Ladies and gentlemens...



I present to you...



The Philsbury DoughBlanton!




(yay!)

I'm feeling real good about Blanton tonight.

Gotta get Rollins and Werth going, though.

Assuming (ie, anti-jinxing) this series goes seven, we looking at Myers and Blanton in Game 6 and 7?

I could almost see using Moyer on a real short leash, but it feels like we have razor-slim margins of error against Lowe and Kuroda, even at home. I think you need to use the guy capable of holding them to two or less.

Grotewold wrote:Assuming (ie, anti-jinxing) this series goes seven, we looking at Myers and Blanton in Game 6 and 7?

I could almost see using Moyer on a real short leash, but it feels like we have razor-slim margins of error against Lowe and Kuroda, even at home. I think you need to use the guy capable of holding them to two or less.

If it were to go 7 (hope not hope not hope not), I think Blanton's outing tonight determines if he gets the start. If he's solid, I think you have to go with him.

If he's shaky (and I know Cholly would never do it), I'd think real seriously about starting Happ. Even though it was a pretty low-pressure situation for him last night, he locked guys down pretty darn well.

Shirley: You jest. Happ gave up 4 hits and 2 walks in 3 IP, hasn't started a game since oil was $125 a barrel and has started 5 games in his career.

JFLNYC wrote:Shirley: You jest. Happ gave up 4 hits and 2 walks in 3 IP, hasn't started a game since oil was $125 a barrel and has started 5 games in his career.

I don't know if I'd pull the trigger on Happ, I'm just pretty scared about trotting Moyer out there again.

Best-case scenario (outside of not having a Game 7) would probably be Blanton (fingers crossed for tonight).

lowcountry wrote:

JFLNYC wrote:Shirley: You jest. Happ gave up 4 hits and 2 walks in 3 IP, hasn't started a game since oil was $125 a barrel and has started 5 games in his career.

I don't know if I'd pull the trigger on Happ, I'm just pretty scared about trotting Moyer out there again.

Best-case scenario (outside of not having a Game 7) would probably be Blanton (fingers crossed for tonight).

Steve Carlton is on, what, 7,400 days rest? I think he could give it a go.

Keep in mind one thing about Lowe.

He had his worst start of this year on three days rest (7ER in 5 innings). He's only gone on three days rest 3-4 times since 2006, and the results haven't been very good in any of those starts.

I don't buy that his sinker will get better with less rest. He's 35 years old and still relies on a power sinker and slider combination. As the game wears one, I expect him to tire, and his sinker and slider to flatten a bit and come up in the zone, probably by the 4th inning.

When that happens he becomes batting practice.

JFLNYC wrote:Shirley: You jest. Happ gave up 4 hits and 2 walks in 3 IP, hasn't started a game since oil was $125 a barrel and has started 5 games in his career.

I am one of Happ's biggest supporters.

That being said, no freaking way do I want a rookie out there for game seven of the NLCS. Out of all the pitchers in the organization not named HAmels, Myers, or Blanton, I'd rather have Kendrick.

(My choices are limited -- Happ, Moyer, Eaton, and . . . uh. . . Swindle)

Well, if Blanton is good tonight, that substantially reduces the chances of even needing a Game 7 and hopefully makes the point moot.

That said, I have no problem starting Moyer in game 7 if it comes down to that. They teed off on him last night, and he struggled (but settled down) the start before. He's bounced back from worse stretches this season, and the Phillies will have every starter but Myers to step in to the game if necessary.

Doesn't really matter, though. we win 7-4 tonight and 3-1 Wednesday.

my two cents...
cent #1: i think blanton again tonight makes gillick look like a genius, and howard finally explodes in a phillies runaway victory.

cent #2: i think happ should start in the place of moyer whenever that spot in the rotation comes up, whether it be in the nlcs, the ws, or next season. i really like moyer, and was (thankfully) very wrong in thinking he was going to fall apart before midseason. but he has now really, really reached the end of the road.

phorever wrote:
cent #2: i think happ should start in the place of moyer whenever that spot in the rotation comes up, whether it be in the nlcs, the ws, or next season. i really like moyer, and was (thankfully) very wrong in thinking he was going to fall apart before midseason. but he has now really, really reached the end of the road.

you're judging this on 2 games?!

Co-worker just said "They (Phillies) just don't want to go to the World Series"

well, you aren't allowed into the world series if you don't sweep.

This is not the end of the road for Jamie. These teams have scouted him very, very well. The addition of Furcal helps a ton as far as the Dodgers go. Unfortunately, they played perfectly against Moyer last night. Aggressive on stuff covering the plate and laid off anything off the black. Some bad pitches too, I agree . If that slider to Dewitt was down a bit more, crisis averted and then maybe Moyer settles down like he's accustomed to. I have a hard time believing Happ would qualify as a game 7 starter. I am a bit worried that he and Durbin are both burned for tonight or at least worked heavily. Blanton, is on the mound so that means Ethier and Loney in the lineup probably. If Joe struggles early, we're looking at a heavy dose of Condrey and that = maalox and grey goose c.o.c.k.tails

the 1st two hits were grounders that found holes as well, it got him in a bind that was hard to come back from.

The Red Tornado wrote:the 1st two hits were grounders that found holes as well, it got him in a bind that was hard to come back from.

The second hit in particular was BABIPPY, but for me that doesn't supersede the fact that the Dodgers looked extremely comfortable at the plate against Moyer and hit everything hard.

I had a real bad feeling going into the game, though Moyer was big for us all year. I surely don't want him in there again.

I didn't think the Phillies would win game 3 against Kuroda. I thought they'd win game 4, Blanton vs Kershaw/Maddux, but now that Lowe is back its more of a tossup. Game 5 with Hamels vs Billingsley strongly favors the Philles.

As long as we can get back to Philly up 3-2, I think we have a great shot at it. Game 6 would be Myers vs Kuroda and game 7 with Moyer/Blanton vs Lowe and we only have to win one of them.

Oh, and Russ Martin is a whiny punk.

To me, I think you can easily argue Happ should start over Moyer. There isn't a whole lot of middle ground with Moyer. He seems to be either real solid or throws up a real clunker. Happ isn't likely to throw a shutout, but I think hes less likely to give up 6 ER in 1 inning and lose us the game in the first inning. He has much better raw stuff, though he obviously lacks the experience Moyer does. When Moyer doesn't have his command, he isn't a major league pitcher, he's a batting practice pitcher.

Happ came in and showed a bit of wildness early last night, but seemed to settle down a bit. I wouldn't fear handing him the ball. Lets hope it doesnt get to that.

Can we be real here? There is less than a 1% chance that Happ gets to start a game in this series. And that's only if there is a severe illness or injury to one or more of our starters. Or if suddenly LOBLAW is made manager while Charlie grieves.