Isn't it funny how, heading into yesterday's opening day Phillies game, we all had fingers crossed hoping that the rain would stay away and the game would go on interrupted? And at some point, probably in the fourth inning, we all wished that there had been a rain of Biblical proportions, wiping away the eight spot the Cardinals dropped in that inning and forcing the Phillie Phanatic to collect two of everything.
At the end of spring training, Jon Lieber had a 7.07 ERA, but many of us thought of Lieber's career numbers and surmisedt, look, he always finishes the year with an ERA a tad above the league average, we'll likely get the same thing this year. And it is more than likely that we still will. But I for one would like to see Lieber get to that 4.00-ish ERA by consistently giving up three or four runs in seven innings, rather than getting lit up for several starts in a row, then pitching lights out for several more.
As consistent as Lieber is on a yearly basis, during the season, his consistency is lacking. He needs to keep the Phillies in more games.
On the brighter side of things, Jimmy Rollins was able to extend his hit streak to 37 games. While he had hit the ball hard on several previous plate appearances, Rollins came to the plate in the eighth inning hitless. Pitching for the Cardinals, Adam Wainwright threw three balls to Rollins to go 3-0. Harry Kalas echoed the sentiments of many when he hoped that Rollins would not walk...Something from the day had to be salvaged.
Thankfully, Wainright served up a pitch down the heart, and Rollins ripped it for a double down the right field line.
It's unfortunate that the 13-5 loss the Cardinals handed the Phillies put quite a damper [pun intended] on much of the optimism that had been building around the Phillies. But look on the bright side: the team can't lose today.
Next up, lefthander Mark Mulder takes on the Phils. Brett Myers will try to stop the early bleeding.
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Site Maintenance & Projects...
...In yesterday's game, Chase Utley hit a ball to left field that most certainly would have been a homerun had the wall not been pushed back and heightened in the offseason. Many took note of that immediately, and BS&S.com reader "T-bone" suggested that this site keep track of how many balls in play that would normally be homers turn out otherwise this year. I'm all for it, but I will need the help of readers. If you see such a ball, for either the Phils or their opponents, chime in via comments or email. It should be interesting to watch, the Phillies claim the changes will result in 12-18 fewer homeruns. Time will tell. [see "Homers Counting Homers" in sidebar]
...Just a reminder, several weeks ago, I set April 15th as the date for the first online meeting of the BS&S.com reading group. There is still plenty of time to join in the discussion of Mike Schmidt's Clearing the Bases. [again, see sidebar]
...Finally, sometime this week, I hope to publish the results of a data mining project that another coal cracker and I, BS&S.com reader Mike Harmanos, have been working on. It is an in-depth look at the Jimmy Rollins hit streak, what it tells us about Rollins as a hitter, and how he can fuel the team's offense.
