Annual return of 118.79% - See How Click here now!
Fact is, if Andy Reid had known a 6-7, 290-pound man who throws a baseball with evil intent was right down Pattison Avenue, he might have sent a couple of assistant coaches down with a net and tranquilizer gun.
No such luck. CC Sabathia will be the 1-0 Phillies' very large and immensely gifted problem in an evening-rush-hour, National League Division Series Game 2 with extraordinary implications.
After Wednesday's magnificent no-run, two-hit, nine strikeout, eight-inning virtuoso performance by Cole Hamels in a late-scare 3-1 Phillies victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, this will be as close as you can get to match point so early in a series. Even in the Russian roulette of the best-of-five format. And if always cocky, often insecure Brett Myers can somehow hang with the Brewers' midseason savior long enough for a shaky offense to give him a lead, the Phillies could hand Jamie Moyer the coveted Elimination Ball on Saturday.
This will be Sabathia's fourth straight pressure start on three days' rest. As one of the few guys around here who remembers Steve Carlton hitting the 200-inning mark in mid-July most seasons, it's possible to say Sabathia has been conservatively pitched by the standards of the pre-Tommy John surgery days. CC has pitched 253 innings between Cleveland and Milwaukee. Carlton topped that 10 times, including two seasons of more than 300.
But this is 2008, not 1972, when Lefty rang up 346 1/3 innings on his way to 27-10 for the dreadful Phillies. Sabathia is the Clydesdale of this era, and baseball men are justifiably impressed that the guy actually wants to pull this heavily laden sled despite the financial implications. Here's a man expected to ask for a $150 million contract this winter risking burnout and lowered value.
Sabathia is expected to win this game. Myers has had the walkabouts since a masterful complete-game start on three days' rest against these Brewers, a two-hitter. What would Charlie Manuel pay to have that one back against Sabathia?
But Brett's final two outings were disasters - 8 1/3 innings, 19 hits, 16 runs (14 earned), four walks.
After watching brilliant defensive centerfielder Mike Cameron fail to catch a wind-raked Chase Utley drive that was briefly in his glove and resulted in two runs, manager Dale Sveum ordered an intentional walk to Ryan Howard with first base open. The strategy backfired when 22-year-old righthander Yovani Gallardo walked Pat Burrell and Shane Victorino to close out the Phillies' scoring.
Sveum talked about the backs-against-the-wall Game 2 matchup with what almost sounded like "Now we have them right where we want them" confidence.
"Obviously, we're down to one game right now with the best pitcher in baseball pitching tomorrow," the interim manager said. "So obviously we feel good about ourselves, but obviously we've got to swing the bats better and score more than one run."
Earlier, Sveum spoke of the qualities that make Sabathia so special.
"So when you've got a guy like that that just continues to throw 95, 96, 97 miles an hour as the late innings get there, he's a special guy. And it obviously helps a little bit that he can swing the bat, too, to leave him in there."
Myers sounded mildly annoyed at insinuations that this is Sabathia against him. And that's good. Brett seems to function best when the wagons are circled.
Somebody asked how much CC will be on his mind Thursday.
"I'm not facing him. I have to face the Brewers' lineup," he said. "That's the No. 1 goal for me ... to get their hitters out and try to get the game close, so that we can get some runs and hopefully win it."
He said that maybe some fatigue caused him to lower his arm slot the past two starts, that he thought he corrected it in his bullpen session Monday. "The (proper) angle was back. So I feel a lot stronger than I did the last couple of starts."
Sabathia was asked whether he could go on three days' rest an entire season. Somewhere, a couple of lefthanders named Spahn and Carlton were laughing.
"I don't know," CC said with a smile. "I think I'm feeling fine now because it's so late in the season ... But I don't know, I'm doing it now to win."
Health warning: If Myers replicates his recent form against the Brewers and can leave with a lead, make sure you have a calming medication close at hand. If driving, pull over.
By the time Brad Lidge struck out Corey Hart - the potential lead run - with his 35th pitch of the game, Manuel was chewing his bubblegum pacifier so fast, his molars were emitting sparks.
"Good thing I'm a calm man," Manuel said with a wink. "Don't know how many of these in a row I can handle."
---
(c) 2008, Philadelphia Daily News.
Visit Philadelphia Online, the World Wide Web site of the Philadelphia Daily News, at http://www.philly.com/
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
More News:
Market Updates |
Stock Alerts |
All Trading News |
Stock Index
About TradingMarkets | Contact | Advertise | Careers | Link to Us | Site Map | Help | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Return Policy | Testimonials | Feedback
