Results tagged ‘ National League Central ’
The Phils crush the Pirates, 12-2, for their fourth straight win.
The Phils’ offense scored early and often, as they crushed their cross-state rival, the Pirates, 12-2, increasing their present winning streak to four game while increasing their lead in the NL East to five games over both the Nationals and the Marlins.
The Pirates took a quick 1-0 lead as their lead-off man, Delwyn Young, hit a lead-off home run, his first home run of the year, into the right field seats. The Phils would quickly tie the game up at one-all in their half of the first as Jimmy Rollins, who was returning from a calf injury, hits into an RBI ground out, 3-1, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, stole second base, and then moved up to third on a Placido Polanco ground out, 4-3. The Phils then proceeded to bust the game wide open in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded, via a single to a returning Carlos Ruiz, who was also returning from an injury, Victorino being hit by a pitch, sending Ruiz to second, and a Polanco single, moving both Ruiz and Victorino up a base, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run single, knocking in both Ruiz and Victorino, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead, while sending Polanco up to second base. Jayson Werth then follows with a three-run bomb to right, his eighth home run of the season, scoring Polanco and Howard before him, making it a 6-1 Phils’ lead. The Pirates would make it 6-2 Phils in the fifth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Young hits into an RBI ground out, 4-2, knocking in Ronny Cedeno, who had earlier doubled, and had gone to third on a Akinori Iwamura ground out, 1-3. The Phils would get that run back in the bottom of the sixth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Raul Ibanez, who had earlier singled, and had gone to second on a soft grounder by Greg Dobbs, 5-3, scored on center fielder Andrew McCutchen’s fielding error of a Kyle Kendrick fly ball, giving the Phils a 7-2 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Werth hits a RBI double, just missing another home run, knocking in Rollins, who had earlier doubled, and had moved up to third on Howard’s single, making it 8-2 Phils, while sending Howard, who had just singled, on to third base. The Phils would then score their final runs in the eight as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Victorino, and then walks to both Polanco and Rollins, and with two men out, Howard hits a grand-slam home run to deep center field, his seventh home run of the season, scoring Victorino, Polanco and Rollins before him, giving the Phils a 12-2 lead. The Phils then gave the ball to Antonio Bastardo, who proceeded to pitch a 1-2-3 ninth, ending the game by getting Ryan Doumit to fly out to center for the final out.
Kyle Kendrick gets the win as he pitches eight strong innings, giving up just two runs on five scattered hits and a walk, while he strikes out four. His record is now 2-1 with a reduced ERA of 5.24. Antonio Bastrado pitches a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two. Charlie Morton took the lost as he lasts only four innings, giving up six runs on six hits and a hit batter, while he strikes out three. His record is now 1-7 with an ERA of 9.68. Jeff Karstens pitches two and a third innings, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits, while he strikes out two. Jack Taschner pitches an inning and two-thirds, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks.
The Phils’ offense had thirteen hits in the game, with Ryan Howard leading the squad with three hits, two singles and a grand-slam home run, knocking in six runs, while scoring two, as he raised his average to .299. Shane Victorino, a returning Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth follow with two hits apiece, with both of Victorino’s hits being singles, as he scores three runs, Rollins’ hits being a single and a double, scoring two runs, while he knocks in one on a ground out, and Werth’s hits being a double and a three-run home run, knocking in four runs. Placido Polanco, Raul Ibanez, Greg Dobbs and a returning Carlos Ruiz had the other four Phils’ hits, all singles, while the other Phil run came in on a Pirates’ error.
The Phils (24-13, 1st East) will conclude their short two-game series with the Pirates (16-22, 4th Central) tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern, weather permitting. The Phils will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (6-1, 1.59), who is coming off a no-decision against the Rockies on May 12, where he went just six and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on ten hits and two walks, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 4-3 extra-innings lost. Doc will be trying to regain his form so that he can record his seventh win of the season. The Pirates will try to counter with Zach Duke (2-4, 5.56), who is coming off a lost against the Reds on May 12, as he went only five innings, giving up five runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out only two, in the Pirates’ 5-0 lost. He will be trying to keep the Pirates in the game against the Phils’ explosive offense. The Phils will try to end the short two-game series with a two game sweep.
Happ’s pitching and the Phils’ offense defeat the hapless Astros as the Phils win, 8-0.
Behind the pitching of J.A. Happ and the bullpen, and the relentless bats of the Phils’ offense, the Phils defeat the presently winless Astros, 8-0. The Phils, with their victory, and with losses by both the Braves and the Marlins, took sole possession of 1st place in the NL East.
The Phils took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with runners on first and second, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI double, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who has earlier walked, moves up to second on Placido Polanco’s single, and then went to third on a Chase Utley fly out, while sending Polanco, who had earlier singled, over to third base. Two batters later, with runners still on second and third, and now with two outs, Raul Ibanez joins the Phils’ hitting parade with a two-run double, scoring both Polanco and Howard, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. After being kept from scoring on bases loaded opportunties in both the second and the third innings, the Phils added to their lead in the fourth when, with one man out, Utley hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season, to make it a 4-0 Phils’ lead. Three batters later, with a runner on second, and now with two men outs, Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in Howard, who has earlier doubled, making it 5-0 Phils. The Phils continued their scoring in the fifth as, with a runner on second, and once again with two men out, Polanco hits an RBI double, scoring Rollins, who has just doubled, giving the Phils a 6-0 lead. One batter later, the Phils increased their lead to 7-0 as Utley hits an RBI single, knocking in Polanco. As the Phils were scoring, their starter, J.A. Happ, continues where he left off from his rookie season, as he blanks the Astros in six innings, pitching out of trouble, as he gives up only six hits and two walks, while striking out five Astros, followed by the bullpen which pitches four shut out innings, while striking out five more Astros. The Phils add their last run in the seventh as, with runners on first and second, and with one man out, Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who has earlier singled, and has gone to second on a walk to Rollins, while sending Rollins to third, while he would move up to second on the throw, giving the Phils an 8-0 lead. That would be the final score as Jose Contreras pitches a 1-2-3 ninth.
J.A. Happ gets the win as he pitches six strong shut out innings, plus two batters, giving up just six hits and two walks, while he strikes out five. His record is now 1-0 with an 0.00 ERA. David Herndon, Danys Baez and Jose Contreras combine for four shut out innings, giving up just two hits (Herndon), while striking out five (Herndon (2), Baez (1), Contreras (2)). Bud Norris took the lost as he lasts only two and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on six hits and four walks, while striking out three. His record is now 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA. Wilton Lopez pitches an inning and a third, giving up two runs on three hits, while striking out one. Brian Moehler pitches three innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out one. Chris Sampson pitches a scoreless inning, giving up just a hit. Jeff Fulchino also pitches a scoreless inning, striking out a batter.
The Phils’ offense had sixteen hits in the game, with Polanco leading the attack with four hits, including a double, while knocking in two runs, as he increased his batting average to .579. Raul Ibanez followed with three hits, including two doubles, knocking in three runs, as he raised his average to .267. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth all followed with two hits each, with Rollins’ hits being a single and a double, scoring two runs; Utley’s hits being a solo home run and a single, knocking in two runs while scoring one; Howard’s hits being two doubles, knocking in a run, while scoring two; and Werth’s hits both being singles. Carlos Ruiz had one hit, a single, scoring a run. The Phils’ offense had seven extra-base hits (2B (6), HR (1)) in the ballgame. The Phils’ offense had ten hits or more in their first four games, doing so for the first time since 1926.
The Phillies (3-1, 1st NL East), will continue their road trip to Houston with a night game against the Astros (0-4, 6th NL Central). The game will be played at Minute Maid Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern (6:05 pm Central). The ageless wonder Jamie Moyer (0-0, -.–) will start the game for the Phils, hoping to continue from spring training. Felipe Paulino (0-0, -.–) will start for the Astros, trying to put a stop to the Astros four game slide. The Phils will try to win their second straight series of the season with a win tonight.
Almost back into the playoffs!!!
The Phils’ magic number is now down to one as their offense wakes up long enough to defeat the Astros, 7-4, while the Marlins hold on to defeat the Braves. The Phils will be looking to clinch their third straight NL Eastern Division title tonight behind veteran pitcher Pedro Martinez.
The Astros took an early 1-0 lead in the third as, with two men out, Lance Berkman hits a solo home run, his twenty-fifth home run of the season. The Phils would tie the game up at one-all in their half of the third as, with one man on, and with one man out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI double, knocking in Paul Bako, who had earlier walked, and had moved up to second on Phils’ starter J.A. Happ’s sacrifice bunt. The Phils then took the lead in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez, and a walk to Jayson Werth, which sent Howard to third and Ibanez to second, with nobody out, Pedro Feliz hits a grand slam home run, his twelfth home run of the season, his seventh career grand slam, and the eleventh grand slam hit by the Phils this season, making it a 5-1 Phils’ lead. The Astros would get a run back in the fifth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Carlos Lee hits an RBI single, knocking in Miguel Tejada, who had earlier singled, and had moved up to second when Berkman reached base on catcher’s interference, cutting the Phils’ lead to 5-2, while sending Berkman, who had went to first on catcher’s interference, moved up to second. The Phils increased their lead in their half of the fifth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Werth hits a two-run home run, his thirty-fifth home run of the year, scoring Ibanez, who had earlier walked, giving the Phils a 7-2 lead. In the sixth, the Astros would get those two runs back as, with a man on, and with two outs, Kazuo Matsui hits a two-run home run, his ninth home run of the season, scoring J.R. Towles, who had earlier doubled, making it a 7-4 Phils’ lead. But that would be the final score, as Jamie Moyer would come in to hold down the fort for an inning and a third, and then Ryan Madson would come in to pitch for two innings, recording his tenth save of the season, as he struck out Hunter Pence to end the game.
J.A. Happ got the win as he pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs, only three of which were earned, on nine hits and a walk, while striking out six. His record is now 12-4 with a 2.85 ERA. Jamie Moyer recorded his first hold as he pitched an inning and a third of scoreless relief, giving up only a walk, while he struck out one. Ryan Madson collected his tenth save of the year as he pitched two innings of shut out ball, giving up just two hits, as he struck out two. Wilton Lopez took the lost as he pitched three and two-thirds innings, giving up five runs on six hits and two walks, as he struck out two. His record is now 0-1 with a 9.42 ERA. Wesley Wright pitched one and a third innings, giving up two runs on a hit and a walk, while he struck out two. Chad Paronto, Jeff Fulchino and Samuel Gervacio combined to keep the Phils off the board for three innings, giving up only one hit (Paronto), while striking out two batters (Fulchino (1), Gervacio (1)).
The Phils had eight hits in the game, with both Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth leading the way with two hits each, with one of Rollins’ hits being an RBI double, while one of Werth’s hits was a two-run home run. Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Pedro Feliz and Paul Bako had the other four Phils’ hits, with Feliz’s hit being a grand slam home run, which put the Phils ahead for good. The Phils’ offense will be trying to break the game open early tonight to finally end the pennant race.
The Phils (91-66, 1st East) continue their four-game set with the Astros (73-84, 5th Central) with a night game. The game will start at 7:05 pm Eastern and will be played at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils will send to the mound Pedro Martinez (5-1, 3.32), who is coming off a neck injury. His last start was a lost against the Braves on September 19, when he went only three innings because of tightness in his neck, as he gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out one, in the Phils’ 6-4 lost. Martinez will be trying to pitch the Phils into the playoffs tonight. The Astros will counter with Brian Moehler (8-11, 5.21), who is coming off a lost against the Reds on September 25, as he pitched two and a third innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out only two, in the Astros’ 10-4 lost. He will try to hold off the clinching party for at least one more night. The Phils will be trying to clinch their third straight NL Eastern Division crown tonight, so that they can use the final four games to set things up for the Divisional Series.
The Phils cut their magic number to four as they defeat the Brew Crew, 9-4.
J.A. Happ pitched a strong five and two-thirds innings, as the Phils’ offense unloaded in a six-run fifth, as the Phils defeated the Brewers, 9-4. Their magic number over the Braves is now at four.
The Phils took the lead in the first inning as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, knocking in Chase Utley, who was safe on a force out, 4-6, as Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, was wiped out at second, to give the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Brewers tied the game at one-all in the third as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Felipe Lopez hits an RBI infield single off of J.A. Happ’s leg, as Howard was unable to handle Utley’s throw, scoring Jason Kendall, who had earlier tripled on a ball that Ben Francisco was unable to catch. The Phils regained the lead in the fourth as, with a man on base, and with nobody out, Pedro Feliz hits an RBI double, knocking in Francisco, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Phils then blew the game wide open in the fifth. With two men on, and with one out, Feliz hits an RBI single, scoring Jayson Werth, who had earlier reached base on a throwing error, and then went to second on Francisco’s single, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead, while Francisco, who had earlier singled, would move up to second. The next batter, Paul Bako, would give the Phils a 4-1 lead with an RBI single, knocking in Francisco, while sending Feliz to third. Happ then helped his own cause by hitting an RBI single, scoring Feliz, while sending Bako to second base, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead. Jimmy Rollins then finished the scoring by hitting a three-run home run, his twentieth home run of the season, knocking in both Bako and Happ, making it an 8-1 Phils’ lead. In the sixth, the Brewers threathen to score as, with one man on base, and with one out, Prince Fielder hits a fly ball off of the wall in center field, that was played off the bounce by Victorino, as Corey Hart, who had earlier singled, rounded second and was then sent home. Victorino threw a strike to Utley, who in turned threw a strike to Bako, who was covering the plate, before he tagged Hart out for the inning’s second out, 8-4-2, as Fielder stopped at second with a double. The next batter, Casey McGehee then followed with an RBI double, making it 8-2 Phils. The Phils would get the run back in the eighth as, with two men on, and with one out, Howard knocked in Rollins, who had earlier singled, had gone to second base on Victorino’s single and then went to third on Utley’s force out, 3-6, as Victorino was wiped out at second, as he was safe on a fielding error by Brewers’ second baseman Lopez, giving the Phils a 9-2 lead. The Brewers got one run back in the ninth as, with two men on base, and with one man out, Fielder hits into an RBI ground out, 4-3, for the inning’s second out, knocking in Lopez, who had earlier singled, moved to second on Howard’s missed catch error on Hart’s ground ball to Feliz, and reached third on Ryan Braun’s force out, 6-4, as Hart was wiped out at second base, making it a 9-3 Phils’ lead, while Braun who was safe on the force out and then would move up to second on defensive indifference, would move up to third. McGehee then made it a 9-4 Phils’ lead as he hits an RBI single, scoring Braun. Clay Condrey would finally end the game by getting Mike Cameron to fly out to right.
J.A. Happ got the win as he pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks, as he struck out seven, making a strong statement as a candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year. His record is now 11-4 with an ERA of 2.79. Chad Durbin and Tyler Walker would combine for two and one-third scoreless innings, giving up only two hits (Walker) and two walks (Durbin), while striking out two batters (Durbin (1), Walker (1)). Clay Condrey pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits. Jeff Suppan took the lost as he pitched four and one-third innings, giving up eight runs, seven of which were earned, on twelve hits and two walk, while striking out two. His record is now 7-11 with a 5.04 ERA. Chris Smith and Carlos Villanueva pitched a combined two and two-thirds scoreless innings, striking out four batters between them (all by Villanueva). Josh Butler pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out one. John Axford pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter.
The Phillies had fourteen hits in the game, with Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz leading the team with three hits apiece, with one of Feliz’s hits being a double as he knocked in two runs. Jimmy Rollins, Ben Francisco and Paul Bako all followed with two hits each, with one of Rollins’ hits being a three-run home run, while one of Francisco’s hits was a double. Ryan Howard and J.A. Happ had the other two Phils’ hits, with Howard knocking in two runs, and Happ bringing home one. Bako knocked in the other Phil’s run. The Phils’ offense ended up hurting Jeff Suppan once again before the Brew Crew was finally able to stop them.
The Phils (89-63, 1st East) continue their four-games series with the Brewers (75-78, 3rd Central) with another night game. The game will be played at Miller Park and will start at 8:05 pm Eastern (7:05 pm Central). The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (14-11 (7-2), 2.99 (2.65)), who is coming off a no-decision against the Braves on September 20, when he pitched four innings in a rain-delayed game, giving up only a run on five hits, while striking out two, in the Phils’ 4-2 win. He will be taking out his frustrations of not being able to pitch the fifth inning in Atlanta for the win out on the Brewers, while trying to help lower the Phils’ magic number even more. He will be oppose by Manny Parra (10-10, 6.42), who is coming off a no-decision of his own against the Cardinals on September 8, where he pitched only an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, in the Brewers’ 4-3 lost. He will be trying to see if his neck is okay since being taken out of the Cardinal game on the 8th. The Phils will be trying to lower their magic numbers against both the Braves and the Marlins even more.
Phils took a tough lost as a ninth inning rally ends up being a Brad Lidge blown save as they lose to the Bucos, 6-4.
The Phils come back in their half of the ninth to take a 4-3 lead, only to watch it disappear in the bottom of the ninth as Brad Lidge commits his league leading ninth blown save of the year as the Phils lose to lowly Pirates, 6-4. Their lead in the NL East remains at seven games as the Braves lost, while the Marlins win.
The Phils took a quick 1-0 lead as Jimmy Rollins lead-off the game by hitting the first pitch into right center field for a lead-off home run, his sixteenth home run of the year. The Pirates would tie it up at one-all in the second as Ryan Doumit hits a lead-off home run of his own, his eighth home run of the season. The Phils regain the lead in the third as, Rollins hits his second lead-off home run of the night, also off the first pitch, his seventeenth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. In the sixth, the Pirates took the lead as, with a runner on base, and with two men out, Steve Pearce hits a two-run home run, knocking in Doumit, who had earlier walked, giving the Pirates a 3-2 lead. In the ninth, the Phils would tie the game up at three-all as, with one man on, and with one out, pinch hitter Ben Francisco hits an RBI double, scoring Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier doubled. Two batters later, with a runner on second, and now with two men out, Shane Victorino hits an RBI triple, scoring Francisco, and giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, the Phils gave the ball to their closer Brad Lidge, who was pitching for the fourth straight game, to end the game. Sadly, that did not happen. Luis Cruz started the inning off with a single. Cruz would then move up to second on a wild pitch. Pinch runner Brian Bixler then replaces Cruz at second base. Pinch hitter Brandon Moss then hits an RBI single to right, that Jayson Werth at first had a problem handling, before he threw it to the plate, too late to get Bixler, who, at one point, had a late start, before scoring the tying run, making it a four-four ballgame, as Lidge blew his ninth save of the season. On the play, Moss would move up to second base on Werth’s error. Andrew McCutchen then came to the plate, before he hit a 1-0 pitch into the center field seats, his eighth home run of the season, as he gave the Pirates the 6-4 walk-off win, as he scored Moss before him.
Joe Blanton received a no-decision as he had another quality start, as he gave up three runs on six hits and two walks, while he struck out seven, in six innings of work. Tyler Walker pitched two scoreless innings, giving up just two walks, as he struck out two. Brad Lidge took the lost as he blew his ninth save of the season, as he faced three batters, getting none of them out, as he gave up three runs on three hits and a wild pitch. His record is now 0-6 with an ERA of 7.33. Ross Ohlendorf also received a no-decision, as he pitched six and a third innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks, as he struck out six. Joel Hanrahan converted his eighth hold as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out a batter. Phil Dumatrait recorded his first hold, as he also pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit. Jesse Chavez pitched a third of an inning as he recorded his eleventh hold, striking out a batter. Matt Chapps blew his fourth save of the year before getting the win as he pitched an inning, giving up two runs on three hits. His record is now 3-7 with an ERA of 6.38.
The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley leading the team with two hits each, with both of Rollins’ hits being solo home runs and one of Utley’s being a double. Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Eric Bruntlett and Ben Francisco had the Phils’ other five hits, with Victorino’s hits being a triple, knocking in a run, while Howard, Ruiz, Bruntlett and Francisco’s hits were all doubles, with Francisco knocking in a run. All but one of the Phils hits last night were for extra-bases, although the Phils did not get a key hit until the top of ninth, when they got two doubles and a triple to knock in what was thought to be the winning run, until Brad Lidge came in and lost the ballgame on six pitches. Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, when are you going to pull the trigger on Lidge? Yes, he helped the team win the World Series last season, but he is a disaster this year, and he could become a major detriment to the team’s chances of going deep into the playoffs this season, if something isn’t done.
The Phillies (72-51, 1st National League East) continue their three-games series with the Pirates (52-71, 6th National League Central) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at PNC Park and will begin at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils starter will be Cole Hamels (7-8, 4.78), who is coming off a lost against the Mets on August 21, where he went only five innings, giving up four runs on ten hits, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 4-2 lost. The Phils are hoping that he can come around against the Bucos. The Pirates will counter with Paul Maholm (7-7, 4.74), who is coming off a win against the Brewers on August 19, where he went seven and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on eight hits and two walks, while striking out five, in the Pirates’ 3-1 win. He will be trying to improve his overall record. The Phillies plan to put what happened to them last night behind them, while hoping that Hamels can regain his stuff while pitching against the Pirates.
Two bombs by Ryan Howard is more than enough as Cliff Lee wins his fifth straight start since joining the Phils.
Two monster home runs by Ryan Howard is more than enough runs support for Cliff Lee as he wins his fifth straight start since being traded to the Phils, as the Phillies defeated the depleted Mets, 6-2, winning the series, before they head off to Pittsburgh. They increase their lead in the NL East over the Braves to seven games.
In the first, the Phils took the lead as, with two men on, and with only one man out, Ryan Howard hits a three-run bomb to left field, his thirty-third home run of the season, as he scored Shane Victorino, who had earlier been hit by the pitch, stole second and then went to third on Mets’ catcher Omir Santos’ throwing error, and Chase Utley, who had just walked, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Mets got a run back in their half of the first as Angel Pagan hits a soft pop fly to Utley, who misplayed the ball, dropping it for a fielding error, allowing Pagan to reach first and then head on to second base for a two-base error. Utley then committed a throwing error as he tried to throw out Pagan at second base, but threw the ball past Phils’ shortstop Eric Bruntlett towards the left field foul area, which would eventually allow Pagan to score on the second two-base error of the play, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. This is the first time in his career that Utley has committed two errors in a ballgame, as well as two errors on one play. Three batters later, with a man on third and with one out, Fernando Tatis hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Gary Sheffield, who had earlier tripled, making it a 3-2 Phils’ lead. The Phils added to their lead in the third as, with a man on base, and with one out, Howard hits his second home run of the game, his thirty-fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field, knocking in Jayson Werth, who had earlier walked, making it a 5-2 Phils lead. That would remain the lead until the top of the ninth as Phils’ starter Cliff Lee took control of the game from the second inning onwards, giving up only six hits, and two unearned runs, while he struck out five for seven strong innings. In the ninth, the Phils would add an insurance run as, with a runner on second, and with one out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in Utley, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 6-2 lead. That would end up being the final score as Brad Lidge pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.
Cliff Lee got the win as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up two unearned runs on six hits, while striking out five. His record is now 12-9 (5-0) with an ERA of 2.63 (0.68). Chan Ho Park pitched a 1-2-3 inning as he collected his eighth hold, striking out a batter. Brad Lidge also pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Bobby Parnell took the lost as he pitched five innings, giving up five runs on four hits and three walks, while he struck out three. His record is now 3-6 with an ERA of 5.08. Ken Takahashi, Elmer Dessens and Billy Wagner combined for three scoreless innings, giving up only a hit (Takahashi) and a walk (Wagner), while striking out four batters (Takahashi (2), Wagner (2)). Pedro Feliciano pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Brian Stokes pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up only a walk, as he struck out a batter.
The Phils had only seven hits, with Ryan Howard and Ryan Ibanez leading the way with two hits apiece, with both of Howard’s hits being home runs, knocking in five of the Phils’ runs, while one of Ibanez’s hits was a double, knocking in the Phils’ other run. Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, and Eric Bruntlett had the other three Phils’ hits, with Utley’s hit being a double. Once again, the Phils’ had little offense, but got the big hit when they needed it, as they go on to Pittsburgh, after a successful start of their road trip in New York.
The Phillies (72-50, 1st National League East) continue their road trip with a three games series with the Pirates (51-71, 6th National League Central). The game will be played at PNC Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (8-6, 3.86), who is coming off a win against the D-backs on August 20, where he went eight innings, giving up three runs on ten hits, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 12-3 win. He will be trying to gain his ninth win, while starting the series against the lowly Bucos on a good note. The Pirates will counter with Ross Ohlendorf (11-8, 4.15), who is coming off a win against the Brewers on August 18, as he pitched seven innings, giving up a run on five hits and two walks, while striking out five, in the Pirates’ 5-2 win. He will be going for his twelfth win, while hoping to slow down the Phils. The Phils will be trying to take advantage of one of the worst teams in the NL, while trying to put even further distance between them and the NL East rivals.
The bats appear to have come alive as the Phils crush the Cubs while giving some runs support to Pedro Martinez as he returns to the majors.
The Phillies’ bat appear to have decided to come out of hiding as they crush the Cubs, 12-5, as they give runs support to Pedro Martinez as he pitched his first game back in the major leagues. Their lead has now gone back up to four and a half games over both the Marlins and the Braves as the Marlins lose to the Astros.
The Phils jumped to a quick lead in the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits an RBI double, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier tripled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils made it a 2-0 lead as Ryan Howard tripled home Utley. The Cubs would cut the lead in half in the second as, with one man on, and one out, Jeff Baker hits an RBI single, knocking in Kosuke Fukudome, who had earlier doubled, making it a 2-1 Phils lead. The Phils increased their lead in the third as, with a man on, and with nobody out, Victorino hits a two-run home run, his ninth home run of the year, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had just doubled, making it 4-1 Phils. The Phils then busted the game wide open in the fourth. With two men on, and with nobody out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, scoring Jayson Werth, who had earlier singled, and had moved up to second base on Pedro Feliz’s single, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead, while Feliz who go all the way to third on Cubs’ center fielder Fukudome’s throwing error, while Ruiz would move up to second base. Two batters later, after Phils’ starter Pedro Martinez had grounded out, 4-3, for the inning’s first out, Jimmy Rollins hits a three-run home run, his fifteenth home run of the season, knocking in both Feliz and Ruiz, while giving the Phils an 8-1 lead. Four batters later, with two men on base, and two men out, Raul Ibanez hits a three-run bomb of his own, his twenty-seventh home run of the year, knocking in Utley, who had earlier singled, and Howard, who had just walked, moving Utley to second, as the Phils took an 11-1 lead, while batting around. Two batters later, Feliz would make it a 12-1 Phils lead, as he hit an RBI single, knocking in Werth, who had just doubled. After Ruiz walked, moving Feliz up to second, the Cubs would finally get out of the inning as Martinez struck out swinging. The Cubs got a run back in the fifth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Koyie Hill, a walk by Sean Marshall and a single by Ryan Theriot, and with nobody out, Milton Bradley hits an RBI single, scoring Hill, making it a 12-2 Phils’ lead, while Marshall and Theriot moved up to third and second respectively. Two batters later, with the bases still loaded and with one man out, Jake Fox hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Marshall, making it a 12-3 Phils’ lead, while also sending Theriot to third. On the play, Victorino, who caught the ball, had a cup of beer thrown at him from the stand by one of the Cubs fans. After the play, Victorino showed his displeasure by looking at the fan, who was quickly removed from the ballpark by security. I don’t know what that idiot was thinking, cause Fox would’ve been called out by the umpires for fan interference if Victorino had dropped the ball. Folks, I don’t want to hear any excuses, cause that guy was a moron, pure and simple!!!! In the ninth, with runners on the corners, and one man out, Aaron Miles hits into an RBI ground out, 3-unassisted, for the inning’s second out, scoring Sam Fuld, who had earlier singled, and had gone to third on Eric Bruntlett’s fielding error of a Hill ground ball, making it a 12-4 Phils’ lead, while Hill, who was safe on Bruntlett’s error, moved up to second base. The next batter, Theriot, then hits an RBI single, scoring Hill, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 12-5. But that would be it as pinch hitter Geovany Soto grounded out, 5-3, for the game’s final out.
Pedro Martinez got the win as he went five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out five in his first start in the majors since last September. His record is now 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA. Chan Ho Park pitched three scoreless innings, as he struck out three. Chad Durbin pitched an inning, giving up two runs, neither of which were earned, on two hits. Jeff Samardzija took the lost, as he pitched only three and a third innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits, as he struck out four. His record is now 1-2 with an ERA of 7.81. Sean Marshall pitched three and a third innings, giving up five runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out four. Aaron Heilman and Carlos Marmol combined for two and a third scorless innings, striking out a batter between them (Marmol).
The Phils exploded for fourteen hits, with each of the regulars having at least one hit. Chase Utley lead the team with three hits, including a double, knocking in a run, while scoring two, as he raised his average to .296. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz followed with two hits a piece, with Rollins’ hits being a double and a three-run homer, while Victorino’s two hits were a triple and a two-run home run and one of Werth’s two hits was a double. Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz each had a hit, with Howard’s hit being a triple and Ibanez’s hit being a three-run home run. Besides the runs knocked in by Utley, Rollins, Victorino and Ibanez, Howard, Feliz and Ruiz each knocked in a run. The Phils had a total of eight extra-base hits in last night’s game (3 (2B), 2 (3B), 3 (HR)). Hopefully, this will mean that the offense has returned.
The Phils (63-48, 1st National League East) will conclude with an afternoon game against the Cubs (58-54, 2nd National League Central). The game is already in progress and is being played at Wrigley Field. The Phils’ starter is Cliff Lee (9-9 (2-0), 2.95 (1.13)), who is coming off a win against the Rockies on August 6, where he went seven innings, giving up only one run on six hits and a walk, as he struck out nine, in the Phils’ 3-1 win. He is trying to lead the Phils to a sweep over the Cubs. The Cubs will counter with Ryan Dempster (6-5, 4.04), who is coming off a win against the Rockies on August 8, where he went six innings, giving up just two runs on nine hits, while striking out two, in the Cubs’ 6-5 win. He will be trying to avoid the sweep. The Phils are presently leading the Cubs, 5-1, after six innings, trying to perform a sweep of the Cubbies, before going on to Atlanta to see if they can push the Braves back, as well as increase their lead in the NL East.
Update: Turns out security threw out the wrong person last night, as the moron who threw the beer let someone else take the rap for his misdeed. But, both the Cubs and Victorino have filed a complaint against the toad, while his face is getting plastered all over the place. Hopefully it’ll be only a matter of time before the Chicago boys in blue come knocking at his door.
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