The Phils completed their series with the Reds tonight. Jamie Moyer got the start and was okay allowing 6 runs on 8 hits in just 5 innings. So he needed the Phils bats to pick him up a little with some late runs and for the bullpen to be lights out the rest of way, in order to get the win in this one. Fortunately his teammates were up to the task on this night. It didn't look so good early as the Cincinnati wet up 3-0 in the top of the 2nd on a triple by Edwin Encarnacion and a sac fly by the pitcher Micah Owings. In the bottom of the 3rd Chase Utley reenergized the stadium and his teammates with a inside the park homerun, after hitting a line drive that took a crazy bounce off the wall in right field. Jayson Werth followed a couple batters later with an RBI double to cut it to 3-2 and the Phils were right back in it. In the top of 4th, Encarnacion quieted the crowd again with a solo shot to make it 4-2. In the bottom of the inning "the Flyin Hawaiian" Shane Victorino knotted it up at 4, with a single off the glove of Brandon Philips at short. Philips redeemed himself in the top of the 5th, crushing a 2 run homer to push the Reds ahead one last time, 6-4. In the bottom of the 5th, the wheels came loose for Cincinnati. Pedro Feliz blooped a 2 run single, Paul Bako beat out a double play with the bases loaded to allow a run to score, Jimmy Rollins slapped a 2 out RBI single, and finally Bako scored on a wild pitch to put the Phils ahead for good 8-6. Later in the bottom of the 6th, Jayson Werth obliterated a solo homer(his 7th homer in the last 12 games) to dead center to push the lead to an insurmountable 9-6. From there Chan Ho Park completed an impressive 3 scoreless and hitless innings(6th-8th), before Brad Lidge got the save in the 9th to clinch another home series win for the Phils, and their 6th win in their last 7 games. With his homer today Werth becomes 4th member of the Phils this season to reach 20 homers and 50 RBIs before the All-star break(Utley who also hit is 20th tonight, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez are the other 3). This makes the Phils just the 2nd team in MLB history to produce four players with 20 homers and 50 RBIs before the all-star break after the 2000 Toronto Blue Jays(Carlos Delgado, Tony Batista, Raul Mondesi, and Jose Cruz Jr). Park is really turning into an important asset for the Phils. He just fits into any spot in the game to come in for 3 innings or more, one inning, or even one batter. The MLB All Star game is next week, and 3 Phils were named to the NL team last weekend actually,(Utley and Ibanez were voted in as starters by the fans, while Howard was selected as a reserve by NL manager Charlie Manuel). Joining those 3 will be Victorino who was announced the winner of the final chance fan vote today with a record 15 million votes to his name. Werth also has an outside chance of being added to the team to replace the injured Carlos Beltran who was voted in as the starting centerfielder. Anyway so the Phils improve to 45-38 overall and remain 2 games up in the NL East.
2 comments:
I look at this and see 4 Phillies are going to the All-Star game and that they're in first in the Eastern Conference and then I think Hey the Phillies couldnt even make it to the playoffs a couple years back.
-to ph111ysports
I think you meant to say Eastern division but you're right it is kinda remarkable what they have been able to accomplish that last few years. It's like the late 70s all over again
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