Game Recap:
Alex Rodriguez hit a go ahead single in the ninth inning, and Jorge Posada followed it up with a two run double as the Yankees took Game Four, and with it a three games to one series lead.
What went right?
Chase Utley was 2-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored.
Pedro Feliz was 3-4 with a home run and two RBI.
What went wrong?
Jayson Werth went 0-3.
Raul Ibanez went 0-4 with three strikeouts.
Carlos Ruiz went 0-3.
Brad Lidge picked up the loss, his first in the playoffs as a Phillie. He allowed three runs on three hits in the ninth inning, and all of that happened after he recorded two easy outs.
Game Analysis:
Baseball is a game of inches. With two outs in the ninth inning, Brad Lidge threw a nasty 1-2 pitch to Johnny Damon that he literally just got a piece of. From there, Damon worked a full count, and ended his nine pitch at bat with a single into left. Four batters later, three runs had crossed the plate and the Yankees were on their way to taking a stranglehold on this World Series.
I'm not pinning this loss on Brad Lidge. He went out there, and yes, he threw some meatballs to Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada, but to be honest with you, he shouldn't have even been in the game at that point. I lay the blame for this loss at the feet of Charlie Manuel. After Lidge hit Mark Teixeira, he should have been taken out of the game and Scott Eyre or someone else should have come in and pitched to Rodriguez. Lidge wasn't taken out, and the rest is now, unfortunately, history. The Yankees are up 3-1, and it looks like, barring a miracle of epic proportions, that the Phillies' run as world champions is about to come to a sudden, and violent, end.
I do have to give credit to Joe Blanton for going out there and pitching like he did tonight. Not many people thought he would even make it out of the third inning, and instead, he pitched four great innings, with two not so great ones in there as well. He struck out seven and walked two in what was a typical "Joe Blanton" start. Blanton was the most consistent pitcher the Phillies had over the course of the season, and these are the types of numbers that he put up then. The Phillies know that when he pitches, they're usually going to have to score more than four runs, but he hardly even has one of those games where he "blows up." Tonight was a perfect example of that. He got into trouble in the first inning, but settled down and kept the Phillies in the game against C.C. Sabathia. He didn't pitch like an All Star, but he pitched well. I have nothing bad to say about his performance.
The offense, however, is another story. Right now, the only person that has been showing up on a consistent basis in this series is Jayson Werth, and even he laid an egg tonight. The Phillies had chances to get to C.C. Sabathia and force him out of the game, but they couldn't get anything done. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino reached base with no one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, and Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Werth couldn't even advance Rollins to third. The big bats are not hitting when they need to, especially Howard, who is now 3-17 with ten strikeouts in the World Series this year. That's not going to get it done, not when the team the Phils are facing is the New York Yankees. Raul Ibanez isn't doing much better, as he's now 3-16 with nine strikeouts in the series. Without those bats hitting, the Phillies aren't going to win very many games, and that's what happened in the last four games.
Tonight though, it all comes down to the ninth inning. After Pedro Feliz launched a Joba Chamberlain pitch into the left field stands to tie the game, momentum was clearly on the side of the Phillies. I don't have a problem with bringing in Brad Lidge to pitch the ninth in a tie game. After all, he hadn't pitched since Game Five of the NLCS. Like I said before though, after he hit Mark Teixeira, Charlie had to come out and bring in someone else. It's bad enough that the shift they had on allowed Johnny Damon to steal second and third because Carlos Ruiz decided to even throw the ball to second to begin with, but with Alex Rodriguez stepping to the plate, there had to be a better option out in the bullpen. Rodriguez was 2-3 with a home run and three RBI in his career off of Lidge, so the matchup wasn't a good one to begin with. Instead, Charlie Manuel left Lidge in the game. Two pitches later, the Yankees had their game winning hit. Charlie's made a few odd managing moves in this series, like the one tonight, not double switching when Ben Francsico pinch hit in the six inning tonight and leaving Pedro Martinez in one inning too long in Game Two. I don't know what he's thinking right now, but it's not working.
I'm not throwing in the towel yet, even after this loss. Cliff Lee is pitching tomorrow night, so all hope is not lost. At the very least, Lee should be able to keep the Yankees from celebrating at Citizens Bank Park. At the most, Lee can jump start this team to some sort of miracle run. Either way, I'm going to be watching. I've stuck with this team through worse times than this, hell, I have ticket stubs from the late 90s, when you could get them for free in the back of hot dog packages. This series isn't over until someone wins four games, so everyone keep your chins up, it ain't over yet.
Tomorrow night, Cliff Lee (3-0, 0.54 ERA) looks to keep the season alive as he goes against A.J. Burnett (1-0, 3.55 ERA). I'm still rooting for you guys, now go get it done.
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