Game Recap:
The Phillies got nine runs in the fourth inning off of Johan Santana and then cruised to their second straight win over the Mets, putting themselves back in first place in the National League East.
What went right?
Shane Victorino went 2-5 with a grand slam.
Placido Polanco went 3-5 with two runs scored and a home run.
Chase Utley was 2-5 with a two run home run and two runs scored.
Ryan Howard went 3-4 with a solo home run. He also scored twice.
Jayson Werth was 2-4 with an RBI.
Raul Ibanez went 1-4 with an RBI.
Jamie Moyer didn't have his best stuff, but it was good enough. He allowed five runs on six hits in six innings. He didn't walk a batter, struck out two, and drew a bases loaded walk in the fourth inning that drove in a run and allowed Victorino to hit a grand slam.
What went wrong?
Rod Barajas hit another home run for the Mets. That's about it.
Game Analysis:
Anyone else remember Game 2 of the 2008 NLDS? Remember when Brett Myers worked a walk from C.C. Sabathia? Did you ever think something like that would happen again? Well, last night, it did, and it changed the way that the Phillies were playing against the Mets. Facing Johan Santana, the Phils loaded the bases after the New York ace "unintentionally-intentionally" walked Carlos Ruiz to get to the 47 year old Jamie Moyer. Now, Moyer hadn't been pitching that well through the first four innings, having allowed a three run home run to David Wright and a two run shot to Rod Barajas in the fourth inning that gave the Mets a 5-2 lead. The Phillies had gotten one of the runs back on a Raul Ibanez single, but with two outs, all it was going to take was three straight fastballs, and Moyer would be back on the mound, facing a two run hole.
Only, it didn't happen that way. Moyer worked the count, got a close call on a 2-2 pitch, and then earned a walk when Santana's 3-2 pitch went too far inside. Ibanez scored, and Shane Victorino got a chance to extend the inning. He didn't disappoint, sending a 1-0 pitch into the left field stands for a grand slam home run, and the Phillies never looked back. Chase Utley finished Santana with a two run shot of his own later in the inning, and then Jayson Werth doubled home Ryan Howard to cap the nine run outburst. After the dust settled, Santana had allowed four home runs in the game to go along with ten runs and eight hits. His ERA jumped up to 4.50 after the worst start of his career. The Mets would get just one more baserunner for the entire game, and just like that, the Phillies had sent a message to New York.
These last two games were exactly what the Phillies needed to get back on track. The end of April was not good for the Phils, who suffered from a lack of offense and were unable to back up their starting pitching, which for the most part had done very well. Now that the calender has turned to May, the Phillies look just like the team that started this season, scoring 21 runs in their last two games against the two best pitchers the Mets have. Mike Pelfrey couldn't make it through five innings against the Phillies on Saturday, and Johan Santana only made it through 3.2 innings Sunday night. These are the kind of games that set tones for the rest of the season, especially when they come against the hottest team in baseball at the moment.
After scuffling for a while, Shane Victorino has looked much better in the last few games, going 4-10 with two home runs and seven RBI in the month of May. With Jimmy Rollins still out for the foreseeable future, that is the kind of play and effort from Victorino that the Phillies are going to need. He was called out for not running out a dropped strike three on Friday night, and since then, he's been playing on a different level. Maybe that was the spark that he needed to get going again. I sure hope so.
Regardless, this team looks much improved again. After Roy Halladay shutout the Mets on Saturday, most people thought Johan Santana would return the favor on Sunday night. It didn't help matters that David Wright gave the Mets a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but home runs by Placido Polanco and Ryan Howard cut the lead to one before the fourth inning that did Santana in. The Mets were riding a wave of momentum coming into Philadelphia, but the Phillies went and ended that ride real quick. The Phils bounced back from a 9-1 loss on Friday night to take the last two games of the series by a combined 21-5 score. That's what this team needed to do against the Mets. They came out and hit them in the mouth. Now, the Phillies are back in first place, and hopefully they'll be there for a while, but the road doesn't get any easier from here.
Tonight, Joe Blanton makes his first start of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals. He'll be facing off against Jamie Garcia (2-1, 1.04 ERA).
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