A Complete Loss

A rare complete game loss for JA Happ last night.

The Phils' # that matters

Yes the Eagles are playing the Colts in a meaningless preseason game in which the defense looked porous, the Eagles first team offense and Andy Reid continued their 3rd and 1 ineptitude (really, a pass?), and clock management was terrible again at the end of the half, but my friend PK writes about the Phils' postseason possibilities:

LAD - 70-49 (playing StL as I type)
Phils - 67-49
StL -68-52
Marlins - 64-55

Ok, let's start with Florida (and the rest of the NL East). If we play  right at our current winning % of roughly .580, we should handle the division. Because we're 6 ahead in the loss column, it's gonna take a
massive Phils collapse or a massive fish run. If we go 27-19 down the stretch - .580 winning % - we finish with 94 wins. To match that, the Marlins have to go 30-13. A a tall order.

Now, to secure the No 2 slot in playoffs, we may have to step it up a notch. The Cards could get to 94 wins by going up above .600 down the stretch (26-16) or a little better to nudge ahead of us.

So, I'm now hoping for a finish of 29-17 or 30-16. That gets us to 96 or 97 wins. Probably a realistic number but also a stretch in a season of this many blown saves.
         
PS - final thought. If we go 30-16 in the final stretch and finish with 97 wins, the Dodgers need to go 27-18 to tie us. That's not that spectacular, but given how LAD has been playing the last month, that  The might be a tall order. We could earn home-field throughout playoffs .

Nuts to .300

My Cleveland Indians fan friend (though still boiling from the Cliff Lee heist) writes:

 

The first 8 batters in the Angels lineup against the Tribe last night, all regulars, all had batting averages above .300.  The 9th hitter (Mike Nappoli) was at .297.  Any time of the year that is nuts, but late August, it's absurd.

September Morn

"No recent team has made late-season surges more famous, fashionable or fun than the Phillies, who each time zoomed into the playoffs on the strength of the best September winning percentage in the N.L. They are 34-19 over the last two Septembers. Not that they are thinking this way, but this may finally be the year that the Phillies rebuff, not surpass, teams in September." - -
Phillies Enjoying the View From Atop N.L. East - NYTimes.com

Interestingly, the article also mentions that Jamie Moyer was "despondent" after last night's game, but doesn't go into any further detail.

Vick

Wow! What a move. I don’t know what to think. Low risk, high reward gamble.

 

One thing I do know, is that all the commentary about this being a move to/threat to McNabb for next year have it all wrong. Isn’t the vick acquisition a damning indictment not of the starter but of the backup, Kolb – and his ability to succeed McNabb?