Hamels Tosses 7 Shutout Innings, Braves Beat Phillies in 11 Innings
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The Phillies squandered a 2-0 lead and a brilliant 7 inning shutout performance by their young lefthander Cole Hamels. Closer Tom Gordon blew his first save opportunity by giving up a 9th inning 2 run game-tying homer to catcher Brian McCann and pinch hitter Scott Thorman nailed a game winning solo blast off of losing reliever Ryan Madson in the 11th as the Phils fell again to the Atlanta Braves by a 3-2 score.
McCann’s game-tying homer was his 2nd in two games. Madson’s loss was his 2nd in two games and the performances of both Gordon and Madson are causes for early-season concern in the Phils clubhouse.
AP sports writer Rob Maaddi reports for Yahoo sports;
Madson became the first pitcher to get the loss in both of his team’s first two games since Boston’s Bill Campbell in 1977, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Braves starter Tim Hudson also pitched a fine ballgame but he was far outpitched by Hamels. The lefthander’s 7 inning line was no runs, 4 hits, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts. Hudson gave up 1 run on 2 hits while walking 4, striking out 5 and giving up a 5th inning solo homer to Phils catcher Carlos Ruiz as the Phils took a 1-0 lead.
The Phils added what appeared to be an insurance run in the 8th inning, but could have had more. AP sports writer Rob Maaddi reports;
The Phillies added an insurance run in the eighth on Shane Victorino’s RBI double off Mike Gonzalez. Jimmy Rollins walked with one out, stole second base and advanced to third on catcher McCann’s throwing error. Victorino followed with a liner into the left-field corner to score Rollins. He was caught trying to steal third, a costly mistake because Howard walked and Chase Utley doubled.
Howard was thrown out at the plate on a perfect relay throw from second baseman Kelly Johnson to end the eighth after Utley’s double.
“Terrible. Bad play,” Manuel said of Victorino’s steal attempt. “He said it won’t happen again.”
After Atlanta tied the game in the 9th, the Phils had a shot to win in the 10th.
With reliever Chad Paronto pitching in the 10 inning, Ruiz opened with a single to right center. 3rd baseman Abraham Nunez who had replaced Wes Helms, sacrificed to pitcher moving Ruiz to second. Rollins was then intentionally walked putting runners at 1st and 2nd with one out. Victorino grounded out to pitcher, moving Ruiz to third, and Rollins to second. Reliever Macay McBride, who was credited with the win, replaced Paronto for Atlanta. Maaddi reports on what happened next;
Macay McBride (1-0) threw one pitch, retiring Ryan Howard on a grounder to second base to leave the winning run at third in the 10th. Bob Wickman pitched a scoreless 11th for the save.
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman adds commentary on McBride’s rescue in the 10th and Wickman’s 11th inning;
Wickman shut the door on this one with a scoreless 11th inning that gave him his first save of the season. But it was Macay McBride who may have gotten the most crucial out. After entering with runners on second and third and two outs in the 10th, the young left-hander needed just one pitch to get Howard, the reigning National League MVP, to hit a harmless grounder to second base.
Two batters later, with one out in the 11th, Thorman drilled Madson’s misplaced changeup over the short porch in right-center field. Suddenly the Braves could taste victory and Hudson could savor a start that he hopes proves he truly is destined to rebound from the forgettable season he experienced last year.
The scores, boxscores and recaps for for this and all Wednesday’s games can be found by clicking here.
For those interested, Marc Normandin of Baseball Prospectus has put out a player profile on “Chase Utley — In order for the Phillies …”
Victorino’s attempted steal phopah is something that, under the tutelage of 1st base coach and former Dodger star Davey Lopes, surely won’t happen often as the speedy Victorino continues to learn the art of base-stealing from one of the best. Baserunning is not the chief concern in the clubhouse. The chief concerns continues to be waking up and generating the potent Phillies offense and shoring up holes in the bullpen in the set-up and closing departments where Gordon’s blowing a 2-0 lead is a major concern as is Madson’s 2 consecutive sub-par performances with games on the line. Early on, these two areas seem big keys to the Phillies’ 2007 season.
On Thursday, the Phils start Adam Eaton vs lefthander Chuck James for the Braves as the Phils hope to get that first win under their belts.
The scores, boxscores and recaps for for this and all Thursday’s games can be found by clicking here.
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