Game Recap:
Cole Hamels wasn't at his best, but Ryan Howard's two home runs and three Washington errors were enough for the Phillies to win their ninth game of the year against the Nationals.
What went right?
Ryan Howard went off tonight, going 2-5 with five RBI and two home runs, including a grand slam that reached the third deck at Citizens Bank Park and gave him the Philadelphia record for grand slams in a career.
Jimmy Rollins was 2-5 with a run scored, a stolen base and an RBI.
Shane Victorino was 2-4 with two runs scored.
Carlos Ruiz went 1-2 with a walk, and he scored twice.
Cole Hamels wasn't great, but he picked up his third win of the season, going six innings. He allowed six runs on eight hits and struck out seven.
What went wrong?
Raul Ibanez went 0-5.
Jayson Werth went 1-5 with two strikeouts.
The Phillies left nine men on base.
Game Analysis:
Maybe the Phillies should just play the Nationals every night. Even though the games are close, the Phils always seem to come out on top, as was the case again tonight. It's safe to say Ryan Howard is going to be haunting Shairon Martis' dreams for about the next week, because that grand slam he hit might actually be orbiting the Earth right now. Either way, it's nice to see the offense pick up Cole Hamels when he's not at his best.
The star of the night has to be Ryan Howard. The big man picked up five RBI on the night with two more home runs, and brought two more home on an error in the sixth inning that gave the Phillies a little more breathing room for the rest of the game. Sure, the Phils weren't at their best tonight, but Hamels pitched well enough to win, and the offense brought in nine runs on ten hits and three Washington errors, and that should be enough to win every night. Even though Cole's ERA is back up over five, I'm not worried about him. Even the best have off nights every now and then, and the Nationals almost always hit the Phillies hard, as I mentioned last night, so this is just another game that ended in a win for the World Series MVP.
Aside from Hamels and Howard, it was a positive night. The Phillies stole five bases, took advantage of the errors by the Nationals, and Brad Lidge got a double play to record his second straight 1-2-3 ninth inning. Like I said at the start of this...if the Phils got to play Washington for the rest of the season, I wouldn't complain, as they're supposed to win these games.
Tomorrow, the Phillies close out the series with Jamie Moyer (3-5, 7.42 ERA) going against John Lannon (2-4, 4.11 ERA). Hopefully, Moyer can pick up his 250th win tomorrow. Go Phils!
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