PHILLIES NEWS

The Phils got off to a quick start tonight against the struggling, defending world champion Cardinals, and never looked back. Jamie Moyer toughed out 6 innings of shutout, 7 hit ball, thanks in part to his own sterling defense and work with the bat. He got the first hit of what turned out to be a 5 run Phils 3rd inning. Jimmy Rollins singled to move Moyer to 2nd. Shane Victorino blooped a single to score Moyer from 2nd. Chase Utley singled to scored Victorino and Rollins. Ryan Howard doubled to score Utley, and after an Aaron Rowand single moved him to 3rd base, Howard scored on a sac fly by Greg Dobbs. Just like that the Phils led and with Moyer on the mound that would be all they would need. In bottom of the 3rd, Moyer gave the Phils the shutdown inning they needed, but not without some fielding heroics. With two out Albert Pujols came up and hit a sharp ground ball right back at a stunned Moyer. Somehow the ball deflected off his glove and into the air. Moyer found it and grabbed it before it hit the ground and in one motion whirled towards first base, and while diving forward, flipped the ball to first baseman Ryan Howard, beating Pujols by a stride to end the inning. You just don't know what might have happened if Moyer hadn't made that play, but any rate he wasn't done yet. In 6th, Carlos Ruiz led off with a double, and then in came Moyer who coolly bunted him over to 3rd, thus allowing him to score one batter later on a fly ball by Jimmy Rollins. Moyer then left after 6th with a 6-0 lead after getting out of yet another 2 out jam. Ryan Madson blanked the Cards in the 7th and 8th, Jose Mesa, yes, Jose Mesa did likewise in the 9th and before you knew it the Phils had a combined 9 hit shutout of the Cards and a 6-0 win. So the Phils improve to 38-35, and since the Braves lost again tonight, they move into 2nd place, still 2 games behind the Mets for first. Life is thus beautiful again.