Game Recap:
Cliff Lee pitched a complete game as the Phillies jumped on Ubaldo Jimenez for five runs to put themselves up 1-0 in the NLDS.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins went 1-4 and made two excellent catches in the field.
Shane Victorino went 1-4 with a stolen base.
Chase Utley went 1-4 with a run scored and a stolen base.
Ryan Howard was 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Jayson Werth went 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Raul Ibanez played in his first playoff game, and went 2-4 with two RBI and scored a run.
Carlos Ruiz was 1-4 with an RBI.
Pedro Feliz completed the hit parade with an infield single in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Cliff Lee pitched a complete game, allowing one run on six hits. He didn't walk a batter, struck out five, and went 1-2 at the plate with the first stolen base by a Phillies pitcher in playoff history.
What went wrong?
Cliff Lee lost his shutout with two outs in the ninth inning, but really, that's about it.
Game Analysis:
Now, I could start off by talking about how the offense did what they had to do in the fifth in sixth innings as they got to Ubaldo Jimenez, but honestly, the story of today's Game One win is Cliff Lee. After struggling through six of his last seven starts, there were some questions about whether or not starting Lee in Game One was the right choice for the Phillies.
Well, consider those questions answered. After getting out of trouble in the first two innings, Lee settled down to mow down the Rockies, retiring 16 straight at one point. He was on target all day long, throwing first pitch strikes to 25 of the 32 batters he faced, meaning that most of the time, the Colorado hitters were staring at an 0-1 count before they even knew what had happened. He didn't walk a batter, and had the control of the strike zone that made him so good when he first came over from Cleveland. If the Phillies are going to go far in the playoffs this year, this is the Cliff Lee that needs to show up each and every time that he pitches.
It was clear that Lee had some butterflies in the first inning, but he worked out of a runners on the corners jam, and Jayson Werth helped him out in the second inning by nailing Yorvit Torrealba at third on a fly ball double play. After that, he was in the zone, and once the Phillies put some runs on the board, the game was over and done with. Let me tell you, it was very nice to see the old Cliff Lee again. I like this Cliff Lee, he kicks ass.
Of course, the Phillies offense also did what they had to do against Ubaldo Jimenez. After Jimenez got through the lineup the first time with little damage, the Phils started taking pitches and making Jimenez work to get outs. All of a sudden, he couldn't find the strike zone, and when he did, he was leaving pitches up in the zone and the Phillies were taking advantage of it. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth each had blasts that would have been home runs on any other day, and Raul Ibanez and Carlos Ruiz had some huge at bats against Jimenez, as they were each able to work the count to their favor and drive in runs. It's exactly what they needed to do against him, and it's the same strategy that they should carry into the rest of the series.
Today, the Phillies followed the blueprint to success against the Rockies perfectly. They made Jimenez throw pitches the second time through the lineup, they stole bases against Yorvit Torrealba to help set up runs, and Cliff Lee pitched a gem against a lineup that doesn't like lefthanded pitching. The Phils made a statement today that this isn't 2007. It's 2009, and this year, the Phillies are the ones in control.
Tomorrow, Cole Hamels makes his first playoff start this year. He'll be going up against Aaron Cook of the Rockies. Hopefully, the Phillies come out and do what they did today again.
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