Game Recap:
Despite leaving 14 men on base, the Phillies managed to hold on to beat the Brewers and trim their magic number down to just three games.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins went 3-5 with a leadoff home run.
Shane Victorino was 1-5 with two RBI.
Ryan Howard was 2-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Chase Utley was 2-5 and scored a run.
Raul Ibanez went 1-2 with three walks and scored twice.
Pedro Feliz was 1-5 with two RBI.
Paul freaking Bako went 2-5 and scored a run.
What went wrong?
Joe Blanton wasn't so hot, allowing five runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings. He walked four and struck out four.
The Phillies left 14 men on base.
Game Analysis:
It wasn't pretty...Lord knows it wasn't pretty, but the Phillies managed to hold on against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon. Joe Blanton didn't pitch well, and the offense, despite scoring six runs, managed to leave 14 men on base and make a game that should have been a blow out much closer than it had any right to be. Either way, the Phils will take it right now, since wins have been much harder to come by lately.
The Phillies got started on offense early today, scoring four times in the first two innings. After that though, they would only score two more runs the rest of the game. The biggest issue they had was leaving the bases loaded today, which they did three innings in a row. The Phillies loaded the bases in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, and only managed to get two runs out of those three huge chances. They got lucky that the Brewers weren't able to take full advantage of that and take this game, but it got close.
After pitching well in his last two starts, Joe Blanton did not look that good today. He labored through a few tough innings, and couldn't get out of the sixth without giving up a three run bomb to Mat Gamel that put the Brewers right back into the game. By the time he left, Joe had thrown 124 pitches, and he was out of gas. I'm not sure how much he has left in the tank, but if the Phillies manage to clinch the division before his next start, I would certainly consider resting him until the playoffs get here. The boy just looks like he needs to take some time off.
Like I said to start this, it wasn't a pretty win, but it was a win. The Phillies are now just three more wins away from their third straight division championship, and with the Astros and Marlins left on the schedule, it should be possible. Things looked very bleak during this series, but the Phils worked a split, and I'll take it.
Tomorrow, Cole Hamels (10-9, 4.11 ERA) takes on Houston's Yorman Bazardo (0-2, 9.55 ERA).
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