Phillies Nation

53 Responses to “Playing The Blame Game Is Too Simple”

1. Greg V. Says:
   June 6th, 2009 at 12:03 pm

   Somebody call Chris Wheeler! He’s hijacked Phillies Nation!

2. Tim Malcolm Says:
   June 6th, 2009 at 12:08 pm

   Hey, sometimes you just have to think about things for a moment. That’s all.

3. Griffin Says:
   June 6th, 2009 at 12:10 pm

   The Phillies offense has only produced 6 runs in 18 innings. They’re facing a righty today and have to get some more runs.

   Last night sucked, let’s win today.

4. kathie Brenneman Says:
   June 6th, 2009 at 12:14 pm

   it doesn’t seem like you understand the meaning of “mea culpa.”

5. Greg V. Says:
   June 6th, 2009 at 12:28 pm

   Just kidding Tim. I actually agreed with a lot of that. I think back to the classic game last year where the Giants were one strike away from beating the Phillies when Pat Burrell jacked one out of the park. There’s always a flip side.

   On that note, I really love the games we play with the Dodgers because I think both teams are very similar in style and substance. You can never count either team in or out of the game until it’s over, and last night was no exception.

6. Andy Says:
   June 6th, 2009 at 12:30 pm

   Just 2 quick additions to the list:
   -The Phillies offense left a ton of runners on base. Milton is not a good pitcher, but he constantly worked out of jams via weak pop ups or ground outs. We had our fair share of baserunners, just couldn’t knock ‘em in. Had we, Lidge wouldn’t have even been brought in for the 9th.
   -Eric Bruntlett should never start in the outfield again. He shouldn’t even be on the roster imo, but that’s another story. Next time we need to start a 4th OF, either start Stairs or recall Mayberry Jr. Because Bruntlett completely misread that fly ball- one that would have been an easy out for 97% of right fielders- he allowed a run to score. That run came back to haunt us in the 9th.

7. Bruce Says:
   June 6th, 2009 at 12:30 pm

   Yes, it was a tough loss and hard to swallow. However, as you stated Tim, things can go wrong that can’t always be controlled. Errors, misplays, missed calls, etc., That’s part of baseball and always will be.

   I know the team will not dwell on this loss and regroup and focus on winning today’s game.

   I do feel for Jamie Moyer and his outstanding performance last night against a team that leads the league in BA and runs scored. It’s a shame that he was denied his 251st win in his illustrious carrer.
   However, he is the one positive that can be salvaged from last night.
   Moyer now has a 3.60 ERA with 14 strikeouts and three walks in 25 innings over his last four starts.

   Unfortunately, that record won’t stop those who will look for any flimsy or unfounded excuse to discredit Moyer’s strong outings. They shall be ignored.

   I do hope Victorino is able to play and back into his role as the offensive catalyst for today’s game.

   Let’s go Phillies!

8. Michael Says:
   June 6th, 2009 at 12:33 pm

   5th blown save for Lidge, what else can you say. Bruntlett again in the outfield, get a real outfielder out there.

9. SpinyNorman Says:
   June 6th, 2009 at 12:33 pm

   My blame…http://delawarean.wordpress.com

   I agree with much of what you say…just don’t let the offense off the hook for last night…it was a bum night for them. They will rebound today.

   Jimmy on the other hand…ugh…

10. Pat Gallen, Phils Examiner Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:37 pm

    All the LOB stuff is old. THe Phillies always leave runners on base. Lidge has to be held accountable. I say give him til the break and see if he’s changed. IF not, we have Madson ready to rock. And I have no qualms about giving him the ball in the 9th

11. Greg V. Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:39 pm

    Here is my question:

    WHY THE [INSERT PROFANITY OF CHOICE] IS JACK TASCHNER STILL ON THE PHILLIES?

    We have John Mayberry Jr. and Michael Taylor in our system that could easily fill in for the healing Victorino, but apparantly it’s essential that we crowd our bullpen with lefty relievers, one who I never want to see pitching for the team again! Get rid of Taschner, and bring up Mayberry or Taylor! I’m so sick of this so called “search” for a right handed batter/4th outfielder! We have two of them in the farm! Bring them up!

12. Pat Gallen, Phils Examiner Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:40 pm

    Does anyone think Jimmy should be smacked down to number 6?

13. Michael Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:40 pm

    I could not agree more with Pat Gallen. Also I think it is time to do something with Rollins. He is all talk and no action.

14. Michael Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:42 pm

    Greg V. you are right. Get rid of Taschner he is awful. John Mayberry jr would be alot better in the outfirld then Bruntlett.

15. Max Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    Can we throw some blame on Bruntlett, too? He isn’t getting hammered about his defense nearly enough! First of all, he is an infielder before anything. So why does Befuddled throw him out there in right two games in a row? He did come into the series with a .135 average, remember. Do we not have a much more serviceable fielder and hitter in Matt Stairs? Stairs’s profile actually lists him as a RF. Bruntlett’s puts him at SS. The ball hit by Loney in the 7th with a runner on 2nd and 2 outs was right at Bruntlett. Had he not hesitated, he could have easily caught it. But, no. He allowed the 2nd run to score, which goes back to his not being an outfielder by nature. Cholly took a risk in starting Bruntlett in right on Thursday with Victorino’s injury. It didn’t actually hurt him, except for his 0-4 and 3 LOB, which obviously had no effect on the outcome of the game. Cholly took another chance last night by starting Bruntlett and avoiding Stairs. This time, it bit him in the ass, with his poor defensive skills. Ironically, he actually helped out with his bat, going 2-3, scoring once. But that’s beside the point. Remember back to October when Stairs hit that infamous game-winning, series-changing homer in L.A. Why not start Stairs back there? Cholly Befuddled.

16. PhillyGameday.com Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    I understood the reason for not messing with Rollins while the Phils were winning 7 in a row, but this loss and Rollins’ complete absence offensively should be reason enough to drop him behind Ibanez/Werth. If he’s not dropped for the game today, I would personally appreciate a solid reason why Charlie continues to start us in a 1-out hole every game.

17. Michael Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    I lived in Harrisburg Pa for a long time and now live in Las Vegas and I still am a die hard Phillies fan. However it has always been the same , Know good starting pitching or outfielders. If we want to win another World Series then we need better pitching, a better closer and a better outfielder.also lets start thinking about ROLLINS>

18. Pat Gallen, Phils Examiner Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    I think Chollie feels obligated to play his veterans who got them there rather than try young talent. You’ll probably get the same result though. Why do you think So Taguchi was here so long. I;m all for seeing Mayberry in there instead of Bruntlett, but I guess you have to look at it as Mayberry getting his ABs somewhere

19. Corinne Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:54 pm

    Didn’t Feliz’ errant throw vs. the Mets earlier this season cost the Phillies the Santana/Park show down?

    2 of his 3 errors on the season have lost the game. Is it too much to ask for his rare mistakes to come at slightly more convenient times?

20. NJ Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

    Haven’t we been down this road before, pure anger directed at guys like Rolllins, Howard, Myers and we won a championship in a year we played badly A LOT. I’m not saying there aren’t guys living up to their paychecks but we know the ’shortcomings’ of this team. How many times in the past year have we inflicted the result of last nights game on other teams? How good has this team played in the past month and one bad loss has ignited the lemming walk off the cliff when this team is coming off 2 sweeps and went into last nights game a dozen games over .500.

    We know Jimmy is on the fine line between being a sparkplug with an infectious personality and someone with a questionable approach to his game, we know Bruntlett is solely a utility glove who was only in there against the left hander, we sure as hell know Lidge isn’t healthy enough to be a door slamming closer right now…

    I don’t like how last nights game was lost more than anyone else here but lets just call this one a loss that shouldn’t have been, look at the standings and recent performance of the team and not set the building on fire…

21. Michael Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    I understand there are rumors that the Phillies are trying to get Glavine, Padilla,or Penny? Not wise choices.

22. tk Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    i thought that at the beginning of the inning lidge was pitching pretty well. he was throwing strikes and then all of a sudden he had a 1-2 count on three batters and could not get any one of them out…

23. Greg V. Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 1:05 pm

    Padilla cleared waivers so I don’t think that’s happening. Glavine would be just like having to Jamie Moyers (no, offense to Moyer, I love the guy, but one is enough). Penny, I’m ok with. He still has good stuff. Though there is a part of me that says that maybe Bastardo could be the answer. Good young pitchers have to come up sometime. We would have never seen Cole Hamels if it wasn’t for a similar situation.

24. PhillyGameday.com Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

    tk, yeah I wouldn’t blame Lidge on this one. I never hold it against a guy when you suffer a tough, freak inning…and that was just one of them. He got two quick outs and got ahead of every hitter, and even got the ground ball he needed, but Feliz booted it.

    Blame goes elsewhere on this one.

25. Michael Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 1:13 pm

    Greg V. Do you think it is to earrly to bring up Drabek and give him a shot? I guess you are right about Penny.

26. Michael Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    With Vic hurting was it a good idea to release Jenkins early in the year?

27. Bruce Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    To NJ, unfortunately, on this site you have posters who can’t resist playing the “blame game” in spite of Tim’s rational plea to consider events that are beyond control in last night’s game.

    I also wonder how often and closely these same posters watched Phillies’ games (if available in their area for viewing). To give a example; I read here one poster commenting..”Get rid of Taschner he is awful.”

    Awful? I think the management is pleased with Jack Taschner’s effectiveness as middle reliever. He has made 15 appearances and pitched 20.2 innings for a 3.92 ERA (compared to league average of 4.44). GM Amaro knew of Taschner’s record for past two seasons with SF Giants that indicated that team’s confidence in him ( a total of130 appearances including 27 holds). That’s why Amaro signed him. He has contributed to the bullpen’s success as they are 5th in the NL with a 3.69 ERA.

    My only request for those posters who are so quick to judge is to take a closer look at the player.. both on the field and their record.

28. mikemike Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 1:26 pm

    No drabek he is not ready. Please stop with the drabek stuff, you will ruin him if you rush him. He needs to show he can go nine innings at some point and more than once. he really isn’t getting high pitch counts coming off surgery. The phillies lost on a freak play and bad pitching by lidge, he must stop walking guys.

29. The Little Guy Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 1:39 pm

    I guess getting a ground ball to 3rd to end the game was Lidge’s fault too right mikemike?

30. Don M Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    I can’t blame this on Lidge.. There was a couple defensive plays on both sides that made a difference.. Ibanez and Bruntlett had balls hit their gloves but they dropped them. Feliz who is like a vacuum at 3b with the error

    For the Dodgers.. how about Matt Kemp’s range in CF !!!

    Stole a couple extra base hits from us…

    Lidge walked what would become the winning run (Loney).. and served up a meatball to Ethier so he doesn’t get a free pass.

    It just sucks when you have a game in your hands.. a lead in the 9th with your closer on the hill, and you fail to get the job done.

    Lets win 1 of these next 2!!

    Go Phils!

31. NJ Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 1:49 pm

    Bruce I just find it amazing that there’s an arbitrary hit-list of certain players on this roster and every time something happens to one or any of them then suddenly there’s a call to pure the roster of these guys like replacements are readily available.

    It’s stunning how with a record payroll, a massively improved farm, a championship, and on course to put a 90+ win season in the books and the management are treated like their not committed to winning because their not wheeling and dealing like a fantasy league. Things could be better, the coaching needs to be better but in light of the past years body of work they’ve earned the right to be cut some slack, 11 games under .500 and making obviously bad deals like the Bucs and I’ll shout from the rafters too, but not 11 games over .500

32. Don M Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 1:56 pm

    I’ve been giving Rollins a free pass. . but its getting into the season.. its not “early” anymore.. and we’re playing some tough teams right now. Gotta step it up Jimmy.. we have Phaith, just help us out with the stick a little

    If Victorino was healthy we could try bumping Jimmy down the lineup again, but right now we need him in the #1. .and need him to get on base

33. Greg V. Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    Michael, I think it’s early for Drabek. I mean he just made his first start for Reading. His time isn’t far off. Wouldn’t suprise me to see him in the hunt for a job in spring training next year. If he turns out to be really effective and someone goes down, maybe we’ll see him this season. I’m just as eager as anyone to see how this guy would look in the big club.

34. Michael Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    Thanks for the feedback on Drabek I was just curious. What do you believe is the pitching solution?

35. Michael Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Greg I know that I live on the west coast and I do not get to see a lot of the games live, so I follow them online. So if I seem to misjudge something please forgive me.

36. Keith Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 2:16 pm

    let’s get a win today

37. Keith Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 2:16 pm

    anybody know what the lineup is yet?

38. shaseem Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 2:21 pm

    ha ha

39. shaseem Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    whaa whaa whaa what a tough loss. Philliies suck lets go dodgers. ha ha

40. Bob Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    Hey shaseem–when was the last time the Dodgers were champs?

    Answer–1988. Shut your mouth, fool.

41. beta sigma shag Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    I am sorry to respond to post that have been up for over an hour, but these people railing on Bruntlet for one bad play have short memories, He saved 2 probably 3 runs the the other night, maybe more by nailing one runner at second on a hit and almost another. People said he shouldn’t be playing cause he can not hit, he had what 3 hits maybe only 2, and missed judged one fly ball. Other than that he played well for two games defensivly and has hit 3-8, not bad for a 6th outfielder so get off his back. And I also have to totally disagree with Milton getting out of jams on week ground balls and pop outs, Other than the error by Hudson I think it was in the 2nd or 3rd they played outstanding defense, and the phillies hit a lot of balls hard with RISP. So they lost one game so far on this road trip, if they split the next two to LA that will make them 5-2 not so bad so lighten up a little it is only one game one loss to a pretty good team on the road.

    On the other hand Jimmy snap out of it, and I predicted Werth would hit against the Dodgers, so far he has

42. Georgie Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 2:46 pm

    I don’t think it’s as simple as we think to move Jimmy down. He has made it abundantly clear that he wants to hit leadoff, and he was miserable when Charlie did move him down. Just as Jimmy brings good energy and vibes to the rest of the guys, I think if he’s not happy it can infect them in a negative way. He sort of has Charlie over a barrel, damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. Is Jimmy being childish and immature? Probably, but that’s just Jimmy, some guys never grow up, but they’re always SOOO lovable, lol.

43. Sean A Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    Victorino CF, Werth RF, Utley 2B, Howard 1B, Ibanez LF, Feliz 3B, Bruntlett SS, Ruiz C, Blanton P.

    Today’s lineup.. Seems Rollins is getting a off day and good to see Vic back in the lineup!

44. mikemike Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 3:27 pm

    I know that felix missed a ball but if lidge made a good two stike pitch and didn’t walk people he would have had a better chance, He just isn’t pitching like he did, Too many runners on, sure felix should have made the play, but lidge put undo pressure by not going after hitters, his control right now stinks. the games against washington, to me are nothing That is a low level minor league team. and padres can’t hit a lick. I just don’t trust him right now. and jimmy rollins what the hell has happen to him?

45. ryan Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 3:30 pm

    if Jayson Werth is playing right field he catches that ball that Bruntlett dove for and missed in the 8th thus allowing the dodgers their second run.

    Bruntlett needs to be released. He gives absolutely nothing to this team defensively or offensively. how the hell is it justified to leave him on this team? John Mayberry Jr. Could certainly give you alot more. so could about 20 other guys in the minors.

46. Keith Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 3:51 pm

    20 other guys really? nah

47. Tim Malcolm Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 4:37 pm

    About the mea culpa comment: No, I meant mea culpa. Feliz said “my bad” after the bad play. It happened. It was one out of a lot of plays. He knows it was his fault.

48. Jeff Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 4:50 pm

    I guess we need to think of all the great plays this defense has made, that we won games on! I believe that out weighs this by 20. Glad they all happened in one game not a span of 10

49. » Dodgers Beat Lidge, End Phillies Win Streak | Blogging-Baseball.com Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 4:50 pm

    [...] Phillies Nation’s Tim Malcolm writes that blame may not be soo cut-and-dry in this one: * With two outs (easy outs, mind you), Lidge left a slider just above the bottom of the zone that [...]

50. pb Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 7:36 pm

    no way we’re getting out of this, game over, will take a miracle

    come on triple play!!

51. pb Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 7:40 pm

    hey is that fez from that 70 show sitting behind home plate? this game is over back to spotting lame celebs

52. pb Says:
    June 6th, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    I knew we’d get out of the jam P -)

53. SuperLogoz.com Says:
    June 7th, 2009 at 9:32 pm

    Phillies Fans

    Ever think of creating your own Phillies shirt? Have a creative sports idea?

    Click on the link and get started

    http://www.superlogoz.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=97

    Let’s Go Phils!

Leave a Reply