» Phillies Complete Sweep of Cincinnati With 2nd 1-0 Win

Phillies Complete Sweep of Cincinnati With 2nd 1-0 Win

Lefthanders Cole Hamels and rookie Matt Maloney battled in another 1 run game on Sunday with Hamels shutting out Cincinnati holding the Reds to 6 hits over 7 2/3 innings. The Phillies managed to tack on a third inning run against Maloney as catcher Carlos Ruiz led off the inning with another double, his 3rd in 2 games. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins looped a 2 out single to shallow rightfield to drive in the only run of the game. Hamels and relievers Jose Contreras, J.C. Romero and closer Brad Lidge made the single run stand up as the Phillies completed their sweep of Cincinnati with a 2nd straight 1-0 win.

With the win, the Phillies go into All Star break 4 1/2 games behind NL East divsion-leading Atlanta who were shut out by the 2nd place Mets who lead the Phils by a mere 1/2 game.

The Phils swept the Reds, but it was the hard way. I can’t recall, in my years of following baseball, where one team swept another in a 4 game series where the collective margin was 5 runs and where 3 of the 4 games went into extra innings.. And through the 4 games, this observer has gained a lot of respect for Cincinnati pitching staff, even though the normally potent Phils offense has been depleted by injuries, and those healthy on the active roster were not exactly burning up the National League prior to facing the Reds in this series. But the Reds seem to have a group of fine pitching arms, with 1st baseman Joey Votto, 3rd baseman Scott Rolen healthy and an offensive weapon, leftfielder Jonny Gomes and clutch hitting from former Phil utility infielder Miguel Cairo, it’s small wonder that the Reds are the NL Central division leaders.

The AP game recap describes the game and the rarity of two straight 1-0 games:

The Phillies started the series with three game-ending wins in extra innings for the first time in team history, and finished it with consecutive 1-0 victories for the first time since April 18-19, 1913, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

With their offense in a funk, the pitching staff tossed 21 straight scoreless innings.

“It was more than expected,” Philadelphia right fielder Jayson Werth said. “It was a lot like the Phillies teams of the last couple of years.

Hamels (7-7) struck out three, walked three and didn’t allow a run for the first time in 18 starts this season. J.C. Romero fanned the only batter he faced in the ninth, and Brad Lidge got the final two outs for his sixth save.

Lidge has struggled since his 41-for-41 save season in 2008, when the Phillies won the World Series. He was booed when he entered the game but claimed he was so locked in, he didn’t hear the traditional Philly sound.

“If I’m not mistaken, I heard them all cheering there at the end,” Manuel said. “I might not be too smart but my ears are still good.”

Hamels… was yanked after surrendering a two-out double to All-Star Joey Votto in the eighth…

Jose Contreras walked Scott Rolen, then retired Jonny Gomes on a grounder to end the rally.

Matt Maloney (0-2) allowed a run and four hits in six innings, but the Reds remain stuck on 49 wins. They were trying to win 50 before the All-Star break for the first time since 1994.

…They were swept in a four-game series in Philly for the first time since 1975.

The Phillies went 0 for 2 on replays after two doubles were not changed into home runs.

Carlos Ruiz led off the third inning with a ground-rule double when a fan reached over the fence and touched the ball. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel came out to argue and the play went under a brief review. The double stood and Ruiz scored on Rollins’ single.

Jayson Werth hit a drive to deep center in the fourth that was caught by a fan, and Manuel sauntered out to protest that the ball had cleared the wall. Replays clearly showed the fan leaned over the rail and Werth had a double.