The Phils got home runs out of Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, but it was Raul Ibanez's single in the bottom of the eighth inning that allowed the Phillies to split their two game series with the Cubs.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 2-4 and scored a run.
Chase Utley was 1-2 with two walks, a solo home run and three runs scored.
Jimmy Rollins was 1-3 with a three run home run.
Raul Ibanez was 2-4 with an RBI.
Joe Blanton pitched well, going seven innings and allowing three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Jose Contreras pitched in and out of trouble in the ninth, allowing the Cubs to get runners on the corners with no outs before retiring the side for his second straight save.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-4.
Ryan Howard went 0-3 with a walk.
Ross Gload batted twice and was 0-2.
Paul Hoover went 0-3.
Antonio Bastardo faced only one batter in the top of the eighth...and gave up a game tying home run.
Game Analysis:
After not getting anything from their offense over the past two games, the Phillies came out and set an early tone this afternoon, as Chase Utley launched a Ryan Dempster pitch into the seats in the first inning. Fom there, the Phils would add three more runs on a Jimmy Rollins home run in the sixth inning, but it came down to a clutch hit by Raul Ibanez and clutch pitching by Jose Contreras to give the Phillies their first win in three games.
The offense was better today after scoring just two runs in the last two games against average pitching. Today, the Phils got runners on and actually drove them home. Though four of their five runs came on home runs, it was the final run that scored that was the biggest. With two outs in the inning, Raul Ibanez singled home Chase Utley from second with what turned out to be the game winning run. That's the same kind of play that this team had last year and for much of this year as well. When the chips are down, someone is going to step up and make a big play at the plate. Today, it was Ibanez, but tomorrow, it could be any one of the eight position players that comes to the plate in a key situation. The Phillies were also patient at the plate, walking four times compared to just three strikeouts. It wasn't their best performance on offense, but after the last two games, it was good enough.
In his fourth start of the season, Joe Blanton had another typical "Joe Blanton" start, which is that he went seven innings and allowed anywhere from three to five runs. That's what the Phillies should expect out of Blanton, and he delivered today. He was pitching even better than that through the first four innings, but he gave up a run in the fifth and then two in the seventh before getting out of trouble. Though he only threw 71 pitches, I think Charlie Manuel might have taken him out of the game at that point not only because he didn't want to risk Blanton reaggravating his injury, but he saw how Blanton had pitched in the seventh inning. In most of Blanton's starts, he has one big inning where he gives up a few runs. Though the seventh wouldn't count as a big inning, I think Charlie could see that the eighth inning could turn out that way, and decided to nip things in the bud before they even happened.
Of course, all of that didn't matter, since Antonio Bastardo allowed a Kosuke Fukudome home run to lead off the top of the eighth inning and tie the game. Luckily for Bastardo, Danys Baez came in and settled things down for the rest of the inning, and the Phils took the lead back thanks to the Ibanez single in the bottom of the eighth. Then, came the ninth, where Jose Contreras faced his first true closer situation. He hit Alfonso Soriano after an 11 pitch at bat, then had him advance to third on a Mike Fontenot single, putting runners on the corners for Starlin Castro, Chicago's best prospect. Contreras fought back and got Castro to strike out, then did the same to Aramis Ramirez before getting Geovany Soto to pop up to end the game. That is the kind of moment that Contreras was going to need to experience while still getting his feet wet at the closer position. There are going to be one run games in the ninth inning where you make mistakes and put men on. The toughest thing to do is to not let the situation get to you and make even more mistakes. Today, Contreras did just that and showed that he might just be the best pitcher for the job until Brad Lidge comes back again. That's exactly what the Phillies needed today, and they got it.
Tomorrow, interleague play kicks off for the first time this season as the Phillies welcome in the Boston Red Sox. Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.29 ERA) will go against John Lackey (4-2, 4.86 ERA).
No comments:
Post a Comment