Tagged: Double Play

The Phils start their series against the now American League Astros with a walk-off win, as they win in extra-innings, 2-1.

Philadelphia_PhilliesRyan Howard gives the Phils a walk-off victory with an RBI single, as the Phils defeat the Astros in fifteen innings, 2-1.

The Phils took the lead in the bottom of the second as Ryan Howard hits a lead-off home run, his seventeenth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Astros would tie the game up at one-all in the top of the seventh as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Jon Singleton hits an RBI single, knocking in Chris Carter, who had started the inning off with a walk, then stopped at second base on Jason Castro’s single, while sending Castro, who had just singled, all the way to third base. Kyle Kendrick then pitched himself out of the inning by first getting Matt Dominguez to fly out to right, with it not being deep enough to score Castro, then getting Jake Marisnick to hit into a 6-3 double play, wiping out Singleton at second base for the inning’s second out. The score would remain tied at 1-1 until the bottom of the fifteenth when, with two men on, and with two men out, Howard hits an RBI single to right, scoring Gary Sizemore, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Ben Revere’s sacrifice bunt, 5-3, giving the Phils a walk-off 2-1 win.

Kyle Kendrick received a no-decision as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out five. Ken Giles, Jonathan Papelbon, Jake Diekman, Antonio Bastardo, Justin De Fratus and Mario Hollands combined for seven scoreless innings, giving up one hit, (Diekman), four walks (Papelbon (2), Diekman (1), Bastardo (1)) and a wild pitch (Bastardo) between them, while striking out thirteen (Giles (2), Papelbon (3), Diekman (1), Bastardo (6), Hollands (1)). Hector Neris (1-0, 0.00) got the win, the first of his major league career, as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Dallas Keuchel also received a no-decision as he also threw seven strong innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out four. Tony Sipp, Josh Fields, Darin Downs and Jose Veras combined for four scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Sipp) and a walk (Sipp) between them, while striking out two (Downs (1), Veras (1)). Jake Buchanan (1-2, 4.95) took the lost as he threw three and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on three hits and two walks, while striking out two.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Ben Revere (Singles), Ryan Howard (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs), Cody Asche (Singles) and Gary Sizemore (Singles) all leading the team with two hits each. Chase Utley had the final Phil hit, a single. The Phils also had four walks (Utley (3), Marlon Byrd) and a sacrifice bunt (Revere) in the game, while the defense caught a runner trying to steal a base and performed a double play.

The Phils (50-63, 5th NL East) continue their three-game interleague play series with the Astros (47-66, 4th AL West) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and is to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Dave Buchanan (5-5, 4.40), who is coming back to the majors because of Cliff Lee’s season ending injury. His last major league start was a win over the Brewers on July 10, as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, while striking out five, in the Phils’ 9-1 rout. He’ll be trying to continue from his last start. The Astros will counter with Brad Peacock (3-7, 4.93), who is coming off a lost against the Athletics on July 23, as he went three and two-thirds innings, as he gave up seven runs on seven hits and five walks, while striking out only two, in the Astros, 9-7 lost. He will be trying to even the series for the Astros. The Phils will be trying to win the series with the Astros.

Roy Halladay pitches his 50th career complete game as he wins his 150th victory as the Phils sweep the Astros, 2-1.

Roy Halladay, as he pitches his 50th complete game, wins his 150th career game as he outduels the Astros’ Ray Oswalt, as the Phils defeat the Astros’ 2-1. The Phils, now 5-1, are off to their best start since 1993, when they started that pennant season with an 8-1 start.

The Phils took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, on the second pitch of the game, Jimmy Rollins hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season. The Phils would make it 2-0 in the second as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had earlier doubled and had gone to third on Shane Victorino’s single, while Victorino, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base. The game then became a pitchers’ duel between the Phils’ Roy Halladay and the Astros’ Roy Oswalt, with Oswalt giving up no more runs before leaving the game in the sixth, having given up two runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out eight Phils, while Halladay, through five, gave up only three hits while striking out five Astros. The Astros then threathen in the sixth as they loaded up the bases on singles to pinch hitter Chris Johnson and Michael Bourn, with Johnson moving up to second base, and an error to third base by Halladay on a bunt attempt by Jeff Keppinger, allowing Johnson to reach third, while Bourn moved up to second on the throw to third, with nobody out. But the next batter, Cory Sullivan then hits into a 6-3 double play, forcing out Keppinger at second base, while Johnson scored, making it a 2-1 Phils’ lead, while Bourn moved up to third, where he would stay as the next batter, Carlos Lee, pops up to Rollins for the final out of the inning. The Astros then threathen again in the seventh, as they put runners on second and third, with one man out, via singles to Geoff Blum and Pedro Feliz, with Blum moving up to second base on Feliz’s hit, and then with both man moving up a base on Kazuo Matsui’s sacrifice bunt, 2-4, for the inning’s first out. But Halladay then turned the Astros back by getting J.R. Towles to bounce back to the pitcher, 1-3, for the inning’s second out, and then striking out pinch hitter Jason Michaels, swinging. That would be the last threat as Halladay gets Feliz to end the game in the bottom of the ninth with a pop up to Chase Utley for the final out.

Roy Halladay picks up the win as he pitches a complete game, giving up an unearned run on seven hits, as he strikes out eight. His record is now 2-0 with a reduced ERA of 0.56. Roy Oswalt took the lost as he pitches six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks, while he strikes out eight. His record is now 0-2 with an ERA of 3.75. Jeff Fulchino, Tim Byrdak and Brandon Lyon combine for three shut out innings, giving up only one hit (Fulchino), while striking out two Phils (Fulchino and Byrdak, one each).

The Phils’ offense had only six hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins leading the team with two hits, a solo home run and a single, knocking in a run. Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino and Roy Halladay had the other foru Phils’ hits, with Utley and Ibanez’s hits being doubles. Carlos Ruiz knocked in the other Phils’ run with an RBI ground out.

The Phils (5-1, 1st East) start a six games home stand with a three games series against the Nationals (3-3, 4th East). The first game of the three-games set, being played at Citizens Bank Park, is already in progress. The Phils send to the mound Cole Hamels (1-0, 3.60), who is coming off a win against these same Nats on April 7, as he pitched five innings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned, on five hits and two walks, while striking out five, in the Phils’ 8-4 win. He hopes to improve on that outing, giving the Phils a chance to win their home opener. He will be opposed by Jason Marquis (0-1, 13.50), who is coming off a lost to the Phils, also on April 7, as he lasted only four innings, giving up six runs on eight hits and three walks, while striking out only two, in the Nats’ 8-4 lost. He hopes to do better against this same Phils squad. The Phils plan to win their home opener, and to increase their winning streak to four games.

The Phils go to 2-0 on the season as they defeat the Nats, 8-4.

The Phils go to 2-0 on the season, for the first time since 2003, as they are led by the bat of Ryan Howard, as he knocks in three runs with a two-run home run and an RBI double, while Ryan Madson pitches a four-out save to save the win for Cole Hamels who would pitch five good enough to win innings to get the victory.

The Phillies took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with the bases loaded, via a Jimmy Rollins’ walk, Placido Polanco being hit by the pitch, which moved Rollins up to second base and a single to right by Chase Utley, which sent Rollins on to third base and Polanco up to second, Ryan Howard hits into a 4-6-3 double play, scoring Rollins and sending Polanco to third base, while Utley is wiped out at second base. Two batters later, with runners on the corners, after Jayson Werth reaches base with a walk, and with Raul Ibanez batting, it became 2-0 Phils as Polanco scores on a wild pitch thrown by Nats’ starters Jason Marquis, while Werth moves up to second base. The Nats would make it a 2-1 Phils’ lead in the bottom of the third as, with no one on, and with two men out, Ian Desmond hits a solo home run, his first home run of the year. Three batters later, with two men on, via walks to Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn, with Dunn’s walk moving Zimmerman up to second base, Josh Willingham ties the game up at 2-all with an RBI single, knocking in Zimmerman, while sending Dunn over to second. The Phils retook the lead in the fourth as, with runners on first and second, via singles to Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz, with Victorino moving up to second on Ruiz’s single, and with one man out, Hamels help his own cause as he hits an RBI single, knocking in Victorino, while sending Ruiz over to third base, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Nats would retie the score at 3-all in the bottom of the inning as, with two men out and a runner on first, as Nyjer Morgan reached base on a Howard’s error, Desmond hits an RBI double, scoring Morgan. The Phils took the lead for good in the fifth as, with a runner on second, and with no outs, Utley hits an RBI single, scoring Polanco, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. One batter later, Howard would hit a two-run home run, his second home run of the year, knocking in Utley, making it a 6-3 Phils’ lead. The Phils add to their lead in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a Polanco single, an Utley walk, which sent Polanco on to second base and a walk to Werth, which moves Polanco up to third and send Polanco on to second, Ibanez made it a 7-3 Phils’ lead with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Polanco. The Nats got a run back in the eight as, with no one out, Adam Kennedy hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Cristian Guzman, who has earlier tripled, making it 7-4 Phils. The Phils would make it an 8-4 lead in the top of the ninth as, with Utley on first, safe on a Desmond’s error, and with no one out, Howard hits an RBI double, scoring Utley from first. That would be the final score as Ryan Madison pitches a four-out save, recording his first save of the season.

Cole Hamels records the win, as he pitches five innings, giving up three runs, only two of which are earned, on five hits and four walks, while striking out five. His record is now 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA. Chad Durbin records his first hold of the season as he pitches two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and a walk, while striking out two batters. Danys Baez pitches one-third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits. Antonio Bastardo records his first hold of the season as he pitches a third of an inning. Ryan Madson records his first save of the year as he pitches a scoreless inning and a third, giving up two hits while striking out two. Jason Marquis took the lost as he pitches only four innings, plus three batters, as he gives up six runs on eight hits, three walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch, while striking out only two. His record is now 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA. Tyler Walker pitches two shut out innings, as he strikes out three. Jesse English pitches a third of an inning, giving up a run on one hit and a walk. Tyler Clippard pitches an inning and a third, giving up just one hit and walking two. Matt Capp pitches an inning, giving up a run on one hit and two walks, while striking out one.

The Phils had eleven hits in the game, with Placido Polanco, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz all leading the team with two hits apiece, with Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and starter Coel Hamels getting the other three hits. Howard’s two hits were a two-run home run and a double, knocking in three runs, while forcing in a fourth on a bases loaded double play. Polanco had a double and a single, while scoring three runs. Utley had two singles, knocking in a run, while scoring two. Ruiz’s two hits were also singles. Rollins had a double, scoring a run. Victorino had a single, scoring a run. Hamels also had a single, knocking in a run. Ibanez brought in the last Phils’ RBI with a sacrifice fly.

The Phillies (2-0) will conclude their three games series with the Nationals (0-2) with a 4:35 pm late afternoon game in the nation’s capital. The game will be played in Nationals Park. The Phils’ starter will be Kyle Kendrick (0-0, -.–), who will be pitching in place of the injured Joe Blanton, who is presently on the 15-days disabled list. He will be opposed by Craig Stammen (0-0, -.–) , who is in his second year pitching for the Nationals. The Phillies will be planning to leave Washington with a sweep.

Brad Lidge’s eleventh blown save of the year leaves the Phils’ magic number at five as the Phils lose a heartbreaker to the Marlins in the ninth, 7-6.

The Phils lose a heartbreaker in the bottom of the ninth to the Marlins, 7-6, as Brad Lidge blows his major league leading eleventh save of the season. The lost leaves the Phils’ magic number at five.

The Phils took the lead in the third as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run double, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier doubled, and moved up to third on Chase Utley’s fielder’s choice’s grounder, and Utley, who had reached first base on a fielder’s choice, as Marlins’ first baseman Cody Ross threw home to nail Phils’ starter Cole Hamels, who had earlier singled, and had gone to third on Rollins’ double, out at home plate, 3-2, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Marlins cut the Phils lead in half in the fourth as, with a runner on third, and with one out, Jorge Cantu hits an RBI single, knocking in Cameron Maybin, who had earlier doubled and had moved to third on Hanley Ramirez’s ground out, 4-3, making it a 2-1 Phils’ lead. The Marlins then tied it up at two-all in the fifth as Ross hits a lead-off home run, his twenty-fourth home run of the year. Three batters later, with a runner on second, and with one out, Chris Coghlan hits an RBI single, knocking in Ronny Paulino, who had earlier singled, and had moved up to second on Rick VandenHurk’s sacrifice bunt, giving the Marlins a 3-2 lead. The Phils would re-tie the game in the sixth as, with one out, Raul Ibanez hits a solo home rome, his thirty-third home run of the year. Three batters later, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Hamels would help his own cause by hitting an RBI single, knocking in Pedro Feliz, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. The Phils increased their lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and with one out, Howard hits a two-run home run, his forty-second home run of the season, knocking in Utley, who had earlier walked, making it a 6-3 Phils’ lead. The Marlins got a run back in their half of the seventh as, with one out, pinch hitter Gaby Sanchez hits a solo home run, his second home run of the season, to make it 6-4 Phils. The Marlins made it 6-5 in the eighth as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Ross hits an RBI single, knocking in Cantu, who had earlier singled, moved to second when pinch hitter Nick Johnson was hit by the pitch, and then moved to third as Dan Uggla hits into a 6-3 double play, wiping out pinch runner Emilio Bonifacio at second, who was running for Johnson. The Marlins would then tie it up at six-all in the ninth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Cantu hits an RBI single, scoring Ross Gload who had earlier doubled, while sending Ramirez, who had just walked, over to third. After Cantu took second on defensive indifference, pinch hitter Brett Carroll hits an RBI single, scoring Ramirez and giving the Marlins a 7-6 walk-off win.

Cole Hamels received a no-decision as he pitched seven innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and a hit batter, while striking out four. Ryan Madson recorded his twenty-sixth hold of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a hit batter, while he struck out one. Brad Lidge blew his eleventh save while on his way to taking the lost, as he gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. His record is now 0-8 with a 7.48 ERA. Rick VandenHurk also got a no-decision as he pitched six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out five. Reynel Pinto pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk. Kino Calero pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while he struck out a batter. Dan Meyer picked up the win as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up just a walk. His record is now 3-1 with a 2.96 ERA.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Cole Hamels leading the way with two hits each, with Ryan’s hits being a double and a home run, knocking in four runs, and with one of Ibanez’s hits being a solo home run. Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz and Paul Bako each had one hit, with Rollins and Feliz’s hits being doubles. Hamels knocked in the Phils’ other run. The offense, in spite of its offensive display, wasn’t able to add an insurance run in the last two innings of the game.

The Phils (88-63, 1st East) conclude their last road trip of the season with a four-games series against the Brewers (75-77, 3rd Central), starting tonight. The game will be played at Miller Park and will begin at 8:05 pm Eastern (7:05 pm Central). The Phils will send to the mound J.A. Happ (10-4, 2.77), who is coming off a no-decision against the Braves on September 18, as he only pitched three innings, giving up just one run on five hits, as he struck out five, in the Phils’ 9-4 win. He will be trying to show that he is okay, while hoping to help cut down the Phils’ magic number. The Brew crew will counter with Jeff Suppan (7-10, 4.76), who is coming off a win against the Astros on September 19, as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up two runs on five hits, while striking out seven in the Brewers’ 7-2 win. He will be trying to give the Phils trouble. The Phils will be trying to tie their team road wins record while at the same time trying to bring the magic number down further before coming back home to Citizens Bank Park.

Phils hang on last night to defeat the Nationals, 6-5. Lead in the East stays at six games.

The Phils continue the adventure that is the 2009 season, as Ryan Madson complete his second straight save opportunity by getting Adam Dunn to hit into a 4-6 line out double play with a runner on second and one man out, as the Phils finally defeat the pesty Nats, 6-5. Their lead over the Marlins remain at six games while their magic number drop down to nineteen.

The Nats took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Adam Dunn hits an RBI single, knocking in Cristian Guzman, who had earlier doubled. The Phils would strike back in the second, as, with a runner on second, and with nobody out, Jayson Werth hits an RBI single, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had earlier doubled, tying the score at one-all. The Phils would then take the lead as, with the bases loaded, via a Pedro Feliz single, moving Werth up to second base, and then a walk to Paul Bako, moving Werth to third and Feliz to second, and still with no one out, Cliff Lee helped his own cause by hitting an RBI single, easily scoring Werth, and giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while sending Feliz up to third, and Bako to second. The Phils would then make it 3-1, as with the bases still loaded, and with still no outs, Jimmy Rollins hits into an RBI ground out, 4-3, making the inning’s first out as he scores Feliz, while moving Bako to third, and sending Lee to second. The Phils made it a 4-1 lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in Ryan Howard, who had just walked. The Nats would get that run back in their half of the fifth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Guzman hits an RBI ground out on a slow roller to Lee, 1-3, scoring Alberto Gonzalez from third, who had earlier doubled, and had gone to third on Justin Maxwell’s single, making it a 4-2 Phils’ lead, while moving Maxwell up to second base. Dunn would make the score 4-3 as he hits an RBI single, scoring Maxwell, who just beat Werth’s throw to the plate, while Dunn would move up to third on the throw. The Nats tied the game up at four-all in the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Guzman hits into a force out, 6-4, on a ball misplayed by Rollins, allowing Gonzalez, who had earlier doubled, and had gone to third on pinch hitter Jorge Padilla’s single, wiping out Padilla at second, to score, as Guzman beat out the throw to first. The Phils regained the lead in the eighth as Jayson Werth hits a lead-off home run, his thirty-third home run of the season, giving the Phils a 5-4 lead. The next batter, Feliz, followed with a home run of his own, his tenth home run of the year, making it a 6-4 Phils’ lead. The Nats got a run back in their half of the eighth as, with the bases loaded, with Ryan Zimmerman reaching base on a catch error by Howard, a double by Josh Willingham, sending Zimmerman to third base, and a walk to Elijah Dukes, and with one man out, pinch hitter Pete Orr hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Zimmerman from third, making it a 6-5 Phils’ lead. That would end up being the final score, as Ryan Madson converted his sixth save of the season, by getting Dunn to hit into a line out double play, 4-6, as Justin Maxwell, is doubled off second base.

Cliff Lee got the win as he went seven innings plus two batters, giving up five runs, four of which were earned, on ten hits, as he struck out four. His record is now 13-11 (6-2) with an ERA of 3.13. Chan Ho Park converted his tenth hold as he pitched an inning, giving up just a walk. Ryan Madson collected his sixth save, as he also pitched an inning, giving up a hit, as he struck out a batter. Garrett Mock received a no-decision as he pitched five innings, giving up four runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out four. Jason Bergmann pitched one and a third scoreless innings, giving up just a hit and a walk. Sean Burnett pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter. Tyler Clippard took the lost, as he gave up two runs on two hits, while striking out a batter. His record is now 2-2 with a 3.16 ERA. Mike MacDougal pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, as he struck out two batters.

The Phillies had eleven hits in the game, with Shane Victorino, Raul Ibanez, Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz each leading the team with two hits, with one of Victorino’s hits and one of Ibanez’s hits being for doubles, while Werth and Feliz both hit solo home runs, as Werth knocked in two runs, and Feliz and Ibanez each knocking in a run. Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Cliff Lee had the other three Phils’ hits, with Lee’s hit knocking in a run, while Rollins knocked in the other Phils’ run with a ground out.

The Phils (79-58, 1st) will play their final game of the road trip with the Nationals (47-92, 5th) tonight with a night game. The game will be played at Nationals Park and it will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (9-6, 3.80),  who is coming off a no-decision against the Astros on September 5, where he pitched six strong innings, giving up just three runs on six hits and a walk, while he struck out five, in the Phils’ 4-3 lost. He will be trying once again for his tenth win of the season. The Nats will counter with Livan Hernandez (7-10, 5.44), who is coming off a lost against the Marlins on September 5, as he went five innings, giving up six runs on eight hits and four walks, while striking out six, in the Nats’ 5-4 lost. He will be trying to keep the Nats from being once again swept by the Phils. The Phils will be going for a sweep before coming home for seven games with the Mets and the Nats, as they hope to keep the Marlins at bay in the pennant race.

A two-run shot by Chase Utley help lead J.A. Happ to his tenth victory of the year.

As J.A. Happ pitched seven strong innings against the Mets, a two-run strike by Chase Utley help lead the Phils to a 4-1 win over New York, giving Happ his tenth win of the season. A Braves victory over the Marlins put the Phils back to being six-and-a-half games over both the Braves and the Marlins.

The Mets took the lead in the second as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Omir Santos hits an RBI single, knocking in Jeff Fancoeur, who had earlier doubled, and had gone on to third as Daniel Murphy hits into a 4-6-3 double play, as Fernando Tatis, who had just walked, was wiped out at second, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. The game then became a pitchers’ duel between Mets’ starter Tim Redding, who gave Phils’ batters fits for five innings, giving up only one hit, a single by Chase Utley with two outs in the third inning, and three walks, while Phils’ starter J.A. Happ refused to break, as the Mets would end up with eight scattered hits and two walks, before he finally leaves the game after pitching seven innings, giving up only the run in the second. The Phils’ bats, once Redding had left the game, then went to work. In the sixth, with a runner on base, and with noone out, Utley hits a two-run home run, his twenty-sixth home run of the year, scoring Shane Victorino, who had earlier walked, to give the Phils a 2-1 lead. Four batters later, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Pedro Feliz hits an RBI double, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had earlier doubled, making it 3-1 Phils. The Phils then added an insurance run in the eighth as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Ryan Howard, a Jayson Werth double, which sent Howard over to third base, and a Feliz intentional walk, with one man out, Carlos Ruiz hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Howard from third, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. That would be the final score as Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge would get out the last six Mets’ batters, with Lidge recording his twenty-fourth save of the season.

J.A. Happ got the win as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up only one run on eight hits and two walks, while striking out a batter. His record is now 10-2 with an ERA of 2.59. Ryan Madson pitched a 1-2-3 inning, recording his twenty-first hold, as he struck out two batters. Brad Lidge also pitched a 1-2-3 inning as he recorded his twenty-fourth save of the year, also striking out two batters. Tim Redding received a no-decision as he pitched five strong innings, giving up only one hit and three walks, while he struck out four. Pat Misch took the lost as he threw his first blown save of the year, giving up two runs on one hit and a walk, in one-thirds of an inning. His record is now 0-1 with a 5.00 ERA. Sean Green pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up one run on two hits and a walk, while striking out one. Elmer Dessens pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Pedro Feliciano pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on one hit and a walk. Brian Stokes pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up just a walk. Nelson Figueroa pitched a shut-out inning, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter.

The Phillies had only seven hits in the game, with Chase Utley and Jayson Werth leading the way with two hits each, with one of Utley’s hits being a two-run home runs, knocking in two runs, while one of Werth’s hits was a double. Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz had the other three Phils’ hits, with Ibanez’s hit being a double, and Feliz’s hit being an RBI double. Carlos Ruiz knocked in the other run with a sacrifice fly. The Phils had few hits last night, but unlike Friday night, the hits came when they counted.

The Phils (70-50, 1st) continues their four-games series with the weaken Mets (57-66, 4th) with an afternoon game. The game will begin at 1:10 pm Eastern and will be played at Citi Field. The Phils will send to the mound Pedro Martinez (1-0, 4.50), who is coming off a no-decision against the Diamondbacks on August 18, as he pitched just three strong innings before the rains came down hard, giving up just a run on two hits, as he struck out three, in the Phils’ 5-1 win. He will be trying to show that last Tuesday’s start was just the start of a strong run by him. He will be opposed by Oliver Perez (3-3, 6.06), who is coming off a win against the Braves on August 18, as he pitched five innings, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out  four, in the Mets’ 9-4 win. He will be trying to improve his record, while trying to pitch the Mets into at least a series tie. The Phils will be trying to win behind Pedro to set up a series win behind Cliff Lee tomorrow afternoon.

Jamie Moyer picks up a win in relief as he pitch six shut out innings in relief of Pedro Martinez after a rain delay.

Jamie Moyer picks up his eleventh win of the season after pitching six shut out innings for his first win in relief since pitching in relief for the Red Sox on May 15, 1996, as he took over for Pedro Martinez, who was taken out of the game after pitching only three innings because of a sixty-six minutes rain delay, as the Phils defeat the D-backs, 5-1.

The D-backs took the lead in the first as their lead-off man, Stephen Drew, hits a 3-2 changeup into right field for his eleventh home run of the season, giving the D-backs a 1-0 lead. After Ryan Roberts followed with a single, Pedro Martinez buckled down, and then got the next eight batters out, starting with a double play ball, 1-6-3, off of the bat of Gerardo Parra, wiping out Roberts at second base. The Phillies, meantime, blew opportunities to score runs in the first two innings against D-backs’ starter Jon Garland. Then in the bottom of the third, the rains came down in buckets, delaying the ballgame for sixty-six minutes. When play resumed, the Phillies’ offense went to work. With a man on base, and with two men out, Jayson Werth tied the ballgame up at one-all with an RBI double, knocking in Chase Utley, who had earlier been hit by the pitch. Then two batters later, the Phils took the lead on a Pedro Feliz RBI single, scoring Werth, making it 2-1 Phils, while sending Raul Ibanez, who had earlier been intentionally walked, over to third, before Feliz would move on up to second on D-backs’ left fielder’s Roberts throwing error. Carlos Ruiz then made it 3-1 Phils as he hits an RBI single to right, scoring Ibanez. But, Feliz, who was following Ibanez, was tagged out at the plate, 9-2, for the inning’s final out. In the top of the fourth, the Phils sent out Jamie Moyer in relief of Martinez. After giving up a single to Garland, Moyer would proceed to get out the next eleven batters before giving up another hit. In the meantime, the Phils would add to their lead. In the fifth, the Phils made it 4-1 as, with one out, Werth hits a solo home run, his career high twenty-fifth home run of the year. The Phils then made it 5-1 in the sixth as Carlos Ruiz started the inning off by hitting a solo home run, his sixth home run of the year. That, and later singles to Moyer, his second hit of the night, and to Shane Victorino, with one man out, would lead to Garland’s exit, and his replacement by Daniel Schlereth. Schlereth proceeded to throw a wild pitch that would move Moyer up to third and Victorino up to second base. After Utley is walked to load the bases, Schlereth is able to get out of the inning by first striking out Ryan Howard, and then getting Werth to ground out, 5-3. In the seventh, Moyer would give up his second hit of the night, a two-out single to Miguel Montero. But he then gets out the next seven batters, ending the game as Parra lined out to Werth for the final out, recording the win.

Pedro Martinez received a no-decision, as he pitched only three innings, being taken out after the rain delay, as he gave up only a run on two hits, as he struck out three. Jamie Moyer picked up the win in relief, as he went six strong innings, giving up just two hits, while striking out five. His record is now 11-9 with a 5.22 ERA. Jon Garland took the lost as he pitched five and a third innings, giving up five runs on eleven hits, a hit batter and two walks, as he struck out three. His record is now 6-11 with a 4.42 ERA. David Schlereth, Leo Rosales and Jon Rauch combined for three and two-thirds shut out innings, giving up just one hit (Rauch) and two walks (Schlereth and Rosales with a walk each), while they struck out three (one batter for each pitcher).

The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz leading the way with three hits, one of which was a solo home run, scoring two RBIs, as he raised his batting average to .235. He was followed by Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, and, of all people, Jamie Moyer, with two hits each, with Werth’s two hits being a double and a solo home run, also knocking in two RBIs. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Pedro Feliz each followed with a hit, with Feliz knocking in the final Phils’ run. Although scoring several runs last night, the Phils are still having problems scoring runners in scoring position, as they left the bases loaded in both the first and sixth innings.

The Phils (67-49, 1st National League East) continue their short home stand tonight with the Diamondbacks (54-66, 4th National League West) with a night game. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound their new ace Cliff Lee (10-9 (3-0), 2.86 (1.13)), who is coming off a strong start against the Cubs on August 13, as he pitched eight innings, giving up only one run on six hits and three walks, while he struck out eight, in the Phils’ 6-1 win. He will try to make it four straight wins since joining the Phils from the Indians, while giving the Phils a series win at home. The D-backs will try to counter with Dan Haren (12-7, 2.50), who is coming off a win against the Dodgers on August 14, where he went eight innings, giving up a run on six hits and two walks, while striking out eight, in the D-backs’ 4-1 win. He will be trying to see if he can derail the Lee’ Express. The Phils will be trying to give Lee some more run support while Lee will be seeing if he can continue his dominance of National League hitters.

Lee shows that he was worth the trade as he pitched a complete game while dominating the Giants, 5-1.

Cliff Lee showed with his glove and bat, as well as his pitching, that he was worth the trade as he four hit the Giants while pitching a complete game as the Phils defeat the Giants, 5-1.

The Phils took a quick 1-0 lead as Jayson Werth hits a lead-off home run, his twenty-second home run of the year. The Phils would then squander several scoring opportunites, unable to get that key hit. In the meantime, Phils’ starter Cliff Lee kept the Giants off-balanced, not giving up a hit until the sixth inning with one man out, allowing before then only one man on base with a walk to Ryan Garko in the second inning, who was later wiped out at second base on a 4-6-3 double play on a grounder to Chase Utley by Aaron Rowand. Lee then stranded Juan Uribe, who had hit a double, by first striking out pinch hitter Jesus Guzman on strikes, and then getting Ryan Winn to softly ground out, 4-3, for the final out. The Phils then finally increased their lead in the seventh as, with the bases loaded via walks to Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, a double steal by both Rollins and Utley, and then Ryan Howard being hit by the pitch, with one man out, Raul Ibanez took a walk, forcing in Rollins, making it a 2-0 Phils’ lead, while both Utley and Howard would move up a base. The following batter, Werth, made it 4-0 Phils, as he hits a two-run single, scoring both Utley and Howard, while sending Ibanez up to second. The Phils then added to their lead in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and nobody out, Ben Francisco hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Lee, who had earlier doubled, and had moved over to third on Rollins’ single, making it a 5-0 Phils’ lead. The Giants would finally score in their half of the eighth as, with a runner on third, and one man out, Uribe hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Rowand, who had earlier doubled, and had moved up to third on Edgar Renteria’s ground out, 1-3, making it a 5-1 Phils’ lead. But that would be all, as Lee went on to end the game with little trouble, as he pitched a complete game, his third complete game in his last four starts.

Cliff Lee got the win as he pitched a complete game, giving up just a run on four hits and two walks, while striking out six Giants. His record with the Phils is now 1-0 and his overall record is now 8-9 with an ERA of 3.02. Ryan Sadowski took the lost, as he pitched just four innings, giving up a run on three hits and three walks, while he struck out three batters. His record is now 2-4 with an ERA of 4.45. Merken Valdez pitched two scoreless innings, giving up only two hits, as he struck out one. Brandon Medders pitched a third of an inning, giving up two runs on two walks. Jeremy Affeldt pitched to three batters, giving up a run on a hit, a walk, and a hit batter. Bob Howry pitched an inning and a third, giving up a run on two hits, while he struck out one. Sergio Romo pitched a scoreless inning, striking out a batter.

The Phillies had eight hits, with Jayson Werth and, surprise, Cliff Lee leading the team with two hits each, with one of Werth’s hits being a solo home run, while he knocked in three runs, while Lee had a single and a double, scoring a run as he helped his own effort. Jimmy Rollins, Ben Francisco, Chase Utley and Pedro Feliz had the other four hits, with Francisco’s hit being a double. Beside Werth’s three RBIs, Raul Ibanez brought in a run via a bases loaded walk, and Francisco knocked in the other Phils’ run with a sacrifice fly. The Phils’ offense was finally able to bring in runs with runners in scoring position, as they won 20 games in July for the first time since the 1960s.

The Phillies (59-42, 1st National League East) continue their four-games series with the Giants (56-47, 2nd National League West) with an night game. The game will be played at AT&T Park and will begin at 9:05 pm Eastern (6:05 pm Pacific). The Phillies will send to the mound Joe Blanton (7-4, 4.11), who is coming off a win against the Cardinals on July 26, as he went eight innings, giving up only two runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 9-2 win. He will be trying to see if he can keep the Phils in the game. The Giants will send to the mound their ace Tim Lincecum (11-3, 2.30), who is coming off a completed game win against the Pirates on July 27, where he gave up just two runs, both unearned, on four hits and three walks, while he struck out fifteen batters, in the Giants’ 4-2 win. He will be trying to see if he can overpower the Phils’ potent offense. The Phils will be trying to see if they can win today against last year’s NL Cy Young Award Winner.

Phils continue their success on the road as they defeat the D-backs, 6-2.

The Phils’ offense produced the hits when they needed them as they supported Jamie Moyer as he becomes the first Phils’ starter to get ten wins this season as the Phils defeated the D-backs, 6-2. The Phils increased their lead in the NL East to seven games as both the Braves and the Marlins took yesterday off.

Phils’ starter Jamie Moyer pitched himself out of trouble early in the ballgame. In the bottom of the second, after the D-backs loaded the bases with three straight singles by Chris Young, Gerardo Parra and Josh Whitesell, with nobody out, Moyer got out of the inning by first striking out the D-backs’ starter Jon Garland swinging for the first out of the inning, then getting Stephen Drew to hit into a 4-6-3 double play, wiping out Parra at second base. The D-back then threathen again in the third, as they put two men on base via a single to Ryan Roberts and a walk to Justin Upton, with noone out. Moyer then got out of that jam by getting Mark Reynolds to strike out swinging for the first out, then got Miguel Montero to foul out, 2, for out number two, and Young to pop out, 4, to end the inning. The Phils then took the lead in the fourth as, with one man on, and one man out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run bomb, his twenty-sixth home run of the season, scoring Chase Utley, who had earlier singled, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the fifth as, with a runner on base, and two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI double, knocking in Pedro Feliz, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Garland’s throwing error on a pick off attempt, making it a 3-0 Phils’ lead. The Phils then broke the game open in the sixth as, with two men on, and nobody out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Utley, who had earlier walked, and then went to third on Roberts’ fielding error of a Howard ground ball, making it 4-0 Phils, while sending Howard up to second base. The Phils then loaded the bases as Jayson Werth is hit by the pitch. Feliz then hit into a force out, 5-4, wiping out Werth at second base for the first out of the inning, as Howard scored, making it a 5-0 Phils’ lead, while Ibanez moved to third, putting runners on the corner. Then Paul Bako came up and also hit into a force out, this time 6-4, wiping out Feliz for the second out, while Ibanez scored, making it 6-0 Phils. Meantime, after making a slight adjustment, Moyer proceeded to muzzle the D-backs for his last three and two-thirds innings of work, giving up only two hits and a walk, after having given them four hits and three walks in the first three innings. In the eighth, the D-back would finally get on the board as Reynolds would hit a lead-off home run, his twenty-seventh home run of the season, making it a 6-1 Phils’ lead. Five batters, with two men on, and two men out, pinch hitter Chad Tracy made it a 6-2 Phils’ lead as he hits an RBI single, scoring Parra, who had earlier singled, and had gone to second on Whitesell’s walk, while Whitesell moved up to third. But that would be the final score as Brad Lidge pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Jamie Moyer got the win, as he pitched six and two-thirds shut out innings, giving up six hits and four walks, while he struck out five. His record is now 10-7 with a 5.32 ERA, as he won his 256th career victory. Chan Ho Park pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man he would face. Ryan Madson pitched an inning, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk, as he struck out two. Brad Lidge pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out a batter. Jon Garland took the lost as he pitched six innings, giving up six runs, only three of which were earned, on five hits and two walks. His record is now 5-10 with a 4.42 ERA. Esmerling Vasquez, Clay Zavada and Leo Rosales combined for three shut out innings, giving up only one hit (Zavada) and one walk (Zavada), while striking out four (Vasquez (1), Zavada (2), Rosales (1)).

The Phils had only six hits in the game, making them all count, with Ibanez leading the way with two hits, raising his average to .308. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz had the other four hits, with Howard’s hit being a two-run home run. Besides Howard’s two RBIs, Rollins, Ibanez, Feliz and Paul Bako each brought home a run.

The Phillies (57-40, 1st National League East) continue their three-games series with the D-backs (43-57, 4th National League West) with a night game. The game will be played at Chase Field and will begin at 9:40 pm Eastern (6:40 pm Mountain). The Phils’ starter will be Cole Hamels (6-5, 4.66), who is coming off a win against the Padres on July 23, as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks, while he struck out six, in the Phils’ 9-4 win. He will be trying to continue his resurgance, as he try for his fourth quailty start in five tries. The D-backs will counter with Dan Haren (10-5, 2.14), who is coming off a no-decision against the Pirates on July 23, as he went five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out four, in the D-backs’ 11-4 win. He will be trying for his eleventh win of the season, while planning to give the Phils fits. The Phils will be going for a series win tonight, while hoping that Hamels has finally rounded the corner and is headed for his October form.

Happ is saddled with first career loss as the Phillies are outslugged by the Cardinals, 8-1.

J.A. Happ loses his first career start, thanks to the Cardinals’ hitter being lucky with their hits as the Phils lose to the redbirds, 8-1. Their lead over the Braves and the Marlins is now at five and a half games as both teams win their games.

The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the second as, with a runner on third, and two men out, Rick Ankiel hits an RBI single, scoring Matt Holliday, who had earlier hit an infield single, stole second base and then moved on to third on Ryan Ludwick’s ground out, 6-3. The game, after a rain delay, became a pitchers’ duel between Phils’ starter J.A. Happ and Cardinals’ starter Joel Pineiro until the sixth inning, when the Cardinals were able to beat up on Happ with bleeders. The Cardinals increased their lead as, with two men on, and nobody out, Holliday hits an RBI single, knocking in Mark DeRosa, who had earlier singled, and had gone to second on Albert Pujols’ single, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 lead, while sending Pujols to third. One batter later, Ryan Ludwick made it 3-0 Cards as he hits an RBI single, knocking in Pujols. On the play, Holliday is thrown out at third for the inning’s first out, 7-5, as he tried to move up to third, while Ludwick would move up to second base on the throw. Yadier Molina would make it a 4-0 Cardinals’ lead with an RBI single, scoring Ludwick. Ankiel made it a 5-0 Cards’ lead with an RBI double, knocking in Molina, before Ankiel would move up to third on the throw to the plate. The redbirds would make it 6-0 in the seventh as, with a man on third, and noone out, DeRosa hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Julio Lugo, who had earlier tripled. The Cards made it 7-0 as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Pujols, a double by Holliday, that sent Pujols to third base, and a walk to Molina, with two men out, Ankiel hits an RBI single, knocking in Pujols, while moving both Holliday and Molina up a base. The Phils would finally score in the bottom half of the seventh, as, with a runner on third and two men out, Jayson Werth, who had earlier singled, had moved up to second on Pedro Feliz’s single, and had gone to third on Carlos Ruiz’s double play ball, 6-4-3, wiping out Feliz at second base, would score on a wild pitch, with Matt Stairs batting, making it 7-1 Cardinals. In the eighth, Lugo, with one man out, would make it 8-1 Cards by hitting a solo home run, his second home run of the year. That would be the final score as the Phils would be unable to do anything in their last two times at-bat.

J.A. Happ took the lost, the first one of his young career, as he pitched six innings, giving up five runs on ten hits, while he struck out six. His record is now 7-1 as his ERA rises to 2.97. Tyler Walker pitched an inning, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks. Andrew Carpenter also pitched an inning, giving up a run on one hit, while he struck out one. Ryan Madson pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Joel Pineiro got the win as he also went six innings, giving up just four hits and a walk, while striking out three. His record is now 9-9, with an ERA of 2.95. Kyle McClellan pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, a walk and a wild pitch, as he struck out three. Dennys Reyes pitched a third of an inning, giving up two hits. Jason Motte pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out the two batters that he would face. Brad Thompson pitched a scoreless inning, as he hit a batter and another reached base on an error before he recorded the game’s final out.

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz leading the team with two hits each. Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz would get the other two Phils’ hits. The Phils had no RBIs as their only run came in on a wild pitch. The Phils were unable to knock in a run, although they had several scoring attempts.

The Phillies (54-40, 1st National League East) will continue their three-games series with the Cardinals (53-46, 1st National League Central) with an afternoon game that will be televised nationally by Fox Sports. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will begin at 4:05 pm. Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Rodrigo Lopez (2-0, 2.60), who is coming off a win against the Cubs on July 20, as he pitched six innings, giving up a run on five hits and three walks, as he struck out five, in the Phils’ 10-1 win. He will be trying for his third win, hoping to make things difficult for the Phils when Pedro Martinez has finished with his rehab assignment. The Cardinals will counter with Kyle Lohse (4-6, 4.21), who is coming off a lost against the Astros, as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out five, in the Cards’ 3-2 lost. He will be trying to improve his record and end his personal three games losing streak, while trying to continue his good record against the Phils. The Phils will be out to tie the series, while putting up a winning home stand before they go out once more onto the road.