Tagged: J.C. Romero

Romero has been vindicated…

Anyone out there remembers J.C. Romero being given a 50 day suspension at the start of the 2009 season because in 2008 he had tested positive for banned substances, although he had claimed that he had only taken supplements that he had purchased at a local vitamin chain store, and had been assured that it was okay to take the supplements after he had first gotten in touch with the players association? Well, it has just been announced that Romero had just won his case against both GNC and Vitamin Shoppe, the store chain that had sold the product, and Ergopharm and Proviant Technologies, the company that had made the product with the banned substance (androstenedione), which had been mislabeled, for an undisclosed amount of cash. Romero, who is now a member of the World Champions St. Louis Cardinals, sued both the manufacturer and the vitamin chain store in New Jersey Superior Court back in early 2009 to clear his name. Looks like mission accomplish in that aspect.

Happy to hear that you’d been vindicated, J.C. Doesn’t mean that I won’t be booing you if you’re pitching against the Phils during the season. 😉

The Phils’ bats continue to pound on the fish, as they defeat the Marlins, 8-1.

For the second straight game, the Phils’ offense beat up on the Marlins’ starter as they defeat the free falling fish, 8-1.

The Marlins took the lead in the first as, with two men out, Logan Morrison hits a solo home run, his ninth home run of the year, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied it up at one-all in their half of the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI double, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier doubled. The Phils then took the lead in the second as, with two men on, and with two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI single, knocking in Ben Francisco, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second when Kyle Kendrick walked, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while sending Kendrick, who had just walked, up to second base. The Phils then busted the game wide open in the third as, with the bases loaded, via Chase Utley being hit by the pitch, Howard getting on base with a walk, moving Utley to second base, both men moving up a base on a Dom Brown ground out, 3-unassisted, and with Francisco being intentionally walked, and with one man out, Wilson Valdez hits a bases-clearing triple, scoring Utley, Howard and Francisco, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead. Three batters later, with men on the corners, as Dane Sardinha walked, and now with two men out, Rollins hits a three-run home run, his sixth home run of the year, scoring Valdez and Sardinha, giving the Phils an 8-1 lead. That would end up being the final score as Kendrick would cruise through seven innings, although pitching himself out of a two on, one out, jam in the seventh, followed by scoreless innings from J.C. Romero and Danys Baez, with Baez getting Omar Infante to ground out, 4-3, for the game’s final out.

Kyle Kendrick (4-4, 3.12) gets the win as he pitched seven strong innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out five. J.C. Romero pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Danys Baez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Elih Villanueva (0-1, 24.00), in his major league debut, took the lost, as he went just three innings, giving up eight runs on five hits, a hit batter and five walks, while striking out only two. Brian Sanches, Edward Mujica (before leaving with an injury) and Burke Badenhop combined for five scoreless innings, giving up three hits (one hit each) and one walk (Sanches), while striking out four (Sanches and Badenhop, two strikeouts each) between them.

The Phils had eight hits in the ballgame, with Wilson Valdez leading the team with three hits, two singles and a triple, knocking in three runs. Jimmy Rollins (Single, Home Run, 4 RBIs) followed with two hits. Shane Victorino (Double), Ryan Howard (Double, RBI), and Michael Martinez (Single), had the other three Phils’ hit, as the offense spoiled Elih Villanueva’s major league debut.

The Phils (42-26, 1st) continue their series with the Marlins (32-35, 4th) with the night half of a day-night doubleheader, with their originally scheduled night game. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (9-3, 2.39), who is coming off a win against the Cubs on June 10, where he went seven shut out innings, giving up just six scattered hits, while striking out nine, in the Phils’ 7-5 win. He will be going for his tenth win of the year, while trying to extend the Phils’ present winning streak to six games. The Marlins will try to counter with Anibal Sanchez (6-1, 3.06), who is coming off a win against the D-backs on June 10, as he pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on five hits, while striking out eight, in the Marlins’ 6-4 win. He will be trying to end the Phils’ current winning streak. The Phils will be out to sweep the doubleheader and increase their present winning streak to six wins.

The Phils hold on against a late Cubs rally to make Roy Halladay the league’s first nine game winner as they defeat the Cubs, 7-5.

The Phils hold off a late inning rally by the Cubs to make their ace Roy Halladay the NL’s first nine game winner as they defeat the Cubs, 7-5.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits into an RBI ground out, 3-unassisted, scoring Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, then went all the way to third on Chase Utley’s grounder, as Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier walked, then went to third on Victorino’s single, was caught between third and home on the grounder, before being tagged out at home plate, 1-5-2, for the inning’s first out, but allowing Victorino to reach third, and Utley to reach second base on the play. The Phils then took a 3-0 lead in the second as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Dom Brown hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the season, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had just walked. The Phils then took what was thought to be a commanding lead in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Rollins, who then moved up to second on Victorino’s sacrifice bunt, 5-4, then walks to both Utley and Howard, and with one man out, Placido Polanco hits a grand-slam home run, his fourth home run of the season, and his 100th career home run, scoring Rollins, Utley and Howard, making it a 7-0 Phils’ lead. The Cubs then came back in the eighth. After Kosuke Fukudome walked, he would be forced out at second base on a Darwin Barney grounder, 5-4, as Utley would be unable to complete the double play, for the inning’s first out. The next batter, Starlin Castro, would then follow with a double, with Barney stopping at third, putting runners on second and third. Carlos Pena then walks to load up the bases. Aramis Ramirez then follows with a two-run single, scoring both Barney and Castro, cutting the Phils’ lead to 7-2, while sending Pena over to third, putting runners on the corners, with still one man out. Charlie Manuel then came out and relieved Jose Contreras, replacing him with J.C. Romero. Romero then proceeded to walk Blake DeWitt, reloading the bases.  The next batter, Geovany Soto, followed with an RBI single, scoring Pena, making it a 7-3 Phils’ lead, while Ramirez would stop at third base, and DeWitt at second, leaving the bases loaded. The next batter, pinch hitter Lou Martinez, made it a 7-5 Phils’ lead with a two-run single, knocking in both Ramirez and DeWitt, while sending Soto up to second base. Manuel decided that was enough as he came back out and took the ball from Romero, replacing him with Michael Stutes. Stutes then proceeded to shut down the Cubs, as he first struck out pinch hitter Brad Snyder on a called third strike, before getting Fukudome, the tenth batter of the inning, to fly out to left on the first pitch. The Cubs then tried to erupt again in the ninth as their lead-off hitter, Barney, got on base with a walk, but the following batter, Castro, struck out swinging, for the inning’s first out, while Carlos Ruiz dropped the ball, although, with a runner on first, it’s still a strikeout, and the batter can’t go to first. But, Barney tried to move up to second, and is gunned down at second by Ruiz, who picked up the ball and threw to second, where the ball is caught by Utley, who applied the tag, for a strikeout-double play, for the inning’s second out. Antonio Bastardo then comes in to replace Stutes, before he recorded his second save of the season by striking out Pena, swinging, for the final out.

Roy Halladay (9-3, 2.39) got the win as he pitched seven shut out innings, giving up six hits, while striking out nine. Jose Contreras pitched a third of an inning, giving up four runs on two hits and two walks. J.C. Romero pitched to three batters, giving up a run on two hits and a walk. Michael Stutes received his third hold of the year as he pitched an inning and a third, giving up a walk, while striking out two. Antonio Bastardo collected his second save of the season, as he went a third of an inning, striking out the only batter he would face. Carlos Zambrano (5-3, 4.40) took the lost as he went six and a third innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits and seven walks, while he struck out five. James Russell and Jeff Samardzija combine for one and two-thirds scoreless inning, giving up a hit (Russell), while striking out four (two batters each) between them.

The Phis had eight hits between them, with Shane Victorino (Singles) and Raul Ibanez (Single, Double), both leading the team with two hits apiece. Chase Utley (Single), Placido Polanco (Home Run, 4 RBIs), Dom Brown (Home Run, 2 RBIs) and Carlos Ruiz (Single), had the other four Phils’ hits. Ryan Howard knocked in the other Phil run with a ground out.

The Phils (38-26, 1st East) will continue their series with the Cubs (25-37, 5th Central) with an afternoon game at Citizens Bank Park. The game will start at 4:10 pm EDT and will be televised nationally on Fox Sports. The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (5-5, 3.62) who is coming off a win against the Dodgers on June 6, as he went seven strong innings, giving up just seven hits and a walk, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 3-1 win. He will be going for his sixth win of the season. The Cubs plan to counter with Matt Garza (2-5, 4.07), who is coming off a lost against the Reds on June 6, as he went only four innings, giving up four runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out three, in the Cubs’ 8-2 lost. He will be trying to give the Cubs the lead in the four game series. The Phils will be out to give Lee some offensive support this afternoon.

The Phils let one get away as they lose to the Cubs in extra-innings, 4-3.

The Phils allow a win to get away from them as they lose to the Cubs in extra-innings, 4-3.

The Phils took a 3-0 lead as, with two men on, and with two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits a three-run home run, his fourth home run of the year, scoring Raul Ibanez, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Dane Sardinha’s walk, and Sardinha, who had just walked. After an hour plus rain delay in the bottom of the third, the Cubs slowly chipped away at the Phils’ lead. The Cubs got on the board in the sixth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Starlin Castro hits an RBI single, knocking in Darwin Barney, who had earlier been hit by the pitch, and then stole second base, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. The Cubs then cut the Phils’ lead down to 3-2 in the eighth as, with a man on second base, and with two men out, Carlos Pena hits an RBI double, scoring Castro, who had earlier doubled. The Cubs then tied the game up at three-all in the ninth as, with one man out, Geovany Soto hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the year. One batter later, it looked like the Cubs had taken a 4-3 lead as Tyler Colvin hits a fly ball into the right field seats. But, the call was overturned when instant reply showed that a fan had reached over the fence to catch the ball, and then pulled it in, as Colvin is instead given a ground-rule double, while the fan was ejected for fan interference. The Cubs took the lead in the eleventh as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Placido Polanco committed a throwing error to first on a Barney ground ball, allowing Colvin, who had earlier singled, then went to second base on a Carlos Ruiz passed ball, to score, giving the Cubs a 4-3 lead. That would end up being the final sc0re as Carlos Marmol collected his twelfth save of the year as he put down the Phils in the bottom of the eleventh.

Kyle Kendrick received a no-decision as he pitched three scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while striking out two. Danys Baez pitched two and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on a hit, a hit batter and a walk, while he struck out one. J.C. Romero collected his third hold of the year as he got out the only man that he would face. Michael Stutes received his sec0nd hold of the season as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo collected his sixth hold of the season, as he pitched two-thirds of an inning. Jose Contreras collected his fourth hold of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two hits. Ryan Madson blew his first save of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out one. David Herndon (0-1, 5.30) took the lost as he went two innings, giving up a run on three hits, while striking out three, as the bullpen could not hold onto the lead. Randy Wells also received a no-decision as he went two and a third innings, thanks to the rain delay, giving up three runs on three hits and two walks, as he struck out two. Rodrigo Lopez, James Russell and John Grabow combined for six scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Lopez) and three walks (Lopez (1), Grabow (2)), while striking out two (Russell and Grabow one each), between them. Sean Marshall (3-0, 0.95) got the win as he pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a hit and two walks, while striking out four. Carlos Marmol recorded his twelfth of the season as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit.

The Phils had only seven hits in the game, with Raul Ibanez leading the team with two hits, both singles. Jimmy Rollins (Home Run, 3 RBIs), Placido Polanco (Single), Chase Utley (Single), Shane Victorino (Single) and Carlos Ruiz (Single), had the other five Phils’ hits.

The Phils (37-26, 1st East) continue their series with the Cubs (25-36, 5th Central) with a night game tonight at Citizens Bank Park. The game will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to their mound their ace Roy Halladay (8-3, 2.56), who is coming off a victory against the Pirates on June 5, as he went seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, as he struck out six, in the Phils’  7-3 win. He will be going for win no. 9. The Cubs will counter with Carlos Zambrano (5-2, 3.98), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals on June 5, as he went seven innings, giving up a run on five hits and two walks, while striking out three, in the Cubs’ 3-2 extra-innings lost. He will be trying to increase the Phils’ present losing streak. The Phils will be trying to recover from last night’s lost.

Two errors in one inning do in the Phils as they lose to the Dodgers, 6-2.

Two errors in the third inning do in the Phils before they drop one to the Dodgers, 6-2.

The Dodgers took the lead in the second as, with two men on, and with one man out, Dioner Navarro hits an RBI single, scoring Matt Kemp, who had earlier doubled, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead, while sending James Loney, who had just walked, on to second base.  The Phils tried to tie up the score in their half of the third as they loaded the baes via walks to Carlos Ruiz and Dom Brown, and then an infield single to Wilson Valdez, moving up both runners, and with one man out, Shane Victorino hits a grounder to the pitcher, Dodgers’ starter Rubby De La Rosa, who then threw home, forcing out Ruiz, 1-2, for the inning’s second out, while both Brown and Valdez would move up a base, while Victorino would stop at first. The Phils then tied the game up at one-all as Placido Polanco forced in Brown with a walk, while both Valdez and Victorio would move up a base.  The Dodgers regained the lead in the third as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Casey Blake hits an RBI single, knocking in De La Rosa, who had earlier walked, then went on to third on Dee Gordon’s single, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead, while sending Gordon, who had earlier singled, up to second base. The Dodgers then took a 3-1 lead as Phils’ starter Roy Oswalt commited a throwing error, trying to pick-off Gordon at second, who then scored, while Blake would move to third on the error. It then became a 4-1 Dodgers’ lead as Andre Ethier knocked in Blake with a single. The Phils cut the lead down to 4-2 in the seventh as, with one man on, and with two men out, Chase Utley hits an RBI triple, scoring Victorino, who was earlier safe at first on a force out as Ross Gload, who had gotten on base with a pinch hit walk, is wiped out at second base, 4-6.  The Dodgers would make it a 6-2 lead in the  eighth as, with a runner on first, and with no one out, Kemp hit a two-run home run, his seventeenth home run of the year, scoring Ethier, who had earlier walked. That would be the  final score as the Phils went down easily in the ninth.

Roy Oswalt (3-4, 3.05) went six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks, striking out a batter. J.C. Romero pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter. Michael Stutes pitched an inning, giving up two runs on a hit and a walk, striking out a batter. David Herndon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Rubby De La Rosa (2-0, 1.80) gets the win as he pitched five inning. giving up a run on four hits and five walks, while striking out four. Blake Hawksworth received his third hold of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Matt Guerrier collected his ninth hold of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on a walk. Scott Elbert collected his third hold of the year as he pitched a third of the inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Javy Guerra pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

The Phils had just five hits in the ballgame, with Wilson Valdez leading the team with two hits, both singles. Chase Utley (Triple, RBI), Raul Ibanez (Single) and Carlos Ruiz (Single) had the other three Phils’ hits. Placido Polanco had the other Phil RBI as he forced in a run with a bases loaded walk, as the Phils did not take advantage of Rubby De La Rosa’s early wildness.

The Phils (36-25, 1st) will conclude their series with the Dodgers (29-33, 4th West) with a night game tomorrow night at Citizens Bank Park. The game will start at 7:05 pm EDT.  The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (7-2, 2.83) as he received a no-decision against the Pirates on June 3, as he went eight innings, giving up just one run on a hit and three walks, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 2-1 extra-inning lost. He will be going for his eighth win of the season. The Dodgers will counter with Hiroki Kuroda  (5-6, 3.46), as he is coming off a lost against the Reds on June 3, as he went six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and four walks, while he struck out three, in the Dodgers’ 2-1 lost. He will be trying to end his three-game losing streak. The Phils will be trying to win the series.

The Phils nightmare at PNC Park continue as they drop their fourth game in a row as they lose to the Pirates, 6-3.

The Phils have another nightmareish lost as they drop another series at PNC Park as they lose to the Bucos, 6-3.

The Phils take a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits into an RBI force out, as Placido Polanco, who had earlier hit an infield single, is wiped out at second base, 4-6, as he take out shortstop Ronny Cedeno, allowing Howard to reach first base, and allowing Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier doubled, and then reached third on Polanco’s infield single, to score. The Pirates tied the game up at one-all in their half of the first as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Andrew McCutchen hits an RBI single, knocking in Jose Tabata, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Xavier Paul’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3. Two batters later, with one man on, and now with two men out, Lyle Overbay hits an RBI double, scoring McCutchen, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead. The Phils tied the game up at two-all in the fourth as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Dom Brown hits an RBI ground out, 4-3, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Raul Ibanez’s single, while Ibanez, who had just singled, would move up to second base. The Pirates regained the lead in their half of the fourth as, with a runner on third, and with nobody out, Chris Snyder hits into an RBI ground out, 5-3, scoring Overbay, who had earlier tripled, as Ibanez fell down after getting his spikes caught in the grass, allowing the ball to go past him, giving the Pirates a 3-2 lead. The Pirates then made it a 4-2 lead as, with one man out, Brandon Wood hits a solo home run, his first home run of the year.  The Pirates added to their lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and with two men out, McCutchen hits an RBI double, knocking in pinch hitter Matt Diaz, who had earlier walked, then stole second base, giving the Pirates a 5-2 lead. The Pirates then made it a 6-2 lead in the eighth as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Wood, who had earlier reached base on a force out, 3-6, wiping out at second Snyder, who had earlier walked, before going to second on Wilson Valdez’s throwing error to first, then reached third on Cedeno’s ground out, 4-3, scores on a Danys Baez wild pitch. The Phils made it a 6-3 Pirates’ lead as, with the bases loaded, via a ground-rule double by Ibanez, a walk by Carlos Ruiz, and an infield single by Valdez, with Ibanez stopping at third and with Ruiz at second, and with two men out, Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Ibanez, while moving both Ruiz and Valdez up a base, leaving the bases loaded. That would be the final score as Joel Hanrahan ended the game by getting Chase Utley to fly out to left for the final out.

Kyle Kendrick (3-4, 3.78) took the lost as he went five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits. Mike Zagurski pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one.  J.C. Romero pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and two walks, while striking out two. Danys Baez pitched an inning, as he gave up a run on a walk and a wild pitch. Charlie Morton (6-2, 2.52) got the win as he pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out five. Jose Veras pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Joel Hanrahan pitched an inning, giving up a run on three hits and a walk, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Placido Polanco (Singles, RBI) and Raul Ibanez (Single, Double) both leading the team with two hits apiece. Jimmy Rollins (Double, before being taken out of the game with an injury), Wilson Valdez (Single), Chase Utley (Single), Shane Victorino (Single) and Dom Brown (Single, RBI), had the other five Phils’ hits. Ryan Howard had the other Phil RBI on a force out, as the offense is once again not getting a key hit to get them going.

The Phils (34-24, 1st East) will conclude their series with the Pirates (28-29, 4th Central) in a game already in progress.

Two early four-run innings do in the Phils as they lose to the Mets, 9-5.

The Phils are unable to overcome two early four-run innings as they fall to the Mets, 9-5.

The Mets jump to a quick 1-0 lead in the first as, with a runner on third, and with nobody out, Justin Turner hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, scoring Jose Reyes, who had earlier tripled, thanks in part to Raul Ibanez trying to make a diving catch on a ball he should had let drop in for a single, and then got past him. The Mets then took a 2-0 lead as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Jason Bay, who had earlier singled, then went to third base on Daniel Murphy’s single, scores on Jimmy Rollins’ fielding error of an Angel Pagan grounder that he was unable to grab cleanly, allowing Pagan to be safe at first, while Murphy, who had earlier singled, would reach second base. The Mets then took a 3-0 lead as Josh Thole hits an RBI single, scoring Murphy, while sending Pagan to second base. Ruben Tejada then gave the Mets a 4-0 lead with an RBI single, knocking in Pagan, while sending Thole to second base. The Mets then added to their lead in the second as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, Murphy hits an RBI single, scoring Carlos Beltran, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Bay’s single, giving the Mets a 5-0 lead, while sending Bay, who had just singled, up to second base. The Mets then made it a 6-0 lead as Pagan hits an RBI single, knocking in Bay, while sending Murphy over to third. The Mets then took an 8-0 lead as Thole hits a two-run double, scoring both Murphy and Pagan, before being caught off of second base, and then being tagged out, 9-5-6, for the final out. The Phils got a run back in the third as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Dane Sardinha, who then moved up to second base as Rollins is safe at first as Reyes commits a fielding error as he let the ball go between his legs on Rollins’ grounder, and then a single by Wilson Valdez, moving both Sardinha and Rollins up a base, and with two men out, Placido Polanco hits an RBI single, scoring Sardinha, making it an 8-1 Mets’ lead, while sending Rollins to third base, and Valdez up to second base. The Mets would get the run back in the fifth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Reyes hits an RBI triple, his second triple of the game, scoring Thole, who had earlier singled, giving the Mets a 9-1 lead. The Phils then started a comeback attempt in the eighth as Ibanez hits a lead-off home run, his seventh home run of the year, making it a 9-2 Mets’ lead. Four batters later, with one man on, and with two men out, Sardinha hits an RBI double, knocking in Ben Francisco, who had earlier singled, cutting the Mets’ lead down to 9-3. The Phils then cut it down to 9-4 as pinch hitter Dom Brown hits an RBI single, knocking in Sardinha. The Phils then cut it down to 9-5 in the ninth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Francisco hits an RBI double, scoring Ibanez, who had just walked. But that would be the final score as John Mayberry, Jr. ended the game by striking out, swinging.

Vance Worley (2-1, 3.75) took the lost as he pitched three innings, giving up eight runs, five of which were earned, on twelve hits, while striking out one, as he was not sharped yesterday, and getting no help from the defense. Kyle Kendrick pitched three innings, giving up a run on three hits, while striking out two. J.C. Romero pitched a sharp 1-2-3 inning. Danys Baez pitched a scoreless inning, getting himself out of a bases loaded jam, giving up two hits and a walk. Jon Niese (4-5, 3.92) gets the win as he pitched six and one-third innings, giving up an unearned run on five hits and four walks, while striking out six. Taylor Buchholz pitched an inning and a third, giving up three runs on four hits, while striking out one. Pedro Beato pitched an inning and a third, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out one.

The Phils had eleven hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins (Singles), Ben Francisco (Single, Double, RBI) and Dane Sardinha (Single, Double, RBI) all leading the team with two hits each. Wilson Valdez (Single), Placido Polanco (Single, RBI), Raul Ibanez (Home Run, RBI), John Mayberry, Jr. (Double) and pinch hitter Dom Brown (Single, RBI), had the other five Phils’ hit, as the Phils’ offense was unable to climb out of an early hole.

The Phils (33-20, 1st) starts the first game of a three game series with the Nationals (22-30, 5th), which is already in progress.

A long night finally ends with a walk-off sac fly with the bases loaded, as the Phils defeat the Reds in 19 innings, 5-4.

A sacrifice fly by Raul Ibanez in the bottom of the 19th inning, give the Phils a walk-off win as they defeat the Reds in a 19 innings marathon, 5-4, as Wilson Valdez becomes the first position player to win a game since 2000.

The Phils took a quick 2-0 lead in the first as Ben Francisco hits a two-run home run, his sixth home run of the season, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled. The Phils then made it a 3-o lead in the second as, with a runner on second, and with nobody out, John Mayberry, Jr. hits an RBI single, scoring Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier doubled. The Reds got a run back in the fifth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Joey Votto hits an RBI single, knocking in Drew Stubbs, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, cutting the Phils’ lead to 3-1. The Phils tried to make it a 4-1 lead in the sixth as Raul Ibanez led-off the inning with a triple, just missing a home run as it hit the top of the fence. But, he would be left stranded there as Reds’ starter Travis Wood got Ruiz to pop out to Votto in foul territory for the first out, then struck out Mayberry, looking, for the inning’s second out. After Wilson Valdez is intentionally walked to put runners on the corners, Wood gets out of the inning by getting Roy Halladay to ground out, 5-3. That would come back to haunt the Phils, as the Reds would tie the ballgame up at three-all in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via singles by pinch hitter Miguel Cairo and Stubbs, with Cairo stopping at second base, a sacrifice bunt by Brandon Phillips, sending Cairo to third and Stubbs to second base, and an intentional walk to Votto, and with two men out, Jay Bruce hits a two-run single, scoring Cairo and Stubbs, and sending Votto to second base. The Phils tried to win it in the ninth as they loaded the bases, via a single by Mayberry, who is then moved over to second base by a sac bunt by Valdez, 1-4, an intentional walk by pinch hitter Chase Utley, both runners then moving up a base on a Nick Masset wild pitch, and an intentional walk to Rollins, but would be denied as Masset would get pinch hitter Dom Brown to pop out to the catcher in foul territory for the inning’s second out and then get Placido Polanco to hit into a force out, 6-4, wiping out Rollins at second base, to end the inning, sending the game into extra-innings.  The Reds then took a 4-3 lead in the top of the tenth as Bruce hits a lead-off home run, his thirteenth home run of the season. The Phils then tied it up at four-all in their half of the tenth as Ryan Howard hits a lead-off home run, his eleventh home run of the season. The Reds tried to retake the lead in the eleventh as they loaded the bases via Phillips being hit by the pitch, Votto walking, sending Phillips to second base, where he is picked off by J.C. Romero, for the inning’s second out, before Scott Rolen is walked, sending Votto up to second base, and then a walk to Bruce, before David Herndon ended the inning by getting Ramon Hernandez to ground out, 1-3. The score would stay that way until the nineteenth inning, when, as the Phils used up their last position player, Dane Sardinha, as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighteenth, they had to reorganize their defense, as they put Sardinha behind the plate, placed Ruiz at third, and moved Polanco over to second base, before sending Valdez to the mound. Valdez started his first inning as a pitcher off by getting Votto to fly out to center for the first out. After hitting Rolen, he then got Bruce to fly out to center, before finally ending the inning by getting Carlos Fisher to pop out to Polanco.  The Phils then began their half of the nineteenth with Rollins getting on base with a single. Brown followed with a walk, moving Rollins up to second base. Polanco then followed with a well executed sac bunt, sending Rollins to third, and Brown up to second base. Howard is then given an intentional walk to load up the base with only one out, bringing Ibanez to the plate. With both the Reds infield and outfield drawn in, Ibanez hits a long fly ball to center field which was caught for a sacrifice fly by Stubbs, allowing Rollins to score with the winning run, giving the Phils a 5-4, extra-innings, walk-off win.

Roy Halladay received a no-decision as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on eleven hits and a walk, while striking out six. Michael Stutes pitched a scoreless inning, as he gave up a hit, while striking out three. Ryan Madison pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Antonio Bastardo pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Kyle Kendrick pitched two-thirds of an inning, hitting a batter, while striking out two. J.C. Romero pitched a third of an inning, walking three batters.  David Herndon pitched two and a third scoreless innings, before being sent back to Lehigh Valley to make room for the just activated Jose Contreras. Danys Beaz pitched five scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out three. Wilson Valdez (1-0, 0.00) gets the win as he pitched a scoreless inning, hitting a batter. Travis Wood also received a no-decision, as he went six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out two. Jose Arredondo, Bill Bray and Nick Masset combine for three scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Masset) and two walks (Masset), while striking out one (Bray) between them. Francisco Cordero blew his second save opportunity of the year as he pitched two innings, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out two. Logan Ondrusek pitched two 1-2-3 innings, striking out two. Carlos Fisher (0-1, 0.87) took the lost as he piched five and two-thirds innings, giving up a run on four hits and three walks, while striking out four.

The Phils had thirteen hits in the game, with Wilson Valdez leading the team with three hits, two singles and a double. Jimmy Rollins (Singles), Ryan Howard (Single, Home Run, RBI), John Mayberry, Jr. (Singles, RBI) all followed with two hits each. Ben Francisco (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Placido Polanco (Single), Raul Ibanez (Triple, RBI) and Carlos Ruiz (Double), had the other four Phils’ hits during a rather long game.

The Phils (30-19, 1st East) are presently concluding their four-game series with the Reds (26-24, 3rd Central), with a game in progress.

The Phils once again waste a good pitching effort as they lose to the Rangers, 2-0.

The Phils waste another good effort by Roy Oswalt as they lose to the Rangers, 2-0.

The Phils and Rangers were involved in a pitchers’ duel during most of the game between Phils’ starter Roy Oswalt and Rangers’ starter Matt Harrison. The Rangers finally took the lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Mitch Moreland hits an RBI double, knocking in Michael Young, who had earlier singled, then went to second base on Adrian Beltre’s ground out, 2-3, giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead. The Rangers then took a 2-0 lead in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Craig Gentry knocked in a run with a suicide squeeze bunt, scoring Beltre, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Moreland’s ground out, 4-3, while sending up to second base Mike Napoli, who had earleir been hit by the pitch. That would be the final score as Neftali Feliz recorded his ninth save of the year as he pitched a scoreless ninth, getting pinch hitter Ross Gload to fly out to left for the final out.

Roy Oswalt (3-2, 2.77) took the lost as he pitched seven innings, giving up a run on eight hits and two walks, while striking out three. J.C. Romero pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit. David Herndon pitched one and two-thirds innings, as he struck out a batter. Matt Harrison (4-4, 3.62) got the win as he pitched eight and one-third shut out innings, giving up five scattered hits and three walks, while striking out three. Neftali Feliz recorded his ninth save of the season as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face.

The Phils had only five hits in the game, all singles, by Wilson Valdez, Placido Polanco, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Dane Sardinha, as the Phils’ offense once again went into neutral. They were once again unable to get the key hit against an opponent’s pitcher, as they hope that a returning Chase Utley will help jump start the offense.

The Phils (28-18, 1st NL East) will begin a four-games series with the Reds (25-22, 2nd Central), starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (5-2, 2.92), who is coming off a win against the Rockies on May 18, as he pitched eight strong innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out eight, in the Phils’ 2-1 win. He will be going for his sixth win of the season. The Reds will counter by sending to the mound Bronson Arroyo (3-4, 4.11), who is coming off a lost against the Pirates on May 18, as he pitched seven innings, being hit for five runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out four, in the Reds’ 5-0 lost. He will be trying to even up his record. The Phils will be trying to start off the long series with a win.

Jason Giambi’s three home runs lead the Rox over the Phils, 7-1.

Three home runs by Jason Giambi doom the Phils as they lose to the Rockies, 7-1.

The Rox took a quick 3-0 lead in the first as, with two men on, and with two men out, Jason Giambi hits a three-run home run, his second home run of the season, knocking in Dexter Fowler, who had started the game off with a single, then went to third base on Troy Tulowitzki’s single, and Tulowitzki, who had just singled. The Rockies then increased their lead to 5-0 in the third as, with one man on, and with two men out, Giambi hits a two-run home run, his third home run of the season, and his second home run of the game, scoring Carlos Gonzalez, who had earlier doubled. The Phils would get on the board in the fourth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI ground-rule double, knocking in Placido Polanco, who had earlier singled, then went to second base on Jhoulys Chacin’s wild pitch when he struck out Ross Gload, allowing Gload to reach first base, making it a 5-1 Rox’s lead, while sending Gload, who had reached first base on a strikeout-wild pitch, to stop at third base. The Rox then added to their lead in the fifth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Giambi hits a two-run home run, his third home run of the night and his fourth home run of the season, knocking in Tulowitzki, who had reached first base on Polanco’s fielding error, making it a 7-1 Rockies’ lead. That would end up being the final score as Felipe Paulino pitched a scoreless ninth.

Kyle Kendrick (3-3, 3.28), who was pitching in place of scheduled starter Joe Blanton, who was taken out for an injury while warming up, took the lost as he went three innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out two. Danys Baez pitched two innings, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits, as he struck out one. Scott Mathieson, Michael Stutes and J.C. Romero combine for four scoreless innings, giving up five hits (Mathieson (3), Stutes (1), Romero (1)), while striking out seven (Mathieson (3), Stutes (2), Romero (2)) between them. A Phil starter threw a bad game for the first time in several starts, thanks to the Phils needing to put in an emergency starter because of Blanton’s injury while warming up. Jhoulys Chacin (5-2, 2.70) got the win as he went seven strong innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, while striking out nine. Matt Lindstrom and Felipe Paulino would combine for two scoreless innings, giving up two hits (one hit each) between them.

The Phils had only six hits in the game, with Placido Polanco (Singles) and Raul Ibanez (Single, Ground-Rule Double, RBI), both having two hits. Ross Gload (Single) and Carlos Ruiz (Single) had the other two Phils’ hits. The Phils’ offense continue to be enemic as they now face their first American League team during a preview of Interleague Play.

The Phils (26-17, 1st NL East) will begin a three-game set with the Rangers (23-21, 1st AL West) in their first Interleague Play series. The game will start at 7:05 pm EDT and will be played at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (5-3, 2.21) as he is coming off a lost to the Braves on May 15, as he pitched eight innings, giving up three runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 3-2 lost. He will be trying to end his two-game losing streak. The Rangers will counter with C.J. Wilson (4-2, 3.38), who is coming off a no-decision against the Angels on May 15, as he pitched five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and four walks, as he struck out two, in the Rangers’ 5-4 win. He will be going for his fifth win of the season. The Phils will be trying to get the offense going, as Dom Brown and Scott Herndon (What? Are they kidding bringing back that stiff?!?) are both called up from the Iron Pigs to replace Shane Victorino, who was placed on the disabled list, while Joe Blanton will stay with the team, for now, as Mathieson is sent back to Lehigh Valley.