Phillies get ready for Braves
The intensity is coming back, slowly but surely. The series opens tomorrow night here.
By Bob Brookover
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Phillies played a game yesterday at Veterans Stadium.
Home-plate-umpire Larry Bowa missed a few calls and resisted the temptation to eject himself. Manager Larry Bowa used four of his starting pitchers and his entire bullpen.
Business as usual on a bright sunny day at the ballpark?
Of course not.
This was a simulated game after batting practice with the intention of giving the well-rested pitching staff some much-needed work before this season that will never be the same resumes tomorrow night with a 7:05 game against the Atlanta Braves.
"I don't think this season will ever be the same," third baseman Scott Rolen said. "I don't think anybody wants it to be the same."
When the Phillies left Montreal a week ago today, they greatly anticipated a three-game series in Atlanta. They talked about the importance of that series with the first-place Braves. For most of them, it was the first time in their lives that they still were in a divisional race this late in the season.
Then, they went to Atlanta and the world turned upside down. Baseball was put on hold for a week while the country mourned the loss of thousands of lives caused by Tuesday's terrorist attacks.
No games were played in Atlanta or Cincinnati, the city where the Phillies traveled to Thursday night before flying home Friday. Not much thought was given to baseball over the last five days. The big series with the Braves wasn't even an afterthought.
"It hasn't even come up," centerfielder Doug Glanville said. "Nobody even talked about the Braves. It's weird. It was probably even more strange when we had those practices at Turner Field. The stadium was empty. Nobody was sure about anything."
Now, we know that the season will resume and the Phillies still have 19 games left to close Atlanta's 31/2-game lead in the National League East. That, of course, is not all the Phillies have to overcome in the coming days.
They must also figure out a way to regain the intensity that was with them a week ago. They must recover from the weeklong layoff and they must deal with their own mental anguish caused by Tuesday's tragedies.
Even the veteran Braves admit it won't be easy.
"I'd rather have a series coming out of gate not against the Phillies, so we can get our legs back under us," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. "Whatever team can focus the fastest will get the jump on the other."
There were indications at yesterday's workout that the intensity is returning for some Phillies. Reliever Dennis Cook hurled his glove behind second base when he had trouble throwing strikes during his one simulated inning. Reliever Ricky Bottalico uttered an obscenity when he had a similar problem.
"I think once you step out on the field, I think your intensity will come back," Bowa said.
"I've seen a difference in the three workouts we've had. I think each day has been a healing period. They're doing as good as they can."
Second baseman Marlon Anderson said Tuesday's events could ultimately relieve some of the pressure of playing in this series with the Braves.
"Even though it is a very important series, being able to deal with the emotions of what just happened, then going out and playing this kind of series could take some pressure off," Anderson said. "You know it's not as dire a situation as you may have thought it was a week ago. You understand that playing baseball isn't that important."
Anderson said there shouldn't be any problem regaining intensity.
"I think it's just a natural competitive instinct that you want to win," he said.
The layoff will probably have its greatest effect on the pitchers.
"It's tough because you lose a little feel for the hitters in the box," Brandon Duckworth said. "But it's like riding a bike. You just get back up and go. It's been seven days since I've even seen hitters and 10 days since I've thrown to them. But this [yesterday's simulated game] helps. I think it benefits the hitters and the pitchers."
The layoff has allowed Atlanta manager Bobby Cox to set up his rotation as if the season were just beginning. The Braves will pitch Greg Maddux tomorrow against Robert Person, Tom Glavine on Tuesday against Duckworth, John Burkett on Wednesday against David Coggin and Kevin Millwood on Thursday against Randy Wolf.
The only pitcher who didn't throw in yesterday's simulated game was Person.
"There's nothing you can do about that," Bowa said. "He's pitching Monday. He threw on the side a few days ago."
We are about to enter a new week and, for what it's worth, baseball will resume.
"Any time there is a tragedy like that, you put baseball on the back burner," Bowa said. "But the fact remains that we have seven games left against Atlanta."
And since they're playing them, rest assured that both teams will try to win them.
