Game Recap:
Kyle Kendrick pitched seven innings of one run baseball and the Phillies worked seven runs on ten hits to take their series against the Yankees.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was 2-3 with three runs scored, two RBI and two walks.
Placido Polanco was 1-4 with an RBI.
Ryan Howard went 1-4 with two RBI.
Raul Ibanez went 1-5 with an RBI double.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored.
Wilson Valdez went 1-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
Kyle Kendrick pitched seven innings and allowed one run on four hits. He walked two and struc out three.
What went wrong?
Honestly, nothing went wrong tonight. The Celtics and Lakers are playing in the NBA Finals again, but that's not baseball related.
Oh, the Phillies left nine men on base, so they could have won by more.
Game Analysis:
Two days ago, I literally had written a piece that said the Phillies season may rest on their next two games against the Yankees, and Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick were pitching those two games. The odds of winning both games were slim to none, and slim was about to hop in a car and leave town. Now, two days later, the Phillies are sitting with wins in each of their last two games against the New York Yankees, with the bottom of their rotation doing the job that the top of it could not.
Two days ago, Roy Halladay was beaten badly against New York. Phillies fans were looking for some sort of hope, but with the 47 year old Moyer and Kyle Kendrick pitching the next two games, hope wasn't something that a lot of Phils fans had. The offense hadn't been clicking for a month, and the Phillies were staring a .500 record and a deeper hole in the National League East in the face. Instead, this team rallied with their bats and great efforts from both starting pitchers to earn a 3-3 record on their road trip to Boston and New York. Considering everything that the Phils have gone through in the last month, that split might be the best thing that could have happened to them.
There's only so much that can be said about Kyle Kendrick, just for the fact that he's Kyle Kendrick, but he pitched well tonight. He's usually hit or miss, but against one of the best lineups in baseball tonight, he did what he had to do. Kendrick had good movement on his pitches, and the Yankees just didn't have an answer for him through the game. For seven innings, Kendrick was solid, keeping New York from taking the lead, while the Phillies did what they needed to do on the offensive side of the ball.
The offense looks like it might be coming back to life after just a bad month of baseball. Over the last two games, the Phils have scored 13 runs, and finally look like a quality team once again. Last night, they came through with clutch hits, and tonight, they did the same, even with leaving nine players on base. That came through in the ninth inning, when the Phils scored four runs against a bullpen that dominated them the night before. Even against Andy Pettitte, who had only lost a single game this season, the Phillies looked better than they had in a month. The Phils worked out three runs on six hits and three walks against Pettitte, who didn't have his best stuff tonight, but still looked every bit like the pitcher who had shut down the Phils in Game 6 of the World Series last year. Save for Chase Utley, every starter had a base hit, and five Phils had RBI to go along with two stolen bases. The last two games haven't been that pretty, but the Phillies have done what they've had to do to win, and that's what matters.
Somehow, even with Roy Halladay losing the first game of this series, the Phillies took two of three from the Yankees. Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick pitched very well, and the Phils finally looked back at home at the plate as well. I don't know if this is the start to the turn-around that this season needs, but at the moment, I'll take it. Any time you can win two of three on the road against the defending champs while they're one of the best teams in baseball, it's a good thing.
Now, if only the Braves and Mets would lose.
Tomorrow night, the Phils return home for a series against the Minnesota Twins. Joe Blanton (1-5, 7.28 ERA) will try his best not to suck again tomorrow as he goes against Nick Blackburn (6-3, 4.96 ERA).
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