Phillies Nation

17 Responses to “On Biggest Stage, Utley And Howard Must Rise”

1. CN Says:
   October 22nd, 2008 at 1:28 pm

   Gonna be tough against lefty pitching…

2. Gabriel Says:
   October 22nd, 2008 at 1:49 pm

   if howard returns to form from his 58 HR season… he could easily make contact and wrist one out to the opposite field… lets hope he’s taken BP against a lefty or two in this long layoff, especially since they will more than likely apply the shift like everyone else…

3. Phillyguy Says:
   October 22nd, 2008 at 1:50 pm

   I think that Victorino and Burrell will have a huge night today, I just have that feeling for some reason. Howard and Utley might have something but I’m not feeling that it’s their game tonight. And I base that on absolutely nothing, except a feeling!

4. PhillyPhaninIndy Says:
   October 22nd, 2008 at 1:55 pm

   Let’s Go Phillies!!!

   I have a good feeling about Cole tonight. Phillies win 2-0.

5. MS Says:
   October 22nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm

   Tim, Brian, this guy should win the game 4 tix. he is the biggest fan.

   http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-sp.philsfan22oct22,0,6659662.story

6. Manny Says:
   October 22nd, 2008 at 2:10 pm

   MS, he already “has seats for Game5 in Philadelphia.”

7. MS Says:
   October 22nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm

   my point was he’s a big fan, and i look forward to reading the story that wins the Game4 tix from philliesnation.

8. Chuck Says:
   October 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 pm

   Yeah, Burrell steps up big tonight. And don’t forget about Werth. He’s way overdue!!

9. stratfor Says:
   October 22nd, 2008 at 2:20 pm

   More 2008 postseason stats on these two:

   Avg/Obp/Slg/Ops

   Utley: .250/.400/.438/.838

   Howard: .258/.410/.323/.733

   Both of these guys are making up somewhat for their decreased average and (for Howard, certainly) power with lots of walks (8 each!). A good deal of their decreased hitting may be due to the fact that they’re not getting anything good to hit – perhaps further supported by Burrell’s strong postseason thus far (.333/.368/.500/.868).

10. Don M Says:
    October 22nd, 2008 at 2:20 pm

    Werth had a GREAT Brewers series in the NLDS!! He just struggles against RHP… facing Gallardo, D-Lowe, etc..

    I think Jimmy Rollins is going to be the MVP.. he thrives in big spots, and I think he carries this team on the biggest stage!!!

11. Chutley Says:
    October 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pm

    I’ll say it again…. HOWARD goes nuts in this series. 4 homers 9 RBI’s and an MVP trophy

12. Chuck Says:
    October 22nd, 2008 at 2:34 pm

    That’s true Don. Werth DID do well against the Brewers, except against righties. Hopefully, he can overcome that to a point. That’s what I’m saying, that he’s overdue in those situations. Rollins needs to set the tone tonight. Right away. Something big, a leadoff double, whatever. The team can feed off that bigtime and he will feed off the team.

13. Gabriel Says:
    October 22nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm

    i had a dream last night that i was somehow in the phils dugout… in a stadium that only exists in my dreamland… burrell hit a HR, maybe two i forget but hopefully thats a sign…

14. Don M Says:
    October 22nd, 2008 at 2:41 pm

    ESPN experts.. not that I care what they say, but here is how smart they are:

    Rob Neyer (WHO?) Picks the Rays in 5:
    “Pitching, hitting, fielding … the only real edge the Phillies seem to have is Brad Lidge in the ninth inning … and as good as David Price has looked, even that’s not a sure thing.”

    Maybe he didn’t notice that they had 3 errors in Game 4, and an error in each of the last 3 games:

    Longoria had 3 of them, SS- Bartlett had 2, Upton had 1… so I hope the media keeps blowing these guys without doing any reseatch to see how well they played under pressure.. they beat an injured Becket.. Tim Wakefield.. and Lester who didn’t look so unhittable in the ALCS..

    Rays are a great young team.. but calling defense and their bullpen strengths over the Phillies might be crazy

15. Manny Says:
    October 22nd, 2008 at 2:51 pm

    A lot of people having crazy dreams… Whether it’s in the dugout of a dreamland stadium or a field with chairs, I think that’s a good sign!

16. Chutley Says:
    October 22nd, 2008 at 3:03 pm

    Why has David Price become the next Mariano Rivera? He has five outings this year, he shut down the bottom of the Red Sox order in game seven and now the Phils have no shot of even fouling a pitch off

17. Chuck Says:
    October 22nd, 2008 at 3:04 pm

    Dreams are powerful. A VERY good sign.

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