Game Recap:
Down 3-0 heading into the 9th inning, the Phillies sent 13 batters to the plate against Matt Lindstrom and Renyel Pinto. Shane Victorino's grand slam gave the Phils the lead, and Ryan Madson finished the game off to give the Phils a come from behind victory.
What went right?
As already mentioned, Shane Victorino's first career regular season grand slam in the 9th inning proved to be the game winner. Shane only had one hit in the game, but it was a big one.
The bullpen was again excellent in relief of Brett Myers. Clay Condrey pitched two scoreless innings, and Ryan Madson finished the game by striking out the side in the bottom of the 9th.
Chase Utley followed Victorino's slam with a homer of his own, giving him five on the season.
What went wrong?
Brett Myers still had issues pitching, walking six and allowing a first inning three run home run to Dan Uggla that almost proved to be the game winner. He didn't give up another run after that long ball, but only managed to throw 62 of 119 pitches for strikes in six innings of work.
Before the ninth inning rally, the Phillies only managed three hits and had struck out ten times.
The Phils also left 12 men on base, and every batter, save for Matt Stairs and Shane Victorino, struck out at least once.
Game Analysis:
This is the type of game that can give a young season some legs. The Phillies were down to their final out against the team with the best record in the National League, and then scored six more runs for a great come from behind victory. While the comeback was sweet, the Phils still can't look past their struggles tonight.
As already stated, before their ninth inning rally, the Phillies had their hands full with Florida's pitching staff. Josh Johnson has been dominant so far this season, but the Phillies made him look like a Cy Young candidate tonight. They should be thankful that he only pitched seven innings before giving way to the Florida bullpen.
Also, Brett Myers, despite settling down after giving up an early home run, needs get his control back in line after the way he pitched tonight. Myers walked six batters, and only threw 52 percent of his pitches for strikes, which is not nearly good enough against any major league team. We all know that Myers can be an ace, but if he pitches like he did tonight, he's going to look more like the guy that ended up getting a trip down the Leigh Valley last year. Either way, a win is a win, and with one swing of the bat, Shane Victorino may have turned a very sour start of the season into a much sweeter one.
Tomorrow, Chan Ho Park (0-0, 8.68 ERA) squares off with Chris Volstad (2-0, 2.76 ERA). This might be Park's last chance to prove that he should be in the starting rotation before JA Happ gets a chance.
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