Game Recap:
Behind Kyle Kendrick's eight shutout innings, and Ryan Howard's two home runs, the Phillies took their second straight game from the Rockies last night and moved eight games up in the National League East.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was 1-4 with a walk and a run scored.
Ryan Howard was 2-4 with his two solo home runs, giving him 23 on the season.
Hunter Pence was 2-3 with an RBI double and a walk.
Raul Ibanez went 1-4 and scored a run.
Kyle Kendrick pitched his best game of the season, throwing eight shutout innings while allowing just four hits. He walked two and struck out a career high seven. He also went 1-3 at the plate.
Even though Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Brian Schneider didn't get base hits, they all either scored or drove in runs.
What went wrong?
Last night, nothing went wrong. It was a good game by the Phillies, and any time you can shutout the Rockies, in Coors Field, you're doing something right.
Game Analysis:
Someone needs to tell Roy Halladay that he's pitching again today. Last night, Kyle Kendrick made probably his last start for a while, and he made it count, going eight innings and allowing just four hits and two walks while shutting out the Colorado Rockies. Ryan Howard hit two solo home runs and the Phils got to Aaron Cook early on their way to a 5-0 win.
After their struggles at the plate the night before, last night the Phillies looked much better. Jimmy Rollins walked to start the game, and Chase Utley brought him home with an RBI groundout. Hunter Pence drove in Shane Victorino with an RBI double, and just like that, the Phils had a 2-0 lead before the Rockies even got to the plate. That's what this team needs to do. They need to jump out on teams early and often and put up crooked numbers. If they can do that, with the pitching that they have, they can win just about every game. Ryan Howard would add his first home run of the game in the fourth inning, and a Brian Schneider sacrifice fly would be the finishing blow for Aaron Cook, who left after just four innings with a neck injury.
People have been questioning this offense all season long, but the numbers don't lie. This offense has been getting better as the season has gone along. Their 476 runs scored is more than the Braves, and just four behind the Brewers, and I haven't heard anything negative about their offense all season long. Ryan Howard is starting to get his swing back into shape again, as evidenced by that opposite field shot he hit last night in the eighth inning, and Chase Utley has been hitting very well at the plate since coming off the disabled list. The majority of the players in this lineup have been around since the Phillies started this run that they're on now back in 2007, so they can still produce runs. It's just with the pitching that this team has now, they don't need to produce nearly as many. They can still do it, though.
You have to take your hat off to Kyle Kendrick for how well he pitched last night. With Roy Oswalt likely coming back over the weekend, this was probably Kendrick's last start in the rotation for a while. Well, the young man made it count. He struck out a career high seven batters, and had it not been for a pitch count that was close to 120 pitches through eight innings, he would have gone back out there for the complete game in the ninth. Despite all the hype with the "Four Aces" this season, Kendrick has had a solid year of his own. He's done everything that the Phillies have wanted him to do. He's come out of the bullpen, he's done spot starts, he's filled in when a pitcher has gotten hurt and he's done it all with an ERA of 3.19. That's not a typo. Kendrick may only have a 6-5 record, but he's also boasting a 3.19 ERA. The way that he's been pitching lately, he's been good enough for most teams to have in their starting rotations. Unfortunately for Kendrick, the Phillies have Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Worley and now Oswalt in their rotation, and he's the odd man out.
Hey, as long as Kendrick can still pitch well out of the bullpen, he'll be fine. Phillies fans love to hate on Kendrick, but he's done a lot for this team this year. I've got no problem with him at this point. Keep it up, kid.
Today, the Phillies go for their second straight series sweep, as Roy Halladay (13-4, 2.44 ERA) looks for his 14th win against Jason Hammel (6-10, 4.65 ERA).
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