PHILLIES NEWS

The Phils traveled to Atlanta tonight to begin a series with the Braves. Joe Blanton got the start and was decent allowing 3 runs on 8 hits in just 5 innings , just good enough to keep the Phils in the game until they could mount a late rally. The Phils took the early 1-0 lead in the top of the 3rd inning on an RBI double by Ryan Howard. Atlanta answered right back in the bottom of the inning as Gregor Blanco tripled and scored on a single by Edgar Prado. The Phils retook the lead in the top of the 5th on a solo homer by Chase Utley. Then Atlanta again answered back in the bottom of the inning, as a solo homer by Prado and a fielder's choice put them up 3-2. While the Phils bullpen began to shut Atlanta down from there, dramatic homers by John Mayberry Jr. and Pedro Feliz rallied the Phils back ahead 4-3 in the top of the 8th. Unfortunately, Ryan Madson couldn't hold the lead in the bottom of the inning, as Prado slapped a 2 out RBI double to knot it up at 4. Neither team scored in the 9th inning, but the Phils had a chance in 10th to retake the lead with one on and one out, but Jayson Werth was robbed of hit by a diving Chipper Jones on an inning ending double play. In the bottom of the inning the Braves got their chance against Chan Ho Park. Park started the inning with a strike out but it got away from him after that. Matt Diaz and Blanco each singled to put runners at the corners for you guessed it, Prado, who promtply singled himself to score Diaz for the 5-4 win. Coming into tonight, Prado had exactly 3 home runs and 9 RBIs all season. So the fact that he 4 hits and 4 RBIs tonight is ridiculous. I wouldn't expect him to keep that up for the rest of the series. Ryan Madson is killing me right now. How does he keep blowing leads like this. Is it just bad luck or he has slipped a little bit? Tonight it was a little bit of both, as after getting the first 2 batters out in the 8th, he walked Blanco and threw the ball away trying to pick him off first, allowing him to move up to second. Then what happens, the very next batter Prado doubles to tie the game. You just can't make mistakes like that, but you also don't expect the next guy up to double. Sometimes in baseball bad things happen to good people. Honestly, though the Phils have to stop making stupid mistakes like this. Anyway so the Phils drop to 39-35 overall now and just 1.5 games up in the NL East, but it's the Marlins who are 2nd now.