August 2009

A ninth inning solo blast by Ryan Howard help propel the Phils into a win over the Braves, 3-2.

A ninth inning blast off of the bat of Ryan Howard help to propel the Phils to a late inning win over the Braves, 3-2. Their present winning streak is up to four games, while they still lead the Marlins by four and a half games as they increased their lead over Atlanta to six games.

The Braves took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning as, with a runner on base and with one out, Chipper Jones hits an RBI single, knocking in Nate McLouth, who had earlier doubled, and had gone on to third on Martin Prado’s ground out, 6-3. The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with a runner on base, and with nobody out, Chase Utley hits a two-run bomb, his twenty-fourth home run of the season, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Braves then tied the game up at two-all in their half of the fourth as, with a runner on base, and with two men out, Ryan Church hits a RBI double, knocking in Yunel Escobar, who had earlier reached base on a Pedro Feliz fielding error. The score would remain tied at 2-2 until the top of the ninth when, with the count 2-1, Ryan Howard hits a slider into center field to give the Phils the 3-2 lead. That would remain the final score as Brad Lidge was able to nail down his twenty-second save of the season, despite giving up a single to Adam LaRoche and a walk to pinch hitter Greg Norton, with two out, as he got McLouth to fly out to left for the final out.

Joe Blanton received a no-decision as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up only two runs on seven hits and a walk, while he struck out two. Ryan Madson got the win as he pitched a quick 1-2-3 inning. His record is now 4-4 with a 3.02 ERA. Brad Lidge recorded his twenty-second save of the season, as he gave up just one hit and a walk, while striking out one. Jair Jurrjens also got a no-decision as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk, as he struck out six. Mike Gonzalez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up just one hit. Rafael Soriano took the lost as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on one hit, while striking out the side. His record is now 1-4 with an ERA of 2.55.

The Phils had only seven hits in the game, with Jayson Werth leading the way with two hits, both singles, as he raised his batting average to .262. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and pinch hitter Ben Francisco followed with one hit apiece, with Rollins and Francisco’s hits being doubles, while Utley’s hit was a two-run home run and Howard’s hit was a solo home run. The Phils have so far won each of their games on the present road trip, in fact winning two very close games. They hope to continue to build on their lead over both the Braves and the rest of the NL East.

The Phillies (65-48, 1st) continue their three-games series with the Braves (60-55, 3rd) with an afternoon game that is being televised nationally by Fox Sports. The game will be played at Turner Field and will start at 4 pm Eastern. The Phils’ starter will be Cole Hamels (7-7, 4.77), who is coming off of a lost on August 8 to the Marlins, as he gave up four runs on five hits and four walks, as he struck out four in five and one-third innings of work in the Phils’ 6-4 lost. He will be trying to rebound from his last few bad outings. The Braves will counter with Kenshin Kawakami (5-9, 4.12), who is coming off a no-decision on August 8 against the Dodgers, where he pitched seven shutout innings, giving up just four hits and three walks, while striking out four, in the Braves’ 2-1 win. He will be trying to shut down the Phils again, like he did during his previous start against them in May. The Phils will be trying to build on their lead in the NL East, while attempting to bury the Braves deep in third place.

The bats appear to have come alive as the Phils crush the Cubs while giving some runs support to Pedro Martinez as he returns to the majors.

The Phillies’ bat appear to have decided to come out of hiding as they crush the Cubs, 12-5, as they give runs support to Pedro Martinez as he pitched his first game back in the major leagues. Their lead has now gone back up to four and a half games over both the Marlins and the Braves as the Marlins lose to the Astros.

The Phils jumped to a quick lead in the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI double, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier tripled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils made it a 2-0 lead as Ryan Howard tripled home Utley. The Cubs would cut the lead in half in the second as, with one man on, and one out, Jeff Baker hits an RBI single, knocking in Kosuke Fukudome, who had earlier doubled, making it a 2-1 Phils lead. The Phils increased their lead in the third as, with a man on, and with nobody out, Victorino hits a two-run home run, his ninth home run of the year, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had just doubled, making it 4-1 Phils. The Phils then busted the game wide open in the fourth. With two men on, and with nobody out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, scoring Jayson Werth, who had earlier singled, and had moved up to second base on Pedro Feliz’s single, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead, while Feliz who go all the way to third on Cubs’ center fielder Fukudome’s throwing error, while Ruiz would move up to second base. Two batters later, after Phils’ starter Pedro Martinez had grounded out, 4-3, for the inning’s first out, Jimmy Rollins hits a three-run home run, his fifteenth home run of the season, knocking in both Feliz and Ruiz, while giving the Phils an 8-1 lead. Four batters later, with two men on base, and two men out, Raul Ibanez hits a three-run bomb of his own, his twenty-seventh home run of the year, knocking in Utley, who had earlier singled, and Howard, who had just walked, moving Utley to second, as the Phils took an 11-1 lead, while batting around. Two batters later, Feliz would make it a 12-1 Phils lead, as he hit an RBI single, knocking in Werth, who had just doubled. After Ruiz walked, moving Feliz up to second, the Cubs would finally get out of the inning as Martinez struck out swinging. The Cubs got a run back in the fifth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Koyie Hill, a walk by Sean Marshall and a single by Ryan Theriot, and with nobody out, Milton Bradley hits an RBI single, scoring Hill, making it a 12-2 Phils’ lead, while Marshall and Theriot moved up to third and second respectively. Two batters later, with the bases still loaded and with one man out, Jake Fox hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Marshall, making it a 12-3 Phils’ lead, while also sending Theriot to third. On the play, Victorino, who caught the ball, had a cup of beer thrown at him from the stand by one of the Cubs fans. After the play, Victorino showed his displeasure by looking at the fan, who was quickly removed from the ballpark by security. I don’t know what that idiot was thinking, cause Fox would’ve been called out by the umpires for fan interference if Victorino had dropped the ball. Folks, I don’t want to hear any excuses, cause that guy was a moron, pure and simple!!!! In the ninth, with runners on the corners, and one man out, Aaron Miles hits into an RBI ground out, 3-unassisted, for the inning’s second out, scoring Sam Fuld, who had earlier singled, and had gone to third on Eric Bruntlett’s fielding error of a Hill ground ball, making it a 12-4 Phils’ lead, while Hill, who was safe on Bruntlett’s error, moved up to second base. The next batter, Theriot, then hits an RBI single, scoring Hill, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 12-5. But that would be it as pinch hitter Geovany Soto grounded out, 5-3, for the game’s final out.

Pedro Martinez got the win as he went five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out five in his first start in the majors since last September. His record is now 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA. Chan Ho Park pitched three scoreless innings, as he struck out three. Chad Durbin pitched an inning, giving up two runs, neither of which were earned, on two hits. Jeff Samardzija took the lost, as he pitched only three and a third innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits, as he struck out four. His record is now 1-2 with an ERA of 7.81. Sean Marshall pitched three and a third innings, giving up five runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out four. Aaron Heilman and Carlos Marmol combined for two and a third scorless innings, striking out a batter between them (Marmol).

The Phils exploded for fourteen hits, with each of the regulars having at least one hit. Chase Utley lead the team with three hits, including a double, knocking in a run, while scoring two, as he raised his average to .296. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz followed with two hits a piece, with Rollins’ hits being a double and a three-run homer, while Victorino’s two hits were a triple and a two-run home run and one of Werth’s two hits was a double. Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz each had a hit, with Howard’s hit being a triple and Ibanez’s hit being a three-run home run. Besides the runs knocked in by Utley, Rollins, Victorino and Ibanez, Howard, Feliz and Ruiz each knocked in a run. The Phils had a total of eight extra-base hits in last night’s game (3 (2B), 2 (3B), 3 (HR)). Hopefully, this will mean that the offense has returned.

The Phils (63-48, 1st National League East) will conclude with an afternoon game against the Cubs (58-54, 2nd National League Central). The game is already in progress and is being played at Wrigley Field. The Phils’ starter is Cliff Lee (9-9 (2-0), 2.95 (1.13)), who is coming off a win against the Rockies on August 6, where he went seven innings, giving up only one run on six hits and a walk, as he struck out nine, in the Phils’ 3-1 win. He is trying to lead the Phils to a sweep over the Cubs. The Cubs will counter with Ryan Dempster (6-5, 4.04), who is coming off a win against the Rockies on August 8, where he went six innings, giving up just two runs on nine hits, while striking out two, in the Cubs’ 6-5 win. He will be trying to avoid the sweep. The Phils are presently leading the Cubs, 5-1, after six innings, trying to perform a sweep of the Cubbies, before going on to Atlanta to see if they can push the Braves back, as well as increase their lead in the NL East.

Update: Turns out security threw out the wrong person last night, as the moron who threw the beer let someone else take the rap for his misdeed. But, both the Cubs and Victorino have filed a complaint against the toad, while his face is getting plastered all over the place. Hopefully it’ll be only a matter of time before the Chicago boys in blue come knocking at his door.

The Phils win in extra-innings in spite of weak bats, as they defeat the Cubs, 4-3.

The Phils are able to defeat the Cubs, 4-3, in spite of very little offense as they are only able to get three hits. Their lead over the Marlins remains three and a half games.

The Cubs took the lead in the third as, with two men on base, and with nobody out, James Fox hits an RBI single, scoring Milton Bradley, who had earlier doubled, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead, while sending Derek Lee, who had earlier walked, to second base. Later, with the based loaded, thanks to a Geovany Soto walk, which sent Lee to third, and Fox to second, with still nobody out, Alfonso Soriano’s sacrfice fly made it a 2-0 Chicago lead, as Lee scored. The Phils would tie it up in the sixth, as with a man on, and with two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits a two-run home run, his fourteen home run of the year, as he knocked in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier walked. Rollins’ home run broke up Rich Harden’s no-hit bid and shut out, while Ruiz’s walk ended Harden’s perfect game bid after Harden had gotten out the previous sixteen batters. The Phils would take the lead in the eighth, as, with the bases loaded, via a Ruiz walk, Shane Victorino being hit by the pitch, and Chase Utley being walked, with two men out, Ryan Howard took a four-pitch walk, forcing in Ruiz and giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. It looked like the Phils had made it a 4-2 ballgame in the top of the ninth, as Ruiz hits a 1-2 pitch towards the left field foul line, being called a home run by the third base umpire. But, that turned out to have been the wrong call, as the ball had actually landed several feet foul. A review by the crew overturned the wrong ruling (Which was the right thing to do, as the ball was indeed foul), before Ruiz would finally end the inning with a 6-3 ground out. The Cubs then tied the score up at three-all in their half of the ninth as, with a man on, and with one man out, Bradley hits an RBI single, scoring pinch hitter Kosuke Fukudome, who had earlier walked and had gone to second on Ryan Theriot’s sacrifice bunt, as Brad Lidge blew his league leading seventh save. In the bottom of the eleventh with, two men out, and with the count on him at 2-1, Bradley would hit a ball deep to center field, which he thought would be a home run. Sadly, for Bradley, it instead stayed in the park, and was caught by Victorino for the inning’s final out. In the twelfth, the Phils took the lead as Ben Francisco hits a lead-off home run, his twelfth home run of the year, and his second home run since being traded to the Phils, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. That would be the final score as Chad Durbin, just back from the disabled list, put the Cubs down in their half of the twelfth, earning his second save of the season.

J.A. Happ got a no-decision, as he went six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and four walks, as he struck out three. Chan Ho Park pitched a scoreless inning, giving up just a walk, while he struck out two. Ryan Madson recorded his eighteenth hold of the season as he pitched a scorless inning, giving up just a hit, while striking out two. Brad Lidge blew his league leading seventh save, as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, while he struck out one. Tyler Walker pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up only a hit. Scott Eyre got the win as he pitched an inning and a third, striking out a batter. His record is now 2-1 with an ERA of 1.80. Chad Durbin recorded his second save, as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up only a walk, as he struck out a batter. Rich Harden also received a no-decision, as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up only two runs on two hits and two walks, as he struck out six. Carlos Marmol pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on no hits, three walks and a hit batter. John Grabow pitched a third of an inning, striking out a batter. Angel Guzman pitched two scoreless innings. Kevin Gregg took the loss, pitching two innings, giving up a run on one hit, while he struck out two. His record is now 4-4 with an ERA of 4.02.

The Phils had only three hits in the game, a two-run home run by Jimmy Rollins, a single by Ryan Howard, and a solo home run by Ben Francisco, bringing in the game winner. Howard had the fourth Phil RBI via a bases loaded walk. The Phils offense is still not doing anything, as they were only able to bring in one runner in scoring position, mainly because they were not able to get people on base last night.

The Phils (62-48, 1st National League East) continue their three-games series with the Cubs (58-53, 2nd National League Central) with a night game. The game will be played at Wrigley Field and will begin at 8:05 pm Eastern (7:05 pm Central). The Phils will send to the mound Pedro Martinez (0-0, -.–), who is making his first start since last September. He will be trying to prove to the Phils that he is worth the money that they are presently paying him. He will be opposed by Jeff Samardzija (1-1, 6.29), who is making his first start for the Cubs. He has previously pitched in relief, with his last appearance being on August 7 against the Rockies, where he pitched four innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk, while he struck out one, in the Cubs’ 6-2 lost. He will see if he can do better than he did when he pitched in relief and gave up the winning home run to Jayson Werth in extra-innings. The Phils will be trying to make it two wins in a row, while trying to get the offense jump started.

What is going on?!?! The Phils lose again to the fish, 6-4.

For the second straight game, the Phils’ offense is unable to get the needed key hit as they lose once again to the Marlins, 6-4. Their lead over the Marlins is now done to five games.

The Marlins took the lead in the first as Chris Coghlan hits a lead-off home run, his sixth home run of the year, to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied it up at one-all in the second as, with the bases loaded thanks to singles by Raul Ibanez, Carlos Ruiz and Cole Hamels on a bunt attempt that Marlins’ starter Sean West took too long to throw to first, and with one man out, Ibanez scored on a force out ground ball hit by Jimmy Rollins to second baseman Dan Uggla, who threw out Hamels at second for the inning’s second out, while Ruiz went on to third while Rollins was safe at first, thanks in part to Hamels’ take out slide at second base. The Phils then took a 2-1 lead as Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, knocking in Ruiz, while sending Rollins up to second base. The Marlins then tied it up a two-all in the third as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Emilio Bonifacio and walks to Coghlan and Nick Johnson, and one man out, Hanley Ramirez hit into a force out RBI, scoring Bonifacio, as Johnson was forced out at second, 4-6, while Coghlan moved up to third and Ramirez was safe at first. The Phils regained the lead in the bottom of the third as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Ryan Howard, who had earlier walked, had gone to second on West’s fielding error of an Ibanez ground ball, then reached third on a Pedro Feliz force out, 6-4, as Ibanez was wiped out at second while Feliz was safe at first, scored on a fielding error by Johnson of a pop up hit by Ruiz, making it a 3-2 Phils’ lead, while Feliz moved up to second base. The Marlins took the lead as, with a man on, and with one man out, Cody Ross hits a two-run home run, scoring Jorge Cantu, who had earlier walked, giving the Marlins a 4-3 lead. The Marlins added to their lead in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, pinch hitter Jeremy Hermida hits an RBI single, scoring Ronny Paulino, who had earlier singled, and had gone to second on Bonifacio’s single, making it a 5-3 Marlins’ lead, while sending Bonifacio, who had just singled, over to third. The next batter, Coghlan made it 6-3 Marlins with an RBI single, knocking in Bonifacio, before Hermida was thrown out at third by a strong throw from right fielder Jayson Werth, 9-5, for the inning’s final out. The Phils got a run back in the ninth as, with a runner on third and with nobody out, Chase Utley hits an RBI ground out, 3-unassisted, as Victorino, who had earlier tripled, scored, making it a 6-4 Marlins’ lead. But that would end up being the final score as Ibanez flew out to center with a runner on for the final out.

Cole Hamels took the lost, as he lasted only five and a third innings, giving up four runs on five hits and four walks, while striking out four. His record is now 7-7 with an ERA of 4.77. Tyler Walker pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face. Chan Ho Park pitched two innings, giving up two runs on five hits, while he struck out a batter. Kyle Kendrick pitched a shut out inning, while giving up only a walk. Sean West received a no-decision, as he pitched just four innings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned, on seven hits and two walks, while he struck out four. Brian Sanches got the win as he pitched a scoreless inning, walking only a batter. His record is now 2-1 with a 1.14 ERA. Brendan Donnelly pitched a scoreless inning as he recorded his fifth hold. Dan Meyer also pitched a scoreless inning, recording his fifteenth hold, as he gave up only one hit, as he struck out one. Matt Lindstrom recorded his third hold while pitching a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, as he struck out one batter. Leo Nunez recorded his eleventh save of the year, as he gave up a run on two hits.

The Phils recorded eleven hits, with Ryan Howard leading the way with four hits, including a double, as he raised his batting average to .265. Shane Victorino was next with two hits, with one of them being a triple, as he knocked in a run. Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez, Pedro Feliz, Carlos Ruiz and Cole Hamels had the other five Phils’ hit, with Feliz’s hit being a double. Beside Victorino, Rollins knocked in a run on a force out, while Chase Utley knocked in a run with a ground out. Although Howard got on base all five times that he came up, with four hits and a walk, and scored a run, he did not knock in a run, while the rest of the players in the middle of the lineup (Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez), have together gone 1 for 9, striking out twice, while leaving six men on base. This team needs to start knocking in runs, and, as I’d said in my last few posts, they need to STOP STRIKING OUT when they have men in scoring position, especially with two outs or less. Maybe playing a little more situational baseball might take care of that, along with less swinging for the fences. If the homers come, they’ll come, guys, stopping trying to go for the fences every bleeping time you’re up at the plate. It’s getting annoying, and allowing the opposing pitchers to make you guys look ridiculous.

The Phillies (61-47, 1st) will continue their home stand with an afternoon game against the Marlins (57-53, 2nd). The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will begin at 1:35 pm Eastern. The Phils’ starter will be Jamie Moyer (10-8, 5.55), who is coming off a lost against the Rockies on August 4, as he went five innings, giving up six runs on six hits and four walks, while striking out three, in the Phils’ 8-3 lost. He will be trying to perform his usual magic against the fish, while hoping to stop both the Phils’ present slide, and his own personal one-game losing streak. The Marlins will counter with Josh Johnson (10-2, 2.98), who is coming off a no-decision against the Nationals on August 4, as he went seven innings, giving up four runs on six hits, as he struck out nine, in the Marlins’ 6-4 lost. He will be trying to get a sweep for the fish. The Phils will be trying to put the Marlins back to being six games behind them, with seven behind in the lost column.

Blanton is snake bit once again as a lack luster offense is once again unable to support him as the Phils lose to the fish, 3-2.

A quality start by Joe Blanton is once again wasted as the Phils’ offense is only able to get four hits as the Phils lose to the Marlins, 3-2. The Phils lead over the fish is now down to six games.

The Marlins took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with one man out, Nick Johnson hits a solo home run, his seventh home run of the year. Two batters later, the Marlins made it a 2-0 lead as, with one man on, and with two men out, Dan Uggla hits an RBI double, knocking in Hanley Ramirez, who had earlier doubled. The Marlins then increased their lead in the second inning as Cody Ross hits a lead-off home run, his nineteenth home run of the year, giving the Marlins a 3-0 lead. The Phils would finally cut the lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and nobody out, Ben Francisco hits a two-run home run, scoring Raul Ibanez, who had earlier singled, making it 3-2 Marlins. That would be the final score as the Phils would be unable to get an offense going.

Joe Blanton took the loss, as he pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out four. His record is now 7-6 with a 4.02 ERA. Chan Ho Park, Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre and Tyler Walker pitched a combine two and a third shut out innings, giving up just two hits (Park (1), Eyre (1)) and a walk (Eyre), while striking out five (Madson (3), Eyre (1), Walker (1)). Ricky Nolasco got the win as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks, while he struck out seven. His record is now 8-7 with a 4.86 ERA. Renyel Pinto pitched a scoreless inning, recording his eighth hold, as he gave up just two walks, as he struck out a batter. Leo Nunez recorded his tenth save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Phils had only four hits in the game, with Raul Ibanez having two of them, both singles, raising his average to .306. Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco had the other two Phils’ hits, with Howard’s hit being a double and Francisco’s hit being a two-run home run, knocking in both of the Phils’ runs. The Phils offense is continuing to struggle, not being helped by the fact that not only are the batters in the middle of the lineup not getting any key hits, but they are striking out a lot with men in scoring position. Once they have stopped striking out, they’ll start knocking in runs and the offense will start rolling again.

The Phillies (61-46, 1st) continue their weekend series with the Marlins (56-53, 2nd) tonight with a night game. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (7-6, 4.68), who is coming off a lost to the Giants on August 2, as he went only five plus innings, giving up seven runs on ten hits and two walks, as he struck out only two batters, in the Phils’ 7-3 lost. He will be trying to rebound from that lost and try to even the series in the process. The Marlins will counter with Sean West (3-4, 4.91), who is the probable Marlins’ starter after having been sent down to the minors last month. The Phils will be trying to restart their offense while hoping that Hamels will finally regain his old form, so that they can even up the series and regain their seven games lead in the NL East.

Lee comes to his new home and thrills the fans with a quality start as the Phils defeat the Rockies, 3-1.

Cliff Lee comes to the Bank and thrill his new fans with a seven inning quality start, as the Phils defeat the Rockies, 3-1. They now hold a seven games lead in the NL East over a Marlins team that had just been swept by the lowly Nats for three games this weekend.

The Rockies took a quick lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and nobody out, Todd Helton hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Dexter Fowler, who lead-off the game with a double and then went to third on Seth Smith’s single, giving the Rockies a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied it up at one-all in their half of the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits a sacrifice fly of his own, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier doubled, and had gone to third on Shane Victorino’s ground out, 4-3. The game then turned into a pitchers’ duel between Phils’ starter Cliff Lee, who would give up another three hits for a total of five in the first five innings, but would otherwise keep the Rockies off the scoreboard, while the Rockies’ starter Aaron Cook would give up four more hits for a total of five after four innings. The Phils would then take the lead in the fifth as Paul Bako hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the year, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Phils would then increase their lead three batters later as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Victorino hits a chopper to Rockies’ second baseman Clint Barmes, with Rollins, who had just tripled, running for home on the crack of the bat. Rollins would be safe at home plate, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead, as Barmes made a wide throw that went past the catcher for a fielder’s choice, allowing Victorino to be safe at first base. That would be all the run support that Lee would need, as he kept the Rockies quiet for the next two innings, as he gave up only one more hit, before handing it over to the bullpen, which threw two scoreless innings, as Brad Lidge nailed down his twenty-first save of the year in the ninth.

Cliff Lee got the win, his second as a Phil since the trade, as he went seven innings, giving up only a run on six hits and a walk, while he struck out nine. His record is now 9-9 (2-0) with a ERA of 2.95 (1.13). Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless inning as he recorded his seventeenth hold, giving up just a hit, while striking out one. Brad Lidge recorded his twenty-first save of the year as he pitched a scoreless ninth, giving up one hit, as he struck out two. Aaron Cook took the lost as he pitched five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits. His record is now 10-4 with a 3.93 ERA. Matt Daley pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters. Franklin Morales pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter.

The Phillies had only seven hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins leading the way with three hits, just being a home run short of hitting for the cycle, as he scored two of the three Phils’ runs, while he raised his batting average up to .245, as he continued to be hot since the start of July. Paul Bako is next with two hits, including his game-winning solo home run, knocking in a run. Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez had the other two Phillies’ hits, both singles. Utley knocked in one of the other two Phils’ RBIs with a sac fly, while Shane Victorino knocked in the other one with a fielder’s choice ground ball. Although having few hits, the Phils were able to score the runs they needed, especially as Ryan Howard seems to be in a bit of a slump. Once Howard gets back to hitting the ball and laying off the junk, cutting down on the strikeouts, he’ll be able to carry the team once more on his back.

The Phillies (61-45, 1st) continue their home stand with a three-games series with the Marlins (55-53, 2nd 7 games behind), who had just been swept by the Nationals. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park, and will start at 7:35 pm, after the late Harry Kalas is inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame. The Phils’ starter will be Joe Blanton (7-5, 4.02), who had pitched well in a losing effort against the Giants on August 1, as he went seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits, as he struck out five, in the Phils’ 2-0 lost. He will be going for his eighth win of the year while trying to start the series off on a positive note. The Marlins will counter with Ricky Nolasco (7-7, 5.00), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cubs on August 2, as he went seven innings, giving up only a run on four hits and a walk, as he struck out eight, in the Marlins’ 3-2 win. He will be trying to end the fish present three games losing streak. The Phils will be trying to put even more distance between themselves and the rest of the NL East this weekend.   

Happ showed that he belongs in the starting rotation as he four hit the Rockies’ offense, as the Phils defeat the Rockies, 7-0.

J.A. Happ becomes one of the few pitchers in the National League to pitch more than one shut out this season as he pitched his second career complete game shut out as he four hit the Rockies on the way to a 7-0 win. The Phils increased their lead to six games as the Marlins were defeated once again by the Nationals.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with a man on base and two outs, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, knocking in Chase Utley, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils would increased their lead in the second as, with one man out, Pedro Feliz hits a solo home run, his seventh home run of the season, to give the Phils a 2-0 lead. Three batters later, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits a two-run home run, his thirteenth home run of the year, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier doubled, and then moved up to third on Phils’ starter J.A. Happ’s ground out, 6-3, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead. The Phils then broke it open in the fifth as, with two men on, and two men out, Jayson Werth hits a three-run home run, his twenty-third home run of the year, as he knocked in Utley, who had earlier been hit by the pitch, and then went to third on Raul Ibanez’s double, and Ibanez, who had just doubled, giving the Phils a 7-0 lead. That would be more than enough for Happ, as he proceeded to pitch a gem against the Rockies, getting into only one real jam, as the Rockies puts runner on second and third in the top of the third, via a single to the Rockies’ starter, Jorge De La Rosa and a double by Dexter Fowler, which sent De La Rosa to third, with two men out. Unfortunately, for the Rockies, the next batter, Clint Barmes, struck out swinging, ending the threat. Happ went on to pitch a complete game shut out, giving up only four hits and two walks, while he struck out a career high ten batters.

J.A. Happ got the win as he pitched a complete game shut out, giving up only four hits and two walks, as he struck out a career high ten batters. His record is now 8-2 with a ERA of 2.74. Jorge De La Rosa took the lost, as he pitched five innings, giving up seven runs on ten hits, while he struck out three. His record is now 9-8 with a 5.00 ERA. Josh Fogg pitched three scoreless innings in relief, giving up just a hit and a walk, while he struck out two.

The Phils collected eleven hits in the game, with Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz leading the team with two hits apiece, with one of Feliz’s hit being a solo home run, while one of Ruiz’s hits was a double. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Jayson Werth, and J.A. Happ had the other seven Phils’ hits, with Rollins’ hit being a two-run home run, and Werth’s being a three-run home run, while Victorino, Utley, Ibanez and Happ all hit doubles, with Happ’s double being his first major league extra-base hit. Besides Rollins’s two rbis, Werth’s three ribbies and Feliz’s one run batted in, thanks to home run, Howard knocked in the other Phils’ run with a single, as the Phils brought in several runs yesterday, thanks to the long ball.

The Phils (60-45, 1st National League East) conclude their three game series with the Rockies (59-48, 3rd National League West) with an afternoon game in Citizens Bank Park, already in progress. The Phils starter is Cliff Lee (8-9 (1-0), 3.02), who is coming off a complete game win over the Giants on July 31, as he gave up only one run on four hits and two walks, as he struck out six, in the Phils’ 5-1 win. He is going after his second win as a Phil, while trying to pitch well before his new home crowd. The Rockies will counter with Aaron Cook (10-3, 3.88), who is coming off a no-decision against the Reds on July 31, where he pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out four, in the Rockies’ 5-3 win. He will be trying to match Lee, as he goes for his eleventh win of the season. The Phils will be going for the series win, as they prepare for the Marlins to come to the Bank this weekend.

As the offense continue to sputter, the Phils dropped their third game in a row as they lose to the hot Rockies, 8-3.

For the fifth time in six games, and for the third game in a row, the Phillies’ offense sputters in neutral as the Phils fall to the presently red hot Rockies, 8-3. Their lead in the NL East remains at five as the Marlins drop one to the Nationals.

The Rockies took a 2-0 lead in the second as, with a runner on base, and two outs, Garrett Atkins hits a two-run home run, his seventh home run of the year, scoring Ryan Spilborghs, who had earlier singled. The Rockies added to their lead in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one out, Spilborghs hits an RBI single, knocking in Todd Helton, who had earlier singled, and had gone to third on Brad Hawpe’s double, giving the Rockies a 3-0 lead, while sending Hawpe to third, as Spilborghs went to second on the throw to third. The Rockies made it 4-0 as, with the bases loaded, thanks to an Atkins’ walks, Hawpe scored from third on a bases loaded walk to Chris Iannetta. The Phils got two of the runs back in the fifth as, with one man on, and one man out, Jimmy Rollins hits a two-run home run, his twelfth home run of the season, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier doubled and went to third on Rockies’ shortstop Troy Tulowitzki’s miss catch error of a pickoff attempt, cutting the Rockies’ lead to 4-2. The Rockies then broke it open in the sixth as, with two men on, and with one out, Atkins hits a two-run double, knocking in Tulowitzki, who had earlier walked, moved up to second on Hawpe’s walk, and then went to third on Spilborghs’ force out, as Hawpe is thrown out at second base, and Spilborghs’ who was safe at first on the force out, giving the Rockies a 6-2 lead. The next batter, Iannetta, made it 7-2 Rockies with an RBI single, scoring Atkins, but Iannetta is then thrown out at second, 8-4, as he tried to stretch it into a double for the inning’s second out. Two batters later, the Rockies made it 8-2 as Dexter Fowler hits an RBI double, knocking in Rockies’ starter Jason Hammel, who had just singled. The Phils got a run back in their half of the sixth as, with two men on, and one man out, Pedro Feliz hits a sacrifice fliy, scoring Raul Ibanez, who had earlier doubled, and had gone to third on Jayson Werth’s single, making it an 8-3 Rockies’ lead. That would be the final score as the Phils would be unable to mount any offense in the last three innings.

Jamie Moyer took the loss, as he pitched five innings plus two batters, giving up six runs on six hits and four walks, while striking out three. His record is now 10-8 with a 5.55 ERA. Rodrigo Lopez pitched two innings, giving up two runs on five hits, while he struck out two. Tyler Walker and Brad Lidge both pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Jason Hammel picked up the win as he pitched six and two-third innings, giving up three runs on nine hits, as he struck out six. His record is now 6-6 with an ERA of 4.62. Joe Beimel and Jhoulys Chacin combined for two and a third scoreless innings, giving up just a walk between them, while they struck out three (Beimel (1), Chacin (2)).

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez leading the way with two hits each, with one of Rollins’ hits being a two-run home run, while one of Ibanez’s hits was a double. Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz and Jamie Moyer had the other three Phils’ hits, with Ruiz’s hit being a double. Pedro Feliz knocked in the other Phils’ run with a sacrifice fly. The Phillies’ offense continues to have trouble knocking in men in scoring position, this time with Ryan Howard striking out with the bases loaded and two men out in the third, which was the turning point of the ballgame. The Phillies need to return to doing what they were doing before the Cliff Lee trade, playing good baseball, especially by being able to hit the ball into play, as they are presently killing themselves by constantly trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark, and as a result, striking out a lot. Once they stop doing that, they should start scoring runs again.

The Phillies (59-45, 1st National League East) continue their three-games series with the Rockies (59-47, 2nd National League West) with a night game. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will begin at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils’ starter with be J.A. Happ (7-2, 2.97), who is coming off a lose against the D-backs on July 29, as he pitched six strong innings, giving up only two runs on three hits and two walks, as he struck out five, in the Phils’ 4-0 lost. He will be trying to not just stop the Phils’ present three games losing streak, but also his own personal two games losing streak. The Rockies will counter with Jorge De La Rosa (9-7, 4.68), who is coming off a win against the Mets on July 30, where he went six and a third innings, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks, while strking out five, in the Rockies’ 4-2 win in the second game of a makeup doubleheader. He will be trying for his tenth win of the season, and seeing if he can add more to the Phils’ present woes. The Phils will be trying to see if they can jump start the offense while avoiding a series lost at home, before the second place Marlins come to the Park this weekend.

Cole Hamels allow one to slip out of his control as the Phils lose to their old rival the Giants, 7-3.

Cole Hamels lost control of the ballgame as he gave up six runs in two innings after having had the Giants under control for two plus innings, as the Phils lose to the Giants, 7-3. The Phils have lost their first series since being swept by the Braves in early July. Their lead is now down to five games in the NL East as the Marlins have won their game.

The Giants took the lead in the second as, with a man on base, and with nobody out, Aaron Rowand hits an RBI triple, knocking in Ryan Garko, who had earlier singled, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead. The Phils would tie it up at one-all in the fourth as Jimmy Rollins hits a lead-off home run, his eleventh home run of the season. Four batters later, with a runner on base, and two men out, Jayson Werth hits an infield single on a ground ball to Giants’ second baseman Freddy Sanchez, who made a bad throw to first base for an error, allowing Chase Utley, who had earlier singled, and then stole second to score, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while Werth moved up to second on the throw. The Phils made it 3-1 in the fifth as, with a runner on base, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Eric Bruntlett, who had earlier doubled. The Giants then came back to tie it up at three-all in their half of the fifth as, with two men on, and two men out, Sanchez hits a two-run double, scoring Giants’ starter Barry Zito, who had earlier singled and had gone to third on Eugenio Velez’s blooped single, and Velez, who had earlier singled. The next batter, Pablo Sandoval, then hit a grounder to first that was scooped up by Ryan Howard that could’ve been an easy out, as Phils’ starter Cole Hamels had beaten Sandoval to the bag, if Howard had given Hamels a low toss. Sadly, Howard made a high toss that went passed Hamels, and allowed Sanchez to score, giving the Giants a 4-3 lead, while Sandoval, who is credited with an infield single, would move on to second on the throwing error. The Giants would then break it open in the sixth as, with runners on second and third and nobody out, Randy Winn hits an RBI single, scoring Rowand, who had earlier singled, and had gone to third on Edgar Renteria’s double, making it a 5-3 Giants’ lead, while sending Renteria on to third. Three batters later, after Winn steals second base, Eli Whiteside is intentionally walked to load the bases, Hamels is replaced on the mound by Chan Ho Park, and pinch hitter Bengie Molina flies out to left for the inning’s first out, Velez makes it a 7-3 Giants’ lead wtih a two-run single, knocking in both Renteria and Winn, while sending Whiteside to third base. That would end up being the final score as the Phils would be unable to recover, going down 1-2-3 in the ninth.

Cole Hamels took the lost, as he pitched five innings plus four batters, giving up six runs, five of which were earned, on ten hits and two walks, while he struck out only two. His record is now 7-6 with a 4.68 ERA. Chan Ho Park pitched an inning, giving up a hit. Ryan Madson and Scott Eyre together pitched two scoreless innings, giving up only a hit (Eyre) and a walk (Madson). Barry Zito got the win, as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned, on six hits, while he struck out five. His record is now 7-10 with an ERA of 4.47. Sergio Romo, Brandon Medders, Jeremy Affeldt, who recorded his twenty-third hold and Bob Howry, recorded three scoreless innings, giving up just three hits (Romo (1), Medders (2)), while striking out a batter (Affeldt).

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco leading the team with two hits each, with one of Rollins’ two hits being a solo home run. Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, Pedro Feliz, Eric Bruntlett and Carlos Ruiz had the Phils’ other five hits, with Ruiz knocking in the only other Phils run. The Phils hit themselves out of big innings during the entire road trip, mainly by either striking out or hitting the pitcher’s pitch. Hopefully they can correct that during the home stand, which will start tomorrow night against the Rockies, as they have the day off today.

A good effort by Joe Blanton is wasted as the Phils’ bats are handcuffed by Tim Lincecum as the Phils lose to the Giants, 2-0.

Less than twenty-four hours after supporting Cliff Lee’s excellent start, the Phils wasted a similar effort by Joe Blanton as the batters are unable to figure out Tim Lincecum before losing to the Giants, 2-0.

The first four innings of the game involved a pitchers’ duel between Phils’ starter Joe Blanton, who gave up only one hit during those four innings, and Giants’ starter Tim Lincecum who pitched himself out of jams in both the third and fourth innings, as the Phils’ bats are once again unable to knock in a man in scoring position. The Phils tried once again in the top of the fifth as they loaded the bases on singles by Blanton and Jayson Werth, and an infield single by Ryan Howard as he beat out the throw to first base by Giants’ second baseman Eugenio Velez, with two men out. Sadly, the Phils would once again be unable to score a run as Raul Ibanez grounds out, 4-3. The Giants then took the lead in their half of the fifth as, with runners on the corners, and one man out, Juan Uribe hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Aaron Rowand, who had earlier hit a ground-rule double, and had reached third on Fred Lewis’ infield single, as Blanton, who tried to grab the grounder, was unable to get an out by not getting a handle on the ball, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead. The game would stay 1-0 until the seventh when, with runners on the corners, and one man out, Uribe hits his second sac fly of the ball game, scoring Travis Ishikawa, who had earlier singled, moved up to second when Rowand was hit by the pitch, and went to third on Lewis’ fly out to center, giving the Giants a 2-0 lead. That would end up being the final score as the Phils would not get another hit after Howard’s infield single in the fifth, as Lincecum got out the last ten batters that he would face, and Brian Wilson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, recording his twenty-seventh save of the year.

Joe Blanton took the lost in spite of pitching a good game, as he gave up two runs on seven hits, while he struck out five. His record is now 7-5 with an ERA of 4.02. Chan Ho Park pitched a scoreless inning, giving up just a hit and a walk, as he struck out two. Tim Lincecum got the win as he pitched eight shut out innings, giving up seven hits and a walk, while he struck out eight. His record is now 12-3 with a 2.18 ERA. Brian Wilson recorded his twenty-seventh save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Phils got only seven hits in the ballgame, with Jayson Werth leading the way with two hits, raising his batting average to .270. Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Pedro Feliz and Joe Blanton had the other five Phils’ hits, with all of their hits being singles, being unable to knock in a run for the second time on the road trip. The Phils’ bats obviously need to adjust if they are going to be able to figure out Tim Lincecum if they face him in the playoffs.

The Phillies (59-43, 1st National League East) will conclude their road trip with an afternoon game against the Giants (57-47, 2nd National League West). The game will be played at AT&T Park and will begin at 4:05 pm Eastern (1:05 pm Pacific). The Phillies will sent to the mound their ace Cole Hamels (7-5, 4.42), as he is coming off a win against the D-backs on July 28, where he went eight strong innings, giving up only one run on four hits, while striking out nine, in the Phils’ 4-3 win, He will be going for his eighth win of the season, and to show that he can be just as effective as new Phil’s pitcher Cliff Lee. The Giants will counter with Barry Zito (6-10, 4.45), who is coming off of a no-decision against the Pirates on July 28, as he pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on nine hits and two walks, as he struck out six, in the Giants’ 3-2 win. He will be trying to pitch the Giants into a series win against the Phils, while hoping the Phils will remain unable to score runs. The Phils will be trying to win today to tie the series and end their road trip on a winning note.

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