Atlanta Braves - Philadelphia Phillies: Series Preview

by gondeee on Aug 14, 2009 7:00 AM EDT in Series Previews & Recaps

We check in again with Peter Baker of the Phillies blog, The Good Phight. I talked with Peter back at the end of June, just before the Braves swept his Phillies at Turner Field. Not that I'm superstitious or anything, but I'm doing everything just the same this series as I did last time, and that includes this Q&A. Actually, this is the only thing I'm doing the same. I'll be headed out of town this weekend to the internetless hills of North Carolina, so RoyHobbs and cbwilk will be filling in at the ol' Chop.

Go to The Good Phight to check out my answers to Peter's questions about the Braves. Here are my questions to him about the Phillies.

Q: Who has the better starting pitching staff, the Phillies or the Braves, and why?

A: Oh, the Braves. I think if I had to choose, I'd take Cliff Lee over Javier Vazquez, but the Braves' clear superiority 2-5 in the rotation makes it an easy choice.

Q: Who would you rather have long term, Tommy Hanson or J.A. Happ?

A: Hanson. Happ is 26 and more or less a finished product. Hanson's ceiling is tremendous. I like Happ, but Hanson's future is much brighter.

Q: Good outing aside, how much are you really expecting from Pedro Martinez?

A: Good fifth starter. I'd like it if he'd go six innings on a regular basis, however. And maybe he can teach some of the other pitchers a thing or two about being awesome.

Q: Any concerns about the ability of Brad Lidge to close out game?

A: Pretty much every day. Whether it's mental, or physical (I suspect his knee is still bothering him), he's just a mess right now. But Charlie Manuel, for good or for ill, is incredibly loyal to his players. I don't see Lidge falling out of the role unless he's actually injured. Brett Myers is due back sometime later this month; it wouldn't shock me to see him pick up a couple saves here and there.

Q: Who is the Phillies MVP so far this season, and why?

A: Chase Utley. So underrated he's overrated, and vice versa. His contributions to the team at the plate and in the field are plenty, but he's an incredibly hard worker and sets a strong example in the clubhouse as well. I don't know if anyone could ask for more from a ballplayer than Chase Utley gives to this franchise. He will likely go down as the second greatest Phillie of all-time, and it's a well-deserved honor.

Thanks again to Peter for his great answers to my questions.

0 recs | 94 comments

Comments

No way that this guy thinks Cliff Lee is better than JV???/ WOW!!! I feel conifdent everytime he pitches.As long as they give himmore than 3 runs to play with.

gobraves3940 - August 14, 2009 reply

I’d say its a wash myself, with Lee having more value due to age and contract while JV is a slightly better pitcher this year.

soup du jour - August 14, 2009 reply

I dunno. I feel like they are pretty comparable, and Lee is his guy so I understand that he’s going to be a bit biased. But this guy also answered everything else pretty honestly, so I don’t think he’s just giving the ignorant PhilliIes fan answer. I hate seeing the the Phuckers do well as much as anyone here, but it’s refreshing to see a fan that’s reasonable.

FYFs LOBs - August 14, 2009 reply

Kinda true

It sounds like he’s just being very, conservatively self-deprecating towards the Phillies, by answering so complimentary to the Braves. I mean it’s nothing that many of us haven’t done before, but it sounds like really cautious optimism, but I think the Braves’ recent success is more than adequate to make any serious Phillies fan be very worried going into this weekend.

royhobbs - August 14, 2009 reply

Jurrjens on the main page of espn.com…..(for probably first time ever)

They describe the Braves season as a “Cinderella story that nobody saw coming…..”

lol

Chief Noc-A-Homa - August 14, 2009 reply

Everyone's on the bandwagon! Woooooooooowoooooooo!!!

I know most of us are guilty of whining about the espn bias, but this Sunday will be our fourth espn game of the week.

10-4 - August 14, 2009 reply

and all 4 were against either the dodgers, mets or phillies.

justincredubil02 - August 14, 2009 reply

It still shows that they think it will draw ratings and be a good game. If that weren’t the case, then they would show Sunday games where the Phillies play the Nationals, or the Dodgers play the Pirates. Or the Red Sox play the Orioles…well, they probably did show that one.

10-4 - August 14, 2009 reply

I think they have shown all of those…

justincredubil02 - August 14, 2009 reply

That article was BS. Buck talks like our pitching staff will have to step up to match their pitching staff. He also talks about how awesome their offense is, but fails to recognize that since the AS break, their offense has been near the bottom of MLB while ours has been near the top.

I hate when people make arguments based on nothing but opinion instead of fact.

justincredubil02 - August 14, 2009 reply

I agree

The article was poorly written and erratic.

rhinoskin - August 14, 2009 reply

It was written by Buck Showalter, don’t expect too much.

10-4 - August 14, 2009 reply

you should see the comments by the Phillies fans…oh boy, they are funny!

Examples:

Everyone of you Braves fans can throw out just the stats that you want to, to make your case, but what is the only real stat that matters in sports:………. WINS!

The Braves starters are dirty without question, but this Phillies rotation is nothing to sneeze at. Since late June they have been one of the best in the MLB and with the addition of Cliff Lee they have only gotten better. In this series I would say Happ can arguably match Vazquez or at least come close enough to be very competitive and Hamels can definitely go toe to toe with Kawakami.

and my personal favorite:

Why does everyone say that atlantas pitching is so good. If that was the case, they should be in first place by a land slide

justincredubil02 - August 14, 2009 reply

One good thing they have going for them at home is a pitcher-friendly park,

Turner Field is almost exactly neutral.

A lot of people forget that even Maddux and Co. struggled when they were young.

Which (out of 2) young starter is struggling? Jo-Jo Reyes? But that guy isn’t in the rotation. Aside from Hanson’s first start, he and JJ haven’t really had problems.

Bronn - August 14, 2009 reply

interestingly

There’s also an insider article that explains why Yadier Molina is the best catcher in baseball.

Not an insider…but I feel that’s a very difficult argument to make.

Bronn - August 14, 2009 reply

It was in ESPN Mag too, based on his throwing out runners. That was pretty much it.

BullManUGA - August 14, 2009 reply

Best offensive, no

Best all around, yes

esadb - August 14, 2009 via mobile reply

??

Where do you put Mauer? Does Mauer’s advantage in offense make up for the disadvantage is defense?

dunnytwogloves - August 14, 2009 reply

I agree

I don’t think there’s any question in my mind that Mauer is the best all-around catcher in the game. I’d take a couple guys before Molina.

was385 - August 14, 2009 reply

Everyone knows Yadier’s the best! You don’t need a reason! Just watch him!

VictorW - August 14, 2009 reply

...except the time where they jinxed his no no

Zeus12888 - August 14, 2009 reply

That just doesn’t make the closer a red flag; it makes it a big red flag.

sports journalism at its finest.

VivaLosBravos - August 14, 2009 reply

Really???

One thing that has been an obvious cause for the resurgence of the Atlanta Braves recently and for the overall steady play of the Philadelphia Phillies this season — pitching.

Zeus12888 - August 14, 2009 reply

Jesus Christ

this guy talks like the Phils have the best staff in the majors

Zeus12888 - August 14, 2009 reply

well, they do have Pedro…

justincredubil02 - August 14, 2009 reply

I cant believe a Phills fan said this!!

I guess they forget they’ve been irrelvant for a long time, at least since Bobby Cox was playing handball with his wife’s face.
I guess they forgot we won 14 straight division titles in a row and dominated every team in the NL east while 3 diff presidents were in office. That seems like a long time to me.

That a boy - August 14, 2009 reply

Eh..

it’s on ESPN.com. Not the most cunning commentators in the world on that site.

Bronn - August 14, 2009 reply

Yeah this is why I don’t read ESPN ever.

VictorW - August 14, 2009 reply

Gondeee

Just want to thank you for all the hard work you do on this site. It is the best Braves Blog out there keep up the great content.

jasonbravo - August 14, 2009 reply

I’d love to at least take 2 of 3 in this series would be awesome.

Walker Wallace - August 14, 2009 reply

I’m thinking the same thing. Two out of three would be excellent, a sweep would be fantastic. And right now a sweep is not out of the question.

John Holton - August 14, 2009 reply

How 'bout the offeses?

This is interesting.

Since the A/S Break:

OBP – Atlanta: .357 (5th in MLB); Philly: .320 (24th in MLB)
SLG% – Atlanta: .459 (4th in MLB); Philly: .424 (18th in MLB)
OPS – Atlanta: .816 (4th in MLB); Philly: .745 (22nd in MLB)

justincredubil02 - August 14, 2009 reply

This makes me nervous

out lineup isn’t better than Philly’s, and certainly not by that margin.

VivaLosBravos - August 14, 2009 reply

The lineup that we started the season with definitely isn’t, but I think our new lineup may be pretty close.

justincredubil02 - August 14, 2009 reply

Correction

we have offenses, not offeses.

justincredubil02 - August 14, 2009 reply

Philly isn’t that bad, and we’re not that good. But if we can just continue this trend for one more weekend, it will really pay dividends.

Bronn - August 14, 2009 reply

Very interesting.

And what it goes to show is the fluidity of the season.
Team stats since the A/S Break show the recent past trends, but are only helpful in making some very nominally probable guessimations as to the next 3 games. Almost meaningless in reality, in terms of what will actually occur on the field, which is why I just love the old expression, that’s why they play the games.
And damn big games they will be. We ’ve won 5 in a row and now it gets down to it. We win 2 out 3, we are alive and putting pressure on the Phillies and everybody else above us. If not, we may be in trouble. I say we have a major need to win this series.

fandave - August 14, 2009 reply

Well now. I didn’t know I had joined up with a bunch of smack-talk choppers here on TC ..LOL
(Their opinion of us according to that thread’s author.)

Hmmm, let’s see if the Braves players can do their smack-talking on the field this weekend.

NCChopper - August 14, 2009 reply

Well, I do resent the implication upthread that my answers were “pandering” somehow. It would have been disingenuous for me to say that I’d take Happ over Hanson, and I think any objective baseball fan would agree. And the Braves’ rotation has clearly been better than the Phillies’ this year, although the addition of Lee makes it much closer than it was before..

WholeCamels - August 14, 2009 reply

If you're referring to my comment

I wouldn’t have considered the answers to be pandering, as much as it just seems like the confidence isn’t has high as it used to be due to the circumstances. Right now, both the Phillies and Braves are both playing superb baseball, but being a head-to-head series here, creates a scenario where one team is going to take a hit in the standings, regardless of other games out there. And neither Phillies or Braves fans want to be the fans that watch their team slip up, so instead of boasting overconfidence, there’s nothing wrong with being anxious.

royhobbs - August 14, 2009 reply

Yeah

I personally found you to be very objective, and appreciate the effort of doing so. The only thing is that, right now, there’s no way I’m taking Lee over Vazquez. But if you look at the total picture beyond this season, one guys is younger and cheaper, so it’s actually fairly close.

FWIW, Vazquez would be the perfect fit for the Phillies in Citizen’s Bank. Tons of Ks, doesn’t give up many HRs, and mixes groundballs and flyballs fairly evenly so he’d be able to take advantage of Philly’s good defense. I’m glad he’s on our side in this one.

Bronn - August 14, 2009 reply

Hey! Look who’s trolling now!

justincredubil02 - August 15, 2009 reply

Every single team in front of us in the division and wild card won last night. What are the odds?

TradeAndruw - August 14, 2009 reply

If you assume that each outcome was decided by a coin flip

then 1/8

But in reality, Colorado was playing the Pirates, the Phils had Cliff Lee going, and the Marlins…well they’re hard to figure.

fphjr01 - August 14, 2009 reply

Indeed

The Marlins are hard to figure. This makes two years in a row that they’re out performing their Pythagorean W/L by at least 3 games. You just keep waiting on them to regress to some mean, but they never do.

It’s almost as uncanny as the Braves’ consistently achieving below their X W/L. This year, 2 games under, 7(!) under last year, 4 under in 2007, 6 under in 2006…it’s clear we’re being punished by the baseball gods for our good fortune over 14 years.

Bronn - August 14, 2009 reply

Yeah...

…I’ve been watching that X W/L the last year or two, and it’s driving me CRAZY. You would think sooner or later, it’s got to right itself, don’t you?

sddbaker - August 14, 2009 reply

maybe the argument is true and it is evening itself out for all the good fortune… although i didnt check out X W/l for the 14 straight titles

Swo12bv - August 14, 2009 reply

maybe... just maybe

These metrics aren’t all that good. If they keep getting disproved by real life, then maybe you should stop paying attention to them.

was385 - August 14, 2009 reply

Metrics...

are real life.

sddbaker - August 14, 2009 reply

Maybe you should understand how they work before commenting on their effectiveness.

VictorW - August 14, 2009 reply

BTW, what’s the news on McLouth? Where do you guys get the lineup information from? I’m guessing we’ll have the lefties in against Blanton.

TradeAndruw - August 14, 2009 reply

Read today he’s pretty adamant on playing,need him in CF and church in RF imo

BSC - August 14, 2009 via mobile reply

One guy has gone off the deep end over there.

The Braves staff is no where near what the Marlins can throw at you with their towering staff. I don’t think you’ll see the Phils play as poorly as they did in the Marlins series the rest of the year.

WTF? I’m in stunned silence.

BullManUGA - August 14, 2009 reply

Utter madness.

BSC - August 14, 2009 via mobile reply

so is he saying that the marlins pitchers are tall? if that’s the case, that’s probably the dumbest reason i"ve ever heard for a pitching staff to be better than another. Hanson and Lowe are both listed at 6’6" for what its worth.

heap16 - August 14, 2009 reply

Im torn tonight.

First Saints pre-season game on TV along with a major series starting for the Braves.

Ill just have to multi-task.

Tim Goad - August 14, 2009 reply

really?

pre season football? i’d rather watch soccer than pre season football.

Scott Coleman - August 14, 2009 via mobile reply

i sure hope ur not hating on soccer… i implore everyone to try to find a team to support (preferably one that is actually good… i.e. European, ew I know) and watch soccer… its so exciting and great… You don’t have shitty commercials or other crap distracting you (except when the Portuguese players start their acting classes)

So i agree Id rather watch soccer than pre season football, but its because i like soccer not that i hate pre season

Swo12bv - August 14, 2009 reply

Soccer is really a terrible sport

It’s fun to play when you’re between the ages of 5 and 10, but to watch it is brutal. It’s an incredibly long game without much action or excitement (I’m sorry, the four or five real scoring chances a game don’t make up for the couple hours of my life that get wasted). It’s like watching lacrosse without the scoring (that’s not a compliment). And aside from it just being incredibly boring, the lack of logic in the playing of the game is just amazing. Counting up instead of down and stoppage time or whatever the hell they call it just boggles my mind.

was385 - August 14, 2009 reply

most soccer games are dramatically shorter than any other sport… besides maybe hockey… so to say tis incredibly long is drastically misstated… the game is 90 minutes with 20 halftime break and usually about 10 minutes of stoppage time… so you’re looking at a 2 hour investment… very few games are shorter than that… I love baseball its my favorite sport but it is generally longer than a soccer game…

and usually there are more than 4 or 5 scoring chances (depending on how chances are defined)… the rest of ur distaste for it seems nitpicky… but to each his own

Swo12bv - August 14, 2009 reply

soccer is fun

to play. It’s an incredibly boring sport to watch, and that’s just my opinion. Baseball can easily be considered boring as well, but soccer is on a different level. Soccer highlights are pretty cool though.

RichmondBraves - August 14, 2009 reply

But it’s straight and that’s the problem. Incredibly long is how it feels because there is no real breaks other than halftime. The scoring chances meaning actual shots that have a chance, not the 90% that just have no shot of going in.

As far as the rest, it’s on a huge field and the ball just gets kicked back and forth the whole game. It’s got the same negative aspect (as far as the way it’s shown on TV) that make lacrosse and hockey boring to watch and doesn’t have the physical play of hockey to make it interesting or the scoring of lacrosse (though that still isn’t interesting because it’s just a terrible sport).

was385 - August 14, 2009 reply

As an actual fan of football, I watch pre-season to see who we have behind our starters

Who actually have a future.

Tim Goad - August 15, 2009 reply

Drew Brees!!!

Who dat…

Bronn - August 14, 2009 reply

Saints fan too?

Tim Goad - August 15, 2009 reply

I hear ya. Although I won’t be doing either one, as neither one’s on TV in Eugene, and the first sporting event on the Duck calendar is tonight.

AllSaintsDay - August 14, 2009 reply

Ew, nasty.

Tim Goad - August 15, 2009 reply

Happy days....

Well I for one,am so looking forward to this series.ESPN America have got the whole lot on,ala the RedSox Yankees last week.Game starts cu 12.35am here.I don’t have a concern on the pitching,its just the hitting.We have been semi hot recently,but we don’t tend 2stay hot very long.I’d like to see infante play a good part in this series,he’s been huge when fit this year.

BSC - August 14, 2009 via mobile reply

Can I get a translator?

Swo12bv - August 14, 2009 reply

Apparently the entire series is televised on this “ESPN America” channel, and the NYY/BOS series was televised on the same channel last week. Tonights game will start at 12:35 in whatever the CU time zone is. He’s not worried about the pitching, but he believes the offense has been inconsistent. He also hopes Infante will get some playing time.

TradeAndruw - August 14, 2009 reply

Thanks!

My apologies,awful predictive text messaging,and British words.Wonderful translating however.The cu Was supposed to be an at.And yeah,more playing time for infante.And NO Greg Norton!

BSC - August 14, 2009 via mobile reply

ahhh thank you very much… i guess had i checked to see his location i could haev figured some of that out…

Swo12bv - August 14, 2009 reply

i feel like if you would have read it

it was really easy to see what he was saying.

RichmondBraves - August 14, 2009 reply

read it twice

Swo12bv - August 14, 2009 reply

Swo’s just an idiot.

justincredubil02 - August 14, 2009 reply

it makes tons of sense…once i understand that he is using a different dialect..its incredibly easy to figure out

Swo12bv - August 14, 2009 reply

don’t feel bad…I had no clue what he was saying either.

justincredubil02 - August 14, 2009 reply

Well I for one,am so looking forward to this series.

[Here he’s saying that he is looking forward to the series.]

ESPN America have got the whole lot on,ala the RedSox Yankees last week.

[ESPN America, presumably an ESPN related channel, is going to be showing the whole series, like with the Red Sox and the Yankees last week.]

Game starts cu 12.35am here.

[Don’t know what cu is, but he’s saying the Game starts at 12:35AM, which I believe is a time.]

I don’t have a concern on the pitching,its just the hitting.

[He likes our pitching, but is concerned with our lineup and how they hit.]

We have been semi hot recently,but we don’t tend 2stay hot very long.

[He’s saying we’ve been kind of hot recently, but that the Braves tend to not stay hot for very long.]

I’d like to see infante play a good part in this series,he’s been huge when fit this year.

[He likes Omar Infante(who’s a player on the Braves), and thinks he’s been great when fit/healthy/playing/]

Don’t take this too seriously i’m just givin you a hard time : ).

[Or, as some would call it, giving you a “Michael Procton”]

RichmondBraves - August 14, 2009 reply

DO YOU WANNA STEP OUTSIDE

/sarcasm

Swo12bv - August 14, 2009 reply

Let me just say this.

What makes the Phillies so dangerous is their ability to smash a 3-run homer at any given time. Utley, Howard, Ibanez, even Werth are all very dangerous hitters than can blast one out at any time… with that said.

The Braves pitching staff has allowed the least home runs in the MLB this year:

1. ATL – 77
2. LAD – 88
3. SFO – 92
4. STL – 94
5. COL – 97
28. PHI – 141

I understand that Philadelphia is a hitter’s ballpark, and it will produce a lot of home runs, but a pitcher’s ability to keep the ball in the park dramatically improves the chances of a victory, probably why their home/road splits are so dramatic. [29-29 at home; 35-19 on the road]

Philadelphia’s strength is the longball, and a 3-run homer late in the game really drains all the confidence out of the opposing team. That’s how they win ball games – using the homer to demotivate the opposing team.

If Atlanta can keep the heart of that order from going deep, we’ve realistically got a chance at another sweep. However, for Jurrjens and Kawakami mainly – cut down on the walks. Walks will kill us against this team. It’s absolutely critical that we keep Rollins and Victorino off the bases. A solo homer won’t kill us, a 3-run homer or a Grand Slam could.

Bottom line, we play good baseball, pitch and hit well, don’t make errors or walk anybody, we could come out of this series with a lot of momentum on our side. Let’s go Braves!

BigG1392 - August 14, 2009 reply

I’ve got friends visiting from out of state arriving this evening….they are only here for 2 days, so I may actually miss most or all of the next 2 games.

Here’s hoping our pitching staff can keep the Phillies off the bases, so if a long ball is given up, it will result in just 1 run. I think our staff can handle them and here’s hoping our offense doesn’t quit now – we’ve gotta make some serious hay this series because we’re getting no help whatsoever by anyone beating the other WC folks ahead of us.

Go Braves!!!!

NCChopper - August 14, 2009 reply

We are getting no help. The Cubs decided to break out their bats one day too late. 14-0 on the Pirates in the 3rd.

BigG1392 - August 14, 2009 reply