Know Thy Enemy - The Phabulous Phillies

[soupcan]

The Phils come into the Big Shea 3 games behind the Mets in second place, looking to sweep and move into a tie for first. The Amazin's (we hope) have other plans...

Our first look at Phillie Phenom Cole Hamels awaits. Supposedly dominating stuff and the consensus is that he will dominate. Eventually.

We will see Cuban defector Alay Soler either Wednesday or Thursday. Soler gives his age as 26 but they use different math in Cuba so he could be be as old as 29. This season between Single A St. Lucie and AA Binghamton, Soler has struck out 54 in 47.2 innings giving up 28 hits and walking 11.

Starting Pitchers:
Tuesday, 7:10pm

Gavin Floyd 4-2, 5.71 (last 3: 2-0, 4.43, 16.1 IP)
Floyd has faced the Mets three times in his short professional career, starting two of them. He owns a 2-0 record against them with a 5.40 ERA and eight strikeouts.

Trachsel 2-4, 4.33 (last 3: 0-2, 3.71, 17.0 IP)
Trachsel has struck out Bobby Abreu and Pat Burrell a combined 29 times in 107 at-bats.

Wednesday, 7:10pm

Cole Hamels, LHP (0-0, 3.18) (last 3: 0-0, 3.18, 11.1 IP)
Phenom's control has been an issue in the early going, with nine walks in his first 11 1/3 innings, though he's struck out 10.

Jeremi Gonzalez, RHP (0-0, 10.13) (last 3: 0-0, 10.13, 8.0 IP)
Gonzalez got as far as facing one batter in the fourth inning in allowing six runs against the Yankees on Friday.

Thursday 1:10

Jon Lieber, RHP (3-5, 5.81) (last 3: 2-1, 5.00 ,18.0 IP
Lieber has not faced the Mets yet this season and is 5-5 with a 4.23 ERA in 17 appearances (13 starts) against the Mets in his career.

Alay Soler, RHP (0-0, -.--) (last 3 in AA Binghamton: 1-0, 2.75, 19.2 IP)
In no other season of their last 20 have the Mets used a ninth starting pitcher before their 65th game.

Who's Hot: Bobby Abreu 10 for his last 22

Who's Not: Pat The Bat. 3 hits in his last 17 ABs

X Factor: Cory Lidle / Billy Wagner / Endy Chavez / Julio Franco

[Willets Point]

]Who's Not: Pat The Bat. 3 hits in his last 17 ABs

That'll change.

Good work.

[metirish]

Super KTE soupcan, love the pics of Hamels and Soler.......looking forward to seeing Hamels.

[stevejrogers]

]In no other season of their last 20 have the Mets used a ninth starting pitcher before their 65th game.

Man, and that includes the infamous 1987 filled with injuries, drug rehabilitation and starters just going in and out like crazy

I'd have to double check, but I'm sure the 12 in 87 is either the most (if not probably the early 60's), or very darn close to:

Darling 32, Gooden 25, Fernandez 27, Leach 12, Aguilera 17, Mitchell 19,
Cone 13, Ojeda 7, Innis 1, Schulze 4, Candeleria 3, Edens 2

Compare that with a year later and what might still be the least amount of Metly starting hurlers

Gooden 34, Darling 34, Cone 28, Ojeda 29, Fernandez 31,
Aguilera 3, West 1 (Blast from the past with David West, the GenK, and Kazmir of his day, funny how throw in Aguilera became THE guy we traded for Frank Viola)

[The Big O]

SteveJRogers wrote: Man, and that includes the infamous 1987 filled with injuries, drug rehabilitation and starters just going in and out like crazy I'd have to double check, but I'm sure the 12 in 87 is either the most (if not probably the early 60's), or very darn close to: Darling 32, Gooden 25, Fernandez 27, Leach 12, Aguilera 17, Mitchell 19, Cone 13, Ojeda 7, Innis 1, Schulze 4, Candeleria 3, Edens 2 Compare that with a year later and what might still be the least amount of Metly starting hurlers Gooden 34, Darling 34, Cone 28, Ojeda 29, Fernandez 31, Aguilera 3, West 1 (Blast from the past with David West, the GenK, and Kazmir of his day, funny how throw in Aguilera became THE guy we traded for Frank Viola)

Funny, I researched this yesterday after being inspired by someone's post that listed our theoretical 13-deep starting staff.

12 in '87 is a high number (though we did also use 12 in '04 -- Dan Wheeler, James Baldwin, Scott Erickson, Tyler Yates and Matt Ginter as well as the usual suspects); other 12s are 1992 and 1974. Bigger totals are 14 in 1982 and '62, 15 in 1979 and 16 apiece from 1964-1966.

The most starters ever is 20 (!) in 1967:
1 -- Bill Connors, Billy Wynne, Nick Willhite, Jack Hamilton
2 -- Jack Lamabe, Chuck Estrada
3 -- Bill Graham, Kooz, Rohr
4 -- Tug, Dick Selma
6 -- Cal, Dennis Bennett
8 -- Bill Denehy
11 -- Frisella
13 -- Shaw, Hendley
16 -- Cardwell
30 -- Fisher
34 -- Seaver

7 is the fewest ever -- 1988 (Ron, Doc, Sid, Bobby, David + Rick and David West), 1990 (Viola, Doc, David, Sid, Ron, Bobby + Julio Valera) and 1996 (Harnisch, Mark Clark, Bobby Jones (I), Izzy, Wilson + Person, Mlicki).

[Guest Edgy DC]

The fact that 1987 and 1988 (shocking) followed one on top of the other demonstrates how much luck goes into winning and staying healthy.

The fact that 1987 saw the Mets nonetheless win 93 games and finish three games out demonstrates how a team can nonetheless prepare for a cascade of bad luck by building redundancy.

[Zvon]

The Big O wrote: ="SteveJRogers"]Man, and that includes the infamous 1987 filled with injuries, drug rehabilitation and starters just going in and out like crazy I'd have to double check, but I'm sure the 12 in 87 is either the most (if not probably the early 60's), or very darn close to: Darling 32, Gooden 25, Fernandez 27, Leach 12, Aguilera 17, Mitchell 19, Cone 13, Ojeda 7, Innis 1, Schulze 4, Candeleria 3, Edens 2 Compare that with a year later and what might still be the least amount of Metly starting hurlers Gooden 34, Darling 34, Cone 28, Ojeda 29, Fernandez 31, Aguilera 3, West 1 (Blast from the past with David West, the GenK, and Kazmir of his day, funny how throw in Aguilera became THE guy we traded for Frank Viola) Funny, I researched this yesterday after being inspired by someone's post that listed our theoretical 13-deep starting staff. 12 in '87 is a high number (though we did also use 12 in '04 -- Dan Wheeler, James Baldwin, Scott Erickson, Tyler Yates and Matt Ginter as well as the usual suspects); other 12s are 1992 and 1974. Bigger totals are 14 in 1982 and '62, 15 in 1979 and 16 apiece from 1964-1966. The most starters ever is 20 (!) in 1967: 1 -- Bill Connors, Billy Wynne, Nick Willhite, Jack Hamilton 2 -- Jack Lamabe, Chuck Estrada 3 -- Bill Graham, Kooz, Rohr 4 -- Tug, Dick Selma 6 -- Cal, Dennis Bennett 8 -- Bill Denehy 11 -- Frisella 13 -- Shaw, Hendley 16 -- Cardwell 30 -- Fisher 34 -- Seaver 7 is the fewest ever -- 1988 (Ron, Doc, Sid, Bobby, David + Rick and David West), 1990 (Viola, Doc, David, Sid, Ron, Bobby + Julio Valera) and 1996 (Harnisch, Mark Clark, Bobby Jones (I), Izzy, Wilson + Person, Mlicki).

great stuff.
Should be a thread in itself.

[Zvon]

Great KTE soupcan.

Ill add:

Keep Chase Utley from doing his sparky spark the Phils thing.

Keep Howard from goin yard (thats kinda goes without saying :\ )

This guy that has been playing for the injured Rowand (CF-we all know "the catch"),
Shane Victorino, has really done a great job at the plate filling in at centerfield. His bat needs to be cooled off.

[Guest cooby]

Alay Solar has a nice smile

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Nicely done Soup

[MFS62]

Good Job.

They've got Pat the Bat.
Has anyone come up with a nickname for Utley?
Chase the mace?

Later

[metirish]

All about Cole Hamels...

http://mysite.verizon.net/heyjude421/chf/chf.html

[soupcan]

Dude.

Cheap Chuck Norris ripoff.

[metirish]

True Soupcan,imagine my surprise to have found that link in the Times.

[seawolf17]

="soupcan"]

[keithhernandez]Why is there a woman in a uniform? What the hell is she doing there? And the fat kid! And the little hippie kid in the center! Some things just have no place on the baseball field.[/keithhernandez]

[Centerfield]

Floyd is the guy we let off the hook in that rain-shortened game.

Retribution time.

Can't say enough about how important it will be to take Game 1 with the guys we have slotted to finish the series.

[Guest sharpie]

Hamels scratched for tonight's game. Lieber tonight and then Brett Myers.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2456081

[soupcan]

"...experienced soreness in the back of his left shoulder "

That's never a good thing for a young pitcher. Here's hoping its not serious.

[metirish]

I'm bummed about this, was hoping to see what all the hype was about.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Being hurt is now part of what he's about.

Phillies are more bummed.

Could you imagine being a Phils Phan just getting used to your team fighting for a division with the Mets who they hated anyway while never bieng true rivals of, watching the team get red hot and then heartbreakingly cool off for the Met series, then staying up past 1 AM only to watch your team lose in 16 to the Mets, ready to question until Doomsday why your manager rode his reliever so long?

And then wake up to find out your phenomenal rookie pitcher isn't going because he has an unexplained soreness in his shoulder?

Yikes. Hard to wish that on anybody. But there but for the grace of Jeter go I.

[Willets Point]

="soupcan"]"...experienced soreness in the back of his left shoulder " That's never a good thing for a young pitcher. Here's hoping its not serious.

He got roundhouse kicked by Chuck Norris. He should thank his stars that Chuck spit on him so that he could heal.