Game Recap:
The Phillies broke out the big bats last night, scoring in every inning from the second through the seventh, and Joe Blanton allowed just a single run in six innings of work to give the Phillies the win over the Marlins.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was 2-6 and scored a run.
Placido Polanco went 1-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Chase Utley went 1-3 with two walks, two runs scored and a solo home run.
Ryan Howard was 1-4, drove in a run and scored once.
Jayson Werth got in on the party, too. He went 2-4 with a home run and two RBI.
Carlos Ruiz was 3-4 with four RBI and a two run home run.
Greg Dobbs had a pinch hit home run.
Joe Blanton pitched well, allowing just one run on five hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out eight.
What went wrong?
David Herndon pitched the bottom of the eighth inning and looked horrible. He gave up three runs on three hits while striking out one and walking none.
Game Analysis:
If it's September, then the bats must be getting warmed up for the Phillies. Last night was another solid showing for a team that's gone 10-3 so far in this month, and the Phils also kept their one game lead in the National League East over the Atlanta Braves.
For the second straight start, the Phillies offense roughed up Andrew Miller. He looked good in the first inning, but things started to come undone after that. Jayson Werth started things off with a home run in the second inning, and after that, it was all Phillies. The offense pounded Miller for seven runs in five innings and then kept up the pressure on the Florida bullpen, scoring four more runs in the next two innings. Against teams like the Marlins, who want to play spoiler at this point, that's what the Phillies have to do. No matter what the score is, they have to keep piling on the runs. If they don't, then they run the risk of letting the team they're playing back into the game. The Marlins tried that last night, but coming out of an 11-0 hole was too much. That's what the fans want to see for the rest of the regular season. The Phils need to be able to keep this up.
The most impressive part about last night's game wasn't the offensive showing. It was the fact that Joe Blanton actually pitched a good game. It was his second straight good start against the Marlins, and his eight strikeouts last night were the most he'd thrown since the Phillies played Houston back at the end of August. It might have only been a one night thing, but at least Blanton put the Phils in a position to sweep this series against Florida. It's what he and Kyle Kendrick or Vance Worley need to do in the rest of their starts. They don't have to be great, but if they can just keep the opposing team down enough for the Phils to win, that's good enough. That's all that the Phillies should be asking of those back of the rotation guys right now. Blanton hasn't had the best season, we've all seen that, but at least games like this show that he still can pitch the way that he had over the past two seasons with the Phillies. That guy is still in there, so he's not a lost cause just yet.
This was another good win for the Phillies. They got a good showing out of their starting pitcher, and their offense looked as dominant as it has in years past. As long as they can keep playing on a level close to this, they should be able to handle the Marlins before coming home for a huge nine game homestand. There's just 17 games left in the regular season. Let's see what happens.
Tonight, Cole Hamels (10-10, 3.06 ERA) looks to continue his dominant stretch, as he faces Adalberto Mendez (1-0, 0.00 ERA).
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