
The Washington Nationals didn’t quit the whole game on Wednesday while pecking away at ace lefthander Cliff Lee and rubbing out a 4-1 Phillies lead and nearly erasing a 6-4 deficit. The Phils scored 4 runs off of Nationals’ starter Garrett Mock. But it was back-to-back eighth inning solo homers by rightfielder Jayson Werth and 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz providing the winning margin and a nifty line-drive double-play worked by 2nd baseman Chase Utley and shortstop Jimmy Rollins on Nationals’ 1st baseman Adam Dunn where centerfielder Justin Maxwell was caught off of 2nd base which finally nailed down the game and Lee’s 6th win as the Phillies edged the Nationals by a 6-5 score on eighth inning back-to-back homers.
With the win, the Phillies maintained their 6 game lead in the NL East division over 2nd place Florida who again beat the Mets. 3rd place Atlanta dropped to 9 games back while losing to Houston. The 4th place Mets dropped to 18 games back with their loss to the Marlins.
With the Phils up by 6-4 in the eighth, Lee was replaced by Chan Ho Park with runners on 1st and 3rd base with none out. A walk, a fly ball and a sacrifice fly later the Nationals cut the lead to 6-5 as a ground out ended the inning. Phillies Nation’s Amanda Orr describes the eighth and ninth innings:
Before the game, Charlie Manuel discussed [Brad] Lidge’s fate. Unsure if Lidge would pitch in the next save opportunity, Manuel said he would go with his gut feeling.
Trying to make his job easier, Manuel tried to stretch Lee through eight innings. However, the first two batters reached base, forcing Manuel to go to Chan Ho Park. Park allowed a walk, loading the bases with nobody out. Pete Orr’s sacrifice fly put the Nationals within one. That was all Park would give up, avoiding further damage.
Ryan Madson was called on to close. Although he converted Tuesday’s save, Madson previously struggled as a closer. Justin Maxwell greeted him with a single and stole a base. Madson was firing 98 mph fastballs, and struck out [Cristian] Guzman. Maxwell was dancing off second when Dunn lined a shot to Utley. Utley caught it, and flipped to Rollins covering second base. Maxwell was doubled off, ending the game…. Manuel’s gut feeling worked.
Washington opened scoring in the first inning as shortstop Cristian Guzman doubled to left centerfield after Lee struck out leadoff hitter Justin Maxwell. 1st baseman Dunn followed with an RBI single to centerfield as the Nationals hit the scoreboard first.
The Phillies, for the first time in some time, strung together some hits in the second inning to score runs. Leftfielder Raul Ibanez, who seems to catching fire again as earlier in the season before his injury, led off the inning with a double to centerfield and scored on Jayson Werth’s single to leftfield to knot the score at 1-1. 3rd baseman Feliz singled to left centerfield and Mock walked catcher Paul Bako to load the bases. Mock then got behind 2-1 in the count to Lee, who has proven to be a good hitting pitcher. Lee laced Mock’s next offering to leftfield for an RBI single as Werth scored. Rollins then grounded out as Feliz scored putting the Phils up by 3-1. Centerfielder Shane Victorino, as well as Ibanez, Werth and Feliz each garnered 2 hits in the game.
The score remained 3-1 as Lee retired 9 of the next 11 hitters he faced through the bottom of the fourth.
The Phils upped their lead to 4-1 as Mock walked 1st baseman Ryan Howard with 2 outs. Ibanez followed with his 2nd double of the game, this one also to centerfield, driving in Howard.
The Nationals came to life in the fifth inning to cut the score to 4-3. After 2nd baseman Alberto Gonzalez led off the fifth with a double to left centerfield, 1 of his 3 hits — all doubles for the game, Maxwell singled to leftfield putting runners at the corners with 1 out. Gonzalez scored as Guzman grounded out to the pitcher with Maxwell advancing to 2nd base. Dunn followed with a single to rightfield to score Maxwell.
Lee then went clean on Washington in the sixth before a another Gonzalez double and a bunt single to the pitcher by pinch hitter Jorge Padilla put runners again at the corners to open the seventh inning. Lee struck out Maxwell and got Guzman to ground into a fielder’s choice with Padilla out at 2nd base. But the tying run scored on the play.
Meanwhile, Mock left after five innings and reliever Jason Bergmann went clean on the Phils in the sixth before Rollins opened the seventh with a single to leftfield. After Victorino flied out, Bergmann was replaced by lefthanded reliever Sean Burnett. Rollins stole 2nd base on a 2-2 pitch to Utley who grounded out 2 pitches later with Rollins taking 3rd base. Howard was walked intentionally putting Phillies at the corners. Rollins and Howard were stranded as Burnett struck out Ibanez to end the inning.
With the score tied 4-4, reliever Tyler Clippard came on to pitch the eighth and was greeted with Werth’s 33rd homer, to centerfield, after falling behind 3-1 in the count. 2 pitches later, Feliz planted one in the leftfield stands and the Phils had a 6-4 lead.
But Washington wouldn’t say die. After an error and a double by leftfielder Josh Willingham put runners at 2nd and 3rd base to open the eighth, Lee was pulled for Chan Ho Park. Park walked rightfielder Elijah Dukes to load the bases. After a fly out, pinch hitter Pete Orr’s sacrifice fly to leftfield cut the margin to 6-5, the run being charged to Lee. Park got the next hitter on a grounder for the final out of the eighth.
After the Phils offense provided no cushion despite scoring opportunities in the ninth, Madson replaced Park and Maxwell greeted him with a single to centerfield and a steal of 2nd base. But Madson struck out Guzman on heavy heat and got Adam Dunn to line to 2nd baseman Utley who fired to Rollins to catch Maxwell off o 2nd base for the game ending doubleplay.
Winning pitcher Lee threw 109 pitches in going into the eighth inning giving up 5 runs on 10 hits. He walked none, struck out 4 and kept the ball in the park.
Mock went five innings throwing 107 pitches and giving up 4 runs on 6 hits while walking 3 and striking out 4. Clippard, who gave up the eighth inning back-to-back homers, was charged with the loss. Madson, who threw 10 pitches to end the game, was credited with his 6th save having saved both games in the series thus far.
In related news:
The… Phillies sent reliever Scott Eyre back to Philadelphia on Wednesday to have his ailing left elbow examined.
Eyre is 2-1 with a 1.61 ERA in 39 games.
The Phillies promoted left-hander Sergio Escalona and first baseman Andy Tracy from the minors, and they joined the team for Wednesday night’s game at Washington.
Escalona was recalled from Double-A Reading for his sixth stint with Philadelphia. In six games, he is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA. He was 2-3 with a 3.13 ERA and 14 saves in 47 games with Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies purchased Tracy’s contract from Lehigh Valley, where he hit .254 with 26 home runs and 96 RBIs.
To make room for Tracy on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Rodrigo Lopez was released.
For the scores of all of Wednesday’s games, click here.
The Phils look to take a hard-fought sweep out of Washington as Thursday’s series final features Joe Blanton opposing Livan Hernandez.
The Phils return home on Friday for a 6 game homestand; first a 3 game weekend series with the Mets followed by 3 games with these same Washington Nationals.
Lefthander Cole Hamels is slated to pitch Friday’s opener vs Nelson Figueroa for the Mets.
For all of Thursday’s games, click here.