8/23, Phils vs. Dodgers, In-Game Blog
Well, what can you say about Fabio Castro? Effectively wild? Frighteningly wild? I think half of the Dodgers are checking to make sure their coconuts are still attached, since Castro buzzed the light tower about a half-dozen times. The bottom line is that Castro allowed one run in five innings and kept the Phils in the game (despite walking six and throwing 48 of 88 pitches for balls - yikes).
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The bullpen has been just awful this week (Tom Gordon is joining the list today), but let's keep in mind that the Phillies are on their way to an nine-run, three-game series for the second time in the last three series. When Ryan Howard is being noticed more for his god-awful fielding and base-stealing prowess than for his bat, you have a problem on your hands. They HAVE to get him straightened out. And they really need Chase Utley to be rust-free when he gets activated.
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Ramon Martinez burns his former team (yes, you might have blinked and missed his Phillies' stint last season) with a two-run single in the eighth. Martinez has 22 hits and 22 RBIs this season, which makes him the only player in the majors with 100-plus plate appearances who has at least as many RBIs as hits. As far as I can tell, the last time a player had more RBIs than hits in a season was 2005 when Keith Ginter (25 RBIs, 22 hits) and Frank Thomas (26 RBIs, 23 hits) pulled it off.
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A few postgame thoughts:
--Ryan Howard not only has been awful at the plate since Chase Utley hit the D.L. (17-for-109, 4 HR, 14 RBI), the slump seems to be following him to the field. He made three simply terrible throws this afternoon that cost the Phillies outs. You could hear the disappointment in Charlie Manuel's voice in Howard's inability to pick up any of the slack.
--Utley will playing in Reading today, most probably as a DH. He'll play second base Saturday and Sunday, then return to action against the Mets.
--You won't see Tadahito Iguchi at third base - time to put that idea to rest - but he'll be the prime bat off the bench when Utley returns.
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The bullpen has been just awful this week (Tom Gordon is joining the list today), but let's keep in mind that the Phillies are on their way to an nine-run, three-game series for the second time in the last three series. When Ryan Howard is being noticed more for his god-awful fielding and base-stealing prowess than for his bat, you have a problem on your hands. They HAVE to get him straightened out. And they really need Chase Utley to be rust-free when he gets activated.
---
Ramon Martinez burns his former team (yes, you might have blinked and missed his Phillies' stint last season) with a two-run single in the eighth. Martinez has 22 hits and 22 RBIs this season, which makes him the only player in the majors with 100-plus plate appearances who has at least as many RBIs as hits. As far as I can tell, the last time a player had more RBIs than hits in a season was 2005 when Keith Ginter (25 RBIs, 22 hits) and Frank Thomas (26 RBIs, 23 hits) pulled it off.
---
A few postgame thoughts:
--Ryan Howard not only has been awful at the plate since Chase Utley hit the D.L. (17-for-109, 4 HR, 14 RBI), the slump seems to be following him to the field. He made three simply terrible throws this afternoon that cost the Phillies outs. You could hear the disappointment in Charlie Manuel's voice in Howard's inability to pick up any of the slack.
--Utley will playing in Reading today, most probably as a DH. He'll play second base Saturday and Sunday, then return to action against the Mets.
--You won't see Tadahito Iguchi at third base - time to put that idea to rest - but he'll be the prime bat off the bench when Utley returns.
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