Braves Edge Phillies in 10 Innings on Prado’s Walk-off Single
|
|
|
|
|
Starter Joe Blanton held the Phillies in the game through 5 innings on Tusday as Atlanta’s Derek Lowe clung to a 3-2 lead through six innings. After back-to-back eighth inning 2 out homers by pinch hitter John Mayberry Jr. and 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz off of lefthanded reliever Mike Gonzalez put the Phils up by 4-3, reliever Ryan Madson promptly blew the lead in the bottom of the inning. The game went to extras and 2nd baseman Martin Prado, who killed the Phils throughout the game, tagged Chan Ho Park for the winning run as the Braves edged the Phillies in 10 Innings by a 5-4 score on Prado’s walk-off single.
With the loss, the Phillies NL East lead over 2nd place Florida shrunk to 1 1/2 games as Florida beat Washington in a seven inning rain-shortened game. The 3rd place Mets remained 3 games back dropping their game to the Milwaukee Brewers.
2nd baseman Martin Prado just killed the Phillies going 4 for 5 with a fifth inning solo homer and 4 RBIS as the Phillies had Lowe on the ropes in the second, third and sixth innings but couldn’t deliver the clutch hit to put some runs on the board and couldn’t continue their mastery over the Braves. Check out the pitch-by-pitch on another poor offensive showing by clicking here.
The other guy who killed the Phils was light-hitting leadoff hitter centerfielder Gregor Blanco who came into the game hitting a “lusty” .148 but upped his batting average to .219 with a 3 for 6 game scoring 2 runs.
Blanton held the Phils in the game for five innings as Atlanta held a 3-2 lead through seven as 1st baseman Ryan Howard’s 2 out ground-rule double to rightfield drove in the Phils’ 1st run in the third inning and 2nd baseman Chase Utley’s 17th homer in the fifth gave the Phils a momentary 2-1 lead. But Prado’s bat was ever-present throughout to nail down the Phillies.
When Blanton left after five innings having throwing 93 pitches and giving up 3 runs on 8 hits, including Prado’s homer, while walking 3 and striking out 3, reliever Chad Durbin came on in the sixth inning to retire the next 6 Braves he faced in order after Blanco opened the sixth with a single to center.
Lowe finished 6 innings leaving the game with a 3-2 lead. He threw 103 pitches giving up 2 runs on 7 hits while walking 3 and striking out 4. Neither starter figured in the final won-lost decision.
But after Mayberry and Feliz dramatically put the Phils up by 4-3 with back-to-back 2 out eighth inning homers, Ryan Madson, who had been good and bad lately, promptly blew the lead in the bottom of the eighth walking Blanco, who took 2nd base on Madson’s errant pick-off attempt. Prado, working in tandem with Blanco, doubled him home on a 1 ball, 2 strike pitch. Lefthanded reliever J.C. Romero replaced Madson and got the final out in the eight and the first 2 outs in the ninth before being relieved Park who notched the final out in the ninth.
The Phils were put down in order in the ninth and Howard singled to right with 1 out in the tenth but was rubbed out on a doubleplay grounder by rightfielder Jayson Werth.
Park got the first out in the tenth before 2 singles put runners at 1st and 3rd bases. The count on Prado went to 2-2 before his walkoff single to leftfield ended the game. Reliever Peter Moylan, who retired the final 2 Phillies in the tenth inning notched his 2nd win and Park was charged with the loss.
For the scores of all of Monday’s and Tuesday’s games, click here and here.
In Wednesday’s game 2, the Phils hope to even the series as lefthander Cole Hamels faces Atlanta’s Jair Jurrjens.
For all of Wednesday’s games, click here.
del.icio.us |
digg |
Furl |
Reddit |
YahooMyWeb |