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Vulnerability

AG/DC Sep 08 2008 08:07 AM

If nothing else, the Phils sure made the Mets look lefty vulnerable this weekend, even if they did punch back against Cole Hamels. Their best weapon is Delgado right now, and he's lefty-vulnerable. Tatis has come back to earth and Evans is still not showing a full range of big league hitting skills. On average they're lesser hitters than Dizzy Church and Green Murphy and they're clearly lesser fielders. We should get something back from Wright, but we didn't this weekend. So I'm looking at potential playoff opponents to count lefties and see where they can neutralize the Mets attack. Below are the five starters for potential playoff opponents (six in some cases). Lefties are in bold. Obviously, nobody will start more than four guys against us, but they may be tempted to promote somebody in the back end in order to maximize that platoon advantage. These depth charts come from mlb.com and I make no apologies if they're not sorted in the order that one would currently presume their starters to sort come October 1. Chicago 1) Zambrano 2) Lilly 3) Dempster 4) Harden 5) Marquis 6) Marshall Milwaukee 1) Sabathia 2) Sheets 3) Parra 4) Bush 5) Suppan LA 1) Lowe 2) Billingsley 3) Kuroda 4) Maddux 5) Kershaw 6) Kuo Arizona 1) Webb 2) Haren 3) Davis 4) Johnson 5) Petit Philadelphia 1) Hamels 2) Blanton 3) Moyer 4) Kendrick 5) Myers

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 08 2008 08:11 AM

Daybidrye.

AG/DC Sep 08 2008 08:17 AM

Agreed, Junior, but he didn't pack all that much wood this time around. And I don't want him pitched around with the rest of the lineup not picking him up.

Gwreck Sep 08 2008 08:28 AM

]We should get something back from Wright Beltran, too. Only 26.5% of Beltran's ABs this year have come against lefties, but he has hit 41 points higher (and 53 points higher in OBP) as a right-handed batter this year.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 08 2008 08:42 AM

I'd let Church start against lefties. And the good news is that Beltran has been hitting better from the right side than he has in recent seasons. (At least, better than he did in 2006. His 2007 numbers were better than I had thought.) And Daniel Murphy, although it's a very small sample size, is 4 for 7 with a home run against lefty pitchers. I don't know that I'd automatically sit him in favor of Nick Evans.

AG/DC Sep 08 2008 08:49 AM

I think, the plan is, by the end of the season, Church will be a full-timer again, with Tatis and Evans alternating against lefties in left. In fact, Evans can get aced off the potential post-season roster if he doesn't start showing his quality with some regularity NOW!!!!