Ryan Freel, Tom Gordon, and Another Player

So the Phillies lost last night. I watched the game and I thought of a couple of things worth mentioning.

First is Ryan Freel, the Reds' utility player. Freel is in his fifth season in the league, fourth with the Reds. In his five seasons, he has played second base, third base, and all three outfield positions. This year he has done that while also hitting .294 with 27 stolen bases. His speed on the basepaths contributed to the Phillies loss last night. A player such as Freel gives a manager not only someone who can give a man a night off, but also a great defensive substitution in late innings.

Next player I want to mention is Tom Gordon. Somehow, Gordon has gone from gem of the bullpen to its downfall. The Phillies bullpen yesterday pitched 4.2 innings of relief, giving up 2 hits while striking out 4. Gordon came in for the 9th and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk, ultimately getting pulled for Rick White Flag. Since July 4th, Gordon has an ERA of 5.87 and has given up 17 hits in 15.1 innings. Gordon has given up more home runs (4) than from the beginning of the season to July 3rd. Maybe the trade rumors got to him? I don't know, but he's blown two consecutive games and is a weak point in the Phillies pitching right now.

Finally, another blog site I read, The Baseball Crank, does player comparisons from time to time. Here's one I came up with.

Player A: .289 BA, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 80 R, .365 OBP, .477 SLG, 51 BB, 21 SB, 25 2B, 3 3B
Player B: .269 BA, 17 HR, 49 RBI, 91 R, .332 OBP, .458 SLG, 41 BB,
26 SB, 31 2B, 4 3B



Player A? Johnny Damon. Player B? Jimmy Rollins. Both are leadoff hitters, and their numbers are pretty similar. I think this just speaks to the value of Rollins.

1-1, 47 games to go