Phillies Knot Houston Series at 1, Hamels Wins First of Season
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The Phillies jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning on 2nd baseman Chase Utley’s 2nd homer of the season, saw lefthander Cole Hamels dig himself a 4-1 hole giving up a 3 run homer to outfielder Jason Lane in the 4th before they charged back in the 4th thru 7th innings clubbing Astro starter Woody Williams and the Houston bullpen in defeating the Astros by an 8-5 score, earning their first home victory of the season and knotting their 3 game series at one apiece.
In the meantime, the New York Mets were defeated by the last-place Washington Nationals by a 6-2 score as Mets’ starter Oliver Hernandez was bombed by the Nationals for 3 homers and 6 runs on 8 hits while walking 3 and striking out 4 and Atlanta and Florida were postponed due to rain in Atlanta. The Mets, desperate for starting pitching, could have starter Pedro Martinez back with them as he begins his throwing from a mound phase of recovery from his rotator cuff injury by the end of this month.
Phils’ starter Hamels handled the Astros in the first 2 innings as Utley’s homer put the Phils on the board first. He got support in the field in the 2nd as Astros 3rd baseman Morgan Ensberg, who was on 2nd base, got doubled-off of 2nd base on a lineout by Jason Lane to retire the side.
But in the 3rd inning, Houston tied the score at one on 2nd baseman Craig Biggio’s RBI single and went ahead 4-1 on Lanes’ homer in the 4th.
Houston starter Williams handled the Phils in the 2nd and 3rd innings but was tagged in the 4th as the Phils tied the score on catcher Carlos Ruiz’s 1 out RBI double and a 2 out, 2 run homer by hot-hitting shortstop Jimmy Rollins, his 6th homer of the season.
The Phils went ahead in the 5th inning on 3rd baseman Abraham Nunez’s RBI single, but Houston came back to tie the score in the 6th inning as 1st baseman Lance Berkman scored on Lane’s ground out.
Hamels, who bent but didn’t break in the 4th inning, was credited with the win lasting 6 full innings and leaving the game with a 7-5 lead as reliever Francisco Rosario replaced him to open the Houston 7th inning. Hamels’ line for his 6 innings was 5 runs, all earned, on 8 hits, 3 strikeouts and surrendering Lane’s 3 run homer. Rosario, in his Phillies debut, made short work of the Astros despite a hit batsman and stolen base.
Losing pitcher Williams, however, lasted only for one out in the 6th inning before being relieved by lefthander Trever Miller who retired rightfielder Shane Victorino on a flyout before surrendering a 2 out RBI double to Chase Utley. After 1st baseman Ryan Howard was intentionally walked, for a change, leftfielder Pat Burrell again showed why it is absurd trying to pitch around Howard who walked 4 times in the game.
Brad Lidge replaced Miller and Burrell greeted him with an RBI single scoring Utley as Howard went to 2nd base. Michael Bourne ran for Burrell as Lidge walked centerfielder Aaron Rowand loading the bases with Phils. But Lidge got Nunez to ground out to 3rd base to end the inning. 7-5 Phillies.
The Phils added some icing in the 7th as Victorino clubbed a 1 out single past 3rd base driving in Ruiz with the Phils’ final run. Ruiz had singled and stole 2nd base, his first major league steal.
Reliever Antonio Alfonseca took care of things in the 8th inning although surrendering a single but benefiting from a ground 3rd-to-2nd-to-1st doubleplay and retiring Jason Lane on a grounder to 3rd base.
Closer Tom Gordon took over in the 9th inning and things once again got a little dicey as Gordon walked 2, while getting the first out in between. With one out and runners on 1st and 2nd base, Gordon got Craig Biggio to ground to shortstop for the game-ending doubleplay. For Gordon, it was his 2nd save of the season.
The scores, boxscores and recaps for this and all Saturday games can be found here.
On Sunday, Freddy Garcia debuts for the Phils vs lefthander Wandy Rodriguez for Houston in the get-away game as the Phillies look to win their first series of the season and take momentum into their 2 games with the New York Mets on Monday and Tuesday.
The scores, boxscores and recaps for all Sunday games can be found here.
The Mets who follow Houston to Philly for games on Monday and Tuesday had their Sunday game with the Nationals postponed by rain.
Subsequently, 5 other Eastern games, 4 NL and 2 AL total, incuding the Astros-Phillies get-away game, have been postponed due to the weather.
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