Phillies: From Free-fall to Oblivion and Back vs Braves
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The Phillies offense, after free-falling nearly to oblivion and failing to provide an iota of support for young starter Kyle Kendrick as Atlanta’s Jair Jurrjens took a 3 hit, 1-0 lead through eight innings, saw closer Brad Lidge pummelled in a 7 run ninth inning before scoring too little, too late to lose Friday’s opener by 8-2. They took an early 3-0 lead in Saturday’s game 2 vs Braves lefthander Mike Hampton before ace Cole Hamels suffered his worst beating since August 24, 2006 in a 9 run Braves fourth inning. The Phils rallied for 7 runs in the fifth inning, featuring Greg Dobbs’ 3 run pinch-homer, to narrowly win the game by a 10-9 score.
The Phillies remain tied for 2nd place with Florida Marlins, 1 game behind the NL East leading Mets. The 4th place Braves dropped to 6 1/2 games behind.
The play-by-play on both games can be found here and here.
Kendrick deserved a much better fate than lose Friday’s game. He made one mistake to Braves catcher Brian McCann, who led off the fourth inning, and McCann didn’t miss on it sending it out to centerfield for a solo homer and a 1-0 Braves lead. It was the only mistake that Kendrick made in six innings, although the Braves had runners reach in every inning against him. He, as well as J.C. Romero and Chad Durbin kept the Phils in the game despite a comatose offense until the Braves went off in the ninth inniong on closer Brad Lidge for 5 runs and on Clay Condrey for 2 more to build the lead to 8-0. Amidst the 7 run rally, McCann pounded a grand slam off of Lidge who had his worst game as a Phillie. McCann’s shot was the first homer off of Lidge who had gone 42 innings without surrendering a dinger.
The Phils offense finally came to life in the bottom of the ninth as 2nd baseman Chase Utley punched a 2 out single to rightfield and 1st baseman Ryan Howard followed with a 2 run blast to left centerfield. But it was too-little, too-late as leftfielder Pat Burrell flied out to rightfield to end the game.
Hamels, through the first three innings of Saturday’s game, looked primed for a repeat of his May 15th 5-0 complete game shutout, or at least like each of his previous 9 starts where he lasted at least seven innings.
The Phils, meanwhile scored 2 in the second inning, on catcher Chris Coste’s 1 out, 2 run single and 1 in the Utley’s sacrifice fly RBI to rightfield following centerfielder Shane Victorino’s lead-off triple to right centerfield against veteran lefthander Mike Hampton who had not pitched in 3 seasons due to assorted elbow surgeries. Hampton was inserted as starter replacing the scheduled starter Jo-Jo Reyes, also a lefty. Coste went 3 for 4 for the game with 3 RBIs.
But Hamels was torpedoed by all barrels in the fourth inning as the Braves sent 12 men to the plate scoring 9 runs, capped by 1st baseman Mark Teixeira’s 2 out, 3 run shot to left centerfield which finally chased Hamels. Rudy Seanez entered to finally register the final out of the inning. Hamels left, having thrown 71 pitches and letting in all 9 Braves’ runs, only 4 of which were earned, while walking 3, striking out 2 and giving up Teixeira’s 3 run dinger. Hamels didn’t help his cause with a crucial fielding error in the fourth inning.
Demoted former starter Adam Eaton entered to pitch the fifth and survived unscathed despite 2 Braves’ singles.
The Phillies offense finally awakened to go to town on Hampton in the fifth. AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi describes the inning and gives background on Dobbs’ pinch hitting for Yahoo sports;
He [Hampton] left after Chase Utley’s single loaded the bases with none out in the fifth.
Ryan Howard greeted Royce Ring with a two-run single. Blaine Boyer (2-6) came in to face Pat Burrell, who hit a sacrifice fly to cut it to 9-6. Coste’s two-out RBI single made it 9-7.
Dobbs followed with a drive into the second deck in right field to give the Phillies a 10-9 lead. It was his 20th pinch hit this season, tying Doc Miller’s club record set in 1913.
“I was just trying to keep the inning going,” Dobbs said.
Dobbs credits former utilityman Dave Hansen for helping him become a successful pinch hitter. Dobbs spent parts of two seasons with Hansen in Seattle from 2004-05. Hansen had 138 career pinch hits in a 15-year career.
“I was fortunate to be around him and he taught me a lot of valuable things,” Dobbs said. “He was one of the best. He was kind enough to tutor me.”
Hampton left in the fifth, having thrown 91 pitches and letting in 6 runs on eight hits.
But once recapturing the lead, the Phils offense went back into its shell despite the precarious lead. The Braves bullpen allowed only 1 Phil to reach after the fifth, that on an eighth inning walk.
Ryan Madson entered to pitch the sixth and finished unscarred despite walking the bases loaded.
Durbin came in to pitch the seventh and the Braves put runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs and again came away empty-handled. He came out for the eighth by was replaced by Romero after a lead-off single. Romero retired the next 3 Braves and handled the ball over to closer Lidge who barred the door on the Braves with a 3 up, 3 down ninth, was credited with his 23rd save. Eaton, ironically, was credited with his 4th win vs 8 losses — his first win ever as a reliever. Boyer was charged with the loss.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Friday’s and Saturday’s games, click here and here.
In Sunday’s final, newly acquired starter Joe Blanton, hoping to improve on his mediocre 6 inning, 5 run, 8 hit, 2 homer and 3 walk debut, is opposed by Atlanta’s 30 year old rookie Jorge Campillo.
The Phils have a day off on Monday before headed to Washington for a 3 game series with the Nationals beginning on Tuesday through Thursday.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Sunday’s games, click here.
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