Despite an almost two hour rain delay, Vance Worley pitched six innings to get his 11th win of the season as the Phillies took their second straight in a huge series against the Atlanta Braves. The National League East lead for the Phils is now nine and a half games.
What went right?
Chase Utley had a solo home run in the first inning, then reached base and scored the final run of the game in the seventh inning.
Ryan Howard went 1-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Raul Ibanez was great tonight, going 3-4 with three RBI.
Vance Worley didn't have his best outing, but he still pitched well, allowing two runs on seven hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out six.
Brad Lidge gave up a hit in the eighth, but struck out three in a rare four out inning.
Ryan Madson worked the ninth and picked up his 28th save with a quick inning.
What went wrong?
Brian Schneider was 0-3.
Michael Stutes had another rough outing, allowing a run in the seventh inning on a hit and a walk.
The Phillies left nine men on base.
Game Analysis:
One night after Cliff Lee shut down the Braves for his sixth shutout of the season, Vance Worley took his turn on the mound. While he didn't have the same stuff that Lee did, he had enough to hold the Braves to two runs in six innings, and the Phils did the rest. Raul Ibanez drove in three runs as the Phillies won their 90th game of the season with a 6-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
In two games in this series so far, the Phillies have outscored the Braves by a 14-3 margin. That's about as good as you can get for the two best teams in the National League. Though the Phils have had the edge in starting pitching, the Braves have countered with Tim Hudson tonight and Derek Lowe, two pitchers that aren't exactly scrubs. Tonight, Vance Worley pitched through some middle inning struggles and the Phillies scored runs when they needed to in order to get him a win. Without the offense, the Phils wouldn't have won tonight's game, it's that simple. They took advantage of Atlanta's mistakes and made them pay. It's what good teams do all the time. Last year, it's what the Giants did to the Phillies.
Just as they did the night before, the Phillies jumped on the Atlanta starting pitching early. Before the Braves hardly had a chance to react, the Phils were up 2-0, and it should have been more. Tim Hudson was able to pitch out of trouble and keep the Braves in the game, but after Atlanta tied the score, the Phillies took action with a two run bottom of the sixth inning that gave them the lead for good. Raul Ibanez just missed a two run home run in the inning, and he would drive in another run in the bottom of the seventh that would give the Phillies even more insurance against a potential Atlanta comeback.
The heart of this lineup has just been great in this series so far, but there's still a lot to do. Ryan Howard is playing hurt, and needs a few games off, and Hunter Pence is just coming out of a slump in which he was 0-10. Raul Ibanez is starting to show signs of life once more, which is a good sign, but there's no telling whether or not he's going to be able to keep this up throughout the rest of September and the playoffs. However, at the moment, this team is playing like most people thought that it would, and that's a very good thing.
The only question mark that I have about tonight has to do with Michael Stutes, who struggled again on the mound. Stutes has pitched more innings this year than he has in any other season since he was drafted, and fatigue has to be settling in. If the Phillies bring him with them to the playoffs, he could be a problem on the mound, especially in a tight situation. Tonight, he allowed a run, but the Phillies countered with two of their own in the bottom of the seventh inning. That's not always going to happen. If he struggles the rest of the way, having him in the playoffs might do more harm than good for this team. They need whatever help they can get in the bullpen.
Regardless of that, the Phillies are the best team in baseball right now. They have reached 90 wins in the shortest amount of time in team history, and are nine and a half games up in the National League East. This week is supposed to be their toughest coming down the stretch and so far, they've won both games, without Roy Halladay or Cole Hamels pitching. I like what I see at the moment.
Tomorrow, the Phillies try and sweep the Braves for the first time this season. Roy Oswalt (7-8, 3.80 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies against Brandon Beachy (7-2, 3.37 ERA).
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