Who the hell is Vance Worley?

One of the fun things about the Phillies this season is checking the box score to see which ace was throwing today.

You have an 80% chance of seeing a kick ass potential Cy Young contender. You have two former NLCS MVPs... and neither one of them is named Halladay or Lee.

So I saw the Mets were clobbered by the Phillies, who held New York scoreless until the 9th, I checked to see which ace was on the hill.

It was of course Vance Worley.

Who?
Seriously, hands up if you heard of Vance Worley.
(Put your hand down, Mrs. Worley.)

Here he is.

He is 23 years old and pitched fine as a September call up last year. This year he shut down the Mets in his first start of the season.

What if he continues to pitch well?
I mean he only has 4 aces to take him under his wing.

Good luck with your injury Joe Blanton.

Who picked Dan Haren to win the Cy Young?

In my official picks for 2011, I had Dan Haren taking home the Cy Young.
My predictions are so often so terrible that one starts to look good, I need to gloat.

4 games in, a 3-0 record with a 0.73 ERA.
Tonight he threw a 1 hitter tonight. No doubt some number cruncher will tell me why he actually sucked in this game, but I'll give him credit.

And while he got a tough no decision in his first start of the season, he picked up a vulture win as a reliever 3 days ago... and then took the mound tonight and went 9.

Sounds like an ace to me.

Cliff Lee can't lose? Neither could THESE 5 guys!

It seems like a foregone conclusion by anyone NOT named Lisa Swan that Cliff Lee will win tonight in Yankee Stadium and put the Yankees in a 2-1 hole.

He's awesome! He's unbeaten in the post season!
He can NOT lose!

Where have I heard THAT before?
Oh yeah... many times and believe it or not with people with more impressive post season credentials than Cliff Lee.

I am going to pull out five examples of a dominant pitcher entering a can't miss game with everything in their favor lost...

Beware Cliff Lee, THESE guys had an easier team to face than you do tonight!


CHIEF BENDER
Philadelphia Athletics

Game 1 - 1914 World Series.

The Boston Braves stormed into the World Series with a worst to first August rally, but now had to face the defending World Champion Athletics and their future Hall of Fame ace starting game 1.

It wasn't supposed to be close, and it wasn't. Except it was the Braves, led by Hank Gowdy, Rabbit Maranville and pitcher Dick Rudolph who rolled, 7-1.



WALTER JOHNSON
Washington Senators

Game 7 - 1925 World Series

Arguably the greatest pitcher of all time finally got his shot to pitch in the World Series in 1924. He got his jitters out by losing two games but winning Game 7 out of the Bullpen.

In 1925, the Big Train was rolling for the repeat, winning Games 1 and 4. When the Pirates forced Game 7, it was no problem. Johnson was rested and ready.

Washington gave him a 4 run cushion before he even took the mound and the World Series was a foregone conclusion. But the Pirates kept battling and in the 8th inning, Kiki Kuyler doubled home the go ahead run. The 9-7 win was saved by Red Oldham, a personal obsession of mine.



SANDY KOUFAX
Los Angeles Dodgers

Game 2 - 1966 World Series

Koufax was one of the most dominating forces in baseball history in the mid 1960s and rose to the occasion in the World Series, winning the MVP in the 1963 and 1965 Series. When the Orioles roughed up Don Drysdale in Game 1 of the Series, there was no panic in Los Angeles. Koufax was going to take the hill.

For the first 4 innings, it was vintage Koufax. But the Dodger defense betrayed him, committing 6 errors over all. Koufax lasted only 6 innings in the 6-0 loss, which turned out to be his final game. Future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer got the win.


BOB GIBSON
St. Louis Cardinals

Game 7 - 1968 World Series

Bob Gibson had already won 2 World Series MVPs but the 1968 series was looking like his masterpiece. He struck out 17 in the opening shutout and threw another complete game win in game 4 (his 7th straight complete game World Series win.)

In Game 7, he was throwing a 1 hit shutout into the 7th when Curt Flood slipped and couldn't catch Jim Northrup's 2 out fly ball which turned into an RBI triple. The Cardinals wouldn't recover and the Tigers won the game 4-1 to clinch the series.


DAVE STEWART
Oakland A's

Game 1 - 1990 World Series

The A's and Dave Stewart learned their lesson after losing the 1988 World Series to the Dodgers. They were 12-1 in the 1989 ALCS and World Series and 1990 ALCS combined. And Dave Stewart was the MVP of the '89 World Series and '90 ALCS. He was unquestionably the best big game pitcher in baseball.

He took the mound against the Reds ready to dispatch of them quickly to give Oakland back to back titles. Eric Davis had other ideas, homering off of Stewart in the first inning.

Stewart lasted only 4 innings and the Reds won 7-0. Stewart would regain his stuff for Game 4 but still lost, 2-1 as it was the Reds who pulled off the sweep.



So there you have 5 examples of guys who had bigger reputations than Cliff Lee who couldn't get the job done.

I'd think of more but that should give you a strong foundation. If Koufax and Gibson can lose the big game, why not Lee?

Lincecum picks up the gauntlet

My dad and I were talking about the Giants game this afternoon. My dad said "people are going to be expecting Lincecum to throw a no hitter on the heels of Halladay."

Well, he took care of THAT thought with the first batter.
I knew my dad was AT the game and when I saw he let up a lead off double, I thought "Oh man... please don't get rocked."

He didn't throw a no hitter... but DAMN he did the next best thing.
A DOMINATING complete game shut out?
2 hits, 1 walk and 14 STRIKEOUTS!!!

Now is there a baseball fan ALIVE who doesn't want to see a Lincecum/Halladay match up?

You could argue it was more impressive than Halladay's game.
You'd be wrong, but you could argue it.

The Giants have their ace back

It was only a few weeks ago that I was lamenting the Bengie Molina trade and wondering if Tim Lincecum was ever going to pitch like an ace again.

The Giants needed him to come up big as an ace and all throughout his gruesome August, he came up small.

But his last game was solid... and tonight he was terrific.

Oh he's had better games over all, but he started perfectly, pitched into the 7th, struck out 11 and gave the Giants the chance to keep the pressure on the Padres, Phillies and now the Braves (who are the leader of the Wild Card since Philadelphia leap frogged them into the Division Lead tonight.

There was a bigger significance to this game.

The Giants are pitching again. And they are starting to hit. Things are clicking and if Sanchez and Cain and Bumgarner pitch well and Wilson keeps saving games, the Giants will probably be playing in October.

But as for the ace... I think Paul Newman said it best in The Color of Money.

"Hey... I'm Back!"

Giants... let Lincecum do what he needs to do

Tim Lincecum is about to make arguably the biggest start of his career. After a month or so when the Giants couldn't get any decent starting pitching, suddenly things have turned around.

And a lost season is looking more and more found as the Giants remain 2 back in the loss column for the NL West lead and 1 game in the loss column for the NL Wild Card with 24 to play. (And a possible season making 4 game series in San Diego starting day after tomorrow.)

He had a grotesque August where he went 0-5 with a 7.82 ERA and pitched just over 5 innings a start.

His first start in September was a solid 8 innings 1 run win.
They need another start like that against the D'Backs. They need Cy Young Lincecum.

Which means, Giants... let him do WHATEVER he was doing in 2008 and 2009 when he won his first two Cy Young Awards.

Look away, say "Do what you've got to do" and don't ask questions. Yeah he got in a little bit of trouble in the off season... and no, I am not condoning any illegal activities.

Just wink and say "I don't want to know."

If there was a guy showing up in a Tie Dye shirt listening to Phish on days Lincecum pitched last year... FLY HIM IN!

The Giants have a shot to make the post season and possibly line up a playoff rotation that could send them right to the World Series.

And they need Lincecum to be an ace. And if it was smoke and mirrors (and smoke) that helped him win, then cue up the Marley and make it work.

And don't get all Holier than Thou about strange dudes showing up to the Giants clubhouse with substances.

Lest we forget...

Did the Giants trade their ace away?

When the Giants dealt Bengie Molina to the Rangers, it looked like a straight forward deal that helped both teams, both directly and indirectly.

The Rangers got a steady defensive catcher in Molina and the least likely cycle in baseball history.

Texas had a 3 1/2 game lead when he arrived. They have an 8 game lead now.

The Giants landed Chris Ray who gives San Francisco much needed bullpen depth. And the trade also opened a spot in the lineup for Buster Posey, who has given the Giants a much needed bat and right now looks like he will win the Rookie of the Year over the more publicized Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg.

So it was a perfect trade for the Giants too... right?
Or was it disastrous?

As the Giants are in contention for the Wild Card and hovering around the NL West lead, the main element that makes people think they would be solid in the post season is Franchise, the Freak... call him what you will.

Tim Lincecum is the key for the Giants hopes.

The idea of him pitching twice in a best of 5 series should all but clinch a Division Series.

Seeing him pitch in an NLCS has images of pennants dancing in the Giants head.

And dare anyone dream him starting a deciding game of the World Series?

It would inspire more confidence than Livan Hernandez, I would boldly assert.

But will it?

Did you see Lincecum pitch last night against the Cardinals?

He was ordinary... and this isn't one isolated start.

He has three straight BAD losses (including 2 where he didn't last past 4 innings.) He has rarely been dominant as of late and actually got my dad to say "They should sit him."

SIT LINCECUM? The Franchise?

Well maybe he also enjoyed throwing to Bengie Molina.
With Molina as his regular catcher, he was 49-19 and won a pair of Cy Young Awards.

Since then he is a sub .500 pitcher with an ERA approaching 5.

If the answer to his downturn was his pitching to Molina, then this trade that looked so good on first and second glance might be one of the damaging trades in Giants history (yes worse than Liriano and Nathan for A. J. Pierzinski!)

Now of course there are flaws with this theory. His last game caught by Molina was a blow out by the Red Sox and he has thrown a couple of dominating games without him.

But something is wrong with Lincecum... and Giants fans are starting to freak out about the Freak!

Don't be surprised if Halladay winds up winning the Cy Young

I've been flip flopping left and right on the NL Cy Young award ever since it became clear in April that there were going to be a LOT of contenders.

For most of the year it looked like Ubaldo Jimenez's to lose.

Then Josh Johnson looked like the front runner and more recently I've been leaning towards Adam Wainwright.

But when the dust settles, and if the Phillies continue their huge comeback, it could very well be Roy Halladays. And yesterday's performance convinces me he might be the guy.

"BUT WAIT!" Say all the stats people. "He let up 5 runs today! He didn't have his best stuff yesterday! Yesterday was a subpar performance!"

Yes, I know that... and he still pitched well enough to win, take pressure off of the bullpen and keep the Phillies winning ways alive, taking the series from the Mets.

While a lot of stats people think baseball is played in a vacuum and things like "run support" and "winning the game" are irrelevant, I think it shows something from your ace when they don't have their best stuff and can hold on to win anyway.

I know that makes me irrelevant, but I have a feeling the team was grateful and the bullpen was happy.

Yeah, his run total was high, but he gave them 7 innings, struck out 10 and walked 1. (Isn't strike outs to walks a coveted stat?)

His WHIP is 4th in the NL.

For those who value wins (remember, the point of the game?) he has the third highest total behind Jimenez and Wainwright.

For those who like strikeouts, he has the most in the NL.

Nobody has pitched more innings in all of baseball (he should pass 200 innings before Labor Day.)

Nobody has completed more games or thrown more shutouts in all of baseball.

And oh yeah... since they hit rock bottom and were on the verge of being a .500 team in late July... he's gone 4-0, averaging more than 7 2/3 a start and a 2.03 ERA (and that includes the 5 runs today). He's also striking out better than 1 an inning. And he's winning games the Phillies NEED as they will probably make up a 7 game deficit and in all likely hood he'll be the ace of the Division Champion.

Not that those sort of things matter any more.