Game Recap:
Pedro Martinez pitched seven excellent innings, but some mistakes in the field in the eighth inning cost the Phillies and let the Dodgers even up the series.
What went right?
Ryan Howard went 2-3 with a solo home run.
Pedro Martinez pitched seven innings, allowing no runs on two hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out three.
What went wrong?
Aside from Howard, the Phillies managed just two hits.
Chase Utley airmailed a double play ball in the bottom of the eighth inning, allowing the tying run to score and keeping the inning alive.
Chan Ho Park didn't do so well, allowing two runs on two hits in just one third of an inning. He picked up the loss today.
Game Analysis:
Sometimes, a game can come down to just a few plays. Today, there were two of them that stood out. The first was Chan Ho Park and Ryan Howard not being able to field a Ronnie Belliard bunt in the bottom of the eighth inning, which put two men on with no one out for the Dodgers. The next came with the very next batter. Russell Martin hit a tailor made double play ball to Pedro Feliz at third base. Feliz threw to Utley for the first out, which was followed by Utley throwing the ball off of the Phillies' dugout. Juan Pierre scored on the error, and four batters and another run later, the Dodgers had the lead.
It sucks, but in all honesty, that's about what this game came down to. Pedro Martinez pitched seven innings that he apparently had left from 2000, as he held the Dodgers scoreless and limited them to just two weak hits. He retired Manny Ramirez three times, and made him look more and more silly each time. I don't know where Pedro got this from today, but by God, it was fun watching vintage Pedro on the mound in a Phillies uniform. Charlie Manuel might catch some heat for taking him out when he did, but honestly, Pedro is 37 years old, had thrown 87 pitches, and the last time he pitched that far into a game, he hurt his neck in his next start. If the Phils actually need him to pitch again in the series, having him get hurt in that start wouldn't help anyone, except Los Angeles, of course.
After bashing the Dodgers for eight runs last night, the Phillies couldn't get anything going all day against Vicente freaking Padilla. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley went 1-12, and that was basically the trend for the Phils all day long. Save for a Ryan Howard home run on a hanging curve ball, Padilla handled his former team. He was hitting the strike zone early, and he didn't let the Phillies stay patient at the plate. Most of the batters looked off balance, and there were several times when Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth just looked lost at the plate today.
I don't really want to get into the bullpen today, because honestly, it wasn't their fault that the Phillies lost this game. If Utley can turn that double play, the Dodgers have two outs and a runner on third, and who knows what happens from there? If the Phillies get out of the inning, and Brad Lidge saves the game, then everyone's talking about how the bullpen is starting to get their act together at the right time. Instead, the series is tied headed back to Philadelphia. Honestly, I'm happy with that. Yes, the Phillies had the Dodgers on the ropes, but I said going into the series that a split in Los Angeles would be enough for the Phillies to start this series. That's what they got, and hopefully, it doesn't go back to California.
Game Three is (weather permitting) Sunday night. Cliff Lee (1-0, 1.10 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies against Hiroki Kuroda, who is starting for the first time in the playoffs for the Dodgers.
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