rqg4l0vpyRk:N4Va1aehCe4:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/NySportsDog?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/NySportsDog?a=rqg4l0vpyRk:N4Va1aehCe4:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/NySportsDog?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/NySportsDog?a=rqg4l0vpyRk:N4Va1aehCe4:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/NySportsDog?i=rqg4l0vpyRk:N4Va1aehCe4:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> </div> Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:40:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/772063 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/772063 A Sweep Would Be Nice <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/SlCcrXnRJyI/AAAAAAAAIVQ/SKf6FZFxqPE/s1600-h/Darth+Santana.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 205px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/SlCcrXnRJyI/AAAAAAAAIVQ/SKf6FZFxqPE/s320/Darth+Santana.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354952225830545186" /></a>Going into this series against the Mets, I had zero confidence that anything good would come of it. Having taken the first two games rather a-matter-of-factly the Phils are in a position to perform the coveted 3-game sweep. One obstacle- Darth Santana. I don't hate Johan, I fear Johan. The Phillies have never beaten him, lifetime- 4 wins in 8 starts, 55 ip, 49 k's, 2.95 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a .199 average against. Opposing pitcher for the good guys, Joe Blanton, needs to pitch better than he's possibly capable of to pick up the "W" today. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/SlCbgw4TZ0I/AAAAAAAAIVI/ZNU7S4R9Whg/s1600-h/stuff.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 275px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/SlCbgw4TZ0I/AAAAAAAAIVI/ZNU7S4R9Whg/s320/stuff.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354950944122693442" /></a>Stuph: *Ryan Howard is the <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/specials/fortunate50/2009/index.4.html">39th highest paid athlete in America</a> according to Sports Illustrated. *After breaking free of his career worst slump, Jimmy Rollins is 5-12, with 1 runs scored, 4 rbi, 3 doubles, and 2 walks in the past 3 games. *Grand Pappy Moyer made his 600th career start yesterday and notched his 253rd too. *Brad Lidge pitched a perfect 9th inning last night, possibly his best outing of the season. *Jack Taschner was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Rodrigo Lopez. Makes me like RoLo even more. *Scott Eyre is likely to be activated for today's game, meaning Sergio Escalona goes back to the minors for the upteenmillionth time this season. ~Carson<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/24940205-3504050694044079936?l=pabaseball.blogspot.com'/></div> Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:06:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/771899 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/771899 A Sweep Would Be Nice <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/SlCcrXnRJyI/AAAAAAAAIVQ/SKf6FZFxqPE/s1600-h/Darth+Santana.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 205px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/SlCcrXnRJyI/AAAAAAAAIVQ/SKf6FZFxqPE/s320/Darth+Santana.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354952225830545186" /></a>Going into this series against the Mets, I had zero confidence that anything good would come of it. Having taken the first two games rather a-matter-of-factly the Phils are in a position to perform the coveted 3-game sweep. One obstacle- Darth Santana. I don't hate Johan, I fear Johan. The Phillies have never beaten him, lifetime- 4 wins in 8 starts, 55 ip, 49 k's, 2.95 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a .199 average against. Opposing pitcher for the good guys, Joe Blanton, needs to pitch better than he's possibly capable of to pick up the "W" today. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/SlCbgw4TZ0I/AAAAAAAAIVI/ZNU7S4R9Whg/s1600-h/stuff.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 275px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/SlCbgw4TZ0I/AAAAAAAAIVI/ZNU7S4R9Whg/s320/stuff.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354950944122693442" /></a>Stuph: *Ryan Howard is the <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/specials/fortunate50/2009/index.4.html">39th highest paid athlete in America</a> according to Sports Illustrated. *After breaking free of his career worst slump, Jimmy Rollins is 5-12, with 1 runs scored, 4 rbi, 3 doubles, and 2 walks in the past 3 games. *Grand Pappy Moyer made his 600th career start yesterday and notched his 253rd too. *Brad Lidge pitched a perfect 9th inning last night, possibly his best outing of the season. *Jack Taschner was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Rodrigo Lopez. Makes me like RoLo even more. *Scott Eyre is likely to be activated for today's game, meaning Sergio Escalona goes back to the minors for the upteenmillionth time this season. ~Carson<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/24940205-3504050694044079936?l=pabaseball.blogspot.com'/></div> Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:06:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/771901 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/771901 Nieve Again: Phillies 4, Mets 1 <img class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/136892/aa_result_l4-1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #000;" width="300" /> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/292/Alex_Cora" class="sbn-auto-link">Alex Cora</a>: 3-for-4 Everyone else: 3-for-28 And the only run was driven in by pitcher <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/31264/Fernando_Nieve" class="sbn-auto-link">Fernando Nieve</a>, whose bat was just a little better than his arm today. Nieve allowed four runs on six hits and six walks (!) in 5.2 innings in what <a href="http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090703&content_id=5674774&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym">might be his last start</a> (though <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/506/Tim_Redding" class="sbn-auto-link">Tim Redding</a> <a href="http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/ollie-in-redding-and-fernando-martinez-out/">will be moved to the bullpen</a> to make room for <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/905/Oliver_Perez" class="sbn-auto-link">Oliver Perez</a>). Though they may be reluctant to go with three lefties in the starting rotation, the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/NYM" class="sbn-auto-link">Mets</a> really have to consider dumping Nieve in favor of Jon Niese, who had a 2.94 ERA in 42.2 June innings, walking few and keeping the ball on the ground and in the park. The Mets would've needed Steve Nebraska to win this afternoon with the way their offense flopped against <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/1/Jamie_Moyer" class="sbn-auto-link">Jamie Moyer</a> and his 6.06 tRA. Moyer threw a ton of strikes and got plenty of groundballs, and the Mets struggled all day long trying to get anything going. The bottom of the order combined to plate the team's lone run in the fifth, but otherwise the offense mustered nothing of any consequence against Moyer and three relievers. Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/186/Jimmy_Rollins" class="sbn-auto-link">Jimmy Rollins</a>, who apparently hits nobody but the Mets, reached base three times and knocked in a pair while <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/187/Shane_Victorino" class="sbn-auto-link">Shane Victorino</a> picked up an RBI and three hits of his own. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/188/Chase_Utley" class="sbn-auto-link">Chase Utley</a> and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/189/Ryan_Howard" class="sbn-auto-link">Ryan Howard</a> went just 1-for-7 with a walk (Howard saw only seven pitches in his four at-bats; <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/33956/Nick_Evans" class="sbn-auto-link">Nick Evans</a> saw 25 in his), but it didn't matter because the damage was done by the top of the order. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/733/Johan_Santana" class="sbn-auto-link">Johan Santana</a> -- hopefully the good one -- takes the mound on Sunday afternoon against <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/65/Joe_Blanton" class="sbn-auto-link">Joe Blanton</a> as the Mets look to crawl back to within three games of the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/PHI" class="sbn-auto-link">Phillies</a>. Swag Contest Swag contest results can be found <a href="http://www.swagcontest.com/scoreboard.php?game=81&submit=GO">here</a> and the next game's swag form <a href="http://www.swagcontest.com/">already available</a>. You can read more about the swag contest <a href="http://www.amazinavenue.com/2009/3/24/808870/amazin-avenue-swag-contest">here</a>. SB Nation Coverage * <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/32677/recap/57358">Traditional Recap</a> * <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/32677/boxscore">Boxscore</a> * <a href="http://www.amazinavenue.com/2009/7/4/938010/open-thread-mets-vs-phillies">Amazin' Avenue Gamethread</a> * <a href="http://www.thegoodphight.com/2009/7/4/937758/when-in-the-course-of-human-events">The Good Phight Gamethread</a> Win Probability Added <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?gameid=290704122"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/197206/290704122_mets_phillies_133471732_live.png" style="border: 1px solid #000;" /></a> Big winners: Alex Cora, +11.0% WPA, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/32333/Omir_Santos" class="sbn-auto-link">Omir Santos</a>, +6.3% WPA Big losers: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/873/David_Wright" class="sbn-auto-link">David Wright</a>, -16.7% WPA, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/731/Luis_Castillo" class="sbn-auto-link">Luis Castillo</a>, -12.7% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Nieve RBI single in fifth, +8.3% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Rollins two-run double in fourth, -10.3% WPA Total pitcher WPA: -10.2% WPA Total batter WPA: -39.8% WPA GWRBI!: Jimmy Rollins Game Thread Roll Call Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all. <table cellspacing="0" border="1" cellpadding="0" width="300"> <tr bgcolor="#EDF1F3"> <th align="center">Num</th> <th align="left">Name</th> <th align="center"># of Posts</th> </tr> <tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'"> <td align="center">1</td> <td align="left">MetsFan4Decades</td> <td align="center">67</td> </tr> <tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'"> <td align="center">2</td> <td align="left">AnthonyR</td> <td align="center">60</td> </tr> <tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'"> <td align="center">3</td> <td align="left">Jadden Hopkins</td> <td align="center">50</td> </tr> <tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'"> <td align="center">4</td> <td align="left">Evan_S</td> <td align="center">48</td> </tr> <tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'"> <td align="center">5</td> <td align="left">Outside Observer</td> <td align="center">38</td> </tr> <tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'"> <td align="center">6</td> <td align="left">twon8</td> <td align="center">22</td> </tr> <tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'"> <td align="center">7</td> <td align="left">EMSfan9</td> <td align="center">16</td> </tr> <tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'"> <td align="center">8</td> <td align="left">Pat Andriola</td> <td align="center">16</td> </tr> <tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'"> <td align="center">9</td> <td align="left">HEYJUDE</td> <td align="center">11</td> </tr> <tr onmouseover="this.bgColor='#C7D9EC'" onmouseout="this.bgColor='#FFFFFF'"> <td align="center">10</td> <td align="left">JohnPeterson</td> <td align="center">9</td> </tr> </table> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/_h0-JEM7KJBOiUW1UvQf-ajvKP4/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/_h0-JEM7KJBOiUW1UvQf-ajvKP4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/_h0-JEM7KJBOiUW1UvQf-ajvKP4/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/_h0-JEM7KJBOiUW1UvQf-ajvKP4/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:04:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/771150 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/771150 New Season <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/Sk3lNZMg2wI/AAAAAAAAIT4/RfOz6U9tBts/s1600-h/NL+East.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/Sk3lNZMg2wI/AAAAAAAAIT4/RfOz6U9tBts/s320/NL+East.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354187550277819138" /></a>Tonight is the start of a new season. The Phillies, Marlins, Mets, and Braves are all separated by only 2 games. It's Philly versus NY this weekend, while Atlanta heads to Washington, and Florida is at home against Pittsburgh. Come Monday morning things in the NL East could look a whole lot different in the standings. Game Primer: *Somehow Rodrigo Lopez, who hasn't started a game since 2007, is the Phils best option to fill the starting pitcher void. I'm rooting for him, but I'm not counting on him. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/Sk3l6eiQluI/AAAAAAAAIUA/cd1SU4t3CMo/s1600-h/talespin.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 180px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/Sk3l6eiQluI/AAAAAAAAIUA/cd1SU4t3CMo/s320/talespin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354188324805318370" /></a>*The Phillies have lost 14 of their last 18 games. During that span they've hit .233, scored 76 runs (4.22 per game), while the rotation posted a 5.23 ERA, and the bullpen a 6.56 ERA along with four blown saves. *Jimmy Rollins finally got a hit last night, two to be exact, snapping an 0-28 skid. *Since June 7th, Carlos Ruiz is 7 for his last 60 (.117 average). The loss of Raul Ibanez surely hurt the offense, but the tailspin of Chooch has only worsened it. *Speaking of Ibanez, he will not be back for the weekend series against the Mets. Ruben Amaro Jr. wants to make sure he's 100% before he returns. Let's all remember that Raul is 37 years old, so injuries do not heal as quickly. *Series match-ups: (Fri) Rodrigo Lopez vs. Livan Hernandez, (Sat) Jamie Moyer vs. Fernando Nieve, and (Sun) Johan Santana vs. Joe Blanton. ~Carson<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/24940205-1319233923421448709?l=pabaseball.blogspot.com'/></div> Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:01:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/768581 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/768581 New Season <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/Sk3lNZMg2wI/AAAAAAAAIT4/RfOz6U9tBts/s1600-h/NL+East.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/Sk3lNZMg2wI/AAAAAAAAIT4/RfOz6U9tBts/s320/NL+East.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354187550277819138" /></a>Tonight is the start of a new season. The Phillies, Marlins, Mets, and Braves are all separated by only 2 games. It's Philly versus NY this weekend, while Atlanta heads to Washington, and Florida is at home against Pittsburgh. Come Monday morning things in the NL East could look a whole lot different in the standings. Game Primer: *Somehow Rodrigo Lopez, who hasn't started a game since 2007, is the Phils best option to fill the starting pitcher void. I'm rooting for him, but I'm not counting on him. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/Sk3l6eiQluI/AAAAAAAAIUA/cd1SU4t3CMo/s1600-h/talespin.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 180px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YntY1kyKo4o/Sk3l6eiQluI/AAAAAAAAIUA/cd1SU4t3CMo/s320/talespin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354188324805318370" /></a>*The Phillies have lost 14 of their last 18 games. During that span they've hit .233, scored 76 runs (4.22 per game), while the rotation posted a 5.23 ERA, and the bullpen a 6.56 ERA along with four blown saves. *Jimmy Rollins finally got a hit last night, two to be exact, snapping an 0-28 skid. *Since June 7th, Carlos Ruiz is 7 for his last 60 (.117 average). The loss of Raul Ibanez surely hurt the offense, but the tailspin of Chooch has only worsened it. *Speaking of Ibanez, he will not be back for the weekend series against the Mets. Ruben Amaro Jr. wants to make sure he's 100% before he returns. Let's all remember that Raul is 37 years old, so injuries do not heal as quickly. *Series match-ups: (Fri) Rodrigo Lopez vs. Livan Hernandez, (Sat) Jamie Moyer vs. Fernando Nieve, and (Sun) Johan Santana vs. Joe Blanton. ~Carson<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/24940205-1319233923421448709?l=pabaseball.blogspot.com'/></div> Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:01:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/768584 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/768584 Blogger Smackdown: Peter Baker Of The Good Phight <div class="photo-tpl photo-tpl-banner"> <a href="/photos/blogger-smackdown-peter-baker-of"><img alt="Photo" class="ap_photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/53531/131226_nationals_phillies_baseball.jpg" /></a> <div class="photo-meta"> <a href="/photos/blogger-smackdown-peter-baker-of">More photos &raquo;</a> by H. Rumph Jr - AP </div> <a href="/photos/blogger-smackdown-peter-baker-of">Browse more photos &raquo;</a> </div> By virtue of powers beyond the understanding of our feeble human minds (i.e. luck and the relative crappiness of other NL East teams), the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/NYM" class="sbn-auto-link">Mets</a> head to Philadelphia tonight to begin a three-game series with the first-place <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/PHI" class="sbn-auto-link">Phillies</a>, trailing the World Champions by just one game. To see what was going on in Philly I checked in with Peter Baker of SB Nation Phillies site <a href="http://www.thegoodphight.com/">The Good Phight.</a> You can read my answers to his questions <a href="http://www.thegoodphight.com/2009/7/3/937193/reconnaissance-q-a-with-mets-blog">here</a>. <a href="http://www.thegoodphight.com/"><img class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/community_logos/10072/flaglogo.jpg" /></a> Is this the real <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/189/Ryan_Howard" class="sbn-auto-link">Ryan Howard</a>: ..252/.335/.539 since the beginning of 2008 with no baserunning skills and (surprisingly) average defense at first? Not bad, but not MVP material. Yep, that's pretty much on the mark. He lost about 20 pounds in the offseason and worked on his defense, improving from atrocious to slightly above average (although he still can't throw worth a damn). A very good but flawed player. Glad he's on my team, but I think 2006 is going to be something of an outlier once the book closes on his career. The defensive improvement also kind of begs the question: If he knew this was a flaw, why didn't he work on it before? I guess I should just zip it and be grateful. Though Mets fans are no doubt grinning ear-to-ear watching <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/186/Jimmy_Rollins" class="sbn-auto-link">Jimmy Rollins</a> struggle as he has, this has to be frustrating for Phillies fans (which, incidentally, also has Mets fans grinning ear-to-ear). What up the J-Roll? Same question in each of these Q&A's, and you get the same answer: Damned if I know. It seems to be affecting every aspect of his offensive game, except for his strikeout rate, although anecdotally, it's hard to strike out if you're popping up the first pitch every at-bat. Rollins is 30, and 30 year olds don't often fall off the cliff like this, especially those with Rollins' skill set. I'm optimistic that he'll bounce back to something like 2004-2006 Jimmy, but so far this has been a completely lost season. He had two hits on Thursday night and hit the ball pretty well four times, so maybe that's a positive sign. Who should be considered bigger disappointment to this point in the season: the Mets or the Phillies? I have to say the Phillies, but it's kind of handicapped by the relative recent success of each franchise. Aside from Rollins and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/853/Raul_Ibanez" class="sbn-auto-link">Raul Ibanez</a>, everyone on the offense has been at or around their career norms. The pitching has just been dreadful, pretty much top-to-bottom, rotation and bullpen. Both sides have had injuries, although the Mets' have been more severe and to more and more important players, which exposed some of their problems with roster depth. The Phillies simply have not played very well. Is Citizen's Bank Park killing the Phillies' pitching staff? Their home ERA is almost a run higher than their road ER and they've given up homeruns about 25% more often at CBP. Are they ill-fit for that park, or is something else going on? There are fit issues, as well as the fact that the team, as a whole, is stinking it up at home. They are actually hitting better on the road (.264/.336/.450) than they are at home (.246/.331/.437), with no discernible explanation. As far as the pitching staff goes, they have a rotation of flyball pitchers (literally all five of them) with only one, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/218/Cole_Hamels" class="sbn-auto-link">Cole Hamels</a>, who can be considered a strikeout pitcher (although <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/65/Joe_Blanton" class="sbn-auto-link">Joe Blanton</a> currently leads the team in strikeouts). If 2008 showed anything, it's that a good pitching staff can and will succeed in Citizens Bank Park, but it'd behoove the Phils to bring in or develop some power strikeout pitchers. To that end, they have several promising arms in the minors who may be ready within the next couple of years, including <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/32166/Kyle_Drabek" class="sbn-auto-link">Kyle Drabek</a>, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/31514/Carlos_Carrasco" class="sbn-auto-link">Carlos Carrasco</a>, Vance Worley, and further down the line, northern New Jersey's Jason Knapp. Also factoring into the mess is the added workload from last season's deep October run. Cole Hamels exceeded his previous season-high in innings pitched by over 60, and Joe Blanton was well over his peak as well. If you believe in a hangover effect, that might be a place to look. But... flags fly forever. Talk to me about Charlie Manuel: he was seemingly on the next train out of town each of the past few seasons, but now the Phillies are World Series Champions so everything is copacetic, yes? What are Manuel's strengths and weaknesses as a manager? Head coach/managerial positions in Philadelphia are always tenuous if you read the blogs and listen to sports talk radio. Charlie Manuel has always been incredibly well-liked by his players; it's been an almost completely drama-free clubhouse for four years now. Although admittedly, winning is a terrific deodorant. He doesn't throw his players under the bus in the press, disputes are kept in the clubhouse, and by all accounts things are loose and the players all get along. Chemistry is usually overrated, but I think it can be underrated, too. He's not a tactical genius, and I think he often sticks with players far beyond when he should, although that loyalty and security might go hand-in-hand with how much his players love and respect him. To me, he's a solid B-plus manager. <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/NYSMOZ23efMUBr1QhbMoUHjFw2Y/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/NYSMOZ23efMUBr1QhbMoUHjFw2Y/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/NYSMOZ23efMUBr1QhbMoUHjFw2Y/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/NYSMOZ23efMUBr1QhbMoUHjFw2Y/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:21:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/768485 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/768485 Phightin&#39; Phils Phorum The Philadelphia Phillies (39-37) are at Citizens Bank Park to host their N.L. East rivals New York Mets in another chapter of the <a href="http://www.turnpikeseries.com">Turnpike Series</a>. The Phillies are coming off being swept by the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies look to right the ship and retake sole possession of first place.Pitching Match ups:7/3/09 vs. NYM <a href="http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=115817">Livan Hernandez, RHP (5-3, 4.04)</a> vs. <a href="http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=150438">Rodrigo Lopez, RHP (0-0, -.--)</a> 7:05pm7/4/09 vs. NYM <a href="http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=430588">Fernando Nieve, RHP (3-1, 2.25)</a> vs. <a href="http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=119469">Jamie Moyer, LHP (6-6, 6.05)</a> 4:05pm7/5/09 vs NYM <a href="http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=276371">Johan Santana, LHP (9-6, 3.34)</a> vs. <a href="http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=430599">Joe Blanton, RHP (4-4, 5.08)</a> 1:35pmOther Quick Hits:<ul> <li>The Phillies are 19-15 against National League East opponents in 2009.</li> <li>The Phillies lead the league in stolen base percentage with an 80.3% mark.</li> <li>The Phillies are the only team in major league baseball to have 4 players with at least 50 runs scored (Utley, Werth, Victorino, Ibanez).</li> <li>The Phillies lead MLB with 7 pinch hit homeruns.</li> <li>The Phillies are 429-379 all time against the Mets.</li> <li>The Phillies have a 3-4 record against the Mets in 2009. They are 1-1 at Citizens Bank Park this year.</li> <li>The Mets have a 26-22 record at Citizens Bank Park.</li> </ul> Pitchers Scouting Report:7/3:Mets: Hernandez fell victim to the &quot;one bad inning&quot; syndrome that hit Mets starters during their series sweep at the hands of the Yankees, surrendering three first-inning runs last Sunday. Hernandez was in total control after that, allowing just one more hit as he completed seven innings for a third consecutive start. Although Hernandez has pitched well of late, the Mets have lost his past four starts. While this will be Hernandez&#39;s first start against the Phillies this season, he has a 10-8 record and a 3.36 ERA against Philadelphia in 24 career starts; he is 2-2 with a 5.45 ERA in five starts at Citizens Bank Park. Chase Utley is 8-for-24 lifetime against the right-hander, and Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard each have two home runs -- but averages below .200 -- against Hernandez. Phillies: Right-hander Rodrigo Lopez will make his season debut Friday against the Mets. He takes left-hander Antonio Bastardo&#39;s spot in the rotation. Bastardo is on the DL with a strained left shoulder. Lopez is 5-4 with a 3.91 ERA in 13 starts this season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He is 65-65 with a 4.80 ERA in his seven-year Major League career. Because of arm problems, he last pitched for the Rockies in 2007. Lopez signed a Minor League deal with the Phillies at the end of Spring Training after they watched him pitch in the World Baseball Classic.7/4:Mets: Nieve failed to make it out of the fourth inning in his last start against Milwaukee, giving up three runs to lose for the first time this season. Nieve threw just 3 1/3 innings, leaving the bottom of the fourth with the bases loaded and one out. He gave up three runs -- which were as many as had given up all year -- on 11 hits, throwing 68 pitches. Nieve has made five appearances against the Phillies, all in relief. He has given up five runs in 1 1/3 innings. Phillies: Moyer struggled in his first two innings against the Blue Jays on Sunday, but settled in his next three to pick up the victory. In five innings, he allowed four runs on five hits. He walked two, struck out four and threw 82 pitches. &quot;I made a number of bad pitches and the ones I made that were bad got hit hard,&quot; Moyer said. But with the 252nd victory of his career, Moyer passed Hall of Famer Bob Gibson for 43rd place on the all-time list.7/5:Mets: Santana gave up five earned runs on nine hits in his last start against the Brewers on Tuesday, losing for the third time in his last four starts. Santana left the game in the seventh inning after giving up a leadoff home run to Prince Fielder. Santana has a perfect 4-0 record against the Phillies in his career, with a 2.95 ERA in eight starts. He has faced Philadelphia twice already this year, with his last start coming on June 9 when he allowed five runs on four homers in eight innings in a 6-5 Mets win. Phillies: Blanton allowed eight hits and three runs in just five innings Tuesday against the Braves at Turner Field. He didn&#39;t pitch poorly. He just threw a lot of pitches. Not only did he allow eight hits, he also walked three (although two were intentional). That had his pitch count at 93 through five innings, so when the Phillies had a chance to score the tying run in the top of the sixth, they pinch-hit for him. Blandon had been pitching well before Tuesday, too. He had a 3.45 ERA in his previous seven starts.Series Lineups:Series lineups and game chat will be hosted at MyTeamRivals.com&#39;s <a href="http://www.turnpikeseries.com">Turnpike Series</a>.Coming Up:The Phillies will host the Reds.<div> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?a=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?a=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?a=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?a=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?i=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?a=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?a=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?i=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?a=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?a=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:KwTdNBX3Jqk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?i=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:KwTdNBX3Jqk" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?a=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:l6gmwiTKsz0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?d=l6gmwiTKsz0" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?a=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?i=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?a=rSRaAU3un5Y:6jhQfpX78y8:TzevzKxY174"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/typepad/mLjl?d=TzevzKxY174" border="0"></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/typepad/mLjl/~4/rSRaAU3un5Y" height="1" width="1"> Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:49:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/768564 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/768564 Phillies vs. Mets: July 3-5 <div class="photo-tpl photo-tpl-left_landscape"> <a href="/photos/phillies-vs-mets-july-3-5"><img alt="Joe Blanton closes out the series Sunday against Johan Santana. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)" class="ap_photo" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/53273/136299_phillies_braves_baseball.jpg" /></a> <div class="photo-meta"> <a href="/photos/phillies-vs-mets-july-3-5">More photos &raquo;</a> by John Bazemore - AP Joe Blanton closes out the series Sunday against Johan Santana. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) </div> <a href="/photos/phillies-vs-mets-july-3-5">Browse more photos &raquo;</a> </div> After a 3-6 road trip, it seems the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/PHI" class="sbn-auto-link">Phillies</a> have finally solved their home field disadvantage...because they learned how to lose on the road, too.&nbsp; Well, they come home at a low point, just two games over .500 (39-37) and now tied with the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/FLA" class="sbn-auto-link">Marlins</a> for first, one game ahead of the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/NYM" class="sbn-auto-link">Mets</a>, and two ahead of the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/ATL" class="sbn-auto-link">Braves</a>.&nbsp; The Mets hobble into Philadelphia after winning a couple of one-run games against the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/MIL" class="sbn-auto-link">Brewers</a> to inch themselves back to .500.&nbsp; Suddenly, without doing all that much winning, the Mets are within striking distance. If they take two out of three, they'll be tied with the Phillies.&nbsp; If the Phillies can sweep them, they can increase their margin over the Mets all the way back to the four games that they found so comfortable a couple weeks ago.&nbsp; If the Mets sweep, it's suddenly the Phillies playing catch-up.&nbsp; It looks like we'll have quite a series on our hands. The Phillies will call up <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/548/Rodrigo_Lopez" class="sbn-auto-link">Rodrigo Lopez</a> to start Friday night's game.&nbsp; They still have not been able to fill the rotation spot since Myers went down, although Bastardo had a few good starts before getting injured.&nbsp; Fortunately for the Phillies, they will get to go up against <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/759/Livan_Hernandez" class="sbn-auto-link">Livan Hernandez</a>, so it will probably be a high scoring battle. Saturday night, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/1/Jamie_Moyer" class="sbn-auto-link">Jamie Moyer</a> will take another shot at the Mets team that has hit him so well.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/31264/Fernando_Nieve" class="sbn-auto-link">Fernando Nieve</a> has been effective thus far in the majors this year, but his peripherals do not seem to indicate that performance is likely to last.&nbsp; This game could be pretty high scoring as well. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/65/Joe_Blanton" class="sbn-auto-link">Joe Blanton</a>'s ERA is not so good, but he certainly has upped his performance this season.&nbsp; He's missing bats like never before, striking out nearly a batter per inning despite a career of mediocrity.&nbsp; There doesn't seem to be much cause <a href="http://statcorner.com/pitcherSP.php?id=430599&team=PHI&year=2009&leag=N_L" target="_blank">if you look here</a>.&nbsp; In fact, he doesn't seem to be missing any more bats than he used to, nor throwing more strikes.&nbsp; Seemingly, he just figured out a strategy to strike guys out for now.&nbsp; I doubt it will last, but hopefully he can fan a few Mets on Sunday.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/733/Johan_Santana" class="sbn-auto-link">Johan Santana</a> will close out the series for the Mets.&nbsp; He has had a few clunkers recently, but don't let the fool you.&nbsp; He's still one of the very best pitchers in the game and even the best have little runs of bad luck.&nbsp; The Phillies will have to be careful to build up his pitch count and foul off the pitches they can't hit well. On the up side, Fernando Rodriguez threw 50 pitches in yesterday's Mets win and is probably unavailable tonight.&nbsp; They also used every other pitcher in their bullpen except for Bobby Parnell, so they could be vulnerable early in the series if the Phillies can knock Livan Hernandez or Fernando Nieve out early. MATCHUPS: Friday 7:05: Rodrigo Lopez (R) vs. Livan Hernandez (R) Saturday 3:40: Jamie Moyer (L) vs. Fernando Nieve (R) Sunday 1:35: Joe Blanton (R) vs. Johan Santana (L) After the jump, I preview the players, their splits, and the matchups. METS LINE UP 1) SS Alex Cora (L): .257/.356/.329 proj: .245/.320/.345 bb: 7% k: 12% gb: 47% iff: 13% ifh: 4% babip: below average as he's slow and pops out a lot, and also doesn't have very hard contact s/c/z: very good contact, average eye but pretty patient r/l: 1.6 vs 3.0 k/bb; but .656 vs .686 ops-- main difference is babip and probably doesn't face top lefties h/a: slightly better at home p/o: slight pull hitter other: none 2) 1B <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/32691/Daniel_Murphy" class="sbn-auto-link">Daniel Murphy</a> (L): .245/.313/.361 proj: .270/.330/.440 bb: 8.5% k: 16% gb: 44% iff: 8% ifh: 2% babip: projected high because it was high last year, but highly suspect due to lack of infield hits or major power, probably closer to average.&nbsp; last year, he put a lot of groundballs in the hole, but in 58 groundballs, probably 18 getting through the hole is just noise.&nbsp; does spread ball around well, but expect only slightly above average babip s/c/z: poor eye but above average contact r/l:&nbsp; some struggles against lefties in minors but not much, need more info h/a: not enough info p/o: spreads ball around well other: has done well against power pitchers in minimal experience...too early to tell though if this is a legit skill or noise 3) 3B <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/873/David_Wright" class="sbn-auto-link">David Wright</a> (R): .338/.425/.488 proj: .310/.395/.535 bb: 13% k: 19% gb: 37% iff: 11% ifh: 8% babip: makes very solid contact and has decent contact skill, so above average, especially since he spreads the ball around well.&nbsp; expect .325ish on balls in play s/c/z: great eye, slightly above average contact, and sees a lot of strikes for a guy of his skill (lineup spot) r/l: .888/1.018; 1.7 vs 1.0 k/bb; .322 vs .350 babip; a little more power vs lhp as well.&nbsp; just use righties h/a: .959 vs .886; 1.2 vs 1.8 k/bb; especially large difference given park effects p/o: spreads ball around very well for a power hitter other: none 4) LF Gary Sheffield (R): .288/.397/.508 proj: .250/.340/.420 bb: 12% k: 17% gb: 43% iff: 16% ifh: 9% babip: sinking s/c/z: had good eye though not really more than average anymore, still making slightly above average contact r/l: .897 vs .947, not much difference overall though h/a: .932 vs .887, 0.7 vs 0.9 k/bb p/o: definite pull hitter other: none 5) RF Ryan Church (L): .292/.348/.392 proj: .270/.340/.440 bb: 10% k: 24% gb: 43% iff: 9% ifh: 5% babip: s/c/z: swings slightly more than average and makes contact less than average r/l: .836 vs .730 ops; 2.2 vs 3.0 k/bb even though he is mostly sheltered from tough lefties h/a: .786 vs .833 ops but 2.2 vs 2.5 k/bb p/o: definite pull hitter other: none 6) CF Fernando Martinez (L):.178/.245/.278 proj: .250/.305/.380 bb: 6% k: 22% gb: 48% in minors iff: 10% in minors ifh: ? babip: projected all over the place, probably about average s/c/z: ? r/l: no splits in minors h/a: not enough info p/o: not enough info other: none 7) C <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/516/Brian_Schneider" class="sbn-auto-link">Brian Schneider</a> (L): .239/.338/.418 proj: .250/.330/.360 bb: 11% k: 16% gb: 49% iff: 10% ifh: 4% babip: s/c/z: good eye, average contact skill, sees more strikes than most r/l: .719 vs .624 ops; 1.4 vs 2.0 k/bb h/a: .716 vs .684 ops; 1.4 vs 1.7 k/bb p/o: definite pull hitter other: none 8) 2B <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/731/Luis_Castillo" class="sbn-auto-link">Luis Castillo</a> (S):.274/.372/.327 proj: .275/.355/.350 bb: 10.5% k: 10.5% gb: 63% iff: 10% ifh: 11% babip: s/c/z: great eye, good patience, excellent contact skill, sees more strikes than most r/l: .697 vs .797; but almost entirely due to power difference-- 2 HR in 4242 AB as lefty and 24 HR in 1504 AB as righty h/a: not much difference p/o: slight pulll hitter as righty, almost never pulls ball as lefty other: none BENCH C <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/32333/Omir_Santos" class="sbn-auto-link">Omir Santos</a> (R): .262/.289/.418 proj: .245/.290/.330 bb: 6% k: 20% gb: 43% in minors in 2008 iff: 13% in minors in 2008 ifh: none yet in majors, can't find information on infield hits in minors, but he is a catcher. babip: projected around .280 or so, which seems consistent with infield fly rate and speed s/c/z: thus far, bad eye and slightly above average contact r/l: seemingly better against lefties as expected but tough to see h/a: not enough info p/o: not enough info other: none IF Argenis Reyes (S): .083/.154/.083 proj: .255/.300/.325 bb: 6% k: 15% gb: 62% iff: 0% ifh: 4% babip: projected around .290 s/c/z: not a good eye, pretty impatient, above average contact, sees a lot of strikes r/l: .697 vs .659 ops in minors; 1.7 vs 1.9 k/bb ops in minor h/a: not enough info p/o: seems like an opposite field hitter other: none OF Jeremy Reed (L): .282/.313/.346 proj: .270/.320/.390 bb: 7% k: 13% gb: 49% iff: 13% ifh: 5% babip: slightly below average due to weak power and popup rate s/c/z: decent eye and contact skill r/l: .723 vs .433 ops; no power vs lefties at all h/a: not much difference p/o: slight pull hitter other: better against groundball pitchers OF Fernando Tatis (R): .261/.335/.399 proj: .265/.335/.435 bb: 9% k: 21% gb: 44% iff: 7% ifh: 6% babip: about average s/c/z: decent eye but not so patient, below average contact r/l: virtually no difference h/a: 2.0 vs 2.3 k/bb; .796 vs .784 ops-- main difference is k/bb which itself isn't high p/o: pull hitter other: struggles against flyball pitchers 1B/OF Nick Evans (R): .333/.360/.583 proj: .260/.320/.420 bb: 7% k: 21% gb: 45% iff: 10% ifh: 10% babip: projected around .305 s/c/z: poor eye, not impatient, so-so contact skill r/l: .768 vs .914 ops; 2.3 vs 1.4 k/bb h/a: not enough info p/o: definite pull hitter other: none DISABLED LIST: SS Ramon Martinez (R): .167/.182/.214 proj: .250/.310/.320 bb: 8% k: 13% gb: 41% iff: 8% ifh: 4% babip: below average, projected around .280 s/c/z: good eye, patient, good contact, thrown a lot of strikes r/l: .670 vs .738 ops; 1.7 vs 1.3 k/bb h/a: .741 vs .641 ops; 1.2 vs 2.0 k/bb p/o: somewhat of a pull hitter other: none DISABLED LIST: OF Angel Pagan:&nbsp; (S): .333/.429/.405 proj: .260/.315/.385 bb: 8% k: 20% gb: 44% iff: 10% ifh: 8% babip: about average (.300) s/c/z: good eye, patient, good contact r/l: .761 vs .662 ops; 2.1 vs 2.3 k/bb h/a: .855 vs .593 ops; 1.7 vs 2.6 k/bb p/o: pull hitter as a righty, spreads ball around well lefty other: none DISABLED LIST: SS Jose Reyes (S): .279/.355/.395 projection average (proj): .295/.355/.460 projected BB/PA (bb): 8.5% projected K/AB (k): 12% career gb% (gb): 45% career infield flies/flyball (iff): 11% career infield hits/groundball (ifh): 8% batting average on balls in play tendencies (babip): pretty high due to speed, and does well on groundballs, should do decently on line drives due to power and infield playing in, but he does pop up a decent amount, maybe around .310 swing/contact/zone facts (s/c/z): average eye, makes above average contact righty/lefty (r/l): .766/.792 ops; 1.4 vs 1.6 k/bb; power similar,&nbsp; babip slightly better vs lhp home/away (h/a): very similar except better babip at home by a lot .326/.294 causing OPS diff .790/.756 pull/opposite (p/o): pull hitter anything else (other): DISABLED LIST: 1B <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/874/Carlos_Delgado" class="sbn-auto-link">Carlos Delgado</a> (L): .298/.393/.521 proj: .260/.350/.485 bb: 10% k: 22% gb: 39% career but 44% last year iff: 9% ifh: 3% babip: below average-- tends to poorly on groundballs partly because of speed and also because of shift s/c/z: swings a lot and makes pretty bad contact, sees fewer strikes than most r/l: .983 vs .805 ops; 1.3 vs 2.0 k/bb h/a: .942 vs .919 ops; 1.5 vs 1.7 k/bb p/o: pull hitter other: none DISABLED LIST: CF Carlos Beltran (S): .336/.425/.527 proj: .275/.360/.500 bb: 13% k: 18% gb: 42% iff: 12% ifh: 7% babip: slightly below average-- pops up somewhat frequently, and predictably pull hitting s/c/z: good eye and above average contact though his eye isn't as good as it used to be r/l: .844 vs .880; only slight difference in babip makes difference h/a: .841 vs .865, probably just park factors though p/o: definite pull hitter both sides other: better against power pitchers ROTATION FRIDAY STARTER: Livan Hernandez (R): 4.04 ERA, 2.9 BB/9, 4.7 K/9, 1.1 HR/9, 4.51 FIP, 42% GB proj avg: 5.25 ERA, 3.0 BB/9, 4.5 K/9, 1.3 HR/9 gb: 42% pitches: 72% fb, 17% sl, 7% cb, 4% ch r/l: 2.5 vs 1.4 k/bb; .754 vs .805 ops h/a: similar k/bb but more power surrendered away Hernandez vs. Phillies: Rollins: 9/51, 2 HR, 2 BB, 6 K Utley: 8/24, 1 2B, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 1 SF Howard: 3/18, 2 HR, 2 BB (1 IBB), 5 K Feliz: 4/18, 1 BB, 3 K Bako: 3/9, 0 BB, 3 K Stairs: 3/9, 1 2B, 0 BB, 4 K Bruntlett: 2/4, 0 BB, 0 K Coste: 0/3, 0 BB, 0 K Victorino: 1/2, 0 BB, 0 K SATURDAY STARTER: Fernando Nieve (R): 2.25 ERA, 3.8 BB/9, 5.2 K/9, 0.8 HR/9, 4.13 FIP, 50% GB proj avg: 5.00 ERA, 3.7 BB/9, 7.0 K/9, 1.3 HR/9 gb: 40% pitches: 68% fb, 25% sl, 5% ch, 3% cb, 0.1% sf r/l: .740 vs .856 ops; 3.8 vs 1.0 k/bb (254 PA vs RHB, 206 vs LHB) h/a: .757 vs .823 ops; 1.8 vs 2.0 k/bb (217 PA at Home, 243 PA on Road) Nieve vs Phillies: Feliz: 2/4, 1 2B, 0 BB, 1 K Ruiz: 1/1, 1 BB, 0 K Rollins: 1/1, 0 BB, 0 K Werth: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K SUNDAY STARTER: Johan Santana (L): 3.34 ERA, 3.0 BB/9, 9.2 K/9, 1.1 HR/9, 3.71 FIP, 32% GB proj avg: 3.25 ERA, 2.4 BB/9, 9.0 K/9, 1.0 HR/9 gb: 38% pitches: 60% fb, 29% ch, 12% sl r/l: .637 vs .660 ops; 3.8 vs 3.6 k/bb-- virtually no difference, somewhat of a reverse platoon split but almost definitely is selection bias where managers rest bad lefties against him h/a: 3.9 vs 3.6 k/bb; .634 vs .651 ops Santana vs. Phillies: Ibanez: 14/40, 1 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 11 K, 1 SF, 1 HBP Feliz: 4/25, 1 2B, 0 BB, 7 K Utley: 4/24, 2 HR, 1 BB, 3 K Rollins: 4/23, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 K Werth: 6/22, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 K Howard: 7/20, 3 HR, 2 BB, 5 K Victorino: 2/19, 1 HR, 0 BB, 2 K Stairs: 4/15, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 K Ruiz: 3/13, 0 BB, 1 K Coste: 0/8, 1 BB, 2 K Bruntlett: 1/5, 1 BB, 2 K Bako: 0/1, 1 BB, 0 K NOT FACING US THIS SERIES: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/912/Mike_Pelfrey" class="sbn-auto-link">Mike Pelfrey</a> (R): 4.26 ERA, 3.2 BB/9, 4.4 K/9, 0.6 HR/9, 4.10 FIP, 54% GB proj avg: 4.20 ERA, 3.4 BB/9, 5.7 K/9, 0.7 HR/9 gb: 49% pitches: 81% fb (includes sinkers), 13% sl, 5% ch, 1% cb r/l: .698 vs .850 ops; 2.5 vs 0.8 k/bb-- major advantage for lhb against him h/a: 1.7 vs 1.15 k/bb; .730 vs .828 ops Pelfrey vs. Phillies: Howard: 6/17, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 2 K Utley: 5/18, 1 2B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP Victorino: 4/17, 1 BB, 3 K Rollins: 3/15, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K Werth: 5/14, 1 2B, 1 BB, 3 K Dobbs: 6/11, 1 2B, 1 HR, 0 BB, 0 K Feliz: 3/9, 1 BB, 0 K Coste: 2/9, 0 BB, 0 K Ruiz: 1/9, 0 BB, 1 K Ibanez: 3/9, 0 BB, 0 K Bako: 0/5, 1 BB, 2 K Bruntlett: 1/4, 1 BB, 0 K NOT FACING US THIS SERIES: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/506/Tim_Redding" class="sbn-auto-link">Tim Redding</a> (R): 6.99 ERA, 4.0 BB/9, 6.0 K/9, 1.3 HR/9, 5.05 FIP, 32% GB proj avg: 4.80 ERA, 3.4 BB/9, 6.0 K/9, 1.2 HR/9 gb: 41% pitches: 65% fb, 15% sl, 14% cb, 6% ch, 0.1% ct r/l: .781 vs .826 ops; 2.2 vs 1.2 k/bb h/a: .789 vs .816 ops; 1.8 vs 1.5 k/bb Redding vs Phillies: Rollins: 6/35, 1 2B, 3 BB, 7 K, 1 SF Howard: 3/24, 1 2B, 2 BB (1 IBB), 10 K Utley: 9/21, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP Victorino: 6/19, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HBP Feliz: 7/19, 1 2B, 1 HR, 0 BB, 0 K Werth: 3/14, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB (1 IBB), 6 K Stairs: 2/10, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 K Ruiz: 3/10, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP Bako: 1/9, 1 2B, 1 BB (IBB), 1 K Coste: 2/9, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 K Ibanez: 1/9, 1 BB, 3 K Dobbs: 1/8, 0 BB, 3 K Bruntlett: 0/3, 0 BB, 0 K DISABLED LIST: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/905/Oliver_Perez" class="sbn-auto-link">Oliver Perez</a> (L): 9.97 ERA, 8.7 BB/9, 8.3 K/9, 1.2 HR/9, 6.04 FIP, 23% GB proj avg: 4.40 ERA, 4.5 BB/9, 8.7 K/9, 1.3 HR/9 gb: 33% pitches: 69% fb, 27% sl, 3% ch, 1% cb r/l: .764 vs .693 ops; 1.7 vs 3.2 k/bb h/a: .711 vs .795 ops; 2.0 vs 1.9 k/bb Perez vs. Phillies: Rollins: 8/26, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 4 K Howard: 3/24, 1 HR, 2 BB, 14 K, 1 SF, 1 HBP Werth: 5/16, 1 2B, 1 HR, 7 BB, 4 K, 1 SF Feliz: 1/19, 2 BB, 3 K Utley: 3/16, 1 2B, 2 BB, 4 K, 3 HBP Victorino: 5/15, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 BB, 0 K Bruntlett: 4/9, 2 2B, 5 BB, 2 K Ruiz: 3/9, 3 BB (1 IBB), 1 K, 1 Sac Coste: 1/7, 2 BB, 2 K Ibanez: 2/4, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 SF DISABLED LIST: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/911/John_Maine" class="sbn-auto-link">John Maine</a> (R): 4.52 ERA, 5.0 BB/9, 6.1 K/9, 4.90 FIP, 35% GB proj avg: 4.10 ERA, 3.8 BB/9, 8.0 K/9, 1.1 HR/9 gb: 39% pitches: 70% fb, 18% ch, 10% sl, 1% cb r/l: .662 vs .756 ops; 3.6 vs 1.3 k/bb h/a: very similar home & away Maine vs. Phillies: Utley: 7/22, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 SF Howard: 5/23, 2 HR, 3 BB, 4 K Rollins: 4/25, 3 2B, 1 BB, 3 K Victorino: 6/19, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 Sac, 1 HBP Ruiz: 4/11, 1 BB, 1 K Coste: 2/7, 2 2B, 1 BB, 0 K Feliz: 3/7, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K Dobbs: 0/5, 0 BB, 1 K Bruntlett: 0/3, 0 BB, 0 K Ibanez: 0/3, 0 BB, 0 K BULLPEN CL Francisco Rodriguez (R): 1.59 ERA, 5.0 BB/9, 9.1 K/9, 0.4 HR/9, 3.34 FIP, 32% GB proj avg: 2.80 ERA, 4.3 BB/9, 11.5 K/9, 0.6 HR/9 gb: 43% pitches: 51% fb, 32% sl, 17% ch, 1% cb r/l: 3.6 vs 2.5 k/bb; .523 vs .628 ops h/a: slight home advantage but not huge Rodriguez vs. Phillies: Ibanez: 7/23, 1 BB, 9 K Stairs: 0/8, 4 BB, 2 K Feliz: 1/6, 0 BB, 1 K Rollins: 0/4, 1 BB (IBB), 0 K Werth: 0/4, 1 BB, 1 K Dobbs: 1/3, 1 BB (IBB), 1 K Bako: 1/2, 0 BB, 1 K Ruiz: 0/2, 0 BB, 0 K Victorino: 0/2, 0 BB, 1 K Bruntlett: 0/1, 0 BB, 1 K Coste: 1/1, 0 BB, 0 K Howard: 0/1, 0 BB, 1 K Utley: 1 BB <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/1075/Sean_Green" class="sbn-auto-link">Sean Green</a> (R): 5.00 ERA, 4.0 BB/9, 7.8 K/9, 1.0 HR/9, 4.42 FIP, 63% GB proj avg: 4.00 ERA, 4.0 BB/9, 6.5 K/9, 0.5 HR/9 gb: 61% pitches: 78% fb, 19% sl, 2% cb, 1% ch r/l: 2.8 vs 0.7 k/bb; .680 vs .839 ops-- big advantage for lhb! h/a: slightly better away Green vs. Phillies: Stairs: 0/2, O BB, 0 K, 2 HBP Feliz: 2/2, 0 BB, 0 K Rollins: 0/2, 0 BB, 0 K Victorino: 0/1, 1 BB, 0 K Bako: 0/1, 0 BB, 1 K Coste: 1 BB Dobbs: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Ruiz: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Werth: 0/1, 0 BB, 1 K <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/823/Pedro_Feliciano" class="sbn-auto-link">Pedro Feliciano</a> (L): 2.78 ERA, 2.2 BB/9, 8.1 K/9, 1.4 HR/9, 3.99 FIP, 58% GB proj avg: 3.90 ERA, 3.9 BB/9, 8.1 K/9, 0.8 HR/9 gb: 50% pitches: 55% fb, 38% sl, 6% cb, 0.2% ch r/l: 1.2 vs 3.7 k/bb!&nbsp; .787 vs .569 ops!&nbsp; major loogy! h/a: 1.9 vs 2.2 k/bb; .683 vs .702 ops-- a little better on road Feliciano vs. Phillies: Utley: 5/28, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 12 K, 1 HBP Howard: 4/27, 1 HR, 1 BB, 9 K Rollins: 5/20, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP Victorino: 3/19, 1 2B, 1 BB, 3 K Werth: 2/5, 1 HR, 2 BB, 1 K Bruntlett: 1/2, 1 BB, 1 K Ibanez: 1/6, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 K Ruiz: 1/3, 1 3B, 0 BB, 1 K Dobbs: 1/2, 0 BB, 1 K Feliz: 1/2, 1 HR, 0 BB, 0 K Coste: 1/1, 0 BB, 0 K <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/33408/Bobby_Parnell" class="sbn-auto-link">Bobby Parnell</a> (R): 5.22 ERA, 4.6 BB/9, 7.4 K/9, 0.6 HR/9, 3.92 FIP, 38% GB proj avg: 5.00 ERA, 4.5 BB/9, 6.5 K/9, 1.2 HR/9 gb: 44% pitches: 86% fb, 13% sl, 2% ch r/l: not enough info h/a: not enough info Parnell vs. Phillies: Feliz: 2/3, 0 BB, 0 K Werth: 1/2, 1 BB, 0 K Rollins: 0/2, 0 BB, 0 K Bruntlett: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Ibanez: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Coste: 0/1, 0 BB, 1 K Dobbs: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Howard: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Utley: 1/1, 0 BB, 0 K Victorino: 1/1, 0 BB, 0 K <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/680/Brian_Stokes" class="sbn-auto-link">Brian Stokes</a> (R): 3.78 ERA, 2.4 BB/9, 4.3 K/9, 0.8 HR/9, 4.06 FIP, 43% GB proj avg: 4.80 ERA, 3.4 BB/9, 6.6 K/9, 1.1 HR/9 gb: 45% pitches: 70% fb, 15% ch, 14% cb, 0.4% sl r/l: .775 vs .914 ops; 2.1 vs 1.6 k/bb h/a: .841 vs .841 ops; 1.7 vs 2.0 k/bb Stokes vs Phillies: Ibanez: 1/3, 0 BB, 0 K Rollins: 1/2, 1 BB, 1 K Dobbs: 0/2, 0 BB, 0 K Utley: 1/1, 1 BB (IBB), 0 K Victorino: 0/2, 0 BB, 0 K Coste: 1/1, 0 BB, 0 K Howard: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Ruiz: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Stairs: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Werth: 0/1, 0 BB, 1 K <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/1096/Pat_Misch" class="sbn-auto-link">Pat Misch</a> (L): 1.80 ERA, 5.4 BB/9, 5.4 K/9, 0.0 HR/9, 3.64 FIP, 47% GB proj avg: 4.60 ERA, 2.7 BB/9, 6.6 K/9, 1.2 HR/9 gb: 44% pitches: 66% fb, 22% ch, 12% cb, 1% sl r/l: .827 vs .736 ops; 1.8 vs 2.9 k/bb h/a: .756 vs .869 ops; 2.0 vs 2.3 k/bb Misch vs Phillies: Victorino: 0/6, 0 BB, 0 K Feliz: 4/5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 0 BB, 0 K Howard: 1/5, 0 BB, 1 K Utley: 1/5, 1 HR, 0 BB, 2 K Werth: 1/5, 0 BB, 1 K Rollins: 1/3, 1 HR, 0 BB, 0 K Ruiz: 1/2, 1 BB (IBB), 0 K Bako: 0/2, 0 BB, 1 K Bruntlett: 1/1, 1 BB&lt; 0 K Coste: 0/2, 0 BB, 1 K <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/1055/Elmer_Dessens" class="sbn-auto-link">Elmer Dessens</a> (R): 3.86 ERA, 5.1 BB/9, 3.9 K/9, 2.6 HR/9, 8.46 FIP, 58% GB proj avg: 4.90 ERA, 3.2 BB/9, 6.4 K/9, 1.0 HR/9 gb: 49% pitches: 65% fb, 35% sl r/l: .726 vs .849 ops; 2.5 vs 1.6 k/bb h/a: .756 vs .806 ops; 2.1 vs 2.1 k/bb Dessens vs Phillies: Stairs: 5/17, 3 HR, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 HBP Rollins: 5/15, 1 BB, 2 K Bako: 1/7, 1 BB (IBB), 1 K Feliz: 2/6, 2 2B, 0 BB, 0 K Werth: 3/4, 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 BB&lt; 0 K Utley: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Ibanez: 1/3, 1 2B, 0 BB, 0 K DISABLED LIST: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/1074/J_J_Putz" class="sbn-auto-link">J.J. Putz</a> (R): 5.22 ERA, 5.8 BB/9, 5.8 K/9, 0.3 HR/9, 4.13 FIP, 47% GB proj avg: 3.10 ERA, 3.2 BB/9, 10.0 K/9, 0.7 HR/9 gb: 49% pitches: 67% fb, 20% cb, 9% sl, 2% ct, 1% cb r/l: 2.9 vs 3.4 k/bb; .589 vs .697 ops h/a: 3.4 vs 2.9 k/bb; .595 vs .699 ops Putz vs. Phillies: Stairs: 1/7, 0 BB, 3 K Utley: 0/2, 0 BB, 1 K Coste: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Feliz: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Howard: 0/1, 0 BB, 1 K Ibanez: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Rollins: 1/1, 1 2B, 0 BB, 0 K Ruiz: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Victorino: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Werth: 0/1, 0 BB, 1 K <div align="center">PHILLIES </div> LINE UP 1) SS Jimmy Rollins (S): .222/.261/.322 projection average (proj): .285/.350/.460 projected BB/PA (bb): 8% projected K/AB (k): 11% career gb% (gb): 42% career infield flies/flyball (iff): 10% career infield hits/groundball (ifh): 5% batting average on balls in play tendencies (babip): about average overall, though a little bit high popup rate so slightly below average swing/contact/zone facts (s/c/z): good eye, pretty selective, but very high contact rate so low walk rate righty/lefty (r/l): 1.7 vs 1.3 k/bb, mostly because of higher k-rate as lhb.&nbsp; otherwise similar on contact home/away (h/a): 1.5 vs 1.7 k/bb; .805 vs .739 ops pull/opposite (p/o): definite pull hitter anything else (other): stole 47 bases in 50 attempts last year. 2) CF Shane Victorino (S): .295/.343/.467 proj: .285/.345/.430 bb: 7.5% k: 13% gb: 46% iff: 15% ifh: 8% babip: slightly above average due to high babip on groundballs-- partly because infield plays in for him and he spreads the ball around well; not that high due to high infield fly rate s/c/z: pretety bad eye but high contact rate r/l: much more power righthanded (1.6% to 3.8% HR rate), but much better k/bb as lefty: 1.65 vs 1.88; higher babip lefty also (.316 vs .286) h/a: far fewer walks on road but nearly exactly the same strikeout rate, same power, same babip p/o: pull hitter both ways other: stole 36 of 47 bases last year 3) 2B <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/188/Chase_Utley" class="sbn-auto-link">Chase Utley</a> (L): .296/.438/.548 proj: .295/.380/.525 bb: 9.5% k: 18% gb: 37% iff: 10% ifh: 6% babip: distinctly above average historically and for projections too; seemingly strong power leads to high line drive babip rate and reasonably high groundball babip especially for pull hitting lefty; high on flyballs despite high infield fly rate since he hits deep flyballs s/c/z: pretty good eye, somewhat selective, somewhat high contact rate r/l: not significant-- only 1.7 vs 2.0 k/bb; .919 vs .865 ops h/a: similar k/bb home & away; better hr at home-- probably park factors; higher babip at home too p/o: pull hitter other: much better against power pitchers relative to other hitters 4) 1B <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/189/Ryan_Howard" class="sbn-auto-link">Ryan Howard</a> (L): .259/.337/.577 proj: .275/.375/580 bb: 14% k: 33% gb: 40% iff: 2% ifh: 4% babip: low on groundballs over time as he pulls the vast majority of them; very very high on flyballs because he almost never pops out in the infield at all and many of his flyballs are very deep.&nbsp; also since so few of his flyballs stay in the park (only 2/3 or so), a higher percentage of his balls in play are line drives-- which he does well on like many power hitters-- his low contact rate means he sometimes make poor contact though.&nbsp; probably above average overall s/c/z: swings a lot especially for someone who doesn't see many strikes.&nbsp; however, he is pretty good at distinguishing pulls from strikes despite the consensus on him.&nbsp; he makes terrible contact overall though r/l: 1.064 vs .786 ops: say it with me "that means he's good against righties, not bad against lefties!"&nbsp; in fact, he's the best hitter against righties in baseball right now probably.&nbsp; his k/bb vs lhp is 3.7 vs 1.6 vs rhp.&nbsp; he has a lot of power against lefties however, but a lower babip.&nbsp; i don't have split data on pull% vs lhp/rhp but observationally i'm pretty sure that's the difference in his babip: .338 vs .309. h/a: much higher babip on road.&nbsp; very similar hr numbers.&nbsp; 2.0 vs 3.2 k/bb. p/o: pull hitter, especially on groundballs-- hits more homeruns the opposite way though other: struggles mightily against power pitchers and groundball pitchers, dominate flyball pitchers (since he almost never pops out, and has 10.3% hr rate) and smashes finesse pitchers (11.8% hr rate); he also does much better on babip with runners on base as defenders can't shift against him-- especially with runners in scoring position 5) RF Jayson Werth (R): .256/.355/.437 proj: .270/.360/.460 bb: 12.5% k: 29% gb: 38% iff: 8% ifh: 8% babip: high on groundballs due to high infield hit rate, high on line drives due to power, and hits pretty deep flyballs too; has been historically probably higher than it should be since he's faced more lhp than normal rhb do; overall still seems to be very above average s/c/z: very selective and pretty good eye; somewhat low contact rate r/l: .762 vs .919 ops; 2.4 vs 2.0 k/bb; hr rate of 6.7% vs 2.9% h/a: not much of a split at all p/o: spreads ball around well for power hitter, but still a pull hitter other: stole 20 bases in 21 attempts last year 6) LF John Mayberry (R): .250/.262/.575 proj: .235/.290/.415 bb: 6.5% k: 27% iff: around 15-20% in minors ifh: ? babip: hits ball hard but pops up a lot; probably a bit average but tough to know; projected below average s/c/z: not enough info r/l: batter against lefties, particularly at making contact, in minors h/a: not enough info p/o: not enough info other: none 7) 3B <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/832/Pedro_Feliz" class="sbn-auto-link">Pedro Feliz</a> (R): .306/.361/.425 proj: .250/.300/.420 bb: 6% k: 15.5% gb: 44% iff: 15% ifh: 5% babip: very low-- pops up a lot, hits groundballs predictably to left side and is slow so they can play shaded over and deep; not all that much power so not terrific on line drives either, makes a lot of weak contact as he isn't good at making contact so he chops a lot of balls s/c/z: high swing rate and not terribly good at distinguishing balls from strikes.&nbsp; swung significantly less in 2008, but it was as much of a decrease in balls as strikes, makes average contact r/l: 3.3 vs 2.3 k/bb; .708 vs .755 ops, more babip and a little more power agaisnt lefties h/a: much higher k rate on road, similar bb rate; more power on road, higher babip at home.&nbsp; likely not much difference (.725 vs .716 overall ops) p/o: definite pull hitter other: defensive numbers dipped last year, had offseason surgery for back, perhaps these are related 8) C <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/195/Carlos_Ruiz" class="sbn-auto-link">Carlos Ruiz</a> (R): .309/.435/.511 proj: .255/.335/.390 bb: 10% k: 14% gb: 50% (but rose in 2008 to 54% from 46%) iff: 9.5% ifh: 4% babip: was extraordinarily low in 2008, but that seems to be rather flukey.&nbsp; his high groundball rate and solid contact rate and pitch selection indicate he should be a good babip guy, but he does very poorly on groundball as he chops the ball a lots/c/z: very good eye and excellent contact skill, extremely patient r/l: bizarre reverse split despite 0.5 k/bb vs lhp and 1.2 vs rhp; impossibly low .204 babip against lhp, probably flukey and probably much better vs lhp in reality h/a: similar k/bb, worse babip but higher power at home (park factors) p/o: slight pull hitter other: better against power pitchers, currently on DL with strained rib cage, probably longer than 15 days as originally thought BENCH: C <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/212/Chris_Coste" class="sbn-auto-link">Chris Coste</a> (R): .229/.341/.414 proj: .265/.315/.405 bb: 5.5% k: 17.5% gb: 40% iff: 10% ifh: 6% babip: slightly below average, seemingly due to poor eye and swinging and hitting bad pitches s/c/z: high swing rate, pretty poor eye, average contact r/l: .747 vs .855; same k/bb rate, much better babip against lhp, similar power but slightly more vs lhp h/a: .886 vs .679; 5.4% vs 1.5% hr rate p/o: pull hitter other: struggles with power pitchers somewhat IF/OF Eric Bruntlett (R): .152/.212/.239 proj: .240/.325/.335 bb: 10% k: 18% gb: 41% iff: 14% ifh: 5% babip: high popup rate leads to low babip, but not that low; also doesn't do all that well on line drives due to lack of power s/c/z: somewhat above average eye and doesn't swing much; makes very good contact, sees a lot of strikes r/l: .592 vs .764 ops; 2.5 vs 1.2 k/bb; 5.7% vs 8.8% xbh/ab-- he's actually&nbsp; average if not above average against lhp; he just is terrible against rhb.&nbsp; he should be used as a counterswitch to loogy use against lefty pinch hitters h/a: more power at home and more walks at home; similar strikeout rate and babip p/o: opposite field hitter other: none IF Greg Dobbs (L): .188/.273/.354 proj: .285/.335/.445 bb: 7% k: 17% gb: 36% iff: 13.5% ifh: 3% babip: has been high but probably should not be projected as high-- success derives from impossibly high line drive babip which doesn't typically happen for non-extreme power hitters.&nbsp; given his popup rate, he probably isn't a .320 babip guy and there isn't a .285 hitter s/c/z: poor eye but very high swing rate; average contact rate r/l: .761 vs .579 ops despite impossible .481 babip against lhp.&nbsp; in reality, he strikes out in 48% of at-bats against lhp.&nbsp; he should never see them.&nbsp; absolutely no power against lefties also. h/a: virtually no split at all p/o: pull hitter other: much better against finesse pitchers OF Matt Stairs (L): .324/.500/.618 proj: .255/.340/.440 bb: 11% k: 22% gb: 42% iff: 11.5% ifh: 5% babip: average all around s/c/z: very good eye and slightly below average contact r/l: .862 vs .748; much more power against rhp; 1.4 vs 2.1 k/bb h/a: not much of a split at all p/o: slight pull hitter but not much for a power hitter other: use stairs in case of emergency C <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/14/Paul_Bako" class="sbn-auto-link">Paul Bako</a> (L): .250/.250/.250 proj: .220/.290/.295 bb: 9% k: 30% gb: 53% iff: 7% ifh: 6% babip: projcted around .285 s/c/z: average eye, average patience, below average contact r/l: .637 vs .522 ops; 2.2 vs 6.1 k/bb h/a: .621 vs .621 ops; 2.5 vs 2.6 k/bb p/o: very slight pull hitter, but spreads ball around pretty well other: none DISABLED LIST: LF Raul Ibanez (L): .329/.386/.676 proj: .285/.350/.480 bb: 9% k: 17% gb: 42% iff: 11% ifh: 5% babip: above average, probably because he spreads the ball around pretty well for a power hitter; much better babip with men on-- probably hooks ball in hole well or maybe he was shifted against more so beforehand s/c/z: definitely a good eye though it's getting worse, slightly above average contact r/l: .850 vs .733; 1.5 vs 2.8 k/bb h/a: better k/bb (1.6 vs 1.9) but worse power probably park factors, and probably likely to be better at home p/o: slight pull hitter but not much for a power hitter other: none ROTATION FRIDAY STARTER: Rodrigo Lopez (R): in AAA, he has a 3.91 ERA, 1.6 BB/9, 6.6 K/9, 0.5 HR/9, 3.10 FIP, 48% GB proj avg: 5.00 ERA, 2.9 BB/9, 6.1 K/9, 1.4 HR/9 gb: 43% pitches: 50% fb, 16% sl, 20% ch, 12% ct, 3% cb r/l: .779 vs .786 ops; 2.5 vs 1.8 k/bb (faces a whole lot of lefties, more than 50%, so chances are that he is actually better against righties but every marginal lefty gets to face him and only elite righties) h/a: .773 vs .793 ops; 2.4 vs 1.9 k/bb Lopez vs Mets: Sheffield: 5/27, 3 HR, 4 BB, 6 K, 1 SF Reed: 2/14, 1 BB, 1 K Castillo: 3/8, 0 BB, 0 K Schneider: 3/5, 1 2B, 0 BB, 0 K Cora: 0/3, 1 BB (IBB), 0 K Church: 1/3, 1 2B, 0 BB, 0 K SATURDAY STARTER: Jamie Moyer (L): 6.05 ERA, 2.5 BB/9, 5.4 K/9, 5.88 FIP, 40% GB proj avg: 4.80 ERA, 2.8 BB/9, 5.5 K/9, 1.2 HR/9 gb: 39% pitches: 41% fb, 30% ct, 24% ch, 6% cb r/l: virtually no split but that seems to be selection as he sees 24% lefties only compared with 32% league average for lhp h/a: 2.3 vs 1.9 k/bb; not much difference on contact; slightly better babip at home but not more so than the average starter gets Moyer vs. Mets: Beltran: 14/61, 4 2B, 1 HR, 9 BB (1 IBB), 10 K, 1 SF Reyes: 12/43, 2 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 2 BB (1 IBB), 5 K, 1 Sac Wright: 19/41, 4 2B, 3 HR, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP, 1 SF Sheffield: 14/33, 2 2B, 4 HR, 9 BB, 2 K Castillo: 7/20, 4 2B, 5 BB, 0 K Tatis: 6/16, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 BB (1 IBB), 1 K Church: 4/16, 1 2B, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HBP Cora: 1/4, 1 3B, 0 BB, 0 K, 2 Sac, 1 HBP Schneider: 2/5, 2 BB (1 IBB), 0 K Evans: 0/4, 2 BB, 1 K Martinez: 0/2, 0 BB, 2 K Murphy: 1/1, 1 HR, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 SF Santos: 0/2, 0 BB, 0 K Reyes: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K SUNDAY STARTER: Joe Blanton (R): 5.08 ERA, 2.9 BB/9, 8.1 K/9, 1.8 HR/9, 4.92 FIP, 39% GB proj avg: 4.25 ERA, 2.5 BB/9, 5.8 K/9, 0.9 HR/9 gb: 45% pitches: 56% fb, 16% ch, 15% sl, 12% cb r/l: 2.3 vs 1.8 k/bb; .750 vs .719 ops h/a: 2.2 vs 2.0 k/bb; .698 vs .776 ops; much worse babip away (.313 vs .282), more power surrendered on road other: extraordinarily good against leadoff hitters, especially the first hitter of games Blanton vs. Mets: Reed: 2/17, 0 BB, 2 K Castillo: 7/14, 1 3B, 1 BB, 0 K Reyes: 0/9, 2 BB, 0 K Sheffield: 3/9, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 0 K Beltran: 2/9, 0 BB, 1 K Wright: 2/8, 1 2B, 0 BB, 1 K Delgado: 1/6, 1 HR, 0 BB, 0 K Cora: 0/3, 0 BB, 0 K Schneider: 1/1, 2 BB, 0 K Church: 1/3, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP Martinez: 1/3, 0 BB, 0 K NOT STARTING THIS SERIES: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/218/Cole_Hamels" class="sbn-auto-link">Cole Hamels</a> (L): 4.98 ERA, 1.9 BB/9, 8.2 K/9, 1.2 HR/9, 3.58 FIP, 41% GB proj avg: 3.45 ERA, 2.3 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 1.1 HR/9 gb: 40% pitches: 55% fb, 32% ch, 14% cb r/l: .680 vs .748, but same 3.6 k/bb both ways; slightly more power vs lhb-- this is probably selection bias as managers withhold all but the best lefties against him (explaining 20% of hitters faced are lefties only) h/a: 3.85 vs 3.4 k/bb; .676 vs .709 ops-- less of a difference due to higher HR rate at home other: much higher k-rate at night: 25% vs 20%, which is statistically significant.&nbsp; ERA difference (4.71 vs 3.01 exaggerated by babip difference), as HR rate and XBH rate very similar.&nbsp; most likely he strikes out more at night. Hamels vs. Mets: Church: 6/21, 1 2B, 4 BB, 6 K Reyes: 3/18, 3 BB (1 IBB), 5 K Beltran: 6/21, 2 HR, 2 BB (1 IBB), 3 K Wright: 8/20, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 K Schneider: 4/12, 2 BB (1 IBB), 2 K Castillo: 2/6, 0 BB, 0 K Tatis: 0/6, 0 BB, 0 K Cora: 1/4, 0 BB, 1 K Santos: 2/3,0 BB, 1 K Sheffield: 0/3, 0 BB, 0 K NOT STARTING THIS SERIES: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/225/J_A_Happ" class="sbn-auto-link">J.A. Happ</a> (L): 2.96 ERA, 3.7 BB/9, 6.2 K/9, 1.1 HR/9, 4.62 FIP, 35% GB proj avg: 4.40 ERA, 3.8 BB/9, 7.7 K/9, 1.2 HR/9 gb: 29% in majors thus far; 42% in AAA in 2008 pitches: 64% fb, 18% ch, 14% sl, 2% ct, 2% cb r/l: 1.7 vs 3.0 k/bb in majors thus far; 2.7 vs 3.5 k/bb in AAA in 2008 h/a: not enough info Happ vs. Mets: Reyes: 1/8, 1 BB, 2 K Beltran: 3/11, 2 HR, 0 BB, 2 K Wright: 4/8, 1 2B, 2 HR, 1 BB, 1 K Castillo: 0/5, 0 BB, 1 K Tatis: 1/3, 1 2B, 2 BB (1 IBB), 0 K Church: 0/3, 1 BB, 0 K Cora: 1/4, 1 2B, 0 BB, 2 K Sheffield: 1/3, 1 BB, 0 K Santos: 0/3, 0 BB, 0 K Murphy: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K DISABLED LIST: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/68753/Antonio_Bastardo" class="sbn-auto-link">Antonio Bastardo</a> (L): 6.75 ERA, 3.2 BB/9, 7.5 K/9, 1.6 HR/9, 4.98 FIP, 24% GB proj avg: 5.60 ERA, 4.8 BB/9, 7.0 K/9, 1.9 HR/9 gb: 40% in minors pitches: ? r/l: 2.1 vs 4.1 k/bb in minor league career h/a: much better control at home in minor league control Bastardo: has not faced any Mets BULLPEN CL Brad Lidge (R): 7.57 ERA, 5.6 BB/9, 9.2 K/9, 2.3 HR/9, 6.29 FIP, 38% GB proj avg: 3.50 ERA, 4.1 BB?9, 11.0 K/9, 0.8 HR/9 gb: 41% (though this went up to 46% with increased slider use in 2008) pitches: 56% sl, 43% fb, 0.4% ch in 2008 (historically 54% fb, 42% sl) r/l: 3.6 vs 2.8 k/bb; .601 vs .686 ops (tough to tell if that tendency became more or less extreme in 2008 due to limited sample size) h/a: 3.6 vs 2.9 k/bb; .666 vs .614 ops though due to higher babip away other: HR/Flyball plummeted in 2008-- probably unsustainably low and his ERA should rise; still rumors of him tipping pitches explain the HR/Flyball spike in 2006 & 2007 Lidge vs. Mets: Beltran: 2/11, 1 2B, 0 BB, 1 K Wright: 1/6, 1 2B, 2 BB, 3 K Church: 2/6, 1 BB (IBB), 2 K Reyes: 2/6, 0 BB, 0 K Schneider: 1/5, 1 BB, 2 K Castillo: 1/5, 0 BB, 2 K Murphy: 1/2, 1 2B, 1 BB (IBB), 0 K Tatis: 0/3, 0 BB, 2 K Sheffield: 1/2, 0 BB, 0 K Cora: 0/1, 0 BB, 1 K Santos: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/221/Ryan_Madson" class="sbn-auto-link">Ryan Madson</a> (R): 3.46 ERA, 3.7 BB/9, 9.2 K/9, 0.9 HR/9, 3.63 FIP, 43% GB proj avg: 3.80 ERA, 2.9 BB/9, 7.2 K/9, 0.8 HR/9 gb: 48% pitches: 58% fb, 24% ch, 15% ct, 4% cb r/l: 3.65 vs 1.8 k/bb; .714 vs .786 ops h/a: no major split at all Madson vs. Mets: Wright: 6/22, 2 HR, 1 BB, 3 K Reyes: 7/19, 1 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB (1 IBB), 4 K Beltran: 5/15, 3 HR, 3 BB, 3 K Schneider: 8/15, 3 2B, 0 BB, 1 K Castillo: 0/9, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SF Church: 1/9, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HBP Tatis: 0/3, 0 BB, 2 K Reed: 0/2, 0 BB, 0 K Cora: 0/1, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 Sac A.Reyes: 0/2, 0 BB, 1 K Santos: 1/1, 0 BB, 0 K <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/1079/Jack_Taschner" class="sbn-auto-link">Jack Taschner</a> (L): 5.20 ERA, 6.5 BB/9, 5.5 K/9, 1.0 HR/9, 5.60 FIP, 39% GB proj avg: 4.50 ERA, 4.1 BB/9, 8.0 K/9, 1.0 HR/9 gb: 35% pitches: 57% fb, 30% sl, 13% ch r/l: 1.45 vs 2.2 k/bb; .754 vs .747-- large selection bias where he faces only very good lefties and not very good righties h/a: .698 vs .797 ops; 2.1 vs 1.5 k/bb Taschner vs. Mets: Reyes: 2/5, 0 BB, 1 K Beltran: 1/4, 0 BB, 0 K Church: 1/3, 0 BB, 2 K Castillo: 0/2, 0 BB, 0 K Cora: 1/2, 0 BB, 0 K A.Reyes: 1/2, 0 BB, 0 K Schneider: 0/1, 1 BB, 0 K Wright: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/287/Chad_Durbin" class="sbn-auto-link">Chad Durbin</a> (R): 4.29 ERA, 5.6 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 1.3 HR/9, 5.18 FIP, 36% GB proj avg: 4.10 ERA, 3.5 BB/9, 6.5 K/9, 1.0 HR/9 gb: 41% pitches: 47% fb, 38% sl, 8% ch, 7% cb, 1% ct r/l: virtually no split h/a: somewhat of a reverse split but probably just noise Durbin vs. Mets: Beltran: 3/13, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP Reyes: 1/11, 1 BB, 1 K Wright: 1/9, 1 HR, 1 BB (IBB), 3 K Church: 2/8, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 K Cora: 0/5, 2 BB, 1 K Schneider: 2/5, 1 BB, 1 K Castillo: 3/4, 1 BB, 0 K Tatis; 2/4, 1 HR, 0 BB, 0 K Murphy: 0/2, 0 BB, 0 K Santos: 0/2, 0 BB, 0 K Sheffield: 1/1, 1 BB, 0 K A.Reyes: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Chan Ho Park (R): 6.04 ERA, 4.0 BB/9, 7.4 K/9, 0.8 HR/9, 4.17 FIP, 42% GB proj avg: 4.50 ERA, 3.5 BB/9, 7.3 K/9, 1.2 HR/9 gb: 45% pitches: 51% FB, 29% SL, 12% cb, 5% ch, 4% ct r/l: .666 vs .820 ops; 2.6 vs 1.3 k/bb; .280 vs .301 babip; 2.6% vs 3.6% HR rate-- much better against righties h/a: 2.0 vs 1.7 k/bb; .708 vs .780 ops Park vs. Mets: Beltran: 5/19, 1 2B, 1 HR, 7 BB (1 IBB), 5 K, 1 SF Castillo: 4/16, 5 BB, 1 K Reed: 4/15, 2 2B, 3 BB, 3 K Tatis: 7/13, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB (IBB), 1 K Sheffield: 2/12, 1 BB, 0 K Reyes: 0/10, 0 BB, 1 K Wright: 4/9, 2 2B, 2 BB, 1 K Cora: 1/5, 2 BB, 0 K Santos: 2/4, 1 2B, 1 BB (IBB), 1 K, 1 SF Church: 0/5, 0 BB, 3 K Murphy: 2/5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 K Evans: 0/2, 0 BB, 2 K F.Martinez: 1/1, 0 BB, 0 K Schneider: 1/1, 0 BB, 0 K <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/234/J_C_Romero" class="sbn-auto-link">J.C. Romero</a> (L): 3.18 ERA, 9.5 BB/9, 5.6 K/9, 0.8 HR/9, 6.39 FIP, 52% GB proj avg: 4.00 ERA, 5.5 BB?9, 7.5 K/9, 0.7 HR/9 gb: 55% pitches: 58% fb, 25% sl, 17% ch, 0.1% cb r/l: 1.2 vs 2.2 k/bb; .814 vs. 591 ops h/a: 1.6 vs 1.3 k/bb; .697 vs .768 ops Romero vs. Mets: Beltran: 5/26, 3 2B, 2 BB, 8 K Delgado: 3/19, 1 2B, 3 BB, 5 K Schneider: 2/7, 1 3B, 0 BB, 3 K Castillo: 0/6, 2 BB, 2 K Church: 1/6, 1 BB, 2 K Reyes: 2/4, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 Sac Wright: 0/2, 4 BB (3 IBB), 2 K Reed: 0/5, 0 BB, 2 K Tatis: 1/3, 1 BB, 0 K Sheffield: 1/3, 1 BB, 0 K Cora: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K Murphy: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/17597/Tyler_Walker" class="sbn-auto-link">Tyler Walker</a> (R): 2.00 ERA, 1.0 BB/9, 4.0 K/9, 2.0 HR/9, 5.37 FIP, 40% GB proj avg: 4.30 ERA, 3.7 BB/9, 7.4 K/9, 1.1 HR/9 gb: 41% pitches: 59% fb, 27% sl, 10% ch, 3% cb r/l: .721 vs .838 ops; 2.1 vs 1.9 k/bb h/a: .838 vs .712 ops; 1.8 vs 2.2 k/bb Walker vs. Mets: Beltran: 1/4, 0 BB, 0 K (MAY BE SENT TO AAA TO MAKE ROOM FOR LOPEZ TO START):<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/60864/Sergio_Escalona" class="sbn-auto-link"> Sergio Escalona</a> (L): 2.84 ERA, 2.8 BB/9, 5.7 K/9, 0.0 HR/9, 3.18 FIP, 40% GB proj avg: 5.50 ERA, 5.5 BB/9, 7.0 K/6, 1.4 HR/9 gb: 53% in minors pitches: 78% fb, 15% cb, 7% ch (in brief major league stint) r/l: not a huge split in minors in terms of k/bb, RHB seem to hit it harder h/a: not enough info Escalona: has not faced any Mets DISABLED LIST: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/707/Scott_Eyre" class="sbn-auto-link">Scott Eyre</a> (L): 2.57 ERA, 5.8 BB/9, 6.4 K/9, 1.3 HR/9, 5.61 FIP, 31% GB proj avg: 4.20 ERA, 4.1 BB/9, 8.8 K/9, 0.9 HR/9 gb: 41% pitches: 59% fb, 35% sl, 6% ch, 0.2% cb r/l: 1.5 vs 1.9 k/bb; .815 vs .720 ops h/a: not much of a split Eyre vs. Mets: Beltran: 2/7, 1 2B, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 SF, 2 HBP Castillo: 2/7, 2 BB, 1 K Wright: 3/6, 2 2B, 1 BB (IBB), 0 K Cora: 0/6, 0 BB, 1 K Schneider: 0/6, 0 BB, 3 K Church: 0/4, 0 BB, 3 K Reyes: 1/3, 1 BB, 0 K Tatis: 1/4, 0 BB, 0 K Murphy: 0/3, 0 BB, 1 K Evans: 1/2, 1 2B, 0 BB, 1 K Martinez: 0/1, 0 BB, 0 K A.Reyes: 0/1, 0 BB, 1 K DISABLED LIST: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/154/Clay_Condrey" class="sbn-auto-link">Clay Condrey</a> (R): 2.17 ERA, 2.8 BB/9, 6.2 K/9, 1.2 HR/9, 4.47 FIP, 52% GB proj avg: 4.50 ERA, 2.8 BB/9, 4.9 K/9, 0.8 HR/9 gb: 50% pitches: 59% fb, 17% ct, 15% sl, 9% ch r/l: 2.1 vs 1.3 k/bb; .761 vs .842 ops h/a: .703 vs .898 ops; 2.2 vs 1.3 k/bb Condrey vs. Mets: Wright: 1/12, 1 3B, 1 BB, 0 K Schneider: 3/11, 2 2B, 0 BB, 0 K Beltran: 2/7, 1 2B, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 Sac Tatis: 1/8, 0 BB, 0 K Reyes: 2/5, 2 BB, 0 K Church: 0/5, 1 BB, 1 K Castillo: 2/5, 0 BB, 0 K Cora: 2/4, 0 BB, 0 K Sheffield: 0/4, 0 BB, 1 K Murphy: 0/2, 0 BB, 0 K Santos: 1/2, 0 BB, 0 K Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:38:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/767816 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/767816 Winning Streak Applesauce - Mets Sign Urbina, Royals Ban Rany, Joey Chestnut vs. Kobayashi Down 5-0 against a pretty darn good pitcher in <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/396/Paul_Maholm" class="sbn-auto-link">Paul Maholm</a>, the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/NYM" class="sbn-auto-link">Mets</a> came back to win in extra innings (but not without some Frankie drama mixed in).&nbsp; For the umpteenth time, can everyone stop saying this team lacks leadership/edge/grission?&nbsp; I'm looking at you <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/33104/John_Franco" class="sbn-auto-link">John Franco</a>. Meet the Mets With the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/PHI" class="sbn-auto-link">Phillies</a> loss to the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/ATL" class="sbn-auto-link">Braves</a> last night, the Mets are just 1 game out of first place.&nbsp; Pitching matchups for the weekend <a href="http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/mets/archives/2009/07/pitching_set_fo_53.html" target="_blank">are set</a>: Friday, July 3: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/759/Livan_Hernandez" class="sbn-auto-link">Livan Hernandez</a> vs. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/548/Rodrigo_Lopez" class="sbn-auto-link">Rodrigo Lopez</a> (making his first start since 2007) Saturday, July 4: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/31264/Fernando_Nieve" class="sbn-auto-link">Fernando Nieve</a> vs. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/1/Jamie_Moyer" class="sbn-auto-link">Jamie Moyer</a> Sunday, July 5: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/733/Johan_Santana" class="sbn-auto-link">Johan Santana</a> vs. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/65/Joe_Blanton" class="sbn-auto-link">Joe Blanton</a> Lopez/Moyer/Blanton + Citizens Bank Park = No excuses not to hit some home runs.&nbsp; Tim McCarver and Kenny Albert will <a href="http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2009/07/your-fourth-of-july-weekend-announcing.html" target="_blank">announce</a> tomorrow's game on Fox.&nbsp; Hopefully everyone will be outside and as far away from a television as possible.&nbsp; Listen to Howie on the radio. The international player signing period has begun and the Mets acted quickly by <a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=1327" target="_blank">signing</a> LHP Juan Urbina.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/international-affairs/2009/268478.html" target="_blank">Baseball America</a> ranked him as the #8 international prospect.&nbsp; Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman, whom Buster Olney calls the "lefthanded Stephen Strasburg", <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4302422" target="_blank">defected</a> while in the Netherlands. Gordon Edes at <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ge-mets070109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns" target="_blank">Yahoo!</a> is foolishly bearish on the Mets and their farm system, claiming that they "don&rsquo;t have much to offer in a deal".&nbsp; Also, Ken Davidoff at <a href="http://blogs.trb.com/sports/baseball/blog/2009/07/what_will_define_this_years_tr.html">Newsday</a> lists the major trade deadline deals over the last few years. <a href="http://faithandfear.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2009/7/3/4243500.html" target="_blank">Faith and Fear</a> reminisces about the Roger McDowell and Lenny Dykstra for Juan Samuel trade from 20 years ago. The Mets <a href="http://deadspin.com/5306275/the-new-york-mets-have-a-furry-run+in-on-road-trip" target="_blank">stayed</a> in the same hotel in Pittsburgh that was hosting "Anthrocon 2009", a convention for people who like to dress in animal costumes.&nbsp; Weird.&nbsp; Reminds me of that <a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/the%20shining%20animal%20costume/explodingkinetoscope/shining35.jpg" target="_blank">bizarre scene</a> at the end of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/" target="_blank">"The Shining"</a>.&nbsp; That always freaked me out. Around the NL East <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/809/Javier_Vazquez" class="sbn-auto-link">Javier Vazquez</a> had yet another FIP-fest (5.1 IP, 5 K, 0 BB) and the Braves scored 3 times in the 8th to <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=290702115" target="_blank">beat</a> the Phillies 5-2. <a href="http://firejimbowden.blogspot.com/2009/07/elijah-gets-passed-over.html" target="_blank">Fire Jim Bowden</a> is not happy about <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/670/Elijah_Dukes" class="sbn-auto-link">Elijah Dukes</a>'s demotion. The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/FLA" class="sbn-auto-link">Marlins</a> <a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2009/7/2/936172/the-marlins-have-come-to-terms" target="_blank">signed</a> Minnesota castoff <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/534/Luis_Ayala" class="sbn-auto-link">Luis Ayala</a>.&nbsp; Enjoy him Fish fans, just <a href="http://www.amazinavenue.com/2008/9/14/614293/anger-rising-braves-7-mets" target="_blank">don't</a> let him face <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/671/Greg_Norton" class="sbn-auto-link">Greg Norton</a>. <a href="http://www.thefightins.com/meechone/what-the-hell-is-going-on-with-ryan-madson/" target="_blank">The Fightins'</a> wonders what's wrong with <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/221/Ryan_Madson" class="sbn-auto-link">Ryan Madson</a>.&nbsp; I have a possible answer that isn't mentioned - maybe it's unsustainable for the guy to maintain a ~4 K/BB and 0 HR/FB%, as he had through June 14th? <a href="http://www.thefightins.com/chris/los-victorinos/" target="_blank">This</a> is one TV show I will not be watching. Around MLB Blogger and Baseball Prospectus co-founder Rany Jazayerli was "<a href="http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2009/07/banned.html" target="_blank">banned</a>" by the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/teams/KAN" class="sbn-auto-link">Royals</a> after publishing some critical words about the organization.&nbsp; The Royals later <a href="http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2009/07/back-to-normal.html" target="_blank">backed off</a> some of their threats.&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/7/2/935648/interleague-attendance-nonsense" target="_blank">Beyond the Boxscore</a> adds some objectivity to the interleague attendance discussion. Jim Leyritz: <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4301980" target="_blank">douchelord</a>. R.J. Anderson at <a href="http://www.draysbay.com/2009/7/2/935855/could-the-rays-trade-winston-abreu" target="_blank">DraysBay</a> bids adieu to <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/528/Winston_Abreu" class="sbn-auto-link">Winston Abreu</a>. <a href="http://dodgersims.blogspot.com/2009/07/twas-night-before-manny.html" target="_blank">DodgerSims</a> celebrates Christmas in July, with the return of <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/players/174/Manny_Ramirez" class="sbn-auto-link">Manny Ramirez</a>. Mike Silva <a href="http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=12213" target="_blank">continues</a> the "Should Joba be in the bullpen?" discussion for some reason, which is only a discussion for the Beningos and Francescas of the world. Colin Wyers at <a href="http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/blog_article/how-reliable-is-uzr/" target="_blank">THT</a> looks at the reliability of UZR.&nbsp; A couple takeaways: <ul> <li>Defensive metrics are less reliable than offensive metrics.</li> <li>An infielder's UZR is more reliable than an outfielder's UZR.</li> </ul> Joey Chestnut is a <a href="http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/07/01/joey-chestnut-a-slight-favorite-over-kobayashi-in-july-4-hot-dog/" target="_blank">slight favorite</a> over Kobayashi in the July 4th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.&nbsp; Anyone going? <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wIrbuUIVQIeEKYU2j-y7XV6P_-4/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wIrbuUIVQIeEKYU2j-y7XV6P_-4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wIrbuUIVQIeEKYU2j-y7XV6P_-4/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wIrbuUIVQIeEKYU2j-y7XV6P_-4/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a> Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:20:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/767281 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/767281 There's Some Grit In Them Furry Beasts <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m4FI1xplsaE/Sk05h6P0HwI/AAAAAAAADUQ/uCFBqYfLohA/s1600-h/Anthrocon.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 318px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353998786747440898" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m4FI1xplsaE/Sk05h6P0HwI/AAAAAAAADUQ/uCFBqYfLohA/s320/Anthrocon.jpg" /></a>As if going to Pittsburgh for a one game rainout makeup isn't exciting enough, the Mets were also able to catch the phenomenon known as <a href="http://www.anthrocon.org/">Anthrocon 2009</a>, a convention where people can dress like animals. Boy, it was the club's lucky day ... let alone <a href="http://deadspin.com/5306275/the-new-york-mets-have-a-furry-run+in-on-road-trip">Kevin Burkhardt's lucky day</a>. This has to be the reason that Tim Redding has such an awful start today ... apparently, <a href="http://www.misschatter.com/janf/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/timredding.jpg">Redding's goatee</a> was a keynote speaker at the event. Who knew? But in this period of time where we're all kinda waiting for the bottom to drop out, we might be seeing the beginnings of evidence that maybe nobody should be throwing in the towel on this team just yet. Down 5-0 to the Pirates' best starter on a one-game stopover (akin to spending seven hours at Atlanta International) would have been an easy game to throw in the towel on. But not only did the Mets actually string some hits together to get some runners on base, they strung some more hits together to actually drive those runs in! Eight of them!!! And believe it or not, at 8-5 ... even at 8-6, I didn't have that nagging feeling of doom that I usually have with this franchise. Honestly. I honestly thought there was no way that doom can befall them again. Law of averages, right? Wrong! Because it was then that Frankie came in with a two run lead in the ninth, and two batters later the freakin' game was tied. And not only tied, but tied by Adam "Carlos Beltran is a no-good classless goon who doesn't make enough plays to win baseball games" La Roche. If you thought I tore the house apart, not to worry. I just laughed. However my cat, on the opening of the Furry Beast Convention, was quite pissed. So pissed in fact, that she briefly joined the Pittsburgh faithful in their heckling of Frankie. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m4FI1xplsaE/Sk0-xivo8TI/AAAAAAAADUY/lhhCeN5uglM/s1600-h/Kitty+Rod.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 384px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354004552874520882" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m4FI1xplsaE/Sk0-xivo8TI/AAAAAAAADUY/lhhCeN5uglM/s400/Kitty+Rod.jpg" /></a> Can you blame her? She's been through so much ... to have a blown save on a day dedicated to animal fur was just too much for her cat-like patience to take. She snapped, as I'm sure most of you did. But alas, more grit to come as Fernando Tatis was hit with a pitch to top off a big day for him, and Ryan Church drove him in to help <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylt=ApEpZ7yDFfRDiHvRfibr4rERvLYF?gid=290702123&amp;prov=ap">seal the deal</a>. And even Frankie came back to have a big tenth inning after coming within about a foot of losing the game completely in the ninth on a two-out line drive. Yes, the "resiliency" and the "grit" has been there more this season than in the last two ... but no more so than Thursday. Unfortunately, this game probably means the Mets will be without Rodriguez's services on Friday against the Phillies. But speaking of the Phillies, I'm going to keep gettin' positive on you: Not that the Mets' three starters are any guarantees (Livan Hernandez, Fernando Nieve, and even Johan Santana isn't a guarantee these days), the Mets are facing Rodrigo Lopez (yes, Rodrigo Lopez), Jaime Moyer (who the Mets have hit this year), and Joe Blanton (who's improved lately in the way that you can improve from dog meat to merely beatable). The series is winnable, boys and girls. I know the Mets have made some struggling pitchers look like Bob Gibson, but Lopez hasn't pitched in the majors in two years. The Mets absolutely can't welcome him back to the majors by making him into a stud. And the other two pitchers aren't lights out by any means. So two out of three is not impossible (or, if you're not into double negatives, possible), especially if Tatis has indeed found his stroke and lost his looping swing.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/12468344-8074757281279501718?l=metstradamus.blogspot.com'/></div> Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:31:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/766021 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/766021