Game Recap:
Brian Schneider bailed out Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge with a walk-off home run in the 12th inning to give the Phillies the win tonight over the Reds.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was 3-4 with a home run.
Wilson freaking Valdez went 2-5 with a run scored.
Brian Schneider was 1-5, but it was a big one, as he hit the game winning home run in the 12th inning.
Kyle Kendrick pitched well tonight, allowing a single run on three hits in 6.2 innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out four.
Nelson Figueroa was solid out of the pen, picking up the win while pitching two scoreless innings and striking out two.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-5.
Greg Dobbs surprised no one by going 0-3.
Ryan Madson made his return from injury...and looked just like he did before, allowing a run to score on a wild pitch following a strike three call.
Brad Lidge looked even worse, surrendering the lead again thanks to two hits and a walk.
Game Analysis:
So, LeBron James is going to....oh wait, the Phillies played tonight, too! Never mind then, let's talk about them.
For most of the game tonight, it looked like the Phils had things in hand. Kyle Kendrick, believe it or not, pitched very well, and J.C. Romero got him out of trouble in the seventh inning. Of course, then the eighth and ninth innings had to come around, and things got rough from there. Ryan Madson made his first appearance since kicking a chair in San Francisco, and struck out the side, but allowed a run to score on a wild pitch following a strike three. Then, after Jimmy Rollins got the lead back, Brad Lidge blew his third save of the season by letting Miguel freaking Cairo hit an RBI double off of him. It wasn't a good night at all for the bullpen, but luckily Brian Schneider bailed them out with a walk-off home run in the 12th inning that saved the day for the Phillies.
That's not to say that the offense was stellar tonight. Shane Victorino was the big spark for the Phils, picking up three hits and starting things off with a home run, but after that, it was an atypical night for the Phillies. They had to manufacture runs, and the way that things have gone lately, you would think that they wouldn't have been able to do that. Tonight, they at least were able to, with Jimmy Rollins scoring on an error by Johnny Cueto in the third inning, and Wilson Valdez finding the plate thanks to a Rollins sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was not a pretty night for the offense, you can say that, but the fact that they managed to pick up the win after dropping two straight to the Braves is at least a step in the right direction, maybe.
Then, there's the bullpen. It's been a problem for the Phillies all season, but tonight, it was really an issue. Ryan Madson made his first appearance in over two months, and struck out the side. The only problem was that his strikeout pitch on the third batter got past Brian Schneider and allowed the tying run to score. That's how it's been for the Phillies this year out of the bullpen. They get a run in, and then they give it back. Tonight, it was thanks to some Bad News Bear type plays, but it still counts the same. Even when Jimmy Rollins gave the Phils the lead back with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth, there was still a feeling of dread, knowing that Brad Lidge was coming into the game. That feeling came to fruition tonight, as Lidge couldn't locate his fastball and allowed an RBI double to Miguel freaking Cairo, who should be the last man on the planet that drives in a game tying run with two outs in the ninth inning. Luckily for Lidge and Madson, Jose Contreras and Nelson Figueroa managed to shut down the Reds for three innings and get them off of the hook when Brian Schneider launched a pitch into the right field seats.
Let's not get too excited over this win. The Phillies are still five and a half games back of the Braves for first place, and this hole is the biggest that they've been in since September of 2007. Luckily, there's a lot of time between now and the end of the season, but this team is giving off a different feeling. They think that they should be in first place just because of who they are, not because of what they've done. It's not good enough for the Phillies right now, and this team can do better. Even without Chase Utley and Placido Polanco, the Phils should have one of the best lineups in baseball, and it's not showing at the moment. If they don't take two of the next three from Cincinnati, then I might be concerned, but it's not time to press the panic button yet.
Tomorrow, Joe Blanton (3-5, 6.27 ERA) goes against the rookie, Mike Leake (6-1, 3.38 ERA).
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