1:01 AM Eastern
Whatever the Phillies did to stay sharp during their week off sure worked, and they went into the Trop and took the World Series opener in front of over 40,000 people who only recently learned that there was a major-league baseball franchise in the vicinity.
Last year, the red-hot Rockies had eight days off after sweeping the NLCS, and got thumped 13-1 in Game 1 of the World Series on the way to getting swept by the Red Sox, who won the ALCS in seven. Two years ago, the Tigers had six days off after sweeping the ALCS, and got smacked 7-2 in the Fall Classic opener on the way to losing in five to St. Louis, who won the NLCS in seven. This year, the trend didn’t continue.
In the first inning, four pitches after trying to bunt his way on, Chase Utley ripped a 2-2 fastball into the right-field seats with a man on to give the Philbos an early lead that they would never relinquish. Cole Hamels took it from there and continued his magical post-season with seven very strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits. Hamels has won all four of his post-season starts, picking up the NLCS MVP along the way, without giving up more than two runs or six hits in any of them, pitching at least seven innings each time. He’s been fantastic, and he shut the Rays down completely – the first time that’s happened to them since Daisuke Matsuzaka almost no-hit them in the ALCS opener. Of course, after that game, Tampa Bay ran off three straight wins.
Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge were outstanding in relief, retiring all six batters they faced. Lidge is now 47-for-47 in save situations this year, and Madson’s perfect inning included a routine fly from Akinori Iwamura and a strikeout of Bossman Junior.
I have said before that I love the Phillies because of their American League-style offense, with all the big bangers in the middle. Tonight, the big bangers (Utley, Howard and Burrell) combined to go 2-for-11, with Utley getting both hits. Jimmy Rollins kicked in with an 0-for-5 of his own. The Phillies were a pathetic 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position. They got a runner to third with less than two out four times, and only scored once. It was a brutal offensive display, and they won because of Cole Hamels.
This was the week-off mulligan for the Philbos’ offense. At least, it had to have been if they harbor any hope of winning this series, because Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton are certainly unlikely to duplicate Hamels’ performance.
I need to pick up on what I said up top about the Rays fans. It’s nice that they seem into it, and that they’re packing the place (40,783 tonight). They appear to be excited, and know when to cheer and stuff (though they don’t know to get in the way of an opposing player trying to catch a foul pop-up), but I had a really hard time looking at so many of them wearing team paraphernalia and, worse, looking actually worried and upset when things weren’t going well.
Honestly, there were dozens of shots of the crowd where you could see all this fear, angst and concern in the faces of these “die-hard” fans, most of whom were probably still in the single digits in lifetime games attended. I find it incredibly hard to believe that there are even a hundred people in the Bay Area that are so emotionally invested in the success or failure of the Rays.
As our fine producer Ken Rodney mentioned during the game, he wasn’t surprised that there weren’t any old “Devil Rays” jerseys on display in the stands, because he figured that most of the fans in attendance weren’t even aware that the team used to be called the Devil Rays. I’m really looking forward to seeing the looks on their faces if the Phillies come out and win tomorrow night, too.
Speaking of tomorrow night, Adam Lind is scheduled to be our guest on the Blue Jay A Day Pre-Pre-Game Show, though that still has to be confirmed. That’ll get underway at 7:05 PM Eastern on the Fan590 and on this very website, so make sure you tune in, and call early.
Vernon Wells was our guest today, and here’s his appearance, for your listening pleasure:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Rational, reasonable comments are always welcome!
Click here to subscribe to Wilner's blog
Hey Mike,
You’ve written before that the Jays would have no interest in going after Pat Burrell, who is a free agent? Why not?
His annual 30 home runs and .380 on-base percentage are too much for the Jays’ lineup? J.P. thinks he doesn’t like baseball as much as Adam Dunn?
What’s the harm in going after Burrell?
MW: I have never written that the Jays would have no interest in going after Burrell. What I have written (and said) is that Burrell would have no interest in coming to Toronto, since he’s too young to want to be a full-time DH, and that’s what he’d be here. There’s no harm in going after Pat the Bat at all, but I haven’t seen an annual .380 obp, he’s managed that just three times in nine big-league seasons. This year, his obp was right on his career average – .367.
- Ken PaganI think the TB organization pulled a China from the olympics and paid most of the “fans” to be there or found some people in the retirement homes to come out to the game for free….One of my favorite things about the WS is that you get to see players that you didn’t follow during the season like Cole Hammels. I knew he was good but i didn’t know he had a changeup that i would put up against anyone in the entire league, including Santana.
MW: I don’t think that the house was papered that much.
- AaronHi Mike,
I liked last night’s pitching matchup – but after Hamels, it appears that the Rays have the big advantage when it comes to starting pitching. Do you think Myers/Moyer/Blanton can hold off the bats of the Rays?
MW: I like Shields and Garza better than Myers and Moyer, but in a short series, that might not matter.
- IanJust because people don’t go to Rays games doesn’t mean they aren’t “die-hard” fans.
heck, I consider myself a “die-hard” Jays fan and I generally go to 3 games per year, if even that. But I watch around 75-90 games per year and always follow the highlights on mlb.com gameday wrap-up.
Now don’t think that I’m not aware that most Rays fans who were “worried” clearly hadn’t even watched the Rays for most of the year, but I just thought that what you said made it sound as though “if you don’t go to the games then you’re not a die hard fan”…
but on a more Jays-y note: Are we getting Raul Ibanez or Jason Giambi! and who would you choose?
MW: I wasn’t saying that people can’t be die-hard fans if they don’t go to the ballgames, but tell me you don’t honestly believe that there are that many die-hard Rays fans. I’d choose Giambi, but Ibanez wouldn’t be bad at all. Vernon Wells sounded excited about the prospect of getting Ibanez on the show last night, which said something to me.
- JakeMike:
In a previous post, you call Grant Balfour and J.P. Howell retreads. I don’t know how that could be:
Howell is only 25 years old and has always had a good k/inning ratio in the minors.
Balfour is 30, but his development took awhile probably because he is from Austrailia. He had good years in 2003 and 2004 but dominated in his k/inning ratio at both the minor league and major league levels.
I use k/innings ratio because it is usually a soild indicator of a good arm.
The Blue Jay bullpen, on the other hand are full of retreads like Downs, Tallet, Carlson, etc. Perhaps relievers get better with age?
MW: K/inning ratio doesn’t tell nearly the whole story for me, because it ignores BB/inning ratio, which often leads to the downfall of a lot of hard-throwing strikeout machines. Maybe “retread” wasn’t le mot juste to describe those guys, but they’re both pitchers who had been lit up in the bigs in the past. As far as Balfour goes, he had a combined 64 big-league innings in those two “good years” of ’03 and ’04, and a WHIP of 1.42 in each season. I wouldn’t call either one a good year. Of the Blue Jays’ top 7 relievers this season, Jason Frasor had a WHIP of 1.43 – he’s the only one who was worse than Balfour’s in those “good years”.
- Jim BHey Mike,
Speaking of Vernon Wells…
Considering that he hit 20 HR and drove in about 70 runs, what would his numbers have averaged out to if he hadn’t missed the 2 months.
I’m guessing he would’ve had better stats than in 2003.
Thanks.
MW: Wells played 108 games, exactly 2/3 of a season, so his numbers are easy to pro-rate if you believe in that stuff. Over 162 games, his numbers pro-rate to 30 homers and 117 RBI.
- RichardWhat about Milton Bradley? He’s crazy but the guy can hit and he’d be a cheaper alternative to Manny. He’s also only 30 so a 3 year deal seems pretty reasonable for any team that goes after him.
MW: The crazy is an issue, but I can see the Jays taking a run at him.
- Matt S.Hope the Phils win it all in convincing fashion. They’re more ‘due’ than the Rays given their draught goes back to 1980.
- marcI think they’re still smarting over the thumping they got last time they were in the series. They’re also sick of those replays of the Jays Joltin’ Joe hitting it over the left field wall.
Game 1, commentary, question…
1) “…though they don’t know to get in the way of an opposing player trying to catch a foul pop-up…” Generally I agree. However, if 6’4″ 256 lb. Ryan Howard is running or even jogging towards me, I’m giving him as wide a berth as possible!
2) Top 7th – Presumably Joe Maddon wanted to maintain a left-handed arm on the mound (a fresher one) by bringing J.P. Howell in with Utley and Howard due up second and third in the inning.
When Howell struck out Howard for the second out, were you surprised that Howell was allowed to face Burrell (.276/.410/.540 career vs. LHP)? I doubt bringing in Balfour at that point would have produced a counter-move that improved Philadelphia’s chances (i.e. pinch hitting for Burrell).
MW: 1 – In the World Series, you’d best not. 2 – I was VERY surprised that Howell was allowed to stay in to pitch to Burrell.
- Adrian, co-alumnusMike,
Just sitting here in my office listening to the news about the “world economic crisis” and watching the loonie sink like a stone. Got me thinking about Ted Rogers and his desire for finacial stability. You have to think that with the dollar now at .78 cents US that the Jays will be unable to expand the payroll in US dollars, the currency of choice for U.S. players. What this means is that any pipe dream of the Jays going after a top tier F.A. this winter has gone up in smoke as fast as the loonie has sunk. So bye bye Manny and A.J. and you’ll have to come real cheap Derek, Jason or Raul, but likely you’ll stay stateside. So lets all just settle in for a long boring winter with J.P. doing what he does best, retooling with unknown cast aways and injury prone, washed up vets that might have the motivation and talent to prove they have something left.
MW: There aren’t going to be any tag days for Rogers, global economic crisis or otherwise. The dollar is still in better shape than it was when Rogers first expanded the payroll.
- JWhey there mike.
just read your blog. great piece, great info on the game shared there..
mentioned the exact same thing re: the ray fans a few days ago.
paraphrasing, plagiarism, it’s all so tough to identify sometimes when it’s just words, honest observations etc… it seems.
i’m sure i’m just reading too much into it is all..
great segment with vw the other night by the way & loking forward to hearing al tonite..
darrell.
MW: You’re seriously accusing me of plagiarism?
- darrell bishopHey Mike, I just wanted to stop by and tell you how I great I thought it was to her Vernon on the BJADPPGS. I was amazed to hear that he hit .406 on first pitches put in play and had 7 homers on the same first pitch. I know you have said you don’t get to watch many games on TV but I just thought I would mention,incase you havent heard, but it was so great to hear in the pre-game on TV they mentioned the late great Tom Cheek with his “Touch-em all Joe” call from ’93. Keep up the great work and I really hope for a 7 game series because I just dont want this season to end.
- ChrisTonight we find out if Brett Myers can beat the Rays…
MW: I cut out the tasteless punch line there. Not to protect Myers, who appears to be a pretty loathsome individual, but because spousal abuse is definitely not a laughing matter.
- elle-enfantMike….I found it very disappointing that I couldn’t find any Blue Jay tours in the Toronto newspapers this past season. I even e-mailed the Jays and asked them if they were privy to any travel agencies doing Jay tours and they did not. But you can follow the Leafs practically anywhere. Mike…I hope the future is brighter in this category, how about you?
MW: It really doesn’t affect me, I have to tell you. It’s easy enough now, with the internet and stuff, to throw together your own Blue Jays tour if you really want to do it. Call up half a dozen of your best buddies and take a road trip this summer!
- chris m.2008′s biggest sore for the Blue Jays has been the offense. A lot of people have been discussing Manny potentially coming to Toronto.
What about the possibility of a Matt Holliday in Toronto in some form of trade? Colorado is always need pitching. So what would it take?
Holliday did do well in the ’07 playoffs, and he signed a 2-year extension afterwards. Would something like this work out for Toronto?
MW: I’m a little skeptical about bringing in big bats whose success was based in Colorado. This year, Holliday hit 308/.405/.486 on the road, and in his near-MVP season last year, he hit .301/.374/.485. Those numbers are great, but not super-duperstar great, and the price to acquire Holliday in trade will be super-duperstar high. Still, I wonder if the Jays got Holliday, would people pronounce his name “Halladay”?
- Shindujan YWho do you think the next Blue Jay to go on the Ring of Honor should be? I think Tom Henke is overdue.
P.S. Joe Carter’s home run was fifteen years ago today.
MW: I think Carlos Delgado is next.
- BrianCouldn’t help but notice Hinske was left off the Rays playoff roster. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy…
MW: Hinske’s a really nice guy, actually. At least, he always has been to me. Have you had some bad interactions with him?
- NeilMike,
What do you THINK the Jays will do in the way of transactions during this off-season?
What do you think is JP’s future in Toronto like?
MW: I think they’ll sign whatever free agent DH falls to them, likely Raul Ibanez, and a couple low-risk, high-reward starting pitchers. I think they’ll explore trading B.J. Ryan, and I hope they get creative and try to make a couple of big deals for good, established players who will be dangled throughout the off-season like Jake Peavy, Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy et al. I think that J.P.’s future is tied to whoever Paul Beeston’s successor is, but that he’s more than likely done if the Blue Jays disappoint again next season.
- JordieHate to ask a silly question, but….
Why not Texeira? Is he not worth spending the huge numbers he will demand? He has never had a bad season…
MW: It’s not a silly question, he’s a terrific hitter. It’s true, he’s never had a bad season. But his agent is Scott Boras, and Boras will be looking to break the bank with Tex. The Jays won’t even be in the conversation.
- Geoffto be honest mike no not all.
i was just trying to make the point that things said can easily be misinterpreted.
very surprised you didn’t see the point i was trying to make based on your last comment to me from yourself.
really what it was is i just felt the observaion re: the rays fans a few days ago was much more worth commenting on than what you chose to to comment on.
it’s alright. i know what the geniune intentions of my comments were then, just feel bad that you didn’t.
sorry again for that.
MW: I’m sorry, what you said at the end of that big, long comment stood out to me so much that I couldn’t comment on anything else.
- darrell bishopThis is what you wrote, as far as I can see:
“MW: The Jays aren’t going after Burrell.”
Can’t see where that says Burrell has no interest in coming to Toronto. Maybe you had written something else previously and I missed it.
Anyway,
1) If Burrell, at 32, is too young to be a full-time DH, then what are the plans for Lind and/or Snider next season. Wouldn’t one of them DH? If Lind moves to first and Overbay to DH, well, can there be a worse designated hitter?
2) Burrell has an on-base that averages .386 over the past four seasons. That is the Burrell the Jays would be getting, not the struggling Burrell of 2003. If we are going to count statistics from an entire career, then Scott Rolen is still a 25-home run, 95 RBI guy.
MW: You didn’t look far back enough. What you quoted was probably the 5th or 10th time I’d addressed it. Anyway, 1 – I didn’t say Burrell was too young to DH, but that he won’t be ready to DH, and since he gets to make the choice, he’s going to pick a team that’s going to put him in the outfield. Lind or Snider won’t get to make the choice. 2 – Who knows what Burrell the Jays will be getting?
- Ken PaganMike….Somewhat of a fuss has been made of the “Joe Torre’s slight” on the closing night of Yankee Stadium. Considering the Dodgers were involved in a division race that specific Sunday evening, could Torre have attended anyway? Or is it the old adage: “It’s always nice to be asked.” Mike…Can you had some juicy tidbits to this drama, or should it be placed in the ignore file?
MW: Torre wouldn’t have attended, but it’s ridiculous that he was completely ignored. They paid tribute to a lot of people who weren’t in attendance.
- chris m.Just wanted to follow up – I agree wholeheartedly that spousal abuse is not a joke. Unfortunately, it seems as though the matter is not taken nearly as seriously as it should be. As could be expected, nothing about Myers’ personality was mentioned on the broadcast. After all, he did not even miss a start – so seriously is it taken.
I find this ability to abstract away from an athlete’s personal life something that is very trying; I meant the comment to reflect my feelings in this regard – sardonic and critical. I thought your response was good since I did not couch the comment with any qualifiers such as this – and I understand that because he (to my recollection) was probably not convicted of any offense, you cannot report or support hearsay. That said – I thought perhaps by being totally uncouth, I might escape the censor’s pen; in the future should I feel a need to comment, it will be in a more civilized manner.
Thanks mike, I hope they pay you more for the blog – or hired you an assistant.
MW: Pay me more? Beyond that, the thing with Myers confuses me greatly. He allegedly hit (punched?) his wife in the face in a highly populated, public area outside Fenway Park, but either no charges were laid or charges were dropped, I don’t remember, and yes, he wasn’t disciplined at all by MLB or by the Phillies. To me, this is a way bigger deal than anything that Manny Ramirez did in his entire 7 1/2 years in Boston, but no one can go two seconds without mentioning something along the lines of “Manny is crazy”, but you’re right, no one ever mentions what Myers allegedly did.
- elle-enfant