Results tagged ‘ Matt Downs ’

The Phils scored early and often as they defeated the Astros, 12-6.

Cole Hamels gain his 15th win of the year as the Phils’ offense scored early and often to defeat the Astros, 12-6.

The Phils took the lead in the first as Jimmy Rollins hits a lead-off home run, his twentieth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, the Phils took a 2-0 lead as Chase Utley hits an RBI single, knocking in Juan Pierre, who had earlier walked, then stole second base. The Phils then took a 3-0 lead as, after Utley had stolen second base, Ryan Howard hits an RBI ground-rule double, scoring Utley. The Phils then made it a 4-0 lead four batters later as, with Howard now on third, after moving up on Dom Brown’s ground out, 4-3, John Mayberry, Jr. hits an RBI single, scoring Howard. The Astros got a run back in their half of the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, Jose Altuve, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Brandon Barnes’ single, would score as Justin Maxwell hits into a force out, 1-6, wiping out Barnes at second base for the inning’s second out, sending Altuve to third, before he would score on Jimmy Rollins’ throwing error, making it a 4-1 Phils’ lead, while Maxwell, who was safe on the error, would move up to second base. The Phils added to their lead in the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Kevin Frandsen hits an RBI single, knocking in Mayberry, who had just doubled, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead. The Astros cut down the Phils’ lead in their half of the fourth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Matt Downs hits a two-run home run, his eighth home run of the year, knocking in Matt Dominguez, who had started the inning off with a single, making it a 5-3 Phils’ lead. The Phils increased their lead in the fifth as, with the bases loaded, via walks to Utley and Howard, a force out by Carlos Ruiz, 5-4, wiping out Howard at second base for the inning’s second out, as Utley moved up to third, while Ruiz beat out the throw to first base, a stolen base by Ruiz, and then an intentional walk to Brown, and with two men out, Mayberry hits a two-run single, knocking in both Utley and Ruiz, giving the Phils a 7-3 lead, while sending Brown up to second base. The Astros got a run back in their half of the fifth as two men out, Maxwell hits a solo home run, his fifteenth home run of the season, making it a 7-4 Phils’ lead. The Phils once again increased their lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and with one man out, Brown hit a two-run bomb into the right field seats, his third home run of the season, knocking in Ruiz, who had just walked, giving the Phils a 9-4 lead. The Phils then added to their lead in the eighth as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Utley hits an RBI double, scoring Rollins, who had started the inning off with a single, then stopped at second base on Pierre’s single, giving the Phils a 10-4 lead, while sending Pierre, who had just singled, on to third base. The Phils then made it a 12-4 lead as Howard followed with an RBI single, knocking in both Pierre and Utley. The Astros got a run back in their half of the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Dominguez, who had earlier reached first base on pitcher Justin De Fratus’ throwing error, then stopped at third base on Jed Lowrie’s single, scored on a wild pitch by De Fratus, making it a 12-5 Phils’ lead, while sending Lowrie up to second base. The Astros then made it a 12-6 Phils’ lead in the ninth as, with a man on second base, and with two men out, Barnes reached first base on Frandsen’s throwing error, which allowed Altuve, who had earlier hit a ground-rule double, to score, while Barnes would go on to second base. But that would be the final score as Jeremy Horst finally ended the game by striking out Brett Wallace, swinging, for the game’s final out

Cole Hamels (15-6, 3.06) got the win as he went seven innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out eight. Justin De Fratus pitched an inning, giving up an unearned run on a hit, while striking out a batter. Jeremy Horst also pitched an inning, giving up an unearned run on a hit, while also striking out the side. Edgar Gonzalez (2-1, 4.40) took the lost as he lasted only four innings, giving up five runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out two. Chuckie Fick pitched a third of an inning, giving up two runs on a hit and two walks. Fernando Rodriguez pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Jose Valdez pitched one and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk, striking out two. Enerio Del Rosario pitched a third of an inning, plus four batters, giving up three runs on four hits. Rhiner Cruz pitched two innings, giving up a hit, while striking out three.

The Phils had sixteen hits, with John Mayberry, Jr. leading the ballclub with three hits, two singles and a double, knocking in three runs, followed by Jimmy Rollins (Single, Home Run, RBI), Juan Pierre (Singles), Chase Utley (Single, Double, 2 RBIs), Ryan Howard (Single, Double, 3 RBIs) and Kevin Frandsen (Singles, RBI) with two hits each. Dom Brown (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Cole Hamels (Single) and Nate Schierholtz (Double) had the other three Phils’ hit. The Phils also had five walks and three stolen bases (Pierre (35), Utley (7), Carlos Ruiz (4)) in the game.

The Phils (73-72, 3rd East) will continue their series with the Astros (46-99, 6th Central) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Minute Maid Park, and will start at 7:05 pm EDT (6:05 pm CDT). The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (9-10, 3.83), who is coming off a win against the Marlins on September 10, as he went seven innings, giving up a run on two hits and three walks, striking out a career high eight batters, in the Phils’ 3-1 win. He will be trying to even his record. The Astros will counter with Dallas Keuchel (1-7, 5.35) with a no-decision against the Cubs on September 10, as he went only four innings, giving up a run on six hits and two walks, striking out a batter, in the Astros’ 4-1 lost. He will be trying to give the Astros the series lead. The Phils will be trying to take the series lead.

The Phils win both of their games at home with the Astros, with the bats winning yesterday’s game 5-1, before winning’s this afternoon’s game on a extra-inning walk-off home run by Hunter Pence, 4-3.

The Phils go onto the road with their first three-game winning streak as they win both of their games against the Astros, winning yesterday’s ballgame behind Joe Blanton’s excellent pitching, 5-1, before taking this afternoon’s game in extra-innings on Hunter Pence’s walk-off home run, defeating the Astros, 4-3.

In Monday night’s game, the Phils took the lead in the fifth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Freddy Galvis hits an RBI single, knocking in Placido Polanco, who was earlier safe at first on a 1-6 force out, as Carlos Ruiz, who had started off the inning by being hit by the pitch, is wiped out at second base for the inning’s first out, then reaching second base on shortstop Jed Lowrie’s force attempt fielding error on John Mayberry Jr’s grounder, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Mayberry, who had been safe at first on Lowrie’s error, over to third. The Phils then took a 2-0 lead in the sixth as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier started the inning off with a triple. Three batters later, after Polanco had hit into a 6-3 force out, wiping out Ruiz at second base for the inning’s second out, then going to third base on Mayberry’s double, and now with two men out, Galvis hits an RBI single, scoring Polanco, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead, before Mayberry, who had just doubled, is thrown out at the plate trying to score, 7-2, for the inning’s final out. The Astros would get a run back in the eighth as Marwin Gonzalez hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. The Phils increased their lead in their half of the eighth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Polanco hits a two-run home run, his first home run of the year, and the 2000th hit of his career, as he knocked in Ruiz, who had just singled, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon threw a scoreless ninth, getting Chris Snyder to strikeout, swinging, for the game’s final out.

Joe Blanton (4-3, 2.96) got the win as he went seven strong innings, plus two batters, giving up a run on six hits and a walk, while he struck out seven. Antonio Bastardo collected his seventh hold of the season as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out two batters. Chad Qualls collected his seventh hold of the season as he went a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out the side. Lucas Harrell (2-3, 4.40) took the lost as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out three. Wilton Lopez pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Fernando Abad pitched a scoreless inning, striking out a batter. David Carpenter pitched an inning, giving up two runs on four hits, as he struck out two.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Freddy Galvis leading the team with three hits, all singles, as he knocked in two runs, followed by Carlos Ruiz (Singles, RBI) and John Mayberry, Jr. (Single, Double) with two hits apiece. Shane Victorino (Triple), Hunter Pence (Single) and Placido Polanco (Home Run, 2 RBIs), had the other three Phils’ hits, with Polanco’s hit being his 2000th career hit. The Phils also had two walks in the game.

In this afternoon’s game, the Phils took the lead in the second as, with one man on, and with two men out, Brian Schneider hits a two-run home run, his first home run of the year, knocking in John Mayberry, Jr. who had earlier reached base on second baseman Jose Altuve’s throwing error, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the sixth as, with one man out, Hunter Pence hits a solo home run, his eighth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Astros would get a run back in the seventh as Matt Downs hits a lead-off home run, his third home run of the year, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. The Astros made it a 3-2 Phils’ lead in the ninth as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Carlos Lee hits an RBI single, scoring Jordan Schafer, who had started the inning off with a double, then went to third on Downs’ ground out, 4-3. The Astros then tied the score up at three-all two batters later, after pinch runner Brian Bogusevic, who was pinch running for Lee, had stolen second base, and now with two men out, J. D. Martinez hits a single to right, moving Bogusevic up to third, before being sent home as right fielder Pence committed a fielding error as he was trying to pick up the ball. The Phils would win the ballgame in the tenth as, win one man out, Pence hits a walk-off solo home run, his ninth home run of the season, and his second home run of the game, giving the Phils a 4-3 walk-off win.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision as he pitched eight strong innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out ten. Chad Qualls blew his fourth save attempt of the year as he threw two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on four hits. Jake Diekman, who was making his major league debut, received the win, (1-0, 0.00), the first win of his career, as he threw one and one-thirds scoreless innings, while striking out three. Jordan Lyles also received a no-decision as he went six innings, giving up three runs, only one of which was earned, on six hits and a walk, while he struck out four. Fernando Abad, Fernando Rodriguez and Brandon Lyon combined for three scoreless innings, giving up three hits (Abad (1), Lyon (2)) between them, while striking out two batters (Abad (1), Lyon (1)). Brett Myers (0-1, 2.08) took the lost as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Hunter Pence leading the team with three hits (Single, 2 Home Runs, 2 RBIs), including the game winner, followed by Jimmy Rollins (Single, Double), Placido Polanco (Singles) and Brian Schneider (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs) with two hits apiece. John Mayberry, Jr. (Single) had the other Phil hit. The Phils also had two walks in the game.

The Phils (18-19, 5th East), who have now won four of their last five games, and have their first three-game winning streak, will now go onto the road for a short two-game series with the Cubs (15-21, T-5th Central). The game will be played at Wrigley Field and will start at 8:05 pm EDT (7:05 pm Central). The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (0-3, 7.32), who is pitching in place of Vance Worley, who is not making the trip because of a sore elbow. Kendrick last pitched on May 9 against the Mets in relief, pitching an inning plus, giving up five runs on four hits and two walks, in the Phils’ 10-6 loss. Kendrick will be trying to bounce back from that bad appearance. The Cubs will counter with Matt Garza (2-1, 2.56), who is coming off a no-decision against the Brewers on May 11, as he went five innings, giving up a run on three hits and five walks, while striking out three, in the Cubs’ 8-7 lost. He will be out to gain his second win against the Phils this season. The Phils will be going out to win their fourth game in a row.

Spring Training: The Phils suffer a walk-off lost to the Astros on a three-run home run in extra-innings, 6-5.

The Phils lose in extra-inning on an one-out walk-off three run home run, losing to the Astros, 6-5.

The Astros broke a 0-0 tie in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Matt Down hits a sacrifice fly, scoring J.D. Martinez, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third on Carlos Lee’s double, giving the Astros a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in the sixth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Lou Montanez hits an RBI single, knocking in Pete Orr, who had earlier singled, then stole second base. The Phils took tthe lead in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via Kevin Frandsen reaching base after being hit by a pitch, a walk to Freddy Galvis, moving Frandsen up to second base, and a single by Scott Podsednik, sending Frandsen on to third base, and Galvis up to second base, and with one man out, Orr hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Frandsen, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Astros retied the game up at two-all in their half of the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Angel Sanchez hits an RBI single, knocking in Brian Bixler, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Dom Brown’s throwing error after catching Justin Ruggiano’s fly out, while sending Jose Altuve, who had earlier walked, up to second base. The Phils then retook the lead in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Steven Lerud hits an RBI single, knocking in pinch hitter Juan Pierre, who had earlier walked, then went to third on Brown’s single, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead, while sending Brown, who had just singled, up to second base. The Astros retied the game, now at three-all, in their half of the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Bixler hits an RBI infield single, scoring Brandon Barnes, who was pinch running for Lee, who had just doubled, then went to third on Downs’ fly out to right. The Phils retook the lead in the tenth as, with one man out, Dom Brown hits a solo home run, his first home run of the spring, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. Three batters later, with runners on second and third, and with still one man out, Galvis hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Lerud, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third on Frandsen’s double, giving the Phils a 5-3 lead, while sending Frandsen, who had just doubled, on to third. The Astros then won the game in their half of the tenth as, with two men on, via a single by Jonathan Singleton, and a walk to Down, sending Singleton up to second base, and with one man out, Bixler hits a three-run home run, his first home run of the spring, scoring both Singleton and Down, giving the Astros a 6-5 walk-off extra-innings win.

Cole Hamels received a no-decision as he went five innings, giving up a run on four hits, while striking out four. Dave Bush pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter. Raul Valdes blew his first save opportunity of the spring, as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Brian Sanches blew his first save opportunity of the spring as he went two innings, giving up a run on two hits and a walk. Jeremy Horst blew his first save opportunity of the spring, before taking the lost (1-1, 9.00) as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Livan Hernandez also received a no-decision as he pitched five scoreless innings, striking out a batter. David Carpenter blew his first save opportunity of the spring as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits. Rhiner Cruz pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk. Fernando Abad pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up no runs or hits. Lucas Harrell pitched two innings, giving up a run on three hits and a walk. Enerio Del Rosario (1-0, 11.57) got the win as he pitched an inning, giving up two runs on three hits, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had fifteen hits in the game, with Lou Martinez (Singles, RBI), Dom Brown (Single, Home Run, RBI), Steven Lerud (Singles, RBI) , Michael Martinez (Singles) and Freddy Galvis (Singles, RBI) all leading the team with two hits apiece. Scott Podsednik (Single), Pete Orr (Single, RBI), Hunter Pence (Double), Brian Schneider (Single) and Kevin Frandsen (Double), had the other five Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two walks, and two stolen bases (Montanez, Orr) in the game.

The Phils (5-6) next game will be tomorrow afternoon at Bright House Field in Clearwater against the Twins (6-6). The game’s start time is 1:05 pm EDT.

Spring Training: The Phils get pounded early as they lose to the Astros, 10-3.

The Phils get crush as they lose to the Astros, 10-3.

The Astros took an early 1-0 lead in the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, J.D. Martinez hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Jordan Schafer, who had started the game off with a single, stopped at second base on Jose Altuve’s single, then went to third on Vance Worley’s wild pitch. The Astros increased their lead in the second as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Jason Castro hits an RBI single, scoring Jed Lowrie, who had earlier walked, then went to third on Brett Wallace’s single, giving the Astros a 2-0 lead, while sending Wallace, who had just singled, up to second base. The Astros then made it a 3-0 lead in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Schafer hits an RBI double, knocking in Wallace, who was earlier safe on a force out, 3-6, wiping out at second base Matt Downs, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Castro’s single, while sending Castro, who had just singled, on to third. Two batters later, with two men still on, and now with two men out, the Astros busted the game open as Brian Bogusevic reached base on a throwing error by third baseman Kevin Frandsen, allowing Castro to score, making it a 4-0 Astros’ lead, before Schafer scored, after first stopping at third base, to make it 5-0 Astros.  The Astros then made it a 6-0 lead as, after Bogusevic had stole second base, Martinez brought him home as he hits an RBI double. The Astros added to their lead in the sixth as, with a man on second, and with one man out, Martinez hits an RBI double, his second of the game, scoring Marwin Gonzalez, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on pinch hitter Brandon Barnes’ ground out, 3-unassisted, giving the Astros a 7-0 lead. Four batters later, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Brian Bixler, and a single to Jonathan Singleton, moving both runners up a base, and with two men out, pinch hitter Diory Hernandez hits a two-run single, knocking in Martinez and Bixler, giving the Astros a 9-0 lead, while sending Singleton up to second base. The Astros then made it a 10-0 lead as pinch hitter Carlos Corporan hits an RBI single, scoring Singleton, while sending Hernandez up to second base. The Phils finally got on the scoreboard in the eighth as, with runners on second and third, and with tw0 men out, Lou Montanez hits a two-run double, knocking in Freddy Galvis, who had earlier walked, then stopped at third base on Scott Podsednik’s double, and Podsednik. who had just doubled, cutting the Astros’ lead down to 10-2. The Phils then made it a 10-3 Astros’ lead in the ninth as Hector Luna hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the spring. But that would be the final score as Jose Valdez ended the game by getting Sebastian Valle to fly out to left for the final out.

Vance Worley (0-1, 9.oo) took the lost as he pitched two innings, giving up two runs on five hits, a walk and a wild pitch. Pat Misch pitched two innings, giving up four runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out two. Dontrelle Willis pitched two and a third innings, giving up four runs on three hits and two walks. B.J. Rosenberg pitched an inning and a third, giving up a hit while striking out two. Chad Qualls and Michael Stutes pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a walk (Qualls), while striking out a batter (Stutes) between them. Bud Norris (1-0, 0.00) got the win as he pitched three scoreless innings, walking a batter.  Kyle Weiland, Lance Pendleton and Jorge De Leon combined for four scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Weiland) and two walks (Weiland (1), Pendleton (1)) between them, while strking out three  (Weiland (2), Pendleton (1)). Fernando Rodriguez pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out two. Jose Valdez pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit.

The Phils had only five hits in the game, a single by Shane Victorino, a double by Scott Podsednik, a two-run double by Lou Montanez, a home run by Hector Luna and a single by Erik Kratz. The Phils also had four walks, as the offense was kept under control by Astros’ pitching.

The Phils’ (2-3) next game, another home game at Bright House Field, will be an afternoon game with the Pirates (2-2) tomorrow afternoon. The game will start at 1:05 pm EDT.

The Phils hang on to defeat the Astros, 7-6, as they win their final Grapefruit League game.

The Phils, after taking a big lead, hang on to defeat the Astros, 7-6, to win their last spring training game in Florida.

The Astros took a 1-0 lead in the first as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Michael Bourn, a single by Angel Sanchez, sending Bourn up to second base, a ground out by Brett Wallace, 4-3, which sent Bourn to third base and moved Sanchez to second base, and Jason Michaels being hit by the pitch, and with one man out, Chris Johnson hits an RBI ground out, 5-3, scoring Bourn, while sending Sanchez to third and Michaels to second. The Phils would take the lead in their half of the first as, with two men on, and with two men out, Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, knocking in Luis Castillo, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on Raul Ibanez’s walk, before Ibanez, who had just walked, would score on right fielder Jason Bourgeois’ throwing error to third, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while Victorino would stop at third on the throwing error. The Phils then took a 3-1 lead in the third as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in Castillo, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Jimmy Rollins’ ground out, 3-unassisted. The Phils then added to their lead in the fifth as, with two men on, and with two outs, Victorino hits an RBI single, scoring Placido Polanco, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second on Castillo’s sacrifice bunt, 5-4, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead, while sending Ibanez, who had just walked, up to second base. One batter later, the Phils made it a 7-1 lead as, with two men on, and with still two men out, Ben Francisco hits a three-run home run, his fourth home run of the spring, knocking in both Ibanez and Victorino. The Astros got a run back in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Bourn, a single by Sanchez, moving pinch runner Brandon Barnes up to second base, and a walk to Wallace, moving both Barnes and pinch runner Matt Downs up a base, and with one man out, Michaels hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Barnes, making it a 7-2 Phils’ lead, while Downs would move up to third. The Astros then made it a 7-3 Phils’ lead as, with runners on the corners, and now with two men out, Downs scored on a Wilson Valdez throwing error of a Johnson grounder, while Oswaldo Navarro, who was pinch running for Wallace, would move up to second base, as Johnson was safe at first. The Astros then made it a 7-4 Phils’ lead in the top of the ninth as, with a runner on second, and with nobody out, Navarro hits an RBI single, scoring Downs, who had earlier doubled. One batter later, with still nobody out, J.B. Shuck hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the spring, scoring Navarro. That would end up as the final score as Ebelin Lugo would buckle down and strike out three of the last four Astros batters.

Nate Bump (1-0, 1.80) got the win as he pitched five strong innings, giving up a run on eight hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Danys Baez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, as he struck out a batter.  Jose Contreras pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man he would face. Derrick Loop pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on a hit and two walks. Michael Cisco pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while he struck out a batter. Ebelin Lugo pitched an inning, giving up three runs on three hits, while striking out the side. Bud Norris (1-3, 7.71) took the lost as he pitched five innings, giving up seven run, six of which were earned, on six hits and four walks, while he struck out two. Aneury Rodriguez, Enerio Del Rosario and Fernando Abad combined for three scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Abad), while striking out three (Rodriguez (2), Del Rosario (1)) between them.

The Phils had only seven hits in the game, with Shane Victorino leading the team with two hits, both singles, knocking in two runs as he raised his spring batting average to .323. Luis Castillo (Double), Raul Ibanez (Double, RBI), Rich Thompson (Single), Ben Francisco (Home Run, 3 RBIs) and Carlos Ruiz (Single), had the other five Phils’ hits. The seventh Phils’ run came in on an Astros’ error.

The Phils’ Grapefruit League record is now 20-13, as they head back to Philadelphia for two spring training games at Citizens Bank Park.

Wednesday: The Phils finally end their second three-game losing streak by winning a rather wild extra-inning game with the Giants, 7-6.

The Phils finally end their three-game losing streak by defeating the Giants in a rather wild extra-innings ballgame, 7-6.

The Phils took the lead in the fifth as Ryan Howard hits a lead-off home run, his fourth home run of the season, to give the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Giants tied up the game at 1-1 in their half of the fifth as, with a runner on second and with one man out, Andres Torres hits an RBI double, scoring Nate Schierholtz, who had earlier singled, and went up to second on Giants’ starter Tim Lincecum’s sacrifice bunt, 3-4. The Giants took the lead in the sixth as, with the bases loaded, via a Bengie Molina single, a Matt Downs double, then sent Molina over to third base, and an intentional walk to Schierholtz, and with two men out, Torres receives an RBI walk, forcing in Molina, and moving both Downs and Schierholtz up a base, leaving the bases loaded, giving the Giants a 2-1 lead. The Giants made it 4-1 as Edgar Renteria hits an RBI single, scoring both Downs and Schierholtz, while sending Torres over to third. The Phils tied the game up at four-all in the ninth as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Shane Victorino, a single to Chase Utley, the 1000th hit of his career, sending Victorino over to third, and a walk to Howard, which moved Utley up to second, and with two men out, Jayson Werth hits a bases clearing double, knocking in Victorino, Utley and Howard. The Phils took the lead in the tenth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Brian Schneider, who had earlier been hit by the pitch, had moved up to second on Wilson Valdez’s sacrifice bunt, 1-4, and then went to third on Victorino’s single, and with one man out, scored on Jeremy Affeldt’s wild pitch, giving the Phils a 5-4 lead. The Giants retied the game at five-all in their half of the tenth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Torres hits an RBI single, knocking in Shierholtz, who had earlier doubled, and then moved to third on Eugenio Velez’s ground out, 4-3. The Phils then regain the lead in the eleventh as, with a runner on base, and with two men out, Valdez hits an RBI double, scoring Raul Ibanez, who had earlier singled and had moved up to second on pinch hitter Ben Francisco’s sacrifice bunt, giving the Phils a 6-5 lead. One batter later, the Phils increased their lead to 7-5 as Velez committed a fielding error as Victorino’s fly ball bounced off his glove, allowing Valdez to score, as Victorino stopped at second base. The Giants tried to come back in their half of the eleventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Schneider hits an RBI double, knocking in Eli Whiteside, who was pitch running for Molina, who had singled, and then went to third on pinch hitter Juan Uribe’s single and Howard’s throwing error, while sending Uribe on to third, cutting the Phils’ lead to 7-6. Nelson Figueroa then ended the game by first getting Velez to hit into a 3-2 fielder’s choice, as Uribe is tagged out at home plate for the second out, and then getting Torres to ground out, 4-3, to end the game, giving Figueroa his first save of the season.

Cole Hamels receives a no-decision as he pitches six innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and four walks, while striking out ten. Danys Baez, Jose Contreras and David Herndon combines for three scoreless innings, giving up just three hits (one hit each) and one walk (Herndon), while striking out two batters (Contreras (1), Herndon (1)). Ryan Madson blew his second save of the season before getting the win, as he pitches an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk. His record is now 1-0 with a 7.00 ERA. Nelson Figueroa records his first save of the year as he pitches an inning, giving up a run on three hits. Tim Lincecum also pitches a no-decision as he goes eight and a third innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out eleven. Brian Wilson records his first blown save of the season, as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks. Jeremy Affeldt pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on one hit, a walk and a wild pitch, as he strikes out a batter. Sergio Romo receives the lost as he pitches an inning and a third, giving up two runs on two hits, as he strikes out two. His record is now 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA.

The Phils collected eight hits in the game, with Ryan Howard leading the team with two hits, a home run and a double. Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco, Chase Utley (who collected his 1000 career hit), Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez and Wilson Valdez each collected a hit, with both Werth and Valdez’s hits being doubles. Werth knocked in three of the Phils’ runs while Valdez knocked in a run. The other two Phils’ runs came in on a wild pitch and a fielding error.

The Phils (12-9, 2nd) will start a long home stand with a three-game series with the Mets (13-9, 1st). The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 7.71), who is still looking for his first win as he comes off a no-decision against the Diamondbacks on April 25, as he pitched five inning, giving up five runs on eight hits and four walks, as he struck out four, in the Phils’ 8-6 lost. He will be trying to get his first win, while trying to avoid getting into another one inning meltdown. The Mets will counter with Jon Niese (0-1, 3.68), who is coming off a no-decision against the Braves on April 24, as he went five and a third inning, giving up a run on five hits and five walks, while striking out six batters, in the Mets’ 3-1 win. He will be trying to give the Mets a chance to increase their lead over the Phils. The Phils will be trying to start off the homestand on a winning note, while trying to end the Mets’ seven games winning streak.

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