Results tagged ‘ Philadelphia Phillies ’
Opening Night : Game Recap
Well the first game of the 2009 season has come and gone, and I am left very content and still anxious for tomorrow’s slate of games. Let’s reflect on today’s game with my very first GAME OF THE DAY RECAP:
vs. 
The story tonight was Derek Lowe.
Lowe was phenomenal in his first start with the Braves. He pitched 8 shutout innings, gave up only 2 hits, and did not walk one batter. His control was impeccable. The K-Zone on ESPN gave a great illustration on just how precise he was in his pitches. He was hitting corners and dropping balls out of the zone just in time to fan batters. He only struck out 4 batters, but he got most of his outs on ground balls, which is what you love to see from your pitcher. The first hit off of Lowe was Carlos Ruiz grounding a ball over top of 3rd base after Jeff Francoeur dropped a ball in foul territory that should’ve been caught. The second hit was a grounder up the middle by Jimmy Rollins. No one on the Phillies made good contact until the 9th when Lowe was out of the game, and Mike Gonzalez was pitching. Gonzo gave up 1 run, 2 hits and a walk, which at one point brought Ryan Howard up representing the tying run. Gonzalez got his 3 outs, but now starts the season with an ugly 9.00 ERA.
The Braves offense was the total opposite of the Phillies. They came out smoking the ball. Chipper Jones got one base with a 2 out hit in the first which was followed by a towering Brian McCann home run to the second deck in right field. Jeff Francoeur then led off the 2nd with a home run of his own, and rookie Jordan Schafer hit a home run in his first ever big league at bat 2 batters later. Phillies’ starter Brett Myers settled down after that, and finished the game with a line of 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Myers didn’t look good at all in this game, but I guess you could say he did give the Phillies somewhat of a shot to win the game, actually I’d credit that more towards Mike Gonzalez.
The Braves finished with 8 hits, Phillies with 4, and neither team committed an error.
As for my prediction, I was incredibly wrong when I said the Braves wouldn’t hit any home runs, I did however predict Jordan Schafer to have an RBI, and I got the winner of the game right, which is really all that matters.
This now brings me to a competitive offer to the rest of you bloggers. I am going to start a contest where any blogger who wants to compete will pick the winners to all the games once a week, on Fridays, and we’ll see who predicts the most right. So every Friday bloggers will post their predicted winners, and we’ll add all the stuff up every week and keep running standings. I figure Friday is a good day for it because there are never afternoon games Fridays so people will have all day to get their picks in. Leave a comment if you’re going to compete!
Tomorrow is the best day of the year, I don’t think I’ll be sleeping very much tonight!
N.L. East Preview
Alright well we are only 10 days away from opening night, so I figured now is a great chance to start my divisional previews. Since I’m a national league guy, we’ll start right at the top with the National League East. I will rank the teams in 3 categories, hitting, pitching, and peripherals (if you will). Let’s get to it.
Hitting
- Mets
- The Mets come in to 2009 with something to prove. They have two consecutive years of choking in September which both resulted in missing the playoffs. This team’s offense has been one of the best in the game the last 5 years. In 2008, they averaged 4.9 runs a game, tied for 2nd in the national league. This lineup features great hitters in Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Delgado, along with a young left fielder in Daniel Murphy with loads of potential.
- Phillies
- The world champion Phillies tied the Mets for 2nd in the NL in runs per game last year. Their offense was led by Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Pat Burrell. The Phillies lost Burrell to free agency this offseason, but picked up Raul Ibanez to help fill the void. All-in-all, this lineup is deadly and could very well lead the Phillies to their 2nd division title in as many years.
- Marlins
- The Marlins are full of youth. This unit averaged 4.8 runs per game last season, a very solid number. The signs show this team going no where but up. The offense is led by Hanley Ramirez, and supported by Jeremy Hermida, Dan Uggla, and soon to be 22 year old Cameron Maybin. I definitely see the Marlins contending with the top of this division, almost singly because of this offense.
- Nationals
- The Nationals made a splash this offseason by adding Adam Dunn, who is far and away the best hitter on this team. That should provide done with a lot of confidence, and my guess is he’ll be swinging for the fences every single at bat. This could result in a 50+ home run season for one of the big league’s best power hitters. Dunn will be helped by (still young) Ryan Zimmerman, Lastings Milledge, and Elijah Dukes, who all have potential to put up good numbers this year.
- Braves
- It seems like the Braves have been going downhill for a couple of years now. They’re record streak of division titles ended in 2007, and the offense doesn’t look potent. They averaged 4.6 runs per game last year. Their offense (still) features Chipper Jones, however it’s kind of weak after that because of the offseason loss of Mark Teixeira. Brian McCann is a budding young slugger at the catcher position, but it’s bad news when you rely on your catcher for most of your offense. Guys that need to step up this year are Josh Anderson, Kelly Johnson, and Casey Kotchman.
Pitching
- Phillies
- The Phillies ranked first in the NL East in runs allowed last year. Their pitching is what got them to the World Series. Cole Hamels is an already established ace who will just keep getting better, barring that elbow issue. Brett Myers, Joe Blanton, and Jamey Moyer should lead the Phillies to once again rank first in runs allowed this year.
- Mets
- Two words : Johan Santana. Johan is probably my pick for Cy Young this year. He is going to be unbelievable. The problem is, there isn’t much in this rotation after him. Mike Pelfrey and John Maine could both have solid seasons, but there are question marks. If those guys pitch well, this pitching staff could be the best the Mets have had in awhile.
- Braves
- I almost took the Braves to be second in this category. The offseason additions of Derek Lowe and Javier Vasquez should do nothing but improve last year’s mark of 4.8 runs allowed per game. 2008 breakout Jair Jurrjens makes a very nice looking 3 starter. I really like this pitching staff for the Braves. Although Mike Gonzalez is kind of shaky in the closer role. I’m rooting for him though.
- Marlins
- The Marlins are very youthful on this side of the ball as well. At the top of this staff is Ricky Nolasco, who could have a monster season. Josh Johnson and Chris Volstad are also guys with a lot of upside. Andrew Miller will be in the 5 spot, which could really determine how this rotation fairs. Miller was a top prospect and has nasty stuff. If he takes positive strides this year, this Marlins rotation could surprise you.
- Nationals
- I was generous to the Nats in putting them 4th in the hitting race, but it’s not going to happen here. John Lannon, Scott Olsen, Daniel Cabrera, and another Zimmerman? Really? Nationals lose a ton of games because of this rotation.
So here’s my final standings for the 2009 National League East:
New York Mets…………………..98 – 64
Philadelphia Philles………….. 90 – 72
Florida Marlins…………………..85 – 79
Atlanta Braves……………………78 – 86
Washington Nationals…………68 – 96
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