Phillies Notes: The Last Living Phillies Optimist

In a game like last night's, with the Phillies down 5-1 in the bottom of the ninth and facing the NL leader in saves, most fans tend to expect the worst. I place my father and myself firmly in this category.

My mother, however, is something of an endangered species. Her outlook on the situation was something else entirely:

Dad: They're not gonna score five runs. Not happening.
Mom: Well, sure they can.
Me: This team is capable of scoring a lot of runs in an inning.
Mom: How many did they just score against Atlanta?
Me: It's too late, though.
*Victorino and Utley both get on base, Howard and Rowand strike out*
Mom: Hey, Greg Dobbs. "Downtown" Dobbs.
*Dobbs blasts a three-run homer*
*Mom attempts to leave the recliner and move to the couch*
Dad: Don't get out of that chair! You're good luck right now.
Me: Uh-oh, Ruiz grounder to end the game.
*Conor Jackson pulls a Buckner and Ruiz is safe at first*
Me: DON'T MOVE! DON'T MOVE!
Mom: You see? We can do it!
*Barajas hits a deep fly ball to right*
Me: No freaking way.
*It's caught at the warning track*
Dad: Jeezus, they stink.

It was a typical Phillies letdown. No need to make three quick outs--take it to the limit, make everyone believe, and then fall juuuust short of the goal.

Barajas deserves some slack here. He tried his best. Ryan Madson is the true goat by virtue of walking Tony Clark with two outs in the top of the ninth, which led to Arizona scoring two more insurance runs and robbing Dobbs of his eventual walk-off moment to be followed by a post-game shaving cream pie in the face.

- The Phillies had a chance to break the game open in the bottom of the fifth with the bases loaded, one out, and Freddy Garcia coming to the plate. The pitching staff actually has a combined 19 hits, second only to the New York Mets. Still, Garcia grounded into a double play and one wonders if Charlie Manuel should have pinch-hit in this situation.

Garcia was approaching an 8.5 on the Kevin Millwood Sweating Scale and had allowed eight baserunners. However, he settled down and only allowed one more Diamondback to reach base in the next three innings combined. Also consider that the "good" segment of the bullpen had a full day's rest and Madson still failed to hold off the D-Backs, making himself a liar yet again. In hindsight, this will look like a good managerial decision based on sound defense-over-offense logic.

But logic had little to do with it. Garcia has been fuming at Manuel in the press about a perceived lack of confidence in his ability to pitch deep into a game, and Manuel clearly is the type of manager who wants all his players to like him (see: the continued starts of Rod Barajas). Give Manuel some credit here, as his "Uncle Charlie" approach actually worked in an ass-backwards sort of way. Sooner or later, though, this team is going to need a manager more than it needs a friendly psychotherapist.

- Philadelphia hadn't swept the Braves in Atlanta since 1995. Maybe if they missed John Smoltz's spot in the rotation every time, it would happen more often.

- Quote of the Night: "The Phillies can't wait to get Tom Gordon back in their bullpen." - Chris Wheeler

Tom Gordon? The guy whose Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) has been nosediving for the past three seasons? The guy who just got approval to start a "tossing program" like it's Pony League practice? Who has been on the DL since May 2 and still hasn't been able to throw?

Wheels, be careful what you wish for.