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Brett Myers loves to compete, the bigger the stage the better it seems for the right hander.  When Myers struggled earlier in the year it was more due to his mental approach of resisting the role of starting pitcher vs any lack of ability.  Before he even threw his first pitch Myers mimmicked the little hand celebration thing that Jose Reyes does as he faced the outfield crowd.  Myers was pumped for the match from the get go!

In the very first inning Shane Victorino’s efforts manufactured a run for the Fightins.  Victorino singled to right field, stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by Mets catcher Brian Schneider.   Chase Utley plated the run with a ground out to first base. 

From that point on Myers and New York started Mike Pelfrey matched goose eggs till the Phillies were able to plate two more in the seventh when Ryan Howard walked for the second time of the game and Greg Dobbs belted a home run over the right field wall to score him and make the count 3 to 0. Mets right fielder Ryan Church barely missed catching the ball as it hit his glove on his leap and bounced over the fence!

Brett Myers pitched eight shutout innings and was excellent !  He struck out ten Met batters, gave up only three hits and walked but two.  The Mets have been smokin offensively and do not strike out much as a team so this effort was above and beyond!  Great job Brett ! 

Brad Lidge pitched the ninth inning and was hit around a bit but did not allow a run in earning his 34th save in 34 tries this season.  The Phillies record when leading after eight is now 64 and 0 !  Big, big win for the Phillies!

Chatter

The Phillies signed infielder Tadahito Iguchi to a contract for the remainder of the season. Iguchi was recently released by the San Diego Padres.  He was a key member of the Fightins team last season and will be used as a pinch hitter this season till the season concludes.  He is not eligible to be on a playoff roster.  Ryan Howard made two excellent defensive plays at first base in the game, one a leaping catch on a line drive bullet hit by Jose Reyes and the other a diving stop on a ground ball to rob a hit.  Howard has a decent glove, his problems seem to stem more from his lack of confidence in his arm.  Mike Schmidt sent an e-mail of encouragement to the team that was posted in their locker room, it basically told the team to take it to the Mets one play at a time and be confident that the Fightins were the better team, lets hope those words hold up thru the weekend !

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How do you think the rest of this series plays out ?  Moyer vs Martinez tommorrow weather permitting and Hamels vs Santana on Sunday ?

Kyle Kendrick came into this game against the Dodgers having struggled in his last two starts.  Kendrick started out poorly in this one as well as he gave up a first inning home run to Andre Ethier.  Kendrick fell behind in the count to the first six batters he faced.  The key to this young pitcher though is his bulldog mentality and ability to battle thru “situations”.   Kendrick used that moxy and  settled down to give the Phillies 5 and 2/3 innings of three hit ball leaving the contest with a 3-1 lead.

Greg Maddux made his 2008 debut for the Dodgers having been recently reacquired by LA from the San Diego Padres.  Maddux held the Phillies at bay thru the first three frames but in the fourth Pat Burrell worked Maddux for a 10 pitch at bat earning a walk.  Ryan Howard then blasted his 34th home run of the season over the left field wall scoring Burrell ahead of him.  The Phillies scored thier third run in the fifth off Maddux as Greg Dobbs led off with a bunt single,  Jayson Werth followed with a line single to right field and Dobbs scored on a single up the middle by Chris Coste. 

Kendrick started the sixth inning and got two outs before the next two hitters reached.  Charlie Manuel went to the pen and brought in Chad Durbin who was able to end the inning with no runs scoring.  The Fightins busted loose in the home sixth as Pat Burrell and Shane Victorino singled, Burrell reached third on Victorino’s hit.  Jayson Werth then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Burrell.  Greg Dobbs followed with his second single of the game and then Chris Coste sent Maddux to the showers as he smoked a three run home run to left field!  I don’t know why Coste was in the minors and/or independent ball so long as this man can flat out hit!

Chase Utley hit his 31st home run of the season in the seventh inning to make the score 8 to 1.  Ryan Madson came in to pitch the eighth setting the Dodgers down in order.  Scott Eyre pitched the ninth for the Phillies to close out the game.  The Mets shut out Houston behind Johan Santana so the Phillies remained 2 and 1/2 games behind in the N.L. Eastern Division race.

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Geoff Jenkins started the game in right field but pulled up lame after legging out an infield hit and was replaced by Werth.  Jenkins will get an MRI tommorrow for a possible quad strain or hip flexor issue.  Dobbs once again got the start at third base as Charlie played the hot hand, wise move the way the team has been struggling offensively.  Chris Coste matched his career high for RBI’s in a game with four.  Jimmy Rollins continued to struggle at the plate and fans continued to let him know about it.  Rollins at one point was riding a 3 for 38 streak.  Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports speculates the FIghtins might entertain moving Ryan Howard in the offseason if Matt Holliday could be obtained.  He thinks in that scenario that Pat Burrell would be resigned to play first base……..food for thought but personally I would want Howard to be a Phillie for a long long time!

TIm Redding of the Washington Nationals came into this contest already having shut out the Phillies twice this season.  Redding is a right handed replicate of Jamie Moyer in that he changes speeds, sinks the ball and generally frustrates hitters into getting themselves out.  Phillies starter Moyer and Redding matched craftiness thru five frames as both veterans limited thier opponents to one hit and no runs.

The Nationals broke thru the scoreless tie in the sixth inning as Anderson Hernandez and Christian Guzman led off the inning with singles.  Moyer then struck out Ryan Zimmerman looking and coaxed Lastings Milledge to hit a ground ball to third that appeared to be a perfect double play.  Chase Utley however threw away the relay throw from second to first allowing Hernandez to score.   The Phillies bounced back in the bottom of the sixth as Jayson Werth doubled to right center field with two outs and was plated by Chase Utley who singled to left center. 

The Nationals re-took the lead in the seventh as Anderson Hernandez hit a two out infield single to plate Austin Kearns.  The hit ended Moyer’s evening as the crafty left hander once again gave the team a very good effort yielding only five hits and one earned run thru six and two thirds innings.  Chad Durbin came on to get the last out as Christian Guzman’s bat exploded on a ground out to first, the barrell went into the stands along the first base side and hit a fan, baseball needs to act on these bats else someone is going to get seriously hurt!  Fortunately this time it did not appear to be serious.

Shane Victorino was in the middle of stirring up the offense once again in the home seventh as he dribbled a ball behind the pitcher that the Nats third sacker tried to throw him out on and tossed errantly down the right field line.  Victorino ended up on third with a single as Ryan Zimmerman was credited with the two base throwing error.  Pinch hitter  extraordinaire Greg Dobbs then knocked in Victorino with a ground out to second base.   On the very next pitch  Carlos Ruiz belted a home run to left center field to put the FIghtins in the lead for the first time.  It was only Ruiz’s third bomb of the year. 

Ryan Madson came in to pitch the eighth and gave up broken bat singles to Zimmerman and Milledge as the first two hitters he faced.  Ron Belliard bunted both runners up with a sacrifice.  Jesus Flores then hit an infield single up the middle to tie the game and Austin Kearns then followed with a single to put the Nats ahead.  The Phillies bullpen has been great this year but Madson is one that still causes me concern when he is called on.  It appears to me that often his pitches are flat and on those occasions he gets hit.  J.C. Romero came in to strike out two hitters and end the inning.

Jayson Werth led off the Phillies eighth with a walk and advanced to second on a single by Chase Utley.  Ryan Howard then struck out for the third time in the game as he looked thoroughly confused in his at bat.  The opportunity was squandered as Pat Burrell grounded into a double play.  The more I watch, even the optimist I try to be, the more I doubt this offense will ever come out of thier funk, they have not adjusted to the steady diet of breaking balls they get early in counts and when opposing pitchers pop a fastball it often catches them off guard and they are either late or hit weak ground balls.   This team really needs a guy who is a professional hitter in this lineup, one that is steady at the plate, of course all teams need that!

Clay Condrey had the bases loaded against him in the ninth but was able to pitch out of it with no runs setting the stage for last at bat heroics.  Shane Victorino, our steadiest hitter, led off the ninth with a single up the middle off of Joel Hanrahan.  Victorino then stole second base on a very close play.  The Nats thought they had him but the TV replay showed him safe as the throw was taken in front of the bag and Shane got his hand in before the tag.  There was no joy in Phillyville however as Hanrahan retired the next three batters to end the Washington twelve game losing streak.

This was a tough game to lose as the Phillies now face the Dodgers, Mets and Cubs in thier next ten games.  It is make or break time and this loss may have prompted the breaking point, hope not but with the offense struggling the way it is this team may have hit the wall.  The next ten will be key in defining the season as success or failure.

Chatter

David Ross signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox and will be the backup there to Jason Veritak who has struggled this season offensively.  The Phillies inquired about Aubrey Huff from the Orioles but he is due big money next season and Baltimore is unwilling to eat any  portion of the contract.  Kevin Millar might be  a bench option as he has also cleared waivers with no claims made.  Ryan Howard looks to be in the same funk he was early on this season as he continually swings over balls that when hitting well he crushes.  Rollins hit into tough luck alot in this series as he smashed a few “at em” balls but I do notice that he is pulling just about everything rather than going with the pitch and hit quite a few ground balls to second base on outside pitches.  Rollins was booed every time he made an out by the Phillie “genius” fans in attendance.

Similiar to a Spring Training game the wind created havoc on pop ups and fly balls in the first game of the nine game home stand.  Joe Blanton started on the hill for the Phillies but was gone after five as he gave up four runs on eight hits.  Blanton would have been touched for more had not the wind blown a few balls back that on an ordinary night would have been deep into the stands!  Willie Harris did touch Blanton for a first inning homer as he belted it to right field, the one place where the wind was not blowing in.

Washington scored the second run in the fourth and two in the fifth keyed by a triple by Ryan Zimmerman.  The Phillies scored one in the second on a sacrifice fly by Greg Dobbs.  Dobbs reached base again in the fifth as Harris botched a fly ball to left caught in the wind swirl!  Shane Victorino scored on that play,  Victorino had tripled to lead off the inning.  Dobbs scored on a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Geoff Jenkins who hit for Blanton to make the count 4-3 Nats after five innings of play.

Chad Durbin pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings for the Fightins.  In the bottom of the seventh  Shane Victorino once again was in the middle of an offensive “make things happen” as he reached on a fielders choice and then went first to third on a flare single behind short stop by Greg Dobbs, few guys have that kind of speed or guts to make that running play!  Chris Coste then poked a sacrifice fly to right field to score Victorino and tie the game.

Ryan Madson pitched a perfect eighth for the Phillies setting up late game heroics.  Jayson Werth hit his 17th home run in the Phillies eighth right into the teeth of the wind to give the Fightins the lead.  Werth absolutely crushed a hanging curve ball off of Steven Shell and it still only made it two rows in over the left field wall!  Werth is some kinda strong to have hit it thru the swirl!

Brad Lidge pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his 31st save.  Lidge struck out two of the three batters he faced.  The Fightins kept their record perfect when leading after eight innings and are now 56 and 0 when that scenario occurs!

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Jimmy Rollins was greeted with a mix of boos and cheers in his first at bat but they progressed to more boos in his next two at bats especially the third when he grounded into a double play.  Some even booed him on a line drive out in the bottom of the eighth!  Anyone who feels it is their right to boo a player who is giving their all and/or is not hot dogging is an absolute idiot in my opinion.  Rollins was roundly cheered last season enroute to an MVP season, yes he is struggling this season but he is the same guy and gives the same effort!  Philly fans are passionate but I believe the minority are the ones booing and it gives us all a bad image………… pure lack of class in my opinion.  Rumblings are, according to Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal, that the Phillies have interest in former Cincinatti catcher David Ross perhaps as a September roster addition.  Carlos Ruiz has struggled all season offensively so adding another dependable catcher may be indeed be a wise addition.

The offensive woes continued for the Fightins as they made journeyman Pittsburgh starting righthander look like the second coming of Cy Young himself during his stint in the contest!  Davis shut the mighty Phillie offense down on four hits thru six frames limiting them to just two unearned runs.

Jamie Moyer gave his usual professional pitcher performance for the Phils as he went six innings and left trailing by one run, he was touched for three runs on seven hits.  Pittsburgh scored first in the second inning as Doug Mientkiewicz doubled home Brandon Moss.  They scored two more in the sixth as former Phillie Jason Michaels doubled in Nate McClouth and Ryan Doumit who had both singled.

The Phillie initial runs were scored in the third due to inept Pirate defense.  Carlos Ruiz reached on a walk and scored as Moyer laid down a sacrifice bunt but Davis and Doumit collided fielding the ball and Davis threw the ball away down the right field line.  Moyer advanced all the way to third as right fielder Michaels who fielded the first errant throw made one himself trying to get Moyer at second and sailed it to short left field!  Jimmy Rollins then plated Moyer with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Lefty Scott Eyre made his Phillie debut in the seventh in relief of Clay Condrey who got the first two outs but was then tagged for two singles.  Eyre coaxed a pop out from McClouth to get out of the inning without any runs scoring.   Tyler Yates came on to pitch for the Buccos in the home seventh and Carlos Ruiz smoked his first pitch to left center for a double.  Pinch hitter extraordinaire Greg Dobbs then inside outed a ball and doubled down the left field line to score Ruiz and tie the game.  It was Dobbs 21st pinch hit of the season, he leads all of baseball in that category!  It also set a new Phillies single season record for pinch hits.  Yates then uncorked a wild pitch with Jimmy Rollins at bat  allowing Dobbs to go to third but J-Roll and Shane Victorino came up small with a drawn-in infield and could not score the go-ahead run, Rollins grounded to first and Victorino flied out to short left.  Chase Utley bailed them both out with a two run bomb over the right field wall to put the Fightins up two!  It was Utley’s first hit of the entire series.  The hit was huge as it looked as if another opportunity was about to be wasted. 

J.C. Romero pitched a perfect eighth aided by a fine fielding play by J-Roll on the third out.  Jayson Werth reached on a walk in the bottom of the eighth, advanced to second on a ground out, to third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball!  Thank you Pittsburgh!  Ryan Madson finished the game to earn his first save as he also had a perfect inning.  Eyre was the pitcher of record and got credited with a win in his first Phillie appearance.

The Marlins beat the Mets so with the win the Phillies division lead extended to two games over the New Yorkers.  I have a feeling that cushion will be needed as our Fightins head out on a key road trip.

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As noted the Phillies head into a crucial part of their schedule as they head to the west coast to take on the Dodgers and Padres for the next seven games.   They begin a four game set with the Dodgers on Monday evening.  Brad Lidge was not available for action for the second consecutive night as he is being rested with right shoulder stiffness.   I almost get the feeling that the Fightins would prefer to be on the road, they seem tighter in front of the home crowd, just an observation but we will see how these next seven go and if the offense hits a hot spell again!  Let;s hope Manny isn’t Manny or the Phillies pitch around him!

The game was delayed close to two hours as severe thunderstorms passed thru the Delaware Valley. In some areas, such as where I live, pellets of hail fell from the sky!  Citizens Bank Park has tremendous drainage as well as a great grounds crew and that combination enabled the game to be played! 

The offensive drought ended in the Phillies first at bat as team leader Jimmy Rollins led off the home first with a triple to deep right.  Shane Victorino then plated Rollins with a double to right field.  Ryan Howard capped the first inning scoring with an RBI single to score Victorino.

Brett Myers made that lead stand up thru seven frames as he limited the Bucs to four hits.  The only run he allowed came in the fourth frame.  Nate McClouth doubled to right field to score Doug Meintkiewcz.   The Phillies scored their third run of the game in the home seventh as Rollins again tripled to right field, his fourth hit of the game!  Victorino again knocked in his top of the order partner with a single to left field this time.  When these two are making things happen the Fightins are tough to beat!  The leadoff tandem had six hits in the game between them.

Myers pitched into the eighth inning and recorded two outs but was touched for a double by Chris Gomez and was lifted in favor of J.C. Romero who came in to end the inning.  Myers was not happy about being lifted and voiced his opinion openly on the mound to the skipper Charlie Manuel.  Manuel confronted Myers in the dugout and the TV cameras caught the brief nose to nose “discussion”.   Myers is a competitor but Skipper Manuel has proven he is in control of this ship and will take no guff from his players.  As you might tell I am a Charlie Manuel fan and incidents like this are why.  He handled it promptly and put it to rest.  In my opinion he is an excellent manager simply by the way he handles his people.  Players are not encumbered on this team but there is one boss and he will not be shown up!

Jayson Werth led off the bottom of the eighth with a triple off the right field wall.  Greg Dobbs singled him in for the fourth run of the game.  Dobbs was two for three in game, he was lifted for pinch hitter Eric Bruntlett who stayed in the game to play third base in the ninth.

Chad Durbin pitched the ninth inning as Brad Lidge was given the night off.  Durbin gave up a run but was able to finish and earn the first save of his career.   I know from experience that closing a game is a bit harder than pitching the set up innings!  Good job Chad in ultimately coming thru!

Chatter

The team officially retired number 36 in honor of Robin Roberts before the game.  Roberts is a Hall of Famer and was the ace of the 1950 Whiz kids that went to the World Series.   Jamie Moyer takes the hill tommorrow, the 46 year old plans on being back with the team next season to honor his contract, in fact when asked by a reporter he stated he would not rule out playing till 50!  John Russell, the Pirates skipper, who caught Moyer when they were teammates in Texas thinks he possibly could !

Joe Blanton made his third start since being acquired from the Oakland A’s for the Fightins, this time against the St. Louis Cardinals, in Busch Stadium, St. Louis.  BLanton was very effective thru seven frames as he held the Redbirds to only one run on four hits.  He had a shutout thru six innings but Ryan Ludwick, who is on a tear, tagged him for a long home run in the seventh.

Blanton was staked to a two run lead early in the game as Greg Dobbs hit a solo home run in the third inning and Ryan Howard slammed his 31st home run of the season in the fourth inning.  Braden Looper pitched six very good innings for St. Louis as he only gave up three hits but two were the long balls. 

Eric Bruntlett was picked off first base by Cards catcher Yadier Molina in the eighth frame, Molina has a cannon and it marked the 45th time in his career that he has picked a runner off first!  The Molina brothers are surely very good defensive catchers, ( older brother Benji catches for the San Francisco Giants and younger brother Jose catches for the New York Yankees).

J.C. Romero and Chad Durbin pitched the eighth inning, Romero was touched for a single before getting a strikeout.  He was pulled in favor of Durbin with right handed hitters coming up for the Cards.  Durbin came in a coaxed a double play ground ball from Joe Mather to end the inning.  He threw nothing but sliders to Mather as the young man looks like a dead red fast ball hitter.  The double play was key as it left Albert Pujols standing in the on deck circle!

Brad Lidge pitched the ninth inning and earned his 27th save of the year.  He struck out two batters in the inning.  The Phillies are 49 and 0 when leading after eight innings this year.  Lidge is perfect in save chances this year.  Big win for the Fightins as they struggled offensively but the pitching came thru big time!

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Rudy Seanez was put on the disabled list prior to the Cardinal series and left hander Les Waldron was recalled from Triple A Lehigh Valley.  Waldron has previous big league experience with the Cubs and Royals, seventeen games in total, most recently with Chicago in 2006.  Despite a right handed starter on the hill for the Cards skipper Charlie Manuel chose to play Jayson Werth in right field rather than left handed swinger Geoff Jenkins.   It is not a pure platoon and many times Charlie seems to play a hunch as to whom starts or even pinch hits in situations.  He catches alot of flak when it doesn’t work but few accolades when it does! 

When Cole Hamels takes the hill for the Phillies one usually expects a quality start.  This one appeared to be no different thru three frames as Hamels allowed no Brave runs to score.  The Phillies spotted their ace to a three run lead when they scored twice in the second inning as Chris Coste singled with two outs to score Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell.  Howard had reached on a walk and Burrell had followed with a double.    The third run scored in the third inning as Shane Victorino tripled and Chase Utley scored him on a sacrifice fly.

Things got ugly for Hamels however in the fourth inning as the Braves plated nine runs!  Included in the inning were errors by Hamels and Utley that in effect made only four of the runs earned but Hamels was hit hard as he allowed five hits in the inning including a three run home run by Mark Teixeira.  Hamels was far from “ace like” in this one as he was chased after three and two thirds innings.

The FIghtins were true to their name however as they did not hang their heads and call it in.  They put up a seven spot in the fifth inning to regain the lead.  The Phillies brought ten batters to the plate in the inning.  Key blows in the inning were two out hits by Chris Coste and Greg Dobbs.  Coste delivered a single to right to score Ryan Howard and keep the inning alive.  Dobbs then smoked a three run home run to put the Phillies ahead by one!  This team has not shown any dog in them and the innning was a true reflection of team character!

The Phillies bullpen dominated their part of the contest.  Atlanta was held scoreless by Rudy Seanez, Adam Eaton, Ryan Madson, Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge.  Eaton was credited with the win while Madson, Durbin and Romero all earned holds.  Lidge earned his 23rd save and set a new team record by converting 23 consecutive save opportunities breaking the old mark set by Billy Wagner when he was a Phillie. 

Chatter

Eric Bruntlett started the game at third as Pedro Feliz again sat out with back pain.  Greg Dobbs got his 20th pinch hit of the season, a game winner at that.  Dobbs has been excellent all year at hitting in the pinch.   In order for Hamels to be a real staff ace he cannott implode in games like this one, he has dominated the Braves thus far this season but lost his composure in this one as he even errored on a throw himself trying to force a play.  I think he is an extreme talent but is still young and we fans must be patient with his continued development.   Joe Blanton takes his second turn in the rotation tommorrow in the series finale.

Talk about a challenging first assignment with your new team, Joe Blanton sure stepped into one in his first start for the Phillies.  First place on the line within the division, facing the archrival Mets in New York and just for good measure face their staff ace Johan Santana.  No pressure Joe but lets see what you can do!

 The Phillies jumped out to an early one run lead as consecutive singles by Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth allowed Burrell to score. Blanton held that lead till the Mets third at bat.  His troubles started with a four pitch walk to Met shortstop Jose Reyes. Endy Chavez then legged out an infield single to second base as Reyes was running on the pitch also.  David Wright then smoked a double down the left field line to score Reyes but Chavez was thrown out at the plate on perfect relays by Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins.  Carlos Delgado then appeared to strike out on a curve ball in the dirt but the third base umpire said he did not swing.  Two pitches later Delgado, a notorious low ball hitter, golfed a low fastball over the right field fence to give the Metropolitans a two run lead.  Blanton wriggled out the inning with no further damage. 

 Between innings Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel was ejected from the contest as he argued the lack of a call in the Delgado at bat.  On the replay it did appear that Delgado broke his wrist on the swing.

The Mets added two more runs in the sixth inning as with two outs Blanton issued a four pitch walk to Marlon Anderson.  The walk once again burnt the right hander as the next batter Ramon Castro deposited a hanging slider over the left field wall.  The Phillies got one back in the top of  the seventh as Shane Victorino touched Santana for a solo home run to left field. 

 Blanton was pulled after six innings, an inauspicious debut for the Fightins at best.  The Mets loaded the bases in the seventh but did not score as Chase Utley made a diving catch on a line drive hit with mustard by hot dog pinch hitter Fernando Tatis.  Pat Burrell doubled in the Phillies eighth but was stranded on base.  Santana pitched eight innings, he issued no walks in the contest, in his three starts against the Fightins he has given no free passes.

With Billy Wagner ailing the Mets summoned Duaner Sanchez to close but he could not get the job done as he gave up consecutive singles to Jayson Werth, Greg Dobbs and Shane Victorino.  Joe Smith came in and faced Carlos Ruiz who hit a ground ball to short that Jose Reyes played badly as Victorino beat him to second on a fielders choice, Werth scored on the play.  The Mets then went to left hander Feliciano to face So Taguchi who came up huge with a double to right field to tie the game, it was Taguchi’s first pinch hit of the season!  Mr. Clutch Jimmy Rollins  then plated two more with a line double to left field. The Mets got a “Bronx cheer” as Chase Utley grounded out to second pushing Rollins to third, Pat Burrel was then intentionally walked.  Rollins scored on an bobbled ball hit back to the box by Ryan Howard that Feliciano could have had a inning ending double play on!  Aaron Heilman then became the Mets fourth pitcher of the inning as he came to face Jayson Werth who led off the inning and walked him!  He finally got out of the inning as Dobbs popped to short.

Brad Lidge pitched the ninth inning and gave up one run but earned his 22nd save of the year.  Chad Durbin was credited with the win.  Mets fans were stunned by the outcome as the comeback win was a definite deflator!

 Chatter

 Endy Chavez was thrown out at the plate twice in the contest, once from left field and the other from right.  Luis Aguayo, the Mets third base coach was overly aggressive on both plays as Chavez was out by a lot each time.  Carlos Ruiz had a couple of hits for the Fightins which is a good sign as he has struggled mightily recently.  The Phillies have held first place since May 31st, the last time the Mets held first by themselves this year was in April.   The Phillies are now 4 and 7 against New York with seven games remaining in the season series, must win the head to head games if title is to be claimed.  As Jimmy Rollins said in the post game interview this is only one game so must come back tommorrow night fightin just as hard!

The Philadelphia Phillies scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to beat the Washington Natonals 1-0 on Tuesday night.  Pitch hitter Greg Dobbs singled in Eric Bruntlett for the run in the ninth inning.

Starting pitcher Cole Hamels pitched seven innings while only giving up four hits in the game. Hamels got the no decision since there was no run support early in the game.  Tom Gordon picked up the win as he pitched the eighth inning.  Gordon is now 4-2 on the season.  Brad Lidge picked up the save which was his 11th of the season.

The Phillies struggled at the plate as they eight hits in the game but never got the big hit they needed until the ninth inning.  If the Phillies want to really contend in the division for the entire year, they are going to have to get those runs in early in the game.

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