GaryMrMets
08-01-2004, 07:51 PM
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/9288481.htm
Posted on Sat, Jul. 31, 2004
Phils enjoy early success, but stumble in stretch
By PAUL HAGEN
hagenp@phillynews.com
CHICAGO - Tick, tick, tick...
The Phillies showed up at venerable Wrigley Field with their chins up and their shoulders squared, ready to put the fact that they were skunked in a four-game series at Florida behind them.
For five innings, it seemed to be working. Pat Burrell and Bobby Abreu each hit a couple of homers. Eric Milton, their winningest pitcher, had a comfortable lead. The early promise dissolved after that, though.
Milton was knocked out of the game in the sixth as the Cubs scored five times. The Phillies lost their fifth straight, 10-7.
CHICAGO - Tick, tick, tick...
It wasn't exactly the kind of game that will quell the rumors about manager Larry Bowa's job security. Not only did Milton unravel, but the winning rally was helped along when third baseman David Bell threw home too late to get Michael Barrett breaking from third.
In the seventh, reliever Roberto Hernandez had Barrett hung up between second and third... and threw the ball into centerfield. In the eighth, Mike Lieberthal was forced out at second after Jimmy Rollins blooped the ball into center.
Club president Dave Montgomery flew to Chicago yesterday, but don't jump to conclusions. This apparently has nothing to do with Bowa. Montgomery, along with several front-office members, will accompany the team to San Diego and Los Angeles and decided to take in the Cubs series at Wrigley Field as well.
CHICAGO - Tick, tick, tick...
But the Phils have dropped 12 of their last 18 and now are only one game above .500. Afterward, Bowa and the players insisted that they still believed in themselves.
Bell was asked whether some sloppy play made the defeat seem more significant.
"Not for good teams, teams with confidence. Real confidence, not the false kind," he said. "And I think we have that. We've lost five in a row, but I think we all think we're going to turn it around as long as we stick together and believe it's going to happen.
"Unfortunately, we lost and that's all that matters. We gave ourselves a chance, but there are no excuses. We have to win."
First baseman Jim Thome said during the All-Star break that the key to the second half was avoiding a prolonged losing streak like last year's 1-9 trip to Milwaukee, St. Louis and Montreal. Now the Phillies are 0-5 and still have two more games in Chicago, before heading for San Diego and Los Angeles.
Thome shook his head when asked whether this is starting to feel like that stretch.
"That's last year," he said. "You try not to look at things that happened a year ago. You never want to have a trip like that, but we have to stay positive, get a win and go from there."
Lieberthal pointed out that none of the late-inning misfires cost the Phillies the game, and he was right. The game was lost in the sixth, when Milton couldn't hold a three-run lead.
With one out, Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez hit the second of his three home runs. Barrett and Alex Gonzalez singled to put runners on first and third and Milton was gone. Rheal Cormier came out of the bullpen. Pinch-hitter Jose Macias hit a slow grounder to Bell that came up at the last second. He tried to cut off the run, but Macias slid in just ahead of his throw to the plate.
"I told myself that if the ball wasn't hit hard I couldn't get a doubleplay," he explained. "I probably should have gone to first, even though I'm not sure there was a play there. I didn't get a good throw off. I thought about that for the rest of the game, that I should have gotten an out."
Bell said that, with two outs, maybe the outfield would have been playing more shallow and Mark Grudzielanek's flare wouldn't have fallen in for a hit. But it did, and then Corey Patterson and Sammy Sosa followed with base hits. Exit Cormier, enter Hernandez.
"I thought we swung the bats well," Bowa said. "We got a lead and we just couldn't hold it. When things don't go right, that's what happens. We swung the bats, but the name of the game is pitching. Milton got a little tired at the end and left some balls up."
The Phillies attempted a comeback in the eighth after Lieberthal led off with a walk. But with one out, he got caught between first and second when Rollins blooped a pitch from Kyle Farnsworth toward center. Patterson put his glove up as if he were going to make the catch. Lieberthal froze and, when the ball dropped, was easily forced at second.
"It was a hard ball to read and then when he put his glove up, he had me going back," Lieberthal said. "We were down by [four] runs and if he had caught it, he could have doubled me off first if I didn't go back."
So there wasn't much Lieberthal could do.
Kind of like the Phillies right now.
CHICAGO - Tick, tick, tick...
Posted on Sat, Jul. 31, 2004
Phils enjoy early success, but stumble in stretch
By PAUL HAGEN
hagenp@phillynews.com
CHICAGO - Tick, tick, tick...
The Phillies showed up at venerable Wrigley Field with their chins up and their shoulders squared, ready to put the fact that they were skunked in a four-game series at Florida behind them.
For five innings, it seemed to be working. Pat Burrell and Bobby Abreu each hit a couple of homers. Eric Milton, their winningest pitcher, had a comfortable lead. The early promise dissolved after that, though.
Milton was knocked out of the game in the sixth as the Cubs scored five times. The Phillies lost their fifth straight, 10-7.
CHICAGO - Tick, tick, tick...
It wasn't exactly the kind of game that will quell the rumors about manager Larry Bowa's job security. Not only did Milton unravel, but the winning rally was helped along when third baseman David Bell threw home too late to get Michael Barrett breaking from third.
In the seventh, reliever Roberto Hernandez had Barrett hung up between second and third... and threw the ball into centerfield. In the eighth, Mike Lieberthal was forced out at second after Jimmy Rollins blooped the ball into center.
Club president Dave Montgomery flew to Chicago yesterday, but don't jump to conclusions. This apparently has nothing to do with Bowa. Montgomery, along with several front-office members, will accompany the team to San Diego and Los Angeles and decided to take in the Cubs series at Wrigley Field as well.
CHICAGO - Tick, tick, tick...
But the Phils have dropped 12 of their last 18 and now are only one game above .500. Afterward, Bowa and the players insisted that they still believed in themselves.
Bell was asked whether some sloppy play made the defeat seem more significant.
"Not for good teams, teams with confidence. Real confidence, not the false kind," he said. "And I think we have that. We've lost five in a row, but I think we all think we're going to turn it around as long as we stick together and believe it's going to happen.
"Unfortunately, we lost and that's all that matters. We gave ourselves a chance, but there are no excuses. We have to win."
First baseman Jim Thome said during the All-Star break that the key to the second half was avoiding a prolonged losing streak like last year's 1-9 trip to Milwaukee, St. Louis and Montreal. Now the Phillies are 0-5 and still have two more games in Chicago, before heading for San Diego and Los Angeles.
Thome shook his head when asked whether this is starting to feel like that stretch.
"That's last year," he said. "You try not to look at things that happened a year ago. You never want to have a trip like that, but we have to stay positive, get a win and go from there."
Lieberthal pointed out that none of the late-inning misfires cost the Phillies the game, and he was right. The game was lost in the sixth, when Milton couldn't hold a three-run lead.
With one out, Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez hit the second of his three home runs. Barrett and Alex Gonzalez singled to put runners on first and third and Milton was gone. Rheal Cormier came out of the bullpen. Pinch-hitter Jose Macias hit a slow grounder to Bell that came up at the last second. He tried to cut off the run, but Macias slid in just ahead of his throw to the plate.
"I told myself that if the ball wasn't hit hard I couldn't get a doubleplay," he explained. "I probably should have gone to first, even though I'm not sure there was a play there. I didn't get a good throw off. I thought about that for the rest of the game, that I should have gotten an out."
Bell said that, with two outs, maybe the outfield would have been playing more shallow and Mark Grudzielanek's flare wouldn't have fallen in for a hit. But it did, and then Corey Patterson and Sammy Sosa followed with base hits. Exit Cormier, enter Hernandez.
"I thought we swung the bats well," Bowa said. "We got a lead and we just couldn't hold it. When things don't go right, that's what happens. We swung the bats, but the name of the game is pitching. Milton got a little tired at the end and left some balls up."
The Phillies attempted a comeback in the eighth after Lieberthal led off with a walk. But with one out, he got caught between first and second when Rollins blooped a pitch from Kyle Farnsworth toward center. Patterson put his glove up as if he were going to make the catch. Lieberthal froze and, when the ball dropped, was easily forced at second.
"It was a hard ball to read and then when he put his glove up, he had me going back," Lieberthal said. "We were down by [four] runs and if he had caught it, he could have doubled me off first if I didn't go back."
So there wasn't much Lieberthal could do.
Kind of like the Phillies right now.
CHICAGO - Tick, tick, tick...