Game Recap:
Thanks to a big fifth inning, the Phillies were able to withstand Johnny Cueto and the Cincinnati Reds, extending their winning streak to five games.
What went right?
Cole Hamels had his third straight solid start, going six innings and striking out seven while allowing three runs. He also singled and scored a run in the fifth inning.
Ryan Howard went 1-3 with a home run.
Jimmy Rollins extended his hitting streak to eight games with a fifth inning double, and went 1-4 with an RBI.
Chase Utley went 1-4 with an RBI.
Pedro Feliz went 2-4 with a run scored.
What went wrong?
Jayson Werth went 0-4.
Carlos Ruiz went 0-4.
Brad Lidge picked up his eighth save, but made it quite interesting in the process, putting runners on first and second with just one out.
Game Analysis:
Cole Hamels is back, and it's great to see it. After struggling with injuries and poor starts in April, Cole has been great so far in May, going 2-0 with 23 strikeouts and only five walks. Not only that, but now he doesn't have to worry about his pitch count anymore, and he's taking full advantage of it. Considering how Jamie Moyer is pitching and Chan Ho Park was pitching, the more Cole looks like he did last year, the better.
The offense also took a page from last year's postseason run by beating Johnny Cueto with one big inning. Cueto looked good in six of his seven innings, but the Phillies sent seven men to the plate in the fifth inning and three of them scored. With Hamels pitching like he did tonight, that was more than enough. Jimmy Rollins is getting back on track, and had an RBI double in the fifth inning. It's good to see Rollins starting to hit again, because he is the engine that makes the Phillies go. When he struggles, the Phillies tend to not do as well. Since he started getting his swing back, the Phils have won five straight games, on the road. Not only that, but with Raul Ibanez, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth hitting behind Rollins, the Phils should be able to score tons of runs this year.
It wouldn't be a Phillies game without Brad Lidge making my heart beat a little bit faster, though. After not giving up a run in his last two saves, Lidge didn't have any room to work with tonight, since the Phils had only managed a 4-3 lead. After getting two men on with only one out, Lidge got into a battle with Willy Taveras and finally got him swinging. Jerry Hairston Jr popped out to end the game, and Lidge got his third straight scoreless save. It's nice to see him getting back on track, too. Much like Rollins is with the offense, Lidge is the engine in the Philadelphia bullpen. If he continues pitching like this, the Phils shouldn't have anything to worry about in the back end of that bullpen. I don't know why the Phillies are playing so well on the road, but I'm starting to think that they should just stay away from Citizen's Bank Park for the rest of the year. It might just be better that way.
Tomorrow, Jamie Moyer (3-3, 8.15 ERA) tries to get the Phillies their sixth straight win as he goes against Aaron Harang (3-4, 3.44 ERA). Hopefully, he can get back on track, just like the rest of the Phillies have.
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