Comments on: NLCS Preview: Phillies vs. Dodgers

By: jonny5

jonny5 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:43:26 +0000

"After my spectacular failure to predict the Dodgers-Cardinals series within ten miles of reality >>>>I should probably get out of the prediction business.)~ Slugfest here we come!!! BTW I was wrong with the prediction as well. I called it Philly in 6!!!

By: jonny5

jonny5 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:18:10 +0000

Good morning…. It’s a beautiful day here. Sun is shining, birds are chirping, and the Phightin’ Phills prove once again exactly who has more heart. I love it!!! Did I mention it’s a Beautiful day?

By: jonny5

jonny5 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:08:58 +0000

Insecure???? I thought me calling the series as a Phillies win in 6 was a pretty secure thing to say…. As a matter of fact no one in Philly thought the Dodgers would take it, pretty secure if you ask me. Also look at the fact that LA had 5 hits in the last 2 games. Philly fans throwing it in the the faces of the so called “experts” of the game is as to be expected.I thought you guys would learn from last season too. LOL!!! The dodgers don’t have the edge, never did. And it’s only 2-1 because of Philly mistakes. That’s baseball and yes, it’s still anyones series in a mathematical kind of way, but you have to admit, after last night the Dodgers have a heck of a row to hoe if they want to make it to the BIG GAME!!!! I’m only being critical here because it’s so much fun Craig!!! Now watch it swing back tonight and make me look silly, Wolf will get a standing ovation in his old stomping grounds (or boos,you know Philly ,we’re bipolar at times.), we do miss him here. But I have a feeling the heat the Phillies lineup have going for them right now with the bats won’t be replicated by LA. Remember who has more heart next time, that’s all. Joe Torre said it best. “There is a reason these guys are the world champs”.

By: Craig Calcaterra

Craig Calcaterra — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:44:05 +0000

I said that Cliff Lee was stone cold dealing lately and that the Dodgers were going to have a tough damn time with him despite the fact he’s a lefty. I also said that it would be a close series, and right now it’s 2-1.
I’ve never seen more insecure fans than Philly fans in my life.

By: jonny5

jonny5 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:36:59 +0000

Umm, what were you saying Craig??? ;>)~ I told you, the most disrespected World Champions ever just have more heart than the boys in Blue. It is what it is. You see? Phillies will take this next game and only need one win in LA (If LA can win one in Philly). Would you like to write a nice feel good story for the dodgers after they are booted from the NLCS? Again? By the same team that did it last season? Even the one win the dodgers put up, was because of Philly bullpen issues. It looks to me like the Dodgers Bull pen has some as well though…. One thing I like is the fact that Billingsly is going to be a non factor for tonight. Torre should have saved him for a game they could possibly win I think….. Awww man they have 2 more games in Philly??? Ouch. Sorry Hollywood… Ok, I lie. :>)

By: dammien

dammien — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:28:38 +0000

Holy crap is it FANTASTIC to read all these comments the following day…

By: Jimsjam33

Jimsjam33 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:31:57 +0000

Let the war begin ! GREAT BASEBALL COMING UP

By: waloch

waloch — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:11:20 +0000

Are people forgetting the Dodgers had the best record in baseball for the better part of the season and never lost first place? And that was WITHOUT an ace!

By: Brad

Brad — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:04:43 +0000

i love all the Philly fans claiming no respect. Were the Phillies the team with the best record in the NL this year? Were the Phillies picked as the underdog in the Division series (only to go on and sweep)? NOOO…the dodgers are the ones getting no respect…I cant wait to beat the Phillies and come back to see what all the bandwagoners are saying then!! Kershaw and Wolf are both very good pitchers…and I figure Ethier is due for another walk off in this series….i bet these are the same people claiming we got lucky against the Cards….we beat the Cards…the one dropped ball didnt change the fact that we had runners on in almost every inning of that series….THINK BLUE

By: rtbird

rtbird — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:55:30 +0000

Phillies have won eleven of the last 16 meetings (good), the Dodgers have taken four of the last six (better).

By: justin

justin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:09:29 +0000

And, if you’re going to make the argument (as I’ve seen) that “Lee’s been lights out since coming to Philly…” (the 2.83 FIP as a Phil is impressive), doesn’t rational thought dictate that you have to acknowledge the same for Padilla (a 3.40 FIP as a Dodger)?

By: justin

justin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:58:34 +0000

Small sample size… way to cherry-pick your stats. While their bullpen certainly isn’t as horrific as the media would have you believe, it probably also shouldn’t qualify as “good”. Their FIP for the season was 4.16, which puts them ninth in the NL. They would be significantly improved if they left Lidge off the roster.
Likewise, the Dodgers’ bullpen probably isn’t quite as good as advertised with a FIP of 3.74 (well above their ERA of 3.14). I’m not smart enough to tell you why their ERA is so low when compared to their FIP, especially considering the fact that they’re a pretty neutral fielding team.

By: justin

justin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:44:05 +0000

Wolf had a FIP of 3.96, which is lower than all Phils SPs other than Hammels and Lee. Padilla’s is 4.45, which is the same as Blanton’s. While FIP isn’t perfect gauge of a SP’s worth(what is?), it’s certainly better than Wins or ERA and is good enough for this. So, here are the FIPs for the respective SPs from lowest to highest:
1. Kershaw – 3.05
2. Lee – 3.11
3. Kuroda – 3.58
4. Hamels – 3.72
5. Wolf – 3.96
6. Martinez – 4.28
7. Happ – 4.33
8. Padilla – 4.45
8. Blanton – 4.45
Wow, this looks amazingly even to me… Dodger, Phillie, Dodger, Phillie, Dodger, Phillie, Phillie, Dodger. I don’t know why most of the baseball pundits are giving the rotation edge to the Phillies (well, I suppose it could be that Joe Torre is making a horrific call in starting Padilla in game three and Wolf in game four…)

By: dice

dice — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:36:38 +0000

The phillies didn’t look good vs. the rockies? They only lost one game which was very close. Lidge pitched well. Lee had two amazing starts. And then end of game 4 where the phil’s bats emerged with two outs to destroy the rockies playoff hopes? seriously, its amazing that even after winning the world series the phillies have no bandwagon – everyon cheers for the stupid dodgers because they are from LA…

By: PhillyPhan

PhillyPhan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:19:57 +0000

It was mentioned in a previous “Circling the Bases”:
“Phillies’ pitiful bullpen.” Are they referring to the pitiful bullpen that gave up 4 earned runs over 11 1/3 innings to the team(Rockies) with the second most runs scored in the NL this season?”
I think I am ok with my Phillies Bullpen! We will know soon enough with the countdown to gametime upon us.
GL to everyone that enjoys the game of baseball itself and soak it all in while the season lasts.

By: RC

RC — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:16:23 +0000

COMMENTS LIKE THIS ONE ARE JUST STUPID..

By: JP

JP — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:10:16 +0000

“I think they’re going to pull the series out despite their horrid bullpen that’s led by the corpse of Brad Lidge”.
That’s waaaayyy too many words to type.

By: Ralph

Ralph — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:04:22 +0000

Folks, reality is that this series is even money. To bet either way a great deal is foolish. The Phillies and Yankees are both the favorites because of their recent pasts. The Phillies bullpen could be an achillies heel however. One reader accurately noted that Dodger run production often goes south enmasse. This could be the Dodger’s Waterloo. It would seem home field could help LA but the Phillies are the best road team in baseball period. Kershaw is the next great lefthander and could be the wildcard. Am I vascilating? You bet I am!

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:55:29 +0000

I sincerely question if you even watch baseball. The Rockies almost took the NL West from the Dodgers. Must have had a senior moment, eh Craigers? Lee is actually hot right now. Try to remember the two games he pitched against the Rockies, one a shut out until the 9th (they had one run) and the other night, Monday, Lee kept it scoreless until the 6th and when he was taken out in the 8th, there was only one run. The runs occurred after Lee left with one man on base. Get the facts straight. The Rockies did put up a fight and the Phils returned the favor. Watch the game.
The experts have the two teams evenly matched. That is why they are calling it in 7 games. That makes it unpredictable at best.

By: justin

justin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:46:36 +0000

Stay far away from Vegas, Atlantic City, or any bookies. How can you just say “I think the bullpen is going to come through”? They’re terrible! I would understand “I think they’re going to pull the series out despite their horrid bullpen that’s led by the corpse of Brad Lidge”, but wow. Just, wow.

By: justin

justin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:43:11 +0000

Uhhh, Kershaw is a lefty. If I have to explain the significance, you wouldn’t get it. Now, go back and do your analysis over.

By: justin

justin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:39:13 +0000

PhillyPhan, No, the Rockies aren’t some kind of joke, and they should put a pretty quality team on the field next season. Whether it will be better than this season’s is debatable, and we’ll have to see what the do in the offseason. They’re probably losing an unexpectedly productive Jason Marquis, and I’m guessing that De La Rosa probably just had a career year (but I could be very wrong about that, obviously). That’s a lot of pitching that they’re going to need to replace, and I don’t exactly see free agent pitchers lining up to sign with the Rockies.
Also, those games they played in April and May still count, and who’s to say they won’t struggle to start the season next season? After all, they are starting to build a reputation as a 2nd half team. Tulowitzki is also getting a reputation as a 2nd half player, and he’s a huge reason they played so well down the stretch. Yeah, this is a bit overly simplistic as the contributing factors are vast, but if he struggles next spring, I’m willing to bet that the Rockies do so as well.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:08:45 +0000

I love this pick. I love that all the talking heads are picking the Dodgers again. And again…they’ll be wrong. Okay, I’m a homer, but my God, I am constantly astonished by the disrespect the Fightins get. They had the most productive offense in the NL. They scored more runs than every other NL team plus hit 224 HRs, which is 79 more than the Dodgers. Okay the Dodgers bullpen is better than the Phils, no argument, but does anyone really think that Randy Wolf and Vicente Padilla are quality upgrades to the rotation? Really? Padilla will be out of the game by the 3rd inning of his start. But, the real reason the Phils will win this series in 6 is the intangible: this team has a fervent, religious belief that they will win every game, no matter what. I think the Rockies understand that now. Don’t bet against the Phillies. This team has one goal and one goal only – Repeat! GO PHILS!

By: MrGoodtimes

MrGoodtimes — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:30:21 +0000

I think picking either team in 7 games is a crap shoot. I really think this could turn out to be a fantastic series. I’m a Phillies Phan and I do think they’ll pull it off but at the same time I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dodgers did. Two great managers, two great line ups, pitching. This is gonna be fun!

By: TSP

TSP — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:10:37 +0000

The Phillies definitely get no respect. Look at the time schedule for the last series. When is the last time anyone watched a baseball game that started at 10:10 Eastern in below freezing temperatures?
Phillies take it in 6 unless Manny starts taking the juice again.
Also, Craig, you may want to correct the typo in the “Bullpens” para by changing sacred to scared…

By: Phils_in_6

Phils_in_6 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:51:01 +0000

By name, you can tell where I am heading with this. Craig, you never even addressed the elephant in the room for Game 1. Hamels is 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA in La-la-land, he has said he loves the mound at Dodger Stadium, he is a So. Cal boy…..and he kinda likes the spotlight. On the flip side, Kershaw is a rightie. If I have to explain the significance, you wouldn’t get it.
Does this mean Game 1 is a lock? No, but the Phillies have quite an edge. If they take this one, Dodgers can start making tee times

By: JP

JP — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:50:35 +0000

Though I think your reasoning is sound, I think you’re going to be 0-2 for Phillies/Dodgers predictions. I’ll make it clear I’m a biased, long-time Phillies fan. I think the bullpen is going to come through. I think games 3 and 4 (ESPECIALLY 4) are excellent displays of the tenacity that this team possesses. I, for one, had pretty much resigned myself to a game 5 in Philly going into the top of the 9th on Monday.
And with all of the talk about NY/LA and the “Freeway Series”, why does everyone overlook what kind of series you could have between the Yankess and the Phillies. I95 i a freeway too, you know?
Don’t discount the other intangible that the Phils play for every game. You know? That “HK” that’s on their uniforms?

By: gary

gary — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:49:14 +0000

its amazing that anyone out there thinks wolf & padillia represent quality starting pitching. can you say scrapheap??

By: PhillyPhan

PhillyPhan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:40:36 +0000

Didn’t the Rockies have the hottest team overall in the NL West down the end stretch while the Dodgers had struggled to win their div. in the end? Why consider the Rockies to have been a pushover? The Rockies would have probably won over LA had they played them 1st in the playoff series. But who will know?
The Rockies are not a joke and will most likely be back next year, but as a division winner rather than the WC.
I have only respect for that team.

By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:11:15 +0000

I’m a life long Dodger fan, so I’m biased. That said, The Dodger hitters are streaky this year and seem to go cold all at once, but still seem to find a way to manufacture runs, especially in the late innings when the Phillys will be most vulnerable. I find it ironic that two of three Dodger All Stars (Billingsley and Hudson) aren’t even starters in this series and could make a big impact off the bench that is being over looked. The Dodger bench has really come through for Torre and gives him that option of pulling starting pitchers early and relying on what has been a very good relief corp. On paper, the Dodgers come nowhere close to matching up power wise to the Phillys. Put the Dodgers did have one of the best team batting averages in baseball and that was without big contributions from Manny. Kershaw is a monster in the making and if he doesn’t get hurt by the long ball and can sit down the heart of the Phillys order that could set the tone for the rest of the series. Then if Wolf can keep his hot streak alive, Padilla stays good, it’ll be all Dodgers especially since even if Wolf and Padilla get hurt the Dodgers have better options out of the bull pen.