PHILLIES NEWS

Today's game was a nightmare for the Phils. It began about as well as it could have with Kyle Kendrick going 5 solid innings while allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits. Meanwhile the Phils jumped out to an early lead. A pair of 2 out singles by Jayson Werth and Aaron Rowand helped to put up 3 runs in the 1st. A triple by Jimmy Rollins, a sac fly by Chase Utley and a solo homer by Pat Burrell posted 2 runs in the 2nd inning. Then, in the 7th after the Braves finally scored their only runs of the game against Kendrick in the 6th, a wild pitch, a single deflected off the glove of Mark Texeira, by new Phil Pete Laforest( a catcher recently acquired from the Padres), and a single by Utley tacked on 3 more runs. A near perfect 7th inning from Geoff Geary later, and the Phils rolled into the 8th ahead 8-2. Then it slipped away in shocking fashion. In the 8th, Tom Gordon allowed 4 runs on 4 hits and suddenly the lead was down to 8-6, but no matter Brett Myers would surely put it away in the 9th. Well, not quite. After 2 quick outs Myers loaded the bases for Matt Diaz. Diaz lifted the 2nd pitch he saw from Myers to deep right field, but Chris Roberson was seemingly there under ball to make the catch, but it tipped off his glove at the last instant, and just like that the bases were cleared of Braves. The Phils had thus lost 9-8, to drop to 73-66 overall, still 5 games behind the Mets in the NL East, and as of now 3.5 games behind in the wildcard. So life sucks once again.