Game Recap:
Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco and Jayson Werth all hit home runs as the Phillies muscled their way past the Braves in the final game of their three game series.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was 1-4 with a home run.
Placido Polanco went 2-4 with a home run and two runs scored.
Jayson Werth went 1-3 with a home run and two RBI.
Raul Ibanez was 1-3 with an RBI.
Brad Lidge worked a perfect 1-2-3 ninth inning for his first save of the year.
The rest of the bullpen was great, too. Chad Durbin struck out four in two innings, and Jose Contreras worked a perfect eighth inning to get the game to Lidge.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-3 with a strikeout.
Wilson Valdez went 0-3.
Game Analysis:
I didn't think that it was possible, but in one game we saw both the 2008 and 2009 versions of Cole Hamels. On this day, at least, the 2008 version won out, despite some strong efforts from 2009. Hamels pitched just five innings, giving up three runs on eight hits, but the fifth inning could have been much, much worse, and the fact that Hamels was able to focus and get out of the inning having only given up three runs actually speaks more about how well he's moving along out on the mound compared to last year. It also helped that the offense did their job today, getting the Phillies a lead early and allowing Hamels more leverage to work with his pitches.
Hamels did get into some trouble early when Omar Infante led off the game with a double, but he was cut down at home on a great throw by Jayson Werth. Werth would then drive in a run in the bottom of the first inning when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Raul Ibanez followed with a sacrifice fly, and the Phils had a quick 2-0 lead. Placido Polanco nailed a solo home run in the second inning, and the Phillies were off to the races with their power game once again. Werth hit his seventh home run of the season in the third inning, and that would be all that Hamels and the bullpen would need today, but Hamels cut it very close.
After coasting through the first four innings, Hamels started to come undone in a hurry in the fifth inning. He started things off by walking Kenshin Kawakami, the opposing pitcher, and then answered that by allowing singles to the next four batters. By the time people had gotten back into their seats from the end of the fourth inning, the Braves had cut the lead to just one, and had runners on first and second with no one out. If this were last season, Hamels would have given up a three run home run to the next batter and been taken out of the game. This year, however, he buckled down and did well. He struck out Brian McCann, then got Matt Diaz to ground to Ryan Howard for the second out of the inning. After walking Brooks Conrad, Hamels got Nate McLouth to ground out to Chase Utley, ending the inning and keeping the Braves behind by a run. Did Hamels have a bad inning? Of course he did. No one likes to see the pitcher give up four straight base hits and walk the opposing pitcher. However, as the score got closer, Hamels got tougher, and even made it out of the inning without giving up the lead. I don't think he would have been able to do that if this game took place last season. Everyone knows how rough Hamels had it last year, but he made it out of this game with not only a win, but a big time stop in the fifth inning, which is exactly what he needed to get some more confidence.
You also have to talk about how well the bullpen pitched today, too. After the fifth inning, the Braves didn't manage a single base runner, as Chad Durbin, Jose Contreras and Brad Lidge shut Atlanta down at the plate. Durbin was the most impressive, as he managed to strike out four batters in just two innings and continued his solid season. So far this year, Durbin has struck out 14 and walked four. When you couple that with an ERA under 2.00, you have the makings of a solid relief pitcher, and that's what he's been so far. With Ryan Madson out until mid-summer, at least, it's going to be up to pitchers like Durbin to get the job done. So far, he done just that. It's also good to see Brad Lidge pick up his first save of the year without much trouble. Though he didn't strike anyone out, he did retire the Braves in order in the ninth and he did so without much trouble. When you get two fly outs and a grounder back to the mound, you're winning the battle against the offense, and that's what Lidge got today. Since he started the season with a home run to Rod Barajas, Lidge has given up two hits and allowed no runs. That's exactly what the Phillies want to see out of their closer, and that's what the fans want to see out a man who had an ERA closer to his shoe size last year than the league average. The fact that the bullpen is pitching this well right now is a very good thing, especially considering that the starting pitching has been solid lately as well.
After a poor road trip, the Phillies came home and took care of business, winning all three series they had in Philadelphia. They took out the Mets and Cardinals, then had Jamie Moyer shutout the Braves and took the series thanks to some solid offense and great bullpen work today. A 7-3 homestand is certainly nothing to sneeze at, and it moved the Phillies into first place again, putting them two games ahead of the Mets and Nationals(!!). Now, they head back onto the road for six games against teams that have struggled so far this year. This is going to be a good test to see if the Phillies play down to their opponents again.
Tomorrow, Kyle Kendrick (1-1, 5.87 ERA) goes for the Phils as they make a trip out to Colorado to face the Rockies. Greg Smith (1-2, 6.35 ERA) will be on the hill for Colorado.
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