Game Recap:
Down 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Phillies scored six runs, and then hung on in the top of the ninth to beat the Mets and win their fifth game in a row.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 with an RBI and a walk.
Placido Polanco went 1-4 with two RBI.
Mike Sweeney made his Phillies debut and went 2-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Jayson Werth was 2-4 with a run scored and a walk.
Ben Francisco went 1-2 with with two walks, a run scored and an RBI.
Carlos Ruiz continued his hot streak, picking up two more hits and an RBI.
Joe Blanton pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out four.
Chad Durbin pitched a perfect eighth inning and ended up with the win.
What went wrong?
Danys Baez started the ninth inning and picked up two outs, but was charged with two runs on two hits.
J.C. Romero couldn't record an out for the second straight game. Tonight, he allowed a three run home run, but only was charged with one of the runs. It was the only batter that he faced during the game.
The Phillies left ten men on base, including six in the first three innings.
Game Analysis:
The Phillies couldn't get anything going off of rookie Jonathon Niese through seven innings. Even though the Phils managed to get men on base with some frequency during the first three innings, they could only manage one run, and then Niese settled down. Luckily for the Phillies, those first three innings forced Niese to throw a lot of pitches, and the Mets had to go to their bullpen in the eighth inning. By the time the eighth was over, three Mets pitchers had come out of the bullpen, the Phillies had sent 11 men to the plate and six runs had scored. After a bit of a scare in the ninth inning, Brad Lidge shut the door and the Phillies had won their fifth game in a row and their 13th out of 15 overall.
Aside from the eighth inning heroics tonight, the biggest news was the fact that Joe Blanton pitched maybe his best game of the year. At a time where every Phillies pitcher has to be at their best, Blanton picked up his game and joined in on the fun. His two runs allowed tonight were tied for the fewest he's allowed this year, and he was able to avoid the big inning once again. Throughout his career as a member of the Phillies, the big inning is the thing that has kept Blanton from being anything more than a fourth starter. Tonight, he gave up two runs, but was able to get out of each inning without giving up anything else. Blanton retired the side in order three times, and actually did it a fourth if you count a double play that he induced in the first inning. It was just a solid start from Blanton, and considering that the Phils have gotten good outings from the other four pitchers in their rotation, it was about time that he joined in on the fun.
Let's face it, Joe Blanton hasn't had a good season. He's been unable to get into much of a groove this year, but over his last three starts, he's at least showing signs of turning things around. Even over his last five starts, the most runs he's given up has been five to the Cardinals, but other than that, it's been four or less in six or seven innings each time out. They're not great numbers, no one's arguing that, but considering how he was pitching for most of the season, they look a hell of a lot better now. Besides, the Phillies only need him to be a fourth or fifth pitcher. If they make it to the playoffs again, it's likely going to be Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt as the starting rotation, with Kendrick making a start if needed. Blanton's going to come out of the bullpen regardless. That's just how his season has been this year. As long as he can avoid the big inning for the rest of the season, or Charlie takes him out before the big inning happens, everything should be fine.
Before the eighth inning tonight, the offense was simply dreadful tonight. There's no clearer way to say it. Jonathon Niese shouldn't have made it through five innings, and instead he pitched seven innings of one run baseball. The Phillies made him throw pitches through the first three innings, but could only get a single run out of Niese, and then he settled down. After the third inning, the Phillies managed just a single base hit and a walk against Niese until he left the game. That was the best thing that could have happened for the Phillies, because they torched the Mets' bullpen in the eighth inning. Eleven batters came to the plate, and Mike Sweeney picked up two base hits and an RBI in his two at bats.
Sweeney also had the play of the inning, when he read a single by Jayson Werth perfectly off the bat and went first to third on the hit. That only put more pressure on Bobby Parnell, who couldn't even record a single out in the inning. Pedro Feliciano didn't do much better, and Manny Acosta gave a hit and a sacrifice fly before finally being able to get out of the inning. The eighth inning tonight helps take the sting away from the poor play against Niese, but the fact remains that the Phils couldn't figure him out for seven innings. Regardless, a win is a win, even if the Phillies had to do it by putting up a crooked number in one inning.
It's a good thing that they did score as many runs as they did in the eighth, because Danys Baez and J.C. Romero tried their hardest to give them back in the ninth. To be fair, it wasn't all Baez's fault. He got Jeff Francour to hit a soft grounder down the third base line that just managed to stay fair, and it kept the inning alive. Had that ball gone foul, the Phillies could have very well won 7-2 instead of 7-5. The blame for those three runs lies with J.C. Romero. Over the last two games, Romero hasn't recorded an out and has allowed four inherited runners to score, as well as giving up three earned runs of his own. At a time when almost every other pitcher has managed to pick up their game, Romero is slowing down. He hasn't been able to find the strike zone the entire season, and it's been a huge problem. For the year, Romero has 17 strikeouts compared to 22 walks in just 24.1 innings of work. When a relief pitcher that's supposed to be one of your top setup men has almost as many walks as he does innings pitched, it's a big problem. Romero needs to get his act together, and now. The Phillies can't afford any weak links at the moment, not if they want to catch the Braves or Giants to get into the playoffs.
Tomorrow night, the Phils face the Mets in game two of their series. Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.56 ERA) tries for his eighth win of the season for the fifth time. He's had four no decisions since winning his seventh game. Johan Santana (8-6, 3.20 ERA) pitches for the Mets.
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