Game Recap:
The Phillies got good pitching out of their bullpen and Cliff Lee as they took the final game of the season against the Braves to move their magic number to six.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 with a walk and two runs scored.
Ben Francisco went 1-3 with an RBI.
Chase Utley was 1-5 with an RBI triple.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Pedro Feliz was 2-4 with an RBI.
Jayson Werth walked three times and scored a run.
The bullpen came in after an almost two hour rain delay and allowed just one run on two hits. They combined to walk two batters and strike out nine.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was thrown out of the game in the first inning for arguing a steal at second base.
The Phillies struck out nine times.
Game Analysis:
Man, does it feel nice to be done with the Atlanta Braves this season. The Phillies came into this series knowing that anything but a sweep for the Braves would help them out, and that's exactly what they got. Save for a poor game last night, the Phils controlled the Braves throughout the series and pretty much finished off Atlanta's chances for a division crown this season. Though he only pitched four innings because of the rain, Cliff Lee looked good while he was in there. He had some great bite on his curveball, and his other stuff was pretty sharp, too. He did give up five hits, but only allowed a single run, and the Phillies would provide him with more than enough support.
For the second straight time, the Phillies were able to catch Tommy Hanson in a rain delay game, and they tagged him with another loss. He didn't look as sharp this time around, and the Phillies seemed to have a better read on what he was throwing. Ben Francisco started things off with an RBI double in his first at bat, then three straight hits in the fourth inning brought in two more. Chase Utley capped the scoring with an RBI triple in the fifth inning, and that would be all she wrote on this day.
It was another solid performance by the Phillies bullpen today as well. While Tyler Walker and Sergio Escalona normally don't strike fear into the hearts of opposing batters, today they did quite well, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings and allowing the Phillies to get to Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge without any major issues. Madson did his job in the eighth, striking out the side, and while Lidge gave up a run in the ninth, he struck out two to get his 31st save of the season. I'm not saying anything else about Lidge right now, but it was good to see him out there pitching aggressively. It's what he needs to do now as the playoffs get close.
I said it to start this off, but this was just what the Phillies needed to do this weekend in Atlanta. They played good baseball and took two out of three from the Braves, moving them 8.5 games back with just 14 games left. Up next are the Florida Marlins, and the Phillies need to do the exact same thing to them. Of course, a sweep of the Marlins, coupled with a Mets sweep of the Braves means that the Phillies will have clinched the division on Thursday night, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The Phils have an off day tomorrow, then play a doubleheader to start the series against Florida. In game one, Joe Blanton (10-7, 3.97 ERA) will go against Josh Johnson (15-4, 3.01 ERA). Game two will feature Marlin killer Jamie Moyer (12-9, 5.05 ERA) and Anibal Sanchez (2-7, 4.50 ERA).
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