Spotted: Small Ball by Phillies

Lately I've written a lot about the Phightin Phils, including a post or two where I've ripped their lack of hitting lately. One thing that has really bugged me this year is that the Phillies can only score in big innings (read: home runs or doubles), and have not been able to steal a run here or there just by playing small ball (read: singles, walks, steals, wearing down the pitcher, etc.).

Well that finally changed yesterday against the Cubs. Here is the recap of the sixth inning, as reported by ESPN.com:

J Rollins flied out to center.
C Utley singled to right.
P Burrell flied out to center.
R Howard singled to right, C Utley to third.
S Victorino hit by pitch, R Howard to second.
J Werth singled to right, C Utley and R Howard scored, S Victorino to third.
P Feliz flied out to center.

Notice there's no mention of "home run" in that recap? They picked up two big runs off of a tired starting pitcher merely by getting three singles, a hit batsman, and aggressive running. And they made the pitcher throw 22 pitches that inning. That's baseball folks! True, home runs can (and do) play a huge role in a team's offense, but not relying on the home run will get you places. Especially when you play against a great team like the Cubs, on the road, and down the stretch.

It's the little things in life...

Phillies Lack Hitting Discipline (Yet Somehow Still Win)

I'm watching this ridiculous 13 inning marathon between the Phillies and the Mets right now. And while I do credit the Phils for making an incredible comeback after an ugly 7-0 deficit to start the game thru four innings, this game should have been long over. And what it comes down to, in my humble opinion, is the hitters not having discipline and being smart hitters.

I don't know how many times in this game (and many other games) where I've seen men on base in crucial situations and the batter-- be it Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Pat Burrell and probably others-- either strikes out terribly or pops out weakly to the infield. This is terribly frustrating.

So the moral of the story is not only did the hitters NOT get a hit in a crucial situation and bring home a big run, but they didn't even move a runner over when they made an out. These are the things that this team too often fails to do to squeeze out extra runs and, subsequently, extra wins. Sure, other teams around the league have this problem too, but I have to think that with so many talented hitters on this team, the Phils should be all means be more disciplined and smart at the plate.

By the way, thanks Chris Coste for finally ending this craziness!! Ahh, first place...

Phillies Power Tickets: A Sham

Twice this year I've gone to Phillies games where I had a "Power Ticket", which is a cute way of saying I have a $10 gift card. And twice this year I've realized that they're a waste of money. If you're considering buying this type of ticket, think again. Here's why:

-For starters, you can ONLY use the $10 voucher on the day of that game. So if you have a couple bucks left over, it goes right back into the Phillies' pockets rather than being able to use it at another game. For example, what if you have to leave the game early before you can cash it in? Sorry, you lose.

-In reality, you're either going to not spend exactly $10 (meaning that the leftover money goes right to the Phillies), or you're going to go over that $10 to buy food, merchandise, etc. in which case why bother with the Power Ticket anyway?

-My feeling is that they call it a Power Ticket rather than reminding fans that there's a $10 credit built into the ticket thinking that they'll forget they have this money available and thus the money will go unspent (read: free money for the team!).

So save your money and avoid the Phils' Power Tickets. It's a no-win situation for the fans.

Weird Phillies Fans

At today's Phillies game, I had the chance to observe some weird Phillies fans in action. A few that caught my eye included:

-A guy sitting a few rows in front of us yelled at another fan in the next section over who was trying to start "the wave." Anytime the wave-starting fan stood up to start the wave, this old codger yelled "NOOO!!! Sit down!!!" and proceeded to mutter how much he hates the wave. Why? It's a game, not a funeral... if people want to have some fun, well, that's the whole point! Not to mention the fact that the guy was wearing a baseball glove (which is perfectly fine), with a batting glove on underneath (which is just bizarre). (Good observation Mike D!)

-A guy sat on the aisle next to us with a fat baseball stats book, a yellow legal pad, and a bag full of pistachios. He took notes every so often, flipped through the book's pages, and had shells strewn all over the aisle. To add to it, he had nose hairs that practically reached down to his upper lip. No real wonder why he was alone...

-While walking along the concourse, two college-aged dudes came up to me and one of them asked "Do you know where Billy is?" I assumed it was a joke and played along, saying "Yeah I think I saw him go that way." And I of course kept walking and didn't turn back.

Weird. Very weird. But at least the Phillies won.

Why Can't the Phillies Hit?

23+ innings without a run.

Help us Milt!