Game Recap:
The Phillies allowed five runs in the ninth inning to Minnesota before giving up four more in extra innings to fall to the Twins in a gut punch of a game.
What went right?
Chase Utley went 3-5 with a run scored and three RBI.
Ryan Howard continued his hot streak, even though he only went 1-6. The one was a two run home run.
Jayson Werth went 1-4 with a home run.
Raul Ibanez was 2-3 with a home run and a run scored.
Wilson freaking Valdez was 1-4 with a home run. Lots of home runs yesterday.
Ross Gload kept the game alive for another inning with a two out, pinch hit, solo home run in the tenth.
Cole Hamels deserved a win, allowing four runs (three earned), in seven innings of work. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out seven.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard also struck out three times, including in the ninth inning with two on and one out and again to end the game.
The bullpen was horrible yesterday, allowing nine runs in four innings. Jose Contreras gave up three, Brad Lidge blew his first save of the year and allowed two runs, Chad Durbin gave up one, and Danys Baez continued to perplex me with his being on this team by allowing three.
Game Analysis:
There is no way that this game yesterday should have ended the way that it did. Up 9-4 going into the ninth inning, the Phillies looked like they were putting the wraps on another solid showing. For the fourth straight game, the Phils had taken it to an American League division leader, and things were still looking up.
Then, the ninth inning started. Jose Contreras gave up a single to Delmon Young, and then Jim Thome nailed a 3-2 pitch deep into the Minnesota bullpen. Ok, that wasn't too bad, the fans got to see Thome take one last trip around the bases in Philadelphia, but everything after that was torture. Brad Lidge came in after Contreras walked Nick Punto, and suddenly, that five run lead didn't look so solid. Lidge did his job at first, getting Jason Kubel to pop up, but then a wild pitch and a single allowed Punto to score, and the heart of the Minnesota lineup was coming up to bat. Lidge managed to strike out Orlando Hudson, but then Joe Mauer stepped up. Mauer did what reigning MVPs do, hit a pitch just over the shorter right centerfield porch for a game tying home run, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Twins got a run in the tenth and then three in the 11th to outslug the Phillies in a game that should have been over an hour before it actually was.
This loss falls totally on the bullpen. After a three game stretch where the team looked like they were going to start playing like the 2008 Phils again, the bullpen did their best to channel the 2009 team once again. Aside from J.C. Romero, each and every relief pitcher that came into the game allowed at least two hits and a run. I don't care how many runs a team is up by, when a bullpen is pitching that badly, there is no way you're going to win. Not only that, but it wasted another great effort by Cole Hamels, who looked solid on the mound once again. His 6-5 record may not show it, but Hamels is putting up quality start after quality start. He looks more focused than ever, and he's keeping the team in the game now and not letting the little mistakes get to him anymore. It's exactly what the Phillies needed from him this year to back up Roy Halladay.
I don't think there's anything to worry about with the offense any more. Whatever happened while they were up in New York seems to have carried over with them back to Philadelphia. For the second straight game, the Phils scored eight runs in the first two innings and chased a Minnesota starter from the game. That's what this team can do, but they can't allow themselves to stop there. Against the Minnesota bullpen, the Phillies have only scored three runs, despite dominating the starters that the Twins have brought out there. It might be the matchups, or it could be something else, but the Phillies have got to finish teams when they have a big early lead. Keep up with the offensive pressure, don't let them get back into the game. It's what this team has done well over the past three years, and they need to get that part back.
It was a tough loss to swallow yesterday, no doubt about it, but that's why a baseball season is 162 games long. There are going to be some tough losses thrown in there, but you just have to suck it up and go out and play the next day. The Phillies are a mentally tough team, and they should be able to put that loss behind them and move on today.
Right now, Roy Halladay (8-5, 2.35 ERA) is on the mound for the Phillies, looking for the series win. Carl Pavano (7-6, 3.92 ERA) is going today for the Twins.
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