Phillies Edged by Astros Despite Eaton’s Best Outing
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For 6 innings, starter Adam Eaton gave unquestionably his best performance of the season, holding the Astros to 1 run on 5 hits in a pitcher’s duel with Houston starter Brandon Backe. But manager Charlie Manuel once again left Eaton in one inning too long with the result that Houston knotted the series at 1 game apiece edging the Phillies by a 4-3 score as closer Jose Valverde escaped serious injury on 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz’s RBI liner off of the side of his face to notch his 15th save.
Despite the loss, the Phillies lost no ground remaining in 2nd place, tied with Atlanta and 1 1/2 games behind the NL East leading Florida Marlins. The Marlins, Braves and Mets all lost as the New Yorkers fell 2 games below .500.
Rightfielder Pat Burrell got the Phillies on the board in the second inning with a 1 out solo blast and the lead held up until rightfielder Hunter Pence tied the score for Houston with a lead off solo shot to rightfield in the fifth inning.
Meanwhile, Houston’s Backe gave the Phillies fits through seven innings as the offense went into snooze mode only recording 2 hits in addition to Burrell’s homer.
After Eaton made short work of the Astros in the sixth, Manuel apparently figured that he still had something left in the tank and sent him out for the seventh inning which resulted in his being charged with the loss. The result was 2 Astro runs and a 3-1 lead as Pence once again led off the inning by going yard, this time to leftfield. After a single sandwiched between 2 outs, centerfielder Michael Bourn singled to rightfield driving in the 3rd Houston run.
The Phillies finally got to Backe, who was credited with the win, in the eighth as Greg Dobbs, pinch hitting for Eaton, led off with a double and went to 3rd on shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ single to centerfield. Backe was then replaced by reliever Doug Brocail. Rollins stole 2nd base but Brocail got centerfielder Shane Victorino on strikes and then intentionally walked 2nd baseman Chase Utley and got 1st baseman Ryan Howard to ground out to 1st base to end the inning.
Ryan Madson replaced Eaton to start the eighth inning with the Astros notching their 4th run against him as 1st baseman Lance Berkman pounded a 1 out triple to rightfield and leftfielder Carlos Lee followed by sacrificing to rightfield to score the run.
The Astros sent out closer Jose Valverde in the ninth to shut the Phils down. But Burrell led off singling to centerfield and going to 2nd base on Bourn’s throwing error. Rightfielder Geoff Jenkins grounded out as Burrell took 3rd. Feliz then singled him home as AP sports writer Chris Duncan describes the play for Yahoo sports;
Valverde got drilled by Feliz’s hit and the Astros right-hander immediately went down. Burrell scored on the play to make it 4-2.
The ball glanced off Valverde’s glove before it hit him.
“If it hadn’t hit my glove,” he said, “I don’t know what would’ve happened.”
Valverde said he never lost consciousness. He said his first clear thought was about Chris Young, the San Diego Padres’ pitcher who was struck by a liner off Albert Pujols’ bat on Wednesday. Young’s nose was broken.
“I said, ‘Oh, my goodness, I don’t want to be like that,”’ said Valverde, who led the majors with 47 saves last season.
Houston’s medical staff and all the infielders rushed to the mound and Valverde hopped up after a few tense minutes. Feliz may have been the most anxious one of all.
“In the beginning, it looked like he was hurt,” Feliz said. “It didn’t look good from what I saw. I was happy to see him get up.”
Trainer Rex Jones asked Valverde a few questions and shortstop Miguel Tejada offered him a message in Spanish.
“Miggy told me, ‘This is your life. It doesn’t matter what happens in the game. It’s your life,”’ Valverde said. “I said, ‘I’ll be OK.”’
After Valverde threw a few warmup pitches, Carlos Ruiz singled before Valverde struck out pinch hitter Chris Coste. Jimmy Rollins singled to right to score Feliz and cut the Houston lead to 4-3, but Victorino couldn’t provide another clutch hit for the Phillies.
“Valverde probably did one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen on a baseball field,” Pence said.
The pitcher increasingly seems the most vulnerable of all players on the field. Valverde was struck by Feliz’s liner 2 days after Chris Young was struck in the nose by a liner off the bat of Albert Pujols.
This blog will post about pitchers hit by line drives in the near future, particularly the story of lefthander Herb Score who had 2 magnificent seasons for the Cleveland Indians but whose career was altered after being struck in the eye by a line drive off of the bat of Yankees’ shortstop Gil McDougald on May 7, 1957.
Rollins went 3 for 5 and Burrell went 2 for 4, but Chase Utley and Ryan Howard went a combined 0 for 7 with the result that the Phi8ls didn’t push in more runs.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Friday’s games, click here.
In Saturday’s 3rd game of the series, Brett Myers, still trying for a solid outing, opposes Brian Moehler, the reliever turned starter who has gone five innings in each of his last 3 starts and has been effective. Sunday’s final bills ace lefthander Cole Hamels and his 19 consecutive scoreless innings opposing Chris Sampson.
After the Houston series, the Phils return home to play Colorado and Florida.
For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Saturday’s games, click here.
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