Everything Working In Win Over Braves

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Wed, September 17, 2008 11:28 PM

JA Happ needed to stay in the game for a little while. The offense needed to pick it up early to give Happ confidence and support. They did both jobs, and the Phillies beat the Braves 6-1. Though the Mets won, the Phils remained a half-game above New York for the NL East lead.

Happ was very solid in his first start since July. He allowed just three hits and walked one in just 86 pitches over six against a very poor Braves offense. It was the exact start the Phils needed after using much of their bullpen Tuesday night. With the game still close, Chad Durbin and JC Romero shut down the Braves over two innings, but relief was less than necessary this time.

James Anthony was helped by his offense, which exploded early by batting around in the first. With two on and one out, Ryan Howard yet again proved clutch with an RBI single. After Jayson Werth scored on a throwing error, the Phils loaded the bases and Carlos Ruiz came up with one of his biggest hits as a Phillie, a two-run single to polish off the first against Jair Jurrjens.

The Phillies held it from there, with Happ punching in and out without trouble. Insurance runs came from a Pedro Feliz groundout and Matt Stairs home run. And great defense followed — Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins made beautiful plays in the field. Now step back and look at this — the Phils won via big contributions by, among others, Carlos Ruiz, JA Happ and Matt Stairs. The offense did its job, pitching was strong, defense was sharp. Everything is working, and with 10 games to play.

Associated Press photo

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49 Responses to “Everything Working In Win Over Braves”

  1. Durbinator Says:
    September 17th, 2008 at 11:30 pm

    JD Durbin? LOL you mean Chad.

  2. Tim Malcolm Says:
    September 17th, 2008 at 11:34 pm

    Ha. Freudian slip. Never again. Thanks!

  3. Doug Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 12:14 am

    I’d like to make one point to Tim’s “Everything is working”…

    The Phils, as a team, are playing great ball right now, but we’re going to need some individuals (namely, Pat the Bat and Chase) to step up if we’re to win in the postseason. I won’t get down on Utley b/c he’s proven that he’s earned some slack, but I sure hope his bat heats back up again in the next few weeks. I expect Burrell to be more erratic as a power guy than Utley as more of a contact guy, but even Burrell needs to catch fire here soon.

    As opposed to the previous few weeks, we’re getting results now due to situational performance, but I would surely hesitate before saying that EVERYTHING’s working.

  4. Tim Malcolm Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 12:17 am

    Obviously you want more production from Burrell and Utley, but as a unit, the offense is delivering. Credit Howard and Werth for picking up for Utley and Burrell, but hey, weren’t Utley and Burrell carrying the load in the early months?

  5. J-Man Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 2:38 am

    Yea it would be nice to see Utley and Burrell start hitting better,but like Tim said Utley and Burrell carried us in the first half of the season and rumor has been Utley is playing though a hip injurie,but won’t come forward and admit it…BTW it looks like we’ll be facing Mike Hampton instead of Jo-Jo Reyes tomorrow.

  6. Mark Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 3:06 am

    Go Phillies. Keep the beat going! 10 games left. remember, the Met’s final 7 games; 4 with the Cubs, 3 with the Brewers.

    For the Phils, IMHO 7 or 8 of 10 takes it!

  7. Lewisauce Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 4:11 am

    I think six can take it, seven definitely takes it, and eight is cement.

    Happ deserves Monday’s start as well.

  8. fred Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 6:35 am

    They need at least 7 wins from the last 10. The mets don’t play the brewers again, they finish up at home to florida. The Cubs will have clinched by the time they play the mets so i expect the mets to win 7/8 of their last 11, which means 7 takes it for the Phils. The brewers play cincinati and pittsburgh for 6, and then finish with the cubs for 3 so they have a favourable schedule also. But if we keep winning then none of that matters

  9. Jim Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 7:43 am

    Marlins and nationals are playing good lately, at least offensivley. Its gonna be a good race but we’re clickin at the right time and like we’ve said all year once everybody on this team starts hitting we won’t be stopped. If burrell can get in on the hitting we can beat anybody in the NL

  10. Phil Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 8:50 am

    I’m okay with guys being hot and cold and having people carry the team as long as they all get hot on October 2nd or whenever the 1st day of the post season is. This team is insane right now. I don’t even think it matters what pitcher they face, they’ll beat him into the ground. They dismantled Sheets. I don’t think anyone did that to him all year.

  11. Don M Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 8:56 am

    you guys must work for the Phillies front office… can’t you see that they are DONE… TRADE HOWARD!!!…. RELEASE ROLLINS!!! IMMEDIATELY!!

    …. glad all that shit is over, and hopefully if they lose two games it doesn’t start back up again.

    They are playing their bset baseball when it matters most.. lets keep it going!!

  12. Phil Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:04 am

    Don M, I disagree with you. They should be playing good baseball all year. Every game matters. Squandering about 30 quality starts from your pitchers is unacceptable.

  13. Don M Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:13 am

    haha… doesn’t evey single team in baseball do that though?? isn’t that part of sports that you win some games and you lose some games?

    The overall view of this team that people considered them DONE with like 16 games to play… and then yesterday and today people are ready for them to be in the WORLD SERIES again is a f*cking joke.. and proves that Rollins was 100% correct when he called everyone out. . . they lose a game or two and everyone calls for these crazy trades, and birng up prospects that aren’t ready yet, and god knows what else..

    Like I’ve been saying all season… we COULD beat any team in the NL.. so hoepfully, we do it

  14. Ben Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:32 am

    Don M, you read too many bulletin boards and blogs. You whine incessantly about how great a fan you are and how horrible fans everyone else is. Please give it up!! You prove absolutely nothing except that you whine constantly. Whether they win or lose you are whining about something.

  15. Ben Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:33 am

    At least everyone else is only whining when they lose.

  16. NC Jason Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:33 am

    Tim ~

    Any news of Shane’s hand? I was listening to the game and Braves’ people said it looked kinda bad? Is this true? I know he had two hits afterward but I did not know if there was any news on x-rays?

  17. Phil Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:37 am

    Don M, no other teams offense falls asleep for a full 2 months. They became a horrible team and didn’t play to their potential for 2 months. It’s like they didn’t care or try. They are finally playing good baseball again so we’re happy. Every Phillies fan has the right to be pissed off at watching them play .500 baseball for a full 2 months and not even caring or trying to start winning.

  18. Don M Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:40 am

    I like cheese with my whine.. thats why.

    I love you Ben

  19. NC Jason Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:41 am

    I think that the slump of 2 months was magnified even more because before they went down the shitter, for about 2.5 weeks at the end of May and early June they were playing some of the best ball anyone here had ever seen. And then they cannot even pick-up ball.

  20. Don M Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:44 am

    This is really the only one that I read, because for the most part, we get lots of good posts on here.. I just got pissed last week, when after defending the team, I have like 15 people telling me I dont know anything about baseball, and that I must work for the phillies if I think they are a good team… and I must be a Mets fan and whatever else..

    So f*cking right im going to post back now and bitch about everyone else crying about how this team was finished even when they had lots of baseball left to play… Im not a super-fan by any means… but i get called out all the time for being positive about this team..

  21. Phil Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:47 am

    You got positive when they were playing some of the worst baseball I’ve ever seen a team play. They were struggling against bottom feeders. It wasn’t until they swept the Dodgers that I started to think this team was turning it around finally.

  22. Don M Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:51 am

    Im obviously not calling you out Phil.. you’ve been pretty even the whole year.. there are other fans on here that are ready to name their babies after Jimmy last year, then this year they want him killed..

    and for like 2 months how we had to listen to people argue about Clay Condrey and players like that, because they failed to realize that EVERY team has role-players, and no team can have all-stars at all 25 spots on the roster..

    I just stayed postive because i know how long the season is… was I worried about them after that west coast trip.. yea… but the fact that they also beat the good teams shows you what kind of team they are. They unfortunately play-down to their opponents like the Nats, Pirates, etc.. but they get up for the big games too

  23. Don M Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:52 am

    They could make the World Series this year… or MISS THE PLAYOFFS still.. but im a firm believer of sticking with your team until/unless they are actually eliminated

  24. Phil Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:53 am

    Oh, I was always on your side for shit like that. I always backed Ruiz up, I always backed Condrey up, etc. I kept saying that Ruiz production wouldn’t matter if the all-stars were hitting the ball, but everyone kept scapegoating Ruiz. Condrey has a great ERA, but people still tend to throw him under a bus. Condrey would probably be the Mets best bullpen arm.

  25. Ben Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:57 am

    Well I must say it does sound like you work for the Phillies with the attitude you do have(especially when they are sucking), but thats just how different people view the same thing.

    The Phillies still need Utley to figure something out because he is reeling and Burrell just needs to sit at this point. The problem is that he is the only real option in the 5 hole because Werth has really solidified himself in the middle of that lineup and its not really fair to put Victorino in that position. I’d say give Stairs a shot at some point but he’s fitting in nicely in his utility and pinch hitting role and that could play huge down the stretch with two legit bats off the bench. Manuel probably wants to give Burrell his shot at turning it around.

  26. Jim Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 9:58 am

    You just can’t defend taguchi

  27. Geoff Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:02 am

    I really liked what JA Happ brought to the table last night.

    who ever said anything about trading ryan howard? thats a horrible idea! who would ever advocate such a ridiculous thing?

    i dont care how good jimmy rollins is i will always want to get rid of him for the entire rest of the time hes here. he just, has to go.

  28. Geoff Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:03 am

    still, youre definitely the dave spadaro of the phillies

  29. Geoff Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:04 am

    burrell just needs to go away at seasons end. sign milton bradley and make werth play everyday.

  30. Richie Allen Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:05 am

    On the Burrell situation:
    The way he is treating Burrell now is the reason the players love Charlie……Its the reason they play 110% for him ..so you cant say its wrong or right..Its just Charlies way of doing things..Maybe Burrell gets hot again ..who Knows?
    He really likes to give his players a chance.

  31. Richie Allen Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:06 am

    Don M,, if you do in fact work for the Phils…Can you get me a job?

  32. Gavin Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:14 am

    I will admit, I thought this team was finished…as I posted on here. I’m glad I was wrong.

  33. Geoff Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:20 am

    its ok to admit that we thought they were finished or that this or taht guy was done. they were SO bad at SEVERAL points this year thats its compeltely ok to say those things.

  34. Ben Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:26 am

    Richie, I agree with your assessment of Charlie. And for that reason is why I think he’s not that great of a manager. Good but not great. I guess he’s better than a lot of other people out there, but man wouldn’t it be nice to have a manager that makes all the right moves. Whether they work out or not is not the point, but he does leave you scratching your head too much.

  35. Griffin Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:35 am

    just a side note, the Mets play the Cubs and the Marlins, NOT the brewers to end the season.

  36. Richie Allen Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:36 am

    Ben, Im definitely not a genius, but MAYBE the reason the Phils are doing so good now is BECAUSE of the way Charlie handles them…I dont know for sure but the results are good right now.
    .I wish he would pull pitchers out faster sometimes..and I wish he would just play Stairs instead of Burrell ..But were winning..

  37. Georgie Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:41 am

    Don-PMS much?

  38. Don M Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:44 am

    If I could get myself a j o b there that would be awesome..

    I was among the first to point out Rollins and Victorino not getting on base, instead of people bashing Ruiz for his average.

    I was trying to get people to pay attention to Utley’s lack of power, and Burrell’s lack of pop a few weeks ago instead of going after Rollins who was playing well.. etc..

    I wanted Myers traded just like everyone else.. but situations like that is what should make everyone realize that Stand-Pat Gillick knows what the hell he’s doing.. Eyre, Stairs, Myers have been helpful… no they aren’t Manny and Sabathia, but they are those “puzzle pieces” that every team needs to have to win.

    And this is not defending Taguchi… but when was the last time the guy even played??? He’s a non-factor and not worth discussion… the 25th man or the roster shouldn’t really matter to anyone

  39. Don M Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:46 am

    Georgie, I ran out of Midol, so im using Phillies-Nation instead.. … outside of Phil and Geoff, I don’t expect anyone else to really know what kind of BS arguements we’ve had on here all season long.. so its just to vent frustration.. the same way others have all year..

    thats what this thing is for, right?

  40. Tim Malcolm Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:51 am

    Looks like Vic just had a stinger, nothing to report.

  41. Geoff Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am

    i was flipping out that the trainer was allowed to even touch victorinos arm last night. i was like: “NO SHANE, dont let him touch your arm!!! Youll end up on the 15day DL!!”

  42. Ben Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 10:59 am

    Richie, Hey if you wanna love Charlie for the style of manager he is go for it. But I’m not quick to assume that the manager has as much affect on his players as some make you think. I’m also not gonna think the manager can’t have an affect on his players at all. The truth usually lies somewhere in the middle. I bet its nice to have a manager like that if I was a player, but in the end its all about winning. I think this Phillies team has been under performing all year. Not sure where the manager comes in on that, but I certainly have my doubts.

  43. Don M Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 11:13 am

    They clearly play better under this kinda guy than they did with a Bowa-type… Charlie got too much praise last year for helping them win, and too much blame this year when they were losing. He doesn’t swing the bat, or pitch the ball, so you can only blame him so much… Milt Thompson… if anyone deserves blame for their slumps on the coaching staff it was him…. but then should we praise him now cause they are hitting again??

  44. Georgie Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 11:18 am

    Don, just havin some fun, don’t mind me. It cracks me up when you guys get all pissy, but I love the passion! Hey btw, can’t we swear on here anymore? I’m fairly new but when I first came on here the language was VERY colorful, and sometimes it’s tough for me to get my point across without dropping some bombs.

  45. Doug Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 12:07 pm

    Everyone seems to have turned against Burrell on here lately. He’s going through a rough spell at the moment, but he’s been an integral cog in this Phillies machine this year. There have been games that he’s single-handedly shifted from the L to the W column.

    I won’t begin to claim that he’s playing good ball, and if someone wants to make the argument that he should sit the bench for a bit, I think that’s debatable, but to get down on the guy and claim he’s worthless and the Phils need to get rid of him, that’s an argument w/o merit if you’ve watched the Phils with any regularity this season.

  46. Manny Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 12:55 pm

    I couldn’t agree more with Doug. Burrell has been KEY for the Phillies this season and as long as we keep winning he should continue to be in the lineup and hope he gets his groove back.

  47. Don M Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 12:59 pm

    I don’t think anyone can honestly consider Burrell “worthless”… but he’s not “worth $15 M” in my book. Throughout his career he has been consistently INCONSISTENT.. and thats not worth another long-term deal in my opinion. I would be happy with another 2-3 years at $10 M per season..

    But some AL team that can afford to use him at DH sometimes will probably give him 4-5 years at $15 M per season.. he’d be foolish to pass that up

  48. lilgartrn Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 4:23 pm

    Ok – can we please stop the negativity and just root the damn team on, already. They are playing great ball – every contender between the AL and NL have got to have someone going through a slump right now. The guy looks like he wants to rip his heart out every time he’s up to bat, so dispense with the hypotheticals about next year’s roster and pull for them this year! Sorry to be nasty, but this team needs us to rally around them. The freaking Mets bloggers are not as critical of their guys right now, and they’re in a tighter spot than we are with the upcoming week of games…..

  49. Geoff Says:
    September 18th, 2008 at 4:25 pm

    and trade jimmy rollins in the offseason for a bunch of bad prospects to send a message.

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