Marlins Recap, Brewers Preview
This is bit of a newsier start then I wanted for the new site, but I did want to get a Florida recap and Milwaukee preview up in time (almost). There will be much more interesting material up here in the next couple days such as a Phillies pitching review, NBA and NHL previews and predictions. Also, you can expect to see playoff analysis of each MLB playoff team in the coming weeks. Thanks for your interest and enjoy.
So the Phightins dropped 2-of-3 to the Fish in cavernous Landshark Stadium. Here’s the good news: 7-3 in their last 10 games and only 2.5 back of the Dodgers for the best record in the NL – though the Cardinals are only .001 of a percentage point behind us.
The bad news: Lidge continues to struggle, blowing his eleventh save of the season when he couldn’t hold on to Wednesday’s one-run lead in the ninth. And the everyday lineup got shutout by Annibal Sanchez, who came into the game with a 2-7 record and a plus-4 ERA.
Here are some of my thoughts on the Marlins series:
- The Phillies hit well against Josh Johnson, a 15-game-winner with a 3.12 ERA. 7 hits and 4 runs in just 5 innings. Then proceeded to hit well late with a 5-run ninth.
- In the same game, Joe Blanton continued to be nothing short of excellent. 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER and 9 Strikeouts. Escalona did his best to give the game away but Walker and Condrey were able to stop the bleeding.
- That shutout against Sanchez (and Nunez) was hard to swallow. Especially with as good as the Phills have been in Miami this year. It was their fifth shutout of the second half, compared to just two in the first.
Looking forward to the Brewers series:
- Brewers are better then their record. Their pitching’s a little weak but they’ve got some big hitters in that lineup, Fielder and Braun to name two. They are 5th in the NL in runs scored and 8th in batting average.
- Milwaukee completely out of the playoff picture and have been for quite a while. And while some may think the front office has abandoned ship on this season, Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun couldn’t define the word “quit” if their lives depended on it.
- Game One – Thursday, 8:05p.m.: Happ (10-4, 2.77 ERA) vs. Suppan (7-10, 4.76 ERA). Interested in seeing how Happ does coming off that nagging oblique. It would be nice to see Happ eat up seven innings protect and that bullpen a little. Lineup is going to have to take advantage of the struggling Suppan and hit well one through eight to win this game.
- Game Two – Friday, 8:05p.m.: Lee (14-11, 2.99 ERA) vs. Parra (10-10, 6.42 ERA). The fact that Manny Parra is sporting both a 6.42 ERA as well as 10 wins should illustrate how potent Milwaukee is offensively. Hopefully, Lee brings his A-game and can hold down Prince and co.
- Game Three – Saturday, 7:05p.m.: Martinez (5-1, 3.32 ERA) vs. Looper (13-7, 5.12 ERA). Pedro, like Happ, is coming off an injury. This will be a big start, as the results of games one and three can go a long way to see who gets into the postseason rotation and who’s sitting out in the pen. Again, Looper’s 13 wins and lofty plus-5 ERA tell you about the Brewer offense.
- Game Four – Sunday, 2:05p.m.: Blanton (11-7, 3.82 ERA) vs. Bush (5-8, 6.22 ERA). It’s hard to believe that Sloppy Joe’s ERA was at 8.41 after his four April starts. He has been getting progressively better ever since and is now a bona fide postseason-quality starter. Bush’s numbers look ugly but this guy almost no-hit the Phills earlier this season at the Bank. Sure, it was probably a fluke, but that always lingers in your mind.
Overall, this should be an interesting series. I think the Phillies pitching and prowess on the road gives them the advantage but their inconsistent play lately causes some hesitation in predicting a decisive series win.
They should take a series like this 3-1 but I’m going to air on the conservative side and predict a 2-2 split. Lee and Blanton should be solid but Happ and Pedro may run into some trip ups with those injuries. I’m not a pitching expert but aside from the arm, the oblique and the neck seem like the most unpleasant injuries for a pitcher to have.
I do, however expect the offense to come alive. They don’t face a Milwaukee arm with an ERA below 4.76.
