Ryan Madson gave the Phillies no chance tonight, which, inevitably, will happen now and then when a pitcher with four career starts in the majors takes the ball. These are the growing pains Madson will go through. More important is whether he learns from it. Afterward, he talked about how the game was moving at warp speed and how he couldn't slow things down and focus. Apparently, he got no help on that front from catcher Mike Lieberthal or pitching coach Rich Dubee.
But you can read more about Madson's struggles in Friday's News Journal.
A few observations that probably won't make your daily paper:
* The left-field wall, pushed back 5 feet and raised 30 inches, resulted in three long outfield flies that would've been homers last year. Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman twice sent left fielder Pat Burrell to the warning track, and Bobby Abreu was robbed once on a nice catch by Alfonso Soriano against the wall. Looks like the Phillies got at least one thing right.
* For all his moaning about not wanting to play left field, Soriano is pretty good at it. Not only did he throw out Jimmy Rollins at home plate in the opener of the series Tuesday night, but he made several nice catches against the wall tonight. Soriano might actually like this new position if he gives it a try.
* Zimmerman is bound for stardom. I met him last season in the minors, and chatted with him a bit today, and he's as grounded as they come. He's also from the baseball hotbed of Virginia Beach. David Wright (Mets), BJ Upton (D-Rays) and Mike Cuddyer (Twins) are a few of the recent players to come out of there.
I'll be touching on that, and more, in Sunday's baseball notes.
That's all for tonight. Check back tomorrow when Jon Lieber goes for Win No. 1 against the young Florida Marlins.
1 comment:
What else will you be touching?
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