Starts and Stops

A ninth inning rally. Now that’s a rarity.

The Phils received another strong performance from Brett Myers who threw seven innings of shutout ball against the Nationals yesterday. Myers didn’t get the win, but his team did as they scored three runs in the top of the ninth for a 3-0 victory.

Can someone please explain why this game started at 4:35PM? The light was awful for the hitters; witness the fact that both teams failed to score until the Phils broke through in the final frame. Myers was quoted as saying that after he batted for the first time he realized how impossible it was to see the ball. Consequently, he relied heavily on his fastball from that point on.

A glance at the schedule shows the Phils returning home (less than 150 miles from DC) where they have an off day Thursday while the Nationals host the Mets; therefore, the late afternoon start wasn’t made to accommodate the teams’ travel plans. Maybe the Nationals wanted to broadcast a game during drive time in the District’s infamous rush hour. That would certainly produce a captive audience. And with attendance running at less than half capacity at RFK Stadium ever since opening day, maybe the Nationals’ front office figured this was a good way to reach all those baseball-starved citizens in and outside the Beltway.

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The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a torrid 14 – 5 start, their best since 1968. Most remarkable is the fact that two of those losses came at home…against the Philadelphia Phillies. And you thought the Orioles’ Brian Roberts was the biggest story of April.

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I think I have finally figured out the Phillies’ plans for Placido Polanco. They plan to play him at all nine positions this season. Thus far our versatile hero has started at second, left and third. With Jim Thome and Mike Lieberthal struggling at the plate, I’d like to suggest that Charlie Manuel give each of them a day off and let Placido take over. Don’t worry, Jim, you are not going to be the next Wally Pipp. (Editor's note: no sooner had I posted this piece when I realized the Phillies' alleged brain trust should be given some credit here. Perhaps their plan is to play Polanco at every position in anticipation of the trading deadline, at which point any club seeking any player will think of Placido first. Clever move, guys.)

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Billy Wagner seems to have straightened himself out of late. One reason may be under use. That’s right, Wagner seems to thrive when he doesn’t appear on consecutive days. Of course the Phils alleged brain trust cannot be given too much credit in this case; Wagner hasn’t appeared that often lately because there have been precious few save opportunities. Wagner did pitch the ninth inning in both wins against the Nationals, but his appearances were separated by the loss on Tuesday.