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Skipper Charlie Manuel stacked the lineup with left handed bats against Florida starter Anibal Sanchez as the young Marlins starter has struggled big time against lefties but has held opposing right hand hitters to a batting average under .200.   The Phillies jumped out early as Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a single, stole second, went to third on an errant throw by the catcher and scored on a single by Chase Utley.  Ryan Howard then plated Utley with a screaming double to the right center field wall.  Phillies starter Joe Blanton gave the lead right back though in the second as he issued two consecutive walks and paid for it as the Marlins used a sacrifice fly and ground out to tie the game!

The Fightins bounced Sanchez from the game in the second as Matt Stairs walked, went to third on a double by Carlos Ruiz and scored on a sacrifice fly by Blanton.  Ruiz scored on a single by Jimmy Rollins.  Sanchez then walked Utley and his night was over!  Ryan Howard greeted lefty reliever Mark Hendrickson with a single up the middle to score Rollins to put the Phillies up by three.  Once again Blanton gave it right back as he walked the leadoff hitter again and Mike Jacobs took him way deep to right field to make the count 5 to 4 after only 2 and 1/2 innings of play.  It only took 1 and 1/4 hours to record the first 15 outs ! 

 That score held thru five frames albeit Blanton struggled with control throughout.  He was replaced by Chad Durbin in the sixth inning.  Durbin pitched two scoreless innings.  In the Phillies seventh Shane Victorino and Chase Utley reached base on a walk and Hit by Pitch after Rollins had grounded out.  Ryan Howard then hit a ground ball to second that could have been an inning ending double play had Utley not went hard into the bag preventing Marlin shortstop Hanley Ramirez from making a throw…………… big little thing that produces wins!  Jayson Werth then blasted a three run home run to center field to put the Phils up by four!  He would not have even batted if not for the all out hustle and slide of Mr. Utley !

J.C. Romero came into the eighth, got one out but then gave two right back as he issued a walk and then saw Cody Ross slam a fast ball into the left field seats.  Charlie then went to Ryan Madson and he got one out before getting slammed for a double by Josh Willingham.  Charlie came out once again and brought in Scott Eyre who threw one pitch to end the inning.  Whatever the cost of getting Kyle Farnsworth from the Tigers was in my opinion would have been worth it as I do not know how long Charlie can piece together the eighth inning hold situations !

Brad Lidge pitched the ninth inning and earned his 35th save in 35 tries despite some heart thumping as Florida put two runners on, Lidge struck out the last two batters to end it.  The Phillies are now 65 and 0 when leading after eight.  Jimmy Rollins scored three runs and had three stolen bases in this one as he collected three hits, another of the key little things, J-Roll set the table and put the pressure on the Fish throughout.

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The one and two thirds outing was the shortest of the 24 year old Anibal Sanchez’s career.  He is coming off shoulder surgery and obviously is still not right with his mechanics.  Kyle Kendrick gets a shot at redemption tommorrow night as he gets the start against the Fish.  Kendrick usually pitches well at home, his struggles have been all on the road thus far,  I expect the young man to step up as he is an 11 game winner so far this year therefore has the ability……….. just has to keep the sinker down as these Marlins swing from the heels and are definitely all or nothing hitters.   Third base coach Steve Smith was back in the box after serving a two game suspension for being run from a game in Washington last week,  Lehigh Valley triple A manager Dave Humpert had filled in for Smith in New York for the first two games of that series.   Ryan Howard had another mental block on a throwing play in this game in the second inning when he had a play at home but did not make the throw opting instead to let a run score and tag the runner coming to first, don’t know what it is but he has to cut it loose !

The way Pedro Martinez throws the ball nowadays certainly does not strike fear in the heart of any opposing batter.  Martinez relies on savy and location and is far removed from the power pitcher he was some five years ago.   The same can be said of Phillies starter Jamie Moyer so this matchup was going to be won by whichever veteran had the most command of their control.   The Phillies jumped on Martinez in the second inning as Jayson Werth reached base on a walk and then went to third on a double by Greg Dobbs that was badly misplayed by Met right fielder Fernando Tatis.  Guess if you play a hot dog out of position every now and again you will get some mustard on your face!  Matt Stairs then produced a very professional at bat as he waited for a pitch that he could drive and hit a long sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Werth.  Carlos Ruiz then hit a clutch single to drive home Dobbs who had advanced to third on the sac fly. 

In the Phillies fourth Ryan Howard led off with a double to center field followed by Jayson Werth with a single to put runners on first and third.  Greg Dobbs then belted his second big hit of the game as he took a rare Martinez fast ball over the right field wall for a three run home run!  Carlos Ruiz then doubled down the right field line, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Moyer and scored on a misplayed fly ball by Met left fielder Evans, another guy playing out of position,  that fell in for a double for Jimmy Rollins.

Martinez was done after four innings and left trailing the contest 6 to 0.  Meanwhile Jamie Moyer was brilliant in this one as he pitched seven shutout innings limiting the Mets to only two hits, his location was excellent and had the Met hitters lunging and popping up throughout his stint.  He recorded 12 fly outs and 8 ground outs while striking out one and the Mets only had one runner reach scoring position !  Scott Eyre came on to pitch the eighth and gave up three consecutive doubles after recording two outs that plated two Met runs.  Eyre came up big to end the inning as he struck out Carlos Delgado after going 3 and 1 on the count to him!  Ryan Madson got the first out in the ninth as he struck out Tatis but then gave up a baltimore chop single to Damien Easley and Charlie went to J.C. Romero who came in to get a double play ground ball to end the game! 

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Charlie Manuel played a hunch again at third base as he started Greg Dobbs again instead of Pedro Feliz.  Dobbs came thru big time and even played an excellent defensive game at third which is not his strong suit.   Ryan Howard made a tremendous defensive play at first base on a scorched ground ball by Carlos Delgado in the third inning.  Pat Burrell got the start off as Charlie chose to go with Matt Stairs in his starting outfield, that paid off for the Fightins as well.  All those moves are what makes Charlie a very good manager to me, anyone can second guess game moves but this guy gets his personell and knows how to use it!  Big game still left for the Fightins in the nightcap of the day/night doubleheader but to me a win there is gravy, Santana will be tough, lets see if our young “ace” Hamels learned from Myers and Moyer !  They got into the Mets heads already with these first two games, can really produce some doubts if it becomes a sweep !  Carlos Ruiz deserves some props in this one as he had three hits in the game.

The Mets sure must be counting on Santana tonight as they used relievers Feliciano, Heilmann, Figueroa and Sanchez in this one albeit none for more than an inning.  Will see if that has any effect on the night game.  The Phils used Eyre, Madson and Romero as well so at the least neither team used their closers.

After seeing the Chicago Cubs in action the first two games of this series I am more than convinced that they are indeed the best team in baseball this season.  The Cubs have all areas covered, pitching, defense, and the ability to score in multiple ways and all of those pursuits were on display in game two of the series.

Joe Blanton took the starting assignment for the Phillies and did not pitch badly as he went five and 2/3 innings giving up two earned runs on two hits.  Blanton’s problem was control as he walked five batters including the bases loaded in the sixth inning.  The Phillies had spotted Blanton an early lead as Chase Utley scored in the first inning on an RBI single by Pat Burrell.  The Phillies went up 2-0 in the top of the fifth as Utley scored on a throwing error by Cubs right fielder Fukodome.  Ryan Howard had singled to right field and Fukodome hit him in the back rounding first on his throw to the plate.  Utley had actually stopped at third and advanced home on the errant throw.

The Cubs got a gift run back in the home fifth as Mark DeRosa scored on pinch hitter Darryl Ward’s ground ball that was scored as a fielders choice.  In truth Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins blew a sure fire double play as he tossed the relay throw over Howard’s head at first base.  Rollins throw was made errant by the slide of Henry Blanco going into second base.  Blanco slid late and rather than put the throw between his eyes Rollins tried to avoid him with it and tossed it high to first.  Old school shortstops would have put Blanco in the hospital!

In the home sixth the Cubs tied the game as after Blanton had loaded the bases Scott Eyre came on in relief and promptly walked in the tying run before recording the final out.  The Cubs are very patient at the plate and make pitchers work to get them out.  On numerous occassions they worked the count deep and actually collected seven walks in the game. 

Chicago took the lead in the seventh as Alfonso Soriano belted a Clay Condrey fastball deep into the left center field seats.  The Wrigley wind was blowing in so Soriano truly smoked this pitch to cut thru the teeth of the wind!  Carlos Marmol pitched in both the eighth and ninth innings to close out the game for Chicago and encounted no problems whatsoever as he sat down every batter he faced.  He has a nasty slider and is a strike thrower, Cubbies did not use Kerry Wood at all as he was given the day off, Marmol is an all-star himself so there was no need.

Examples of Chicago’s complete game efforts were the exempliary play of first basemen Derrick Lee who dug various balls out of the dirt at first base, made an over the shoulder running play on a pop up down the right field line in the ninth and on every occassion where he had to throw made perfect tosses to the receiver!  Chicago pitching was dominant in all areas, starting, middle relief and closing. The offense was patient, worked the count and played to situations, hitting the ball to the left side to move runners, waiting for pitches that allowed them to do so and then jumping on pitches when afforded the opportunity.   This team is the real deal and should indeed break that Chicago curse!

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The umpiring in this ballgame left alot to be desired for both sides.  The home plate umpire was brutal on balls and strikes and showed no consistency whatsover.  He caught grief from both sides all day long!  The first base umpire blew two consecutive calls, on the first he called Utley safe on a double play where the ball clearly beat him but on the very next play he called Howard out on a play where Howard did beat the throw!  At second base on a steal play a Chicago runner was called safe on a tag omission when the replay showed that Rollins indeed tagged him.  It was the first game this season where I actually noticed the officiating, I know my Mets counterpart writer on metshomeplate.com  has stated she has seen differently this year but for the most part I have thought officiating has been good this season, not in this one though!   Buster Olney of ESPN reports that Matt Stairs will be coming to the Phillies from Toronto and that recently recalled Fabio Castro is the player being sent to the Jays by the Phillies.  Castro warmed up in the game in the ninth but did not get in.   If the Mets win tonight at Florida they will go two up on the Fightins.  I have a hard time seeing the Phillies beating the Cubbies in the next two so that Division title may be slipping away again!  They proved me wrong against the Dodgers so maybe they will again here……………… the Dodgers are not the Cubs though as after they left Philly they went to Washington and got smoked by the Nats!  We will see…………stay tuned.

Johan Santana vs Kyle Kendrick certainly seems like a mismatch but someone forgot to tell Kendrick!  Ryan Howard spotted Kendrick an early lead in the very first inning as he belted a Santana fastball over the left field wall to score Jimmy Rollins in front of him.  Rollins had led off the game with a single.  The Mets had taken the first lead in the top half of the inning as Jose Reyes scored on a Carlos Delgado single.   In the Phillies second Jayson Werth took Santana deep with a solo home run to left field to make the count 3 to 1. 

Carlos Delgado took Kendrick deep to right field in the top of the sixth to make the count 3 to 2.  After Carlos Beltran got an infield single Charlie Manuel went to his bullpen to bring in Scott Eyre. Eyre got out of the inning with no further scoring setting up Kendrick as the potential game winner.  Eyre also pitched the seventh and did a great job as he got every batter he faced out.  Huge effort by him with the bullpen lean for the game.  Rudy Seanez attempted to hold the lead in the eighth and got two outs but Carlos Delgado took him out to left field to knot the game at three.   When Carlos Beltran squibbed an infield single Charlie came and got Seanez and brought closer Brad Lidge into the eighth inning for the first time this season.  Beltran stole second base which then prompted an intentional walk to Ryan Church to set up a confrontation with rookie Dan Murphy who lined a Lidge slider to right field for a double  to score Beltran that put the Mets in the lead.  Brian Schneider then blooped a single over third base to put the Mets up by three as both Church and Murphy scored.

Twenty three year old Andrew Carpenter, just recalled specifically for this game,  made his big league debut for the Phillies in the ninth as the bullpen was completely spent the night before.  Carpenter pitched a scoreless inning in his first outing, probably will be optioned back to Reading after the game as the team needs to bring back the extra bat!

Luis Ayala got the job done in this one for the Mets and the game was won by New York 6 to 3.  The Phillies concluded the homestand with a 7 and 2 record and take to road trailing the Mets by 1/2 game.

One thing that was pretty evident during the game, these guys don’t dislike each other as much as the fans of each team dislikes the other team!  Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado on numerous occassions were shown talking, joking and smiling with Phillies players on the base paths, seemed like a sunday afternoon recreation game at times!  Phillies announcer Gary Mathews commented that back in the day no one talked to the opponents as games were more intense.  I don’t doubt today’s players intentions to win but it is hard to bill this as a rivalry if the guys are so chummy!

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The Braves traded Mark Kotsay to the Red Sox for a minor league outfielder, would have been a nice addition for the Phils.  As noted the Phillies did make a roster move to add a pitcher for the game as the bullpen was completely spent last night, righthander Andrew Carpenter was recalled from Double A Reading and Andy Tracy was designated.  This leaves the team with only four bench players.  The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Todd Zolecki reports that the Phils have had informal talks with Jamie Moyer about returning next year.  Moyer has stated he plans on pitching again in 2009 and would like to return to Philly.  The team has also had preliminary discussions with Pat Burrell about returning as Burrell also is a free agent.  Hard to find players who actually want to play in Philly!  Got two there that do and are quality, should sign both!

The Phillies play the next ten games on the road beginning with four in Chicago where the Cubs are 49 and 19 so far this season.  They then have three in Washington and then the final three contests of the season with the Mets in New York.   The Mets take to the road for six as they play three in Florida and then three in Milwaukee.   Another telling stretch for both clubs.

Jose Reyes is a hot dog but he is a very talented player as well.  Reyes led off the game with a triple off of Phillies starter Jamie Moyer and scored on a single by Damien Easley.  Easley scored the second run of the initial Mets at bat as Fernando Tatis singled him in.  The Phillies put two runners on with one out in their half of the first but Mets starter Pedro Martinez struck out Ryan Howard on three pitches and then also k’d Shane Victorino.   Damien Easley extended the New York lead in the second inning as he belted a solo home run to left center field with two outs.

The Mets busted the game open in the third inning as Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado got back to back singles and then Fernando Tatis belted a three run home run.  Tatis skipped across the plate when he crossed it, someone is gonna get this hot dog somewhere down the road, not wise to show up opponents!   The key to the Mets success against Moyer was the approach, they laid off pitches out of the zone and forced Moyer to come in when behind in the count and then pounded him.   Even Pedro Martinez got a hit in his second at bat!  Moyer gave up six earned runs and nine hits in the three innings he worked.  He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the Phillies third at bat.

Damien Easley tripled to lead off the Mets fourth and scored the seventh New York run when David Wright grounded out to second base.  Despite being down six runs the Phillies did not play the infield in and conceded the run.  The Phillies scored a run in the bottom of the fourth as Pedro Feliz hit a sacrifice fly to center field to knock in Victorino.

Relief pitcher Clay Condrey started the Phillies fifth as he doubled down the left field line, it was Condrey’s first career extra base hit and only his third hit ever!  Jimmy Rollins then belted a Martinez hanging curve into the right field seats to plate two for the Fightins.  Chase Utley followed by drawing a walk, Ryan Howard then hit a  bomb to left field to score Utley ahead of him and make the count 7 to 5. 

The Mets loaded the bases in the sixth inning with one out but Scott Eyre was able to get Carlos Delgado to ground into a double play without allowing a score!  The two teams had already played for 2 and 1/2 hours by the middle of the sixth inning!  Pedro was pulled after five as Mets skipper Jerry Manuel went to his bullpen, first call Brian Stokes.  Jimmy Rollins singled with two outs in the sixth inning which marked the ninth consecutive plate appearance where he reached base! 

Stokes threw two shutout innings for New York and was replaced by Duaner Sanchez in the eighth. Sanchez only got one out before yielding a single to Carlos Ruiz and was lifted in favor of Pedro Feliciano.  Chris Coste greeted Feliciano with a single and Jimmy Rollins then singled to right field to score Ruiz.  Nobody booed Rollins as he reached base for the 10th consecutive time going 5 for 5 in the contest!  Feliciano did strike out Chase Utley with runners on first and third to temporarily keep the Phillies at bay.  Jerry Manuel then brought in Joe Smith to face Pat Burrell.  Smith got Burrell to fly out to left field to end the inning.

Brad Lidge pitched the ninth and buzzed Fernando Tatis with a fastball before striking him out on two low and away sliders.  Message served.  Eric Bruntlett smoked a pinch hit double with two outs in the Phillies ninth and scored Jayson Werth who had singled earlier in the inning to tie the game!  The Mets bullpen once again blew a save opportunity!  Jose Reyes saved a ninth inning loss for the Mets by making a diving stop on a grounder up the middle to throw out Ruiz and send the contest to extra frames.

This was a great game to watch but I thought it would never end!  As the stroke of midnight came and wenth the two teams had played over five hours!  Shane Victorino led off the 13th inning with a triple down the right field line to force the Mets hand.  They walked the next two hitters to load the bases.  Brett Myers was used as a pinch hitter for Rudy Seanez and was obviously told to not swing as he watched six pitches in striking out.  Chris Coste smoked a liner to center, his fourth hit of the game to score Victorino with the game winner !

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The Phillies offense struggles with pitchers who feature off speed pitches as their primary, Pedro at one point in the game sat down seven consecutive hitters spotting an 84 to 88 mph fastball but mostly working on changeups.  Jimmy Rollins was the only Phillie to solve him early as he had two hits in his first two at bats.  Pedro had five strikouts thru three innings and never broke 90 mph!  They did get to him in the fifth as they forced him to come up in the zone by laying off pitches and putting him in fastball counts.   Both these teams can hit but it sure is a chess match as to how!

The game was once again sold out, the 44th time this season which ties a Phillies club record. Carlos Ruiz made his major league debut at third base in the ninth inning as the Phillies saved Eric Bruntlett to pinch hit in the home ninth, made Charlie look like a genius, Bruntlett then played third base in the extra innings!  The Phillies carry twelve pitchers on the roster and many times are caught short with position players in late innings.

The Phillies offense came out of its shell for a second consecutive game as the Fightins pounded the L.A. Dodgers 9 to 2 in a nationally televised game to go up two games in this four game series.  Pat Burrell blasted his 30th home run of the season in the first inning plating three runs.  Burrell hit the ball off the left field foul pole to spot starter Cole Hamels with an early lead.    Hamels went seven strong innings giving up five hits and two runs.  He was touched for the two runs in the third inning as Russell Martin hit a two run home run.

The Phillies busted the game open in the fifth and sixth innings scoring three runs in each frame.  In the fifth Dodger center fielder Matt Kemp lost a fly ball hit by Pat Burrell in the high Philadelphia sky and the ball fell untouched for a double!  Jimmy Rollins scored on the play, Ryan Howard then smoked a double to center field to knock in two more runs.  In the sixth Burrell again figured in the scoring mix as he singled to knock in Hamels.  Shane Victorino then singled to knock in Burrell and Chase Utley.   Scott Eyre and Rudy Seanez finished out the game on the mound for the Phillies to book the win.

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Geoff Jenkins was placed on the fifteen day disabled list with a hip sprain.  Andy Tracy was recalled from Triple A to take Jenkins roster spot.  Tracy has previous major league experience as he played for the Montreal Expos and Colorado Rockies.  Tracy is a veteran player and is 35 years of age.  His primary position is first base but will serve as a left handed bat off the bench for the Fightins.  Pat Burrell had five RBI’s in the game matching his career high.  This has been a season of offensive spurts for the Fightins and hopefully this is a spurt that lasts thru the playoffs!  Sometimes playing better teams actually makes you play better yourselves and the Fightins certainly are in the midst of a challenging run with two left with the Dodgers, then two with the Mets and four with the Cubbies.  The last two games the hitters have been much more aggressive early in the count and have been successful, they are dead red fast ball hitters and if opposing pitchers try to use the heat to get ahead in the count this team can make you pay! 

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!

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 woes continued for the Fightins as Pittsburgh right hander Paul Maholm held the team scoreless thru seven frames on five hits.  Maholm mixed his pitches well,  in particular spotting a nasty hook to keep the hitters off balance.  He struck out the side in the sixth in the midst of a streak of five straight k’s!  Maholm matched his career high of ten strikeouts in the contest.  Maholm was lifted in the top of the eighth for a pinch hitter.

Joe Blanton was even more stingy as he limited the Bucs to only one hit thru seven frames while racking up seven punch outs himself.  He pitched down in the zone the whole game and had only one ball hit hard off of him to the outfield, a line out to right by Brandon Moss who came to the Bucs in the three way Manny deal before the deadline from the BoSox.  Big Joe was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh and deserved a much better fate than a no decision.

Super dependable right hander Chad Durbin pitched a perfect eighth for the Fightins setting the game up for late inning heroics.  Pat Burrell came oh so close to delivering in the home eighth as he crushed a ball to left………… Harry the K started the “outta here” call but the wind was swirling in hard from left and knocked the ball down big time to reduce it to just a fly ball caught on the track!

Durbin got the first out in the ninth and then was lifted in favor of left hander J.C. Romero.  Romero kept the bullpen perfection in tact as he ended the inning on two groundouts. The Phillies continued their scoreless drought in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.  Romero got the first two Pirates in the tenth and then  Brad Lidge was called upon to enter the game and promptly  gave up a check swing single to .161 hitting outfielder Steve Pearce.  He then walked Juan Bautista and Luis Rivas to load the bases!  Lidge then got ex-Phil Jason Michaels to pop up to the catcher to end the inning……… not a thrill ride I wanted to take!

Carlos Ruiz led off the Phillies tenth with a five pitch walk.   Ruiz advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jimmy Rollins and went to third on a ground out to first by Victorino.  With no left handers left in his bullpen Bucco skipper John Russell chose to give both Chase Utley and Ryan Howard intentional walks to load the bases.  Pat Burrell, given a second chance at heroism, failed once more as he popped up to first to end the inning!

The Pirates busted through in the 12th as Ryan Doumit doubled to lead off the inning.  He scored on a double down the left field line by Mendoza line breaker Steve Pearce.  Les Walrond gave up the lead run in his second inning of work in the contest.  He was replaced by Clay Condrey with one out in the frame and two men on.  Condrey gave up the second run with two outs on consecutive infield singles before working out of the inning.

The Phillies did not go quietly in the final at bat by putting two runners on but Craig Hansen still earned his first save of the season for Pittsburgh as Brandon Moss robbed Chase Utley on a diving catch in left field and then doubled Shane Victorino off first base as he thought the ball was thru.  The Fightins have not scored now in 23 consecutive innings as they have been shut out twice in a row.   The Mets defeated the Marlins earlier in the evening so the division lead shrinks to a mere one game.

Chatter

It seems as if Tom Gordon may require season ending Tommy John surgery after his consultation with the team physician.  Gordon will seek a second opinion before deciding on the course of action.  He is forty years young and this type of surgery takes most a couple of years to come back from.  Gordon already had Tommy John surgery early on in his career.  I wish Flash all the best as he is a true warrior who has pitched in pain the past two seasons with no complaints enduring the boo birds as well when things did not go well.   J.A. Happ was optioned to Triple A Lehigh Valley to make room for newly acquired Scott Eyre.  Happ was “hugely disappointed” he said but understood the move.  He should be back in September at the least when rosters expand.  

On four other occassions this season the Phillies offense has been completely shut down in a day game that follows a previous night contest.  This one was no exception as young Marlins hurler Chris Volstad limited the Fightins to just three hits thru six impressive innings.  Volstad had a no-hitter thru four frames.  The 21year old displayed a nasty hook to go along with a mid to low nineties fast ball.

Florida scored single runs in the second, sixth and seventh innings with center fielder Cody Ross touching home twice.  Hard luck lefty Cole Hamels did not actually pitch badly as he went six and one third innings with seven strikeouts.  He was tagged with three runs, two earned on seven hits.  Can’t win if your team doesn’t score ! 

The Phillies were limited to four hits total  in the game.  Kevin Gregg pitched the ninth to earn his 25th save of the year.   Not much excitement in this one as it was a sleepwalk, I actually fell asleep watching it!  The Mets beat the Padres so both the Marlins and Mets gained ground on the Phils.  Phillies have to find a way to win the head to head games against these two.  They are 4 and 9 against the Mets with five remaining and 5 and 7 vs the Fish with 6 remaining.  Throw in 8 against Manny and the Dodgers and it is clear if the Fightins are going to win the division they must beat quality opponents, can’t live on the laurels of the 15 remaining games against the Nats and Braves!

Chatter

During the game the team announced they had acquired left handed reliever Scott Eyre from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a class A minor leaguer.  Eyre hopefully will take some innings away from the main relief corps allowing Charlie to rest his crew between appearances.   My son in law was in attendance at the game, not sure he has ever been there when the Fightins have won,  will have to ask him, if not will suggest he stay away from the park! 

Phillies open a three game set against Pittsburgh on friday, have to take the series, a sweep would be sweet!  Juan Samuel will be added to Phillies Wall of Fame prior to friday’s game.   Samuel played for the team from 1983 to 1989 and was eventually traded to the Mets for Lenny Dykstra who became a key member of the 1993 N.L. championship team.  Sammy was fun to watch as he had all the tools but he also frustrated us fans as he seemed unable to lay off the low outside curves or sliders!  He could run like the wind and I remember many first to thirds and triples back in the day.