Game Recap:
The Phillies used the longball to shell Kyle Loshe, getting a two run homer from Jayson Werth, and Ryan Howard's second grand slam of the season to do the damage. Joe Blanton had his best start of the year, and picked up his first win.
What went right?
Jayson Werth went 2-4 with a two run home run to break out of his recent slump.
Ryan Howard continued his domination of the St. Louis Cardinals, going 2-3 with a walk and a grand slam, tying him with a Mike Schmidt for first all time in Phillies history with seven slams.
Shane Victorino increased his hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the fifth inning.
Joe Blanton had possibly the best start for any Phillies pitcher so far this season, allowing just one run and four hits in six innings.
The bullpen once again didn't allow a run, as Scott Eyre, Ryan Madson and Chad Durbin pitched three innings of one hit baseball.
What went wrong?
Aside from Victorino's one hit, he struck out three times.
Pedro Feliz went 0-4, and damn near killed Rick Ankiel in the eighth inning on a fly ball.
Game Analysis:
This was the kind of game that the Phillies needed to win. After splitting a weather stricken series with the Mets, the Phils went to St. Louis to take on one of the best teams in the National League. Kyle Lohse hadn't been roughed around yet this season, while Joe Blanton had looked like the exact opposite of the man the Phillies had traded for last year.
Well, all of that changed tonight. After giving up an early run and getting bailed out of another one by a great play by Chase Utley, Blanton would settle down and pitch his best game of the season. He would only face trouble one more time after loading the bases with just one out in the sixth inning, but got out of it with a strikeout and a weak ground ball to short. Meanwhile, the Phillies didn't get much off of Lohse, but they had him in trouble all night, as his pitch count quickly reached 90 pitches. Of course, he'd allowed two home runs by that point, including Ryan Howard's second grand slam of the season, and the damage was done. While Blanton had trouble getting out of the fifth inning in his last few starts, this time, Lohse was gone after just four and 1/3 innings, and the Phils had the confidence they would need.
With Blanton showing tonight that he can pitch the way he did last year, that has to be a lift to the bullpen. I know I've said it time and time again, but overuse of your bullpen early can kill a team come September and October. Last year, the Phils were able to take the World Series because of how well their bullpen pitched, and if they have a bunch of arms like Chad Durbin's last September, they're not going to be doing anything but watching the World Series. Brett Myers is scheduled to pitch tomorrow, and Cole Hamels comes back hopefully on Friday. Both of those guys need to get back on track, and the Phillies shouldn't have much to worry about. Their offense has already scored 135 runs, good for seventh in baseball, so as long as their starting pitching can get back on track and stop giving up so many damn home runs, they should be just fine. In fact, if the Marlins lose tonight (the game is still going on in the 12th inning), they'll be in first place for the first time this year. Things are starting to look up.
Tomorrow, Brett Myers (1-2, 4.83 ERA) looks to keep the momentum going for the Phillies as he takes on Adam Wainwright (3-0, 2.76 ERA). After this, the Phils head to New York to take on the Mets again, so the momentum needs to continue.
Go Phils!
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