The Phillies had the Nationals down to their last strike, but Ian Desmond hit a game tying home run off of Antonio Bastardo, and then Jonny Gomes was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 10th, giving Washington their second walk off win of the series against the Phillies.
What went right?
Chase Utley was 1-5 with his ninth home run of the season.
Raul Ibanez went 1-3 with a walk and two runs scored.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 with a two run home run.
Michael Martinez was 1-4 and put the Phillies ahead with his RBI single in the top of the ninth inning.
Michael Schwimer gave up a home run to the very first batter he faced in the major leagues, but then worked three innings of two hit baseball, including striking out the side in the seventh inning.
What went wrong?
Jimmy Rollins was 0-2 before leaving the game with a right groin strain. He's day to day at the moment.
Hunter Pence was 0-4 with a strikeout.
Antonio Bastardo struck out the first two batters he faced, and had Ian Desmond down to his last strike, but gave up a game tying home run in the ninth inning for his first blown save of the year.
Brad Lidge was in trouble early in the 10th and never got out of hit, giving up the rare walk off hit by pitch to end the game.
Game Analysis:
Boy, there haven't been many of these games for the Phillies this year, have there? I mean, aside from Friday's game, that is. The Phillies went into the ninth inning today with Antonio Bastardo having struck out the first two National batters that he faced. The remaining, rain soaked crowd was mostly Phillies fans, who were on their feet, ready for a final strikeout. The only problem was that Bastardo threw one bad pitch in the inning, and Ian Desmond hit it into the left field seats for a game tying home run. Brad Lidge did next to nothing in the 10th inning, loading the bases before recording a strike out of his own, and then hitting Jonny Gomes to end the game. It wasn't a good way to end the series for the Phils, that's for sure.
The weather played a factor once again, limiting Roy Halladay to just five innings of work. Halladay wasn't as sharp as he usually is, allowing seven hits and two runs in those five innings, but he was still pitching well enough to go another inning or two without a problem. Instead, the rain came in, and rookie Michael Schwimer got to make his major league debut. Two pitches into it, Danny Espinosa greeted him with a home run that tied the game.
Fortunately for the young kid, things only got better from there, as Schwimer retired eight Washington batters in a row, including striking out the side in the seventh inning. He didn't look bad at all out on the mound, giving up just two hits, both to Espinosa, and striking out four. All in all, it was a good first showing, and he was in line for the win today before the bottom of the ninth.
Just like they did the entire series, the offense did a little bit, but had the Phillies in the lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Carlos Ruiz tied the game up in the second inning with a two run home run before Chase Utley gave the Phils the lead in the third with a solo home run of his own. Ruiz would help out again in the ninth, singling Raul Ibanez into scoring position for Michael Martinez. Mini-Mart singled back up the middle, scoring Ibanez and putting the Phillies on top once again.
Just the other day, I was praising both Ryan Madson and Antonio Bastardo. Well, in this series against the Nationals, Madson and Bastardo both blew saves and the Phillies lost both of those games. I don't think it's going to become a trend, since both pitchers have had stellar years, so I'm not too concerned. However, those two are going to be the back end of the rotation in the playoffs, so if they do struggle, it won't be pretty. For now, I'm willing to give them a pass on this series. The Nationals, for whatever reason, always have played the Phillies tough, and they now have 19 wins in their last at bat, so they don't give up easily. A series like this was bound to happen.
The bigger concern is about Jimmy Rollins and his strained groin. He's scheduled for an MRI tomorrow, and hopefully it won't reveal anything too major. Even with Placido Polanco coming off the DL tomorrow, the last thing that the Phils really need is another starter going out for a month or so. Rollins has battled through injuries before, so hopefully he can do the same with this one, but a groin strain isn't just something you can play through without discomfort. If he can't go, Wilson Valdez or Michael Martinez will obviously play in his place. For now, Rollins is day to day.
Everyone needs to just step back and breathe a little bit. Did the Phillies blow saves in two of the three games in this series? Yes they did, but before that, they had only blown one save all season long. Having three blown saves near the end of August isn't too bad, right? Besides, the Braves are still a way's back in the division, and this series should prove to have been a launching point for the rest of season. This isn't the end of the world, just remember that.
Tomorrow, the Phils are back at home to take on the New York Mets. Cliff Lee (13-7, 2.82 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies, while Jonathan Niese (11-10, 4.05 ERA) goes for the Mets.
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