Phillies Win 10-6, Salvage Split With Cubs
|
|
|
|
|
Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth got 3 hits and drove in 4 runs, leftfielder Pat Burrell smacked 3 hits including a solo homer, his 15th and catcher Chris Coste also got 3 hits as the Phils built a 7-1 lead only to see the Chicago Cubs get 6 of the runs back. But the Phillies finished with a flurry scoring 3 runs in the 9th and reliever Brett Myers didn’t break a sweat in shutting down the Cubs in the bottom of the 9th as the Phillies earned a split of the four game series with a 10-6 win.
With the win, the Phillies stayed even at 4 games behind the NL East 1st place Mets who plastered Milwaukee by a 12-4 score, and regained 2nd place as the Atlanta Braves dropped a 14 inning affair to the Houston Astros by a 12-11 score.
My initial inclination of Tuesday that the newly acquired Kyle Lohse would start Thursday and that J.D. Durbin would be sent to the bullpen turned out to be correct afterall as Lohse started the game vs Cubs’ lefthander Sean Marshall.
However, after the Phillies jumped to a 1-0 lead on 1st baseman Ryan Howard’s two out RBI single, Lohse came out erratic in the first as leadoff man leftfielder Alfonso Soriano led off with a single to left but was nailed trying to steal 2nd base. Shortstop Ryan Theriot grounded out to 2nd base for the 2nd out. But 1st baseman Derrek Lee doubled to centerfield followed by Lohse hitting 3rd baseman Aramis Ramirez and rihghtfielder Cliff Floyd consecutively to load the bases.
Then Lohse walked 2nd baseman Mike Fontenot to force in the tying run. Centerfielder Jacque Jones then ripped a bullet which struck Lohse, bruising his right forearm as the pitcher picked up the ball and threw to 1st base for the final out. Lohse, who suffered a right forearm contusion on the play, didn’t come out for the 2nd inning.
J.D. Durbin, originally slated to start this game, pitched the 2nd through the 4th innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits but was awarded the win, his 4th win since being called up from the minors in early July. Cubs starter Sean Marshall was charged with the loss.
AP sports reporter Rick Gano picks up both the Phillies’ and Cubs’ scoring through the 8th inning for Yahoo sports;
Burrell led off the second with a high drive to center and on a humid 87-degree day, it carried over the wall for his 15th homer and a 2-1 lead.
Wes Helms followed with a double, Chris Coste singled and pitcher Adam Eaton, pinch-hitting for Lohse, walked to load the bases. Jayson Werth then hit an RBI single and Tadahito Iguchi had a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.
Burrell had a one-out single in the third, Helms hit another double and the Phillies got two more runs on Coste’s RBI infield single and an error. Theriot, the Cubs’ shortstop, made a nice stop on Coste’s ball, but his throw to first bounded away from Derrek Lee for an error, allowing Helms to score and make it 6-1. Werth greeted reliever Rocky Cherry with an RBI double for a six-run cushion.
Marshall gave up seven runs and nine hits.
The Cubs got two runs back in the third off Durbin on Mike Fontenot’s RBI double and a run-scoring infield single by Jones, both with two outs. Derrek Lee had a two-out RBI double in the fourth to make it a three-run game, and pinch-hitter Matt Murton delivered another two-out, run-scoring hit, a single in the fifth off Geoff Geary to cut it to 7-5.
After lefthanded reliever J.C. Romero bailed Geary out of a scoring threat in the 6th and got the Cubs out in 7th throwing a doubleplay ball and a groundout after issuing a lead-off walk, things got a bit dicey for reliever Tom Gordon in the 8th as the Cubs scored their 6th run on Ryan Theriot’s one out RBI single.
But 7-6 was a bit to close for comfort for the Phillies who had lost the two previous games after leading in each. Chris Roberson, inserted earlier as a pinch runner for Pat Burrell before going to rightfield, led off with a single to centerfield. After 3rd baseman Abraham Nunez bunt popped out to lefthanded Cubs reliever Will Ohman, Coste singled to rightfield moving Roberson to 2nd base. Carlos Ruiz, pinch hitting for Gordon, doubled to rightfield scoring Roberson. Jayson Werth followed with a double to right centerfield scoring Coste and Ruiz to give the Phillies and Brett Myers some breathing space in the bottom of the 9th inning.
Burrell, with his 3 hits, including the homer, is now 33-for-69, hitting nearly .500 with six homers for his last 23 games.
For the scores, boxscores for this and all of Thursday’s games, click here.
The Phils then move on to play a series with Milwaukee beginning on Friday. Rookie Kyle Kendrick, going for his 6th win, will open the series opposed by lefthander Chris Capuano for Milwaukee as the Phillies continue to see a herd of lefties.
For the scores, boxscores on all of Friday’s games, click here.
del.icio.us |
digg |
Furl |
Reddit |
YahooMyWeb |