World Series Game 2 Discussion

[HoustonGM]

I figured I'll get this started a little earlier thanks to a blurb I just saw on ESPN:

Brett Myers and James Shields can both struggle with their command. But if they're on, they have the potential to be dominant.

While technically true, I'm not sure exactly what the point of that first sentence is. ANY pitcher CAN struggle with his command. This statement is usually reserved for inconsistent pitchers with control issues. Brett Myers sort of fits that bill, but, James Shields? The guy that's walked 76 batters in his last 430 innings? If there's anything James Shields is good at, it's having GREAT command.

Just a little odd sentence that got to me.

[justanewguy]

I figured I'll get this started a little earlier thanks to a blurb I just saw on ESPN:


While technically true, I'm not sure exactly what the point of that first sentence is. ANY pitcher CAN struggle with his command. This statement is usually reserved for inconsistent pitchers with control issues. Brett Myers sort of fits that bill, but, James Shields? The guy that's walked 76 batters in his last 430 innings? If there's anything James Shields is good at, it's having GREAT command.

Just a little odd sentence that got to me.

Huge advantage for the Rays tonight. I had a feeling that the Phillies would pull out game 1 thanks to Hamels. Any game in which Hamels pitches is a major trap. He kept the Dodgers out of NLCS, and totally deserved the MVP for that series.

Hamels might be one of the toughest pitchers in all of baseball to face, simply because a)he's very good, and b) the bullpen behind him is so outstanding.

The Phillies' playoff success this season rests more on him than anyone else.

[TheNamelessPoet]

The Phillies' playoff success this season rests more on him than anyone else.

I think it rests on meyers sholders.. if he cant hack it... they are screwed

[filihok]

The Phillies' playoff success this season rests more on him than anyone else.

I disagree. He is their "given". It rests on the other pitchers pitching better than they should

[HoustonGM]

I disagree. He is their "given". It rests on the other pitchers pitching better than they should

Yeah, this is true.

[phightinphils]

Myers is a questionmark. However, given the big game status, he does come through. He shows his emotions more than most players do and this team feeds off of it.

Shields is a real dominant pitcher, but has been struggling with his command recently, notably Game 5 of the ALCS.

What happens tonight is up in the air. Although, I think Howard goes off tonight. He is way over due for a moon blast. Let's see how tough the roof is in Tampa Bay.

Also, I wonder how many cheers there will be tonight when any Phillie hits a homerun? There was a lot of cheering when Utley hit the home run last night and when the game was over. Hmmmm, kind of reminds me when Eagles fan invaded Dolphin Stadium on a Monday Night game a few years back....

[HoustonGM]

Myers is a questionmark. However, given the big game status, he does come through. He shows his emotions more than most players do and this team feeds off of it.

He pitched pretty poorly in his last "big game."

[phightinphils]

He pitched pretty poorly in his last "big game."

Sure, but as I said, he shows he emotions and this team feeds off of it. As I recall, didn't the Phillies win that game? Oh yeah, they did!

[HoustonGM]

If you say so.

[HoustonGM]

From Joe Sheehan's Game 1 recap:

It was a sloppy game. Kazmir was wild. Ryan Howard and Hamels repeatedly looked out of sync on grounders to first base. Carlos Pena dropped a ball and was picked off of first. The Phillies were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. It's hard to say whether there was a reason, or whether it was just one of those games, but the sloppiness was a theme throughout. Maybe we're finally reaching the point where the time between innings is affecting focus—there was at least one inning where every player on the field was ready to go, and just waiting for permission from Fox to play, permission which came only after an awkward full minute.

It's not unreasonable to put this out there: perhaps in the next TV contract, MLB should trade some short-term profit in exchange for getting back a measure of control over the presentation of its product. That's anathema to the current administration, but it's clear that we're about at the breaking point when it comes to TV's impact on the game, and especially the postseason. The elongated commercial breaks have been extended too far.

[TheNamelessPoet]

lol homer eye gloss... its always a plus


what sreally gonna suck is if the phllies sweep and we all ahve to listen to it lol

[justanewguy]

What I mean by the playoff success resting on Hamels, is that he's absolutely the team's MVP, because of the disparity in pitching matchups throughout this series.

If Hamels were to have come into this series and pitched poorly (he obviously hasn't so far), the Phillies would have been DOA.

[phightinphils]

what sreally gonna suck is if the phllies sweep and we all ahve to listen to it lol

If? There is a possibility, but not likely.

It will suck for you.

[TheNamelessPoet]

If? There is a possibility, but not likely.

It will suck for you.

yes it will...

being a braves fan I HATE the phillies

[phightinphils]

Anyone see the Rosenthal column today?

Quote:" Oh, the 104th World Series indeed could face an early demise if the Phillies beat the Rays again Thursday night and take a 2-0 lead heading to Philadelphia.

But the Phillies aren't that good, at least not when their starting pitcher is someone other than lefthander Cole Hamels."

They aren't that good? They what are they doing in the World Series!? What a shrimp!