Don't get me wrong, I've got faith in the Phillies and believe they can right their recent troubles but they seem pretty lucky to have a three game lead on the New York Mets atop the NL East. And by lucky I mean thankful that the Mets simply stink at the game of baseball lately. The Fightins could have lucked out tonight with Roy Halladay missing a start due to a strained groin. Instead, the Phils will face Scott Richmond who has been bouncing back and forth between the pen and a spot in the rotation.
As the ESPN preview points out, Richmond is 0-3 with a 5.81 ERA in his last five starts and came into last Friday's game against Florida mid-game when Halladay left with the groin strain.
The Phillies will surely look for a quality start out of Moyer who has gone six innings in five of his last six starts (the other being a solid seven in LA). Despite having an off day on Monday, all signs are pointing to an overworked, tired bullpen. The Zo Zone breaks down some of the pen numbers that show "They have not thrown fewer than 2 2/3 innings since June 5 in San Diego. That is a remarkable 43 2/3 innings in the previous nine games, or nearly five innings per game."
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If that ridiculous usage rate doesn't slow down, the reality show may turn into an island where the guy whose arm falls off last wins.
In Raul Ibanez news today, Buster Olney thinks the Phillies master batsman should put much of the blame on his peers like Sammy Sosa as opposed to a lonely blogger. Makes sense. Bloggers are always fun to blame though.
It's kind of a crappy, drizzly, slightly chilly night for a ball game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05.