The truest sentence in yesterday’s NLCS preview was this one:
The problem, as always, is that everything we know about these teams could completely fail to manifest itself over a 4-7-game stretch.
It’s not a problem, really. It’s fun.
Consider:
Ryan Howard, who hits lefties like Mario Mendoza, hit a two-run double off a lefty.
Andre Ethier, who if anything hits lefties worse than Howard, had three hits. Two of them, including a double, came off lefties.
James Loney, who hit one HR this year in Dodger Stadium and four all year anywhere against lefties, hit one in Dodger Stadium, off a lefty.
Pedro Feliz, the least likely Phillie regular to draw a walk, drew a critical one.
Chase Utley, the least like Phillie to do something dumb like throw a ball into a dugout, well…
Dodger lefty George Sherill is of the game’s best, and best control, relievers. He entered the game and went walk, walk, three-run homer. By a lefthander, Raul Ibanez, who had two hits, both off lefthanders.
Brad Lidge, statistically the worst pitcher in major-league baseball this year, pitched a scoreless ninth. It helped that a Casey Blake scalded a ball directly at Utley, leading to a double play, but still.
You have to favor the Phils now. They just make pitchers work harder than anybody. How often this year have they been blown away by a hard-thrower with good stuff for a couple innings and then, second time through the order… boom. Goofy Vicente Padilla, today’s starter, would seem as ideal a candidate for such treatment as you could imagine. And if they’re coming back to the Bank up 2-0…
