Game Recap:
Down by three runs heading into the ninth inning, the Phillies had four men come to the plate against Washington closer Drew Storen. All four men scored, and Jayson Werth finished off the game with a walk off two run home run to give the Phillies their seventh win in a row.
What went right?
Placido Polanco was 2-4 and scored twice.
Chase Utley went 3-5 with a run scored.
Ryan Howard was 1-4, drove in two and scored a run.
Jayson Werth had the big game, going 3-5 with three RBI, including the game winning home run.
Raul Ibanez was 2-3 with a run scored.
Brian Schneider went 3-4 with two RBI.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-4 and got ejected from the game in the sixth inning.
Wilson Valdez was 0-4.
Danys Baez and J.C. Romero continued to pitch like Danys Baez and J.C. Romero, allowing the Nationals to score two more runs in the seventh and eighth innings that increased their lead to 6-3.
Game Analysis:
After being bailed out for much of the last month and a half by the pitching staff, the offense decided to return the favor yesterday. With one on and no one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jayson Werth launched a two run home run to center field that capped a remarkable comeback for the Phillies and kept them three games up on the Braves with Atlanta coming to Philadelphia for a three game set that starts tonight.
It wasn't that pretty during most of the game, though. The Nationals struck first for the third straight game, but the Phillies were able to answer right back. The offense has looked very good lately, considering how much they had been struggling during most of the summer. I mentioned Jayson Werth in the last recap, and he continued his hot streak yesterday and capped the game with a walk off home run. Ryan Howard came through with a clutch single right before Werth that scored two runs, and you have to give credit to Placido Polanco and Chase Utley for each reaching base in the ninth inning as well.
Joe Blanton wasn't horrible yesterday, but he certainly could have done better. He probably stayed in the game one or two batters too long, and the Nationals made him pay, as Michael Morse drilled a three run home run to right that gave Washington a 4-3 lead. Blanton has at least been more solid of late, and he's starting to look more like a pitcher that's woken up in the second half of the season. With Kyle Kendrick pitching well on Saturday, and Blanton looking decent yesterday, even the back end of the rotation is starting to pick things up, and that's exactly what the Phils needed coming down the stretch.
The bullpen is still a bit of a concern, as the more Danys Baez and J.C. Romero pitch, the more people want them to go away. Both of them struggled again yesterday, as they managed to turn a 4-3 game into a 6-3 game while recording just five outs between the two of them. Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge have looked very good lately, but the rest of the bullpen is still a big trouble spot. Someone else is going to have to step up and make something happen out there, because Madson can't do it all.
This game felt like a September baseball game in Philadelphia, especially over the last few years. This was a game that the Phils needed to win, and they found a way to do that. Thanks to the Mets, the Braves didn't lose any ground over the weekend, but the Phillies made sure that they didn't gain any, either. Now, the season comes down to these final 12 games, with six of them against Atlanta. No one said winning the division for a fourth year in a row was going to be easy.
Tonight, Cole Hamels (11-10, 3.01 ERA) tries to get the Phillies off to a good start in their series against the Braves. Jair Jurrjens (7-6, 4.64 ERA) will pitch for Atlanta.
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