Phillies Nip Arizona on Werth’s Single in 12th
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
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The Phillies blew a 3-1 lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks and then had to come back from a 5-3 deficit on centerfielder Shane Victorino’s eighth inning 2 run triple to tie. The Phils threatened in the ninth, tenth and eleventh innings before rightfielder Jayson Werth finally won it for the Phils by a 5-4 score on a 1 out walk-off single in the twelfth.
With the win, the Phillies 3rd straight, their NL East lead remained 1 1/2 games ahead of both the Florida Marlins and the Mets who are tied for 2nd place and who both won again. For the Mets, it was their 7th straight win. 4th place Atlanta dropped to 7 1/2 games off of the pace in being shut out by the San Diego Padres.
1st baseman Ryan Howard solved 32 year old lefthander Doug Davis early, leading-off the second inning with his MLB-leading 28th homer to give the Phils a 1-0 lead. The homer also extended Howard’s hitting streak to a season-high 14 games The Phils could have had more in the inning as they loaded the bases on 2 walks by Davis and Kendrick’s 2 out bunt single. But shortstop Jimmy Rollins flied out to rightfield to end the inning. The Phillies would go on to have Diamondback pitchers on the ropes in each of the final 8 innings of the game.
Kendrick held on to the 1-0 lead through five innings until Diamondbacks’ 1st baseman Chad Tracy singled to left in the sixth to te the game at 1-1.
The Phillies came back against Davis in their sixth to take a 3-1 lead. Philadelphia Daily News reporter Mike Kern describes the inning;
The Phils got two in the bottom of the inning, on a one hit. All after the first two batters went down. Pedro Feliz worked a walk. Shane Victorino lined a double to right-center on which Alex Romero was forced to make a great play to cut off the ball and hold Feliz at third. Didn’t matter. Starter Doug Davis, after almost throwing a wild pitch, actually threw one, which gave the Phils the lead back. After Carlos Ruiz was intentionally walked - why he wasn’t in the first place is anyone’s guess – he tried to steal second, allowing Victorino to run home. Why the D-backs actually threw to second is, again, conjecture. It’s a play you see a lot in Little League. And it doesn’t usually work then.
A single, two doubles and a sacrifice fly scored 2 Arizona runs, tying the game in the seventh, and putting a runner on 3rd base while chasing Kendrick. Newly called-up reliever R.J. Swindle replaced Kendrick and was greeted by 3rd baseman Augie Ojeda’s RBI single to rightfield to put the Diamondbacks up by 4-3. Chad Durbin replaced Swindle as the Phils made a complete battery change bringing Chris Coste in to catch. The Phils got out of the inning with a strikeout and foul to catcher Coste but no further damage.
The Diamondbacks added their 5th run with 2 outs in the eighth as catcher Miguel Motero singled off of Durbin, his 3rd hit of the game, and rightfielder Romero followed with a double to score Motero.
Daily News reporter Kern describes Romero’s double;
They [Arizona] would add a run in the eighth, a two-out run-scoring double to center by that Romero guy, who’d just been recalled from the minors and was hitting all of .238 coming in. Only Victorino’s leap and near catch kept it from going over the fence.
Victorino lept over the centerfield wall and the ball popped out of his glove back onto the field as the Flyin’ Hawaiian hit the wall. Romero was nailed at 3rd base to end the inning as he tried to stretch the double to a triple.
Arizona’s lead was short-lived as Victorino took over with the bat where he left off in the field. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out, Victorino lined a triple to the rightfield corner off of reliever Tony Pena driving in the tying runs.
Meanwhile, the Phillies marched 4 relievers out between the ninth and twelfth innings allowing only 2 D-backs to reach, on a single and a walk. Reliever Rudy Seanez pitched the twelfth inning and put the lights out on Arizona on 8 pitches including a strikeout to gain his 4th win vs 3 losses for the season.
The Phils maintained pressure on the D-backs offensively as well putting runners in scoring position in the ninth through twelfth innings. Facing reliever Conner Robertson in the twelfth, the Phils finally won on Werth’s walkoff single to right which followed pinch hitter So Taguchi’s single to left, Chris Coste’s sacrifice moving Taguchi to 2nd and an intentional walk to Jimmy Rollins. Robertson was charged with the loss.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Friday’s games, click here.
With the red-hot Mets riding a 7 game winning streak and hosting the NL West 4th place Colorado Rockies for 2 more games before the All Star break, the Diamondbacks become a must-sweep for the Phillies in order to at least maintain their 1 1/2 game lead, if not more. On Saturday, Adam Eaton tries to rebound after a disastrous last start where he gave up 6 runs in 2 1/3 innings. Eaton is opposed by veteran 44 year old lefthander Randy “Big Unit” Johnson who was excellent in his last start after being pounded in 3 of his previous 4 starts.
In Sunday’s finale before All Star break, ace lefthander Cole Hamels at 9-6 is opposed by possible NL All Star starter Brandon Webb who sports a 13-4 record.
For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Saturday’s and Sunday’s games, click here and here.





