Another good start is wasted as the bullpen is unable to hold the lead before the Phils lose to the Nats in extra-innings in walk-off fashion, 4-3.
The Phils wasted another good start as the bullpen is unable to hold the lead before they finally lose in the eleventh inning on a bases-loaded walk-off single, losing to the Nats, 4-3.
The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits a two-run home run, his fourth home run of the season, knocking in Juan Pierre, who had started the inning off with a single, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Nats got a run back in their half of the fourth as Chad Tracy hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the season, cutting the Phils’ lead to 2-1. The Phils then added to their lead in the fifth as Carlos Ruiz hits a lead-off home run, his fifth home run of the year, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead. The Nats would cut the Phils’ lead down to 3-2 in the sixth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Jesus Flores hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Danny Espinosa, who had earlier walked, then stopped at third on Rick Ankiel’s double. The Nats then tied the game up at three-all in the eighth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Flores hits an RBI double, knocking in Tracy, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Espinosa’s sacrifice bunt, 3-4, while sending Ankiel, who had just been intentionally walked, all the way to third based. The Nats then won the game in the bottom of the eleventh as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Steve Lombardozzi, and walks by Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth, and with two men out, pinch hitter Wilson Ramos hits an RBI single, knocking in Lombardozzi, giving the Nats a 4-3, walk-off win.
Kyle Kendrick got a no-decision as he went five innings, giving up a run on seven hits and two walks, while striking out two. Joe Savery collected his first hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk. Jose Contreras received his second hold of the season as he threw two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit. Antonio Bastardo collected his fourth hold of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Chad Qualls blew his second save opportunity of the season, as he went an inning, giving up a run on two hits and two walks. Michael Schwimer (0-1, 6.35) took the lost as he went two and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on three hits and two walks, while he struck out a batter. Stephen Strasburg also got a no-decision as he threw six innings, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out four. Tom Gorzelanny, Craig Stammen, Henry Rodriguez and Tyler Clippard combined for four scoreless innings, giving up three hits (Gorzelanny (2), Stammen (1)) and a walk (Rodriguez) between them, while striking out six (Gorzelanny (1), Stammen (1), Rodriguez (2), Clippard (2)). Ryan Perry (1-0, 4.50) got the win as he threw a 1-2-3 inning.
The Phils had only six hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz leading the team with two hits, a single and a solo home run, as he knocked in a run. Juan Pierre (Single), Placido Polanco (Single), Hunter Pence (Home Run, 2 RBIs), and Shane Victorino (Single) had the other four Phils’ hits as Nats’ pitching cooled off the bats. The Phils also had two walks and two stolen bases (Pence (3), Victorino (9)).
The Phils (13-14, 4th) continue their series with the Nationals (17-9, 1st) with an afternoon game already in progress, with the Phils trailing.
The Phils continue their short road trip with a visit to the nation’s capital to meet the presently first-place Nats.
The Phils will continue their two-series road show with a three-game visit to Washington, D.C. to face the presently first place Nationals. The first game of the series will be played at Nationals Park and will start at 7:05 pm EDT.
The Phils (13-13, 4th) have just finished a three-game series with the Braves in which they took two out of three games, including Joe Blanton’s complete-game, three-hit gem as the Phils won the get away game by the score of 4-0. The Phils’ offense is contining to hit, while they are now starting to score runs as well, including scoring 13 in the losing end of a 15-13 extra-innings lost to the Braves on Wednesday night. Their opponent, the Nationals (16-9, 1st) have just finished a three-game series at home with the D-backs, in which they have also won two of three games.
The Phils will be sending to the mound Kyle Kendrick (0-2, 6.59), who is still looking for his first win of the season, as he continues to pitch in place of the still recovering Cliff Lee. He had lost his last start against the Cubs on April 29, as he went six innings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned, on five hits and a walk, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 5-1 lost. Against the Nats, he has a losing record of 2-3 with a high ERA of 5.46, while striking out 32 Nationals. He will be trying to pitch himself to his first win of 2012, while hoping to feed off of his previous start. The Nats will counter with Stephen Strasburg (2-0, 1.13), who is coming off of a no-decision against the Dodgers on April 29, where he went seven strong innings, allowing just a run on five scattered hits, while he struck out nine, in the Nationals’ 4-3 lost. Career-wise, Strasburg has a record of 0-0 against the Phils, with a 2.08 ERA, as he struck out only six Phils. He will be trying to give the Nats the first victory in the opening contest between the two ballclubs. The Phils will be looking towards bringing themselves a bit closer to first-place in the Eastern Division, while trying to defeat the hard throwing right hander.
A complete game effort by Joe Blanton gives the Phils the series win as they shutout the Braves, 4-0.
A three-hit complete game shutout by Joe Blanton, thus giving the bullpen a much needed day off, lead the Phils to a series win over the Braves, 4-0.
The Phils took the lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base on Juan Pierre’s bunt single, then moved up to third on Shane Victorino’s fly out to right, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils made it a 2-0 lead in the seventh as, with two men out, Laynce Nix hits a solo home run, his second home run of the season. The Phils then took a 4-0 lead in the ninth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Victorino hits a solo home run, his fifth home run of the year, scoring Pierre, who had started the inning off with a single. That would end up being the final score as Joe Blanton threw a three-hit shutout by getting Martin Pardo to lined into a 4-3 doubleplay, doubling off at first Michael Bourn, who had just singled, for the game’s final out.
Joe Blanton (3-3, 2.83) took the win as he threw a complete game shutout, as he gave up just three hits, while striking out six. Randall Delgardo (2-3, 5.14) took the lost as he pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on six hits, while striking out five. Livan Hernandez pitched an inning, giving up two runs on three hits, while striking out a batter.
The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Juan Pierre (Singles) and Laynce Nix (Single, Home Run, RBI) both leading the team with two hits each. Jimmy Rollins (Single), Shane Victorino (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Hunter Pence (Double, RBI), Pete Orr (Single) and Joe Blanton (Single) had the other five hits, as the offense continues to hit.
The Phils (13-13, 4th) will continue their road trip with a three-game visit with the Nationals (15-9, 1st), starting with a night game tomorrow night. The game will be played at Nationals Park and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (0-2, 6.59), who is coming off a lost to the Cubs on April 29, as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs, two of which were earned, on five hits and a walk, in the Phils’ 5-1 lost. He will be going for his first win of the season. The Nats will counter with Stephen Strasburg (2-0, 1.13) who is coming off a no-decision against the Dodgers on April 28, as he threw seven strong innings, giving up a run on five hits, while he struck out nine, in the Nats’ 4-3 lost. He will be trying to tame the presently hot Phils’ bats. The Phils wil be trying to get themselves above .500, while at the same time getting themselves closer to the top two spots in the division.
Carlos Ruiz’s best offensive day of his career is ruined by the pitching staff’s inability to hold onto a lead as the Phils lose to the Braves via an extra-innings, walk-off two-run home run, 15-13.
Carlos Ruiz’s best offensive day of his career is ruined by the pitching staff being unable to nail down several different leads before finally losing to the Braves in extra-innings on a Chipper Jones walk-off two-run home run, 15-13.
The Phils took the lead, while batting around, in the third as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Placido Polanco’s single, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Polanco, who had just singled, up to third base. Three batters later, now with the bases loaded, after Victorino had stolen second base, and with a walk by Hunter Pence, and with two men out, Laynce Nix hits a bases clearing double, knocking in Polanco, Victorino and Pence, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with one out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI double, knocking in Ty Wigginton, who had earlier singled, giving the Phils a 5-0 lead. The Phils then took a 6-0 lead as Freddy Galvis hits an RBI double of his own, scoring Ruiz. The Braves then came roaring back in their half of the fifth as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Chipper Jones, Erik Hinske and Tyler Pastornicky, and with one man out, Michael Bourn hits an RBI single, knocking in Jones, making it a 6-1 Phils’ lead, while moving both Hinske and Pastornicky up a base. The Braves then made it a 6-2 Phils’ lead as Martin Prado followed with an RBI infield single, knocking in Hinske, while moving up both Pastornicky and Bourn, as the bases remained loaded. Two batters later, as the bases stayed loaded, and now with two men out, Brian McCann hits a grand-slam home run, his fifth home run of the season, tying the ballgame at six-all. The Braves then took the lead in the sixth as, with two men on, and with one man out, pinch hitter Jason Heyward hits a two-run single, knocking in Hinske, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Pastornicky’s double, and Pastornicky, who had just doubled, giving the Braves an 8-6 lead, while knocking Phils’ starter Roy Halladay out of the ballgame. The Phils would regain the lead in the seventh as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Ruiz hits a two-run home run, his fourth home run of the season, scoring Wigginton, who had earlier walked, then stopped at second base on pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr.’s single, and pinch hitter Mayberry, who had just singled, giving the Phils a 9-8 lead. The Phils would increase their lead in the eighth as, with the bases loaded, via infield singles by Pence and Wigginton, with Pence stopping at second base, and a walk by Mayberry, and with two men out, Ruiz hits a bases clearing double, scoring Pence, Wigginton and Mayberry, giving the Phils a 12-8 lead. The Braves came back again in their half of the eighth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Pastornicky hits an RBI single, knocking in Dan Uggla, who had earlier singled, then reached second base on Rollins force attempt, fielding error on Jones’ grounder, making it a 12-9 Phils’ lead, while sending Jones, who was safe at first on Rollins’ error, up to second base. Two batters later, after Heyward had walked, loading up the bases as the runners both moved up a base, and with still one man out, Bourn walked to forced in a run, as Jones scored from third, making it a 12-10 Phils’ lead, while moving both Pastornicky and Heyward up a base, leaving the bases loaded. The Braves would then tied the game up at twelve-all as Prado would hit a two-run single, knocking in both Pastornicky and Heyward, while sending Bourn on to third base. The Braves then took a 13-12 lead as Freddie Freeman hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Bourn. The Phils would tie the game up at twelve-all in the ninth as, with a runner on second, and with two men on, Victorino hits an RBI infield single, as he beat out shortstop Jack Wilson’s throw to first, as pinch hitter Juan Pierre, who had started the inning off with a walk, then stole second base, would score all the way from second base. The Braves would then win the game in the eleventh as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Jones hits a two-run walk-off home run, his fourth home run of the year, scoring Uggla, who had started the inning off with a single, giving the Braves a walk-off win.
Roy Halladay received a no-decision as he went five and one-third innings, giving up eight runs on twelve hits, as he struck out five. Joe Savery pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face, while striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo collected his third hold of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Jose Contreras pitched a third of an inning, as he gave up four runs, three of which were earned, on two hits and a walk, as he struck out one. Michael Schwimer blew his first save opportunity of the season as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk. Brian Sanches (0-1, 9.00) took the lost as he pitched two innings, plus two batters, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk, while he struck out two. Tommy Hanson also collected a no-decision as he went three and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on eight hits, two walks and a hit batter, while he struck out three. Cristhian Martinez pitched an inning and a third, giving up two runs on three hits. Livan Hernandez pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Eric O’Flaherty blew his second save attempt as he pitched an inning, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk, while he struck out a batter. Kris Medlin pitched an inning, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk. Craig Kimbrel blew his first save attempt of the season, as he gave up a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out two. Jonny Venters pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Chad Durbin (1-0, 8.00) gets the win as he threw a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter.
The Phils had seventeen hits in the game with Placido Polanco (Singles), Shane Victorino (Singles, 2 RBIs) and Carlos Ruiz (2 Doubles, Home Run, 7 RBIs) all leading the ballclub with three hits apiece, followed by Ty Wigginton (Singles) and Laynce Nix (Single, Double, 3 RBIs) who had two hits each. Jimmy Rollins (Single), Hunter Pence (Single), Freddy Galvis (Double, RBI) and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr, (Single) having the other four Phils’ hit. With his seven RBI night, Ruiz because the first Phils’ catcher to knock in seven runs in one game. The Phils also had five walks and two stolen bases (Victorino (8), pinch hitter Juan Pierre (4)), on a night when the offense was let down by the pitching staff and by the defense (Rollins’ fielding error in the eight that helped open up the flood gates in that inning).
The Phils (12-13, 4th) have just completed playing their final game of the series with the Braves (15-10, 2nd).
I’d just discovered that….
I’m back among the top 50 MLBlogs fan blogs, landing at no. 47. I would like to thank everyone who have helped put me back onto the list. It’s greatly appreciated. I’d also noticed that there’s only two other Phils related blog, besides mine, that is also on the list: Phillies Phollowers at no. 17 and Rants, Raves, and Random Thoughts at no. 37. Congrats guys.
Below is the list of all of the top 50. fan blogs:
FANS
6. The AustralianBaseballDigest
7. Beisbol 007
8. nybisons
10. A’s Farm
11. mlbblogger
13. Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend
18. You’re Killin’ Me, Smalls!
20. Crzblue’s Dodger Blue World
25. Fish Fry
26. Rockin’ Redlegs
27. Born on Third
29. Bjarkman’s Latino and Cuban League Baseball History Page
30. The Rays Rant
31. Brewers Rumors
32. This is a very simple game…
33. La Pagina de Tony Menendez
36. swingingbuntz
37. Rants, Raves, and Random Thoughts
39. gojays
41. 3 Up, 3 Down
43. DYNASTY League Baseball from designer of Pursue the Pennant
44. Bleacher Boy
45. Plushdamentals
46. More Splash Hits
50. Royal Blues
Give them all a visit, won’t you guys.
The Phils starts off their important road trip by breaking up a tie with two eighth inning runs as they defeat the Braves, 4-2.
Two runs in the eighth inning leads to a win in Atlanta as the Phils defeat the Braves, 4-2.
The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Ty Wigginton hits a two-run single to left, as the ball gets past left fielder Martin Prado for a two-base fielding error, knocking in Placido Polanco, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Hunter Pence’s double, and Pence, who had just doubled, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead, before stopping at third base on Prado’s error. The Braves got a run back in their half of the fourth as, with one man out, Brian McCann hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the season, making it a 2-1 Phils’ lead. The Braves would tie the game up at two-all in the sixth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Freddie Freeman, a walk by McCann, moving Freeman up to second base, and a single by Matt Diaz, moving both runners up a base, and with one man out, Juan Francisco hits a sacrifce fly, scoring Freeman. The Phils retook the lead in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr., who had earlier doubled, then stopped at third base on Jimmy Rollins’ single, would score the go-ahead run on pitcher Jonny Venters’ wild pitch as Polanco struck out for the inning’s second out, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead, while Rollins, who had just singled, moved up to second base. The Phils then took a 4-2 lead two batters later as, with men once again on the corners, after Shane Victorino had hit an inflield single, sending Rollins on to third base, and with still two men out, Pence hits an RBI single, scoring Rollins, while sending Victorino over to third base. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon would come in and record his ninth save of the year by throwing a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Michael Bourn, swinging, to end the game.
Cole Hamels gets a no-decision as he went six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out six. Antonio Bastardo gets the win (1-0, 4.15) as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Chad Qualls collected his sixth hold of the season as he threw a scoreless inning, as he gave up two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon recorded his ninth save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Brandon Beachy also received a no-decision as he threw seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits, while he struck out two. Jonny Venters (2-1, 1.93) took the lost as he pitched two-thirds of an inning as he gave up two runs on four hits and a wild pitch, while he struck out one. Kris Medlen pitched one and one-thirds scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter.
The Phils had eleven hits in the ballgame, with Jimmy Rollins (Singles) and Hunter Pence (Single, Double, RBI) leading the team with two hits apiece. Placido Polanco (Single), Shane Victorino (Single), Ty Wigginton (Single, 2 RBIs), Laynce Nix (Double), Carlos Ruiz (Single), Freddie Galvis (Single) and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. (Double) had the other seven Phils’ hits. The other Phil run came in on a wild pitch. The Phils also had a stolen base (Rollins (5)) in the game.
The Phils (12-12, 4th) continue their series with the Braves (14-10, 2nd) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Turner Field, and is set to start at 7:10 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (3-2, 1.05), who is coming off a lost against the Cubs on April 27, where he went seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while he struck out five, in the Phils’ 5-1 lost. He will for the third time be going for his fourth win of the season, hoping that this time the offense will back him up. The Braves will counter with Tommy Hanson (3-2, 3.00), who is coming off a win against the Pirates on April 27, as he went six innings, giving up a run on six hits and three walks, while he struck out five, in the Braves’ 6-1 win. He is also going for his fourth win of the season, while he prepares to face the Phils. The Phils will be out to win their second straight road series, while trying once again to get over .500.
Jonathan Papelbon recorded his eighth save of the year as the Phils defeat the Cubs, 6-4.
Jonathan Papelbon collected his eighth save in as many attempts as the Phils’ offense get a late-inning key hit from Placido Polanco as they defeated the Cubs, 6-4.
The Phils took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits an RBI single, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had started the game off for the Phils with a bunt single, then stopped at second base on Shane Victorino’s single, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Victorino, who had just singled, up to second base. Three batters later, after Ty Wigginton had stuck out, swinging, for the inning’s second out, and Laynce Nix had walked to load up the base, as Victorino and Pence both moved up a base, and with two men out, the Phils took a 3-0 lead as Carlos Ruiz hits a two-run single, knocking in both Victorino and Pence, while sending Nix up to second base. The Phils then increased their lead as Pete Orr hits an RBI single, knocking in Nix, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead, while sending Ruiz up to third base, before Orr would move up to second base on catcher Geovany Soto’s missed catch error on right fielder David DeJesus’ throw to the plate. The Cubs would finally get on the scoreboard in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a ground-rule double by Alfonso Soriano, a walk by Ian Stewart and a single by Blake DeWitt, moving both runners up a base, and with nobody out, Soto hits into a 5-3 doubleplay, wiping out at third base Stewart for the inning’s first out, as Polanco touches the bag, before throwing on to first base, as Soriano scores, making it a 4-1 Phils’ lead. The Cubs then cut the Phils’ lead down to 4-2 in the eighth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Starlin Castro hits an RBI single, knocking in Tony Campana, who had earlier walked, then stole second base. The Cubs then tied the game up at four-all as Bryan LeHair hits a two-run home run, his fifth home run of the year, knocking in Castro. The Phils retook the lead in their half of the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Placido Polanco hits a two-run double, knocking in pinch hitter Juan Pierre, who had been hit by the pitch, then went to third base on Rollins’ single, and Rollins, who had just singled, giving the Phils a 6-4 lead. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon would record his eighth save of the season as he threw a scoreless inning, striking out Campana, looking, to end the ballgame.
Vance Worley received a no-decision as he went seven innings, giving up a run on five hits and two walks, while he had struck out five. Antonio Bastardo collected his second hold of the year as he went a third of an inning, giving up a run on a walk. Chad Qualls blew his first save opportunity of the year before collecting the win (1-0, 3.24) as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits. Jonathan Papelbon recorded his eighth save of the season as he threw a scoreless ninth, as he walked a batter, while striking out one. Chris Volstad also received a no-decision as he went six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and three walks, while he struck out four. Shawn Camp pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit. Scott Maine (0-1, 1.59) took the lost as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit batter, as he struck out one. Rafael Dolis pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits.
The Phils had eleven hits in the game with Jimmy Rollins (Single), Placido Polanco (Single, Double, 2 RBIs), Ty Wigginton (Singles) and Pete Orr (Singles, RBI) all leading the ballclub with two hits each. Shane Victorino (Single), Hunter Pence (Single, RBI) and Carlos Ruiz (Single, 2 RBIs), had the other three Phils’ hits, as the offense had a pair of clutch two-outs hits, one early in the game, and one late.
The Phils (11-12, 4th) will now go on the road to begin a three-game series with the Braves (14-9, 2nd). The game will be played at Turner Field, and will start at 7:10 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (3-1, 2.73), who is coming off a win against the Diamondbacks on April 25, as he threw eight strong innings, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk, while he struck out seven, in the Phils’ 7-2 win. He will be going for his fourth straight win, while trying to continue his dominance of the Braves. The Braves will counter with Brandon Beachy (2-1, 1.05), who is coming off a no-decision against the Dodgers on April 25, as he went six and a third innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk, as he struck out six, in the Braves’ 4-2 win. He will be trying to help the Braves start the series off with a win. The Phils will be trying to get back into the divisional race, by trying to go for a win in the opener of the series.
The Phils will conclude their four-game set with the Cubs with a night game.
The Phils (10-12, 4th East) will conclude their four-game series with the Cubs (8-14, 6th Central), as they try to recover from being owned by Cubs’ starter Matt Garza (2-1, 2.67) yesterday for seven innings, being able to get only one hit and a walk against him in the ballgame, while the Cubs would be able to score single runs in the second, third and fourth innings off of Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick (0-2, 6.59), who had a much better outing then he did April 23, against the D-backs, before getting two runs off of reliever David Herndon in the eighth. The Phils would finally get a run in the ninth off of a hit and three walks given up by Cubs’ reliever Carlos Marmol, before he would finally put out the fire. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and is to start at 7:05 pm EDT.
The Phils will send to the mound Vance Worley (2-1, 2.16), who is coming off a victory over the D-backs on April 24, as he went six strong innings, giving up only a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 8-5 win. Against the Cubs, Worley has a career record of 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA, while he had struck out seven Cubs. He will be trying to lead the Phils to a series split with the Cubs. The Cubs will counter with Chris Volstad (0-3, 6.14), who is coming off a lost against the Cardinals on April 25, where he went six innings, giving up four runs on six hits, while striking out just two, in the Cubs’ 5-1 lost. Against the Phils, he has a record of 2-5 with a 5.88 ERA, while he had struck out 45 Phils. He will be trying to get his first win for 2012, while hoping that the Phils’ offense won’t use him as a punching bag. The Phils will be trying to end the month of April, their first losing April since 2007, on a winning note, before going onto the road to meet the Braves and the Nats.
The Phils get one-hit by Matt Garza before losing to the Cubs, 5-1.
The Phils waste an improved performance by Kyle Kendrick as they get one-hit through seven innings by Matt Garza, before losing the game to the Cubs, 5-1.
The Cubs took the lead in the second as, with runners on second and third, and with nobody out, Ian Stewart hits an RBI ground out, 4-3, knocking in Bryan LaHair, who had started the inning off with a ground-rule double, then stopped at third on Jeff Baker’s double, because of his slow speed, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead, while sending Baker, who had just doubled, over to third base. The Cubs increased their lead in the third as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Starlin Castro hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Tony Campana, who had earlier singled, went to second base on Laynce Nix’s missed catch error on Kyle Kenrdick’s pickoff attempt, then went to third on Darwin Barney’s ground out, 4-3, giving the Cubs a 2-0 lead. The Cubs then made it a 3-0 lead in the fourth as, with two men out, Joe Mather hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season. The Cubs added to their lead in the eighth as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Campana, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, before moving up to third on Barney’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3, would score on a fielder’s choice grounder hit by Castro, giving the Cubs a 4-0 lead. Two batters later, after Castro is caught trying to steal second base, 2-6, the Cubs make it a 5-0 as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Baker hits an RBI single, scoring LaHair, who had earlier doubled, his second double of the ballgame. The Phils would finally get on the scoreboard in the ninth as, with the bases loaded, via a walk by pinch hitter Pete Orr, a walk by Jimmy Rollins, moving Orr up to second base, and an infield single by Hunter Pence, moving up both runners, and with two men out, Ty Wigginton forced in a run with an RBI walk, scoring Orr, making it a 5-1 Cubs’ lead, while sending Rollins on to third base and moving Pence up to second base, leaving the bases loaded. That that would end up being the final score as Carlos Marmol finally ended the game by getting Shane Victorino to ground out, 6-3, for the final out.
Kyle Kendrick (0-2, 6.59) took the lost as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned, on five hits and a walk, while he struck out seven. Jose Contreras pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. David Herndon pitched two innings, giving up two runs on three hits, while he struck out one. Matt Garza (2-1, 2.67) got the win as he threw seven strong innings, giving up a hit and a walk, while he struck out ten. Rafael Solis pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Carlos Marmol pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and three walks.
The Phils had only two hits in the ballgame, a single by Jimmy Rollins, to start off the game for the Phils, and an infield single by Hunter Pence, as the Phils were kept under control by Cubs’ starter Matt Garza. They also had four walks, with three of them coming in the ninth, helping to bring home their only run of the game, as the offense was unable to get anything going.
The Phils (10-12, 4th East) will conclude their series with the Cubs (8-14, 6th Central) with a night game tonight. The game will start at 7:05 pm EDT and will be played at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils will send to the mound Vance Worley (2-1, 2.16), who is coming off a win against the D-backs on April 24, as he went six innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while he struck out six, in the Phils’ 8-5 win. He will be out to lead the Phils to a series split. The Cubs will counter with Chris Volstad (0-3, 6.14), who is coming off a lost against the Cardinals on April 25, where he pitched six innings, giving up four runs on six hits, while striking out just two, in the Cubs’ 5-1 lost. He will be looking for his first win of the season. The Phils will be out to end April on a winning note, before they go on the road to play six games against the Braves and the Nats.
The Phils continue their four-game set with the Cubs this afternoon.
The Phils (10-11, 4th East) continue their wraparound weekend series with the Cubs (7-14, 6th Central) with an afternoon game. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and is set to start at 1:35 pm EDT.
The Phils tied up their four-game series last night as they defeated the Cubs, 5-2, thanks mainly to a four-run fourth inning, as the offense scored twice on two bases loaded situations, with a two-run single by Carlos Ruiz and a two-run double by Jimmy Rollins, as they were able to get to Randy Wells the second time that they faced him in the game, as they finally showed some patience at the plate, as they took three walks in the inning. A solo home run was later added by Ruiz in the sixth. The five runs would be enough for starter Joe Blanton, who, despite giving up a first inning run, would keep the Cubs under control, striking out eight batters, as well as getting a lot of ground ball outs, as he kept the ball down against the Cubs’ batters. Chad Qualls came in to relieve Blanton in the eighth when he ran into a runners on the corners, one out, situation, who got out of it, although giving up a run as a potential doubleplay ball is ruined as it bounced off of the mound, instead becoming a force out. Jonathan Papelbon then came in to pitch a 1-2-3 ninth, collecting his seventh save of the year in seven attempts.
The Phils will today send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (0-1, 9.39), who is coming off a very awful start against the D-backs on April 23, as he went only three innings plus, as he gave up seven runs on eleven hits and a walk, while he struck out only one batter, in the Phils’ 9-5 lost. In facing the Cubs, he has a record of 0-0 with a 0-0 ERA, as he struck out two Cubbies. He will be out to recover from his bad first start, while trying to give the Phils the win. The Cubs will counter with Matt Garza (1-1, 3.38), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals on April 23, as he threw seven strong innings, giving up just two runs on four hits and three walks, as he struck out five, in the Cubs’ 3-2 walk-off win. Career-wise, he has a 1-1 record against the Phils, with a 1.29 ERA, as he struck out sixteen Phils. He will be out to win his second start of the season. The Phils, as they hear the wonderful news that Ryan Howard will be headed back to Florida to start working out so that he can rejoin the main club, will be out to tie up their reason season record, while hoping to stay within striking distance of both the Nationals and the Braves.
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