Tagged: Jose Altuve

The bats come alive as the Phils take the series from the Astros, winning 10-3.

Philadelphia_PhilliesThe bats welcome back rookie Dave Buchanan with a five-run first inning, before taking the series from the Astros, winning by the score of 10-3.

The Astros took the lead in the top of the first as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Jon Singleton hits into a force out RBI, scoring Jose Altuve, who had started the game off with a single, stole second base, then stopped at third base on Chris Carter’s single, giving the Astros a 1-0 lead, while Carter was forced out at second base, 4-6, for the inning’s second out. The Phils took the lead in their half of the first as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run double, knocking in Ben Revere, who had started the inning off with a single, then stopped at third base on Jimmy Rollins’ double, and Rollins, who had just doubled, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Phils then made it a 3-1 lead three batters later, after both Marlon Byrd and Gary Sizemore had walked, loading up the bases, and with still one man out, Howard would score on pitcher Brad Peacock’s wild pitch, while both Byrd and Sizemore would move up a base. The Phils then took a 4-1 lead as Wil Nieves hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Byrd. The Phils increased their lead two batters later as, with two men on, after Cody Asche is intentionally walked, and with two men out, Dave Buchanan helped his own case with an RBI single, his first hit of his career, knocking in Nieves, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead, while sending Asche over to third base, before he is tagged out at second base, 9-5-6, as he tried to move up to second base on the late throw to third base, a call which is later upheld when the Phils challenged the call. The Astros would get a run back in the top of the fourth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Jake Marisnick hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Matt Dominguez, who had started the inning off with a double, then stopped at third base on Carlos Corporan’s ground out, 4-3, making it a 5-2 Phils’ lead. The Phils would break the game open in their half of the fourth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Chase Utley hits a three-run home run, his tenth home run of the season, scoring Buchanan, who had earlier walked, then stopped at second base on Rollins’ single, and Rollins, who had just singled, giving the Phils an 8-2 lead. The Astros would get a run back in the top of the seventh as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Altuve hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Gregorio Petit, who had started the inning off with a single, moved up to second base on pinch hitter Marc Krauss’ single, then moved up to third base on Byrd’s fielding error, while Krauss would move up to second base, making it an 8-3 Phils’ lead. The Phils would get the run back in their half of the eighth as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Byrd hits an RBI single, scoring Utley, who had started the inning off with a single, then stopped at second base on Howard’s single, giving the Phils an 9-1 lead, while sending Howard, who had just singled, up to second base. The Phils then made it a 10-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Revere, who had just tripled, would score on pitcher Michael Foltynewicz’s wild pitch. That would end up being the final score as Cesar Jimenez pitches a scoreless ninth, getting Altuve to pop out to the shortstop for the game’s final out.

Dave Buchanan (6-5, 4.39) got the win as he pitched six and one-third innings, giving up three runs on nine hits, while striking out five. Jake Diekman pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men whom he would face, striking out one, while giving up a wild pitch. Justin De Fratus and Cesar Jimenez would combine for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Jimenez) between them, while striking out a batter (De Fratus). Brad Peacock (3-8, 5.44) took the lost as he went five innings, giving up eight runs on seven hits, four walks and a wild pitch, while striking out four. Darin Downs pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Michael Foltynewicz pitched two innings, giving up two runs on four hits and a wild pitch, while striking out two.

The Phils collected twelve hits in the game, with Ben Revere leading the team with four hits, three singles and a triple, followed by Jimmy Rollins (Single, Double), Chase Utley (Single, Home Run, 3 RBIs) and Ryan Howard (Single, Double, 2 RBIs) with two hits each. Marlon Byrd (Single, RBI) and Dave Buchanan (Single, RBI) had the other two Phils’ hits. Wil Nieves had the last Phil RBI via a sac fly, as the other two runs came home on wild pitches. The Phils also had in the game four walks (Byrd, Gary Sizemore, Cody Asche and Buchanan) and a stolen base (Revere (31)) while the defense committed an error (Byrd (2)).

The Phils (51-63, 5th NL East) will conclude their three game interleague play series with the Astros (47-67, 4th AL West) with a game already in progress.

The Phils end their three-game spring slide by beating the Astros, 7-1.

Philadelphia_PhilliesThe Phils put a stop to their three-game losing streak as Cole Hamels help lead them to a 7-1 victory over the Astros.

The Astros took the lead in the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Chris Carter hits into an RBI ground out, 4-3, scoring Tyler Greene, who had started the inning off with a double, then moved up to third base on Jose Altuve’s ground out, 6-3, giving the Astros a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in the fourth as, with two men out, Laynce Nix hits a solo home run, his first home run of the spring. The Phils took the lead for good in the fifth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Kevin Frandsen hits an RBI double, knocking in Freddy Galvis, who had earlier singled, then stopped at second base on Ben Revere’s ground out, 1-3, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Phils then took a 4-1 lead as, with two men on, via a double by Michael Young and Darin Ruf being hit by a pitch, before being replaced by pinch runner Jermaine Mitchell because of an injured elbow, and with two men out, Erik Kratz hits a two-run triple, knocking in both Young and Mitchell. The Phils then increased to their lead as Galvis hits an RBI single, scoring Kratz. The Phils increased their lead in the seventh as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Yuniesky Bentancourt hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Cesar Hernandez, who had earlier walked, stole second base, then moved up to third on Jarred Cosart’s wild pitch, giving the Phils a 6-1 lead. The Phils then took a 7-1 lead in the eight as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Galvis hits an RBI double, knocking in Mitchell, who had started the inning off with a single, then stole second base, before going on to third on shortstop Jonathan Villar’s interference error. That would end up being the final score as Justin De Fratus pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

Cole Hamels (2-0, 0.90) gets the win as he went five innings, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Tyler Cloyd, Zach Miner, Jeremy Horst and Justin De Fratus would combine for four scoreless innings, giving up just a walk (Miner) between them, while striking out six (Cloyd (1), Miner (2), Horst (2), De Fratus (1)) Astros. Brad Peacock received a no-decision as he threw three scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out two. Sergio Escalona blew his first save attempt of the spring as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit, while striking out a batter. Josh Fields (0-1, 2.08) took the lost as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits. Jerred Cosart pitched an inning and two-thirds, giving up four runs on three hits, a walk, a wild pitch and two hit batters, while striking out a batter. Hector Ambriz pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only batter that he would face. Brett Oberholtzer pitched two innings, giving up a run on three hits, while striking out two.

The Phils had eleven hits in the game, with Freddie Galvis leading the team with three hits (two singles, one double, 2 RBIs), followed by Michael Young (Single, Double) and Laynce Nix (Single, Home Run, RBI) with two hits each. Kevin Frandsen (Double, RBI), Yuniesky Betancourt (Single, RBI), Jermaine Mitchell (Single) and Erik Kratz (Triple, 2 RBIs) had the other four Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two walks (Cesar Hernandez, Kratz), two stolen bases (Hernandez (2), Mitchell (2)) and two hit batters (Darin Ruf, Josh Fields) in the game.

The Phils (7-8) have the day off.

The Phils allow another game to slip away as they lose late to the Astros, 7-6.

The bullpen once again falters as the Phils lose yet another late season game to the Astros, as they lose 7-6.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had started the game off with a double, then moved up to third base on Juan Pierre’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Astros took the lead in the third as, with one man on, and with one man out, Scott Moore hits a two-run home run, his eighth home run of the season, knocking in Jimmy Paredes, who had just singled, giving the Astros a 2-1 lead. The Phils tied the game up at two-all in the fifth as, with a man on third, and with two men out, Pierre hits an RBI double, scoring Rollins, who had earlier singled, stole second base, then went to third base on catcher Carlos Corporan’s throwing error. Two batters later, after Chase Utley is intentionally walked, and with still two men out, the Phils would retake the lead, as Ryan Howard hits a two-run double, knocking in both Pierre and Utley, giving the Phils a 4-2 lead, before being thrown out at third base trying to stretch the double into a triple, 7-6-5, for the inning’s final out. The Astros would cut the Phils’ lead down to 4-3 in the sixth as, with two men out, Corporan hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the season. The Astros would retake the lead in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via Jose Altuve reaching first base on third baseman Michael Martinez’s throwing error, who then steals second base, a walk to Paredes, and a walk to pinch hitter Brandon Laird, and with one man out, Justin Maxwell hits a two-run bloop double to right, as the ball just dropped in fair, scoring Altuve and Paredes, giving the Astros a 5-4 lead, while sending Laird all the way to third base. The Astros then took a 7-4 lead as Matt Dominguez hits a two-run single, knocking in both Laird and Maxwell. The Phils got two of the runs back in the eighth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Dom Brown hits a two-run double, scoring Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier been hit by a pitch, and then stopped at second base on John Mayberry, Jr.’s single, and Mayberry, who had just singled. That would end up being the final score as Wilton Lopez collected his sixth save of the season as he pitched a scoreless ninth.

Roy Halladay received a no-decision as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Antonio Bastardo collected his twenty-second hold of the season, before taking the lost (2-5, 4.63) as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up two runs, one of which was earned, on a walk, while striking out one. Phillippe Aumont committed his first blown save of the season, as he faced three batters, getting none of them out, as he gave up two runs on two hits and a walk. Justin De Fratus pitched one and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up a walk. Jordan Lyles also received a no-decision as he pitched five innings, giving up four runs on five hits and four walks, striking out six. Hector Ambriz pitched an inning, plus a batter, giving up a hit, while striking out two. Wesley Wright (2-2, 3.19) got the win as he pitched an inning, striking out a batter. Xavier Cedeno pitched a third of an inning, striking out the only batter whom he would face. Mickey Storey pitched to three batters, getting none of them out, as he gave up two runs on two hits and a hit batter. Wilton Lopez recorded his sixth save of the year as he pitched one and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins leading the team with three hits, two singles and a double, followed by Michael Martinez (Single, Double) with two hits. Juan Pierre (Double, RBI), Ryan Howard (Double, 2 RBIs), John Mayberry, Jr. (Single) and Dom Brown (Double, 2 RBIs) had the other four Phils’ hits. Chase Utley knocked in the final Phil’s run with a sac fly. The Phils also had five walks, a hit batter (Carlos Ruiz) and a stolen base (Rollins (30)) in the ballgame.

The Phils (73-74, 3rd) will start a three-game series with the Mets (66-80, 4th) starting with a game tonight. The game will be played at Citi Field and is to start at 7:10 pm EST. The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (5-7, 3.36), who is coming off a win against the Marlins on September 12, as he pitched seven innings, giving up an unearned run on four hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 3-1 win. He will be trying to end the Phils’ present losing streak. The Mets will counter with R.A. Dickey (18-5, 2.68), who is coming off a lost against the Nats on September 11, as he went seven innings, giving up three runs on eighth hits and three walks, while striking out two, in the Mets’ 5-3 lost. He will be going for win no. 19. The Phils will be trying to keep their playoff hopes alive with a win tonight.

The Phils’ offense gets shut down as they lose to the Astros, 5-0.

The Phils get shut out as they lose to the Astros, 5-0.

The Astros took the lead in the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Justin Maxwell hits a two-run home run, his sixteenth home run of the season, knocking in Jose Altuve, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Fernando Martinez’s ground out, 4-3, giving the Astros a 2-0 lead. The Astros added to their lead in the second as, with the bases loaded, via singles to Matt Dominguez, Jason Castro and J. D. Martinez, then a force out at the plate, 3-2, on a grounder hit by Dallas Keuchel, as Erik Kratz touch first base in front of Dominguez, while both Castro and Martinez would move up a base, and with one man out, Altuve hits into a force out, 3-6, as Keuchel is wiped out at second base for the inning’s second out, as Castro scores, making it a 3-0 Astros’ lead, while Martinez would stop at third base. The Astros made it a 4-0 lead in the fifth as, with a runner on second base, and with two men out, Brett Wallace hits an RBI ground-rule double, scoring Keuchel, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Altuve’s sacrifice bunt, 2-3. The Astros increased their lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Martinez hits an RBI single, knocking in Castro, who had just doubled, giving the Astros a 5-0 lead. That would end up being the final score as Wesley Wright pitched a scoreless ninth.

Kyle Kendrick (9-11, 3.95) took the lost as he went five innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, as he struck out four. Josh Lindblom pitched two innings, giving up a run on three hits and a walk, while he struck out two. Jake Diekman pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Dallas Keuchel (2-7, 4.97) got the win as he threw five and one-third innings, as he gave up five hits, four walks and a hit batter. Mickey Storey pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out both men that he would face. Xavier Cedeno, Hector Ambriz and Wesley Wright combined for three scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Ambriz (1), Wright (1)) and a walk (Cedeno) between them, while striking out a batter (Cedeno).

The Phils had seven hits in the game, with Kevin Frandsen leading the team with two hits, a single and a double. Jimmy Rollins (Single), John Mayberry, Jr. (Single), Ty Wigginton (Double), Erik Kratz (Single) and Kyle Kendrick (Single) had the other five Phils’ hits as the offense could not get the key hit to start scoring runs. The Phils also had five walks, three stolen bases (Rollins (28 & 29), Chase Utley (8)) and a hit batter (Utley) in the ballgame.

The Phils (73-73, 3rd East) will complete their series with the Astros (47-99, 6th Central) with a game already in progress.

The Phils scored early and often as they defeated the Astros, 12-6.

Cole Hamels gain his 15th win of the year as the Phils’ offense scored early and often to defeat the Astros, 12-6.

The Phils took the lead in the first as Jimmy Rollins hits a lead-off home run, his twentieth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, the Phils took a 2-0 lead as Chase Utley hits an RBI single, knocking in Juan Pierre, who had earlier walked, then stole second base. The Phils then took a 3-0 lead as, after Utley had stolen second base, Ryan Howard hits an RBI ground-rule double, scoring Utley. The Phils then made it a 4-0 lead four batters later as, with Howard now on third, after moving up on Dom Brown’s ground out, 4-3, John Mayberry, Jr. hits an RBI single, scoring Howard. The Astros got a run back in their half of the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, Jose Altuve, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Brandon Barnes’ single, would score as Justin Maxwell hits into a force out, 1-6, wiping out Barnes at second base for the inning’s second out, sending Altuve to third, before he would score on Jimmy Rollins’ throwing error, making it a 4-1 Phils’ lead, while Maxwell, who was safe on the error, would move up to second base. The Phils added to their lead in the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Kevin Frandsen hits an RBI single, knocking in Mayberry, who had just doubled, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead. The Astros cut down the Phils’ lead in their half of the fourth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Matt Downs hits a two-run home run, his eighth home run of the year, knocking in Matt Dominguez, who had started the inning off with a single, making it a 5-3 Phils’ lead. The Phils increased their lead in the fifth as, with the bases loaded, via walks to Utley and Howard, a force out by Carlos Ruiz, 5-4, wiping out Howard at second base for the inning’s second out, as Utley moved up to third, while Ruiz beat out the throw to first base, a stolen base by Ruiz, and then an intentional walk to Brown, and with two men out, Mayberry hits a two-run single, knocking in both Utley and Ruiz, giving the Phils a 7-3 lead, while sending Brown up to second base. The Astros got a run back in their half of the fifth as two men out, Maxwell hits a solo home run, his fifteenth home run of the season, making it a 7-4 Phils’ lead. The Phils once again increased their lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and with one man out, Brown hit a two-run bomb into the right field seats, his third home run of the season, knocking in Ruiz, who had just walked, giving the Phils a 9-4 lead. The Phils then added to their lead in the eighth as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Utley hits an RBI double, scoring Rollins, who had started the inning off with a single, then stopped at second base on Pierre’s single, giving the Phils a 10-4 lead, while sending Pierre, who had just singled, on to third base. The Phils then made it a 12-4 lead as Howard followed with an RBI single, knocking in both Pierre and Utley. The Astros got a run back in their half of the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Dominguez, who had earlier reached first base on pitcher Justin De Fratus’ throwing error, then stopped at third base on Jed Lowrie’s single, scored on a wild pitch by De Fratus, making it a 12-5 Phils’ lead, while sending Lowrie up to second base. The Astros then made it a 12-6 Phils’ lead in the ninth as, with a man on second base, and with two men out, Barnes reached first base on Frandsen’s throwing error, which allowed Altuve, who had earlier hit a ground-rule double, to score, while Barnes would go on to second base. But that would be the final score as Jeremy Horst finally ended the game by striking out Brett Wallace, swinging, for the game’s final out

Cole Hamels (15-6, 3.06) got the win as he went seven innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out eight. Justin De Fratus pitched an inning, giving up an unearned run on a hit, while striking out a batter. Jeremy Horst also pitched an inning, giving up an unearned run on a hit, while also striking out the side. Edgar Gonzalez (2-1, 4.40) took the lost as he lasted only four innings, giving up five runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out two. Chuckie Fick pitched a third of an inning, giving up two runs on a hit and two walks. Fernando Rodriguez pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Jose Valdez pitched one and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk, striking out two. Enerio Del Rosario pitched a third of an inning, plus four batters, giving up three runs on four hits. Rhiner Cruz pitched two innings, giving up a hit, while striking out three.

The Phils had sixteen hits, with John Mayberry, Jr. leading the ballclub with three hits, two singles and a double, knocking in three runs, followed by Jimmy Rollins (Single, Home Run, RBI), Juan Pierre (Singles), Chase Utley (Single, Double, 2 RBIs), Ryan Howard (Single, Double, 3 RBIs) and Kevin Frandsen (Singles, RBI) with two hits each. Dom Brown (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Cole Hamels (Single) and Nate Schierholtz (Double) had the other three Phils’ hit. The Phils also had five walks and three stolen bases (Pierre (35), Utley (7), Carlos Ruiz (4)) in the game.

The Phils (73-72, 3rd East) will continue their series with the Astros (46-99, 6th Central) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Minute Maid Park, and will start at 7:05 pm EDT (6:05 pm CDT). The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (9-10, 3.83), who is coming off a win against the Marlins on September 10, as he went seven innings, giving up a run on two hits and three walks, striking out a career high eight batters, in the Phils’ 3-1 win. He will be trying to even his record. The Astros will counter with Dallas Keuchel (1-7, 5.35) with a no-decision against the Cubs on September 10, as he went only four innings, giving up a run on six hits and two walks, striking out a batter, in the Astros’ 4-1 lost. He will be trying to give the Astros the series lead. The Phils will be trying to take the series lead.

The Phils win both of their games at home with the Astros, with the bats winning yesterday’s game 5-1, before winning’s this afternoon’s game on a extra-inning walk-off home run by Hunter Pence, 4-3.

The Phils go onto the road with their first three-game winning streak as they win both of their games against the Astros, winning yesterday’s ballgame behind Joe Blanton’s excellent pitching, 5-1, before taking this afternoon’s game in extra-innings on Hunter Pence’s walk-off home run, defeating the Astros, 4-3.

In Monday night’s game, the Phils took the lead in the fifth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Freddy Galvis hits an RBI single, knocking in Placido Polanco, who was earlier safe at first on a 1-6 force out, as Carlos Ruiz, who had started off the inning by being hit by the pitch, is wiped out at second base for the inning’s first out, then reaching second base on shortstop Jed Lowrie’s force attempt fielding error on John Mayberry Jr’s grounder, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Mayberry, who had been safe at first on Lowrie’s error, over to third. The Phils then took a 2-0 lead in the sixth as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier started the inning off with a triple. Three batters later, after Polanco had hit into a 6-3 force out, wiping out Ruiz at second base for the inning’s second out, then going to third base on Mayberry’s double, and now with two men out, Galvis hits an RBI single, scoring Polanco, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead, before Mayberry, who had just doubled, is thrown out at the plate trying to score, 7-2, for the inning’s final out. The Astros would get a run back in the eighth as Marwin Gonzalez hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. The Phils increased their lead in their half of the eighth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Polanco hits a two-run home run, his first home run of the year, and the 2000th hit of his career, as he knocked in Ruiz, who had just singled, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon threw a scoreless ninth, getting Chris Snyder to strikeout, swinging, for the game’s final out.

Joe Blanton (4-3, 2.96) got the win as he went seven strong innings, plus two batters, giving up a run on six hits and a walk, while he struck out seven. Antonio Bastardo collected his seventh hold of the season as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out two batters. Chad Qualls collected his seventh hold of the season as he went a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out the side. Lucas Harrell (2-3, 4.40) took the lost as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out three. Wilton Lopez pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Fernando Abad pitched a scoreless inning, striking out a batter. David Carpenter pitched an inning, giving up two runs on four hits, as he struck out two.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Freddy Galvis leading the team with three hits, all singles, as he knocked in two runs, followed by Carlos Ruiz (Singles, RBI) and John Mayberry, Jr. (Single, Double) with two hits apiece. Shane Victorino (Triple), Hunter Pence (Single) and Placido Polanco (Home Run, 2 RBIs), had the other three Phils’ hits, with Polanco’s hit being his 2000th career hit. The Phils also had two walks in the game.

In this afternoon’s game, the Phils took the lead in the second as, with one man on, and with two men out, Brian Schneider hits a two-run home run, his first home run of the year, knocking in John Mayberry, Jr. who had earlier reached base on second baseman Jose Altuve’s throwing error, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the sixth as, with one man out, Hunter Pence hits a solo home run, his eighth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. The Astros would get a run back in the seventh as Matt Downs hits a lead-off home run, his third home run of the year, making it a 3-1 Phils’ lead. The Astros made it a 3-2 Phils’ lead in the ninth as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Carlos Lee hits an RBI single, scoring Jordan Schafer, who had started the inning off with a double, then went to third on Downs’ ground out, 4-3. The Astros then tied the score up at three-all two batters later, after pinch runner Brian Bogusevic, who was pinch running for Lee, had stolen second base, and now with two men out, J. D. Martinez hits a single to right, moving Bogusevic up to third, before being sent home as right fielder Pence committed a fielding error as he was trying to pick up the ball. The Phils would win the ballgame in the tenth as, win one man out, Pence hits a walk-off solo home run, his ninth home run of the season, and his second home run of the game, giving the Phils a 4-3 walk-off win.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision as he pitched eight strong innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out ten. Chad Qualls blew his fourth save attempt of the year as he threw two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on four hits. Jake Diekman, who was making his major league debut, received the win, (1-0, 0.00), the first win of his career, as he threw one and one-thirds scoreless innings, while striking out three. Jordan Lyles also received a no-decision as he went six innings, giving up three runs, only one of which was earned, on six hits and a walk, while he struck out four. Fernando Abad, Fernando Rodriguez and Brandon Lyon combined for three scoreless innings, giving up three hits (Abad (1), Lyon (2)) between them, while striking out two batters (Abad (1), Lyon (1)). Brett Myers (0-1, 2.08) took the lost as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Hunter Pence leading the team with three hits (Single, 2 Home Runs, 2 RBIs), including the game winner, followed by Jimmy Rollins (Single, Double), Placido Polanco (Singles) and Brian Schneider (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs) with two hits apiece. John Mayberry, Jr. (Single) had the other Phil hit. The Phils also had two walks in the game.

The Phils (18-19, 5th East), who have now won four of their last five games, and have their first three-game winning streak, will now go onto the road for a short two-game series with the Cubs (15-21, T-5th Central). The game will be played at Wrigley Field and will start at 8:05 pm EDT (7:05 pm Central). The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (0-3, 7.32), who is pitching in place of Vance Worley, who is not making the trip because of a sore elbow. Kendrick last pitched on May 9 against the Mets in relief, pitching an inning plus, giving up five runs on four hits and two walks, in the Phils’ 10-6 loss. Kendrick will be trying to bounce back from that bad appearance. The Cubs will counter with Matt Garza (2-1, 2.56), who is coming off a no-decision against the Brewers on May 11, as he went five innings, giving up a run on three hits and five walks, while striking out three, in the Cubs’ 8-7 lost. He will be out to gain his second win against the Phils this season. The Phils will be going out to win their fourth game in a row.

Spring Training: The Phils get pounded early as they lose to the Astros, 10-3.

The Phils get crush as they lose to the Astros, 10-3.

The Astros took an early 1-0 lead in the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, J.D. Martinez hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Jordan Schafer, who had started the game off with a single, stopped at second base on Jose Altuve’s single, then went to third on Vance Worley’s wild pitch. The Astros increased their lead in the second as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Jason Castro hits an RBI single, scoring Jed Lowrie, who had earlier walked, then went to third on Brett Wallace’s single, giving the Astros a 2-0 lead, while sending Wallace, who had just singled, up to second base. The Astros then made it a 3-0 lead in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Schafer hits an RBI double, knocking in Wallace, who was earlier safe on a force out, 3-6, wiping out at second base Matt Downs, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Castro’s single, while sending Castro, who had just singled, on to third. Two batters later, with two men still on, and now with two men out, the Astros busted the game open as Brian Bogusevic reached base on a throwing error by third baseman Kevin Frandsen, allowing Castro to score, making it a 4-0 Astros’ lead, before Schafer scored, after first stopping at third base, to make it 5-0 Astros.  The Astros then made it a 6-0 lead as, after Bogusevic had stole second base, Martinez brought him home as he hits an RBI double. The Astros added to their lead in the sixth as, with a man on second, and with one man out, Martinez hits an RBI double, his second of the game, scoring Marwin Gonzalez, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on pinch hitter Brandon Barnes’ ground out, 3-unassisted, giving the Astros a 7-0 lead. Four batters later, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Brian Bixler, and a single to Jonathan Singleton, moving both runners up a base, and with two men out, pinch hitter Diory Hernandez hits a two-run single, knocking in Martinez and Bixler, giving the Astros a 9-0 lead, while sending Singleton up to second base. The Astros then made it a 10-0 lead as pinch hitter Carlos Corporan hits an RBI single, scoring Singleton, while sending Hernandez up to second base. The Phils finally got on the scoreboard in the eighth as, with runners on second and third, and with tw0 men out, Lou Montanez hits a two-run double, knocking in Freddy Galvis, who had earlier walked, then stopped at third base on Scott Podsednik’s double, and Podsednik. who had just doubled, cutting the Astros’ lead down to 10-2. The Phils then made it a 10-3 Astros’ lead in the ninth as Hector Luna hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the spring. But that would be the final score as Jose Valdez ended the game by getting Sebastian Valle to fly out to left for the final out.

Vance Worley (0-1, 9.oo) took the lost as he pitched two innings, giving up two runs on five hits, a walk and a wild pitch. Pat Misch pitched two innings, giving up four runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out two. Dontrelle Willis pitched two and a third innings, giving up four runs on three hits and two walks. B.J. Rosenberg pitched an inning and a third, giving up a hit while striking out two. Chad Qualls and Michael Stutes pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a walk (Qualls), while striking out a batter (Stutes) between them. Bud Norris (1-0, 0.00) got the win as he pitched three scoreless innings, walking a batter.  Kyle Weiland, Lance Pendleton and Jorge De Leon combined for four scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Weiland) and two walks (Weiland (1), Pendleton (1)) between them, while strking out three  (Weiland (2), Pendleton (1)). Fernando Rodriguez pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out two. Jose Valdez pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit.

The Phils had only five hits in the game, a single by Shane Victorino, a double by Scott Podsednik, a two-run double by Lou Montanez, a home run by Hector Luna and a single by Erik Kratz. The Phils also had four walks, as the offense was kept under control by Astros’ pitching.

The Phils’ (2-3) next game, another home game at Bright House Field, will be an afternoon game with the Pirates (2-2) tomorrow afternoon. The game will start at 1:05 pm EDT.

33 games in 31 days: Game #17: The Phils clinch a playoff spot as their ace, Roy Halladay, throws a complete game shutout, as the Phils win, 1-0

Roy Halladay throws a complete game shutout at the Astros as the Phils clinched their fifth straight playoff spot, as the Phils win 1-0.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Placido Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, before moving up to second base on the late throw to the plate. The Astros tried to tie the game up in the second as they loaded up the bases, via a fielding error by third baseman Polanco, allowing Carlos Lee to reach first base, a single by Brian Bogusevic, sending Lee up to second base, and a bunt single by Jimmy Paredes, moving both runners up a base, and with nobody out, before Phils’ starter Roy Halladay pitched himself out of the jam. First, he got Jose Altuve to hit into a force out, 5-2, as Polanco threw home, forcing out Lee, as Carlos Ruiz touched home plate for the inning’s first out, while Bogusevic and Paredes would both move up a base while Altuve would be safe at first. Then, he got Humberto Quintero to hit into a 5-4-3 doubleplay, as Altuve is wiped out at second base, ending the inning. The Phils tried to add to their lead in the sixth as they loaded up the bases, with Halladay starting the inning off with a single, Victorino following with a walk, sending Halladay up to second base, Polanco then bunting into a force out, 1-5, as Astros’ starter Bud Norris made a good play on the ball before throwing it to third, beating Halladay to the bag, while Victorino moved up to second base, and then a single by Hunter Pence, moving up both runners. But Norris would deny the Phils by first striking out Ryan Howard, swinging, on three pitches, and then getting Raul Ibanez to fly out to center field for the final out. The Phils’ one run would then end up being all that they would need as Halladay kept the Astros under control, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning to get the win, as the Phils clinch a playoff spot for the fifth year in a row.

Roy Halladay (18-5, 2.34) gets the win as he pitched a complete game shutout, his first for the season, as he gave up six hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Bud Norris (6-10, 3.68) took the lost as he went seven innings, giving up a run on four hits. Wilton Lopez and Wesley Wright would combine for two scoreless innings, striking out four batters (two each) between them.

The Phils had just four hits in the ballgame, a double by Shane Victorino, a single by Placido Polanco, knocking in a run, a single by Hunter Pence and a single by Roy Halladay, as the Phils were put to sleep during the series. Hopefully they’ll wake up during tomorrow’s doubleheader.

The Phils (95-51, 1st) will now return home and will play a make-up doubleheader with the Marlins (67-81, 5th), with the first game starting tomorrow afternoon. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 2:35 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (7-6, 3.29), who is coming off a lost to the Mets on August 24, as he went only four innings, giving up six runs, only two of which were earned, on seven hits and a walk, while striking out a batter, in the Phils’ 7-4 lost. He will be trying to help lower the Phils’ magic number for winning the East. The Marlins will counter with Anibal Sanchez (8-7, 3.64), who is coming off a win against the Pirates on September 10, as he pitched a complete game shutout, giving up just one hit and three walks, while striking out eleven, in the Marlins’ 3-0 win. He will be trying to delay the Phils’ clinching of the East. The Phils will be out to take out their frustrations in Houston out on Sanchez and the Marlins.

33 games in 31 days: Game #15: Roy Oswalt receives a not so friendly home coming, as the Phils lose to the Astros, 5-1.

The Astros give Roy Oswalt a not so friendly welcome to his old home, as the Phils lose, 5-1.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with a man on second, and with one man out, Pete Orr hits an RBI single, knocking in Raul Ibanez, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Astros tied up the ballgame at one-all in the fourth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Jimmy Paredes hits an RBI infield single, as second baseman Orr and shortstop Jimmy Rollins collided behind second base, trying to field his potential doubleplay ball, as J.D. Martinez, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Brian Bogusevic’s single, on a fly ball that Ibanez did not catch as he broke in too late, while Bogusevic, who had earlier singled, would stop at second base. The Astros then took the lead as, once again with runners on the corners, after Jose Altuve was safe at first on a force out, 3-6, beating the throw back to first base, while Paredes is wiped out at second base for the inning’s second out, as Bogusevic reached third base on the play, Humberto Quintero hits an RBI double, scoring Bogusevic, giving the Astros a 2-1 lead, while Altuve would stop at third base. The Astros would add to their lead in the fifth as, with one man on base, and with two men out, Carlos Lee hits a two run home run, his sixtenth home run of the year, scoring Martinez, who had just singled, giving the Astros a 4-1 lead. The Astros increased their lead in the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Bogusevic hits into an RBI force out, 4-6, as Lee, who had earlier been hit by a pitch, is thrown out at sec0nd base for the inning’s second out, while Martinez, who had earlier singled, moved up to second base when Lee was hit by a pitch, then went to third on Oswalt’s wild pitch, scored, making it a 5-1 Astros’ lead. That would be the final score as Mark Melancon would pitch a scoreless ninth.

Roy Oswalt (7-9, 3.88) took the lost as he gave up five runs on eleven hits and two walks, while striking out two. Joe Blanton, in his first appearance since coming off the disabled list, pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, as he struck out a batter. Brett Myers (5-13, 4.52) got the win as he muzzled his old team, as he gave up just a run on six hits and a walk, while striking out four. Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless inning, as he gave up two walks.

The Phils had six hits in the ballgame, with a returning Hunter Pence leading the team with two hits, a single and a double. Jimmy Rollins (Single), Raul Ibanez (Double),  Carlos Ruiz (Single) and Pete Orr (Single, RBI) had the other four Phils’ hits.

The Phils (94-50, 1st East) continue their series with the Astros (50-97, 6th Central) with a game tonight. The game will be played at Minute Maid Park and will begin at 8:05 pm EDT (7:05 pm CDT). The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (14-7, 2.60), who is coming off a complete game win against the Brewers on September 8, as he gave up two runs on four hits and two walks, as he struck out two, in the Phils’ 7-2 win. He will be going for win no. fifteen, while trying to put a stop to the Phils’ present losing streak. The Astros will try to counter with J.A. Happ (5-15, 5.77), who is coming off a no-decision against the Pirates on September 7, as he went five innings, giving up four runs on five hits and four walks, while striking out eight, in the Astros’ 5-4 lost. He will be trying to increase the Phils’ losing streak. The Phils will be out to end their present losing streak. and end their late season bad luck with the Astros, as they attempt to clinch a playoff spot tonight.