Series Six Pack: “Yes, I drop-kicked some cats that day.”

The Phillies played their best series of the season this week, even in the game they lost.  Now, they head to Arizona to keep playing baseball at an ungodly hour while J. Levi Burnfin of Venom Strikes laughs it up on the west coast.

Before that, though, he answered some questions for me.  It was nice.

Apr 19, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Arizona Diamondback pitcher Ian Kennedy (31) walks off the field after the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

So is Ian Kennedy going to be a problem or can we depend on his location sputtering out again?

This, sadly, is what we can expect from Kennedy. He’s been pretty mediocre for the past 12 months. And that’s mostly been tied to his lack of command with the fastball. While he isn’t walking a ton of people, he also grooves way too many to be effective.

J.J. Putz has decided to take some time off to be injured. How reliable is the Dbacks bullpen now? Express in terms of Chad Durbins.

I believe I saw that Putz was heading to the Dominican for a couple of months. I can’t confirm that, but nonetheless, it’s a weird time to take a vaca. However, I believe the bullpen should still be (just a tad) better than one Chad Durbin. Hernandez has had a couple of shaky outings but has been pretty good and should get better. And outside of Bell’s first appearance, he’s been (stunningly) pretty good. Combined with Brad Ziegler and Matt Reynolds, the pen should be in decent shape still.

May 7, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (44) before coming up to bat in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Is it correct to say Paul Goldschmidt is “becoming a star?” And if so, what kind of a star; one that shines brightly for a long time, or when that grows too big and kills a lot of people?

He’s a star that’s going to kill a lot of people. Just not in the way you were meaning. I think he singlehandedly murdered Tim Lincecum’s career and is in the process of burying the corpse of Chris Capuano now. He’s been a revelation. He’s improved his walk and strikeout rate, chase percentage and his fielding immensely over the past couple of seasons. He’s approaching top three first baseman in the league quickly.

Lie to me. What do you think of this team without Roy Halladay?

They’re great. One of the best staffs that can’t pitch and one of the best lineups that can’t walk (or score) I’ve ever seen.

Is there a young prospect with a better name than “Didi Gregorious” in baseball right now?

Xander Bogaerts is a pretty dang good name. Adeiny Hechavarria? Basically all shortstops in baseball it looks like.

May 7, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Didi Gregorius (1) throws to first to complete an out in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

I see you guys have experienced the sweet sting of a starter pitching nine shutout innings, only for the game to end in a loss. How did you deal with this emotionally, and how much cat-punching was involved? How much is too much?

Well, cat-punching is a daily occurrence despite what happens on the field for me. I hate them. With a passion. However, I also don’t remember a starter throwing nine-innings of shutout ball and losing this season? Maybe I missed it. Entirely possible. Long story short, yes, I drop-kicked some cats on that day.