With 1 out in the ninth on Thursday, the Phillies nearly came all the way back to wipe out a fine 7 1/3 inning performance by Washington starter  Livan Hernandez and the pounding administered to Joe Blanton. Pinch hitter Matt Stairs pounded a ninth inning grand slam homer off of reliever  Zack Segovia.  Shortstop Jimmy Rollins followed with a single and reached 2nd on a wild pitch by Mike MacDougal. J-Roll scored on centerfielder  Shane Victorino’s double.  Then 2nd baseman Chase Utley singled off of lefthander Ron Villone putting runners at the corners as 1st baseman  Ryan Howard came to bat.  But Howard grounded into a game-ending doubleplay as the Phillies’ ninth inning rally fell short in their 8-7 loss to the Nationals.

With the loss, the Phils’ lead in the NL East fell to 5 games over the  Florida Marlins who brutalized the Mets.  The Atlanta Braves also picked up a game after nipping Houston and are 7 games back.  The 4th place Mets remained 18 games back with their loss to the Marlins.

The Phils hit the scoreboard in the first inning as Victorino singled and Utley followed with an RBI triple.  Howard hit a sacrifice fly driving in Utley giving the Phils a 2-0 lead.  Blanton then made short work of the Nationals in the first on a ground out and 2 strikeouts.  In fact, Blanton retired 6 of the first 7 hitters he faced with only man reaching doing so on shortstop Rollins’ throwing error.

Meanwhile the Phils could have had more in producing a second inning threat as rightfielder Jayson Werth opened with a single.  After 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz flied out, Hernandez walked catcher Carlos Ruiz.  Blanton then sacrificed bunted to 1st base moving both runners up a base but Rollins flied out to end the inning.

After Hernandez went clean on the Phils in the third inning, the Nationals tied the game in their third on a single, a walk and a 2 run triple to centerfield by 2nd baseman Pete Orr.  Hernandez went clean on the Phils in the fourth after which Washington took a 3-2 lead in their fourth inning as rightfielder Elijah Dukes reached on a bunt single and scored all the way from 1st base on shortstop Ian Desmond’s single to shallow right centerfield.  With 2 out in the inning, Hernandez bunted to catcher Ruiz as Desmond was out at home to end the inning.

With the Phils trailing 3-2 in the fifth, Blanton tried to help out with the stick getting a 1 out single to center but was stranded as Rollins lined out to rightfield and Victorino grounded out.

In the fifth, Washington seemingly blew the game wide open with 5 runs as 1st baseman Adam Dunn pounded Blanton for a 2 out, 2 run homer (his 36th) to leftfield and Desmond, who after 2 straight Blanton walks, pounded a 3 run bomb to left centerfield.  Blanton was then pulled for reliever Tyler Walker who got Hernandez to pop out to shortstop.  The damage was done and the Nationals had an 8-2 lead.

The AP game recap for Yahoo sports notes regarding Desmond:

Desmond, a 24-year-old shortstop who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, doubled in a run in the fourth and his three-run homer keyed a five-run fifth. He narrowly missed a home run in his first at-bat, flying out to deep center field.

The 8 runs given up by Blanton ended his string of 11 straight quality starts.

The Phils offense made no move to threaten through the eighth inning against Hernandez who went 7 1/3 innings and lefthanded reliever Sean Burnett who finished out the eighth.  Struggling reliever Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless eighth inning giving up a single and garnering 2 strikeouts.

The Phillies Nation blog describes the Phils’ ninth inning charge:

With the Phillies trailing 8-2 to begin the final inning, former Phils reliever Zack Segovia retired the first batter, Raul Ibanez, before becoming unhinged.  Jayson Werth reached base on an error, Pedro Feliz did the same on an infield single, and Carlos Ruiz walked to set the table for the hard-swinging Stairs.  The veteran wasted no time, unleashing a wicked rip that put the Phils within two.

After a pitching change, Jimmy Rollins singled to centerfield, then scooted to second base on a wild pitch by new reliever Mike MacDougal. Shane Victorino worked some more magic, by slapping a short-hopper past the diving Ryan Zimmerman at third base, plating Rollins, and pushing the Phillies one run closer.

With Chase Utley stepping to the plate, Nats manager Jim Riggleman changed hands yet again, this time going to left-handed reliever Ron Villone. Utley won the battle with an infield single that moved Victorino to third, but Villone won the war.

Ryan Howard approached the dish with the tying run 90 feet away, but grounded into an inning-ending, rally-killing double play. The Nats were barely able to hold on, taking the series finale by an 8-7 score.

Losing pitcher Blanton threw 97 pitches in 4 2/3 innings giving up 8 runs on 7 hits while walking 4, striking out 4 and giving up those 2 killer homers in the fifth.

The Nationals held on to save the win for Hernandez who threw 106 pitches in 7 1/3 innings while giving up 2 runs on 6 hits, with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts.  

Th AP recap reports related news;

LHP Scott Eyre had an MRI on his ailing left elbow that revealed a “loose body.” The Phillies have shut him down for several days while they consider methods of treatment.

For the scores of all of Thursday’s games, click here.
The Phils return home on Friday for a 6 game homestand; first a 3 game weekend series with the Mets and then 3 games with these same  Washington Nationals.

Lefthander Cole Hamels is slated to pitch Friday’s opener opposed by  Nelson Figueroa for the Mets.

In Saturday’s game 2, aged veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer is matched with Mike Pelfrey.

For all of Friday’s and Saturday’s games, click here and here.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 11th, 2009 at 8:01 am and is filed under Real-Time Baseball News and Commentary
Phillies and NL East, Analysis, Predictions, etc
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