David Price Pitched HOW Long?

I, Elsewhere

David Price Pitched HOW Long?

By Matt Sussman | Oct 24, 2008 | Filed Under Baseball

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeIt’s okay, I know what I’m talking about. I saw the game.

Game 2: Rays 4, Phillies 2 — The game is still tied 1-1 if the only runs that counted were the ones that came off base hits, and it’d be the 13th inning by now, and I’d be losing my goddamned mind in the live blog. So it’s a good thing Tampa scored three runs on ground balls and Philly tacked on a 9th inning run with an error. The Phillies have now left 22 men on base for the series, and Jimmy Rollins has zero hits against the Tampans.

BUT.

They’re in great shape.

Past stats really don’t mean much, because the lineup can hit three straight solo home runs at any time. Where Philadelphia has the advantage goes beyond stealing a win in Tampa. Their bullpen is much more rested. All they’ve used is Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, and J.C. Romero for an inning apiece. You’d think Brett Myers injected a heavy dose of rubber into his arm and lasted seven innings despite allowing four runs. But he only tossed 85 pitches. That’s … fortunate.

Meanwhile, James Shields didn’t allow a single run, but he was yoinked after 5-2/3 inning. Dan Wheeler came back in tonight and David Price, who got the save-not-a-save, was left out there by Joe Maddon for 2-1/3 innings, throwing a total of … survey SAYS! … 42 pitches. Forty two pitches, and that included two earned runs, two walks, and a home run by Eric Bruntlett.

Maybe there was a way he could have brought in Price later in the game — Shields might’ve been able to finish the sixth, but he was on the wrong side of 100 pitches with runners on base — but Price’s performance was far from the ALCS Game 7 dominance we fell in love with. Grant Balfour could have done what Price did on this night with the same results.

So the teams get a day off to hitch a plane to Philly, which means Price gets a day to rest his arm. Hopefully for the Rays, they don’t have to use Price for another multi-inning performance. Or maybe he’ll just name him Game 4 starter.

You can just feel a goofy-good game on the horizon in Philadelphia this weekend, and if it’s a battle of bullpens, give the edge to Philadelphia. If I told you how it’d turn out, I’d be richer than Biff Tannen.