The Phils took the third straight from the Mets last night. Wow. 

I am feeling a little full but……How about dessert? 

 I looked at the replay several times.  Marlon Anderson went out of his way to contact Guch on the play at second base. Looking around the bases and the consensus is he is out. Game over.

From Doc at BallSticks&Stuff.com - Marlon Anderson’s left shoulder driving into Tadahito Iguchi and the subsequent shove of Iguchi sure looked intentional to me.

From Enrico at the700level.com - Former Phillie Marlon Anderson performed a completely bone headed play to end the game tonight and give the Phils their third straight win over the Mets in a crazy series at CBP this week.

From J.Weitzel at beerleaguer.com - With one out and men on the corners, Marlon Anderson’s takeout slide was correctly ruled interference by second base umpire C.B. Bucknor, resulting in the third and final out in the Phils’ 3-2 win over the Mets.

 And how about from a Mets blog, Amazinavenue.com.  - Rule 7.08(b) of the MLB Official Rules vaguely states:

Any runner is out when –(a) (1) He runs more than three feet away from his baseline to avoid being tagged unless his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball. A runner’s baseline is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely; or (2) after touching first base, he leaves the baseline, obviously abandoning his effort to touch the next base;

[snip]

(b) He intentionally interferes with a thrown ball; or hinders a fielder attempting to make a play on a batted ball; Rule 7.08(b) Comment: A runner who is adjudged to have hindered a fielder who is attempting to make a play on a batted ball is out whether it was intentional or not. If, however, the runner has contact with a legally occupied base when he hinders the fielder, he shall not be called out unless, in the umpire’s judgment, such hindrance, whether it occurs on fair or foul territory, is intentional. If the umpire declares the hindrance intentional, the following penalty shall apply: With less than two out, the umpire shall declare both the runner and batter out. With two out, the umpire shall declare the batter out.

As I interpret it, Anderson would have been cleared of (a) but likely violated (b) by intentionally hindering Iguchi’s efforts to throw to first. Of course, that’s not the call that Bucknor or West made, but it’s tough to cry foul on this one since it looked to me like Anderson was a little too pushy. The kicker is that Green probably would have been safe at first had Anderson slid like a baseball player and not a UFC grappler.

And I’ll leave you with this doozy: Coming into tonight’s game the Phillie bullpen was 15th in the National League with a 4.58 ERA and dead last in the league with a 1.57 collective WHIP. Through the first three games of this series their ‘pen has tossed ten innings. Their combined line: