Game Recap:
John Mayberry hit a game tying, two run home run with two outs in the ninth inning, and Shane Victorino hit a game winning home run in the tenth to give the Phillies a come from behind, extra inning win over the Rockies.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was 2-5 with that solo home run.
Chase Utley was 2-4 with a double.
Raul Ibanez went 1-3 with an RBI double and a walk.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 and scored a run.
John Mayberry hit his seventh home run of the season, this one being a game tying, two run shot into left field.
Cole Hamels pitched well enough to win, going six innings and allowing two runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out five.
Ryan Madson needed only eight pitches to record his 19th save of the season.
What went wrong?
Jimmy Rollins, despite several solid defensive plays tonight, was 0-4 at the plate.
Ryan Howard went 0-5 with a strikeout and only saw 15 pitches.
Michael Stutes pitched two innings, but he looked a little shaky out there, allowing a home run to the first batter he faced. He finished with that home run allowed and two walks.
The Phillies left seven men on base, and had a few plays where they didn't seem to be hustling as well as they could.
Game Analysis:
Boy, the Phillies sure have had a flair for the dramatic over the last 48 hours, haven't they? First, Raul Ibanez has his first two home run game in almost two seasons, then drives in the game winning run in the 10th inning against Pittsburgh. Tonight, John Mayberry, with a full count and two outs in the ninth inning, hits a game tying, two run home run off of Huston Street, making the way for Shane Victorino to leadoff the 10th inning with a home run of his own and giving the Phils a win in their first game of their series against the Rockies.
It wasn't a great night for the offense, but they got done what they needed to do. Mayberry and Victorino provided the late inning heroics, and Raul Ibanez continued his little hot streak, driving in Hunter Pence from first with a double in the seventh inning. Victorino has just been solid all season. He's leading the team in batting average and is, surprisingly, the team leader in slugging percentage as well. Yes, Shane Victorino, not Ryan Howard, leads the Phillies in slugging. However, even Victorino had some issues on the basepaths tonight.
The third inning is where the baserunning woes stand out. After Jimmy Rollins was hit by a pitch, Victorino hit a ball that glanced off of pitcher Jhoulys Chacin. Troy Tulowitzki managed to get to the ball and threw to second to retire Rollins on a close play. The problem was that Rollins should have already been at second base, had he been hustling off of first. The close out never would have happened, and then, when Chase Utley came to the plate next and smacked a double off of the right field wall, Rollins would have scored easily. Instead, Victorino didn't seem to be running at full speed, and was tagged out at the plate. To be fair, the ball was played well in the outfield by Seth Smith, but on a double like that, Victorino should be able to score. Combine that with the bottom of the order leaving Ibanez on second base with no outs, and it was a little frustrating to watch the offense work tonight. These were some of the same problems that they had last year against the Giants in the NLCS.
The fact of the matter is still that the Phils won the game tonight and continued their great play that's followed them all season long. Cole Hamels had another solid start, going six innings and allowing only two runs on six hits. He did leave a few pitches over the plate, including one that Seth Smith hit for a two run home run, but that was the only damage he allowed. The fifth inning had it's moments, as Cole loaded the bases with just one out, but he struck out Mark Ellis and Tulowitzki to get out of the jam. Once again, Hamels pitched well enough to win, but he was plagued by the lack of run support. Out of his six losses this season, Hamels has allowed more than five runs just twice, and both times he was pitching against the Mets, a team that he doesn't do well against for whatever reasons. In those same six losses, the offense has only scored seven runs. Hamels should have one of the best records in baseball, and the amazing thing is that he still almost does. That's how good he's been pitching this season.
The back of the bullpen, save for a rough spot by Michael Stutes, was solid once again. Antonio Bastardo worked around a base hit to get through the bottom of the ninth, and Ryan Madson shut the door with just eight pitches to get through the 10th. That's what the back end of this bullpen has been doing all year long, and when you have starting pitchers that go six or seven innings, at least, most nights, that's all that you really need.
Come from behind wins are always fun, especially when they involve pinch hit, two out home runs in the ninth inning. Couple that with the fact that the Phillies are now 30 games over .500 and seven games up in the National League East, and it was a very good night. Not everything went right, but enough certainly did.
Tomorrow night, Kyle Kendrick (5-5, 3.52 ERA) goes for the Phillies against Colorado's Aaron Cook (2-5, 5.05 ERA).
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