Game Recaps:
Behind a strong offensive performance and good pitching from Joe Blanton, the Phillies took the first game of the doubleheader, only to have their offense shut down by Anibal Sanchez in game two as the Marlins worked a split.
What went right? (Game One)
Shane Victorino was 2-3 and scored twice.
Ryan Howard went 2-5 with three RBI and a run scored.
Jayson Werth went 1-3 with two RBI.
Miguel Cairo was 2-5 with an RBI.
Jimmy Rollins was 1-5 with an RBI and scored a run.
Raul Ibanez was 1-5 with an RBI.
Paul Bako even scored a run.
Joe Blanton pitched seven innings, shutting out the Marlins on two hits. He walked two and struck out nine.
What went right? (Game Two)
Chase Utley went 2-4.
Jamie Moyer didn't pitch badly, allowing three runs on nine hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out five.
What went wrong? (Game One)
Sergio Escalona made the game much more interesting, allowing three runs on two hits in one third of an inning.
The Phillies struck out 16 times.
What went wrong? (Game Two)
Aside from Utley, the rest of the Phillies couldn't manage a single hit, and struck out seven times.
Game Analyses:
Well, I was hoping that the Phillies would at least work a split against the Marlins today, and that's exactly what they did. Of course, I had the games that I thought they would win backwards, but that's not the point. The point is that the Phillies managed to cut their magic number down to just five games, and if the Braves would ever lose to a team besides the Phils, they might be able to move it down a little quicker.
Game one was a great showing by the offense and Joe Blanton. Blanton pitched great in seven innings, keeping the Marlins off the board while the Phils were able to get to their best pitcher. Josh Johnson only lasted five innings in front of what appeared to be about 5,000 people, most of whom were Phillies fans. The Phillies actually manufactured some runs in the first game, scoring their first two on RBI groundouts before the big bats came to play in the later innings. It was nice to see the Phillies manage to beat up on a great pitcher and win a game that I had started to write off, just by looking at the matchup.
Now, game two was the exact opposite. I had this game in the win column before the Phillies even took the field, since Jamie Moyer owns the Marlins. He didn't pitch badly tonight, but Anibal Sanchez was lights out, and held the Phillies to just two hits, both by Chase Utley. Moyer didn't pitch badly, only allowing three runs, but the Phils just couldn't get anything going on offense in the second game. I'll give credit to Sanchez, and I'm just happy that the Phillies could at least work a split with the Marlins today.
What the split means is that the Marlins don't gain any ground, while the win pushes the Phillies closer to another division title. It would have been nice to sweep Florida today, but there's still another game tomorrow to play. A win tomorrow, coupled with a (seemingly impossible) Atlanta loss moves the magic number down to three, and makes a celebration either in Milwaukee over the weekend or early next week in Philadelphia very likely.
Tomorrow, Cole Hamels (10-9, 4.07 ERA) looks to keep his hot streak going, as he faces Rick VandenHurk (2-2, 4.24 ERA).
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