Good article: Wrigley Field is Not a Dump in response to Peter Gammon’s recent comments.
Preview: Braves at Dodgers – June 3-6
Los Angeles fans probably will not find as much excitement about the upcoming series versus the Braves with the Lakers-Celtics series beginning Thursday night, but beginning tomorrow, the Braves (31-22) face the Dodgers (31-22) at Chavez Ravine to play a four-game series between two of the top teams in the National League. Few would have imagined that both teams would be nine games above .500 at the beginning of May, but both teams have seen their seasons turned around. The Braves come off a three game sweep of the formerly division leading Phillies and are riding an eight game win streak. The Dodgers also are streaking, winning three consecutive games versus Arizona in walk-off style: today’s game took fourteen innings on Garrett Anderson’s game winning single.
How did these teams turn their seasons around?
The Braves started hitting. Moving Martin Prado into the lead-off spot and Jason Heyward into the second spot has translated into increased offense by the rest of the offense, notably Troy Glaus, who leads the Braves’ team with 40 RBIs.
The Dodgers started pitching. Kershaw, Billingsley and Ely are anchoring a staff that seemed surrounded with questions only a month ago. Timely hitting and more home games has also translated into a reversal of fortune.
This weekend’s match-up appears pit two of the hottest teams of the month against each other for a June showdown. A series worth watching this weekend.
Dissecting the Phillies’ Shutout Streak
It’s fascinating for a first-place team, for a team with so much power and so many ways to score, to be on the wrong end of four shutouts in five games, but the Phillies have managed to achieve such a feat. They are still clearly the favorite to win the division and advance in the playoffs. And despite showcasing one of the most explosive lineups in baseball, this streak is unprecedented. They will shake it off though, and start winning again. This lineup has a long-standing track history and it’s certainly too early to worry.
A closer look at their five game losing streak:
Game #1: Daisuke Matsuzaka nearly pitches a no-hitter versus the Phillies surrendering only one hit and four walks in eight innings, as Boston shuts them out 5-0.
Game #2: Wakefield also dominates the Phillies, shutting them out for eight innings on five hits and two walks and manage to score three runs in the bottom of the ninth, losing 8-3.
Game #3: The Mets could be considered extremely fortunate with this shutout, stranding thirteen Phillies base runners. A.J. Dickey and Valdez gave up nine hits and five walks and avoided allowing any of them to score. Phillies lose 8-0.
Game #4: Hisanori Takahashi gives up five hits in six innings and three Mets relievers pitch a scoreless inning each to extend the Phillies scoring drought to eighteen innings. Phillies lose 5-0.
Game #5: The Phillies go scoreless for the series against the Mets, losing 3-0, being outscored 16-0. Mike Pelfrey shuts them out for seven innings and gets help from Feliciano and Francisco Rodriguez. Victorino accounts for three of the Phillies’ total four hits on the night.
It’s one thing for a last place team to be anemic offensively, but this is one of the worst stretches I’ve witnessed for a team still holding onto a one and half game lead in their division and six games over .500. Playoff teams should pay attention to this streak because it might provide insight into weaknesses in an overly aggressive offense. (Two knuckleball pitchers shut them down.)
The Phillies face the Florida Marlins and Chris Volstad tonight, and even in his best days, Volstad is very hittable. Despite the floundering, I’d be surprised if the Phillies don’t take two of three versus the Fish.
No Execution, No Passion?
Some teams just never perform up to expectation, and it’s frustrating. There are always the teams that seem to do everything right: the Angels and Cubs, and then there are the teams that seem fully capable of performing well, and never achieve it. Take the Dodgers and the Mets. Manny Ramirez is added to a lineup in desperate need of offense. On Sunday, he hits a key double in the 7th inning to put the Dodgers ahead, and they let the lead get away. The Mets today had a 5-1 lead against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. They squandered the lead in the top of the 9th inning, allowing the Bucs to score 3 in the inning to win 7-5. It’s not that these teams are getting wiped out. They are not putting teams away, but letting teams the chance to hang around to upset them. Sometimes it feels like the teams don’t care, and as a fan, it’s frustrating. Sometimes I’d rather my team fall seven games out than to constantly tease, and then fall flat in the playoffs. Stop leading us on!
