Game Recap:
For the second night in a row, the Phils came back against the Mets to win in extra innings. Tonight, it was Raul Ibanez who had the game winning, three run home run that put the Phillies four games ahead of New York in the NL East.
What went right?
Raul Ibanez went 1-5 with the game winning three run home run.
Chase Utley was 1-4 with an RBI, a walk and a run scored.
Jimmy Rollins went 1-4 with a run scored.
Pedro Feliz went 3-4 and scored twice.
Shane Victorino was 1-5 with a run scored.
Chris Coste went 2-4.
Jamie Moyer pitched another solid game, giving up just three runs on eight hits in six innings of work. He struck out three and walked none.
The bullpen was great once again, allowing just one hit in four innings of work.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-4 with two strikeouts.
Jayson Werth went 0-5 with three strikeouts.
Game Analysis:
These games aren't good for my heart, but I'll take them every day of the week. When I player I love (RRRAAUUUUULLLL!!!) hits a game winning homer to beat a team I hate, it just makes the win feel that much better. Add to that the fact that this was the second straight come from behind extra innings win for the Phillies against the Mets, and the game just keeps getting sweeter. The Phils finished their ten game road trip 7-3, and considering two of those losses came in the ninth inning or later against the best team in baseball, I'll take that any day of the week.
Not only was the bullpen great again tonight, but Jamie Moyer was on point once again. This was the fifth start in a row for Moyer where he's lasted at least six innings, and while he gave up eight hits, this is the kind of effort people should expect from Moyer from now on. He's not going to throw a no hitter, but as long as he can keep the Phillies in the game, they'll have chances like this, and that's what they need out of him right now, considering how well the rest of the starters have been pitching lately.
While Raul Ibanez and Chase Utley are expected to get the hits for the Phillies, and they did tonight, Pedro Feliz has quietly been having a great season at third base. His defense has once again been awesome, but his bat has been great as well. In the last 15 games, Pedro has a hit in 13 of them, and while he only saw six pitches tonight, he hit three of them for base hits. His .312 batting average is well above his career average, and if the guys in front of him keep hitting, his RBI totals should start climbing again, too. Of course, he's going to need Ibanez to stop hitting so many homers, but I doubt that he's complaining.
There is not much that could bring me down tonight. The Phillies took seven out of ten on what looked like it was going to be a brutal road trip, and if not for a few bad breaks, they could have won all ten games. Now, they get to come home for the first time this month and experience interleague play once again, as the Boston Red Sox are in town. Tomorrow, Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.46 ERA) faces off against Jon Lester (5-5, 5.09 ERA). Let's see if the Phils can do better against the American League this regular season than they did last year.
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