Smokedawg
Eagles Fan
Ok, Im ready to move past Monday night to tonight...lets look at strategy...
Game starts in the Bottom of the 6th with Balfour on the mound and a pinch hitter, Rollins and Werth due up
In the top of the 7th, the Rays have Navarro, Baldelli, Bartlett and the pitcher's spot due up...
The Phils will, in my estimation, put Geoff Jenkins in to pinch hit. Why Jenkins and not Dobbs? Because if you put Dobbs in then Maddon immediately goes to his pen and brings out Howell and Dobbs is no good against lefties.
Why would Maddon bring in Howell and not Price? Because the pitcher's spot is due up 4th the next inning and theres no one in the top 5 (Imanwara, Crawford, Upton, Pena, Langoria) of the lineup to double switch him with and I gotta assume he wants him to go more than one inning/be available later in the game....its still 'only' the sixth inning remember...
So the question becomes do you leave Balfour in there to face Jenkins or do you go to Howell and have Charlie bring in Bruntlett (not likely in my opinion, b/c hes Burrells defensive replacement and if you dont get to Burrells spot in the lineup in the 6th, then youve burned Pat's bat), Coste or Say It Aint So Taguchi?
With Rollins and Utley and Howard looming, Im gonna say he goes to Howell and Charlie goes to Taguchi.
So thats the bottom of the 6th...Howell vs. Taguchi, Rollins, Werth, Utley, Howard (and then theyll pull him when Pat comes to the plate)
Now we move to the 7th....who does Charlie put out there to face the bottom of the Rays lineup? I think if the Phils take the lead in the 6th, he tries to get 3 innings out of Madson and Lidge in some shape or form. If its still tied going into the 7th, I think Durbin's the man with Romero warming up in the pen...
Lastly, the fact that this game is being played today and not yesterday is HUGE for the Phils. If this game woulda went off yesterday, the Rays would have had all the momentum in the world. The team, fans, and pretty much whole city of Philadelphia was in massive letdown mode yesterday. Everyone just felt like theyd been wronged. Today, its more upbeat and everyone seems past it and ready to go out and win the World Series....
'an_horse'
Game starts in the Bottom of the 6th with Balfour on the mound and a pinch hitter, Rollins and Werth due up
In the top of the 7th, the Rays have Navarro, Baldelli, Bartlett and the pitcher's spot due up...
The Phils will, in my estimation, put Geoff Jenkins in to pinch hit. Why Jenkins and not Dobbs? Because if you put Dobbs in then Maddon immediately goes to his pen and brings out Howell and Dobbs is no good against lefties.
Why would Maddon bring in Howell and not Price? Because the pitcher's spot is due up 4th the next inning and theres no one in the top 5 (Imanwara, Crawford, Upton, Pena, Langoria) of the lineup to double switch him with and I gotta assume he wants him to go more than one inning/be available later in the game....its still 'only' the sixth inning remember...
So the question becomes do you leave Balfour in there to face Jenkins or do you go to Howell and have Charlie bring in Bruntlett (not likely in my opinion, b/c hes Burrells defensive replacement and if you dont get to Burrells spot in the lineup in the 6th, then youve burned Pat's bat), Coste or Say It Aint So Taguchi?
With Rollins and Utley and Howard looming, Im gonna say he goes to Howell and Charlie goes to Taguchi.
So thats the bottom of the 6th...Howell vs. Taguchi, Rollins, Werth, Utley, Howard (and then theyll pull him when Pat comes to the plate)
Now we move to the 7th....who does Charlie put out there to face the bottom of the Rays lineup? I think if the Phils take the lead in the 6th, he tries to get 3 innings out of Madson and Lidge in some shape or form. If its still tied going into the 7th, I think Durbin's the man with Romero warming up in the pen...
Lastly, the fact that this game is being played today and not yesterday is HUGE for the Phils. If this game woulda went off yesterday, the Rays would have had all the momentum in the world. The team, fans, and pretty much whole city of Philadelphia was in massive letdown mode yesterday. Everyone just felt like theyd been wronged. Today, its more upbeat and everyone seems past it and ready to go out and win the World Series....
'an_horse'
