Game 3 2011 NLDS Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals

4:23 PM EST: Hello and welcome to my running diary for the pivotal game three of the National League Division Series. Cole Hamels will be starting for the Phillies, while Jamie Garcia, pronounced Himey (this is how he will be referred to for the rest of the day), will take the mound for the Cardinals. The series is tied at 1 game a piece entering tonight's matchup that will start at 5:07 PM EST.

Check back soon for more insight before the game!

4:36 PM EST: I was at the game Sunday night. It was my birthday. Cliff Lee gave me the equivalent of Santa getting you coal. 4-0 in the first inning with Cliff on the hill and the Phillies lose? If you had gamecast up at the time I'll bet it gave the Phillies a 93% chance of winning, and that does not even factor in who is pitching the damn game.

If you are like me then you did your best to avoid sportscenter and any articles relating to the Phillies over the last two days. I did check out espn.com baseball writer Jayson Stark's article previewing today's game though. Everybody seems to be scared shitless of Himey shutting down the erratic Phils offense considering he has a 1.20 ERA in 30 career innings against the Phils. I have to say it is not the best stat to see before the game.

I feel like Owen Wilson's character in Armageddon right before the spaceship takes off.

"I'm really excited right now, well 98 % excited and 2 % scared, or 98 % scared and 2 % excited, but that's what makes it so exciting!!"


4:44 PM EST: Text from my buddy Jaindl: Tickets for tonight's game on stubhub for $19. Good job Cards fans! There's probably a higher cover at McFaddens at CBP than that..

4:53 PM EST: As expected. John Mayberry will be starting today in left field. That is the only lineup change for the Phils and he takes the same spot in the order as Raul Ibanez.

1. J. Rollins, SS
2. C. Utley, 2B
3. H. Pence, RF
4. R. Howard, 1B
5. S. Victorino, CF
6. J. Mayberry Jr., LF
7. P. Polanco, 3B
8. C. Ruiz, C
9. C. Hamels, P

1. R. Furcal, SS
2. A. Craig, LF
3. A. Pujols, 1B
4. L. Berkman, RF
5. D. Freese, 3B
6. Y. Molina, C
7. R. Theriot, 2B
8. J. Jay, CF
9. J. Garcia, P

5:08 PM EST: Jimmy Rollins does a solid job of working the count and pops out foul on 2 pitches. Chase stepping to the plate.. Jimmy has had a great series so far, but feel like he just does not understand baseball situations way too often. Chase grounds out meekly to Pujols at first..

5:10 PM EST: I really wanted to see Ryan Howard bat in the first inning because that guarantees that a man is on base, but Hunter Pence lined out sharply to shortstop on the first pitch. I can't fault Pence for first pitch swinging because he does it more than anybody else in the league it seems, but I am horrified at the lack of working counts. It is like they look at the Yankees approach and insist it does not work? 6 pitches for Garcia in the first. Gimme a break!

5:14 PM EST: Hamels gets the first out on the second pitch of the game. This game is a 4:07 start in St. Louis and the shadows are creeping around between the mound and home plate. It could prove to be very difficult for hitters in the early going. At least that's what they always say..

5:19 PM EST: Pujols doubles in the gap on a 2-2 pitch that was down and away. He hit the ball a good 320 feet with one hand. He is a man amongst men. The camera angle we are experiencing on tv is different than usual. It is from straight away center field rather than just a little off center. It is an interesting perspective. Hamels clips Berkman with a cutter on the foot. 1st and 2nd 2 outs for David Freese.

5:20 PM EST: My only guess is that Cole Hamels straight fell asleep and the two slowest guys you can think of pull off a double steal. Pujols and Berkman get in scoring position but Hamels strikes out Freese on 3 pitches.

5:26 PM EST: Garcia willingly throws fastballs to Howard in his at bat. But he threw them up and Howard refused to let them go. Everybody seems to be swinging and missing at this point. Howard ks swinging and missing at a ball at his shoulders. Never seen that before.

5:29 PM EST: A solid 1-2-3 inning for Garcia that included at least 5 swings and misses. For some reason the announcer said it was a 7 pitch inning, but the Phils did make him claw through 13 stress free pitches.

5:34 PM EST: Tony La Russa is celebrating his 67th birthday today. I can't tell if he has looked 35 for the last 20 years or 67 for last 20 years but his appearance hasn't changed. Jose Molina just put a ball in the upper deck foul but he flew out to right after working the count full.

5:36 PM EST: Normal TNT basketball analyst Craig Sager is thrust into sideline coverage at baseball games. He is wearing a trademark hideous suit. This time a lime green jacket with a ridiculous multi-colored shirt.

5:39 PM EST: 32 pitches. 4 outs so far for Cole. Sitting in the corner barely able to watch. Jay has fouled off at least 5 pitches in this at bat. On a fairly borderline call Hamels gets Jay looking with a changeup on the corner. Regardless that was a great at bat for Jay.

5:42 PM EST: Hamels is out of the second with 39 pitches and two hits given up. If you told me Deion Sanders would agree to dress up for a commercial and look like an All-Pro Tinkerbell I would tell you DirecTV paid him a shit ton of money. I have to say that commercial is way better than dealing with Gus, the second most famous groudhog in Pennsylvania. Shut Up Gus!

5:46 PM EST: Polanco bounces out meekly on the second pitch of his at bat. Ohhh for 9 so far this series. Shaking my head in silence..

5:48 PM EST: Good God! After a Ruiz single Hamels pops up the (first pitch!!) bunt attempt to Molina. The announcers quip that he probably has not bunted that much this season. Which is not the case. Rollins promptly singles and Ruiz can only advance to 2nd.

5:51 PM EST: Utley grounds out meekly to end the inning. It was nice to see two hits on the board though. WIth the camera angle where it is, you can really see Garcia's ball dart away from right handed batters. Serious movement.

5:58 PM EST: Walks are never good. Especially when Hamels was up on Allen Craig 0-2 before Craig worked the count full and fouled one pitch off. Especially when Albert Pujols is the next man up.

6:01 PM EST: Hamels shakes off the walk and get Pujols to fly out and Berkman to fly to center. Victorino made the play on Pujols while showing off his baseball shades. Everybody out there is wearing them. Here is Lance Berkaman.

6:05 PM EST: After Pence flew out to deep right center they showed the Rangers celebrating winning their series against the Rays. They were spraying champagne everywhere. Somebody keep an eye on Josh Hamilton. Meanwhile Howard is batting and they just mentioned that Garcia had yet to run a 2 ball count. A 2 ball count!! It is the 4th inning! Howard manages to get 2 balls, oh my! But then strikes out looking on another borderline outside corner pitch. Howard is 2-2 if you want to count strikeouts as hits.

6:07 PM EST: Our 2-3-4 hitters go down 1-2-3 in less than 10 pitches. I would like to cry if it were manly.

6:12 PM EST: When Hamels misses he misses so far. The balls are not close and the Cardinals have been fouling everything off. The Cardinals at bats have been the opposite of the Phillies at bats so far, but thankfully for the Phils, the results have been the same. Hamels strikes out David Freese on a 3-2 count after several foul balls.

6:22 PM EST: The score is tied 0-0 after four. I'm sitting here with 3 of my friends. Even though it is tied, we all agree we feel like crap inside about this game right now. It's like when the Eagles go up and down the field but call a run pass option up the middle to Ronnie Brown on the goaline that results in the most horrible reprehensible turnover you have ever seen. One team is dominating, but not capitalizing. In this case, that team is the Cardinals. Luckily, one swing can turn things around for the Phils right now.

6:25 PM EST: I'm sure the Phillies aren't as nervous as I am. But I'm celebrating at bats that go over 3 pitches before they are even over right now. It just looks ugly. Chooch gets the first 3 ball count of the game (celebrating) and smokes a gounder in the hole, but Furcal made a nice back hand stab. I'm also celebrating hard hit balls even when they are not hits. That's where we're at with this game right now. Nothin nothin - mid 5.

6:33 PM EST: After a 2 out Pujols double, Lance Berkman chopped a grounder to Ryan Howard at first. He managed to make it out of the batter's box, but not much further. Nice hustle bro.

6:39 PM EST: Caught on tape: Dave Duncan, Cards pitching coach, sharpening his pencil by biting it. Rollins has possibly the best "at-bat" I have seen all game, but pops out to left on a full count.

6:40 PM EST:
"So Garcia looks good"
"We just make him look good"

Conversations happening at my house right now.

6:44 PM EST: Wow! Serious disrespect! After an Utley single and wild pitch to advance him to 2nd they intentionally walk Hunter Pence for Ryan Howard!! See if this pays off for La Russa...

6:46 PM EST: Well, at least he did not K after immediately falling behind 0-2. Howard grounds out to Pujols in a somewhat close play at first. He hustled more than Berkman, that's for sure. At least the Phils showed a little life in that inning.

6:48 PM EST: Sample texts I received after the slap in the face from La Russa to Howard and the subsequent out Howard produced.

"I would be mad if i didn't know that was going to happen"
"That was embarrassing. I am embarrassed for Ryan"

6:50 PM EST: Talk about embarrassing. Jon Jay just Ked for the 3rd time today. 2nd looking.

6:52 PM EST: I have to laugh. Jose Molina swung and violently missed at a 3-0 change up from Hamels. 2 pitches later he struck out. That was the definition of a green light.

6:54 PM EST: The camera catches a squirrel running around on the field. He ran next to the stands and in an effort to be "the dumbest fan in the stadium" a fan reached down as if he was going to pick up the damn thing. Get a clue buddy, that squirrel would literally bite your finger off.

6:56 PM EST: Talking about the Phillies great arms and Dick Stockton says, "That's why they call them stoppers, they stop losing streaks."

Thanks man.

6:59 PM EST: After getting the first 2 outs, Hamels gives up a single and a full count walk after an 0-2 count. You have the feeling this is his last batter regardless of what happens. 111 pitches. Himey at the plate. Worley up in the pen.

7:02 PM EST: Hamels gets through 6 innings without giving up a run. I expect to see Worley out there next inning. This game is all but officially out of Cole Hamels hands and he did everything the Phillies needed him to do, and more. The offense has to do its part.

7:04 PM EST: "I feed my lawn in the fall. Because that's when it likes to be fed." Scotts is such a great sponsor.

7:07 PM EST: Clueless announcers talking about sacrifice bunting John Mayberry after a leadoff single from Victorino. Mayberry is 3rd in slugging in the NL since his call up in July. The two guys ahead of him are Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki. Do those guys sac bunt?

7:13 PM EST: DIck Stockton "You metioned how ineffective Ben Francisco had been as a pinch hitter this season" Well. Benny turned into Matt Stairs and just hit a 3 RUN PINCH HIT HOME RUN!! 3-0 Phillies. The stadium went quiet, like Lloyd Christmas just killed an owl quiet. In one of the better second guesses we will ever have for Tony La Russa, he chose to intentionally walk Carlos Ruiz to get to Franciso. 3-0 Phillies. Rollins follows with a double over John Jay's head in center. Top 7.

7:21 PM EST: Is it me or are the "Education Connection" (sing it like you know how!) commercials, the cheesiest most corny, and did I mention basically useless? commercials you have ever seen. Vance Worley is on the mound to start the bottom of the 7th.

7:26 PM EST: Pujols cannot be stopped. A bloop piece of &#* fell in between Utley and Pence to put runners on 1st and 2nd after a 1 out walk. Berkman up. Tense at bat. Rich Dubee comes out to talk to the rookie. Berkman has a serious look at the plate. I'm not sure what he is doing with that M.I.T. (Mullet In Training) look going.

7:32 PM EST: After Berkman grounded into a first pitch fielder's choice, David Freese singled up the middle to give the Cards their first run of the game. Worley retired Yadier Molina on a fly ball to right and the game is headed to the 8th with the Phils sending Pence, Howard, Victorino to the plate. As you can imagine, the mood has lightened considerably but this game is (to get as cliche as possible) far from over.

7:35 PM EST: I put the last post up at 7:32 directly at the beginning of the top of the 8th. I post this at 7:35. 1-2-3, yet again for the Phils offense.

7:43: Antonio Bastardo is on the mound for Vance Worley. Worley gave up a leadoff single to Ryan Theriot who is 4-4 and yet to hit a ball hard. Bastardo was having one of the most dominant season a reliever could have until the last month when he struggled. This could get interesting.

7:48 PM EST: The chess match is on between Charlie Manuel and La Russa. Bastardo did his job and got John Jay to fly out. La Russa sends up pinch-hitter Matt Holliday who has been sidelined with a finger injury. Manuel counters with former closer Brad Lidge. Unfortunately for Charlie, Lidge gives up a single to Holliday. First and second for the Cardinals with 1 out in the 8th. Lidge has had an up and down history to say the least, but has been good for the most part this season. He is no stranger to these pressure situations.

7:55 PM EST: Hard to handle these situations. Lidge gives up back-to-back base hits to load the bases. Stomach is in knots. Manuel is going to Ryan Madson for a 5 out save. Something we haven't seen all year, so you know, it is probably a good idea right? Trying to concentrate on breathing...

7:59 PM EST: 2 pitches. 2 outs. Madson spins a pair and gets Allen Craig to ground into a 4-6--, make that an unconventional 4-3 double play. For some reason Chase did not want to make a 10 foot flip to Rollins and he ran the hard-hit ball over to 2nd and fired to Howard. Inning over. Pujols strraaaannnndddeeeedddd on deck, left to lead off the 9th inning. 3-1 Phillies top 9. If you are a Phillies fan, it doesn't get much better.

6-7-8 up for the Phils in the 9th. Madson will have to bat if the Phils can manage to not go in order.

8:02 PM EST: TBS showed the double play replay when the broadcast came back on. Bob Brenly comments "We mentioned the Cardinals led the wwwoooorrrrlllddd in double plays at the beginning of the telecast." Good stuff. Pujols has led the league in GIDPs for years now. That happens when you pepper infielders with scorched ground balls and you are not that fleet afoot.

8:08 PM EST: Madson got his chance to strike out and he came through. Now he has a chance to save the game, let's see if he can come through on that as well. Due up in the bottom of the 9th for the Cards: Pujols, Berkman, Freese. It's go time.

8:11 PM EST: My God Pujols is a machine. First pitch of the 9th inning he lines a double into the corner in left. Is he human? 4 hits today. 3 doubles. Berkman stands in as the guy who can tie the game with one swing. Had to be a tense 9th right?

8:16 PM EST: Berkman flies out to center. Freese grounds out to second. Pujols at third. Yadier "I love me a neck-tat" Molina stands between the Phils and a 2-1 series lead. Fans are chanting but have a glazed look for the most part.

8:18 PM EST: I just threw up a little in my mouth. Molina singles to center. 3-2 Phillies. Kyle Lohse in to run for Molina. Ha! Ryan "luckies hits all day" Theriot stands in to try and extend the game.

8:21 PM EST: Theriot grounds out to Chase Utley. Phils win 3-2. Good night. Game over. Drive home safely.

8:25 PM EST: I have to say that I did not approve of sending Madson out for a 5 out save when he has not done it all season, but it managed to work out anyway. Hamels and Francisco get it done. 2-1 Phils in the series with Little Roy on the mound tomorrow. Let's gooo!

8:37 PM EST: Watching the Charlie Manuel press conference. It is going something like this. "We played good. He played good" You have to love Charlie Manuel, I know I do.