Game Recap:
Ryan Howard's sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning gave the Phillies the lead, and Brad Lidge closed the door on the Rockies, putting the Phils one win away from their second straight trip to the NLCS.
What went right?
Chase Utley went 3-4 with a home run, two runs scored and an RBI.
Ryan Howard went 1-4 with two RBI.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 with two RBI.
Raul Ibanez didn't have a hit, but walked three times and drove in a run with a bases loaded walk.
Jimmy Rollins was 1-5 and scored the game winning run.
Brad Lidge pitched into, and out of trouble in the ninth inning for his first save of the postseason.
What went wrong?
J.A. Happ only lasted three innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out four.
Scott Eyre left the game in the seventh inning when he rolled his ankle.
The Phillies struck out 11 times.
Game Analysis:
It took until about 2:15 this morning, but the Phillies managed to hang on against the Rockies in Game 3 of their NLDS series and take that oh so important 2-1 lead into Game 4. It was not the cleanliest played game in the world, nor was it the best, but the Phils did what they had to do in the late innings to pull out a tight win.
First and foremost, the umpires in last night's game were horrible. The home plate ump was inconsistent all night long with his strike zone, and when J.A. Happ started to get behind Rockies hitters because he wasn't getting pitches he's used to getting, he started to get hit pretty hard. He only allowed three runs, but didn't make it to the fourth inning. It wasn't his best outing, but it wasn't his worst, either. He just couldn't get a good grip on the strike zone, and was already toying with 80 pitches headed into the fourth inning.
I'm not going to get started on the Matt Stairs at bat in the top of the eighth, because it's already been run into the ground. I don't think there was one pitch in that entire at bat that actually crossed the plate, but what are you going to do? At least the Phillies won the game.
Boy, did they win it. I'm not used to seeing this team play small ball, but I'll take it. A single by Rollins leads to a bunt by Shane, an infield single for Chase and then a game winning sacrifice fly for Ryan Howard. It wasn't as pretty as most of the Phillies runs are, but in that game, it was the most important. Plus, Carlos Ruiz reminded everyone why he likes to play in October so much, driving in two key runs in big situations. I don't know what it is about the playoffs that make him get so many clutch hits, but I'm certainly not going to complain. The offense got started with Chase's home run in the first, then made Hammel come undone in the fourth. After that, it was a battle of the bullpens, and Colorado's blinked.
The most important aspect of last night's game wasn't how the Phillies won it, it was how they ended it. Brad Lidge closed out the ninth inning with just a one run lead in the most important game of the year. There was no wiggle room, no room for error at all, and though Lidge walked two batters, he still got out of the inning without surrendering a run. Not only does that help Lidge get his confidence back as the playoffs go on, but it seemed to suck the life out of the Rockies at the end of that game. Colorado gave the Phillies all they could handle last night, and the Phils still came out on top. The Rockies don't lose that often at home, and Tulowitzki has been their best hitter all year. For Lidge to get him to pop out to end the game was huge.
The Phillies needed that win last night. Now, they have home field advantage back, and Cliff Lee is pitching tonight. All the cards are right where the Phils want them, they just have to play their hand the right way.
In about an hour, Game 4 is going to be getting started. It will be Cliff Lee (1-0, 1.00 ERA) going for the Phillies against Ubaldo Jimenez (0-1, 9.00 ERA) for the Rockies. A Phillies win tonight puts them in the NLCS for the second year in a row.
No comments:
Post a Comment