Happ, Victorino, Burrell Star as Phillies Beat Braves, Magic #4
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Lefthander J.A. Happ was impressive in his 2nd starting assignment, retiring 10 straight at one point. The bullpen was again clutch in the late innings and leftfielder Pat ‘the Bat’ Burrell broke up a 3-2 game with his 32nd homer, a 3 run shot off of reliever Jeff Bennett’s 3-1 pitch as the Phillies beat the Braves by a 6-2 score in their series opener.
The Phillies increased their first place lead to 2 1/2 game in the NL East with their win Monday as the Mets lost the 1st of their 4 game series with the NL Central Division Champs, the Chicago Cubs. The 3rd place Marlins dropped to 7 1/2 games off the pace in the division with their loss to Cincinnati. The Mets lead over the Brewers dropped to a game in NL Wildcard race as the Brewers had the day off. The Marlins are in 4th place in the NL wild card chase 5 games back.
The Phils scored early single runs in the first and second innings off of Jair Jurrjens in his second matchup with Happ in 5 days, both losses for the Braves. 2nd baseman Chase Utley drove in shortstop Jimmy Rollins who opened the game with a double. Centerfielder Shane Victorino led off the second inning with a single and advanced to 3rd base on a ground out and a wild pitch before scoring on catcher Carlos Ruiz’s ground out. Victorino, who has an 11 game hitting streak, garnered 3 hits in 4 at bats.
Happ retired 10 Braves in a row between the second and fifth innings before issuing a walk and allowing a single. With 2 on and 2 out, Happ retired his opponent Jurrjens on a 1 pitch foul out to 1st base to end the threat.
The Braves knotted the score at 2-2 as 3rd baseman Martin Prado walked and 2nd baseman Kelly Johnson followed by pounding Happ’s 0-1 pitch, an errant slider, to the seats in rightfield.
Happ ran into what was nearly seventh inning trouble as shortstop Brent Lillibridge slapped a 1 out single to left centerfield, was sacrificed to 2nd base. Then the mind-games began between opposing managers. Happ left for reliever Rudy Seanez. The Braves changed their pinch hitter to Greg Norton who was intentionally walked. But Prado grounded into an inning-ending fielder’s choice.
AP sports reporter Rob Maaddi describes the action in the eighth inning for Yahoo sports;
Johnson led off the inning with a double to right that just eluded the diving [Jayson] Werth. He went to third when center fielder Shane Victorino kicked the ball for an error.
But Seanez retired Omar Infante on a liner to shortstop Rollins. Jeff Francoeur followed with a high bouncer to Rollins, who threw out Johnson at the plate.
Greg Dobbs singled off Jeff Bennett (3-7) to start the bottom of the eighth. Greg Golson ran for Dobbs and scooted all the way to third when Bennett’s pickoff attempt sailed down the right-field line.
After Bennett retired Jimmy Rollins on a sharp grounder to second, Chase Utley was intentionally walked. Jayson Werth then hit a hard grounder to third baseman Martin Prado’s right. Prado made the backhanded play, but Golson beat the throw home, sliding under Clint Sammons’ tag.
“Sammons didn’t get in front of the plate or the guy’s an easy out,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said.
Burrell ripped a two-out shot off Julian Tavarez to the seats in left to extend the lead to 6-2. The struggling Burrell, who came in batting .176 since Aug. 1, got a curtain call from a towel-waving crowd.
Phillies Nation’s Tim Malcolm sums up the game this way;
Baseball is truly a game of inches.
The win came down to two infield chops. The first: a clean field by Jimmy Rollins, a stone-cold block by Carlos Ruiz. The second: a mad dash by Greg Golson, a rookie mistake by Clint Sammons. The first kept the game tied, the second handed the Phils the lead. Pat Burrell’s mighty bat secured the victory — he whacked a three-run shot later in the eighth to make it 6-2.
That eighth also featured mighty performances by the middle relief section of the Phils bullpen. Rudy Seanez relieved JA Happ with two outs in the seventh, and forced Greg Norton into an inning-ending groundout. He allowed a leadoff Kelly Johnson double in that eighth, but got a line out and that clutch force out at home. Scott Eyre was pulled in to face Casey Kotchman, and the former Angel flied out to end the inning.
Eyre picked up the win, but Happ also deserves huge praise. The prospect baffled the Braves in 6.2 innings, striking out five while surrendering five hits…. For a guy making his fifth major league start in tense, playoff conditions … well, not too shabby.
Ryan Madson got the 1st out in the ninth on fly out before surrending a single and a double. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, centerfielder Gregor Blanco flied out to leftield and Prado grounded out to 2nd base to end the game.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Monday’s games, click here.
Tuesday’s game 2, is a lefthanders’ rematch as Cole Hamels faces 14 year veteran Mike Hampton. Hamels and the Phillies won in that previous matchup as the Phillies swept all their games played in Atlanta.
In Wednesday’s final Brett Myers faces 2nd year lefthander Jo-Jo Reyes who was pounded in his previous start against the Phils in late July.
After the Braves, the Phillies finish out the regular season by entertaining the Washington Nationals for the final 3 games.
Important to note: After losing to the Cubs on Monday, the Mets have 3 more against the guys from the windy city and then play their final 3 games against dangerous Milwaukee Brewers who are hustling to catch them for the wild card spot as the NL East race reaches its climax.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Tuesday’s games, click here.
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