Thursday, April 10, 2008
Mets - Phillies: Round 2
If you ever wanted a nice illustration as to what Jimmy Rollins means to the Phillies, then look no further than last night's cringe-inducing 8-2 loss to the Mets to see. Rollins, scratched from the lineup after an injury on Tuesday night, was replaced by Eric Bruntlett, a player thrown in as balance in the Brad Lidge deal. Bruntlett promptly made not one but two costly errors in the third innings, helping the Mets score six runs and effectively ending the game for the Phillies. A couple of thoughts (today is a brief post):
-Remember how concerned people were about Adam Eaton's abilities in the #5 slot of the rotation? Maybe Kyle Kendrick is cause for more concern. Check out the line on Kendrick's performance thus far this season:
vs. Mets: 2.1 IP / 7 Runs / 1 Earned Run / 4 Hits / 6 Walks / 0 Strikeouts
vs. Reds: 5.0 IP / 4 Runs / 4 Earned Runs / 8 Hits / 2 Walks / 1 Strikeout
If you are keeping tally at home, that means that Kendrick has allowed eight walks in seven and one-thirds of an inning and has just one strikeout to show for it. To be fair to Kendrick, just one of the seven runs were earned as the Mets big 6-run inning was largely a product of Bruntlett's defensive miscues, but his struggles on top of a shaky spring and the fact that he needed so much defensive help to get to his 10-4 record last season leaves me feeling pessimistic about Kendrick's chances.
Unless Kendrick can start getting some strikeouts he is going to continue to struggle and his days as a starter are numbered.
-Chad Durbin tossed three and two-thirds nice innings in relief, not allowing any runs and giving up just a single walk while striking four Mets out. He makes a compelling case to take Kendrick's spot.
-If Jimmy Rollins is out for a while and the Phillies lost confidence in Bruntlett's abilities, what will the team do? One rumor I heard was that they'll bring shortstop Freddy Galvis in from Single-A Lakewood to play short, something that I can hardly believe. Galvis might be a defensive standout, but that would be a shocker to see happen. A more definite possibility would be bringing Jason Donald, currently playing at Double-A Reading, into the fold.
-What in the heck is up with the Phillies fielding? In nine games they've made 13 errors. Chase Utley has made three, a fact that shocks me.
Tomorrow, I'll give my thoughts on tonight's Adam Eaton - John Maine duel and I'll turn my eye towards the Cubbies.
-Remember how concerned people were about Adam Eaton's abilities in the #5 slot of the rotation? Maybe Kyle Kendrick is cause for more concern. Check out the line on Kendrick's performance thus far this season:
vs. Mets: 2.1 IP / 7 Runs / 1 Earned Run / 4 Hits / 6 Walks / 0 Strikeouts
vs. Reds: 5.0 IP / 4 Runs / 4 Earned Runs / 8 Hits / 2 Walks / 1 Strikeout
If you are keeping tally at home, that means that Kendrick has allowed eight walks in seven and one-thirds of an inning and has just one strikeout to show for it. To be fair to Kendrick, just one of the seven runs were earned as the Mets big 6-run inning was largely a product of Bruntlett's defensive miscues, but his struggles on top of a shaky spring and the fact that he needed so much defensive help to get to his 10-4 record last season leaves me feeling pessimistic about Kendrick's chances.
Unless Kendrick can start getting some strikeouts he is going to continue to struggle and his days as a starter are numbered.
-Chad Durbin tossed three and two-thirds nice innings in relief, not allowing any runs and giving up just a single walk while striking four Mets out. He makes a compelling case to take Kendrick's spot.
-If Jimmy Rollins is out for a while and the Phillies lost confidence in Bruntlett's abilities, what will the team do? One rumor I heard was that they'll bring shortstop Freddy Galvis in from Single-A Lakewood to play short, something that I can hardly believe. Galvis might be a defensive standout, but that would be a shocker to see happen. A more definite possibility would be bringing Jason Donald, currently playing at Double-A Reading, into the fold.
-What in the heck is up with the Phillies fielding? In nine games they've made 13 errors. Chase Utley has made three, a fact that shocks me.
Tomorrow, I'll give my thoughts on tonight's Adam Eaton - John Maine duel and I'll turn my eye towards the Cubbies.
Labels: Bruntlett, Durbin, Fielding, Kenderick, Mets, Pitching, Rollins, Rotation, Utley
Comments:
Maybe I am on crazy pills, but it seemed like Kendrick was right around the zone for the most part, and A LOT of those corner pitches looked like strikes to me. I am in NYC, so I had to listen to Darling and Hernandez talk about the '86 Mets for the most part so they didn,t comment at all on the zone.
Hi;
Great game against the Astros. Another case of the Phillies executing at crunch time, like Victorino's bunt and Rollins' dash to 3rd base. Eaton -- another Good game. And YES, Give Pat the bat his contract extension.
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Great game against the Astros. Another case of the Phillies executing at crunch time, like Victorino's bunt and Rollins' dash to 3rd base. Eaton -- another Good game. And YES, Give Pat the bat his contract extension.
Please Digg below;
http://digg.com/baseball/Jenkins_Scores_From_First_Phillies_Beat_Astros
# posted by 
: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 3:12:00 AM
: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 3:12:00 AM
