Vance Worley had his worst start of his young career, putting the Phillies down 6-0 by the third inning. The Phils came back with runs in the next three innings and completed their biggest comeback of the season by holding on for a 9-8 win.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins started the game with a 15 pitch at bat, and went 2-5 with a run scored.
Shane Victorino was 2-4 and scored a run.
Chase Utley only had one hit, but it was a two run single in the sixth inning that tied the game at 7-7.
Ryan Howard scored three times, walked twice and had the game winning two run home run in the sixth inning.
Hunter Pence went 1-4 with a two run home run.
Raul Ibanez was 1-5 with an RBI and had a great catch in the ninth inning that possibly saved the game for the Phillies.
David Herndon needed just five pitches to get through the bottom of the sixth inning.
Antonio Bastardo came in for Brad Lidge in the seventh inning and pitched very well, allowing no hits and striking out a batter in 1.2 innings of work.
Ryan Madson looked like someone that had pitched the previous two nights, but he closed out the Dodgers for his 22nd save of the season.
The Phillies went 9-1 on a ten game road trip for the first time in team history.
What went wrong?
Vance Worley got rocked today, allowing six runs on seven hits in just four innings of work. He struck out six and walked three.
Brad Lidge only managed to record one out in the seventh inning before being taken out. He walked a batter, allowed a hit and struck out one.
Game Analysis:
Just take a minute to sit back and think about this game. After having Chad Billingsley throw 30 pitches in the first inning, the Phillies couldn't score a single run. Vance Worley had an even rougher go in the first, allowing five runs in the frame before finally recording three outs. The Dodgers would add another run in the third inning, and the Phillies were looking at a 6-0 hole early.
If there's one thing about this team that makes them even that much better than the last two years, it's the fact that no one even seems to give up. Today, Hunter Pence, the newest Phillie, got things started with a two run home run in the top of the fourth. Michael Martinez reached base on an error and Vance Worley added an RBI single of his own, and the lead was cut in half. Another error in the fourth inning turned a potential double play into a fourth run for the Phils, and Raul Ibanez made it 6-5 with an RBI single of his own.
Los Angeles got one back in the bottom of the fifth, but the game belonged to the Phillies after that. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard did what the number three and four hole hitters are supposed to do, driving in two runs each in the sixth inning, and just like that, a 6-0 deficit had turned into a 9-7 lead. That's what makes this team the best in baseball this year. Not the pitching staff, or the offense that people still think isn't that good, but really is. It's the heart that these guys have. They never give up, and never think that they're out of a game.
All you have to do is look back to the first game of this road trip, when they were down to their last strike. John Mayberry drilled a two run home run that tied the game in Colorado. Shane Victorino led off the next inning with another home run, and the Phils never looked back. They swept the Rockies, took three of four from the Giants and swept the Dodgers in Los Angeles for the first time since 1995. That's one hell of a good road trip.
Anyone that thinks that this team isn't at least the best team in the National League needs to get their head checked. The Phillies just wrapped up a 20 day stretch of games, and finished 16-4, with three of those losses coming against Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, and Lincecum has two Cy Young Awards to his name. Since the All Star break, the Phillies have gone 19-6, and have taken every series but one. That's amazing, but the World Series isn't won in the regular season. The last time the Phils were 37 games over .500, like they are now was 1977, and they didn't win the World Series that year. Anything can still happen, but with the heart and skill that this team has, it's just fun to be along for the ride. For most of us fans, this is the first time we've ever seen a Phillies team play this well in the regular season, and it's a damn good time.
The Phils have a deserved off day tomorrow, and then take on Jayson Werth and the Nationals on Friday. Cole Hamels (13-6, 2.53 ERA) goes against Livan Hernandez (6-11, 4.41 ERA).
No comments:
Post a Comment