Game Recap:
Brad Lidge blew his second save of the season, but the Phillies rallied for three tenth inning runs to give them the win over the Reds.
What went right?
Ryan Howard went 1-4 with a walk and two runs scored.
Jayson Werth was a run scoring machine, crossing the plate three times to go along with a hit and two walks.
Raul Ibanez had the biggest hit of the game with his RBI double in the tenth inning. He finished the game 1-5 with an RBI.
Brian freaking Schneider was 3-4 with a three run home run and two runs scored.
Wilson freaking Valdez went 2-4 with a three run home run and four RBI.
Joe Blanton had another solid start, allowing three runs on eight hits in 7.2 innings of work. He walked two and struck out two.
What went wrong?
Greg Dobbs started at third base, and went 0-3.
Brad Lidge blew his second save of the season, giving up a three run home run to Joey Votto with two outs in the ninth inning. In fact, the Reds managed a walk, a single and then the home run all with two outs. Lidge still ended up with the win, though.
Game Analysis:
On a day when both Chase Utley and Placido Polanco headed to the disabled list, the Phillies needed their bench players to step up. They did that on this day, with Brian Schneider and Wilson Valdez hitting three run home runs, and then they got the big at bats from their remaining stars, as Raul Ibanez drove in the game winning run with an RBI double in the top of the tenth inning to give the Phils the win.
After a poor showing last night against Cincinnati, the Phils needed to come out tonight and make a statement, and they did that off of Mike Leake. The rookie was hit for seven hits and six runs in six innings as the Phils were able to jump on him for two three run shots from the bottom of their lineup. Both Brian Schneider and Wilson Valdez stepped up big tonight, with Schneider picking up three hits, and Valdez driving in four runs. These are the players that the Phillies are going to need to have step up over the next few weeks. With both Chase Utley and Placido Polanco headed to the disabled list for a while, the Phillies are thin in the infield all of a sudden. They've gone from having one of the best infields in the National League to having just Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard playing with a bunch of career backups. That's not necessarily a good thing, since most teams can pitch around Rollins and Howard to get to the weak links in the lineup now. The big bats still need to get their hits, and tonight, they did that when it mattered the most.
In the tenth inning, after Brad Lidge had blown a three run lead, the Phillies had the heart of their lineup coming up against Arthur Rhodes, a man who had given up all of one earned run this entire season coming into tonight. Ryan Howard promptly doubled, and was followed up with a Jayson Werth walk. After Charlie Manuel was ejected for arguing balls and strikes, Raul Ibanez launched a double that was almost caught, but ended up scoring Howard. After a single by Ben Francisco and a safety squeeze from Wilson Valdez, the Phillies had tagged Rhodes for three runs in a single inning and had their three run lead back. It was exactly what this team needed to do tonight. They needed to make a statement, and they did just that.
Of course, it never should have come to the tenth inning tonight. Joe Blanton pitched his third straight solid start, and should have had his fourth win of the season if not for Brad Lidge. Blanton pitched into the eighth inning, giving up just three runs on eight hits. It was another typical Joe Blanton start, and it looks like he's getting himself back into form after a rough start to his season. He looks like he's back in game shape, and he threw 117 pitches tonight, which is the most he's thrown this season. With Blanton getting back to where he needs to be, the starting rotation is fairly solid at the moment. Plus, J.A. Happ threw 100 pitches tonight down in Triple A in a rehab start, so he looks like he's back on track right now. I hope Kyle Kendrick likes the bullpen.
Then, there's Brad Lidge. Tonight, he brought back all the memories from last season. After retiring the first two Reds in the ninth inning without a problem, he walked Brandon Phillips and gave up a single to Orlando Cabrera. The one batter everyone wanted Lidge to avoid was up at the plate in the form of Joey Votto, and Lidge hung a slider across the plate. Sure enough, Votto took it to right-center field for a three run home run, and the game was tied. It was Lidge's second blown save of the season, and this one never should have happened. When there are two outs in an inning, the opposing team should never be able to mount a comeback like the one the Reds staged tonight. Lidge didn't have his best stuff tonight, and it showed. He couldn't find the zone on several sliders, and the one he threw to Votto was hung on a line. Hopefully, this is just a one time deal with Lidge, but you can never tell with him. He could bounce back and pick up several saves in a row, or he could end up looking like he did last year. For the sake of the Phils right now, it had better be the former.
Not only that, but the injuries are really starting to pile up for the Phillies at the moment. Today, both Chase Utley and Placido Polanco were placed on the disabled list, leaving the Phils with holes at second and third base. Greg Dobbs and Brian Bocock were called up from Triple A, but they're not going to be able to replace either man. For the time being, it looks like the Phillies are going to have to go with a Juan Castro/Wilson Valdez/Greg Dobbs tandem at both positions, but it's just another two injuries to add to what has been a frustrating year in that department. As of today, the Phils have suffered injuries to Brad Lidge, J.C. Romero, Joe Blanton, Jimmy Rollins (twice), J.A. Happ, Carlos Ruiz, Chad Durbin, Ryan Madson, Antonio Bastardo, Placido Polanco and Chase Utley at some point during this season. That is a lot of injuries for a team to overcome, but I'm not going to make excuses. The Phillies are still a good team, even without some of those players, but losing Utley and Polanco on the same day hurts. This is going to be the biggest stretch for this team this year. If they can overcome this, then they can get through anything. Only time will tell, however.
Tomorrow, the Phillies wrap up their three game set with Cincinnati. Roy Halladay (9-6, 2.29 ERA) goes for Philadelphia, while Aaron Harang (6-7, 5.07 ERA) gets the call for the Reds.
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