Phillies Crush Cardinals With 9 Run Eighth Inning
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Despite the win, the Phils remained 4 1/2 games up in the NL East as the 2nd place Atlanta Braves also won. The Washington Nationals jumped into 3rd place, 9 1/2 games behind. The Mets are in 4th place, 10 1/2 games back.
The AP game recap provides Halladay’s line in the no-decision and an account of the Phils’ eighth:
Halladay allowed a run and four hits in six innings, matching his season low in his first official appearance in St. Louis
buton the mound where he started for the American League in the 2009 All-Star game. He has worked six or more innings in 62 consecutive road starts, the majors’ best such streak since Walter Johnson put up 82 in a row from 1911-15.Halladay struck out five to take the major league lead at 119. He failed to reach 100 pitches for the first time in 16 starts this year when he was lifted ahead of pinch-hitter Ross Gload’s RBI single against Kyle McClellan that tied it at 1 in the seventh.
Carlos Ruiz had four hits and one of two bases-loaded walks in the eighth for NL East-leading Phillies, who have won Roy Halladay’s last seven starts but put it together too late for the right-hander to become the majors’ first 10-game winner.
The Phillies Nation blog has more to say about the Phils’ eighth inning:
Trailing 2-1 going into the top of the eighth, the Phillies were staring at another night of emptiness. That was until the Cardinals bullpen absolutely imploded.
With one out, the inning went like this for the Phils: 1B, BB, HBP, HBP, K, 1B, BB, BB, 1B, BB, 1B, 1B, F9. All told, 14 players stepped to the plate, nine runs scored, and five Cardinals pitchers were used by manager Tony LaRussa. The meltdown may have been triggered when LaRussa went to righty Jason Motte to face Ryan Howard with one out. Motte would bean Howard to load the bases, then hit Placido Polanco to score the first run of the inning for the Phillies. The hit by pitch would also end both Motte and Polanco’s evening as Polly was hit on the hand. X-Rays on Polanco’s hand were negative.
After Motte’s departure, things went from bad to worse to worser…
Phillies Nation continues:
Manuel pulled starter Roy Halladay after just 97 pitches, the first time he tossed under triple digits all season. He didn’t make it past the sixth because Manuel felt the top of the seventh would be the Phillies best chance at scoring runs. His move to the bench would get them on the board thanks to Ross Gload’s RBI single to left field, tying the game at one…barely.
On the single to left by Gload, Raul Ibanez made it to home plate just before Carlos Ruiz was picked off between second and third base. If Ruiz had been tagged a split-second earlier, the Cardinals would still have a lead and the outcome of the game could have been much, much different. Lucky break for the Phillies that they weren’t kept off the scoreboard because of a mistake by Chooch.
It was about as unlucky a night as Halladay could have, as he was blooped to death in the fifth inning. A bunch of singles and a bobbled, would-be-double-play ball by Placido Polanco were the reasons for a single run scoring, which was all the Doc would allow on the night.
Unfortunately for Halladay, his offense would fall short for him in his quest for win No. 10.
Both of the links above provide more details of the Phils’ eighth. Why give yet another voluminous account here?
For all of Monday’s and Tuesday’s scores and recaps, click here and here.
In Wednesday’s game 2, lefthander Cliff Lee is opposed by Kyle Lohse for the Cards.
For all of Wednesday’s scheduled games throughout MLB, click here.
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