Results tagged ‘ Road trip ’

Cliff Lee dominates as he throws a two-hitter against the D-backs, going 4-0 in four starts since being traded to the Phils.

For the fourth time in as many start, Cliff Lee dominates the opposing batters, this time by pitching a complete game two-hitter, as he allowed in only an unearned run, as the Phils defeat the D-backs, 8-1. They increase their lead over the Marlins to five-and-a-half games as the fish lose to the Astros.

The Phils took the lead in the third as, with a runner on first, and with one out, Chase Utley hits a two-run home run to center field, his twenty-fifth home run of the season, scoring ahead of him Shane Victorino, who had just walked, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The D-backs would cut the Phils’ lead in half in the fourth as, with a man on third base, and with one man out, Stephen Drew hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Ryan Roberts, who had earlier reached base on a Pedro Feliz fielding error as he misplayed the ball, going to second on the error, then reaching third on Augie Ojeda’s ground out, 4-3, making it 2-1 Phils. That would turn out to be as much offense as the D-backs will be able to mustard. In the fifth, the Phils would bust the game wide open as, with two men on, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hit a three-run bomb into left center field, his thirty-first home run of the year, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier double, and had gone to third on Victorino’s single, and Victorino, who had earlier singled, to give the Phils a 5-1 lead. The Phils then made it 6-1 as Jayson Werth followed Howard with a solo home run, his twenty-sixth home run of the season. In the top of the sixth, with one man out, pinch hitter Chad Tracy got on base with a pinch hit single, ending Lee’s no-hit bit at five and a third innings, before being stranded at first as the next two D-back hitters flew out to right (Roberts) and struck out looking (Ojeda). The Phils would increase their lead to 7-1 in the bottom half of the inning as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Victorino hits an RBI double, scoring Lee, who had earlier got on base with a single, and then went to second on a wild pitch. In the seventh,the Phils added another run as, with one man out, Werth hits a solo home run, his second of the night and his twenty-seventh home run of the year, making it an 8-1 Phils’ lead. That would be more than enough for Lee, as he would only allow two more base runners after giving up the single, a hit batter in the top of the seventh (Rusty Ryal) and a single in the eighth (Alex Romero), mowing down the D-backs in the ninth inning with a fly out to right (Josh Whitesell), a fly out to left (Drew) and a strike out swinging (Mark Reynolds), as he recorded a two-hitter, and his fourth straight victory since becoming a Phil and his seventh straight win in his last seven starts.

Cliff Lee picked up the win as he pitched a complete game, his second since joining the Phils, as he gave up an unearned run on two hits and a hit batter, while striking out eleven batters, tying a career high. His record is now 11-9 (4-0) with an ERA of 2.72 (0.82). Dan Haren took the lost as he lasted only five innings, giving up six runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out six. His record is now 12-8 with a 2.74 ERA. Clay Zavada pitched one and a third innings, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out two. Juan Gutierrez pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on one hit, while he struck out one. Blaine Boyer pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, as he struck out a batter.

The Phils had thirteen hits in the game, with Jayson Werth leading the way with three hits, with two of his hits being solo home runs, raising his average to .267. Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, and yes, Cliff Lee, followed with two hits apiece, with one of Shane’s hits being an RBI double, while one of Utley’s hits was a two-run home run. Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Paul Boko had the other four Phils’ hits, with Rollins’ being a double, and Howard’s being a three-run bomb which broke the game wide open. All but one of the Phils’ run came via the long ball, something the Phils do very well, but they will need to rely on less if they hope to win their second straight league title and world series championship. 

The Phillies (68-49, 1st National League East) will conclude their short home stand with the Diamondbacks (54-67, 4th National League West) with a night game. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm. The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (7-6, 3.88), who is coming off a no-decision against the Braves on August 14, where he pitched seven innings, giving up just two runs, only one of which was earned, on seven hits and a walk, while striking out two, in the Phils’ 3-2 win. He will be trying for his first win in about a month, while also going for the series sweep. He will be opposed by Doug Davis (7-10, 3.59), who is coming off a no-decision of his own against the Dodgers on August 15, as he went six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and four walks, while striking out two, in the D-backs’ 4-3 win. He will be trying to prevent the sweep. The Phils will be trying to end the short home stand on a positive note, before going onto the road to face the hurting Mets for four games, and then the lowly Pirates for three, with a good chance to increase their lead in the East over the Marlins by the time they come back home.

Two bombs from Ryan Howard power the Phils to a 4-1 victory over the Braves.

Two bombs from the big man Ryan Howard help to power the Phils to a series win over the Braves, as they defeat Atlanta, 4-1. The Phillies’ lead over the Marlins in the NL East is now four-and-a-half games as Florida splits a make up doubleheader with the Rockies.

The Phils took the lead in the second inning as Ryan Howard hits a lead-off home run, his twenty-ninth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Braves would tie the game up at one-all in the fourth as, with two men out, Matt Diaz hits a solo home run, his seventh home run of the season. The Phils would regain the lead in the sixth as, with two men on base, and with one man out, Howard hits a three-run home run, his thirtieth home run of the year, knocking in Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, who had both singled, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. That would end up being the final score as J.A. Happ, despite not having his best stuff, would pitch himself out of trouble for seven and two-thirds inning, giving up only three hits to the Braves, while the relief staff would only give up a single and a walk in an inning and a third of work, before Brad Lidge would record his twenty-third save of the year by getting Omar Infante to pop up to Chase Utley for the final out.

J.A. Happ got the win as he pitched seven and two-thirds innings, giving up only one run on three hits and six walks, while striking out three. His record is now 9-2 with an ERA of 2.66, making himself a strong candidate for this year’s Rookie of the Year honors. Ryan Madson pitched a third of an inning, giving up a single. while striking out a batter. Scott Eyre worked two-thirds of an inning, giving up a walk. Brad Lidge got his twenty-third save of the year, after blowing his eighth save of the season the previous afternoon, by getting out the only batter he would face. Javier Vazquez took the lost, as he pitched seven innings, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks, while he sruck out seven. His record is now 10-8 with a 2.99 ERA. Eric O’Flaherty and Kris Medlen combined for two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit (O’Flaherty) and a walk (also O’Flaherty), while striking out a batter (Medlen),

The Phils had just seven hits in the game, with Ryan Howard leading the way with three hits, a single and two home runs, a solo shot and a three-run bomb, knocking in all four Phils runs, as he raised his average to .269. Shane Victorino was next with two hits, one of which was a double, followed by Jimmy Rollins and Pedro Feliz with a hit apiece. The Phils missed sweeping the Braves because of some bad fielding in the ninth inning of Saturday’s ballgame, but they do come home from a very successful road trip, winning all but one of the games, coming back nicely after being swept by the Marlins the previous weekend. They will now come home for a three games series with the Diamondbacks before going back on the road. The short home stamd will start tomorrow night.

A ninth inning solo blast by Ryan Howard help propel the Phils into a win over the Braves, 3-2.

A ninth inning blast off of the bat of Ryan Howard help to propel the Phils to a late inning win over the Braves, 3-2. Their present winning streak is up to four games, while they still lead the Marlins by four and a half games as they increased their lead over Atlanta to six games.

The Braves took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning as, with a runner on base and with one out, Chipper Jones hits an RBI single, knocking in Nate McLouth, who had earlier doubled, and had gone on to third on Martin Prado’s ground out, 6-3. The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with a runner on base, and with nobody out, Chase Utley hits a two-run bomb, his twenty-fourth home run of the season, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Braves then tied the game up at two-all in their half of the fourth as, with a runner on base, and with two men out, Ryan Church hits a RBI double, knocking in Yunel Escobar, who had earlier reached base on a Pedro Feliz fielding error. The score would remain tied at 2-2 until the top of the ninth when, with the count 2-1, Ryan Howard hits a slider into center field to give the Phils the 3-2 lead. That would remain the final score as Brad Lidge was able to nail down his twenty-second save of the season, despite giving up a single to Adam LaRoche and a walk to pinch hitter Greg Norton, with two out, as he got McLouth to fly out to left for the final out.

Joe Blanton received a no-decision as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up only two runs on seven hits and a walk, while he struck out two. Ryan Madson got the win as he pitched a quick 1-2-3 inning. His record is now 4-4 with a 3.02 ERA. Brad Lidge recorded his twenty-second save of the season, as he gave up just one hit and a walk, while striking out one. Jair Jurrjens also got a no-decision as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk, as he struck out six. Mike Gonzalez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up just one hit. Rafael Soriano took the lost as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on one hit, while striking out the side. His record is now 1-4 with an ERA of 2.55.

The Phils had only seven hits in the game, with Jayson Werth leading the way with two hits, both singles, as he raised his batting average to .262. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and pinch hitter Ben Francisco followed with one hit apiece, with Rollins and Francisco’s hits being doubles, while Utley’s hit was a two-run home run and Howard’s hit was a solo home run. The Phils have so far won each of their games on the present road trip, in fact winning two very close games. They hope to continue to build on their lead over both the Braves and the rest of the NL East.

The Phillies (65-48, 1st) continue their three-games series with the Braves (60-55, 3rd) with an afternoon game that is being televised nationally by Fox Sports. The game will be played at Turner Field and will start at 4 pm Eastern. The Phils’ starter will be Cole Hamels (7-7, 4.77), who is coming off of a lost on August 8 to the Marlins, as he gave up four runs on five hits and four walks, as he struck out four in five and one-third innings of work in the Phils’ 6-4 lost. He will be trying to rebound from his last few bad outings. The Braves will counter with Kenshin Kawakami (5-9, 4.12), who is coming off a no-decision on August 8 against the Dodgers, where he pitched seven shutout innings, giving up just four hits and three walks, while striking out four, in the Braves’ 2-1 win. He will be trying to shut down the Phils again, like he did during his previous start against them in May. The Phils will be trying to build on their lead in the NL East, while attempting to bury the Braves deep in third place.

The Phils win in extra-innings in spite of weak bats, as they defeat the Cubs, 4-3.

The Phils are able to defeat the Cubs, 4-3, in spite of very little offense as they are only able to get three hits. Their lead over the Marlins remains three and a half games.

The Cubs took the lead in the third as, with two men on base, and with nobody out, James Fox hits an RBI single, scoring Milton Bradley, who had earlier doubled, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead, while sending Derek Lee, who had earlier walked, to second base. Later, with the based loaded, thanks to a Geovany Soto walk, which sent Lee to third, and Fox to second, with still nobody out, Alfonso Soriano’s sacrfice fly made it a 2-0 Chicago lead, as Lee scored. The Phils would tie it up in the sixth, as with a man on, and with two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits a two-run home run, his fourteen home run of the year, as he knocked in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier walked. Rollins’ home run broke up Rich Harden’s no-hit bid and shut out, while Ruiz’s walk ended Harden’s perfect game bid after Harden had gotten out the previous sixteen batters. The Phils would take the lead in the eighth, as, with the bases loaded, via a Ruiz walk, Shane Victorino being hit by the pitch, and Chase Utley being walked, with two men out, Ryan Howard took a four-pitch walk, forcing in Ruiz and giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. It looked like the Phils had made it a 4-2 ballgame in the top of the ninth, as Ruiz hits a 1-2 pitch towards the left field foul line, being called a home run by the third base umpire. But, that turned out to have been the wrong call, as the ball had actually landed several feet foul. A review by the crew overturned the wrong ruling (Which was the right thing to do, as the ball was indeed foul), before Ruiz would finally end the inning with a 6-3 ground out. The Cubs then tied the score up at three-all in their half of the ninth as, with a man on, and with one man out, Bradley hits an RBI single, scoring pinch hitter Kosuke Fukudome, who had earlier walked and had gone to second on Ryan Theriot’s sacrifice bunt, as Brad Lidge blew his league leading seventh save. In the bottom of the eleventh with, two men out, and with the count on him at 2-1, Bradley would hit a ball deep to center field, which he thought would be a home run. Sadly, for Bradley, it instead stayed in the park, and was caught by Victorino for the inning’s final out. In the twelfth, the Phils took the lead as Ben Francisco hits a lead-off home run, his twelfth home run of the year, and his second home run since being traded to the Phils, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. That would be the final score as Chad Durbin, just back from the disabled list, put the Cubs down in their half of the twelfth, earning his second save of the season.

J.A. Happ got a no-decision, as he went six innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and four walks, as he struck out three. Chan Ho Park pitched a scoreless inning, giving up just a walk, while he struck out two. Ryan Madson recorded his eighteenth hold of the season as he pitched a scorless inning, giving up just a hit, while striking out two. Brad Lidge blew his league leading seventh save, as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, while he struck out one. Tyler Walker pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up only a hit. Scott Eyre got the win as he pitched an inning and a third, striking out a batter. His record is now 2-1 with an ERA of 1.80. Chad Durbin recorded his second save, as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up only a walk, as he struck out a batter. Rich Harden also received a no-decision, as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up only two runs on two hits and two walks, as he struck out six. Carlos Marmol pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on no hits, three walks and a hit batter. John Grabow pitched a third of an inning, striking out a batter. Angel Guzman pitched two scoreless innings. Kevin Gregg took the loss, pitching two innings, giving up a run on one hit, while he struck out two. His record is now 4-4 with an ERA of 4.02.

The Phils had only three hits in the game, a two-run home run by Jimmy Rollins, a single by Ryan Howard, and a solo home run by Ben Francisco, bringing in the game winner. Howard had the fourth Phil RBI via a bases loaded walk. The Phils offense is still not doing anything, as they were only able to bring in one runner in scoring position, mainly because they were not able to get people on base last night.

The Phils (62-48, 1st National League East) continue their three-games series with the Cubs (58-53, 2nd National League Central) with a night game. The game will be played at Wrigley Field and will begin at 8:05 pm Eastern (7:05 pm Central). The Phils will send to the mound Pedro Martinez (0-0, -.–), who is making his first start since last September. He will be trying to prove to the Phils that he is worth the money that they are presently paying him. He will be opposed by Jeff Samardzija (1-1, 6.29), who is making his first start for the Cubs. He has previously pitched in relief, with his last appearance being on August 7 against the Rockies, where he pitched four innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk, while he struck out one, in the Cubs’ 6-2 lost. He will see if he can do better than he did when he pitched in relief and gave up the winning home run to Jayson Werth in extra-innings. The Phils will be trying to make it two wins in a row, while trying to get the offense jump started.

Cole Hamels allow one to slip out of his control as the Phils lose to their old rival the Giants, 7-3.

Cole Hamels lost control of the ballgame as he gave up six runs in two innings after having had the Giants under control for two plus innings, as the Phils lose to the Giants, 7-3. The Phils have lost their first series since being swept by the Braves in early July. Their lead is now down to five games in the NL East as the Marlins have won their game.

The Giants took the lead in the second as, with a man on base, and with nobody out, Aaron Rowand hits an RBI triple, knocking in Ryan Garko, who had earlier singled, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead. The Phils would tie it up at one-all in the fourth as Jimmy Rollins hits a lead-off home run, his eleventh home run of the season. Four batters later, with a runner on base, and two men out, Jayson Werth hits an infield single on a ground ball to Giants’ second baseman Freddy Sanchez, who made a bad throw to first base for an error, allowing Chase Utley, who had earlier singled, and then stole second to score, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while Werth moved up to second on the throw. The Phils made it 3-1 in the fifth as, with a runner on base, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Eric Bruntlett, who had earlier doubled. The Giants then came back to tie it up at three-all in their half of the fifth as, with two men on, and two men out, Sanchez hits a two-run double, scoring Giants’ starter Barry Zito, who had earlier singled and had gone to third on Eugenio Velez’s blooped single, and Velez, who had earlier singled. The next batter, Pablo Sandoval, then hit a grounder to first that was scooped up by Ryan Howard that could’ve been an easy out, as Phils’ starter Cole Hamels had beaten Sandoval to the bag, if Howard had given Hamels a low toss. Sadly, Howard made a high toss that went passed Hamels, and allowed Sanchez to score, giving the Giants a 4-3 lead, while Sandoval, who is credited with an infield single, would move on to second on the throwing error. The Giants would then break it open in the sixth as, with runners on second and third and nobody out, Randy Winn hits an RBI single, scoring Rowand, who had earlier singled, and had gone to third on Edgar Renteria’s double, making it a 5-3 Giants’ lead, while sending Renteria on to third. Three batters later, after Winn steals second base, Eli Whiteside is intentionally walked to load the bases, Hamels is replaced on the mound by Chan Ho Park, and pinch hitter Bengie Molina flies out to left for the inning’s first out, Velez makes it a 7-3 Giants’ lead wtih a two-run single, knocking in both Renteria and Winn, while sending Whiteside to third base. That would end up being the final score as the Phils would be unable to recover, going down 1-2-3 in the ninth.

Cole Hamels took the lost, as he pitched five innings plus four batters, giving up six runs, five of which were earned, on ten hits and two walks, while he struck out only two. His record is now 7-6 with a 4.68 ERA. Chan Ho Park pitched an inning, giving up a hit. Ryan Madson and Scott Eyre together pitched two scoreless innings, giving up only a hit (Eyre) and a walk (Madson). Barry Zito got the win, as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned, on six hits, while he struck out five. His record is now 7-10 with an ERA of 4.47. Sergio Romo, Brandon Medders, Jeremy Affeldt, who recorded his twenty-third hold and Bob Howry, recorded three scoreless innings, giving up just three hits (Romo (1), Medders (2)), while striking out a batter (Affeldt).

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco leading the team with two hits each, with one of Rollins’ two hits being a solo home run. Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, Pedro Feliz, Eric Bruntlett and Carlos Ruiz had the Phils’ other five hits, with Ruiz knocking in the only other Phils run. The Phils hit themselves out of big innings during the entire road trip, mainly by either striking out or hitting the pitcher’s pitch. Hopefully they can correct that during the home stand, which will start tomorrow night against the Rockies, as they have the day off today.

A good effort by Joe Blanton is wasted as the Phils’ bats are handcuffed by Tim Lincecum as the Phils lose to the Giants, 2-0.

Less than twenty-four hours after supporting Cliff Lee’s excellent start, the Phils wasted a similar effort by Joe Blanton as the batters are unable to figure out Tim Lincecum before losing to the Giants, 2-0.

The first four innings of the game involved a pitchers’ duel between Phils’ starter Joe Blanton, who gave up only one hit during those four innings, and Giants’ starter Tim Lincecum who pitched himself out of jams in both the third and fourth innings, as the Phils’ bats are once again unable to knock in a man in scoring position. The Phils tried once again in the top of the fifth as they loaded the bases on singles by Blanton and Jayson Werth, and an infield single by Ryan Howard as he beat out the throw to first base by Giants’ second baseman Eugenio Velez, with two men out. Sadly, the Phils would once again be unable to score a run as Raul Ibanez grounds out, 4-3. The Giants then took the lead in their half of the fifth as, with runners on the corners, and one man out, Juan Uribe hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Aaron Rowand, who had earlier hit a ground-rule double, and had reached third on Fred Lewis’ infield single, as Blanton, who tried to grab the grounder, was unable to get an out by not getting a handle on the ball, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead. The game would stay 1-0 until the seventh when, with runners on the corners, and one man out, Uribe hits his second sac fly of the ball game, scoring Travis Ishikawa, who had earlier singled, moved up to second when Rowand was hit by the pitch, and went to third on Lewis’ fly out to center, giving the Giants a 2-0 lead. That would end up being the final score as the Phils would not get another hit after Howard’s infield single in the fifth, as Lincecum got out the last ten batters that he would face, and Brian Wilson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, recording his twenty-seventh save of the year.

Joe Blanton took the lost in spite of pitching a good game, as he gave up two runs on seven hits, while he struck out five. His record is now 7-5 with an ERA of 4.02. Chan Ho Park pitched a scoreless inning, giving up just a hit and a walk, as he struck out two. Tim Lincecum got the win as he pitched eight shut out innings, giving up seven hits and a walk, while he struck out eight. His record is now 12-3 with a 2.18 ERA. Brian Wilson recorded his twenty-seventh save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Phils got only seven hits in the ballgame, with Jayson Werth leading the way with two hits, raising his batting average to .270. Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Pedro Feliz and Joe Blanton had the other five Phils’ hits, with all of their hits being singles, being unable to knock in a run for the second time on the road trip. The Phils’ bats obviously need to adjust if they are going to be able to figure out Tim Lincecum if they face him in the playoffs.

The Phillies (59-43, 1st National League East) will conclude their road trip with an afternoon game against the Giants (57-47, 2nd National League West). The game will be played at AT&T Park and will begin at 4:05 pm Eastern (1:05 pm Pacific). The Phillies will sent to the mound their ace Cole Hamels (7-5, 4.42), as he is coming off a win against the D-backs on July 28, where he went eight strong innings, giving up only one run on four hits, while striking out nine, in the Phils’ 4-3 win, He will be going for his eighth win of the season, and to show that he can be just as effective as new Phil’s pitcher Cliff Lee. The Giants will counter with Barry Zito (6-10, 4.45), who is coming off of a no-decision against the Pirates on July 28, as he pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on nine hits and two walks, as he struck out six, in the Giants’ 3-2 win. He will be trying to pitch the Giants into a series win against the Phils, while hoping the Phils will remain unable to score runs. The Phils will be trying to win today to tie the series and end their road trip on a winning note.

Lee shows that he was worth the trade as he pitched a complete game while dominating the Giants, 5-1.

Cliff Lee showed with his glove and bat, as well as his pitching, that he was worth the trade as he four hit the Giants while pitching a complete game as the Phils defeat the Giants, 5-1.

The Phils took a quick 1-0 lead as Jayson Werth hits a lead-off home run, his twenty-second home run of the year. The Phils would then squander several scoring opportunites, unable to get that key hit. In the meantime, Phils’ starter Cliff Lee kept the Giants off-balanced, not giving up a hit until the sixth inning with one man out, allowing before then only one man on base with a walk to Ryan Garko in the second inning, who was later wiped out at second base on a 4-6-3 double play on a grounder to Chase Utley by Aaron Rowand. Lee then stranded Juan Uribe, who had hit a double, by first striking out pinch hitter Jesus Guzman on strikes, and then getting Ryan Winn to softly ground out, 4-3, for the final out. The Phils then finally increased their lead in the seventh as, with the bases loaded via walks to Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, a double steal by both Rollins and Utley, and then Ryan Howard being hit by the pitch, with one man out, Raul Ibanez took a walk, forcing in Rollins, making it a 2-0 Phils’ lead, while both Utley and Howard would move up a base. The following batter, Werth, made it 4-0 Phils, as he hits a two-run single, scoring both Utley and Howard, while sending Ibanez up to second. The Phils then added to their lead in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and nobody out, Ben Francisco hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Lee, who had earlier doubled, and had moved over to third on Rollins’ single, making it a 5-0 Phils’ lead. The Giants would finally score in their half of the eighth as, with a runner on third, and one man out, Uribe hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Rowand, who had earlier doubled, and had moved up to third on Edgar Renteria’s ground out, 1-3, making it a 5-1 Phils’ lead. But that would be all, as Lee went on to end the game with little trouble, as he pitched a complete game, his third complete game in his last four starts.

Cliff Lee got the win as he pitched a complete game, giving up just a run on four hits and two walks, while striking out six Giants. His record with the Phils is now 1-0 and his overall record is now 8-9 with an ERA of 3.02. Ryan Sadowski took the lost, as he pitched just four innings, giving up a run on three hits and three walks, while he struck out three batters. His record is now 2-4 with an ERA of 4.45. Merken Valdez pitched two scoreless innings, giving up only two hits, as he struck out one. Brandon Medders pitched a third of an inning, giving up two runs on two walks. Jeremy Affeldt pitched to three batters, giving up a run on a hit, a walk, and a hit batter. Bob Howry pitched an inning and a third, giving up a run on two hits, while he struck out one. Sergio Romo pitched a scoreless inning, striking out a batter.

The Phillies had eight hits, with Jayson Werth and, surprise, Cliff Lee leading the team with two hits each, with one of Werth’s hits being a solo home run, while he knocked in three runs, while Lee had a single and a double, scoring a run as he helped his own effort. Jimmy Rollins, Ben Francisco, Chase Utley and Pedro Feliz had the other four hits, with Francisco’s hit being a double. Beside Werth’s three RBIs, Raul Ibanez brought in a run via a bases loaded walk, and Francisco knocked in the other Phils’ run with a sacrifice fly. The Phils’ offense was finally able to bring in runs with runners in scoring position, as they won 20 games in July for the first time since the 1960s.

The Phillies (59-42, 1st National League East) continue their four-games series with the Giants (56-47, 2nd National League West) with an night game. The game will be played at AT&T Park and will begin at 9:05 pm Eastern (6:05 pm Pacific). The Phillies will send to the mound Joe Blanton (7-4, 4.11), who is coming off a win against the Cardinals on July 26, as he went eight innings, giving up only two runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 9-2 win. He will be trying to see if he can keep the Phils in the game. The Giants will send to the mound their ace Tim Lincecum (11-3, 2.30), who is coming off a completed game win against the Pirates on July 27, where he gave up just two runs, both unearned, on four hits and three walks, while he struck out fifteen batters, in the Giants’ 4-2 win. He will be trying to see if he can overpower the Phils’ potent offense. The Phils will be trying to see if they can win today against last year’s NL Cy Young Award Winner.

The Phils’ bats remain quiet as they are defeated by the Giants, 7-2.

For the second straight game, the Phils are unable to get a key hit as they hit themselves out of runs as they lose to the Giants, 7-2. Their lead in the NL East remains at six games as the Marlins are defeated by the Braves.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI double, knocking in Chase Utley, who had earlier walked, to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. The Giants quickly tied it up at one-all in their half of the first as, with one man on, and nobody out, Eugenio Velez hits an RBI double, scoring Andres Torres, who had earlier gotten on base with a bunt single, and then stole second base, while Velez would move up to third on Jayson Werth’s fielding error on the ball. The Giants then took the lead as Pablo Sandoval hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Velez, giving the Giants a 2-1 lead. The Giants added to their lead in the third as, with one out, Sandoval hits a solo home run, his sixteenth home run of the season, making it a 3-1 Giants’ lead. The Giants then broke the game wide open in the fourth. With the bases loaded, via a single by Edgar Renteria, a Pedro Feliz throwing error to second base on a grounder hit to him by Juan Uribe, which had Renteria going to third and Uribe stopping at second base, and a walk to Randy Winn, and two men out, Velez hits a two-run single, knocking in both Renteria and Uribe, making it a 5-1 Giants’ lead, while sending Winn up to second base. Sandoval then made it a 7-1 Giants’ lead as he hits an RBI double, scoring both Winn and Velez. The Phils made it 7-2 in the sixth, as Utley hits a lead-off home run, his twenty-third home run of the year. But, that would be the final score, as neither team would be able to score again as both bullpens shut down the other team’s offense.

Rodrigo Lopez took the lost as he pitched only four innings, giving up seven runs, only three of which were earned, on eight hits and two walks, as he struck out two. His record is now 3-1 with an ERA of 3.62. This was more than likely his last start in the Phils’ starting rotation. Kyle Kendrick pitched two shut out innings, giving up just one hit and a walk, while striking out one. Tyler Walker also pitched two scoreless innings, giving up just one walk, as he struck out three Giants. Jonathan Sanchez got the win as he pitched five and two-thirds inning, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks, as he struck out seven batters. His record is now 4-9 with an ERA of 4.81. Justin Miller, Merken Valdez and Bob Howry combined for three and one-third scoreless innings, giving up just two hits (Miller and Valdez one hit each), as they struck out two Phils (Valdez and Howry one each).

The Phils had only five hits in yesterday’s game, with Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco (playing for the hurt Shane Victorino) each recording a hit, with Howard’s hit being an RBI double, while Utley’s was a solo home run, knocking in the two Phils’ runs. The Phillies over agrressiveness did them in once again, as they are unable to stay patient enough to bring in the runs they needed to score via a clutch hit. They will try to break their losing streak tonight.

The Phillies (58-42, 1st National League East) will continue their four-games series with the Giants (56-46, 2nd National League West), with a night game. The game will be played at AT&T Park and will begin at 10:15 pm Eastern (7:15 pm Pacific). The Phils’ starter will be Cliff Lee (7-9, 3.14), who they had just acquired from the Indians in a trade. He has won his last three starts for the Indians, with his last one coming on July 26 against the Mariners, where he went seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits, as he struck out four, in the Indians’ 12-3 win. He will be trying to continue his personal dominance of the Giants while trying to contribute to his new team. His opponent will be Ryan Sadowski (2-3, 4.81), who is coming off a lost to the Rockies on July 26, as he pitched only two and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks, as he struck out two, in the Giants’ 4-2 lost. He will be trying to even his record, while hoping to continue the Phillies’ present offense problems. The Phils’ offense will be trying to give support to their new addition, while hoping that Lee will quickly prove his worth to the ballclub.

Despite good outing, Happ loses as bats remain silent as the Phils lose to the D-backs, 4-0.

In spite of a quality start, J.A. Happ loses his second start in a row as the Phillies’ offense is unable to get the big hit as the Phils are blanked by the D-backs, 4-0. They now lead the Marlins in the NL East by six games, as they head on to San Francisco for four games with the wild card-leading Giants.

The D-backs took the lead in the first as, with a man on base, and one out, Justin Upton hits a two-run home run, his nineteenth home run of the season, knocking in Stephen Drew, who had earlier singled, giving the D-backs a 2-0 lead. Phils’s starter J.A. Happ, after the home run, would settle down and keep the D-backs from causing any more trouble as he pitched a quality six innings of work, giving up only one more hit after that, along with two walks, while striking out five. Meanwhile, D-backs’ starter Yusmeiro Petit pitched a bit better as he gave the Phils’ batters fits during the six innings that he worked, giving up only two hits and a walk in those innings, as he struck out eight Phils. It wouldn’t be until the seventh when the Phils would be able to mount a threat, as Ryan Howard started the inning off with a single. Raul Ibanez followed him with a double, putting runners on second and third with no one out, as Howard stops at third base. Petit is replaced on the mound by Juan Gutierrez, who proceeded to strike out first Jayson Werth, and then Greg Dobbs, both swinging. The next batter, Carlos Ruiz, then worked a walk, loading the bases. But Gutierrez would turn the Phils away as pinch hitter Pedro Feliz flies out to center for the final out. The D-backs then increased their lead in their half of the seventh as, Chris Snyder hits a lead-off home run, his sixth home run of the season, making it 3-0 D-backs. The D-backs added an insurance run in the eighth as, with one man on and nobody out, Upton hits an RBI single, knocking in Gerardo Parra, who had earlier doubled, on a play that was reviewed by the umpires and declared a double, giving the D-backs a 4-0 lead. That would be the final score as the Phils went down in the ninth.

J.A. Happ took the lost as he pitched six quality innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out five. His record is now 7-2 with an ERA of 2.97. Scott Eyre pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits. Tyler Walker also pitched an inning, also giving up a run on two hits, as he struck out two. Yusmeiro Petit got the win as he pitched six innings plus two batters of shut out ball, giving up only four hits and a walk, while he struck out eight, His record is now 1-5 with an ERA of 6.75. Juan Gutierrez then pitched a scoreless inning as he recorded his fourth hold, as he only walked a batter, while striking out two. Jon Rauch recorded his eighth hold of the year as he also pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, while he struck out two. Chad Qualls pitched a scoreless ninth, giving up a hit.

The Phils had only seven hits in the game, with Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez both collecting two hits, with one of Ibanez’s hits being a double. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth had the other three Phils’ hits, with Werth’s hit being a double. The Phils were unable to knock in a run as the Phillies’ bats were unable to get the necessary big hit to get into the ballgame, as they were a bit too aggressive in the batter’s box.

The Phillies (58-41, 1st National League East) continue their road trip with a four-games set with the Giants (55-46, 2nd National League West) starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at At&T Park and will begin at 10:15 pm Eastern (7:15 pm Pacific). The Phils will send to the mound Rodrigo Lopez (3-0, 3.09), who is coming off a win against the Cardinals on July 25, as he went six innings, giving up three runs on ten hits and a walk, while striking out two, in the Phils’ 14-6 rout. He will be going for his fourth win in what is more than likely his last start for the Phils this season as Cliff Lee will join the team after the trade. The Giants will counter with Jonathan Sanchez (3-9, 4.92), who is coming off a lost against the Rockies on July 25, as he went five innings, giving up five runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out five, in the Giants’ 8-2 lost. He will be trying to keep from becoming another victim of the Phillies’ potent offense. The Phils will be trying to put together a new winning streak while showing that they can defeat anyone in the NL. They also would like to add on to their six games lead over the Marlins.

Cole Hamels dominate as the Phils win another series on the road as they defeat the D-backs, 4-3.

Cole Hamels appears to have returned to his dominate form as he four hits the D-backs as the Phils’ offense score enough runs to defeat the Diamondbacks, 4-3.

The D-backs took the lead in the first as, with one man out, Ryan Roberts hits a solo home run, his second home run of the season, as the D-backs took a 1-0 lead. The Phils would tie it up at one-all in the third as, with two men out, Shane Victorino hits a solo home run of his own, his eighth home run of the year. The Phils took the lead in the fifth as, with two men on, and one man out, Victorino hits a ground-rule double, knocking in Hamels, who had earlier doubled, and gone to third on D-back shortstop Stephen Drew’s fielding error of a Jimmy Rollins ground ball, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while Rollins, who was earlier safe on an error, moved up to third. The Phils would then take a 3-1 lead as Chase Utley hits a fielder’s choice ground ball to D-back’s first baseman Chad Tracy, who threw the ball away while trying to get Rollins out at home plate, allowing Rollins to score and Victorino to reach third, while Utley was safe at first. The Phils made it 4-1 in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Victorino, Utley being hit by the pitch, moving Victorino up to second, a double steal to third and second by Victorino and Utley, and a walk to Raul Ibanez, and one man out, Jayson Werth hit into a force out, 6-4, forcing out Ibanez at second for the inning’s second out, as Victorino scored and Utley moved up to third. Meantime, Hamels would dominate the D-backs, giving up only three more hits, as he struck out nine D-backs, in eight strong innings of work. The D-backs cut it close in the ninth as, with a man on, and nobody out, Mark Reynolds hits a two-run home run, knocking in Justin Upton, who had earlier walked, and then stole second, making it 4-3 Phils. But that would be it as Brad Lidge would buckle down, and get out the next three batters for his twentieth save of the season.

Hamels got the win as he pitched eight quality innings, giving up just one run on four hits, while striking out nine. His record is now 7-5 with an ERA of 4.42. Brad Lidge recorded his twentieth save as he pitched one inning, giving up two runs on a hit and a walk. Dan Haren received the lost as he pitched five innings, giving up three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits and three walks, as he struck out five, His record is now 10-6 with a 2.19 ERA. Clay Zavada pitched a scoreless inning, only giving up a walk. Scott Schoeneweis pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on one hit and a walk, as he struck out a batter. Juan Gutierrez pitched one and two-thirds scoreless innings, striking out two. Chad Qualls pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two walks, while striking out one.

 The Phils had only seven hits in the game, with Shane Victornio having three hits, as he was a triple short of hitting the cycle, as he raised his batting average to .319, knocking in two runs. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels had the other four Phils’ hits, with Hamels’ hit being a double. Jayson Werth knocked in the other Phils’ run with a force out. The Phils have won another road series, as their lead in the NL East stay at seven games as the Marlins defeat the Braves.

The Phillies (58-40, 1st National League East) will conclude their three-games series with the D-backs (43-58, 4th National League West) with a night game. The game will be play at Chase Field and will start at 9:40 pm Eastern (6:40 pm Mountain). The Phils’s starter will be J.A. Happ (7-1, 2.97), who is coming off his first career lost against the Cardinals on July 24, as he went six innings, giving up five runs on ten hits, as he struck out six, in the Phils’ 8-1 lost. He will be trying to get back on the horse while trying to help the Phils sweep the D-backs. The D-backs will counter with Yusmeiro Petit (0-5, 7.68), who is coming off a lost against the Pirates on July 24, as he pitched four and a third innings, giving up six runs on nine hits and a walk, while he struck out six. He will be trying to help the D-backs avoid a sweep. The Phils will be trying to end the series in Phoenix with a sweep before heading on to San Francisco for four games with the Giants.

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