Notes from a scorecard: Phillies vs Jays - Game 3

Cliff Lee gives up run early, ends scoreless streak - then get shelled late as Jays bats explode


Below are my notes from today's Live Internet Scorecard Blog of the Phillies, Jays game at Toronto, featuring Cliff Lee in his bid to go 4 consecutive games without surrendering a run.

See the complete game Scorecard, "Scorecard: July 3, 2011 Phillies at Blue Jays - Game 3 of 3".

Plus, my new video at Youtube: "The sound of Encarnacion's HR: For whom the bell tolls, it tolls for Lee"
(embed is here too, below the fold)

Game Notes:

Philadelphia Phillies (53-31)
Manager: Charlie Manuel

@

Toronto Blue Jays (40-44)
Manager: John Farrell

Game 3 of 3

First pitch: 1:07 PM EST


Starting Pitchers:
Philadelphia - Cliff Lee
Toronto - Jo-Jo Reyes

Umpires:
Home - Ed Hickox
First Base - Ed Rapuano
Second Base - Brian Onora
Third Base - Alfonso Marquez


Weather:
Sunny - clear blue sky :)
Temp: 28°C | 88°F
Wind:NW at 23 kph | 15 mph
(left field line out to right field corner)


Notes:


Bottom of 3

Lead-off hitter R Davis hits 3BH8(9) 8-6-5 safe. FAN590 Radio Play by Play co-host Alan Ashby mentions the no-hit 5 seconds before the pitch --- then WHAM! And the next batter (John McDonald) ruins the no run streak with a 6-3 ground out that scores the triple.


Bottom of the 8th

We've all heard the expression,

'You could tell it was a home run by the sound of the bat."

Well, I'd always thought I knew what that meant, in fact I was sure I'd heard it before - several times, but until I heard the sound of Edwin Encarnacion's bat hitting the ball squarely for the third HR of the 8th inning I hadn't heard that most distinctive of sounds. Clear like the ring of a bell, it had a tone I've never heard before - like an exceptionally load, snap of the fingers.

I was busy at the keyboard and I didn't even look up, I just typed in 'HR' in the little box... .

Here's an edit I made of the beautiful sounding thwack.
(Link to the original MLB video page is below.)



MLB has the video up of Encarnacion's hit, "Encarnacion's two-run homer":  http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_07_03_phimlb_tormlb_1&mode=wrap

Post Game

Now I'm not saying any of the following is well thought out - but two things:

1. Eric Thames
2. Rajia Davis

Eric Thames is looking very comfortable in a major league uniform, and hitting the ball more often now with what looks like great authority --- well, it changes everything. Eric Thames is a young man who looks and carries himself a lot older than he is, without this new metric piling all kinds of expectation on him, what about this line-up?

'I have a dream' line-up

1. C Patterson LF
2. R Davis CF
3. E Thames RF
4. J Bautista 3B
5. A Lind 1B
6. J Arencibia C
7. E Encarnacion DH
8. A Hill 2B
9. J McDonald SS


Rajia Davis' play today, hitting the ball away, plus a fine at-bat in the 8th, shows he wants to hit higher in the order and 'Rickey Henderson' this League - and by the looks of it he could - he stole with impunity on the Phillies battery today.

Putting him 2nd gives him the opportunity to get some at bats in lad-off type situations and moving Jose Bautista down to the 4 spot, and Thames up to the 3 spot takes the pressure off the top of the order and adds to the possibility of a big inning, and more team RBIs.



Line ups and pitching totals from ESPN - Box Score.

* * *

Cliff Lee's magnificent no-run streak destroyed:

DATE    OPP.     RESULT   IP   H  R ER HR BB SO   Dec.    ERA
Jul 3   @ TOR    L (7-4)  7.1 10  7  6  3  0  9   L(9-6)  2.92
Jun 28  vs BOS   W (5-0)  9.0  2  0  0  0  2  5   W(9-5)  2.66
Jun 22  @ STL    W (4-0)  9.0  6  0  0  0  1  3   W(8-5)  2.87
Jun 16  vs FLA   W (3-0)  9.0  2  0  0  0  2  4   W(7-5)  3.12

Stats from ESPN: Cliff Lee - Game by Game



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