Phillies Recap: Phillies-5, Dodgers-3

Game Recap:

Roy Halladay won his 15th game of the season as the Phillies took care of the Dodgers to win their 75th game of the season. They're 7-1 on this ten game road trip.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 with a two run double.

Shane Victorino went 3-5, scoring three times and driving in one with a solo home run in the ninth.

Ryan Howard went 2-5 with two RBI.

Hunter Pence was 2-3.

Roy Halladay didn't have a great start by his standards, but it was still good enough to win another game. He allowed one run in 6.1 innings while giving up nine hits. He walked two and struck out four.

Ryan Madson worked a scoreless ninth inning for his 20th save of the season.

What went wrong?

Raul Ibanez went 0-4 with a strikeout.

Michael Stutes had a rough night, getting charged with two runs and an error while recording just a single out in the eighth inning.

Brad Lidge pitched the rest of the eighth, but he looked more like the 2009 Brad Lidge, giving up a walk and a base hit.

Game Analysis:

It wasn't always pretty, but the Phillies won their 75th game of the season last night behind Roy Halladay and some big hits by the offense. Halladay didn't have his best stuff and allowed nine base hits, but they were all singles, and just one Dodger was able to score with him on the mound. So it wasn't a perfect Roy Halladay start, but it was still pretty damn good.

Considering the lack of success that the Phillies have had against Hiroki Kuroda in the regular season, it was very nice to see them jump on him in the first two innings. Shane Victorino set the table in the first, and Ryan Howard brought him home with a single, and then Carlos Ruiz and Michael Martinez came around in the second inning on a double by Jimmy Rollins. Howard would drive Victorino in again with the eventual game winning run in the seventh inning, giving the Phils four runs off of Kuroda last night, which was a good showing for them. Kuroda normally has the Phillies' number, so to get three runs early off of him and another one late was a nice bounce back after facing Tim Lincecum on Sunday.

Like I said before, Halladay didn't have his best stuff last night, but he still pitched well. Just like in his last outing against the Rockies, Halladay gave up a lot of hits, and last night, he had just one 1-2-3 inning. The good thing about Halladay is that he can pitch himself out of trouble very easily, and he did that last night. The Dodgers couldn't get a real rally going until the eighth inning, and by then, Halladay had been lifted and Michael Stutes and Brad Lidge were doing their best to let the Dodgers back into the game. Fortunately, Lidge got out of the eighth inning jam, and Ryan Madson shut the door in the ninth. It was a good team effort from the pitching staff, who did exactly what had to be done to ensure another win.

Through 115 games, the Phillies stand with a 75-40 record. That's not just good, that's franchise record good right there. Their 8.5 game lead on the Braves is by far the largest in baseball, and with the way the pitching staff is working and the offense is getting together, things are only going to get better as the rest of the season goes along. There's still 47 games to go in the regular season, so buckle up. It's going to be a fun ride.

Tonight, the Phillies play their last 10:10 game of the season. Cliff Lee (11-7, 2.96 ERA) goes against Ted Lilly (7-11, 4.86 ERA).

Phillie of the Week: July 31-August 6

Last week was one of the best all season for the Phillies, as they carried their winning streak up to nine with a 2-1 victory over the Giants. There are plenty of candidates for the Phillie of the Week this time around, but I'm going to give it to the newest member of the team. This week's Phillie of the Week is:

Hunter Pence

Since being traded to Philadelphia by Houston, Pence has made himself right at home in the number five spot in the lineup. He had a hit in every game last week and has already become a fan favorite. In the seven games the Phils played this past week, Pence hit .413 with two home runs and six RBI. Not too bad for the new guy in town.

Phillies Fight Night Recap: Phillies-9, Giants-2

Game Recap:
The benches cleared in San Francisco last night, and when all was said and done, Hunter Pence, John Mayberry and Shane Victorino hit home runs, and Vance Worley won his eighth game of the season as the Phillies won their season high eighth in a row.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 with two RBI and two stolen bases.

Placido Polanco was 2-4 with an RBI and one takedown defended.

Shane Victorino went 2-3, hit a home run and was ejected in the sixth inning for his part in the fight.

Hunter Pence was 2-5 and hit a home run for the second straight game.

John Mayberry went 2-5 with a two run home run and two runs scored.

Brian Schneider was 1-3, scored a run and drove in one.

Vance Worley pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out six.

What went wrong?

Aside from Victorino getting tossed from the game and likely suspended, nothing went wrong last night.

Game Analysis:

Well, where do I start with this one? I was all set to write about how the Phillies had dominated the Giants for a second straight night when Shane Victorino gets hit by a Ramon Ramirez pitch in the top of the sixth inning. Next thing you know, the benches clear, Eli Whiteside fails to tackle Placido Polanco and all hell has broken loose. At least the Phillies still won.

I'm only going to say a little bit about the fight, since so much has been made about it already. The blame for this has to lie with the Giants. Just because Ramirez was getting hit doesn't mean that he should throw at the last batter he's going to face in the game. Yes, the pitch to Shane was intentional, don't even try and say otherwise. It was a cheap shot, and Ramirez should be suspended for it. The Giants turned around and blamed the whole thing on Jimmy Rollins stealing second base with the Phillies up 8-2, saying that Rollins violated some "unwritten rule" of baseball. Don't even start with that. First of all, this was the sixth inning, not the top of the ninth. The Giants still had 12 outs to work with. Just because their offense sucks doesn't mean that they should start throwing at the Phillies.

Just yesterday, I was saying that this matchup was becoming a rivalry. Well, I was wrong. It's a rivalry now. These two teams just don't like each other any more. The Giants try to show you up each and every time one of those bearded freaks takes the field, while the Phillies just go about their business. There was a time when I actually respected the Giants, because they hadn't won a championship since the Willie Mays era. That time is well past now. The Giants are quickly moving up my list of teams I can't stand, and it's the same with a lot of Phillies fans this morning.

Honestly, this is a worse situation for the Giants than it is the Phillies. Victorino is likely going to miss some games because of the way he got back into the fight, but the Phils have the best record in baseball and are eight and a half games up on the Braves. The Giants are locked in the middle of a race for the NL West or the Wild Card. They can't afford to have anyone get suspended, especially their hopped-up little catcher that can't even tackle Polanco.

Anyway, that's enough about that. Other than the fight, it was another great showing by the Phillies, who have done nothing but win since Hunter Pence arrived in town. Pence hit the exclamation point home run last night to put the Phillies up 9-2, but it was Victorino and Mayberry's home runs in the fourth inning that put the Phils ahead to stay. Before the fourth, Jonathan Sanchez was pitching a gem, but, as has been the case for him throughout his career, he came undone in the fourth inning, allowing four runs to cross the plate. After Polanco drove in Jimmy Rollins in the fifth inning, Sanchez's night was over.

The Phillies were just getting started, as they scored three times in the previously mentioned sixth innning off of Ramon Ramirez. Every starting player, including Vance Worley, had a hit during the game and everyone helped produce last night. That's the kind of effort at the plate that you want to see from a team coming down the stretch. You don't want to always have to rely on home runs, though they are nice. You want to be able to produce runs with hits, bunts and stolen bases. That's what the best of the best do.

What else can be said about the way Vance Worley has pitched this year? He came into this season, unsure if he would even be on the team, and he's gone 8-1 with an ERA of 2.35 as a fifth starter. Some of his success is likely due to teams not seeing him yet, but the majority of it is because of the fact that Worley is just a good pitcher. You can't teach talent, and Worley has that. With Roy Oswalt coming back off the DL on Sunday, the Phillies are going to have the best starting rotation in baseball. Forget the Four Aces, they might have to make room for Worley.

Worley pitched well again last night, bouncing back from a rough start against the Pirates his last time out. Though he gave up a run in the first inning, he came back and shut down the Giants for the rest of the game, allowing only a solo home run by Eli Whiteside in the fifth. Michael Stutes and David Herndon did the mop up work in the eighth and ninth innings, and the meat of the Phils bullpen hasn't even seen the pitcher's mound in this series yet. That's a good thing.

Later on today, the Phillies and the Giants will be playing some afternoon baseball. Cole Hamels (12-6, 2.62 ERA) will try for his 13th win of the season as he takes on Matt Cain (9-7, 3.10 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-3, Giants-0

Game Recap:
Hunter Pence hit his first home run as a member of the Phillies, and Cliff Lee pitched a complete game shutout, giving the Phils the first win in their four game series against the Giants.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was 2-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Hunter Pence went 3-4 with a home run and a double. He finished the game with two RBI and a run scored.

John Mayberry went back to back with Pence in the second inning, hitting his eighth home run of the season.

Cliff Lee was outstanding, pitching a complete game shutout in only 106 pitches. He allowed seven hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out eight.

Cody Ross went 0-4 with four strikeouts. Why am I putting this here? I don't like Cody Ross.

What went wrong?

Ryan Howard was 0-4 with two strikeouts.

Carlos Ruiz was 0-3 and grounded into a double play.

Wilson Valdez was 0-2 and was caught stealing once.

Game Analysis:

Almost two years to the day that Cliff Lee made his first Phillies debut with a complete game effort in San Francisco, he did it again last night. Lee looked every bit like the top free agent pitcher from last offseason, and the Phillies gave him just enough offense to pick up the win against the, dare I say it, rival San Francisco Giants in the first of a four game series.

Quite simply put, Lee was outstanding last night. He didn't have a rough inning until the eighth, when he allowed two men to reach base with just one out and the Phillies holding on to a two run lead. What did Lee do? He struck out the next batter and got the following one to ground out to second to end the inning. That was the most trouble that he had in the entire game. No Giants player reached third base in the entire game, and the only extra base hit that Lee allowed came with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. That's not exactly the ideal time to be getting your first double of a ballgame.

Cliff Lee has always been known for pitching fast games when he's got his best stuff, and last night was another example of that. He needed just 65 pitches to get through six innings, and until the trouble in the eighth, he was averaging just over ten pitches per inning. That's not just good, that's amazing. The Giants have had plenty of problems on offense this season, but they handled Lee during the World Series last year, and I think a lot of their fans were expecting to see more of the same this time out. Instead, what they got was the Cliff Lee from the regular season against the Giants, where he's 4-0. Lee also threw his fifth shutout of the season, which is more than the Giants have as a team. Last night showed why the Phils went out and spent all that money on Cliff Lee during the offseason. He's worth it.

Right now, Hunter Pence is worth it, too. The newest member of the Phillies continued his hot streak in red pinstripes, going 3-4 last night. Madison Bumgarner has had issues with getting started in games, and the Phils jumped on him early in the first, but were unable to produce any runs. Pence changed that on the first pitch of the second inning, hitting his first home run as a member of the Phillies and giving his team a 1-0 lead. John Mayberry only needed four pitches to take Bumgarner out with his eighth home run of the season in the next at bat, and just like that, the Phillies had all the runs that they would need on the night. Pence would strike again in the ninth inning, as he drove home Shane Victorino with a single to add an insurance run. Remarkably, it was the first earned run given up at home by Santiago Casilla all season long. That's why Pence is so important for this Phillies team. He is the right handed bat that was missing from this lineup, and his production so far is proving it.

The offense did struggle last night, but that was to be expected against the Giants, who have allowed the second fewest runs in baseball, behind the Phillies. On a night where Cliff Lee pitched like he did, you could tell that only a run or two would be enough, and that's what the Phillies got. This game was a pitcher's duel, and last night, the Phils were the last team standing.

Tonight, Vance Worley (7-1, 2.33 ERA) tries to make it eight wins in a row for the Phillies as he faces off against Jonathan Sanchez (4-5, 3.81 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-8, Rockies-6

Game Recap:
The Phillies completed their three game sweep of the Rockies this afternoon behind a four RBI game from Ryan Howard and seven innings on the mound from Roy Halladay.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins went 1-4 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI.

Shane Victorino was 1-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.

Chase Utley was 2-3 and scored twice.

Ryan Howard had an interesting day playing defense, but went 2-4 with a two run home run and a two run double. He finished with four RBI.

Hunter Pence continued his modest six game hitting streak, going 1-4 with an RBI.

Roy Halladay didn't have his best stuff, but still got through seven innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits. He walked one, struck out seven and scored a run on a wild pitch.

Brad Lidge kicked it old school and recorded a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 1ooth career save with the Phillies.

What went wrong?

Ryan Howard was an adventure at first base in the first inning, recording a rare double error on one play that allowed an unearned run to score.

The Rockies stole two bases in three attempts off of Roy Halladay and Carlos Ruiz.

Antonio Bastardo had a rough eighth inning, allowing a Todd Helton home run to put the Rockies within two.

This game shouldn't have been nearly as close as it turned out. The Phillies left seven men on base.

Game Analysis:

Five games with Hunter Pence, and all of them have been wins. Now, I'm not saying that it's a coincidence. After all, the Phillies have played the Pirates and Rockies since he was traded to Philadelphia, but it's still a good sign for the rest of the season. Pence contributed again today with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and Ryan Howard did the rest of the heavy lifting at the plate, driving in four more runs to pace Roy Halladay's 14th win on the season and put the Phillies 32 games over .500.

Let's just get one thing out of the way right now: today was a sloppy game from both teams. Jason Hammel walked the bases loaded in the first inning, only for the Phillies to score just a single run. Roy Halladay wasn't much better in the first inning, but he got little help from his defense. Ryan Howard recorded two errors on the same play, first while trying to field a Dexter Fowler ground ball, and then when trying to throw the ball to Halladay at first. Eric Young scored on the play, and Fowler would come around later in the inning. Halladay couldn't get out of the weeds for much of the game, but the best part about having a pitcher like Halladay on your team is that, even when he doesn't have his best stuff, he can still go deep into the game. He did that today, pitching seven innings and keeping the Rockies at bay every time they seemed to get close enough to take the lead.

Fortunately, Howard was able to make up for his defensive miscues with his bat once again. He broke open the game in the second inning with a two run double that made everyone forget about his two errors, and then finished the scoring off for the Phils with a blast in the sixth inning. Howard's home run in the sixth was his first all season against a left handed pitcher and was to the opposite field, another sign that he's getting hotter at the plate at just the right time again this year. He has four home runs in the last five games, as well as nine RBI, and he's looking more and more like that work horse the Phils turn to every September. I don't know what it is about the end of the season, but something switches on in this guy. It's a good thing, regardless.

The top of the lineup performed well today, scoring five of the eight runs for the Phillies and recording three walks. That's what the top three hitters in this lineup, Chase Utley included, need to do. They need to get on base, with Utley driving in Rollins and then let Howard, Hunter Pence and Raul Ibanez drive them in. They've done that these last six games, and the Phillies have won them all. It's the kind of play that this team wasn't getting last year, and they've been getting it much of this season. The proof is in the results, and a 71-39 record speaks for itself.

There were some nervous people out there today when Brad Lidge came in to close the game out, instead of Ryan Madson, but Madson was not available for personal reasons. Luckily for the Phillies, Lidge pitched like it was 2008 once again, recording a perfect ninth inning for his 100th save with the Phillies. It was good to see Lidge back out there in the ninth, doing what he needed to do. In his limited appearances this season, Lidge has only allowed a run in one showing this season, and it looks like he's got a good bite on his slider this year, which is a very good thing, especially if he needs to step into the closer role at any point during the rest of the season.

This team is on a roll right now, there's not much else to say about that. The offense is clicking and the pitching is on another planet. The next series is going to be a really big test to see how the rest of the season is going to go. It's time to return to San Francisco.

Tomorrow night, Cliff Lee (10-7, 3.14 ERA) faces off against the Giants and Madison Bumgarner (6-10, 3.80 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-5, Rockies-0

Game Recap:
Behind Kyle Kendrick's eight shutout innings, and Ryan Howard's two home runs, the Phillies took their second straight game from the Rockies last night and moved eight games up in the National League East.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was 1-4 with a walk and a run scored.

Ryan Howard was 2-4 with his two solo home runs, giving him 23 on the season.

Hunter Pence was 2-3 with an RBI double and a walk.

Raul Ibanez went 1-4 and scored a run.

Kyle Kendrick pitched his best game of the season, throwing eight shutout innings while allowing just four hits. He walked two and struck out a career high seven. He also went 1-3 at the plate.

Even though Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Brian Schneider didn't get base hits, they all either scored or drove in runs.

What went wrong?

Last night, nothing went wrong. It was a good game by the Phillies, and any time you can shutout the Rockies, in Coors Field, you're doing something right.

Game Analysis:

Someone needs to tell Roy Halladay that he's pitching again today. Last night, Kyle Kendrick made probably his last start for a while, and he made it count, going eight innings and allowing just four hits and two walks while shutting out the Colorado Rockies. Ryan Howard hit two solo home runs and the Phils got to Aaron Cook early on their way to a 5-0 win.

After their struggles at the plate the night before, last night the Phillies looked much better. Jimmy Rollins walked to start the game, and Chase Utley brought him home with an RBI groundout. Hunter Pence drove in Shane Victorino with an RBI double, and just like that, the Phils had a 2-0 lead before the Rockies even got to the plate. That's what this team needs to do. They need to jump out on teams early and often and put up crooked numbers. If they can do that, with the pitching that they have, they can win just about every game. Ryan Howard would add his first home run of the game in the fourth inning, and a Brian Schneider sacrifice fly would be the finishing blow for Aaron Cook, who left after just four innings with a neck injury.

People have been questioning this offense all season long, but the numbers don't lie. This offense has been getting better as the season has gone along. Their 476 runs scored is more than the Braves, and just four behind the Brewers, and I haven't heard anything negative about their offense all season long. Ryan Howard is starting to get his swing back into shape again, as evidenced by that opposite field shot he hit last night in the eighth inning, and Chase Utley has been hitting very well at the plate since coming off the disabled list. The majority of the players in this lineup have been around since the Phillies started this run that they're on now back in 2007, so they can still produce runs. It's just with the pitching that this team has now, they don't need to produce nearly as many. They can still do it, though.

You have to take your hat off to Kyle Kendrick for how well he pitched last night. With Roy Oswalt likely coming back over the weekend, this was probably Kendrick's last start in the rotation for a while. Well, the young man made it count. He struck out a career high seven batters, and had it not been for a pitch count that was close to 120 pitches through eight innings, he would have gone back out there for the complete game in the ninth. Despite all the hype with the "Four Aces" this season, Kendrick has had a solid year of his own. He's done everything that the Phillies have wanted him to do. He's come out of the bullpen, he's done spot starts, he's filled in when a pitcher has gotten hurt and he's done it all with an ERA of 3.19. That's not a typo. Kendrick may only have a 6-5 record, but he's also boasting a 3.19 ERA. The way that he's been pitching lately, he's been good enough for most teams to have in their starting rotations. Unfortunately for Kendrick, the Phillies have Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Worley and now Oswalt in their rotation, and he's the odd man out.

Hey, as long as Kendrick can still pitch well out of the bullpen, he'll be fine. Phillies fans love to hate on Kendrick, but he's done a lot for this team this year. I've got no problem with him at this point. Keep it up, kid.

Today, the Phillies go for their second straight series sweep, as Roy Halladay (13-4, 2.44 ERA) looks for his 14th win against Jason Hammel (6-10, 4.65 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-4, Rockies-3

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).