Game Recap:
Down 4-0, the Phillies took advantage of four errors by the Reds to score seven straight runs and take a 2-0 lead in the NLDS.
What went right?
Chase Utley was solid at the plate, going 2-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. He also stole a base.
Jayson Werth went 2-4, scoring twice, stealing second and driving in one.
Raul Ibanez was 2-4.
Jimmy Rollins didn't get credited for a hit, but he drove in the game winning run on Jay Bruce's error in the seventh inning. He also scored a run.
The bullpen was excellent, keeping the Reds from adding to their lead. They pitched four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while walking two and striking out two.
What went wrong?
Chase Utley was just as bad in the field as he was good at the plate, committing two errors in the second inning that allowed a run to score.
The Phillies left 13 men on base.
Roy Oswalt made his playoff debut with the Phillies and had some issues. He gave up a leadoff home run to Brandon Phillips, and it wasn't much better from there. Oswalt only lasted five innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits. He walked one and struck out five.
Game Analysis:
In Game One, the Phillies served up a little bit of baseball history. Tonight, they gave the fans a vintage showing, coming off of the mat against the Reds to score seven unanswered runs and give the Phils a 2-0 lead in the NLDS.
While Roy Halladay couldn't have been better in Game One, Roy Oswalt had some trouble against the Reds tonight. Cincinnati hit Oswalt hard during the regular season, and that trend continued during this game, as Oswalt had his shortest outing as a member of the Phillies. Brandon Phillips made sure that tonight was going to be different than Wednesday night, as he started the game with a home run, and it seemed like in almost every inning Oswalt was trying to get out of some sort of trouble. The Reds took advantage, scoring four runs and driving Oswalt from the game after just five innings.
It wasn't that Oswalt didn't have his best stuff tonight, it's just that he went up against a team that was against the ropes and came out swinging. There's a reason that the Reds were the best offensive team in the National League during the regular season, and they showed that tonight. Chase Utley did little to help matters in the second inning, as his two errors gave fans bad memories of Game Two of the NLCS last year, but luckily, it was only for that one inning. With the errors in the second and deep counts that the Reds kept working, Oswalt never could get into a groove. It was a good gameplan that was executed well by Cincinnati, but they couldn't do the same job against the bullpen.
After the Phillies drove Bronson Arroyo from the game in the sixth inning, this game quickly became a battle of the bullpens, which is the one place where I thought the Reds had a clear advantage over the Phillies. After all, Cincinnati has left hander after left hander that they can trot out against this lineup, and one of them can throw at over 100 miles an hour. The Phillies have Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge, and then whoever they need to get the job done that night. Tonight, that rag tag group did everything that they were supposed to do, and then some. J.C. Romero retired the only two batters he faced, Chad Durbin set down one man, and Jose Contreras, Madson and Lidge worked scoreless innings to finish things off.
That Cincinnati bullpen that was so good coming down the stretch kept giving the Phillies chances tonight, and like any championship caliber team would do, the Phils made the Reds pay for their mistakes. In the sixth and seventh innings, the Reds hit a total of three batters. The Phillies scored a run in the sixth inning without a hit, as Jayson Werth walked, Carlos Ruiz and Ben Francisco were hit by pitches and Shane Victorino walked. In the seventh, the Phillies did even more damage. After Chase Utley was hit by Aroldis Chapman, Jayson Werth hit a ground ball to Scott Rolen. Rolen decided to go for the tougher play at second, and the gamble didn't pay off. Utley was called safe, and Jimmy Rollins stepped to the plate. Like he normally does, Rollins swung at the first pitch, but this time, it worked to the benefit of the Phillies. Jay Bruce lost the ball in the lights, two runs scored, and the Phillies had a lead that they wouldn't give up. Raul Ibanez singled, and Carlos Ruiz grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Rollins, and that would be all the Phillies would need. All three runs in the seventh inning were unearned, and that was a trend for the Phils tonight. Of their seven runs that they scored, just two were counted as earned runs.
This game was a perfect example of why you shouldn't give up on the Phillies at any point. Just as they've proven during the playoffs in the last few years, if you give them a chance to come back, then they're going to make the most of it. You can't hit three batters and commit four errors and expect to win a game. The Reds hadn't had an inning with two errors in the playoffs since 1972, and they had two tonight. Even against the most fringe of playoff teams, that's going to cost you games. When you're in the playoffs, that's something that's going to get you eliminated quickly. This Phillies team has shown time and time again that they're going to keep coming at teams if they give them a chance. It wasn't necessarily the same type of showing that the Phillies have had in the last two trips to the playoffs, but it was good enough tonight.
Believe me, no one is going to want to watch a replay of this game when it comes to fundamentals. It was an ugly, ugly game, but it was a win in the playoffs for the Phillies, and that's all that matters.
Tomorrow is an off day, and then the Phils and Reds will face off in Game Three Sunday night. Cole Hamels will go against Johnny Cueto.
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