Everybody ready for that Tigers-Phillies World Series?

That's why they play the games.

This is probably my least favorite baseball talk cliché. It's supposed to mean that teams are performing differently from expectations, a variation of the execrable "you don't win championships on paper, you win them on the field." You're kidding. Really? How do you do that? Presumably by giving 110%.

And by the way, why only 110%? Reasonable people can stipulate that one cannot give more than 100% effort. Once we've left reality, why not 200%? That way, you're not only giving 10% more than you are humanly capable of giving, you're giving a twice as much. That's way better! Why not 800%? The sky's the limit.

But back to the initial point, you don't play the games to show that predictions are correct or incorrect. You play the games to try to win as many of them as possible and if you win enough of them you get a trophy. And the Phillies and Tigers have not been doing a very good job of winning games.

Losing is part of baseball and both teams have reasons and excuses for why they're doing so poorly, and neither is so far out of contention that it's time to give up (The Tigers are only 6 games out of a playoff spot, the Phillies, miraculously, are only 5 1/2 out in the wild card). What makes it hard for me to believe too strongly in these teams is that neither of them is doing a good job of winning the 50-50 games.

My own personal cliché is "you've got to win the games that you can win." It's not a cliché as much a a blatantly obvious statement. But what I mean is that there are games that you simply will not be able to win. Your pitcher is horrible and the opponent's pitcher is fantastic and you lose 9-2. Nothing anyone can do will win those games for you. And the reverse is true as well. Most games, however, are close enough that a single play or maybe two can affect whether you win or lose the game. And just like you can predict who's going to win a basketball or soccer game by who's coming up with the contested balls, you can get a good idea of who will win a baseball game by who is taking advantage of the opportunities to sieze the moment. And by extension, you get a good idea of which teams will be successful based on how many of those winnable games they actually win.

The Cardinals win over the Phillies in game 5 of the NLDS last year is a perfect example. The one weakness Roy Halladay had shown last year was in the first inning, so the first 2 hitters each jumped on the first hittable pitch, combined for a run, and that was it. That was their one opportunity and they grabbed it. On a similar note, what made Game 6 of the World Series last year so remarkable was that both teams were seizing them moment, repeatedly. It made for an all-time classic game.

For the Phillies, getting Howard and Utley and Halladay back is just part of what they need to get back into contention. They need to take advantage of the opportunities they have now and win the games that can be won now with the players they have now. If neither they nor the Tigers don't do that, they're both sunk.

Gems for Sale

 I think it's safe to say this guy's out of the pen for good.

After fighting for the closer role in 2011 and then being relegated to the bullpen in early May 2012 after beginning the year as a starter, Chris Sale has found himself back in the rotation. If Robin Ventura knows what's best for him, Sale will be there to stay.

Sale won his eighth game of 2012 today, pitching a beauty against the Astros (yes, I understand holding the Astros to one run isn't exactly an untouchable feat, but for the purposes of illustrating dominance, it shall be mentioned). 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. With today's victory, Sale has now won five straight with an 0.98 ERA in those last five games. He's in a three-way tie for most wins in the AL, leads the AL in ERA with a 2.05 (second in the majors to Brandon Beachy), and leads all of baseball in WHIP with 0.92. Can I repeat, dominance?

I'm quite amazed and impressed by this dude. He freakin' argued his way back into his starting role and now after posting about a potential NL Cy Young candidate, it looks like I'm posting about the current frontrunner in the AL now. Early innings guy, late innings guy, Sale's been doing it all. It almost seems to good to be true. He only has a few more starts to go before the All-Star break, so it seems likely that this scrawny 23 year old from Florida will be traveling down South to Kansas City in July. 

And one year later...

My father told me to read his blog a few days ago and while reading it tonight, I noticed a link to Painting the Corners on the side and thought to myself "shit." I clicked the link and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that the last post was on June 8th. So my dad had been posting all along! He even posted today about Cole Hamels as a potential Cy Young candidate! Unfortunately, upon further examination, I realized that it was June 8th 2011. So with that being said, apologies for the year-long hiatus.

Now that I think of it though, Cole Hamels as a potential Cy Young candidate remains a valid topic a year later.

On a Philadelphia team that is constantly plagued with injuries, Hamels has been the linchpin of the rotation and really just a stronghold for the entire team. He's already tallied eight victories in 2012, good enough for second place in the National League. Jeez, didn't take long for my journalism edge to start kicking in again. Gotta love that muscle memory. Anyway, no other pitcher on the Phillies right now can hold a candle to Hamels. The only other starter who currently has a winning record is Vance Worley who's 3-2. Hamels' 8-3 record would be impressive anywhere in the major leagues, but let's not forget that he's pitching for a team that's missing its two best hitters. 

Hamels currently sits in second place for the most strikeouts in baseball with 86, as he shares the spot with Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia. The only pitcher with more is Stephen Strasburg. I don't know about you, but I'd say he's in some pretty decent company.

Gotta run now, but I just have to chuckle at this post. I guess we're picking up right where we left off. 

Cy Young?

Since his first start, Cole Hamels stats are:

8-1, 88 IP, 61 hits,  88 strikeouts, 16 walks, 2.04 ERA, 0.88 WHIP.

He looks better every time out on the mound.

Slide or surrender Dorothy

I don't really understand the fuss about the Buster Posey play. Would anyone give a hoot if Dane Sardinha had gotten run over? But he probably wouldn't, because he's been a catcher for a long time and knows better. Buster Posey is a young, inexperienced catcher who made a rookie mistake.

The rules of baseball are explicit regarding obstruction. A player who does not have the ball may not block a base. Period. The fact that the rule tends to be ignored at home plate does not make it any less a rule. If we don't want catchers to be blindsided, teach them to not get in front of the plate until they have the ball, especially when the throw is coming from right field.

Could the guy have slid? Of course, but if a catcher has the plate blocked and the ball is coming from right field, it's going to be a difficult tag and the catcher probably won't have perfect control of the ball. So if you don't have a clear path to the plate, jarring the ball loose by running through the catcher is a good option.

I would hate it if they change the rule to "slide or surrender." That's a nice rule for adult softball, but I don't think it even belongs in little league. Yeah, I know, prevent injuries, blah blah blah. It's sports. If you take the physical part out of sports you might as not bother. It's all part of the Global War On Fun, imposed by baby boomers on their kids to make sure that nothing that they did to have fun when they were young is available to their kids.

And there really are few things as entertaining as a good play at the plate, with the catcher receiving the throw and trying to turn and tag all at the same time and the runner coming full tilt, able to approach the plate in a bunch of different ways. It's one of the most compelling moments in sports. And as fans, we don't deserve to have it taken way because one famous player got hurt.

Great lines you hear at a Phillies game

I wish I could definitively remember which play this was, but the Phillies' (lack of) offense today was all so dreadful it kind of just blends together. I want to say it was Howard's strikeout on three pitches in the bottom of the ninth. Regardless, following the play, one of our Sunday regulars sitting behind us remarked: "Wow, the crowd didn't even boo. We are so disgusted that we aren't even booing anymore. And for Phillies fans, that's really saying something."

Sigh. And I didn't even get on the Bongo Cam.

Blast From the Past

I remember when our Philadelphia baseball team scored four runs.