Results tagged ‘ Jason Heyward ’
Raul Ibanez’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth gives the Phils a hold on first place as the All-Star break approach as they defeat the Braves in extra–innings, 3-2.
A home run by Raul Ibanez in the bottom of the tenth guarantee the Phils leading the NL East as the All-Star break approach, as the Phils defeat the Braves in walk-off fashion, in extra-innings, 3-2.
The Braves took the lead in the second as, with a runner on second, and with nobody out, Freddie Freeman hits an RBI single, scoring Chipper Jones, who had earlier singled, then went to second base on a Carlos Ruiz passed ball, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead. The Phils would tie the game up at one-all in their half of the second as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Wilson Valdez hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Raul Ibanez, who had earlier singled, then go to second on a Brandon Beachy balk, before going to third on Ruiz’s single. The Braves retook the lead in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Dan Uggla hits an RBI infield single to Vladez, allowing Brian McCann, who had earlier singled, then reached third on Jones’ double, to score, as Valdez is not able to throw home, while Uggla would beat his throw to first, giving the Braves a 2-1 lead. The Phils would retie it at two-all in their half of the fourth as, with one man out, Ruiz would hit a solo home run, his fourth home run of the year. They would then try to take the lead as the next two batters, Dom Brown and Valdez, would both get on base with singles, with Brown stopping at third, before Valdez would move up to second base on Roy Halladay’s sacrifice bunt, 1-4, for the inning’s second out. But Beachy would get out of the inning by getting Jimmy Rollins to fly out to right. The Braves then threaten to take back the lead in the seventh as, with two men out, Nate McLouth hits a triple on a ball that left fielder Ibanez was unable to catch and then went all the way to the fence. But, Halladay would end the threat by getting pinch hitter Eric Hinske to fly out to left. The game then became a battle between the bullpens, with neither offense being able to do much of anything, as the game goes into extra-innings. In the top of the tenth, Juan Pierre would come into the game in relief, and proceed to strike out, swinging, on nine pitches, Jason Heyward, McLouth and pinch hitter Wilkin Ramirez. Then, in the bottom of the tenth, with one man out, Ibanez would hit a walk-off solo home run, his eleventh home run of the season, giving Pierre his first career win, as the Phils win, 3-2.
Roy Halladay would receive a no-decision as he pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits, while striking out seven. Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo would combine for two 1-2-3 innings, striking out two batters (one batter each) between them. Juan Pierre (1-0, 0.00) gets the win as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out the side on nine pitches, the 46th pitcher to do so in Major League History. Brandon Beachy would also receive a no-decision as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs on eight hits, while striking out six. Eric O’Flaherty, Jonny Venters, Scott Linebrink and George Sherrill would combine for three scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Venters (1), Linebrink (1)) and two walks (Venters (1), Linebrink (1)), while striking out tw0 (O’Flaherty (1), Venters (1)), between them. Scott Proctor (1-3, 4.24) took the lost as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on one hit, Raul Ibanez’s walk-off home run.
The Phils had eleven hits in the ballgame, with Jimmy Rollins (Singles), Raul Ibanez (Single, Home Run, RBI), Carlos Ruiz (Single, Home Run, RBI) and Dom Brown (Singles), all leading the team with two hits each. Chase Utley (Single), Ryan Howard (Single) and Wilson Valdez (Single, RBI), had the other three Phils’ hits.
The Phils (56-33, 1st) will continue their series with the Braves (53-37, 2nd) with an afternoon game later today. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park, and it will be nationally televised on Fox Sports, starting at 4:10 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (9-6, 2.92), who is coming off a lost to the Blue Jays on July 3, as he pitched 7 and one-third innings, giving up seven runs on ten hits, while he struck out nine, in the Phils’ 7-4 lost. He will be going for his tenth win, while trying to recover from his last start. The Braves will counter with Tommy Hanson (10-4, 2.52), who is coming off a win against the Rockies on July 4, as he pitched seven innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Braves’ 4-1 win. He will be going out to even the series. The Phils will be trying for the series win, putting a bit more distance between them and the Braves before the All-Star break.
Cliff Lee, despite striking out sixteen Braves, still loses, as the Phils fall to the Braves, 5-0.
In spite of striking out sixteen batters, Cliff Lee still ends up losing the ballgame as the Phils get shut out by the Braves, losing 5-0.
The Braves took the lead in the third as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Chipper Jones hits an RBI single, knocking in Alex Gonzalez, who had just doubled, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead. The Braves then took a 2-0 lead as Brian McCann hits an RBI double, knocking in Jones. The Braves then made it 3-0 as Dan Uggla hits an RBI double, scoring McCann. The Braves added to their lead in the ninth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Martin Prado hits an RBI single, scoring Jason Heyward, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, giving the Braves a 4-0 lead, while Prado would move up to second base on the throw to home plate. The Braves then took a 5-0 lead as Gonzalez hits an RBI single, knocking in Prado, before being thrown out trying to go to second base as the throw home is cut off, 7-6-4, for the inning’s second out. That would end up being the final score as the Phils would go down weakly in the ninth.
Cliff Lee (2-3, 3.69) took the lost as he went seven innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out sixteen, tying Steve Carlton’s record for most strikeouts by a Phils’ left hander. J.C. Romero pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Danys Baez pitched an inning, giving up two runs on three hits, as he striked out a batter. Derek Lowe (3-3, 3.22) got the win as he went six innings plus two batters, giving up just two hits and a walk, while striking out four. Eric O’Flaherty collected his fifth hold of the year as he pitched a scoreless inning, striking out the side. Jonny Venters collected his eighth hold of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, as he struck out a batter.
The Phils had only two hits in the game, a single by Shane Victorino and a ground-rule double by Placido Polanco, as Derek Lowe and the Braves’ bullpen handled them all night.
The Phils (21-10, 1st) will continue their series with the Braves (19-15, 3rd) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (1-2, 2.08), who is pitching in place of Roy Oswalt, who was put on the disabled list to give his back a rest, as he comes off a lost in relief against the Mets on May 1, as he went three innings, giving up a run on four hits and two walks, while he struck out one, in the Phils’ 2-1 extra-inning lost. He will be out to prove himself, while seeing if he can continue owning the Braves. The Braves will counter with Julio Teheran (0-0, -.–) who will be making his major league debut. He will be trying to control the Phils. The Phils will be out to even the series, while trying to take care of the rookie.
Cole Hamels comes back to pitch seven innings of four-hit ball on the Braves, as the Phils win, 3-0.
As Shane Victorino had a three-hit game, hitting a solo home run, Cole Hamels recovered from his bad first start by pitching seven strong innings against the Braves, as the Phils win, 3-0.
The first three innings was a pitchers’ duel between the Braves’ Derek Lowe, who gave up one hit, while striking out one, and the Phils’ Cole Hamels, who got through the first nine Braves without giving up a hit, striking out four. The Phils then took the lead in the fourth as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Jimmy Rollins hits into a 6-4-3 doubleplay, scoring Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Placido Polanco’s single, while Polanco, who had just singled, would be wiped out at second base for the inning’s first out. The Phils then took a 2-0 lead in the sixth as Victorino hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the year. Cole Hamels then got out of a pair of jams. First, in the sixth, with runners on first and second, via single to Freddie Freeman, who was then moved up to second on a Lowe sacrifice bunt, and then a walk to Nate McLouth, and with two men out, Hamels got Chipper Jones to ground out, 5-3, on the first pitch, to end the threat. Then, in the seventh, after giving up singles to Jason Heyward and Alex Gonzalez, with Heyward going to third, and with two men outs again, Cole got out this jam as he got Freeman to ground out, 4-3, once again on the first pitch. The Phils then added to their lead in the ninth as, with a runner on third, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, scoring Rollins, who had earlier doubled, and went to third on right fielder Heyward’s fielding error as he misplayed the ball, as he ran on contact, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. That would be the final score as Jose Contreras collected his second save as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out Dan Uggla to end the game.
Cole Hamels (1-1, 5.59) got the win, as he bounced back from his bad start against the Mets, as he pitched seven shut out innings, giving up four hits and a walk, while striking out eight. Ryan Madson received his second hold of the year as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while he struck out a batter. Jose Contreras collected his second save of the season, striking out a batter. Derek Lowe (1-2, 1.45) took the lost, as he went seven innings as well, giving up two runs on seven hits, while he struck out two. Jonny Venters pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Craig Kimbrel pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, striking out a batter. Hamels came back in his second start, after his disastrous first start, while the bullpen continues to be lights out.
The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Shane Victorino leading the team with three hits, two singles and a solo home run, as he scored two of the Phils’ run, while knocking in one, as he raised his average to .417, after a slow start during opening weekend. Carlos Ruiz followed with two hits, both singles, raising his average to .346, putting all of the Phils’ regular, except for Raul Ibanez, who is now batting .257, at .300 or above. Placido Polanco (Single), Rollins (Double) and Ibanez (Single) had the other three Phils’ hits. Ryan Howard had the other Phil RBI, as he hit an RBI ground out, while Rollins knocked in the other run on a doubleplay, getting no RBI. The Phils’ offense have so far been able to beat the Astros, the Mets and now the Braves’ pitching, although kept under control in three of their first nine games, but winning one of those games, and losing one of the others because one of their starters let the lead get away.
The Phils (7-2, 1st) have tomorrow off, before they go to Washington to meet the Nationals (4-5, 5th) for three games, starting on Tuesday night.
Cliff Lee allows a lead to get away, as the Phils lose to the Braves, 6-3.
Cliff Lee blew a three-run lead, before losing the game, as the Phils dropped their road opener to the Braves, 6-3.
The Phils took a 1-0 lead in the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base on Placido Polanco’s single, then went to third when Jimmy Rollins hits into a 3-6 force out, wiping out Polanco at second base, after Rollins had stolen second base. The Phils then took a 2-0 lead as, with one man on, and now with two men out, Ben Francisco hits an RBI single, scoring Rollins. The Phils then made it a 3-0 lead as, with two men on, and with one man out, Victorino hits into an RBI forced out, 4-6, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base on Wilson Valdez’s ground out, 6-3, then went to third on shortstop Alex Gonzalez’s fielding error of Cliff Lee’s grounder, while Lee, who had earlier been safe on first on Gonzalez’s error, was wiped out at second base, while Victorino was safe on first base. The Braves then came back in their half of the second, as they cut the Phils’ lead down to 3-1 as, with a runner on third, and with no one out, Gonzalez hits an RBI double, scoring Jason Heyward, who had earler tripled. Three batters later, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Martin Prado hits a ground-rule double, scoring Gonzalez, who had moved up to third on Freddie Freeman’s single, making it a 3-2 Phils’ lead, while Freeman, who had earlier singled, stopped at third base. The Braves then tied the game up at three-all as Nate McLouth hits into an RBI ground out, 4-3, scoring Freeman, while sending Prado to third base. The Braves then took the lead in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via Freeman being hit by a pitch, a single by Prado, moving Freeman up to second base, and a single by McLouth, with both runners moving up a base, and with one man out, Chipper Jones hits a three-run double, that Victorino had missplayed, giving the Braves a 6-3 lead. The Braves then turned the Phils away in the fifth as, with the bases loaded via a single by Kyle Kendrick, a single by Victorino, sending Kendrick to second base, who then moved to third as Polanco hits into a force out, 4-unassisted, as Dan Uggla tagged Victorino in the base path, allowing Polanco to be safe at first, who, in turned would move up to second as Tim Hudson committed a fielding error as he tried to field Rollins’ grounder, and with one man out, Howard check swinged into a 1-2-3 doubleplay, as Kendrick is out at the plate. That would be the final score as the Phils are unable to mount up much of an offense after that miss opportunity.
Cliff Lee (1-1, 7.84) took the lost as he lasted only three and a third innings, giving up six runs on ten hits, one walk, and one hit batter, while he struck out only three. Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo and J.C. Romero then followed, together pitching four and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Kendrick (1), Bastardo (1)) and two walks (Kendrick (1), Romero (1)), while striking out eighth batters between them (Bastardo (6), Romero (1)). Tim Hudson (2-0, 1.84) got the win, as he pitched seven and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned, on eight hits, while he struck out two. Jonny Venters received his third hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, striking out the only man that he would face. Craig Kimbrel recorded his third save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. The Phils’ bullpen once again did an excellent job after a starter was knocked out early.
The Phils offense had only eight hits, with Shane Victorino (Singles, RBI), Ben Francisco (Single, Double, RBI) and Carlos Ruiz (Singles) each leading the team with two hits. Placido Polanco and Kyle Kendrick had the other two Phils’ hits, both singles, while Ryan Howard knocked in the other Phil run, via a sac fly. The Phils took an early lead, but they missed an opportunity to get back in the ballgame in a bases loaded, one out, situation in the fifth, as Howard hits into a double play.
The Phils (5-2, 1st) continue their three-games road trip with the Braves (4-4, 3rd) at Turner Field. The game will start at 1:10 pm EDT, and it will be nationally televised on Fox-TV. The Phils will send to the mound Roy Oswalt (1-0, 3.00), who is coming off a win against the Astros on April 3, as he went six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while he struck out six, in the Phils’ 7-3 win. He will be trying to even up the series. The Braves will counter with Brandon Beachy (0-0, 1.50), as he is coming off a no-decision against the Brewers on April 4, as he went six innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, while he struck out seven, in the Braves’ 2-1 win. He will be trying to handle the Phils’ offense. The Phils will be trying to recover from last night’s lost to even up the series.
Behind two home runs by Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard, the Phils easily defeat the Braves, 6-1.
Thanks to two round trippers by Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard, the Phils defeat the Braves with ease, 6-1.
In the top of the second inning, with the bases loaded, via singles by Shane Victorino and Ben Francisco, with Victorino stopping at second base, and a walk to Wilson Valdez, moving both Victorino and Francisco up a base, and with two men out, Roy Halladay give the Phils a 2-0 lead with a two-run single, scoring both Victorino and Francisco, while sending Valdez over to third base. The Phils made it a 3-0 lead in the third as, with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the spring. The Braves cut the Phils’ lead in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Chipper Jones, a walk to Dan Uggla, sending Jones to second base, and with Jason Heyward being hit by the pitch, moving up a base both Jones and Uggla, and with nobody out, Eric Hinske hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Jones, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead, while sending Uggla up to third base. The Phils took a 5-1 lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run home run, his fifth home run of the spring, scoring Luis Castillo, who had earlier reached base on a force out, 4-6, wiping out Placido Polanco, who had earlier walked, then went to second on Ibanez’s ground out, three-unassisted. Two batters later, with a man on first, via a Victorino single, and with still two men out, Francisco hits an RBI double, knocking in Victorino, giving the Phils a 6-1 lead. This would end up being the final score, as the Phils turned back a threat in the ninth inning, as the Braves loaded up the bases, via walks to Hinske, who then moved up to second on a Jordan Ellis wild pitch, a walk to Ed Lucas and a single to J.C. Boscan, with Hinske stopping at third base and Lucas at second, with one man out, before Ellis dug in and struck out first Brandon Hicks, and then pinch hitter Joe Mather, both swinging.
Roy Halladay (4-0, 0.42) got the win as he pitched three strong innings, giving up just a hit, while striking out three. Michael Schwimer recorded his second hold of the spring as he pitched two innings, giving up a run on a hit and two walks,while striking out two. B.J. Rosenberg, Jose Contreras and Jordan Ellis followed with four scoreless inning, as they combine for two hits (Rosenberg (1), Ellis (1)) and two walks (Ellis), while striking out two batters (Ellis). Kenshin Kawakami took the lost (0-1, 3.75) as he pitched four innings, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out two. Cristhian Martinez pitched an inning, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Jaye Chapman, Eric O’Flaherty and Craig Kimbrel followed with four scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Kimbrel) and a walk (Chapman), while striking out four Phils between them (Chapman (2), O’Flaherty (1), Kimbrel (1)).
The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Ryan Howard (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs), Shane Victorino (Singles) and Ben Francisco (Single, Double, RBI) leading the team with two hits each. John Mayberry, Jr. (Single), Raul Ibanez (Home Run, RBI) and Roy Halladay (Single, 2 RBIs) had the other three Phils’ hits.
The Phils Grapefruit League record is now 19-13, leading NL teams, while Roy Halladay showed himself to be ready for his opening day assignment against the Astros this coming Friday.
Countdown to the Playoffs, Game # 1: The Phils end the regular season on a losing note as they fail to catch the Braves late, 8-7.
A late rally comes too late as the Phils lose the final game of the regular series to the Braves, 8-7. They will begin the NL Divisional playoffs facing the National League Central Division Champs, the Cincinnati Reds this coming Wednesday at Philadelphia.
The Phils took a 2-0 lead in the third as, with one man on, and with one man out, pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the season, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier been hit by the pitch. The Braves got a run back in their half of the third as, with one man on, and with two men out, Jason Heyward hits an RBI triple, knocking in Rick Ankiel, who had earlier singled, then went to second on Tim Hudson’s sacrifice bunt, 3-4, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 2-1. The Braves tied it up at two-all in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Brooks Conrad hits an RBI single, knocking in Matt Diaz, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second on Alex Gonzalez’s single, while sending Gonzalez, who had just singled, over to third base. Two batters later, with runners still on the corners, and now with two men out, Hudson hits an RBI single, scoring Gonzalez, giving the Braves a 3-2 lead, while sending Conrad up to second base. The Braves then took a 5-2 lead as Omar Infante hits an RBI triple, knocking in both Conrad and Hudson. The Braves added to their lead in the sixth as Derrek Lee hits a lead-off home run, his nineteenth home run of the year, giving the Braves a 6-2 lead. Four batters later, with two men on, and with one man out, Conrad hits an RBI single, scoring Brian McCann, who had earlier singled, moved up to second on Diaz’s single, then went to third on Gonzalez’s ground out, 5-3, giving the Braves a 7-2 lead, before Diaz, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second on Gonzalez’s ground out, is thrown out at home plate by a throw to home by Ryan Howard, after Jayson Werth’s throw into the infield gets pass him, with Brian Schneider applying the tag, 9-3-2, for the second out of the inning, while Conrad would go to second on the play. The Braves then made it an 8-2 lead in the sixth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Diaz hits an RBI single, scoring Heyward, who had earlier walked, and was safe at second on a 5-3 doubleplay on a grounder by Lee, as Infante, who had earlier singled, and had gone to second on Heyward’s walk, was wiped out at third base, while McCann, who had just walked, moved up to second base. The Phils made it an 8-4 Braves’ lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and with one man out, Werth hits a two-run home run, his twenty-seventh home run of the year, scoring Howard, who had just walked. The Phils then cut the Braves’ lead further in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Wilson Valdez hits an RBI single, knocking in Brian Bocock, who was pinch running for Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Braves third baseman Omar Infante’s throwing error of pinch hitter Mike Sweeney’s grounder, making it an 8-5 Braves’ lead, while sending Sweeney, who was safe on Infante’s error, up to second base. The Phils then cut the Braves’ lead down to 8-7 as pinch hitter Ben Francisco hits a two-run double, scoring both Sweeney and Valdez. That would end up being the final score as Billy Wagner would record his thirty-seventh save of the year by recording a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Greg Dobbs, looking.
Cole Hamels pitches two scoreless innings, walking a batter, while striking out two. Roy Oswalt pitches an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Danys Baez took the lost as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up four runs on five hits, while striking out one. His record is now 3-4 with a 5.48 ERA. Mike Zagurski pitches a third of an inning, striking out the only man that he would face. Joe Blanton pitches an inning, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk. J.C. Romero pitches two-thirds of an inning, before leaving the game because of a bad back, giving up a run on a hit and a walk. Chad Durbin pitches an inning and a third, giving up a hit and two walks, as he strikes out a batter. Brad Lidge pitches an inning, giving up a hit and two walks, while striking out a batter. Tim Hudson gets the win as he pitches seven innings, giving up four runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batter, while he strikes out three. His record is now 17-9 with a 2.83 ERA. Jonny Venters pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up two unearned runs on a hit, while striking out a batter. Billy Wagner records his thirty-seventh save of the season as he pitches an inning and a third, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out four.
The Phils had only five hits in the game, a single by Jimmy Rollins, a single by Wilson Valdez, knocking in a run, a two-run home run by Jayson Werth, a two-run pinch hit home run by John Mayberry, Jr. and a two-run pinch hit double by Ben Francisco. The Phils’ offense was otherwise kept quiet yesterday.
The Phils, at 97-65, ended the season with the best record in the majors, doing so for the first time in the team’s 128-years history. They will begin the divisional series at home this coming Wednesday, facing the Cincinnati Red, the Central Division champs, looking for some revenge for 1976, when they were swept in a three game series for the NL Championship.
Friday: Countdown to the Playoffs, Game # 3: The Phils ruin the Braves’ night as they pound Atlanta, 11-5.
The Phils begin their final road series by pounding the Braves as they defeat Atlanta, 11-5, hurting the Braves chances to reach the playoffs as the NL Wild Card.
The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Derrek Lee hits an RBI double, scoring Jason Heyward, who had earlier walked. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI single, knocking in Ryan Howard, who had earlier singled, then went to second on a Jayson Werth single, while Werth, who had just singled, would stop at second base. The Phils then took the lead as, with two men still on, and now with two men out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, scoring Weth, to give the Phils a 2-1 lead, while Ibanez would stop at third. The Braves would tie the score up at two-all in the fifth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Lee hits an RBI single, knocking in Brandon Beachy, who had earlier walked, moved up to second on Omar Infante’s sacrifice bunt, then stopped at third on Brian McCann’s single, while McCann, who had just singled, stopped at second base. The Phils regained the lead in the sixth as, with the bases loaded, via a double by Werth, who is then replaced by pinch runner John Mayberry, Jr., an intentional walk to Ibanez and a force attempt throwing error by Braves third baseman Brooks Conrad to second base on a Ruiz grounder, as his throw never got close to second base, allowing Mayberry to reach third, Ibanez to reach second and Ruiz to be safe at first, and with two men out, pinch hitter Dom Brown received a walk, forcing in Mayberry, making it a 3-2 Phils’ lead, while moving both Ibanez and Ruiz up a base. One batter later, with the bases still loaded, Jimmy Rollins broke the game wide open with a grand slam home run, his eighth home run of the year, knocking in Ibanez, Ruiz and Brown, giving the Phils a 7-2 lead. The Phils then added to their lead in the eighth as, with the bases loaded once again, via singles to Greg Dobbs and Ruiz, sending Dobbs on to second base, and a walk to Wilson Valdez, moving up both Dobbs and Ruiz, and with two men out, Ben Francisco hits an RBI single, scoring Dobbs, making it an 8-2 Phils’ lead, while moving both Ruiz and Valdez up a base. Chase Utley then followed with a walk, forcing in Ruiz, giving the Phils a 9-2 lead, while moving Valdez and Francisco up a base. Ryan Howard then followed with a two-run single, scoring both Valdez and Francisco, making it an 11-2 Phils’ lead, while sending Utley up to third base. The Braves tried to rally in the ninth as, with the bases loaded, via singles to Conrad and pinch hitter Freddie Freeman, sending Conrad up to third base, and a walk to J.C. Boscan, moving Freeman up to second base, and with two men out, Lee hits a three-run double, scoring Conrad, Freeman and Boscan, making it an 11-5 Phils’ lead. That would end up being the final score as David Herndon got Matt Diaz to ground out, 6-3, ending the game.
Kyle Kendrick gets the win as he pitches five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out two. His record is now 11-10 with a 4.73 ERA. Antonio Bastardo, J.C. Romero, Chad Durban and Jose Contreras pitches three scoreless innings, giving up just two hits (Bastardo) and while striking out three batters (Bastardo) between them. Mike Zagurski pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out one. David Herndon pitches a third of an inning, giving up a walk. Brandon Beachy took the lost as he pitches five and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs, only two of which were earned, on seven hits and a walk, while striking out five. His record is now 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA. Peter Moylan pitches to two batters, giving up two unearned runs and a walk. Michael Dunn pitches a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit, while striking out a batter. Kyle Farnsworth pitches a scoreless inning, striking out two. Cristhian Martinez pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up four runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Mike Minor pitches an inning and a third, giving up just two hits and a walk, while striking out two.
The Phils had thirteen hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz leading the team with three hits, two singles and a double, knocking in a run. Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Greg Dobbs followed with two hits each, with Howard and Ibanez’s hits being all singles, with Howard knocking in two runs, while Ibanez knocked in one, while Werth and Dobbs’ both had a single and a double. Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco had the other two Phils’ hits, with Rollins’ hit being a grand slam home run, knocking in four runs, while Francisco’s hit was a single, bringing in a run. Pinch hitter Dom Brown and Chase Utley brought in the other two Phils’ runs, via bases loaded walks. The Phils are presently beating up on the Braves, seeming to have their number.
Countdown to the Playoffs, Game # 10: Oswalt and the bullpen throws a one-hitter at the Braves as the Phils sweep the series, winning 1-0. The magic number is now down to four.
Roy Oswalt, winning pitcher Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge combine to throw a one-hitter at the Braves, as the Phils score the winning run with two outs in the eighth, to defeat the Braves, 1-0, as they sweep the three-game series. The Phils now own a six games lead over the Braves in the NL East, as the magic number drops to four games.
The game was a pitchers’ duel between Phils’ starter Roy Oswalt, who threw seven scoreless innings, giving up just one hit, a two-out double to Martin Prado in the fourth, and a two-out walk to Brian McCann in the seventh, while striking out eight and Braves starter Tommy Hanson who pitched six scoreless innings, giving up a one-out double to Carlos Ruiz in the fifth and a one-out single by Chase Utley in the sixth, before pitching himself out of jams in both innings and three walks, while striking out four. After Ryan Madson came in to pitch a scoreless eighth, the Phils tried to start a rally in their half of the eighth as Utley was hit by the pitch for the second time that night, leading off the inning. But Ryan Howard then followed by hitting into a 6-5-3 doubleplay, hitting into the shift, as Utley is wiped out at second, for outs number one and two. Jayson Werth then gets on base with a walk. The next batter, Raul Ibanez, then followed by hitting a 2-0 sinker down the left field line, just barely dropping fair, for an RBI double, knocking in Werth, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then gave the ball to Brad Lidge for the save. Lidge proceeded to shut down the Braves, getting his twenty-sixth save of the year, although giving up a walk to Jason Heyward with two outs, who then stole second base. But, Lidge would then end the game by getting Prado to fly out to right.
Roy Oswalt receives a no-decision as he pitches seven strong innings, giving up just one hit and a walk, while striking out eight. Ryan Madson gets the win as he pitches a 1-2-3 inning. His record is now 6-2 with a 2.32 ERA. Brad Lidge receives his twenty-sixth save of the year, as he gives up a walk. Tommy Hanson also gets a no-decision as he pitches six shut out innings, giving up just two hits and three walks, while striking out four. Peter Moylan and Craig Kimbrel combine for a scoreless inning, giving up a hit (Moylan) and a walk (Kimbrel), while striking out a batter (Kimbrel) between them. Jonny Venters took the lost as he gives up a run on one hit, a walk and a hit batter. His record is now 4-3 with a 1.83 ERA.
The Phils only had four hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz leading the team with two hits, a single and a double. Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez had the other two Phils’ hits, with Utley’s hit being a single and Ibanez’s hit being an RBI double, knocking in the only run of the game. The offense was once again handcuffed by the Braves’ pitching, but thanks to Oswalt, they were able to hang in there until someone was finally able to knock in the winning run.
The Phils (92-61, 1st) have the day-off today, before starting the final series of the regular season at Citizens Bank Park, a three-game weekend series with the Mets (74-78, 4th).
Countdown to the Playoffs, Game # 12: Cole Hamels shut down the Braves as the Phils take a four-game lead in the East, as they defeat the Braves, 3-1.
A brilliant eight innings pitching performance by Cole Hamels leads the Phils to a 3-1 win over the Braves, as they increase their lead in the NL East to four games, while their magic number to winning the division drops down to eight.
The Braves took the lead in the second as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Brian McCann hits an RBI double, knocking in Derrek Lee, who had earlier singled, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead. The Braves threaten to add to their lead as they put runners on the corners after Matt Diaz hits a single, sending McCann over to third base, with still nobody out, but Phils starter Cole Hamels got out of further trouble by first striking out Alex Gonzalez, swinging, for the inning’s first out, then getting Melky Cabrera to hit into a 4-6-3 doubleplay, wiping out Diaz at second base. The Phils would tie the game up at one-all in their half of the first as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI double, scoring Ryan Howard, who had earlier doubled, then moved up to third on Raul Ibanez’s ground out, 1-3. The Phils would take the lead in the fifth as, with a runner on third, and with nobody out, Placido Polanco hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier reached third on a three-base fielding error by Jason Heyward, as the ball glance off of his glove, to give the Phils a 2-1 lead. Four batters later, the Phils made it a 3-1 lead as, with the bases loaded, via a Chase Utley single, who later stole second base, and then walks to first Howard, and then to Jayson Werth, moving both Utley and Howard up a base, and with still one man out, Ibanez hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Utley, while moving both Howard and Werth up a base. That would be all that Hamels would need as he would pitch eight strong innings, giving up only a run on just six hits and a walk, while he would strike out six Braves, before handing the ball over to Brad Lidge, who would pitch a strong 1-2-3 ninth to collect his twenty-fourth save of the season, ending the game by striking out Lee, swinging.
Cole Hamels gets the win as he pitches eight strong innings, giving up only one run on six hits and a walk, while he strikes out six. His record is now 12-10 with a 2.93 ERA. Brad Lidge records his twenty-fourth save of the year as he pitches a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two batters. Brandon Beachy took the lost in his major league debut, as he pitches four and a third innings, giving up three runs, only one of which was earned, on four hits and three walks, while he strikes out only one. His record is now 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA. Eric O’Flaherty, Peter Moylan, Michael Dunn and Kyle Farnsworth combine for four and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up just one hit (Dunn) and three walks (O’Flaherty (2), Moylan (1)), while striking out four (Moylan (1), Dunn (1), Farnsworth (2)) between them.
The Phils had just five hits in the game, singles by Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth and double by Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz, with Ruiz knocking in one run, while Placido Polanco and Raul Ibanez knocked in the other two Phils’ runs with ground outs. The offense, although hitting the ball hard, especially against the rookie Brandon Beachy, have little to show for it, although a Braves error allowed them to get the runs they would need to win, with Cole Hamels pitching strongly last night
The Phils (90-61, 1st) will continue their three-games series with the Braves (86-65, 2nd) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (19-10, 2.49), who is coming off a win against the Marlins on September 15, as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs on ten hits, as he struck out nine, in the Phils’ 10-5 win. In his last three starts, his record is 3-0, as he pitched twenty and two-thirds innings, giving up eleven runs on twenty-five hits and two walks, while striking out twenty. Doc will be going for his fourth win in a row, while trying to pitch his first strong outing in over a month, while planning to make it 3-0 against the Braves this season. The Braves will counter with Mike Minor (3-1, 5.84), another rookie, who is coming off a lost against the Nationals on September 15, as he pitched five innings, giving up four runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Braves’ 4-2 lost. In his last three starts, his record is 0-1 with two no-decisions, as he had pitched fourteen innings, giving up fourteen runs on twenty hits and two walks, while striking out fifteen. He will be trying to get the Braves back into the pennant race by hoping to regain what he was doing during his first four starts in the majors. The Phils, the first NL team to reach 90 wins, will be going for the series win tonight, hoping to put themselves firmly into the driver’s seat for the final ten games of the season.
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