Tagged: Matt Diaz

Antonio Bastardo’s eighth-inning meltdown leads to the Phils losing the series opener as they lose to the Braves, 5-0.

Ryan Howard’s return to the Phils’ line-up is spoiled by Antonio Bastardo’s eighth inning meltdown, as the Phils are blanked by the Braves, 5-0.

The game’s first seven innings saw a pitchers’ duel between Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick, who gave up only four hits, one walk and a hit batter, while striking out five, as he kept out of trouble, and Braves’ starter Tim Hudson, who only allowed four hits, a walk and a hit batter to reach base, while he struck out none, before they both gave the game over to the bullpens, with Kendrick being taken out at the start of the eighth inning when the Braves brought in a pitch hitter for Hudson. The Braves ended the 0-0 scoreless tie in the eighth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by pinch hitter Matt Diaz, and walks by Michael Bourn and Chipper Jones, and with two men out, Freddie Freeman walked, forcing in Diaz, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead, while moving up a base both Bourn and Jones, leaving the bases loaded. The Braves then took a 5-0 lead as Brian McCann followed up with a grand-slam home run, his eleventh home run of the season, knocking in Bourn, Jones and Freeman. That would end up being the final score as Chad Durbin threw a 1-2-3 ninth.

Kyle Kendrick received a no-decision as he threw seven scoreless innings, giving up just four hits, a walk and a hit batter, while he struck out five. Antonio Bastardo (2-3, 5.34) took the lost as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up five runs on two hits and three walks. Michael Schwimer pitched a third of an inning, striking out a batter. Jeremy Horst pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Tim Hudson (7-4, 3.56) got the win as he pitched seven scoreless inning, giving up four hits, a walk, and hitting a batter. Eric O’Flaherty and Chad Durbin combined for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (O’Flaherty) and a walk (O’Flaherty) between them, while striking out two (O’Flaherty).

The Phils had only five hits in the game, with Ryan Howard (Single, Double), as he made his first appearance in the line-up for 2012, leading the team with two hits. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. had the other three Phils’ hits, all singles. The Phils also had two walks, and a hit batter (Chase Utley), as they were unable to produce any offense, while going 0-8 with runners in scoring position.

The Phils (37-48, 5th) will continue their series with the Braves (44-39, 4th) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:15 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (7-7, 4.85), who is coming off a lost to the Marlins on July 1. as he pitched six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while he struck out seven, in the Phils’ 5-2 lost. He will be trying to even up the series. The Braves will counter with Tommy Hanson (9-5, 3.70) ,  who is coming off a lost to the Cubs on July 2, as he went seven innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk, while he struck out eight, in the Braves’ 4-1 lost. Hanson will be trying to pitch the Braves to a series win. The Phils will be trying to even up the series.

The Phils starts off their important road trip by breaking up a tie with two eighth inning runs as they defeat the Braves, 4-2.

Two runs in the eighth inning leads to a win in Atlanta as the Phils defeat the Braves, 4-2.

The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Ty Wigginton hits a two-run single to left, as the ball gets past left fielder Martin Prado for a two-base fielding error, knocking in Placido Polanco, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Hunter Pence’s double, and Pence, who had just doubled, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead, before stopping at third base on Prado’s error. The Braves got a run back in their half of the fourth as, with one man out, Brian McCann hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the season, making it a 2-1 Phils’ lead. The Braves would tie the game up at two-all in the sixth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Freddie Freeman, a walk by McCann, moving Freeman up to second base, and a single by Matt Diaz, moving both runners up a base, and with one man out, Juan Francisco hits a sacrifce fly, scoring Freeman. The Phils retook the lead in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr., who had earlier doubled, then stopped at third base on Jimmy Rollins’ single, would score the go-ahead run on pitcher Jonny Venters’ wild pitch as Polanco struck out for the inning’s second out, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead, while Rollins, who had just singled, moved up to second base. The Phils then took a 4-2 lead two batters later as, with men once again on the corners, after Shane Victorino had hit an inflield single, sending Rollins on to third base, and with still two men out, Pence hits an RBI single, scoring Rollins, while sending Victorino over to third base.  That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon would come in and record his ninth save of the year by throwing a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Michael Bourn, swinging, to end the game.

Cole Hamels gets a no-decision as he went six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out six. Antonio Bastardo gets the win (1-0, 4.15) as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Chad Qualls collected his sixth hold of the season as he threw a scoreless inning, as he gave up two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon recorded his ninth save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Brandon Beachy also received a no-decision as he threw seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits, while he struck out two. Jonny Venters (2-1, 1.93) took the lost as he pitched two-thirds of an inning as he gave up two runs on four hits and a wild pitch, while he struck out one. Kris Medlen pitched one and one-thirds scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had eleven hits in the ballgame, with Jimmy Rollins (Singles) and Hunter Pence (Single, Double, RBI) leading the team with two hits apiece. Placido Polanco (Single), Shane Victorino (Single), Ty Wigginton (Single, 2 RBIs), Laynce Nix (Double), Carlos Ruiz (Single), Freddie Galvis (Single) and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. (Double) had the other seven Phils’ hits. The other Phil run came in on a wild pitch. The Phils also had a stolen base (Rollins (5)) in the game.

The Phils (12-12, 4th) continue their series with the Braves (14-10, 2nd) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Turner Field, and is set to start at 7:10 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound their ace Roy Halladay (3-2, 1.05), who is coming off a lost against the Cubs on April 27, where he went seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while he struck out five, in the Phils’ 5-1 lost. He will for the third time be going for his fourth win of the season, hoping that this time the offense will back him up. The Braves will counter with Tommy Hanson (3-2, 3.00), who is coming off a win against the Pirates on April 27, as he went six innings, giving up a run on six hits and three walks, while he struck out five, in the Braves’ 6-1 win. He is also going for his fourth win of the season, while he prepares to face the Phils. The Phils will be out to win their second straight road series, while trying once again to get over .500.

Spring Training: The Phils end spring training in Florida with their fourth tie of the spring.

The Phils end their grapefruit league schedule as the Braves scored six unanswered runs as the two teams end up in a 7-7 tie.

The Braves took the lead in the third as, with two men on, and with one man out,  Brian McCann hits an RBI single, scoring Julio Teheran, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Tyler Pastornicky’s single, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead. The Phils tied the game up at one-all in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Placido Polanco, and then walks by Jimmy Rollins, sending Polanco up to second base, and Jim Thome, moving up both runners, and with no one out, Polanco scored as Hunter Pence hits an RBI force out, wiping out Thome at second for the inning’s first out, while Rollins would move up to third base. The Phils then took the lead as Shane Victorino hits an RBI double, scoring Rollins, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while sending Pence on to third base. The Phils then made it a 3-1 lead as Pence would score on a missed catch error by McCann on a fielder’s choice attempt throw to the plate by third baseman Drew Sutton on a grounder by Carlos Ruiz, as Victorino would move up to third base, before Ruiz would move up to second base on the error. The Phils then made it a 4-1 lead as Freddy Galvis followed with an RBI single, scoring Victorino, while Ruiz would stop at third base. The Phils then added to their lead as, with runners on the corners, and with still one man out, Cliff Lee hits an RBI single, scoring Ruiz, making it a 5-1 Phils’ lead, while sending Galvis on to third base. The Phils then batted around, as Juan Pierre brought home Galvis with a suicide squeeze sacrifice bunt, 1-3, giving the Phils a 6-1 lead, while sending Lee up to second base.  The Phils than made it a 7-1 lead in the fifth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Pence, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on Victorino’s walk, while sending Victorino on to third base. The Braves got a run back in the sixth as, with one man on, and with two men out, J.C. Boscan hits an RBI double, scoring Matt Diaz, who had earlier doubled, making it a 7-2 Phils’ lead. The Braves made it a 7-3 Phils’ lead in the eighth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Jordan Parraz hits into an RBI ground out, 6-3, scoring Jose Yepez, who was pitch running for Freddie Freeman, who had earlier doubled, before moving up to third on pitch hitter Eric Hinske’s ground out, 4-3.  The Braves then cut the Phils’ lead down to 7-5 in their half of the ninth as, with one man on, and with no one out, Josh Wilson hits a two-run home run, his first home run of the spring, scoring Boscan, who had started the inning off with a walk. The Braves then made it a 7-6 Phils’ lead as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Pastornicky, a fielding error by shortstop Galvis on a Luis Durango grounder, sending Pastornicky up to second base, and a fielding error by pitcher Frank Gailey on pinch hitter Jose Peraza’s sacrifice bunt, moving up a base both Pastornicky and Durango, and with still nobody out, Yepez hits into a double play, 6-4-3, wiping out at second base Peraza for the inning’s first out, scoring Pastornicky, while sending Durango on to third base. The Braves then tied it up at seven-all as Hinske hits an RBI double, knocking in Durango.  The game would finally end as a seven-seven tie as Boscan popped out to first for the final out.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision as pitched four strong innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Joe Savery pitched two innings, giving up a run on three hits and two walks. Jeremy Horst pitched a scoreless inning, walking a batter, while striking out one. Brian Sanches pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Frank Gailey pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up four runs, only two of which were earned, on two hits and two waks. Ryan Duke pitched a third of an innings, walking two batters. Julio Teheran also received a no-decision as he pitched three and one-third innings, giving up five runs, four of which were earned, on three hits and two walks. Yohan Flande pitched one and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits and two walks. Jonny Venters, Cory Gearrin,  Dusty Hughes and Adam Russell combined for four scoreless innings, giving up three hits (Venters (1), Gearrin (2)), while striking out three (Venters (1), Gearrin (1), Russell (1)).

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Placino Polanco (Single, Double) leading the ballclub with two hits. Juan Pierre (Double, RBI), John Mayberry, Jr. (Single), Shane Victorino (Double, RBI), Carlos Ruiz (Single, RBI), Freddy Galvis (Single, RBI), Cliff Lee (Single, RBI) and pinch hitter Lou Montanez (Single) had the other seven Phils’ hits. Hunter Pence brought in the other Phil RBI on a force out, while the final Phil run came in on a missed catch error to the plate. The Phils also had four walks in the game.

The next Phils game with be the first of two games with the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park for the on-deck series. The game is to start at 7:05 EDT.

Spring Training: Phils hang on to defeat the Braves, 6-4.

The Phils hang on to a late lead to defeat the Braves, 6-4.

The Phils took a 1-0 lead in the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, Jim Thome hits an RBI single, knocking in Placido Polanco, who had earlier singled, then moved to second base on Shane Victorino’s walk, while sending Victorino, who had just walked, on to third base. The Braves tied the game up at one-all in the second as, with two men out, Matt Diaz hits a solo home run, his first home run of the spring. The Phils retook the lead in their half of the second as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI single, knocking in Freddy Galvis, who had earlier singled, than stopped at second base on a fielder’s choice out, 4-2-5, as Scott Podsednik, who had started the inning off with a double, then moved to third on Carlos Ruiz’s ground out, 3-1, was tagged out at home, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Braves retied the game up at two-all in the third as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Michael Bourn hits an RBI single, knocking in Tyler Pastornicky, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third on J.C. Boscan’s single, while Boscan, who had just singled, would stop at second base. Two batters latter, after Martin Prado had sacrifice bunted both runners up a base, 3-4, the Braves took the lead as Chipper Jones hits an RBI ground out, 5-3, scoring Boscan, giving the Braves a 3-2 lead. The Phils then tied the game up at three-all in their half of the third as, with two men out, John Mayberry, Jr. hits an RBI single, scoring Victorino, who had earlier doubled. The Phils retook the lead in the fourth as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Rollins, who had earlier singled, then went up to second base as Ruiz, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Galvis’s ground out, 4-3, was thrown out at home, 7-2, then stole third base, giving the Phils a 4-3 lead. The Braves then retied the game up at 4-4 in the sixth as, with two men out, Dan Uggla hits a solo home run, his first home run of the spring. The Phils then retook the lead in the seventh as, with two men on, and with one man out, Podsednik hits an RBI single, scoring Hunter Pence, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Mayberry’s walk, giving the Phils a 5-4 lead, while sending Mayberry, who had just walked, up to second base. The Phils then made it a 6-4 lead as Brian Schneider hits an RBI single, scoring Mayberry, while sending Podsednik up to second base. That would be the final score as Diaz lined out to second base for the final out, giving Chad Qualls his first save of the spring.

Joe Blanton received a no-decision as he went five innings, giving up three runs on four hits, while striking out four. David Herndon blew his first save opportunity of the spring as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Dontrelle Willis (1-1, 16.88) got the win as he threw a scoreless inning, giving up a walk. Antonio Bastardo received his third hold of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Chad Qualls collected his first spring save as he threw a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out two. Jair Jurrjens also received a no-decision as he pitched four innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out three. Jairo Asencio and Craig Kimbrel combined for two scoreless innings, giving up two hits (Asencio), while striking out one (Kimbrel) between them. Adam Russell (0-1, 5.40) took the lost as he gave up two runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Anthony Varvaro threw a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out three.

The Phils had fifteen hits in the ballgame, with Jimmy Rollins (Singles, RBI), Placido Polanco (Singles, RBI), Jim Thome (Singles, RBI), Hunter Pence (Single) and Scott Podsednik (Single, Double, RBI) all leading the club with two hits apiece. Tim Kennelly (Single), Shane Victorino (Double), John Mayberry, Jr. (Single, RBI), Carlos Ruiz (Double) and Brian Schneider (Single, RBI) had the other five Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two walks, as well as two steals (Polanco, Rollins) in the game.

The Phils (6-7) will continue their spring training schedule with an afternoon game tomorrow afternoon with the Pirates (5-7) at  Bradenton. The game will start at 1:05 pm EDT.

33 games in 31 days: Game #31: The Phils earned victory no. 100, as they defeat the Braves, 4-2.

The Phils win their 100 game of the season, hitting the 100 mark for only the third time in the franchise’s history, as they defeat the Braves, 4-2.

The Braves took the lead in the first as, with two men out, Chipper Jones hits a solo home run, his eighteenth home run of the season, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead. The Braves increased their lead in the second as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Alex Gonzalez hits an RBI double, scoring Matt Diaz, who had earlier doubled, giving the Braves a 2-0 lead. The Phils cut the Braves’ lead in half in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Hunter Pence and Ryan Howard, with Pence stopping at third, and a walk to Shane Victorino, moving Howard up a base, and with two men out, Placido Polanco hits an RBI single, scoring Pence, making it a 2-1 Braves’ lead, while sending Howard up to third base, and Victorino up to second base. The Phils then tied the game up at two-all in the fifth as, with one man out, Jimmy Rollins hits a solo home run, his fifteenth home run of the year. The Phils then took the lead in the sixth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Victorino, who had just tripled, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Phils added an insurance run in the eighth as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Victorino, who had just doubled, giving the Phils a 4-2 lead. That would be the final score as Ryan Madson would collect his thirty-second save of the season with a scoreless ninth.

Cliff Lee (17-8, 2.40) got the win as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs on five hits, as he struck out six. Joe Savery collected his first hold of his career as he pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man that he would face. Michael Stutes received his thirteenth hold of the season as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face, striking out one. Brad Lidge collected his eighth holdof the year as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter. Ryan Madson received his thirty-second save of the year as he pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out two. Randall Delgado received a no-decision as he pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk. Cristhian Martinez (1-3, 3.40) took the loss as he went a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Eric O’Flaherty pitched an inning and two-thirds, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter. Jonny Venters pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out one. Anthony Varvaro pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

The Phils had ten hits in the ballgame, with Jimmy Rollins (Single, Home Run, RBI), Ryan Howard (Singles), Shane Victorino (Double, Triple) and Raul Ibanez (Singles, 2 RBIs) all leading the team with two hits each. Hunter Pence (Single) and Placido Polanco (Single, RBI) had the other two Phils’ hits, as the Phils’ offense have now collected thirty-nine hits in their last three games, while scoring sixteen runs, winning the last two games.

The Phils (100-60, 1st) will continue their series the Braves (89-71, 2nd), with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Turner Field and will start at 7:10 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Roy Oswalt (8-10, 3.86), who is coming off a lost against the Nationals on September 22, as he went seven and two-thirds innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 6-1 lost. He will be trying to get his act together, while hoping to end the regular season with a win. The struggling Braves will counter with Derek Lowe (9-16, 4.92), who is coming off a lost to the Marlins on September 21, as he went six and one-third innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out three, in the Braves’ 4-0 lost. He will be trying to keep the Braves’ Wild Card hopes alive, while hoping the Phils’ just revived offense doesn’t take him to town. The Phils will tonight be trying to tie the club’s record for most wins in a season with the 1976 and 1977 Eastern Division Champs.

Cliff Lee finally gets win number ten, his only win in the month of July, as the Phils’ offense welcome Hunter Pence with a sixteen-hit attack against the Bucos as they win, 7-4.

A sixteen-hit attack, including four from Ryan Howard, welcomes Hunter Pence’s arrival to the line-up as the Phils’ defeat the Pirates, 7-4.

The Phils took the lead in the second as Ryan Howard lead-off the inning with a home run, his twenty-first home run of the season, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then made it a 2-0 lead in the third as, with one man out, Jimmy Rollins hits a solo home run, his thirteenth home run of the year. The Phils then added to their lead three batters later as, with two men on, and with still one man out, Howard hits an RBI double, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead, while sending Chase Utley, who had just walked, on to third. The Pirates cut down the Phils’ lead to 3-2 in the fourth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Pedro Alvarez hits a two-run home run, his third home run of the year, knocking in Brandon Wood, who had just singled. The Phils got a run back in their half of the fourth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Utley hits a single, that allowed Cliff Lee, who had earlier singled, then stopped at second base on Rollins’ single, to reach third, while Rollins, who had just singled,  would stop at second base, before Lee would score when right fielder Steve Pearce committed a fielding error, giving the Phils a 4-2 lead. The Phils then made it a 5-2 lead as Howard hits an RBI single, scoring Rollins, while sending Utley on to third. The Phils then added to their lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and with one man out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI double, scoring Placido Polanco, who had just singled, giving the Phils a 6-2 lead.  The Pirates then tried to rally in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Neil Walker hits an RBI single, knocking in Pedro Ciriaco, who had earlier gotten on base with a bunt single, moved up to second base on Matt Diaz’s walk, then went to third on Andrew McCutchen’s force out grounder, 6-4, as Diaz is wiped out at second for the inning’s first out, making it a 6-3 Phils’ lead. Two batters later, after Pearce had hit into a force out, 5-4, wiping out Walker at second base for the inning’s second out, while sending McCutchen on to third, Wood made it a 6-4 Phils’ lead as he hits an RBI single, scoring Wood, while Pearce would stop at second base. The Phils got a run back in their half of the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits an RBI single, scoring Victorino, who had earlier hit a lead-off triple, while sending Howard, who had just been intentionally walked, on to second base, giving the Phils a 7-4 lead. That would be the final score as Ryan Madson recorded his eighteenth save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out the side.

Cliff Lee (10-7, 3.14) finally got his tenth win of the year, as he went seven and one-third innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk, while striking out eleven. Antonio Bastardo would received his eighth hold of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, striking outn the only man that he would face. Ryan Madson recorded his eighteenth save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out the side. James McDonald (7-5, 4.17) took the lost as he pitched five innings, giving up five runs on ten hits and two walks, while striking out five. Daniel McCutchen pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Chris Resop pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out one. Jose Veras pitched an inning, giving up a run on three hits and a walk.

The Phils had sixteen hits in the ballgame, with Ryan Howard leading the team with four hits, a single, two doubles, and a solo home run, being a triple short of hitting the cycle, as he knocked in three runs, while raising his batting average up to .254. Jimmy Rollins (Single, Home Run, RBI), Shane Victorino (Single, Triple), Placido Polanco (Singles), Carlos Ruiz (Single, Double, RBI) and Cliff Lee (Singles), all followed with two hits apiece. Chase Utley (Single) and Hunter Pence (Single, RBI) had the other two Phils’ hits. The seventh Phil run scored on a Pirates error.

The Phils (67-39, 1st East) will conclude their series with the Pirates (54-51, 3rd Central) with an afternoon game at Citizens Bank Park. The game will start at 1:35 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Vance Worley (7-1, 2.02), who is coming off a complete game win against the Giants on July 26, as he gave up just two runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out five, in the Phils’ 7-2 win. He will be trying to give the Phils a sweep. The Pirates will counter with Jeff Karstens (8-5, 2.41), who is coming off a no-decision against the Braves on July 26, as he went five innings, giving upm three runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out three in the Pirates’ 4-3 extra-innings lost. He will be out to keep the Pirates from being swept. The Phils will be out to end their successful home stand with a sweep.

The Phils finally get a win at PNC Park as they defeat the Pirates, 7-3.

The Phils leave PNC Park with a win as they defeat the Pirates, 7-3.

The Pirates take a quick 2-0 lead in the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Neil Walker hits a two-run home run, his eighth home run of the season, knocking in Xavier Paul, who had earlier singled, moved up to second on Josh Harrison’s sacrifice bunt, 1-4, then went to third on Andrew McCutchen’s ground out, 6-3.  The Phils got a run back in the fourth as, with runners on second and third, thanks to a pair of walks to Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, and a wild pitch by Pirates’ starter James McDonald that had allowed Utley to move up to second as Howard was batting, and then a passed ball by Pirates’ catcher Dusty Brown while Raul Ibanez was batting, that allowed Utley and Howard to both move up a base, and with nobody out, Ibanez hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Utley, making it a 2-1 Pirates’ lead, while Howard would move up to third. Two batters later, after Carlos Ruiz is hit by the pitch to put runners on the corners, the Phils tried to tie up the game as Dom Brown hit a ball up the middle, which hits the umpire, becoming a dead ball, giving Brown a single, and putting Ruiz on second base, but sending Howard back to third, loading up the bases, which would come back to haunt the Phils as Wilson Valdez hit into a 4-3 double play, wiping out Brown at second base, to end the inning. The Phils threaten to tie the game once again in the fifth as they loaded up the bases via walks to Roy Halladay, Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco, and with nobody out, Utley hits a grounder to first baseman Lyle Overbay, who then threw home, forcing out Halladay at the plate, 3-2, for the inning’s first out, as Utley is safe at first, while Victorino and Polanco both moved up a base. The Phils then finally tied it up at two-all as, with the bases still loaded, and now with one man out, after a long battle, Howard hits a sacrifice fly to deep center field, just missing a home run, scoring Victorino, while both Polanco and Utley would move up a base. Two batters later, after Ibanez was intentionally walked to reload the bases, and now with two men out, Ruiz forced in a run as he is hit by the pitch for the second time in the game, scoring Polanco, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead, while both Utley and Ibanez would move up a base. The Phils then took a 4-2 lead in the sixth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Polanco hits an RBI single, scoring Halladay, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second on Victorino’s ground out, 1-3. The Pirates tried to cut the Phils’ lead in the seventh as, with two men on, via a single by Brandon Wood, and a single by pinch hitter Matt Diaz, while Wood would go on to third on a fielding error by Howard on Polanco’s throw to first, with two men out. But, Halladay would get out of the inning as pinch hitter Jose Tabata hits a liner that was caught by Utley for the inning’s final out. The Phils added a run in the eighth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Howard hits an RBI single, knocking in Polanco, who had earlier singled, than stopped at second on Utley’s single, giving the Phils a 5-2 lead, while sending Utley, who had just singled, up to second base. The Pirates got a run back in their half of the eighth as, with one man on, and with one man out, McCutchen hits an RBI single, knocking in Harrison, who had earlier doubled, making it a 5-3 Phils’ lead. The Phils then made it a 6-3 lead in the ninth as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Victorino hits an RBI single, knocking in Valdez, who had earlier singled, then went on to third on pinch hitter Ben Francisco’s single, while sending Francisco, who had just singled, on to second base.  Three batters later, with now two men out, Howard hits an RBI single, scoring Victorino, giving the Phils a 7-3 lead, while sending Francisco on to third. That would be the final score as Ryan Madson put down the Pirates in the ninth.

Roy Halladay (8-3, 2.56) got the win as he went seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out six. Jose Contreras collected his third hold of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on two hits. Antonio Bastardo collected his fourth hold of the year, as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out two. James McDonald (3-4, 4.97) took the lost as he went four innings, plus three batters, giving up three runs on three hits, five walks, two hit batters, a wild pitch and a passed ball, while striking out three. Chris Resop pitched an inning, giving up a walk. Evan Meek pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on three hits. Daniel Moskos pitched an inning and a third, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out two. Jose Ascanio pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on three hits. Jose Veras pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out a batter. Daniel McCutchen pitched an inning, giving up two runs on four hits.

The Phils had fourteen hits in the ballgame, with Chase Utley leading the team with three hits, all singles, as he raised his batting average to .239. Shane Victorino (Singles, RBI), Placido Polanco (Singles, RBI), Ryan Howard (Singles, 3 RBIs) and Dom Brown (Single, Double), all followed with two hits each. Wilson Valdez (Single), Roy Halladay (Single) and pinch hitter Ben Francisco (Single), had the other three Phils’ hits. Raul Ibanez knocked in one Phil run with a sacrifice fly, while Carlos Ruiz would have the other Phil RBI, as he got hit by the  pitch with the bases loaded.

The Phils (35-24, 1st East) will go home to start a three-game series with the Dodgers (28-32, 3rd West) at Citizens Bank Park with a ballgame tomorrow night. The game will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (4-5, 3.94), who is coming off a lost to the Nats on May 31, as he went five and one-third innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and three walks, as he struck out four, in the Phils’ 10-2 lost. He will be trying to get the home stand off on a winning start. The Dodgers will counter with Ted Lilly (4-4, 4.22), who is coming off a win against the Rockies on May 31, as he went seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits, as he struck out eight, in the Dodgers’ 8-2 win. He’ll be trying to give the Phils some fits. The Phils will be trying to start off their long home stand on a good note with a win.

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.

The Phils win their second straight spring training road game as they defeat the Pirates, 7-4.

The Phils’ stratch and claw their way to their second straight spring training win on the road, as they defeat the Pirates, 7-4.

The Phils took a quick 1-0 lead in the first, as, with runners on first and second, via two straight singles by Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco, with Rollins stopping at second base, and with no one out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI single, scoring Rollins, while sending Polanco up to second base. One batter later, the Phils took a 2-0 lead as, with still nobody out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, scoring Polanco, while sending Ibanez on to third. The Pirates cut the Phils’ lead in their half of the first as, with runners on the corners, via a double by Pedro Ciriaco, and a single by Neil Walker, with Ciriaco stopping at third, and with one man out, Lyle Overbay hits an RBI single to right, knocking in Ciriaco. But, on the play, Walker is thrown out at third by Wilson Valdez on a strong throw, 9-5, for the inning’s second out. The Pirates then tied the game up at two-all in the fourth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Andy Marte hits an RBI single, scoring Matt Diaz, who had earlier reached first on a walk, and then stole second base. The Phils regain the lead in the sixth as Howard hits a lead-off home run, his first of the spring, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Pirates then tied it up at three-all in their half of the sixth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Garrett Jones hits into an RBI ground out, three-unassisted, scoring Neil Walker, who had earlier walked, then went to third on Tony Sanchez’s ground-rule double, while moving Sanchez, who had just doubled, over to third base. One batter later, the Bucos took the lead as Marte hits an RBI ground-rule double of his own, knocking in Sanchez, giving the Pirates a 4-3 lead. The Phils came back to tie it at four-all in the seventh as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Matt Rizzotti hits an RBI double, knocking in Freddy Galvis, who had earlier singled and had gone on to third on Brandon Moss’ single, while Moss, who had just singled, would stop at third base. The Phils then retook the lead as Pete Orr hits into an RBI ground out, 4-3, scoring Moss, making it a 5-4 Phils’ lead, while sending Rizzotti on to third base. The Phils then made it 6-4 as, with a man on third, and with two men out, Dane Sardinha hits an RBI single, scoring Rizotti. The Pirates tried to come back in their half of the seventh as they loaded the bases, via singles to Alex Presley and John Bowker, with Presley stopping at second base, and a walk to Corey Wimberly, moving both Presley and Bowker up a base, with only one man out. But Drew Carpenter pitched himself out of trouble by first striking out Josh Fields, swinging, for the second out, and then striking out Sanchez, looking. The Phils then made it 7-4 in the eighth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Glavis hits a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Valdez, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Michael Martinez’s ground out, 4-3. That would be the final score as Antonio Bastardo would pitch an easy 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Joe Blanton received a no-decision as he pitched three and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out two. Danys Baez received a blown save as he pitched an inning and a third, giving up a hit. Dan Meyer also received a blown save, before getting the win (1-0, 9.00), as he pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out 2. Drew Carpenter received his first hold of the spring as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out two batters. Mike Zagurski records his second spring hold as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Antonio Bastardo records his first save of the spring as he pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Kevin Correia also received a no-decision as he went three innings, giving up two runs on five hits, while he struck out five. Brian Burres followed with two scoreless innings, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Fernando Nieve took the lost (0-1, 27.00) as he pitched an inning and a third, giving up four runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out three. Michael Dubee pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Bryan Morris pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Daniel Moskos pitched a 1-2-3 inning,  striking out a batter.

The Phils had fourteen hits in the game, with Wilson Valdez leading the team with three hits, two singles and a doubles, as he raised his spring average to .417. He was followed by Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, who both had two hits, with Rollins’ hits being a single and a double, and Howard’s being a single and a solo home run, his first of the spring. Freddy Galvis, Placido Polanco, Carlos Rivero, Raul Ibanez, Brandon Moss, Matt Rizzotti and Dane Sardinha had the other seven Phils’ hits, all singles, except for Rizzotti’s double. Rollins and Howard’s two hits help raised their spring batting averages.

The Phils’s Grapefruit League record is now 4-3.

Countdown to the Playoffs, Game # 1: The Phils end the regular season on a losing note as they fail to catch the Braves late, 8-7.

A late rally comes too late as the Phils lose the final game of the regular series to the Braves, 8-7. They will begin the NL Divisional playoffs facing the National League Central Division Champs, the Cincinnati Reds this coming Wednesday at Philadelphia.

The Phils took a 2-0 lead in the third as, with one man on, and with one man out, pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the season, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who had earlier been hit by the pitch. The Braves got a run back in their half of the third as, with one man on, and with two men out, Jason Heyward hits an RBI triple, knocking in Rick Ankiel, who had earlier singled, then went to second on Tim Hudson’s sacrifice bunt, 3-4, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 2-1. The Braves tied it up at two-all in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Brooks Conrad hits an RBI single, knocking in Matt Diaz, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second on Alex Gonzalez’s single, while sending Gonzalez, who had just singled, over to third base. Two batters later, with runners still on the corners, and now with two men out, Hudson hits an RBI single, scoring Gonzalez, giving the Braves a 3-2 lead, while sending Conrad up to second base. The Braves then took a 5-2 lead as Omar Infante hits an RBI triple, knocking in both Conrad and Hudson. The Braves added to their lead in the sixth as Derrek Lee hits a lead-off home run, his nineteenth home run of the year, giving the Braves a 6-2 lead. Four batters later, with two men on, and with one man out, Conrad hits an RBI single, scoring Brian McCann, who had earlier singled, moved up to second on Diaz’s single, then went to third on Gonzalez’s ground out, 5-3, giving the Braves a 7-2 lead, before Diaz, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second on Gonzalez’s ground out, is thrown out at home plate by a throw to home by Ryan Howard, after Jayson Werth’s throw into the infield gets pass him, with Brian Schneider applying the tag, 9-3-2, for the second out of the inning, while Conrad would go to second on the play. The Braves then made it an 8-2 lead in the sixth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Diaz hits an RBI single, scoring Heyward, who had earlier walked, and was safe at second on a 5-3 doubleplay on a grounder by Lee, as Infante, who had earlier singled, and had gone to second on Heyward’s walk, was wiped out at third base, while McCann, who had just walked, moved up to second base. The Phils made it an 8-4 Braves’ lead in the seventh as, with one man on, and with one man out, Werth hits a two-run home run, his twenty-seventh home run of the year, scoring Howard, who had just walked. The Phils then cut the Braves’ lead further in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Wilson Valdez hits an RBI single, knocking in Brian Bocock, who was pinch running for Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier singled, then went to third on Braves third baseman Omar Infante’s throwing error of pinch hitter Mike Sweeney’s grounder, making it an 8-5 Braves’ lead, while sending Sweeney, who was safe on Infante’s error, up to second base. The Phils then cut the Braves’ lead down to 8-7 as pinch hitter Ben Francisco hits a two-run double, scoring both Sweeney and Valdez. That would end up being the final score as Billy Wagner would record his thirty-seventh save of the year by recording a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Greg Dobbs, looking.

Cole Hamels pitches two scoreless innings, walking a batter, while striking out two. Roy Oswalt pitches an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Danys Baez took the lost as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up four runs on five hits, while striking out one. His record is now 3-4 with a 5.48 ERA. Mike Zagurski pitches a third of an inning, striking out the only man that he would face. Joe Blanton pitches an inning, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk. J.C. Romero pitches two-thirds of an inning, before leaving the game because of a bad back, giving up a run on a hit and a walk. Chad Durbin pitches an inning and a third, giving up a hit and two walks, as he strikes out a batter. Brad Lidge pitches an inning, giving up a hit and two walks, while striking out a batter. Tim Hudson gets the win as he pitches seven innings, giving up four runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batter, while he strikes out three. His record is now 17-9 with a 2.83 ERA. Jonny Venters pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up two unearned runs on a hit, while striking out a batter. Billy Wagner records his thirty-seventh save of the season as he pitches an inning and a third, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out four.

The Phils had only five hits in the game, a single by Jimmy Rollins, a single by Wilson Valdez, knocking in a run, a two-run home run by Jayson Werth, a two-run pinch hit home run by John Mayberry, Jr. and a two-run pinch hit double by Ben Francisco. The Phils’ offense was otherwise kept quiet yesterday.

The Phils, at 97-65, ended the season with the best record in the majors, doing so for the first time in the team’s 128-years history. They will begin the divisional series at home this coming Wednesday, facing the Cincinnati Red, the Central Division champs, looking for some revenge for 1976, when they were swept in a three game series for the NL Championship.