Victorino, Werth Lead Phillies Offense Past Cardinals
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Centerfielder Shane Victorino missed hitting for the cycle for lack of a triple, going 4 for 5 for the game with 3 RBIs and rightfielder Jayson Werth struck a 3 run homer and drove in 4 runs for the game as the Phillies battered Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright. Starter Brett Myers was less than impressive allowing 5 runs on 9 hits in 5 1/3 innings. But the offense led the Phillies past the Cardinals by a 10-7 score on Tuesday, thus sweeping the short 2 game series.
2nd baseman Chase Utley sat again complaining of a sore foot, the foot had been hit by a pitch during the series with the Mets. Miguel Cairo replaced Utley at 2nd base and batting 7th in the lineup. He got a single but was not a factor in the game.
Victorino, in the midst of a 14 game hitting streak, got the Phils on the board right at the start lining a 2-1 pitch from Wainwright out for a solo homer to right centerfield.
Later, AP Sports Writer R.B, Fallstrom recorded this quote from Victorino in the recap for Yahoo sports:
“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Victorino said. “When you feel good, you feel good. I just want to be the player I can be.”
Myers had little problems with the Cards through the 1st two innings and helped his own cause by leading off the third inning with a single to centerfield. Both shortstop Jimmy Rollins and Victorino followed with back-to-back doubles with Victorino’s double driving in 2 runs. After leftfielder Raul Ibanez singled putting runners at 2nd and 3rd base with none out, Werth sacrificed to centerfield driving in the Phillies’ 4th run. Ibanez attempted to advance to 2nd base on the sacrifice and was nailed saving Wainwright more grief. 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz was retired on a liner to 2nd base to end the inning.
The Cards drew to within 4-3 scoring a run in the third inning, and 2 more runs in the fourth as rightfielder Ryan Ludwick and catcher Yadier Molina hit fourth inning solo shots off of Myers.
Werth built the lead back up to 7-3 in the fifth with his 2 out, 3 run homer to leftfield on a 1-1 pitch from Wainwright. Ludwick got a run back for the Cards in their fifth inning with a 2 out RBI single. 7-4 Phillies.
The Cardinals continued chipping away at the Phils’ lead getting another run as Myers was chased in the sixth inning after loading the bases with 1 out. Shortstop Khalil Greene greeted lefthanded reliever Scott Eyre with a sacrifice fly to centerfield to drive in the Cardinals’ 5th run before Eyre got the final out to end the inning.
Myers threw 87 pitches in his 5 1/3 innings and was less than effective although getting credit for the win and drawing even for the season at 2 wins, 2 losses. He gave up 5 runs, including 2 homers, on 9 hits while striking out 1. He walked noone.
The Phils scored 2 more runs in the seventh off of the Cards reliever Dennys Reyes as 1st baseman Ryan Howard singled to center to drive in the 8th Phillies run and Feliz reached on infield single to first driving in the 9th run.
The Cards kept pecking away, however, scoring their 6th run against Clay Condrey in the seventh inning. The Phils capped their scoring in the ninth on Pedro Feliz’s 2 out RBI double.
With closer Brad Lidge in the game in the ninth, 1st baseman Albert Pujols pounded his 10th homer, a 1-0 pitch to leftfield, for the Cards’ 7th and final run. Lidge then retired the next 3 hitters to end the game. No save here as Lidge entered with the Phils holding a 4 run lead.
Starter Wainwright, who was charged with his 1st loss, had easily his worst outing of the season pitching 6 innings, throwing 99 pitches and giving up 7 runs on 9 hits, including 2 homers while striking out 5 and walking 2.
For all of the results of Tuesday’s games, click here.
The Phils return to the east on Wednesday for a 2 game series, this time in New York, against the Mets on Wednesday and Thursday before heading to Atlanta for a 3 game weekend series to conclude this week’s weird scheduling.
On Wednesday, Chan Ho Park faces Mets’ ace lefthander Johan Santana in what may be Park’s last chance to hold on to his spot in the starting rotation.
For all of Wednesday’s games, click here.
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