Results tagged ‘ Philadelphia Phillies ’
A Very Good Weekend
Slip Sliding Away
Pit Of Despair
Yesterday, it was just a slight nudge. Today, it’s a full blown kick to the midsection and I’m in the pit of despair. The Braves are now 5 games back of the Phillies and the Padres are now only 1 game out of the wildcard race. It’s becoming very tentative now and another loss tonight by the Braves could spell certain doom. The Braves have had opportunity after opportunity in this series with the Phillies. And time after time they have failed to capitalize. They once again committed 2 errors. Once again, the inning ending double play groundout was evident. Poor baserunning decisions. And another great pitching performance from the Phillies starter, this time Roy Halladay. All of this added up to yet another loss for the Braves. Tonight’s game is so important. To leave Philly with a win would be such a morale boost for the Braves and their fans. The Braves have Thursday off to recover from this grueling, playoff like atmosphere of the last 3 days. Up next the Braves have a series with the Nationals, a team as everyone knows, who can pull a win out on any time in the National League. These games are must wins for the Braves as well. After the Nationals, the Braves get the Mets again. Then, it’s the end of the season and the Phillies again at home this time. During this time, the Phillies get the Mets and then the Nationals before going to Atlanta to play the Braves. The Braves have to win. The Padres have the Reds, the Cubs, and the Giants to finish the year. The Giants are in this mix too and the Rockies as well. But the Braves have to concentrate on what they are doing on winning their games – all of them. Nothing else matters at this point. The pit of despair is a difficult place to be – and an even harder place to get out of. I hope the Braves don’t leave me here.
Edge Of Despair
As fingers of ice slip softly around the soul in the dark of night pushing ever closer to the edge of despair so the Braves have done to me. With each turn of an inning, the cold grew more bitter tightening it’s grip to the edge of despair. Only one game in a series of three but slowly it seeps the faith away from me. Okay so I’m a little melodramatic. Poets often are. Last night was one of the toughest sports nights I’ve experienced in a while. The Braves vs Phillies was every hyped thing come true. A playoff atmosphere. Live or die for the Braves playoff hopes. A brand new pitcher fresh out of the minors going for the Braves. A box of Pepcid wasn’t going to cover this. The game started out well enough. Brandon Beachy went 1-2-3 for the first inning. I could actually breathe again. The Braves came up in the 2nd and promptly got on the board first with 1 run. I thought, hey this might be okay. Beachy looked really really great for a 24 year old just out of instructional league. He was holding the Phillies down admirably. I started to breathe a little better. Beachy gave up doubles to Howard and Ruiz that produced only 1 run. The game was tied. It was still okay. Then, like the unfolding of a nightmare in slow motion it all came apart in the 5th inning. Victorino hit a fly ball to right field. Heyward was on the run for it. Seconds ticked by that seemed like hours. Heyward was right at the ball and he knuckled it with his glove. Wait, what? Knuckled it. The ball went to the wall. Error. The word hung in my mind. Victorino gets to third base with no outs. Error. Polanco grounded out (Gonzalez chose to throw to first rather than home) and Victorino scored. Utley singled and Beachy was done. Through really no fault of his own – his major league debut was over. I’m still wondering now if taking him out was the right move, but out he was. In comes O’Flaherty who seemingly forgot where the plate was and so he walks the bases loaded. Ibanez hits a grounder but it was a bit of an awkward play for Gonzalez and another run scores. Three runs. The Braves were unable to capitalize yet again with multiple ground out double plays that killed any opportunities for scoring. The Phillies Hamels pitched a great game. The Braves committed 2 errors and made a couple of bad decisions and it cost them the game. Now 4 games back of the Phillies, the edge of despair is where all true Braves fans must now live. Inching ever closer to the pit, we continue to hope but faith is fading with every missed opportunity. Only 12 hours until the next game first pitch….perhaps prayer is in order.
Ulcer Central
Well this is it. The week where I grow a new ulcer. I can feel it starting as we speak. Stomach churning, acid burning. The week where my team’s fate could be determined. I hope I make it through. The first of two series between the Phillies and Braves begins today. Three games that could determine the Braves fate. Three games that could do me in. The Phillies and Braves are both coming off series wins this weekend. Both teams are playing well. The games are in Philly – not a good thing for the Braves who are much better at home. The Phillies are 9-1 for their last 10 having won 7 in a row. The Braves are 6-4 and have won 3 in a row. Today’s pitchers are Jurrjens for the Braves with a 7-6 record and Hamels for the Phillies with an 11-10 record. The Braves pitching was very good over the weekend. But so was the Phillies. Tomorrow it’s Minor for the Braves vs Halladay for the Phillies. On Wednesday, it’s Hanson for the Braves vs Oswalt for the Phillies. The hitting is coming around for the Braves, especially Derek Lee who had a towering second deck multi-run bomb against the Mets. Of course, the Phillies got a similar contribution from their bomber Jayson Werth aka Grizzzly Adams younger brother. Both teams are working on all cylinders. The Braves will need everything they’ve got to win this series. After this one, the Braves have the Nationals, the Marlins, and the last weekend of the season they get to face the Phillies again. For now, one series at a time. The time is now and it’s most definitely ulcer central.
Freakin Roy Halladay
Okay, before all you Roy Halladay fans start to lynch me, let me start by saying I am a great admirer of his. I think he is one of the top 5 pitchers in all of baseball. I have nothing against his talent, per se. What bothers me, is that he had to go and bring that to the Phillies, who as you know play my favorite team the Braves what seems like a gagillion times a season. I would have been fine if he had kept that stuff north of the border or moved to an AL team. But no, he had to come to my division…..freakin Roy Halladay. Halladay has a great fastball. No doubt. It’s 100 mph regularly, but several pitchers have this kind of fastball now. It’s not that unheard of anymore. Batters see 100 mph pitches on a fairly regular basis now. What Halladay brings that is so devastating is that nasty arsenal of nasty breaking pitches. The sinking fastball, curveball, cutter, and a changeup. He is a quick worker on the mound and can bring any of his 5 pitches to bear on a batter with great rapidity. It gives the batter no time to adjust. It’s just bam, bam, bam…and you either see a groundball out or a strikeout. The Braves last night were victims of both. There were plenty of groundball outs and a lot of strikeouts as well. Only Chipper Jones could get around on Halladay contributing a homer and a double. Everyone else though, forget it. That freakin Roy Halladay just kept sitting them down. And I just kept wishing that he had been traded to the Mariners or someone similar. Anything to keep him out of the Braves division. The Braves have two more series with the Phillies this season. Both are late in the season and the Phillies may have back their current DL residents by then. Add them to freakin Roy Halladay and you have a recipe for winning at the end of the season. Why couldn’t he have been a Mariner?
Got That Right
Now this is more like it Chop Heads. The Braves are now 1.5 games back of the Phillies in the NL East. Chipper actually hit the ball last night…more than once! The Phillies are on a losing streak a mile wide and the Braves get 3 games AT HOME against the Pirates. What a difference a week makes!
The Braves are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have won the last two games in convincing fashion. The bats are finally starting to come around. The pitching has still been good…with the exception of Kawakami. And the dungeon is but a distant memory, mostly.
The team had the Pirates in the Interleague series…not enough AL/NL teams to do an even swap. That worked out great and got this whole new ball rolling. The team did well versus the Marlins and watched as the Phillies embarked on a 5 game losing streak. With each Braves win and each Phillies loss the Braves crept ever closer to the top spot.
The Phillies get the Marlins this weekend in Florida while the Braves get to stay at home where their record is infinitely better than the road. Hopefully, Chipper continues hitting the ball well for this series. The Braves have Lowe tonight and Medlen tomorrow and then my fave migraine inducer Kawakami on Sunday. Maybe Sunday he can FINALLY get a win…it would be his first all season.
This weekend is shaping up to be a season turner. The weekend where the Bravs finally get it all on track and never look back. Just a couple more wins and a couple more Phillies losses and we’re number 1! Come on my fellow Chop Heads…do the chop…do the chop…got that right!
That’ll Do Nate, That’ll Do
In quite possibly one of the greatest comebacks in baseball ever (perhaps overstated), the Braves came back in the 10th inning to beat the evil empire Phillies 4-3 Tuesday night. And in THE funniest walk off homer ever, the Braves deserted the bench as McLouth hit the winning homer and headed for the clubhouse without even so much as a “That”ll do Nate.” Funniest thing ever. The Braves have won their last 5 games, which begs the question, have they switched to a new bipolar medication that enables them not to lose every other night or is it all just a tease? Perhaps a lull into the road of hope. Starting pitching good, bullpen good, hitting good job. Perhaps all just smoke and mirrors…or perhaps not. The game on Tuesday night vs the Phillies was close all the way through. There was no score until the 4th inning. One run here, one run there. Then, out came the big bats in the 9th with 2 out I might add. Glaus drops a 2 run bomb on Madson and then Jason Heyward, the J Hey kid, sinks Madson like a torpedo hitting a battleship – game tied. Enter Billy Wagner, Phillies get nothing in the top of 10. Next, McLouth unloads on Contreras – homer – walkoff – Braves win – entire team clears dugout and heads to locker room before McLouth even touches home plate. Classic….just classic. Wednesday night it’s Doc Halladay on the mound for the Phillies and Hudson going for the Braves. Halladay is like my worst nightmare come to life. When the Phillies got him, I seriously considered Hara-kiri and tonight it’s the showdown at the OK Corral. To say that I haven’t considered sacrificing something in hopes of warding off the all too real possibility of a Halladay beatdown of my team wouldn’t be overstating things. Maybe, the new bipolar meds will keep working tonight. Maybe, the J Hey kid or Huddy can save us. Maybe it will be another walk off game winner and maybe this time the team will stay around in the dugout to say “That’ll do.”
Deborah Horton
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