Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Things We Learned from the Mets' Series
The Phillies did what many "experts" well, expected Thursday by taking two out of three from the Mets. The Phillies showed great character and poise by rebounding from a dismal series opener in which one of their four aces, Cole Hamels threw a dud.Their offense was pretty offensive (not a good thing here) as well as they were shellacked seven to one.
Game two saw Joe "Krispy Kreme" Blanton cough up a seven run lead, only to watch the offense bail him out in a 10-7 victory.
Game three looked like a mismatch on paper with Roy Halladay opposing John Niese. Halladay's numbers were outstanding last season against the NL East, but I will address that later. The Phillies dominated the rubber-match of the series in every facet of the game by winning 11-0.
Here are the top five things we learned from the opener between the Phillies and the Mets.
1 - Dust Your Shoulders Off
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The Phillies had a ton of momentum heading into the first meeting between the hated Mets. They had just swept the first three games of the season, and one of those wins included a dramatic come-from-behind walk-off victory on Opening Day.
They had one of their aces in Cole Hamels opposing a giant (Chris Young IS 6'10"), who came into this season with a ton to prove. The right-hander has been stopped by shoulder troubles the last two seasons, and he hasn't made more than 20 starts since 2007.
That didn't stop Young from putting together a dominating start and making history in his first ever start with the other team from New York. He became the first pitcher in Mets history to have two base-hits in one inning.
The loss was so disappointing that some fans even decided to boo Hamels when he was removed from the game (something I completely agree with as they spent their hard-earned money and should boo if they feel the need).
I was quite surprised to learn that the Mets still had fans after the series opener. They came out from the (insert derogatory term here) and blasted Philadelphia talk radio with talk that the Mets were indeed the team to beat in the NL East.
The Mets seemed to have stolen all of the momentum, and had the edge in Game two of the series on paper. Someone needs to remind New Yorkers that the game is not played on paper. If you don't believe me, just ask the Red Sox "Nation."
You can't hold the Phillies down. There is something to be said about the pride this team has, and they would not let the lowly Mets win this series. The Phillies expect to win, and the Mets....well they aren't known as the "New York Choke Artists" for nothing.
2 - Small Ball Baby!
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We may be only six games into the season, but the Phillies lead the major leagues in singles thus far. When is the last time in recent memory that the Phillies have strung together so many base-hits?
The national media and opposing teams fan bases found it "sexy" to discard the Phillies offense with the loss of Jayson Werth and the injury to Chase Utley. While they do not have the power they have had the past few seasons, they do have a collection of players that are putting together stellar at-bats and making solid contact.
With the Phillies pitching, that is a formula for winning baseball.
The Phillies have six hitters in their lineup that are hitting over .300 for the first six games of the season. Not bad, not bad at all.
Major League Baseball has a long and grueling season and teams are bound to get streaky. The fact remains that the Phightin's have smacked the ball in four (five if we count the ninth inning of the opener, okay five) of their first six games.
I have written articles on why the Phil's should be the World Series favorite (before the season started) and why Philly Nation should be excited about this team. The pitching obviously has the potential to dominate almost every time out, but this offense can put up numbers as well.
The Phillies are averaging 7.2 runs and 12.7 hits per game through the first six games. The Phillies leadoff hitter reached base in all eight innings in the series finale.
The lineup has a nice collection of switch hitters, left-handers and righties. If the lineup continues to play within themselves and not try to do too much, they will continue to produce.
Big test coming next again the Braves. Here's to hoping they show up and crush Atlanta's hopes early.
3 - Take Your Time Chase
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Can we at least now agree that I was right about Luis Castillo? The guy used to be a nice player, but he has turned into a lazy one whose tools have vastly diminished.
Valdez has a cannon for an arm and has shown great range at second base. He can play any infield position and has made the loss of Chase Utley bearable, for now. The guy is the consummate professional who will play anywhere, and do whatever is asked of him. He is a contact-hitter (eh, double-plays?) that strikes-out very rarely.
Wilson Valdez has shown during his brief stay in Philly that he can flat-out ball. Valdez, filling in for the perennial all-star Chase Utley, finished a perfect 4 for 4 with three RBIs, three runs scored, two doubles and two infield singles in the series finale.
He increased his average to .429 after six games. He is providing a lot of timely hitting, pop from the bottom of the order and turning the lineup over. It is clear that the guy has a blast playing the game and his energy has been infectious to the team.
Castillo on the other-hand is a Met....
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4 - We Have Roy and You Don't
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Geno Auriemma stated after another UConn women's basketball championship, "We have Diana and they didn't." He was speaking of course of the great (manly?) Diana Taurasi.
Well the Phillies can say the same thing to the rest of baseball, and especially the National League East. "Sorry National League, we have Roy Halladay and you don't."
Halladay, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, scattered six hits over seven scoreless innings for his first victory this season. Phillies fans know that he pitched well enough to win the season opener but that is anothe story. Halladay was stretched in his second outing, throwing 113 pitches, 74 for strikes, and lowered his ERA to 0.69
Baseball fans know that you play the teams in your division more than any other teams. You'd think that the edge would go to the hitter as they "see" the pitchers "stuff" more.
That's not the case against Roy Halladay.
A season ago, he was a combined 14-1 with a 1.61 ERA against the National's, Braves, Marlins and Mets with a perfect-game thrown in there.
5 - The Best in the Business
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The Phillies have now sold out 142 consecutive games including the playoffs (yes Mets fans, I said playoffs). I love how over 45,000 fans again packed Citizens Bank Park for a Thursday game at 3:05.
Who needs to work when the Doctor is doing work against one of the teams you hate most?
To all other fan bases, three of the top pitchers in the game of baseball did not waive a no-trade clause or turn down millions of guaranteed dollars to pitch for your team. They chose to pitch in Philadelphia. The team that gives them the best chance to win a World Series and the stadium that is the loudest in the league.
ESPN reported Cliff Lee saying, "I can hear the noise, hear the volume. These fans have a knack for getting a little louder than everyone else. I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's alcohol-induced or what."
Philadelphia, one of the top ten pitchers in the game told a national audience that you are louder than any other ballpark. Drink up Philly.
Philadelphia deserves another parade down Broad Street, and Phillies and Mets fan alike should be as confident as ever that the dream can become a reality.
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