Another Lidge Blown Save, Phillies Bow to Dodgers in 12 Innings
|
|
|
|
|
Phillies starter Joe Blanton tossed another quality outing dueling Los Angeles starter Hiroki Kuroda in a six inning 1-0 game. Matt Stairs put the Phils into a 2-1 lead in the seventh with a 2 out single to rightfield pinch- hitting for Moyer. But the Phils blew scoring opportunities in the sixth and eighth innings. After that, Dodgers relievers retired the last 12 Phillies hitters that they faced in a row as Brad Lidge blew another save and the Phillies bowed to the Dodgers by a 3-2 score in twelve innings on Saturday on the 2nd of rightfielder Andre Ethier’s 2 homers, a walk-off to centerfield.
Despite the loss, the Phils lost no ground to the Mets who were humbled by a 7-1 score by the Washington Nationals. Lefthander John Lannan handcuffed the Mets tossing an impressive 96 pitch, 4 hit gem. The Phils remain 3 games ahead of the Mets in the Nl East.
For Ethier, it was his 2nd in a row winning hit having doubled in the winning run in the ninth inning off of Lidge on Friday as well.
For the game, Phillies bats again retreated into silence and slumber as 6 of the first 7 Phillies in the order struck out 8 times and only Stairs’ 2 run seventh inning pinch hit single put them in position to win the game. They couldn’t get it done in the 2 other opportunities they had to score.
In the sixth, rightfielder Jayson Werth lined a 2 out single to leftfield off of Kuroda and advanced to 3rd base on 2 wild pitches as 2nd baseman Chase Utley drew a walk. 1st baseman Ryan Howard, striking out a ton lately, whiffed again ending the threat.
A similar scenario in the eighth inning, Utley lined a 1 out double to rightfield. Howard followed by flying out. Leftfielder Raul Ibanez was intentionally walked putting runners at 1st and 2nd with 2 outs. but 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz couldn’t get it done grounding out to 3rd to end the inning. The Phillies mustered nothing, zero offensively prior to the sixth inning nor after the eighth.
Centerfielder Shane Victorino was back in the starting lineup on Saturday supplanting slumping shortstop Jimmy Rollins who was benched. But the Flyin’ Hawaiian took an 0 for 5 collar for the game. Rollins did get into the game as a pinch hitter late lining out and popping out in 2 at bats.
Meanwhile, Blanton retired 10 of the 1st 11 Dodgers he faced before Ethier pounded his 2-1 pitch out for a solo homer to rightfield to put the Dodgers up 1-0 in the fourth inning. It was Blanton’s lone mistake in the game. Other than a 2 on, 2 out situation in the sixth, Blanton, brilliant throughout, was never seriously challenged in a game which ended up in the recordbooks as a no-decision.
Lefthander J.C. Romero worked out of a 7th inning jam relieving Clay Condrey who started the inning and who got into a 2 on, 1 out jam. But Romero picked shortstop Juan Castro off of 2nd base, gave up a single to leftfielder Juan Pierre before getting 2nd baseman Orlando Hudson to fly out to left to end the inning.
Ryan Madson pitched the eighth walked Ethier to open the inning but then made short work of the next 3 Dodger hitters before handing over the ball and a 2-1 lead to Lidge in the ninth.
In the ninth, Lidge expended 4 pitches to get a grounder to shortstop for the 1st out bringing up pinch hitter Rafael Furcal, who replaced Castro at shortstop and who deposited Lidge’s 2-2 pitch over a leaping Jayson Werth in rigfhtfield to tie the game. That’s a loss and 2 blown saves for Lidge in the space of 2 games.
Losing pitcher Chad Durbin entered to pitch the eleventh going clean on the Dodgers and getting the first two outs in the twelfth before going to a full count on Ethier who launched his walk-off to centerfield to end the game.
Reliever Cory Wade, who retired all six Phillies that he faced in the eleventh and twefth innings, was credited with his 1st win of the season.
For all of the scores of Saturday’s games, click here.
On Sunday, the Phils look to young lefthander Antonio Bastardo, who had such an excellent first MLB start against San Diego, to even the series at 2-2. But the offense will have to awaken from its slumber and do more than they did the last time they faced Bastardo’s opposing pitcher, former Phillie lefthander Randy Wolf.
After Sunday’s game, the Phillies have Monday off before beginning a 3 game series in New York against the Mets on Tuesday.
For all of Sunday’s games, click here.
del.icio.us |
digg |
Furl |
Reddit |
YahooMyWeb |