Game Recap:
The Phillies completed their three game sweep of the Rockies this afternoon behind a four RBI game from Ryan Howard and seven innings on the mound from Roy Halladay.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins went 1-4 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI.
Shane Victorino was 1-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.
Chase Utley was 2-3 and scored twice.
Ryan Howard had an interesting day playing defense, but went 2-4 with a two run home run and a two run double. He finished with four RBI.
Hunter Pence continued his modest six game hitting streak, going 1-4 with an RBI.
Roy Halladay didn't have his best stuff, but still got through seven innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits. He walked one, struck out seven and scored a run on a wild pitch.
Brad Lidge kicked it old school and recorded a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 1ooth career save with the Phillies.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was an adventure at first base in the first inning, recording a rare double error on one play that allowed an unearned run to score.
The Rockies stole two bases in three attempts off of Roy Halladay and Carlos Ruiz.
Antonio Bastardo had a rough eighth inning, allowing a Todd Helton home run to put the Rockies within two.
This game shouldn't have been nearly as close as it turned out. The Phillies left seven men on base.
Game Analysis:
Five games with Hunter Pence, and all of them have been wins. Now, I'm not saying that it's a coincidence. After all, the Phillies have played the Pirates and Rockies since he was traded to Philadelphia, but it's still a good sign for the rest of the season. Pence contributed again today with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and Ryan Howard did the rest of the heavy lifting at the plate, driving in four more runs to pace Roy Halladay's 14th win on the season and put the Phillies 32 games over .500.
Let's just get one thing out of the way right now: today was a sloppy game from both teams. Jason Hammel walked the bases loaded in the first inning, only for the Phillies to score just a single run. Roy Halladay wasn't much better in the first inning, but he got little help from his defense. Ryan Howard recorded two errors on the same play, first while trying to field a Dexter Fowler ground ball, and then when trying to throw the ball to Halladay at first. Eric Young scored on the play, and Fowler would come around later in the inning. Halladay couldn't get out of the weeds for much of the game, but the best part about having a pitcher like Halladay on your team is that, even when he doesn't have his best stuff, he can still go deep into the game. He did that today, pitching seven innings and keeping the Rockies at bay every time they seemed to get close enough to take the lead.
Fortunately, Howard was able to make up for his defensive miscues with his bat once again. He broke open the game in the second inning with a two run double that made everyone forget about his two errors, and then finished the scoring off for the Phils with a blast in the sixth inning. Howard's home run in the sixth was his first all season against a left handed pitcher and was to the opposite field, another sign that he's getting hotter at the plate at just the right time again this year. He has four home runs in the last five games, as well as nine RBI, and he's looking more and more like that work horse the Phils turn to every September. I don't know what it is about the end of the season, but something switches on in this guy. It's a good thing, regardless.
The top of the lineup performed well today, scoring five of the eight runs for the Phillies and recording three walks. That's what the top three hitters in this lineup, Chase Utley included, need to do. They need to get on base, with Utley driving in Rollins and then let Howard, Hunter Pence and Raul Ibanez drive them in. They've done that these last six games, and the Phillies have won them all. It's the kind of play that this team wasn't getting last year, and they've been getting it much of this season. The proof is in the results, and a 71-39 record speaks for itself.
There were some nervous people out there today when Brad Lidge came in to close the game out, instead of Ryan Madson, but Madson was not available for personal reasons. Luckily for the Phillies, Lidge pitched like it was 2008 once again, recording a perfect ninth inning for his 100th save with the Phillies. It was good to see Lidge back out there in the ninth, doing what he needed to do. In his limited appearances this season, Lidge has only allowed a run in one showing this season, and it looks like he's got a good bite on his slider this year, which is a very good thing, especially if he needs to step into the closer role at any point during the rest of the season.
This team is on a roll right now, there's not much else to say about that. The offense is clicking and the pitching is on another planet. The next series is going to be a really big test to see how the rest of the season is going to go. It's time to return to San Francisco.
Tomorrow night, Cliff Lee (10-7, 3.14 ERA) faces off against the Giants and Madison Bumgarner (6-10, 3.80 ERA).
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