Werth Leads Phillies to Split With Cubs
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Phillies rightfielder Jayson Werth had another big game in Sunday’s final with a 2 run double in the first inning and a fifth inning solo homer. 45 year old lefthander Jamie Moyer clung to a 3-2 lead for 5 1/3 innings and the bullpen held the Cubs at bay through the rest of the game for a series-splitting 5-3 win.
The Phillies kept pace with the Mets who again beat the Marlins. The Mets’ NL East division lead remains at 1 game. The Marlins dropped to 7 games back. The 4th place Atlanta Braves lost again to the cellar-dwelling Washington Nationals and dropped to 17 games behind.
Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano, Moyer’s scheduled opponent, was a late scratch due to what was described as a dead arm. Lefthander Sean Marshall replaced him in the rotation and the Phillies pounded Marshall, right at the start, for 3 runs in the first inning.
With 1 out, 2nd baseman Chase Utley walked and stole 2nd base. After leftfielder Pat Burrell struck out, 1st baseman Ryan Howard drove in Utley with a single to right centerfield. Howard also had a big game going 3 for 5. Centerfielder Shane Victorino, who had 2 hits in the game, singled to rightfield putting runners at 1st and 2nd base. Victorino and Howard both scored on Werth’s double to left. 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz ended the inning by fouling out to 1st base.
The Cubs came back in the 2nd inning on 4 hits with shortstop Ronny Cendeno and pitcher Marshall notching RBI singles to close the gap to 3-2.
Moyer tenaciously held the lead despite a 2 out, 1st and 3rd situation. Rightfielder Kasuke Fukudome struck out swinging to end the threat. Then Moyer cruised through the fourth and fifth innings retiring 6 of the next 7 hitters he faced.
In the fifth, Werth belted his 3rd homer in 2 games, a 2 out solo shot to leftfield for his 21st homer of the season. In the sixth, the Phils added another insurance run as catcher Carlos Ruiz led off with a double, went to 3rd on Moyer’s sacrifice grounder and scored on shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ sacrifice fly to left centerfield.
With 1 out in the sixth inning; Fukudome singled, Cedeno walked and that was it for Moyer after 97 pitches and 2 runs on 8 hits, 2 walks and four strikeouts. Moyer was credited with his staff-leading 12th win vs 7 losses.
Reliever Chad Durbin finished out the sixth inning and went clean on the Cubs in the seventh striking out 3 in 1 2/3 innings before leaving in the eighth with 1 out and a runner on 1st base.
J.C. Romero replaced Durbin. After a wild pitch and a ground out, pinch hitter Henry Blanco drove in the Cubs’ 3rd run with a single to left driving Romero from the game, replaced by Ryan Madson who finished the inning.
Meanwhile, Marshall, charged with all 5 runs on 9 hits on 90 pitches, was charged with the loss and left after Ruiz’s double in the sixth. The Cubs bullpen allowed only 3 Phils to reach, all on singles, through the rest of the game.
Closer Brad Lidge took care of the Cubs in the ninth inning on 8 pitches to notch his 33rd save of the season.
AP sportswriter Rick Gano added these observations for Yahoo sports;
“It speaks volumes for this club,” Werth said after Philadelphia’s second straight win against the team with the best record in the NL. “We’ve been playing good all year. … I think especially to split the series here in Chicago, against the Cubs, at home, I think it says a lot.”
The oldest player in the majors, Moyer has given up three runs or less in 15 straight starts. He is now 3-0 in his career against the Cubs, who drafted him in the sixth round in 1984. He was 28-34 pitching for the Cubs from 1986-88.
The Phillies finished with a 16-13 record for the month of August after being 5 up, 8 down at mid-month after being swept in 4 games by the Dodgers. They came back 8 days later to return the favor, sweeping the Dodgers in 4 games at home.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Sunday’s games, click here.
The Phils next head to the Washington Nationals for 3 games followed by 3 at Shea stadium, their final 3 regular season games against the Mets.
In Monday’s opener, Kyle Kendrick opposes Tim Redding. On Tuesday, it’s a battle of yiung lefties as Cole Hamels faces John Lannan.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Monday’s games, click here.
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