Results tagged ‘ Pirates ’

Spring Training: The Phils finished their split squad game with the Tigers in an extra-innings, 4-4 tie.

The Phils second split squad game end up as an extra-innings 4-4 tie with the Tigers, after 10 innings of play.

Detroit took the lead in the first as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Ryan Raburn hits a two-run home run, knocking in Ramon Santiago, who had started the game off with a double, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead. The Phils cut the Tigers’ lead in half in the third as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Freddy Galvis hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Pete Orr, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Brian Schneider’s single, making it a 2-1 Tigers’ lead. The Tigers then increased their lead in the fourth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Clete Thomas hits an RBI force out, 6-4, wiping out Don Kelly, who had just singled, at second out, scoring Andy Dirks, who had earlier walked, then stopped at third on Kelly’s single, giving the Tigers a 3-1 lead. The Phils would get that run back in their half of the fourth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, John Mayberry, Jr. hits an RBI ground out, 5-3, knocking in Hunter Pence, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Jim Thome’s ground out, 6-3, making it a 3-2 Tigers’ lead. The Tigers got that run back in the fifth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Raburn hits an RBI double, knocking in Santiago, who had just singled, giving the Tigers a 4-2 lead. The Phils got the run back in their half of the fifth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Thome hits an RBI single, scoring Galvis, who had earlier been hit by the pitch, then moved up to second base on Jimmy Rollins’ walk, cutting the Tigers’ lead down to 4-3, while sending Rollins, who had earlier walked, up to second base. The Phils then tied the game up at four-all in the sixth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Galvis hits an RBI single, scoring Laynce Nix, who had earlier walked, then stopped at second base on Orr’s single, while sending Orr, who had just singled, on to second base. It would remain at 4-4 as neither team would be able to score from that point, before the game was called after ten innings.

Cliff Lee pitched three innings, giving up two runs on six hits, while striking out three. Chad Qualls pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and walk.  Jonathan Papelbon pitched an inning, also giving up a run on two hits. Phillippe Aumont, J.C. Ramirez, Jake Diekman, B.J. Rosenberg and Tyson Brummentt combined for five scoreless innings, as they gave up four walks (Aumont (2), Ramirez (1), Rosenberg (1)) between them, while striking out two (Diekman).  Rick Porcello pitched four innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out two. Daniel Schlereth collected his third save of the spring as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on a hit, a hit batter and a walk, as he struck out a batter. Jose Ortega blew his first save opportunity of the spring as he went an inning and a third, giving up a run on a hit and a walk. Chris Bootcheck, Brayan Villarreal and Robbie Weinhardt combined for four scoreless innings, giving up three hits (Bootcheck (2), Villarreal (1)), while striking out one (Villarreal).

The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Pete Orr (Singles) leading the team with three hits, followed by Laynce Nix with two hits, both singles. Jimmy Rollins (Single), Hunter Pence (Double), Derek Mitchell (Single), Jim Thome (Single, RBI), John Mayberry, Jr. (Single, RBI), Brian Schneider (Single) and Freddy Galvis (Single, 2 RBIs) had the other seven Phils’ hits.  The Phils also had three walks in the game.

The Phils (4-5-1) will continue their grapefruit league schedule with an afternoon game with the Pirates (3-6) at Bradenton, Florida. The game will begin at 1:05 pm EDT.

Spring Training: The Phils even their grapefruit league record with a walk-off home run in extra-innings, as they defeat the Pirates, 4-3.

A lead-off, walk-off home run in the bottom of tenth leads the Phils to a 4-3 victory over the Pirates, as they even their grapefruit league record to 3-3.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Ty Wigginton hits an RBI double, knocking in Hunter Pence, who had just singled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils increased their lead in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Jim Thome, and walks to Wigginton and John Mayberry, Jr., and with two men out, Laynce Nix received an RBI walk, forcing in Thome, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead, while moving both Wigginton and Mayberry up a base. The Phils then took a 4-0 lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Shane Victorino hits a two-run home run, his first home run of the spring, knocking in Placido Polanco, who had just singled. The Pirates started to chip away at the Phils’ lead in the sixth as, with a runner on second, and with nobody out, Casey McGehee hits an RBI single, knocking in Josh Harrison, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, making it a 4-1 Phils’ lead. Two batters later, with runners on second and third, and with still nobody out, Matt Hague hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, scoring McGehee, who had stopped at third on Rod Barajas’ double, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 4-2. Two more batters later, after Nate McLouth had hit a single, which sent Brock Holt, who was a pinch runner for Barajas, on to third base, the Pirates made it a 4-3 Phils’ lead as Gorkys Hernandez hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Holt. The Pirates then tied the game up at four-all in the eighth as Starling Marte hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the spring. The score would stay tied until the bottom of the tenth as Lou Montanez hits a lead-off, walk-off home run, his first home run of the spring, giving the Phils a 5-4 walk-off win.

Cole Hamels received a no-decision as he pitched three and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up four hits, while striking out two. Dave Bush pitched two and a third-innings, giving up three runs on four hits, while striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo received his first hold of the spring as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning. David Purcey blew his first save attempt of the spring as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on one hit, as he struck out one. Phillippe Aumont pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Michael Schwimer (1-0, 0.00) got the win as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. James McDonald also received a no-decision as he pitched three innings, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Justin Wilson pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on a hit and three walks. Brian Tallet pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man who he would face. Jared Hughes pitched an inning, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk. Daniel Moskos, Bryan Morris and Michael Crotta combined for four scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Morris (1), Crotta (1)) and a walk (Moskos), while striking out a batter (Moskos). Michael Dubee (0-1, 27.00) took the lost as he pitched to one batter, giving up a run on one hit.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Hunter Pence leading the team with two hits, both singles. Michael Martinez (Double), Placido Polanco (Single), Shane Victorino (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Jim Thome (Single), Lou Montanez (Home Run, RBI), Ty Wigginton (Double, RBI) and Freddy Galvis (Single), had the other seven Phils’ hits, while Laynce Nix had the other Phil RBI via a bases loaded walk. The Phils also collected five walks.

The Phils (3-3) will continue their spring training schedule by next going to Port Charlotte, Florida to face the Detroit Tigers (6-0) at Charlotte Sports Park. Expected game 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.

I’d been away for a while…

and it’s been mainly because I’d been cleaning up my apartment. Don’t ask, other than that I’d mainly been cleaning up a lot of dust.

Anyway, in Phils’ related news, before yesterday, was the Phils’ announcement that Ryan Howard (left Achilles tendon) had been cleared by doctors, and that he can start doing baseball related activities within six weeks. That’s good news, but I hope that he’ll take his time and, if it means that he won’t be ready until mid-to-late May, so be it. I just hope that he’ll be able to recover his pop when he is back, since most of his power will be based on how well he’ll be able to push off his legs when he hits the ball. I’m just glad he’s a first baseman, so that he won’t be doing a lot of moving around trying to get balls hits in his direction. Jose Contreras (right elbow) has also been cleared so that he can start a throwing program today to get ready for Spring Training, while Cole Hamels (surgery to remove bodies from his left elbow) is throwing and says he’s feeling fine, while Placido Polanco and Hunter Pence (sports hernia surgery) both say that they should be 100% by the start of Spring Training. That’s sounds like good news all around.

Other news is that the Phils have decided to release John Bowker, who went 0 for 13 in 12 games for the Phils after being picked up in a trade with the Pirates late in 2011. Bowker will be trying to continue his baseball career in Japan. Good luck, John, but at your performance as a Phil, I am not sad to see you go.

The Phils decide not to make a Rule 5 pick this post-season.

This post-season, for the first time since 2005, the Phils decided not to make a pick in the Rule 5 draft, as the organization this year did not see anyone in the minor league farm systems that were left unprotected by the other 29 major league teams that they thought would make an immediate impact on the main club.

While they did not make any pick ups, the Phils lost four players in their minor league system, with three of them being taken in the minor league portion of the draft. The four are right-handed pitcher Lenny Castillo, who was picked up by the Cubs from the Phils’ Class A Lakewood team, where, in 2011, he went 4-2 with a 2.54 ERA. Castillo, who was selected in the Major League portion of the draft, will now have to remain on the Cubs’ roster for the 2012 season, unless the Cubs offer him back to the Phils if he doesn’t make it through spring training. In the Minor League phase, the Phils lost left-hander Andrew Loomis to the Orioles, shortstop Travis Mattair to the Reds and catcher Francisco Diaz to the Pirates.

With the Phils not picking up a player through the draft, it means that they will not have to reserve a spot on the regular season 25 man roster for 2012, and I, personally, am glad, since it means that all of the positions can only be filled by those who had either been on the team in the previous season, picked up by the team via free agency or trades during the present off-season or are already in the Phils’ minor league system.

Okay guys, lets see if we can now nail down Jimmy Rollins to a contract.

Phils make a trade with the Rockies, getting Ty Wigginton for player to be named later or cash.

The Phils have announced that they had just concluded a trade with the Colorado Rockies, getting Ty Wigginton for either a player to be named later or cash. Wigginton, who has played first base, third base, left and right field in his career, will most likely be the team’s main right-handed bat off of the bench, to compliment Jim Thome, whom the Phils had recently resigned.

Wigginton, who played for the Rockies in 2011, had also played for the Mets, the Pirates, the Rays, the Astros and the Orioles since 2002, appeared in 130 games, batting .242 in 401 at-bats, getting 97 hits, including 21 doubles, 2 triples and 15 home runs. He had also knocked in 47 runs while scoring 52.

It is more than likely that during Ryan Howard’s absense, as he recovers from his injuries, that Wigginton might be sharing first base duties with John Mayberry, Jr. and Jim Thome, and might also play a bit of third base to give Placido Polanco some useful time off both before and after Howard’s return to the line-up.

This might be a good move for the Phils over-all, since Wigginton can cover several bases during the upcoming season.

33 games in 31 days: Game #22: The Phils are shutout as they lose to the Cardinals, 5-0.

After clinching the East, the Phils are shutout by the Cardinals as they lose, 5-0.

The Cards took a 2-0 lead in the first as, with one man on, and with one man out, Albert Pujols hits a two-run home run, his thirty-sixth home run of the year, knocking in Allen Craig, who had earlier doubled. The Cards added to their lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Craig hits a two-run home run of his own, his seventh home run of the season, scoring Ryan Theriot, who had led off the inning with a double, giving the Cards a 4-0 lead. The Cards made it a 5-0 lead in the eighth as, with one man out, Craig hits a solo home run, his eighth home run of the season, and his second of the night. That would be the final score as the Phils went silently in the ninth.

Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.80) took the lost as he pitched seven innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, while he struck out nine. Joe Blanton pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit, as he struck out two.  Justin De Fratus pitched a scoreless inning as he made his major league debut, giving up a walk. Chris  Carpenter (10-9, 3.66) got the win as he pitched eight shutout innings, giving up eight hits and a walk, while striking out five. Fernando Salas pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out one.

The Phils had only eight hits in the game, all singles, with Chase Utley leading the team with three hits. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, Placido Polanco and Cole Hamels had the other five Phils’ hits, as the offense was muzzled by Chris Carpenter, who got himself out of trouble with three doubleplay balls.

The Phils (98-53, 1st East) will conclude their series with the Cardinals (83-69, 2nd Central) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (18-5, 2.34), who is coming off a win against the Astros on September 14, as he pitched a complete game shutout, giving up six hits and a walk, while striking out seven, in the Phils 1-0 win. Roy will be going for win no. nineteen, while trying to tie up the series with the redbirds. The Cards will counter with Kyle Lohse (13-8, 3.62), who is coming off a no-decision against the Pirates on September 12, as he went six innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out three, in the Cards’ 6-5 lost. He will be trying to give the Cards the series win. The Phils will be trying to tie up the series, while going for win no. 99.

33 games in 31 days: Game #21: The Phils offense exploded late on their way to clinching their fifth straight NL Eastern Division pennant, as they crush the Cardinals, 9-2.

A late offensive surge, including a grand-slam home run by Raul Ibanez, leads the Phils to their fifth straight NL Eastern Division crown, as they crush the Cardinals, 9-2.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with two men, Hunter Pence hits an RBI double, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Shane Victorino’s ground out, 4-3, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Ryan Howard, who had just walked, on to third base.  The Phils then took a 2-0 lead in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via a walk by Placido Polanco, who then reached second base on a force attempt missed catch error by shortstop Rafael Furcal on a Roy Oswalt grounder to pitcher Jake Westbrook, with Oswalt reaching first, and a single by Rollins, sending Polanco to third base, and Oswalt to second base, and with one man out, Victorino forced in a run with a walk, scoring Polanco, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead, while sending both runners up a base. The Phils added to their lead in the sixth as, with one man out, Victorino hits a solo home run, his seventeenth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Cardinals got a run back in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Lance Berkman hits an RBI single, knocking in Jon Jay, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Albert Pujols’ single, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 3-1, while Pujols, who had earlier singled, would stop at second base. The Cards then cut the Phils’ lead down to 3-2 as David Freese hits an RBI single, scoring Pujols, while sending Berkman up to second base. The Phils got a run back in their half of the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Victorino hits an RBI single, scoring Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier reached base on third baseman Daniel Descalsco’s fielding error, ending up on second base, then went to third on Rollins’ single, giving the Phils a 4-2 lead, which Rollins, who had just singled, would stop at second base. Three batters later, after Chase Utley had been hit by a pitch, loading up the bases, as both Rollins and Victorino moved up a base, and Howard had struck out, and now with two men out, Pence hits an RBI infield single, beating shortstop Furcal’s throw to first base, as Rollins scored, giving the Phils a 5-2 lead, while both runners would move up a base, leaving the bases still loaded. The Phils then busted the game wide open as Raul Ibanez hits a grand-slam home run, his nineteenth home run of the year, knocking in Victorino, Utley and Pence, giving the Phils a 9-2 lead. That would be the final score, as Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless ninth as he got Furcal to hit into a ground out, 4-3, for the final out, leading to the Phils clinching their fifth straight National League Eastern Division title.

Roy Oswalt (8-9, 3.66) got the win as he pitched seven shutout innings, giving up five hits while striking out seven. Michael Stutes collected his twelfth hold of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, as he gave up two runs on four hits. Brad Lidge received his seventh hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Jake Westbrook (12-9, 4.58) took the lost as he went three and one-third innings, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits and five walks, as he struck out one. Arthur Rhodes pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face. Mitchell Boggs pitched a scoreless inning, walking two batters. Kyle McClellan pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit, as he struck out one. Fernando Salas pitched an inning plus one batter, giving up an unearned run, as he struck out a batter.  Marc Rzepczynski pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs on two hits, as he struck out one.  Octavio Dotel pitched a third of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits.

The Phils’ had ten hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins leading the team with four hits, all singles. Shane Victorino (Single, Home Run, 3 RBIs) and Hunter Pence (Single, Double, 2 RBIs) then followed with two hits each. Raul Ibanez (Home Run, 4 RBIs) and Placido Polanco (Single) had the other two Phils’ hits.

The Phils (98-52, 1st East) will continue their series with the Cardinals (82-69, 2nd Central) with a night game later today. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park, and will begin at 8:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (14-8, 2.71), who is coming off a lost against the Astros on September 13, as he went five innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 5-2 lost. He will be going out to help lower the magic number for home field advantage during the playoffs. The Cardinals will counter with Chris Carpenter (9-9, 3.80), who is coming off a no-decision against the Pirates on September 13, as he went seven innings, giving up four runs on ten hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Cards’ 6-4 win. He will be trying to help his club stay in the wild card race. The Phils will now be going out to clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

33 games in 31 days: Game #18: The Phils lower their magic number to win the East to three games as they defeat the Marlins, 3-1.

The Phils reduce their magic number to win their fifth straight Eastern Division title to three games, as they defeat the Marlins, 3-1.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with a runner on second and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits an RBI double, scoring Placido Polanco, who had earlier singled, then went to second base on Anibal Sanchez’s balk, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then may it a 2-0 lead as, now with two men out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Pence. The Marlins got a run back in the fifth as Logan Morrison hits a lead-off home run, his twentieth home run of the season, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 2-1. The Phils added to their lead in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Brian Schneider, a walk by Michael Martinez, sending Schneider up to second base, and a single by pinch hitter Chase Utley, moving both men up a base, and with two men out, Placido Polanco forced in a run with an RBI walk, scoring Schneider, while moving both Martinez and Utley up a base, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead. The Marlins threaten to score a run in the eighth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Omar Infante, who had earlier doubled, tried to score on Gaby Sanchez’s single to left, but is cut down at the plate by a strong throw from left fielder Ibanez, as Schneider tagged him out, for the inning’s second out, while pinch hitter Mike Stanton, who had just walked, would stop at second base. After Morrison loads up the bases with a walk, Brad Lodge gets out of the inning by striking out Joe Buck, swinging. The Marlins threaten again in the ninth as the first two batters, Bryan Pattersen and Donnie Murphy, both got on base via singles, with Pattersen stopping at second base, before moving up to third and second base, respectively, on pinch hitter John Baker’s sacrifice bunt, 1-4. But Ryan Madson would record his thirty-first save of the season by first striking out Emilio Bonifacio, swinging, for the inning’s second out, before ending the game by getting Infante to foul out to the catcher.

Kyle Kendrick (8-6, 3.22) got the win as he pitched five strong innings, giving up a run on two hits. while he struck out six. Michael Stutes received his eleventh hold of the season as he threw two scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo recorded his seventeenth hold of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk. Brad Lidge received his sixth hold of the year as he went two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Ryan Madson recorded his thirty-first save of the year as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter. Anibal Sanchez (8-8, 3.62) took the lost as he went six innings, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Ryan Webb pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two hits and two walks, while striking out two. Chris Hatcher pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Michael Dunn and Jose Ceda combine for a scoreless inning, giving up three hits (Dunn), while striking out a batter (Dunn) between them.

The Phils had nine hits in the ballgame, with Placido Polanco (Singles, RBI) and Raul Ibanez (Single, Double, RBI) both leading the team with two hits each. Hunter Pence (Double, RBI), Jimmy Rollins (Single), Brian Schneider (Single), pinch hitter Chase Utley (Single) and pinch hitter Carlos Ruiz (Single), had the other five Phils’ hits.

The Phils (96-51, 1st) will conclude their short make-up doubleheader with the Marlins (67-82, 5th) with the night half of the day/night doublebill. The game will be played at Citizen Bank Park and will start at 7:35 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (16-7, 2.44), who is coming off a no-decision against the Brewers on September 10, as he went seven innings, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on six hits and two walks, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 3-2 extra-innings win. He will be out to cut the magic number down to 2. The Marlins will counter with Alex Sanabia (0-0,0.00), who will be making his first start of 2011, after pitching an inning of relief against the Pirates on September 9, giving up a hit and two walks, while striking out two. He hopes to be to stay even with Lee. The Phils will be out to cut down their magic number to win the East to two games.

33 games in 31 days: Game #17: The Phils clinch a playoff spot as their ace, Roy Halladay, throws a complete game shutout, as the Phils win, 1-0

Roy Halladay throws a complete game shutout at the Astros as the Phils clinched their fifth straight playoff spot, as the Phils win 1-0.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Placido Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, before moving up to second base on the late throw to the plate. The Astros tried to tie the game up in the second as they loaded up the bases, via a fielding error by third baseman Polanco, allowing Carlos Lee to reach first base, a single by Brian Bogusevic, sending Lee up to second base, and a bunt single by Jimmy Paredes, moving both runners up a base, and with nobody out, before Phils’ starter Roy Halladay pitched himself out of the jam. First, he got Jose Altuve to hit into a force out, 5-2, as Polanco threw home, forcing out Lee, as Carlos Ruiz touched home plate for the inning’s first out, while Bogusevic and Paredes would both move up a base while Altuve would be safe at first. Then, he got Humberto Quintero to hit into a 5-4-3 doubleplay, as Altuve is wiped out at second base, ending the inning. The Phils tried to add to their lead in the sixth as they loaded up the bases, with Halladay starting the inning off with a single, Victorino following with a walk, sending Halladay up to second base, Polanco then bunting into a force out, 1-5, as Astros’ starter Bud Norris made a good play on the ball before throwing it to third, beating Halladay to the bag, while Victorino moved up to second base, and then a single by Hunter Pence, moving up both runners. But Norris would deny the Phils by first striking out Ryan Howard, swinging, on three pitches, and then getting Raul Ibanez to fly out to center field for the final out. The Phils’ one run would then end up being all that they would need as Halladay kept the Astros under control, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning to get the win, as the Phils clinch a playoff spot for the fifth year in a row.

Roy Halladay (18-5, 2.34) gets the win as he pitched a complete game shutout, his first for the season, as he gave up six hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Bud Norris (6-10, 3.68) took the lost as he went seven innings, giving up a run on four hits. Wilton Lopez and Wesley Wright would combine for two scoreless innings, striking out four batters (two each) between them.

The Phils had just four hits in the ballgame, a double by Shane Victorino, a single by Placido Polanco, knocking in a run, a single by Hunter Pence and a single by Roy Halladay, as the Phils were put to sleep during the series. Hopefully they’ll wake up during tomorrow’s doubleheader.

The Phils (95-51, 1st) will now return home and will play a make-up doubleheader with the Marlins (67-81, 5th), with the first game starting tomorrow afternoon. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 2:35 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (7-6, 3.29), who is coming off a lost to the Mets on August 24, as he went only four innings, giving up six runs, only two of which were earned, on seven hits and a walk, while striking out a batter, in the Phils’ 7-4 lost. He will be trying to help lower the Phils’ magic number for winning the East. The Marlins will counter with Anibal Sanchez (8-7, 3.64), who is coming off a win against the Pirates on September 10, as he pitched a complete game shutout, giving up just one hit and three walks, while striking out eleven, in the Marlins’ 3-0 win. He will be trying to delay the Phils’ clinching of the East. The Phils will be out to take out their frustrations in Houston out on Sanchez and the Marlins.

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