Welcome to Mudville.
In the City by the Bay, the Phillies appear to be dead in the water.
They blew a lead and a tie in the process of losing a heart-breaking 6-5 Game 4 last night to the Giants. After tying the game, 5-5, in the top of the ninth, Charlie Manuel called on one of his three aces to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Didn’t work out. Roy Oswalt gave up two hits and the sacrifice fly that ended the game, and crushed Phillies Nation 3,000 miles away.
But it was not the move to use Oswalt that may haunt Manuel. It was the ace who did not appear in the game that could now stand beside Chico Ruiz in the annals of Phillies blunders.
Manuel stuck to his guns and went with Joe Blanton as his starter. And it worked. Blanton went two outs into the fifth inning and left with the a 4-3 lead.
But while Chad Durbin got dinged for two runs, before the Phils rallied in the top of the ninth to tie it.
That set up the killer bottom of the ninth.
Maybe Manuel’s first call today should not be to his bullpen. It should be to Peter Laviolette. Remember him? He’s the Flyers coach. Last spring the Flyers were down 3-0 in their Stanley Cup playoff series to the Bruins, and were going back to Boston facing elimination. All the Flyers did was fall behind in that game, 3-0, before roaring back to win, and then running the board to take one of the most thrilling playoff comeback wins in Philly sports history.
Look at it this way. So the Phils are not facing a win-win situation. Actually they are facing a win-win-win situation.
That’s right, they need to win three straight games.
It starts tonight, with Roy Halladay again jousting with Giants ace Tim Lincecum.
The Phils must win to bring the game back to Citizens Bank Park for games on Saturday and Sunday that would be off the Richter scale.
This is no time for the Phils to go on holiday. Instead they need to go on Halladay. They need to climb on the back of the guy who has been the one rare constant this season.
It says here that Halladay is up to the task. 2-1 Phils and it’s back to Philly.
In the City by the Bay, the Phillies appear to be dead in the water.
They blew a lead and a tie in the process of losing a heart-breaking 6-5 Game 4 last night to the Giants. After tying the game, 5-5, in the top of the ninth, Charlie Manuel called on one of his three aces to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Didn’t work out. Roy Oswalt gave up two hits and the sacrifice fly that ended the game, and crushed Phillies Nation 3,000 miles away.
But it was not the move to use Oswalt that may haunt Manuel. It was the ace who did not appear in the game that could now stand beside Chico Ruiz in the annals of Phillies blunders.
Manuel stuck to his guns and went with Joe Blanton as his starter. And it worked. Blanton went two outs into the fifth inning and left with the a 4-3 lead.
But while Chad Durbin got dinged for two runs, before the Phils rallied in the top of the ninth to tie it.
That set up the killer bottom of the ninth.
Maybe Manuel’s first call today should not be to his bullpen. It should be to Peter Laviolette. Remember him? He’s the Flyers coach. Last spring the Flyers were down 3-0 in their Stanley Cup playoff series to the Bruins, and were going back to Boston facing elimination. All the Flyers did was fall behind in that game, 3-0, before roaring back to win, and then running the board to take one of the most thrilling playoff comeback wins in Philly sports history.
Look at it this way. So the Phils are not facing a win-win situation. Actually they are facing a win-win-win situation.
That’s right, they need to win three straight games.
It starts tonight, with Roy Halladay again jousting with Giants ace Tim Lincecum.
The Phils must win to bring the game back to Citizens Bank Park for games on Saturday and Sunday that would be off the Richter scale.
This is no time for the Phils to go on holiday. Instead they need to go on Halladay. They need to climb on the back of the guy who has been the one rare constant this season.
It says here that Halladay is up to the task. 2-1 Phils and it’s back to Philly.
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