That Balls Outta Here » New York Mets http://thatballsouttahere.com A Philadelphia Phillies Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More Wed, 22 May 2013 18:42:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Phillies Gameday: The First of Many Chances at Redemption http://thatballsouttahere.com/2013/04/10/phillies-gameday/ http://thatballsouttahere.com/2013/04/10/phillies-gameday/#comments Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:20:27 +0000 Justin Klugh http://thatballsouttahere.com/?p=14153 You’re going to hear a lot about “momentum” tonight.  You’re gonna hear a lot about “Kyle Kendrick” and “staying hot” and “not hot hot like the weather, I mean like momentum.”

The Phillies won last night, and that’s terrific.  They’ll have to win a few more times to prove it wasn’t a fluke.  They’ll have to do it a few times without Cliff Lee being on the mound to really prove it wasn’t a fluke.  And tonight, Cliff Lee is far from the mound.  Kyle Kendrick is on it.

Kyle Kendrick (0-1, 7.94 ERA)

Apr 5, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick (38) pitches during the first inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals on opening day at Citizens bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Yeah, Kyle Kendrick!  Go get ‘um, Kyle.  Kyle didn’t get the win last time.  He threw five and two thirds innings pretty admirably, but wound up somehow losing after handing the ball over to Jeremy Horst in that game where the Royals hit all the bases-clearing triples.

The elephant in the room is that the last time we saw Kyle, he started the home opener/worst game of the season so far.  The 13-4 loss wasn’t a game he was around for much of the anti-winning to see, but did allow five of the runs – a Jimmy Rollins brain fart not withstanding.  So, what’s a Kyle Kendrick to do?

He could start by maintaining consistency, a thing people say pitchers should do but never offer any theories on how to do it.  Kyle wiped out 13 of the initial 16 batters he faced on opening day, until one disastrous inning cost him everything.  Being proven “partially effective against the Royals” is not the best way to establish yourself as the new threat in the Phillies rotation, and Charlie Manuel drove this point home by taking him out of the game.

Tonight is a redemption song for Kyle, looking to secure the Phillies’ first series win against a Mets team that can shut the hell up.  But his frequent unraveling can be really beneficial to the other team.  Sometimes.

“I’m not going to tell you what I tell him, though. Seriously, that’s how I look at it. I don’t care what he says, but if I got something to say to him, I’ll be able to do that. You won’t know unless he tells you.”

–Charlie Manuel on how fun it is to scream at Kyle Kendrick

Jeremy Hefner (0-1, 1.50 ERA)

Recently referred to as “…not a proven long haul starter,” Hefner maybe exactly what the Phillies need on the other side to score early and/or outrun whatever inadequacies Kendrick provides this evening.  Very proud of the Mets’ very late entry to the Harlem Shake fad, Hefner has worked hard for recognition from all seven of his Twitter followers.

Apr 5, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jeremy Hefner (53) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning of a MLB game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Fortunately for Hefner, no performance could be too bad with Johan Santana and Shaun Marcum DL’d.  So the Mets will have to learn to love him.

In his first start, Hefner shut down the already pretty shut down Marlins.  Pitching against that team skews the scouting, as it really only indicates how effective a pitcher is against an assembly of very sad, old children.  Greg Dobbs hit a home run off of him for what it’s worth.

There are some nights when Kyle Kendrick goes up against a strong starter – think heyday Tim Lincecum that one time – and we all laugh and laugh.  Tonight is not a night like that.  Hefner is the kind of pitcher capable of keeping us in this game should Kyle go sideways.

Offense

Apr 9, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Mets left fielder Jordany Valdespin (1) celebrates with third base coach Tim Teufel after hitting a triple during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Mets 8-3. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Phils and Mets have swapped beat downs.  But to be fair, they faltered when faced with one of the pitchers in our rotation that isn’t currently recovering from injury.  Also he is our best pitcher at the moment.

Tonight, their lineups have a chance to pound the respective starters, unlike the past two nights when somebody was starting a quality arm.  Michael Young could be a hot ticket, traditionally strong against the Mets and coming off his best night yet as a Phillie.

Jordany Valdespin looked solid for the Mets last night.  Maybe.  I saw his celebration at third after hitting a triple and presumed he had broken a longstanding MLB record of some kind.  He sure is zany!

Also hot right now is John Buck for some reason.  He’s one of those guys that you continuously overlook, because seriously, just calm down, John Buck.  Either the Phillies offense has awoken and this is the beginning of some form of productivity, or this is one of those endless amounts of times when they looked good one night this week and then just shit the bed nonstop for six days.

They’re certainly facing a bad enough pitcher to be shut out.

]]> http://thatballsouttahere.com/2013/04/10/phillies-gameday/feed/ 0 Roy Halladay Remains Unfixed, Phillies Lose 7-2 http://thatballsouttahere.com/2013/04/08/roy-halladay-remains-unfixed-phillies-lose-7-2/ http://thatballsouttahere.com/2013/04/08/roy-halladay-remains-unfixed-phillies-lose-7-2/#comments Tue, 09 Apr 2013 03:07:30 +0000 Justin Klugh http://thatballsouttahere.com/?p=14127 It was a big night for Roy Halladay, who had another chance to prove that he was Roy Halladay again, and go from a troubled former ace to a spectacular human specimen, transcending to a new level of human greatness in the course of four days.

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

It didn’t happen, mainly because that’s not a thing that happens.  Mostly it was just walks and Mets runs and a hit batsman and all the other things that have become synonymous with Doc’s starts.

He threw a great first at-bat of the game, per usual, and it didn’t get better after that, per usual.  Much had been made over Halladay blaming Erik Kratz for his poor performance, and you have to assume that’s why Humberto Quintero was in there tonight.  It was not a good plan.

The second inning started the trouble – Marlon Byrd doubled with one gone, Lucas Duda was hit by a wayward fastball, and then John Buck homered everybody back into the dugout.  Lucas Duda singled in Daniel Murphy after he walked in the third, making 4-0.

Doc came out in the fifth, gave up a disturbingly immediate lead off double to Daniel Murphy.  This was exacerbated by Humberto Quintero’s mishandling of a pitch, sending Murphy to third because he was probably going to get over there anyway.  David Wright stepped in and singled him home.  What a cliche.

Chad Durbin started loosening in the pen, so that nobody’s vomit would come up so fast it would choke them.  Ike Davis singled, sending Wright to third, and that brought on the aforementioned Durbin.

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

“Ruben Tejada battles back and comes up with a two-run single here in the fifth,” is a sentence Scott Franzke said after that, so it went pretty much how everybody on Twitter was envisioning.

It was the middle of the seventh inning – Matt Harvey still dominating for the Mets – when somebody showed up on Twitter to start a whole batch of rumors and theories and dumb ideas that won’t help anything.

“Just in case any of my fans or general managers of professional baseballing organizations are listening, I just thought I’d… I’d give a quick personal health update.”

So, with the “Roy Oswalt?!” blog posts on the way, Jeremy Horst set the ERA bar for the evening at 6.75.  He pitched two innings and struck out three, preceded by Chad Durbin, who pitched the fifth and allowed a hit and a walk.  Raul Valdes threw the seventh, allowing nothing but a K.

The Phillies offense did about as best as they could out there, getting on base, then spraying outs all over the place, managing to accidentally get Jimmy Rollins across the plate on a Ryan Howard sac fly.  In the bottom of the fifth, Laynce Nix led off with a walk, and then the rest of the hitters were inexplicably aggressive at the plate and all struck out.  

After a leadoff, four-pitch walk.

Eventually, the Phillies scored a second run, but how the hell does it matter.

When it all went wrong

Buck’s home run was the Big Run-Making Thing the Other Team Did Against Roy Halladay that crippled our hopes for winning the ball game AND hoping Roy Halladay is okay.

Hero

Scott Franzke, for telling Larry Andersen “Coldplay should write a song about you.”  A few minutes later he said “People probably hate us right now.”

Villain

Matt Harvey has the makings of a future NL East villain for years to come, pitching seven innings and striking out nine while allowing one run on three hits.  Now we know how people used to feel going up against Roy Ha–well, you know.

TBOH’s Thoughts

]]> http://thatballsouttahere.com/2013/04/08/roy-halladay-remains-unfixed-phillies-lose-7-2/feed/ 0 Series Six-Pack: “I wanted to jump on the field and strangle them.” http://thatballsouttahere.com/2013/04/08/series-six-pack-i-wanted-to-jump-on-the-field-and-strangle-them/ http://thatballsouttahere.com/2013/04/08/series-six-pack-i-wanted-to-jump-on-the-field-and-strangle-them/#comments Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:59:34 +0000 Justin Klugh http://thatballsouttahere.com/?p=14106 It’s time for Series Six-Packs again, and we’re only two series late!  It’s the intense dedication that sets the web site apart from the rest.

Today, we speak with Danny Abriano of Rising Apple, who like must Mets fans and humans, has thoughts.

 

Matt Harvey breathes some more magic dust onto his pitching hand. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Is there a greatest rivalry in sports than Padre-Killing Matt Harvey/Probably Dying Roy Halladay?

Matt Harvey is much more than a Padre killer. Everyone who watched him in the minors was stunned when he came to the majors last season and flashed stuff he had never flashed before being promoted. Most scouts were projecting Harvey as a #2 or #3 starter, but those same scouts have come to the conclusion that Harvey was simply bored with the minors/saving his bullets for when he reached the Mets. Having watched every one of his starts, I can say confidently that he has the potential to be a legitimate number one.

Whether or not he fulfills that potential is obviously an open question. Regarding Halladay, from our end it certainly appears as if he’s a shell of himself. The Mets, however, have a habit of stepping up against the more skilled pitchers while turning lesser pitchers into reincarnations of Cy Young when they face them. So, even if Halladay shows up tonight with the same diminished stuff he’s flashed recently, it wouldn’t surprise me if he stifled the Mets.

How intense do you get the battle for third place to get in the NL East? Express in terms of disappointment.

The more knowledgeable Mets fans realize that 2013 is likely a transition year. I predicted them to finish 80-82, and in third (ahead of the Phils). I believe the Mets have a chance to surprise some people. If that doesn’t happen, and they wind up with a win total in the low to mid 70′s, I’ll be a bit disappointed.

What would disappoint me much more than that, though, is if one of Zack Wheeler or Travis d’Arnaud plays terribly after being promoted. Those two are huge keys to the future, and their success matters more than wins and losses.

How satisfying does a win over the Marlins feel these days? Like beating up a child? Or like just ignoring a child, letting it develop feelings of inadequacy?

I despise the Marlins. My distaste for them grew during the final series of 2007 (when they knocked the Mets out of Playoff contention), was heightened when I attended a game in Florida in 2008 and had to listen to their know-nothing fans for three hours, and came to a head when the Marlins came back out on the field at Shea Stadium after beating the Mets in the final game at Shea in 2008.

I wanted to jump on the field and strangle them. So, beating them always feels great…kind of like throwing a freshman in a garbage pail when you’re a senior in high school.

Do the Mets, who are expected to be bad for a few years as they develop, have it better or worse than the Phillies, who seem to keep having advocates to their potential success but constantly fail?

Apr 7, 2013; Flushing, NY,USA; New York Mets left fielder Lucas Duda (21) chases the ball during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. Mets won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

I’m obviously biased, but I try to be rational when discussing the Mets’ chances. I think those who are writing off the Mets for years to come simply aren’t properly analyzing the team. Yes, the outfield is a weakness. Aside from that, the Mets are pretty much average.

However, there’s a strong chance that by early 2014, the Mets’ starting rotation will consist of Jonathon Niese, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Rafael Montero, and Dillon Gee (with Noah Syndergaard not far away). That rotation could be a force. The Mets also has close to $50 million coming off the books after this season, and it’s expected the team will address their outfield issues via free agency.

I view the Mets as a young team that’s not far away, while I see the Phillies as an older team who is about to see their window slam shut.

How much of a motivator is it to see the team you are about to play give up 25 runs to the Royals?

It’s obviously nice to see. I’m not as high on the Royals as most seem to be, but you have to take the hitter friendliness of CBP into account when discussing high run totals. It’s why I always cringe when the Mets travel to Philly or to the little league stadium in the Bronx, where check swings leave the park. Anything in the air has a chance to sail out, which makes me uneasy whenever the Mets are on defense.

Who, on the Mets, is the player least deserving of being stuck with the Mets?

There are lots of worse places to be than New York. With that said, I think the majority of the fans always need one whipping boy – someone they boo mercilessly. I only boo lack of effort, but I can’t say the same for most of my fellow fans.

So, whichever fringe player (Marlon Byrd, LaTroy Hawkins, etc.) falters first will technically be the least deserving player who’s stuck with the Mets. They’ll have venom hurled their way until they’re off the roster.

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