PHILLIES NEWS

The Phils continued their series with the Nationals tonight as Jimmy Rollins went on the DL with a calf strain. Thus, they were going to need a good start from Kyle Kendrick tonight to have any chance. Unfortunately, Kendrick was rocked again, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits, in just an inning and a third. So the Phils were almost instantly in a 6-0 hole and seemingly headed toward defeat. Remarkably though, they remained unfazed. Newly reacquired, Nelson Figuera, best known as one of the 3 players Arizona sent the Phils in exchange for Curt Schilling, relieved Kendrick and settled things down, allowing just 1 run over the next 3 innings. Meanwhile, the Phils lineup started to turn it on. They actually scored 4 runs of their own in the bottom of the 1st. Then Chase Utley slammed a 3 run homer in the 2nd to totally erase the deficit and put the Phils up 7-6. They never trailed again.

In the bottom of the 5th, Shane Victorino, who had 3 hits and 5 RBIs on the day as the Phils new leadoff man, crushed a 2 run homer for a 9-7 lead. They weren't done yet. Utley homered again in the 6th to make it 10-7. Then in the 7th, Victorino laced a triple with the bases loaded and later scored to push the lead to 14-7 and that finally did it. The bullpen pieced together scoreless innings from there and the Phils had their 7th win in 8 games. Once again the lineup was unbelievable with 14 runs on 14 hits and the bullpen was brilliant allowing 1 run over the last 6 innings. The only problem for the Phils at this point is the starting pitching. Sure Roy Halladay is great, but that's about it. Every other game ends up like this one and that can't continue or the bullpen will be all used up by July. Hopefully when Joe Blanton comes back things will fall into place. They way they are playing right now, if they could just add consistent quality starts into the mix, there would be no stopping the Phils this season. For now though I am just going to enjoy the hitting.