Friday, October 03, 2008

I Feel Fine

NLDS Game 2 - Phillies 5, Brewers 2

Series: Phillies 2 games to none.
Next game: 10/4, 6:30PM @ Milwaukee

My plan worked to perfection. Pooh-pooh our chances against the leviathan. Throw Brett Myers out there with zero expectations. Give the hitters the day off. Acclimate ourselves to the perfectly acceptable scenario of being tied 1-1 going to Beertown, USA.

I never had a contingency plan for what I had conceded was impossible. As the Flyin' Hawaiian so eloquently put it "What just happened?"

Myers pitched brilliantly against a Brewers lineup that seems to have read from the 2007 Phillies handbook on how to take consolation in just making the playoffs and being satisfied. This Brewers team is in the mother of all funks at a most inopportune time. Coupled with the fact that Carsten Charles Sabathia is in fact, human after all, well...as you can tell, the Phillies are in love with their present situation and so, I feel fine.

Tomorrow's do or die Game 3 for Milwaukee pits Dave Bush against the crafty Jamie Moyer. The Phils can approach this game with some measure of laissez faire knowing that they can come back Sunday for a second match point. Charlie hasn't announced a Game 4 starter. This is because he is either supremely confident or because he doesn't know what the hell he will do should Game 4 be necessary. If it is, does Charlie trot out Cole Hamels on 3 days' rest? Does he send up the inexperienced JA Happ and keep Hamels ready in case the kid blows up? Who knows? My guess is that Charlie prefers to worry about that only when he has to. The magnitude of yesterday's vanquishing of the mighty CC will be exemplified by just how relaxed this club will be over the weekend. Even if they should have to face a Game 5 back at the Bank, it's nice to know the task has proven to be not quite as daunting as it once was.

5 comments:

rob said...

go with that anger. how does it make you feel?

Whitney said...

Um . . . angry.

Whitney said...

Yesterday Metsblog.com reported that the Mets would likely make a big push to sign K-Rod in the offseason. So last night, naturally, K-Rod gives up the 2-run bomb to lose the game. Even vague association with the Mets makes chokers out of people.

rob said...

pssst, k-rod' a little bit overrated. good, but not dominant. stay away, especially given the crazy $ he'll command.

abolish-the-dh said...

I really hope they don't commit that kind of money. There are many fine pitchers in the minor leagues who can throw 60-70 innings a year, under pressure, and do it better than that guy. The Red Sox, to give one example, know about stuff like that.