Results tagged ‘ Martin Prado ’

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 # 11: Roy Halladay gets his twentieth victory of the year, as the Phils decrease their magic number to 6, as they defeat the Braves, 5-3.

Roy Halladay becomes the first Phils starter, since Hall of Famer Steve Carlton won 23 in 1982, to win 20 games in a season, as the Phils defeat the Braves, 5-3. The Phils’ lead in the NL East increases to five games, while their magic number falls to six games.

The Phils took the lead in the third as, with two men on, and with one man out, Jayson Werth hits a three-run home run, his twenty-fifth home run of the year, knocking in Placido Polanco, who had earlier walked, and had moved up to second on Chase Utley’s single, and Utley, who had earlier singled, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Braves got a run back in the fifth as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Eric Hinske hits an RBI force out, 4-6, knocking in Alex Gonzalez, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Rick Ankiel’s single, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead, while Ankiel, who had earlier singled, was wiped out at second base. The Braves scored again in the sixth as, with runners on second and third and with nobody out, Derrek Lee hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Martin Prado, who had earlier singled, and had gone to third on Brian McCann’s double, making it a 3-2 Phils’ lead, before McCann, who has earlier doubled, is thrown out at third, 8-5, trying to move up to third, on a sacrifice fly-double play, for the second out of the inning. The Phils got the runs back in their half of the sixth as, with two men on base, and with two men out, Raul Ibanez hits a two-run double, knocking in Ryan Howard, who had earlier walked, and moved up to second on Werth’s single, and Werth, who had just singled, giving the Phils a 5-2 lead. The Braves got a run back in the seventh as, with two men out, pinch hitter Freddie Freeman hits a pinch hit solo home run, the first of his major league career, making it a 5-3 Phils’ lead. That would be the final score as the bullpen would hold down the Braves in the eighth and in the ninth, with Brad Lidge collecting his twenty- fifth save of the year, as he got Ankiel to end the game by poping up to the shortstop for the final out.

Roy Halladay gets the win as he pitches seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out three. His record is now 20-10 with an ERA of 2.53. Ryan Madson collects his fourteenth hold as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Brad Lidge gets his twenty-fifth save of the season as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Mike Minor took the lost as he pitches only two and one-third innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk. His record is now 3-2 with a 6.18 ERA. Cristhian Martinez and Kyle Farnsworth combines for two and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up  a hit (Martinez) and two walks (Martinez), while striking out four (Martinez (3), Farnsworth (1)) between them. Michael Dunn pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Peter Moylan, Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters combine for two and a third scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Kimbrel (1), Venters (1)), while striking out three (Kimbrel (1), Venters (2)) between them.

 The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Placido Polanco, Chase Utley, Jason Werth, Raul Ibanez and Wilson Valdez leading the team with two hits each, with Polanco, Utley and Valdez’s hits being all singles, with Werth’s hits being a single and a three-run home run, knocking in three runs, and Ibanez’s hits being a pair of doubles, knocking in two runs. Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay had the other two Phil hits, both singles. The Phils’ offense left twelve men on base, failing to cash in on several scoring opportunities, but scoring enough runs to win once again.

The Phils (91-61, 1st) will conclude their series with the Braves (86-66, 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 Roy Oswalt (13-13 (7-1), 2.90 (1.94)), who is coming off a win against the Nats on September 17, as he went six innings, giving up a run on six hits and a walk, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 9-1 rout. In his last three starts, his record is 3-0 as he had pitched twenty-two innings, giving up five runs on sixteen hits and three walks, while striking out twenty. He will be trying to lead the Phils to a sweep of the Braves. The Braves will counter with Tommy Hanson (10-11, 3.62), who is coming off a win against the Mets on September 17, as he pitched six innings, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out four, in the Braves’ 6-4 win. In his last three starts, his record is 1-1 with a no-decision, as he had pitched nineteen innings, giving up twelve runs, nine of which were earned, on fourteen hits and three walks, while striking out thirteen. He will be trying to help the Braves avoid the sweep. The Phils will be trying to sweep the Braves, to extend their lead in the NL East to six games and set things up for an early clinching.

Moyer’s sixth inning melt down leads to another lost as the Phils fall to the Braves, 7-5.

A melt down in the sixth inning by Jamie Moyer, after the Phils have taken the lead in the fifth, leads to a 7-5 lost at the hands of the Braves. The Phils are now trailing the 1st place Braves by six full games, as the All-Star break nears.

The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the first as Martin Prado starts the game with a lead-off home run, his ninth home run of the season. The Phils tied it up at one-all in the second as, with one man on, and with two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI double, scoring Wilson Valdez, who had earlier doubled. The Phils then took the lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run home run, his sixteenth home run of the season, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had earlier walked, to give the Phils a 3-1 lead. Then, in the sixth, the wheels came off. With one out, Prado hits a solo home run, his second home run of the night and his tenth home run of the season, to make it a 3-2 Phils’ lead. Four batters later, the Braves took the lead as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Omar Infante, a double to Chipper Jones, sending Infante to third, and a walk to Troy Glaus, and with still one man out, Brian McCann hits a three-run double, scoring Infante, Jones and Glaus, giving the Braves a 5-3 lead. Matt Diaz then followed with a two-run home run, his first home run of the year, making it a 7-3 Braves’ lead. The Phils would get a run back in the seventh as, with two men out, Shane Victorino hits a solo home run, his thirteenth home run of the year, making it a 7-4 Braves’ lead. The Phils cut the Braves’ lead down to 7-5 in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, pinch hitter Ben Francisco hits a pinch hit RBI single, scoring Greg Dobbs, who had earlier singled and then moved to third on pinch hitter Ross Gload’s single, while sending Gload, who had earlier got on base with a pinch hit single, up to second base. But that would end up being the final score as Billy Wagner would put the Phils down in order in the ninth for his nineteenth save of the year.

Jamie Moyer took the lost as he went five and one-thirds innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out three. His record is now 9-8 with a 4.51 ERA. Danys Baez, Nelson Figueroa and Jose Contreras combine for three and two-thirds shut out innings, giving up three hits (one hit each) between them, while striking out three (one strikeout each). Kris Medlen gets the win, as he pitches six and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out five. His record is now 6-1 with an ERA of 3.19. Jonny Venters records his eighth hold as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up no runs or hits. Takashi Saito receives his eleventh hold of the year as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on three hits. Billy Wagner receives his nineteenth save of the year as he pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Greg Dobbs leading the way with two hits each. Rollins’ two hits were doubles, knocking in a run, while Howard’s two hits were a single and a two-run home run, and Dobbs’ two hits were both singles. Shane Victorino, Wilson Valdez, pinch hitter Ross Gload and pinch hitter Ben Francisco had the other four Phils’ hits, with Victorino’s hit being a solo home run, Waldez’s hit being a double, and Gload and Francisco’s hits being pinch hit singles, with Francisco knocking in a run.The Phils’ offense is still looking to do the following, with the All-Star Break just around the corner: getting key base hits, creating well sustained rallies and coming from behind to win late in games.

The Phils (43-40, 3rd NL East) start a four-game series with the Reds (49-37, 1st NL Central), starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will begin at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (5-3, 4.70), who is coming off a complete game victory against the Pirates on July 3, as he gave up four runs, three of which were earned, on ten hits and three walks, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 12-4 rout. In his last three starts, his record is 1-1 with a no-decision, as he pitched nineteen and one-third innings, giving up fifteen runs, twelve of which were earned, on twenty-four hits and four walks, while he struck out nine batters. He will be trying to continue the momentum from his last start, while hoping that the ‘bad’ Kendrick won’t make an appearance at some point in the game. The Reds will counter with Johnny Cueto (8-2, 3.56), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cubs on July 3, as he pitched five innings, giving up just seven hits and five walks, while striking out two, in the Reds’ 3-1 lost. In his last three starts, he is 2-0 with a no-decision, as he pitched twenty innings, giving up just one run on twenty scattered hits and nine walks, while striking out only six. He will be going for his ninth win of the season, and his second win this season against the Phils. The Phils will be trying to win their first series since their home away from home series against the Blue Jays, while trying to keep from slipping any further behind the Braves in the East.

The Phils’ bullpen blew another game in extra-innings as the Phils fall to the Braves, 6-3.

Lack of offensive punch, and a bullpen implosion in the eleventh inning, leads to another lost as the Phils drop one to the Braves in eleven innings, 6-3. They are once again trailing the Braves by five games in the NL East.

The Braves took the lead in the top of the first as, with the bases loaded, via singles to Martin Prado and Omar Infante and a walk to Chipper Jones, which moved both Prado and Infante up a base, and with nobody out, Troy Glaus hits into a doubleplay, 4-3, allowing Prado to score from third, as Jones was wiped out at second, to give the Braves a 1-0 lead, while Infante moved up to third. The Phils took the lead in their half of the first as, with one man on, and with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits a two-run home run, his seventh home run of the year, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier walked, and then stole second base as Shane Victorino struck out, to give the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Braves tied the game up at two-all in the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, David Ross hits an RBI single, knocking in Matt Diaz, who had just doubled. The Braves took the lead in the eighth as, with two men out, Prado hits a solo home run, his tenth home run of the season, to give the Braves a 3-2 lead. The Phils came back to tie it up at three-all in their half of the seventh as, with a runner on first, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI triple, just missing a home run, knocking in Ibanez, who had earlier walked. The Phils then blew an opportunity to take the lead with a runner on third, and nobody out, as Jayson Werth is called out on strikes for the inning’s first out, then pinch hitter Ben Francisco hits a fly ball to center which is not deep enough to score Howard from third for the second out of the inning, and then Wilson Valdez grounded out, 5-3, on a sensational play by Jones, to end the inning. The Braves then took the lead for good in the eleventh as, with a runner on base, and with nobody out, Diaz hits an RBI double, scoring Yunel Escobar, who had earlier singled, to make it a 4-3 Braves’ lead. Three batters later, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Erick Hinske hits a two-run home run, his sixth home run of the season, scoring Diaz, to give the Braves a 6-3 lead. That would be the final score as Billy Wagner records his eighteen save of the year by getting Ibanez to strike out with a man on second base, for the game’s final out.

Cole Hamels received a no-decision as he went seven innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out eight. Jose Contreras pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits. J.C. Romero pitches a third of an inning, getting out the only man whom he would face. Brad Lidge pitches a scoreless inning, striking out two. David Herndon took the lost as he pitches an inning, plus two batters, giving up two runs on two hits. His record is now 0-2 with a 4.08 ERA. Mike Zagurski pitches an inning, giving up a run on one hit, while striking out three. Jair Jurrjens also receives a no-decision, as he pitches six innings, plus two batters, giving up three runs on two hits and three walks, while striking out four. Peter Moylan pitches a third of an inning, striking out the only man whom he would face. Jonny Venters pitches two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men whom he would face. Takashi Saito and Eric O’Flaherty combined for two scoreless innings, striking out a batter between them (O’Flaherty). Jesse Chavez gets the win as he pitches a scoreless inning, walking a batter. His record is now 1-1 with a 5.63 ERA. Billy Wagner records his eighteenth save of the year as he also pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had only three hits in the game, a two-run home run by Raul Ibanez, an RBI triple by Ryan Howard and a single by Shane Victorino. The Phils hurt themselves last night by not being more patient at the plate, after getting Jurrjens pitch count up to 28 pitches in the very first inning. This seems to be their major problem. Although they were called an American League team early in the season, they have a bad habit to not act like an AL team, i.e. show patient at the plate, and especially not swing at the pitcher’s junk. Of course, some of the key cogs in their hitting machine is out of commission, but that is still no excuse for the piss poor way they are playing right now. Guys, if you are going to try to run up the pitcher’s pitch count, stop swinging at the first and/or second pitch he throws at you. Wear him out. Sheesh. Is that too much to ask for?

The Phils (43-39, 3rd) will conclude their series with the Braves (49-35, 1st) 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 Jamie Moyer (9-7, 4.13), who is coming off a lost against the Pirates on July 2, as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits and two walks, while he struck out eight, in the Phils’ 2-0 lost. In his last three starts, he is 2-1, as he pitched twenty-one innings, giving up five runs, only four of which were earned, on thirteen hits and three walks, while he struck out twenty. He will be going for his tenth win of the season, hoping that the Phils’ bats will actually hit behind him. The Braves will counter with Kris Medlen (5-1, 3.01), who is coming off a no-decision against the Marlins on July 2, as he pitched six and a third innings, giving up a run on six hits and a walk, while he struck out five, in the Braves’ 4-3 win. In his last three starts, he is 1-0 with two no-decisions, as he pitched nineteen and one-third innings, giving up six runs, five of which were earned, on seventeen hits and four walks, while he struck out fifteen. He will be going for his sixth win of the year. The Phils will be going for the series win, to put themselves four games behind the Braves in the pennant chase.

The Phils’ home stand end on a high note as the Phils defeat the Braves, 5-3.

The Phils end their ten-game home stand by defeating the Braves, 5-3, as the bullpen throw four scoreless innings on the Braves’ bats.

The Braves try to take the lead in the bottom of the first as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Omar Infante, who had lead-off the game with a double, tried to score on a Troy Glaus single to right, but was thrown out at home by Jayson Werth, 9-2, with Carlos Ruiz applying the tag. The Phils then took the lead in their half of the first as, with the bases loaded via a single by Placido Polanco, a double by Chase Utley, sending Polanco on to third, and an intentional walk to Ryan Howard, Werth was hit by the pitch, forcing in Polanco, while sending Utley up to third and Howard to second, giving the Phils’ a 1-0 lead. The Phils made it 2-0 as Utley scored from third on a Raul Ibanez sacrifice fly to right, as Melky Carbrera did not attempt to make a throw to the plate. The Phils increased their lead in the second as, with two out, Polanco hits a solo home run, his fifth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Phils then made it 4-0 in the third as, with one man out, Werth hits a solo home run, his seventh home run of the season and the 100th of his career. The Braves then came back in the fifth as, with the bases loaded via a walk to Kenshin Kawakami, and singles to Infante and Martin Prado, and with no one out, Carbrera hits an RBI single, knocking in Kawakami, cutting the Phils’ lead to 4-1, while sending Infante to third and Prado over to second, leaving the bases loaded. The Braves then made it a 4-3 Phils’ lead as Glaus hits a two-run single, knocking in both Infante and Prado, while sending Carbrera on to second base. The Phils then made it 5-3 in the seventh as, with one man out, Shane Victorino hits a solo home run, his seventh home run of the year. That would be the final score as Brad Lidge pitch a 1-2-3 ninth on seven pitches, recording his first save of the season.

Coel Hamels got the win as he pitches five innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and four walks, while striking out five. His record is now 3-2 with a 4.53 ERA. Chad Durbin records his fifth hold of the year as he pitch two 1-2-3 innings, striking out four. Jose Contreras then follows with a 1-2-3 inning of his own, striking out a batter, as he records his second hold of the year. Brad Lidge also pitches a 1-2-3 inning, as he records his first save of the year. Kenshin Kawakami takes the lost as he pitches six and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, two walks and a hit batter, while striking out five. His record is now 0-6 with an ERA of 5.73. Eric O’Flaherty pitches a scoreless inning and a third, striking out a batter.

The Phils had only seven hits in the game, with Placido Polanco leading the team with two hits, a single and a solo home run, knocking in a run. Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz had the other five Phils’ hits, with Victorino and Werth’s hits being solo home runs, with Victorino knocking in a run, while Werth knocked in two, with the other coming in as he was hit by the pitch with the bases loaded. Utley and Ibanez’s hits were doubles, while Ruiz’s hit was a single.

The Phils (19-12, 1st East) will now go on the road where they will play a three-game series with the Rockies (15-16, 3rd West) in Denver. The game will be played at Coors Field and will start at 8:40 pm Eastern (6:40 pm Mountain). Kyle Kendrick (1-1, 5.87) will start for the Phils, coming off a win against the Cardinals on May 5, as he threw seven shut out innings, giving up six hits and two walks, while striking out three, in the Phils’ 4-0 win. He will try to continue what he did in his previous start. The Rockies will counter with Greg Smith (1-2, 6.35), who is coming off a no-decision against the Padres, as he went five innings, giving up a run on four hits and five walks, while striking out two, in the Rockies’ 3-2 lost. He will be trying to even his record. The Phils will be trying to continue their winning way as they play in Denver.

Joe Blanton has another strong start but still ends up with the lost as the Phils lose to the Braves, 4-1.

Despite throwing his second straight strong outing since coming off the disable list, Joe Blanton takes the lost as the Phils’ offense is unable to capitalize on several scoring opportunities as the Phils lost to the Braves, 4-1.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with two men on, and with two men out, Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, knocking in Brian Schneider, who had earlier singled, and then moved up to second on Joe Blanton’s single, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Blanton, who had earlier singled, up to second base. Blanton then took control, stopping several Braves’ rallies, while not giving up a hit, until Braves’ starter Kris Medlen got a lead-off single in the fifth, while first Medlen, and then reliever Eric O’Flaherty, kept the Phils from getting any more runs. Then the Braves got back into the game in the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Eric Hinske hits an RBI double, knocking in Chipper Jones, who had earlier singled, moved up to second on Brian McCann’s single, then went to third on Troy Glaus’ fly out to center, tying the game up at one-all, while sending McCann up to third. One batter later, the Braves took the lead on an RBI single by Melky Cabrera, scoring McCann, giving the Braves a 2-1 lead, while sending Hinske over to third. The Braves then made it 3-1 as Omar Infante hits a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Hinske, while Cabrera moved up to second. The Braves then added an insurance run in the ninth as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Glaus hits an RBI single, scoring Nate McLouth, who had earlier singled, went to second on Martin Prado’s sacrifice bunt, then moved up to third on Jones’ ground out, 4-3, giving the Braves a 4-1 lead, while sending McCann, who had just walked, up to second base. That would be the final score as Billy Wagner put the Phils’ down 1-2-3, to records his fourth save of the year.

Joe Blanton took the lose as he pitches six innings, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out three. His record is now 0-2 with a 4.97 ERA. J.C. Romero, Chad Durbin and Jose Contreras combine for two scoreless innings, giving up only three walks (Romero (2), Contreras (1)), while striking out two batters (Romero and Chad one batter each). Danys Baez pitches an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk. Kris Medlen receives a no-decision as he pitches four and a third innings, giving up a run on nine hits, as he strikes out three. Eric O’Flaherty got the win as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face. His record is now 2-1 with an ERA of 2.19. Craig Kimbrel records his first hold of the season as he goes a third of an inning, giving up two walks. Peter Moylan records his fifth hold of the year as he pitches one and one-third scoreless innings, giving up two walks. Jonny Venters records his first hold of the year as he pitches a third of an inning, getting out the only man he would face. Takashi Saito records his second hold of the season as he pitches a scoreless inning, striking out two batters. Billy Wagner records his fourth save of the year as he throws a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out a batter.

The Phils had nine hits, all singles, in the game, unable to deliever a key hit to take an early commanding lead. Placido Polanco had three hits. Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Brian Schneider, Carlos Ruiz and Joe Blanton had the other six hits, with Victorino knocking in the only Phil run.

The Phils (18-12, 1st) will conclude their series and the home stand with an afternoon game against the Braves (13-17, 5th). The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (2-2, 4.42), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals on May 4, when he went eight plus innings, giving up just one run on eight hits and two walks, as he struck out eight, in the Phils’ 2-1 extra-innings walk-off win. He will try to build on his two previous strong starts while trying for his third win of the season. The Braves will counter with Kenshin Kawakami (0-5, 5.47), who is coming off a lost against the Nationals on May 4, as he went only five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, while he struck out one, in the Braves’ 6-3 lost. He will be trying to gain his first win of the season. The Phils will be trying to end their good home stand on a high note before going on the road to face the Rockies in Denver. 

Jamie Moyer records his 260th career victory as the bullpen preserves the win as the Phils defeat the Braves, 8-3.

The Phils leave Atlanta with a series win as the bullpen this time preserves the victory as the Phils down the Braves, 8-3. The victory was the 260th in Jamie Moyer’s career, putting him in a tie for 40th place on the all-time list with Hall of Famer Ted Lyons.

The Phils took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, scoring Greg Dobbs, who had earlier singled, and had gone on to third on Chase Utley’s single, while sending Utley, who had earlier singled, on to third base. The Phils made it a 2-0 lead as, once again with runners on the corners, and still with one man out, Jayson Werth hit a sacrifice fly to center, knocking in Utley. The Phils would increase their lead in the third as, with the bases loaded, via a double to Dobbs, a walk to Utley and a walk to Werth, moving both Dobbs and Utley up a base, and with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits into a force attempt, scoring Dobbs, making it 3-0 Phils, as Martin Prado made a throwing error to second base, allowing Utley to score, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead, while Werth went to third on the error, while Ibanez was safe at first. The Phils made it 5-0 as Juan Castro follows with an RBI single, scoring Werth, while moving Ibanez up to second base. As the Phils were taking a commanding lead, their starter, Jamie Moyer, was keeping the Braves off-balance through the first four innings, giving up just two hits, as well as hitting a batter, while striking out two, and getting a lot of ground ball outs. The Braves would finally get on the scoreboard in the fifth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Matt Diaz hits a grounder to Castro, who then threw the ball to Utley for a force attempt at second. Utley misplayed the ball for an error, allowing Melky Cabrera, who had earlier walked, and had gone to second base on Omar Infante’s walk, to score, making it a 5-1 Phils’ lead, while Infante was safe on second base, while Diaz reached first. One batter latter, Prado hits another grounder to Castro, who this time threw out Diaz at second for the inning’s second out, but Utley then made an errant throw to first trying to double up Prado, allowing Infante to score, making it a 5-2 Phils’ lead. The Phils got one of the runs back in the sixth as, with the bases loaded, via singles to Castro and Carlos Ruiz, which sent Castro to second base, and a walk to Moyer, which moved both Castro and Ruiz up a base, Shane Victorino hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Castro, and giving the Phils a 6-2 lead. The Phils then added to their lead in the seventh as, with two men on, and with two men out, pinch hitter Ross Gload hits an RBI single, scoring Ibanez, who had earlier walked, and had moved up to second on Castro’s single, giving the Phils a 7-2 lead, while sending Castro on to third base. One batter later, the Phils made it an 8-2 lead as Victorino hits an RBI single, scoring Castro, while sending Gload on to second base. The Braves then made it 8-3 Phils’ lead in their half of the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a double to Nate McLouth, a single to Prado, which sent McLouth over to third base, and a walk to Chipper Jones, and with one man out, Brian McCann hits a sacrifice fly, scoring McLouth. That would be the final score as David Herndon would come in and pitch a scoreless ninth.

Jamie Moyer gets the win, the 260th of his career, as he pitches six innings, giving up two unearned runs, on four hits, two walks and a hit batter, while he strikes out four. His record is now 2-1 with a 5.00 ERA. Chad Durbin pitches an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out two. Danys Baez and David Herndon combined for two scoreless innings, giving up just three hits (Herndon). Derek Lowe took the lost as he pitches five innings, giving up five runs, only four of which were earned, on six hits and two walks, while striking out three. His record is now 3-1 with a 5.24 ERA. Kris Medlen pitches a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk. Eric O’Flaherty pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up just a walk, while striking out a batter. Peter Moylan pitches an inning, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out two. Jesse Chavez pitches a scoreless inning, giving up only one hit, while striking out two. 

The Phils’ bats had twelve hits in the game, with Juan Castro leading the team with three hits, as he collected three singles, knocking in a run, while scoring two. Greg Dobbs and Carlos Ruiz follows by getting two hits each, with Dobbs’ hits being a single and a double, as he scores two runs, while both of Ruiz’s hits were singles. Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and pinch hitter Ross Gload had the other five Phils’ hits, all singles. Victorino knocked in two runs, one by a sac fly, Howard knocked in one, Ibanez brought home a run, and Gload scored a run with a pinch single. Jayson Werth knocked in the other Phil RBI with a sacrifice fly, while their final run came in on a throwing error.

The Phils (10-3, 1st East) continue their nine-game road trip by going to Phoenix to meet the D-backs (6-9, 5th West) for a three-game series. The game will be played at Chase Field and will start at 9:40 pm Eastern time (6:40 pm Mountain) . The Phils will send to the mound Coel Hamels (2-1, 3.86) who is coming off a lost against the Marlins on April 18, as he went eight plus strong innings, giving up only two earned runs on seven hits, while striking out eight, in the Phils’ 2-0 lost. He will be trying to build on that start, hoping to regain his 2007-08 form. The snakes will counter with Kris Benson (0-1, 3.00), who is coming off a loss to the Padres on April 17, as he went six innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits and four walks, in the D-backs’ 5-0 lost. He will be trying to keep the D-backs in the game against the Phils’ potent offense. The Phils will be trying to continue their so far successful road trip, hoping that Hamels will continue the Phils’ starting pitching current unearned runs streak.

For the second straight game a good performance by a starter goes down the tubes as the bullpen coughs up four late inning runs as the Phils lose to the Braves, 4-3.

A good performance by Kyle Kendrick goes to waste as the Phils’ bullpen gives up three late innings home runs, as the Phils lose in ten innings to the Braves, 4-3. They are now tied for first place in the East with the Braves.

The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, scoring Chase Utley, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. Later that same inning, Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick pitches himself out of a jam, as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Martin Prado, a double to Chipper Jones, which sent Prado over to third, and an intentional walk to Brian McCann, and with one man out, Troy Glaus hits into a 5-4-3 double play, wiping out McCann at second base. The Phils then increased their lead in the fifth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Utley hits an RBI single, knocking in Placido Polanco, who had earlier doubled, to give the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Phils would make it 3-0 in the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Utley hits an RBI force out, 6-4, scoring Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, and then went to third on Polanco’s single, while wiping out Polanco, who had earlier singled, at second base. The Braves then came back in the ninth as, with a runner on first, and with two men out, Gluas hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the season, knocking in Jones, who had earlier walked, cutting the Phils’ lead to 3-2. The next batter, Jason Heyward, then tied the game up at three-all with a solo shot, his fourth home run of the season. After Billy Wagner pitches a 1-2-3 top of the tenth, Phils’ reliever Jose Contreras threw a 2-2 curve that Nate McLouth hits into right field for a walk-off home run, his first home run of the season, to give the Braves a 4-3 win.

Kyle Kendrick pitches a no-decision as he goes eight strong inning, his first good start of the season, as he gives up only four hits and two walks, while striking out two. Ryan Madson records his first blown save of the season as he pitches an inning, giving up three runs on two hits, both home runs, and a walk. Jose Contreas took the lost as he pitches to one batter, giving up a run on one hit, a home run. His record is now 0-1 with an ERA of 2.45. Tommy Hanson also pitches a no-decision, as he lasts only four and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while he strikes out four. Eric O’Flaherty pitches a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Peter Moylan pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out two. Kris Medlen pitches two innings, giving up a run on two hits, as he strikes out a batter. Jesse Chavez pitches a 1-2-3 inning. Billy Wagner gets the win as he also pitches a 1-2-3 inning. His record is now 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA.

The Phils recorded nine hits in the game, with Placido Polanco and Chase Utley leading the team with two hits each, with both men recording a single and a double, while Utley knocked in two runs. Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Juan Castro had the other five Phils’ hits, with Werth’s hit being a double. Howard knocked in the other Phils’ run with an RBI single.

The Phils (8-5, 1st-T) continue their three games visit with the Braves (8-5, 1st-T) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Turner Field and will start at 7:10 pm Eastern. The Phillies will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (3-0, 1.13), who is coming off a strong win against the Marlins on April 16, where he went eight innings, giving up two runs on eight scattered hits, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 8-6 win. He will be going for his fourth straight win in as many starts, while trying to put a stop to the Phils’ present three games losing streak. The Braves will counter with Tim Hudson (1-0, 2.84), who is coming off a win against the Padres on April 15, as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits and five walks, in the Braves’ 6-2 win. He will be trying to match Halladay pitch for pitch. The Phils, meanwhile, will be trying to regroup after such a tough lost, and put a stop to their present losing streak.

Threepeat!!!!: The Phils win their third straight Eastern Division title.

For the second time in the franchise’s long history, the Phils have won their third straight NL Eastern Division title, thanks to the Marlins’ 5-4 defeat of the Braves in Atlanta, while the Phils crushed the Astros in Citizens Bank Park, 10-3.

The Astros took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with the bases loaded, via singles to Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee, and with two men out, Hunter Pence received an RBI walk, forcing in Tejada, while moving up a base both Berkman and Lee. The Phillies would tie the game up at one-all in their half of the first as, with one man on, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier doubled, and then went to third on Shane Victorino’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3. The Astros retook the lead in the second as J.R. Towles hits a lead-off home run, after the umpires had corrected their earlier ruling that the ball had stayed in the park via instant replay, his first home run of the season, giving the Astros a 2-1 lead. The Astros added to their lead in the fourth as Towles hits another lead-off home run, his second home run of the night, and of the season, making it a 3-1 Astros’ lead. The Phils then struck back in their half of the fourth. With two men on, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, scoring Victorino, who had earlier singled, and then stole second base, making it a 3-2 Astros’ lead, while sending Utley, who had just walked, to third base. The next batter, Raul Ibanez, then hits a grounder to the Astros’ starter Brian Moehler. Moehler immediately threw to second base, hoping to start a double play. Unfortunately, there was no one covering second, as the ball sails into center field, allowing Utley to score, tying the game at three-all, and sending Howard to third, while Ibanez would end up being safe at second on the fielder’s choice-throwing error. Jayson Werth then followed with a ground out RBI, 6-3, for the inning’s first out, as Howard scored, giving the Phillies a 4-3 lead, while sending Ibanez on to third. Pedro Feliz then followed with an RBI double, knocking in Ibanez, making it a 5-3 Phils’ lead. The Phils added to their lead in the fifth as, with a runner on third, and with nobody out, Victorino hits an RBI triple, knocking in Rollins, who had earlier tripled, giving the Phillies a 6-3 lead. Three batters later, now with two men on, as Howard was intentionally walked, and with one out, Ibanez hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Victorino, making it a 7-3 Phils’ lead. The Phillies would make it 8-3 in the sixth as, with a runner on base, and with nobody out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI double, knocking in Feliz, who had earlier singled, before being thrown at third trying to stretched his double into a triple, 9-6-5. The Phils then scored one last time in the seventh as, with a man on base, and with two men out, Ibanez hits a two-run home run, his thirty-fourth home run of the season, scoring Howard, who had just walked, giving the Phils a 10-3 lead. In the ninth, after Kyle Kendrick, the game winner, had pitched three shut out innings in relief of Phils’ starter Pedro Martinez, and Chad Durbin had pitched one scoreless inning, the Phils sent Scott Eyre to the mound to pitch his first game in several weeks. Eyre started the inning off by getting Michael Bourn to fly out to center for the first out. He then got Tejada to fly out to center for the inning’s second out. Meanwhile, in Atlanta, the Marlins were holding on to a 5-4 lead, with the bases loaded. After Brendan Donnelly was brought into the game to face Martin Prado, he threw a first pitch ball that got past Marlins’ catcher Ronny Paulino. But, the ball hit the backstop and came back to Paulino, catching Matt Diaz off third base. Paulino threw a strike to the Marlins’ third baseman Wes Helms, who applied the tag on a diving Diaz for the final out, giving the Marlins’ the win, and the Phils’ the pennant. Back in Philly, Charlie Manuel had come to the mound, taking out Eyre and bringing in Brad Lidge to record the final out. Which Lidge would do with one pitch as Berkman grounded out to Howard, three-unassisted, for the final out.

Pedro Martinez received a no-decision as he went four innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk, as he struck out two. Kyle Kendrick got the win as he pitched three scoreless innings, giving up only two hits, while striking out three batters. His record is now 3-1 with a 2.66 ERA. Chad Durbin pitched a scoreless inning, giving up only a walk. Scott Eyre pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting two fly outs. Brad Lidge pitched a third of an inning, getting the final out. Brian Moehler took the lost as he went four and a third innings, giving up seven runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out one. His record is now 8-12 with a 5.47 ERA. Wesley Wright pitched two-thirds of an inning. Samuel Gervacio pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out one. Tim Byrdak pitched an inning, giving up two runs on one hit and two walks. Jose Valverde pitched a scoreless inning, walking a batter.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz leading the team with two hits each, with both of Rollins’ hits being for extra bases, a double and a triple, scoring two runs, while one of Victorino’s hits was a triple, as he knocked in a run, while one of Feliz’s hits was a double, as he also knocked in a run. Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz had the other three Phils’ hits, with Ibanez’s hits being a two-run home run, as he knocked in three runs, while Ruiz’s hit was a double, knocking in a run. Chase Utley, Howard and Jayson Werth knocked in the other three Phils’ RBIs. The Phils’ offense came out swinging, finally knocking around Moehler in the fourth. With the clinching, Charlie Manuel will be giving some of his regulars a well needed rest, while trying to see if he can lead the Phils to the best record in the National League so that they can get home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Phils (92-66, 1st East) will conclude their four-games home stand with the Astros (73-85, 5th Central) with a night game. The game will start tonight at 7:05 pm Eastern and will be played at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils expected starter will be Cliff Lee (14-12 (7-3),  3.19 (3.28)), who is coming off a lost against the Brewers on September 25, where he went six innings, giving up seven runs on nine hits, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 8-4 lost. He will be trying to recapture his form when he first came to the Phils before the July trade deadline. The Astros will counter with Felipe Paulino (2-11, 6.51), who is coming off a lost to the Reds on September 26, as he went five innings, giving up eight runs on nine hits and four walks, while striking out three, in the Astros’ 10-4 lost. He will be trying to keep from being hit hard by the Phils. The Phils will be trying to balance resting some of their starters while at the same time trying to see if they can establish their post-season form.

The Phils lower their magic number to six as they defeat the Braves, 4-2.

In spite of an hour plus long rain delay, the Phils’ bullpen pitched brillantly to help the Phils’ defeat the Braves, 4-2. Their magic number over both the Braves and the Marlins have now dropped to six.

The Braves took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Matt Diaz hits an RBI single, scoring Martin Prado, who had earlier doubled. The Phils would tie the game up at one-all in the third as, with a runner on first, and with two men out, Ben Francisco, who was in the game after Shane Victorino had been ejected for arguing a call by the second base umpire when he was thrown out trying to steal second, hits an RBI double, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier walked, and had been attempting to steal second. The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with a runner on second and with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in Jayson Werth, who had earlier walked, and then stole second, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. One batter later, Pedro Feliz knocked in Ibanez with an RBI single, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. In the fourth, the Phils would increase their lead as, with one man on, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI triple, knocking in Rollins, who had earlier doubled, and had gone to third on Francisco’s ground out off of the pitcher’s leg, 1-4-3, making it a 4-1 Phils’ lead. Then the game was stopped as the rain that had been falling all weekend in Atlanta had finally started to come down hard enough to have the tarp put on the field. The rain would stop almost two hours later, leading to the exit of both team’s starters, especially Phils’ starter Cliff Lee, who had been five hitting the Braves, keeping them off-balance since giving up the run in the first. The Phils’ bullpen then took over, shutting down the Braves for the next four innings, giving up no runs and only one hit and a walk before handing the ball over to Brad Lidge in the ninth. After taking care of the first two batters, Lidge gave up a walk to Brooks Conrad. After Conrad took second base on defensive indifference, pinch hitter Brian McCann knocked him in with an RBI single, making it a 4-2 Phils’ lead. But that would be it, as Lidge would then nailed down his thirty-first save of the year by striking out Nate McLouth.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision thanks to the rain delay, as he pitched four innings, giving up just one run on five hits, while striking out two. Tyler Walker picked up the win as he pitched two scoreless innings, giving up only one hit and a walk, while striking out three. His record is now 2-0 with an ERA of 2.35. Sergio Escalona received his first hold as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out a batter. Clay Condrey pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man he would face, collecting his seventh hold. Ryan Madson got his twenty-fifth hold as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out all three. Brad Lidge would record his thirty-first save of the season as he gave up a run on a hit and a walk, as he struck out two. Tommy Hanson took the lost as he pitched five innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and four walks, while he struck out seven. His record is now 10-4 with a 2.85 ERA. Kris Medlen, Boone Logan and Eric O’Flaherty combined for four shut out innings, giving up just three hits (one hit each) and a walk (Logan), while striking out two (O’Flaherty).

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Pedro Feliz leading the way with two hits, knocking in a run, as he raised his batting average to .264. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Ben Francisco, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Paul Bako and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr., had the other eight Phils’ hits, with Rollins, Francisco, Ibanez, Howard and Mayberry’s hits all being doubles. Besides Pedro, Utley, Francisco and Ibanez had the Phils’ other three RBIs. With the win, the Phils have won ten of their last thirteen games since being swept by the Astros.

The Phils (87-61, 1st) have the day off today, with their next game being tomorrow afternoon as the first past of a twi-night doubleheader with the Marlins at Land Shark Stadium. The magic number to winning their third straight NL Eastern Division pennant is now at six.

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