And now we get to face Cliff Lee
I was listening to last night's Braves broadcast via MLB Game Day Audio when the first rain delay struck. I guess it was Stu Klitenic and Mark Lemke who took over the broadcast during the delay, and they asked listeners to call in and give their opinions on which players should be considered MVP candidates this season.
So of course, they ask the very first caller: "Who do you think should be MVP?"
And the guy replies, "Why do we keep pitching to Ryan Howard? The guy has hit more home runs against the Braves than any other team! He kills us! I can't believe we don't walk him every time up!"
Okay, I'm paraphrasing here. I didn't actually log back in this morning and listen to the game archive so I could quote him verbatim - but you get the idea. I did, however, look up Ryan Howard's home run log on baseball-reference.com. After his second two-homer game vs. Atlanta in two weeks, he now has 29 career bombs against the Braves. Against his other division opponents: 30 homers vs. Washington, 25 vs. New York, and 23 vs. Florida.
Not a lot of difference there, but after his perfect 3 for 3 night, two homers, and three RBI, Howard personally made sure that Atlanta began its fifth consecutive series with a loss - and as a Braves fan it's easy to harbor some animosity towards him. As a baseball fan, however, I can tell you that watching him take BP earlier this year before an interleague game at Tampa was one of the highlights of my season. I love watching the guy hit - I just wish he'd work on upping his strikeout total a bit when facing the Braves, rather than padding his slugging stats.
And now we get to face Cliff Lee.
The Braves will counter with Derek Lowe, who has struggled recently.
If you're trying hard to stay positive, at least Colorado and Florida lost last night, and if we rebound and beat Lee today, we can still win this series tomorrow - and then the Florida series will still mean something. We'll see.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports
That was a dumb move to trade Kazmir wasn't it? I don't see their thinking. That shows the front office really wants the Rays to lose, and rebuild again next year. What the heck?! Well, Cliff Lee locates the fastball well, and has an absolute nasty change, so let's see where it goes haha. =)> We loved him here in CLE.
http://tribewithted.mlblogs.com/
Report any abuse or spam
Thanks for following on twitter! I followed back. Thanks for commenting also. The Phillies are just making it known in the NL east that they are the team to beat in the playoffs and it isn't going to be easy. They are just so much better than everyone else. Same with the yanks.
http://tribewithted.mlblogs.com/
Report any abuse or spam
Cliff Lee has been really impressive since he came over to the Phillies, as I figured he would going from the AL to the NL. But maybe Lowe will rebound and be the durable starter Braves fans hoped for.
- http://janeheller.mlblogs.com
Report any abuse or spam
*Defeating Cliff Lee is easier said then done... The man's been pretty much flawless since he came to Philadelphia - but the Braves have what it takes to put a stop to the dominance. Eventhough our Yanks are in first, I still would of love to had Nate McLouth or Adam LaRoche... We were fed Hinske. (Not a complaint - he's been great for us, but "Nate the Great" in your lineup is an additional 25 homerun, .270 batter...
http://jquist.mlblogs.com/
Report any abuse or spam
Cliff Lee will definitely be a tough nut to crack. He's been basically lights-out since he went to the NL. We'll see if Chipper and the gang can pop open the shell and make Lee work.
- Lisa
http://perennialpinstriper.mlblogs.com/
Report any abuse or spam
And here I thought that Lowe might be the one struggling, Lee was none too good tonight, I could just tell from watching him that something was off. When I saw the first homer go over the wall, I said to myself, that looked different. It certainly was, the first homer allowed by Lee as a Philly
http://thepitchersduel.mlblogs.com/
Report any abuse or spam