Game Recap:
Down by six runs going into the bottom of the ninth, the Phillies rallied to tie the game, and then won it on Ryan Howard's walk off home run in the tenth inning.
What went right?
Raul Ibanez was 3-5 with two runs scored.
Ryan Howard had the big night, going 3-4 with three RBI, two runs scored and the game winning home run in the tenth inning.
Jayson Werth was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Greg Dobbs was 1-4, but it was a big one, as he hit a three run home run in the ninth inning.
Cody Ransom made his fourth appearance as a Phillie count, as he hit a two run home run with two outs in the ninth inning that tied the game.
The bullpen was solid, allowing just a single run in 4.2 innings of work.
What went wrong?
Brian Schneider was 0-4.
Juan Casto went 0-3.
Joe Blanton was just not good, allowing six runs (five earned) on 12 hits in 5.1 innings. He walked two and stuck out seven.
Game Analysis:
Well, that looked like the Phillies from the last three years last night. Down to three outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Phils made the comeback of the year for their team, scoring six runs in the ninth inning to tie the game, and then Ryan Howard launched a home run into the left field seats to win it in the tenth. This was the kind of game that had been missing from this team so far this year, and tonight, they managed to find it again.
I'm not going to cut corners here tonight. Even against rookie Mike Leake, for eight innings, this offense looked horrible. The Phillies managed just a single run through eight innings before their comeback, and it took a Greg Dobbs three run home run to get Leake out of the game. Before that moment, the Phillies had allowed Leake to control the game, thanks to their aggressive nature at the plate. It's not always a bad thing to swing at the first pitch, but when you're doing it for most of the night, then you have an issue that needs to be taken care of. Tonight, the Phillies swung more often than a couple at a party in the 1970s, and Leake was able to take advantage. The rookie made it into the ninth inning, and would have likely had the complete game had the Phils not managed a great comeback. Until the home runs by Dobbs and Ransom, the Phillies were looking at a bad loss, and those facts don't change, but they do make this look more like the last few years.
Since 2007, the Phillies have made a living off of bad starting pitching showings that they could come back from. Tonight was no exception, as Joe Blanton couldn't make it out of the sixth inning. Even though he struck out seven batters, he allowed 12 hits and just looked bad tonight against the Reds. This makes two starts in a row where Blanton has allowed five runs or more, and if and when J.A. Happ comes back into the rotation, at this point, it should be Blanton that loses his spot, not Kyle Kendrick. At least Kendrick has shown that he can pitch well this year. Joe Blanton has been one of the worst pitchers in the National League so far this year, and isn't getting much better as of yet. For tonight, at least, the bullpen was able to bail Blanton out. The four man combination allowed a total of three hits and one run during 4.2 innings, and Ryan Madson picked up the win tonight by pitching a two strikeout, no hit performance in the tenth inning. That's what this team needs right now. When the starters can't pick things up, the bullpen has got to get the job done, and they did that tonight.
It certainly wasn't a pretty win tonight, but the Phillies might be starting to send a message out once again. For the second night in a row, they've won in extra innings, and tonight, they came back from six runs down in the bottom of the ninth inning. They looked more like the 2007 and 2008 Phils tonight, and that's a good thing. Over the last two games, they've managed to walk off against the National League Central Leaders and they've looked more and more like the teams from the last three years in the process. Tonight might not be a stepping point in the long run, but it certainly is going to set a point for the time being. Coming back from six runs down in the bottom of the ninth inning is not something that teams forget easily. Hopefully, this team can carry a bit of momentum into the All Star Break, and maybe, just maybe, they can start to gain ground on the Braves and Mets.
Tomorrow, Roy Halladay (10-7, 2.33 ERA) pitches for his 11th win of the season, as he faces off against Travis Wood (0-0, 3.86 ERA).
No comments:
Post a Comment