PHILLIES NEWS

It's a guessing game right now whenever Adam Eaton takes the mound for the Phils. You just never know who is going to show up. The shaky Eaton who struggled in April, or the good Eaton who looked like the Phils ace in May. Tonight, it was the shaky Eaton, allowing 3 runs in the second inning. He allowed the Stros to load the bases with nobody out, on a pair of singles and a walk. Then he walked in a run, allowed another to score on a fielder's choice, and then served up an RBI single to Craig Biggio before finally getting out of the inning, and that was after the Phils had just taken an early 1-0 lead on a Wes Helms double in the top of the inning. Fortunately, The Phils scored two to tie it in the 3rd inning on a double by Ryan Howard, and the good Eaton showed up to shut down Houston for the next 3 innings. Micheal Bourn then put the Phils ahead 4-3, with a 2 out ground rule double in the 7th inning. The Phils bullpen kept it that way until the bottom of the 9th. There, Antonio Alfonseca came in to close it out and things got interesting. After getting a quick out, Craig Biggio and Hunter Pence singled, and Alfonseca walked Lance Berkman, loading the bases for the ever dangerous Carlos Lee. However , Alfonseca got Lee to ground into a game ending double play, and the Phils had won, or so they thought. Although replays clearly showed him out, firstbase ump Lance Barskdale called Carlos Lee safe, allowing Biggio to score with the tying run. Somehow Alfonseca got out of the inning with the score still tied but it didn't matter. The Phils had chances in just about every inning after that to get the lead back, but they weren't able to get that last hit they needed and in the 13th inning Hunter Pence finally ended the marathon with a homer, on the first pitch he saw from Jose Mesa. So the Phils lost 5-4, but should have won 4-3. In other words if the Phils wind up missing the playoffs by a game, Barksdale is a dead man. Anyway, the Mets and Braves both lost again as well, so again the Phils didn't lose any ground in the NL East, but life still sucks.