Game Recap:
Placido Polanco's RBI single in the eighth inning gave the Phillies the lead once again, and despite a poor showing from the bullpen, the Phils ended the night in first place in the National League East.
What went right?
Shane Victorino went 2-5 with two runs scored and a home run.
Placido Polanco had another good game, going 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Ryan Howard was 2-4 with a home run, a walk and three runs scored.
Jimmy Rollins got in on the fun with a 2-3, two RBI night.
Raul Ibanez finished a double short of the cycle, going 3-4 with three RBI and a home run.
Joe Blanton didn't get the win, but he at least pitched well, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits in six and a third innings of work. He walked two and struck out five.
What went wrong?
Chase Utley was 0-4.
Jayson Werth went 0-4 and committed an error in the eighth that allowed a run to score.
Do I even have to bring up the top of the eighth inning? After the Phillies took a three run lead in the bottom of the seventh, the bullpen fell apart. Jose Contreras got tagged for three runs (two earned) in two thirds of an inning, J.C. Romero didn't record an out, walked a batter and was called for a balk and Ryan Madson, even though he picked up the win, blew the save before working the ninth inning to finish off the game.
Game Analysis:
On July 22nd, the Phillies were seven games back of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, and just three games over .500. Here's what someone wrote about them that day:
"The second half of the season has not gone well for the Phillies so far. Their offense, save for Ryan Howard, is completely dead, and their pitching has failed them now as well. There is no easy answer for what's going on with this team at the moment, because no one really knows. There's talk of a trade for another big starting pitcher, but honestly, what kind of an impact would that make on this season? The Phillies are closer to fourth place now than first place, and are only three games over .500. Unless that pitcher can also hit third in the lineup, there's not enough ammunition on this team to get the job done right now. When Ben Francisco is hitting in the three hole, you know that something isn't right. Well, something isn't right."
Yes, that was me, posting after Joe Blanton was beaten by the St. Louis Cardinals. At the time, the Phils were sitting at 49-46, and couldn't get anything going their way. Since that game, the Phillies have gone 31-14, gotten everyone back on offense and picked up Roy Oswalt to bolster the starting rotation. For the last two weeks, it seemed like each time the Phillies had a chance to catch the Braves for first place, the Braves would win a game or two in dramatic fashion, keeping the Phils at bay. Well, after last night, the Phillies are atop the National League East by themselves for the first time since the 30th of May.
It wasn't easy, though. An error by Joe Blanton allowed two unearned runs to score in the third inning, and Florida would add another run in the fourth inning before the Phillies started to make their move. Home runs by Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard gave the Phils the lead by the fifth inning, and Blanton actually limited his damage, allowing just one other run to score in the seventh inning. Chad Durbin got out of trouble when he came in for relief in the seventh, and then the Phils tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the inning. All it was going to take was six more outs, and first place would be theirs again.
Then came the top of the eighth inning. Jose Contreras started things out by allowing a home run to Mike Stanton, who has just killed the Phillies in this series. A fly out, a double and a line out followed before Emilio Bonifacio singled to right field. The Marlins held the runner at third, but Jayson Werth decided he wanted to be cute, and threw behind the runner to third base. The only problem was that Placido Polanco wasn't expecting a throw to third. The ball got away and a run scored. J.C. Romero was even more ineffective, balking a man over to third and then walking the only batter he faced. Up next was Ryan Madson, and he uncorked a wild pitch that tied the game. A home run, an error, a balk and a wild pitch, all in the same inning. Three runs scored, and it seemed like it was back to the dog days of summer again for the Phillies.
Luckily, the offense came to play tonight. With two outs in the eighth inning, Shane Victorino singled and stole second. Placido Polanco came through with a single to right that scored Victorino and gave the Phillies the lead for good. This time, Madson worked the ninth inning without any trouble, and the Phils had first place back once again. Last night's win has to be attributed to the offense and their clutch hitting throughout the game. It looks like things are starting to heat up again, especially for Ryan Howard. Howard struggled after coming off the disabled list, but he's getting his swing back. Last night, he hit his fourth home run in nine games, and has at least a hit in all but two games in September so far. That's great news for the Phillies, who need their big man in the middle to start swinging again. Chase Utley doesn't look like he's gotten his swing back quite yet, but everything else seems to be coming together. The top of the lineup came through last night and looked very good. Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco deserve a lot of credit for winning this game. Without those two at the top, and Victorino's stolen base in the eighth inning, the game could have turned out completely different.
Then, there's the way the bullpen pitched last night. Chad Durbin was great, but after him, well, let's just say there's a reason Jose Contreras hasn't seen much time lately. He looked shaky out there, and got behind the first few batters he faced. Mike Stanton made him pay with a 2-0 home run that was crushed. I don't know what's happened to J.C. Romero of late, but something has to change in his head, too. The man just isn't there right now, and last night was another showing of just that. He balked a runner over to third and the walked the only man that he was supposed to face. The Phillies didn't even want to use Ryan Madson last night, because the man has been out there for almost every game recently. Instead, they had to, and at least he put out the fire after giving up a wild pitch.
The biggest issue that this team has at the moment is their bullpen. Brad Lidge has at least looked better this year, and Ryan Madson is outstanding. So is Chad Durbin at times, if you can believe that. Other than those three, there's very little depth out there at the moment. I don't trust J.C. Romero or Jose Contreras, and there's no telling whether or not Durbin is going to have a good day or a bad day. The same goes with Lidge. Right now, this bullpen is a big weakness for this team, and last night was another showing of just that.
For now, at least, it doesn't matter. The Phillies are back in first place, and things look good for them at the moment. Tonight, Cole Hamels (9-10, 3.18 ERA) goes for his tenth win of the season as he faces off against Andrew Miller (1-0, 3.60 ERA).
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