Tagged: Pedro Alvarez

The Phils drops their third straight game to the Pirates as they lose 6-4.

Philadelphia_PhilliesThe Phils’ pitching staff has another late inning meltdown as the team loses their third straight game to the Pirates, 6-4.

The Phils took the lead in the bottom of the fourth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Dom Brown hits an RBI double, knocking in Chase Utley, who had started the inning off with a walk, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Pirates tied the game up at one-all in the top of the sixth as Gaby Sanchez hits a lead-off home run, his third home run of the year. The Phils retook the lead in their half of the sixth as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI single, knocking in Kevin Frandsen, who had started the inning off with a walk, then went to third on Utley’s single, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while sending Utley, who earlier singled, then stole second base, on to third base. Two batters later, after Utley is thrown out at the plate, 5-2, on John Mayberry, Jr.’s fielder’s choice grounder to third baseman Pedro Alvarez, for the inning’s first out, as Howard’s moved up to second base on the play, and Mayberry reaches first base, and a wild pitch by Justin Wilson sends Howard to third base, and Mayberry to second, the Phils added to their lead as, with two men on, and with one man out, Brown hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Howard, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead. The Pirates got a run back in the top of the seventh as, with two men on, and with one man out, Sanchez hits an RBI single, knocking in Starling Marte, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on Andrew McCutchen’s single, making it a 3-2 Phils’ lead, while sending McCutchen, who had just singled, over to third base. One batter later, the Pirates tied the game up at three-all as Michael McKenry hits an RBI single, knocking in McCutchen, while sending Sanchez over to third base. The Pirates took the lead in the top of the eighth as, with the bases loaded, via Clint Barmes bring hit by a pitch, a single by Travis Snider, moving Barmes up to second base, and a single by Marte, moving both runners up a base, and with no one out, pinch-hitter Garrett Jones hits a two-run double, scoring Barmes and Snider, making it a 5-3 Pirates’ lead, while sending Marte up to third base. Two batters later, after McCutchen is intentionally walked, reloading the bases, and with still nobody out, Sanchez hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Marte, making it a 6-3 Pirates’ lead, while sending Jones up to third base. The Phils would get a run back in their half of the eighth as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Howard hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Frandsen, who had started the inning off with a double, then moved up to third base on Utley’s ground out, 2-3, making it a 6-4 Pirates’ lead. That would be the final score as Tony Watson collected his first save of the season by throwing a scoreless ninth.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on ten hits, a walk and a hit batter, while he struck out seven. Philippe Aumont (1-3 4.05) took the lost as he lasted only a third of an inning, giving up three runs on three hits, striking out a batter. Chad Durbin pitched two-thirds of an inning, walking two. Raul Valdes pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. James McDonald also received a no-decision as he pitched five innings, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out four. Justin Wilson (2-0, 1.29) got the win as he pitched two 1-2-3 innings, striking out two. Tony Watson recorded his first save of the year as he pitched two innings, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had seven hits in the game, with Ryan Howard (Single, Double, 2 RBIs) and Dom Brown (Doubles, 2 RBIs) both leading the team with two hits each. Kevin Frandsen (Double), Chase Utley (Single) and Cliff Lee (Single) had the other three Phils’ hits, as the ballclub is once again held down by opposing pitching. The Phils also had three walks (Jimmy Rollins, Frandsen, Utley) and a stolen base (Utley (4)) in the game.

The Phils (9-14, 4th) will start a three-game series with the Mets (10-10, 3rd) with a ballgame tonight. The game will be played at Citi Field and will start at 7:10 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (1-1, 3.28) who is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals on April 21, as he threw six strong innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out six, in the Phils’ 7-3 win. He will be trying for his second win of the season, hoping that the offense will finally wake up and start being more consistent. The Mets will counter with Dillon Gee (1-3, 5.95), who is coming off a win against the Nationals on April 21, as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up just three hits and three walks, while striking out six, in the Mets’ 2-0 win. He’ll also be trying for his second win, hoping that he’ll have better luck this time against the Phils. The Phils will be trying to end their present three game losing streak, before things can get any worst.

The Phils’ bullpen let one get away, wasting a good start by Roy Halladay, as the Phils fall to the Pirates, 5-3.

Philadelphia_PhilliesRoy Halladay’s third straight strong start is wasted by the bullpen as the Phils lose late to the Pirates, 5-3.

The Phils took the lead in the bottom of the first as, with one man out, Chase Utley hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Pirates tied the game up at one-all in the top of the fourth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Pedro Alvarez hits an RBI single, scoring Garrett Jones, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base when Neil Walker was hit by the pitch, while sending Walker, who had just been hit by a pitch, up to second base. The Phils retook the lead in their half of the fourth as, with one man out, Ryan Howard hits a solo home run, his second home run of the season, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead. The Phils increased their lead in the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen hits an RBI single, knocking in Ben Revere, who had earlier singled, then went to third base on Humberto Quintero’s single, giving the Phils a 3-1 lead, while sending Quintero, who had just singled, up to second base. The Pirates got a run back in the seventh as, with one man out, Alvarez hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the season, making it a 3-2 Phils’ lead. The Pirates tied the game up at three-all in the eighth as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Travis Snider hits an RBI single, scoring pinch-hitter Jose Tabata, who had started the inning off with a walk, then moved up to second base on Starling Marte’s single, while sending Marte’s who had just singled, on to third base. Two batters later, with the bases now loaded, as Andrew McCutchen walks, moving Snider to second base, and with still nobody out, the Pirates took the lead as pinch-hitter Brandon Inge hits an RBI single, knocking in Marte, giving the Pirates a 4-3 lead, while moving both Snider and McCutchen up a base. The Pirates added to their lead in the ninth as, with a man on first, and with two men out, Marte hits an RBI triple on a pop ball that second baseman Utley was unable to catch, scoring Clint Barmes, who had earlier singled, giving the Pirates a 5-3 lead. That would end up being the final score as Jason Grilli collected his ninth save of the season by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth.

Roy Halladay received a no-decision as he pitched six strong innings, giving up a run on a hit, two walks and a hit batter, while striking out eight. Antonio Bastardo received his second hold of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Mike Adams received his first blown save of the season before taking the lost (1-2, 4.00) as he pitched to four batters, getting none of them out, as he gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. Jeremy Horst pitched two innings, giving up a run on three hits. Wandy Rodriguez also received a no-decision as he went five and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and two walks, while striking out five. Vin Mazzaro (1-0, 0.00) got the win as pitched a scoreless inning and a third. Mark Melancon collected his eighth hold of the year as he threw a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Jason Grilli collected his ninth save of the year as he threw a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter.

The Phils collected ten hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins (Single, Double), Chase Utley (Single, Home Run, RBI) and Dom Brown (Singles) all leading the ballclub with two hits each. Ryan Howard (Home Run, RBI), Ben Revere (Single), Humberto Quintero (Single) and pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen (Single, RBI) had the other four Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two walks (John Mayberry, Jr., Humberto Quintero (Intentional)) in the game.

The Phils (9-13, 4th East) conclude their series with the Pirates (12-9, 3rd Central) with a game already in progress.

The Phils increased their winning streak to two games as they hold on to defeat the Pirates, 3-2.

Philadelphia_PhilliesThe Phils’ offense supported rookie starter Jonathan Pettibone’s major league debut by scoring enough runs to defeat the Bucos, 3-2.

The Pirates took the lead in the top of the second as, with one man out, Pedro Alvarez hits a solo home run, his third home run of the season, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead. The Phils would come back to tie the game up at one-all in the bottom of the third as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Jonathan Pettibone, who had started the inning off with a walk, moved up to second base on Jimmy Rollin’s single, and then stopped at third base on John Mayberry, Jr.’s force out, 6-4, as Rollins is wiped out at second base for the inning’s first out, would score on A.J. Burnett’s wild pitch, while Mayberry, who had been safe at first on the force out, would move up to second base. The Phils would take the lead in the bottom of the third as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Michael Young, a walk by Dom Brown, moving Young up to second base, and a single by Ben Revere, moving both runners up a base, and with two men out, Rollins would force in a run as he is hit by a pitch, forcing in Young, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while both Brown and Revere would move up a base, leaving the bases loaded. The Pirates would tie the game up at two-all in the top of the fifth as Russell Martin hits a lead-off home run, his second home run of the season. The Phils took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Rollins hits an RBI single, knocking in Erik Kratz, who had earlier walked, then stopped at second base on pinch-hitter Ezequiel Carrera’s single, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead, while sending Carrera on to third base, before moving up to second base on the late throw to third, as the Pirates tried to catch Carrera going too far from third base, as he thought about going home as Rollins almost got caught heading towards second base, as the throw to the plate was cut off. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon recorded his fourth save of the year as he pitched a scoreless ninth.

Jonathan Pettibone received a no-decision as he made his major league debut, taking the place of the injured John Lannan, as he pitched five and a third innings, giving up two runs on six hits, as he struck out six Bucos. Raul Valdes (1-0, 10.24) got the win as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out both men wh0m he would face. Antonio Bastardo and Mike Adams both collected their first hold of the season as they combined for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Bastardo) between them, as they struck out two batters (one batter each). Jonathan Papelbon collected his fourth save of the season as he threw a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while he struck out a batter. A.J. Burnett also received a no-decision as he pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks, a wild pitch and a hit batter, as he struck out seven. Jared Hughes (1-2, 5.79) took the lost as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while he struck out a batter. Vin Mazzaro pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins (Singles, 2 RBIs) and Chase Utley (Singles), both leading the ballclub with two hits each. Ryan Howard, Michael Young, Ben Revere and pinch-hitter Ezequiel Carrera had the other four Phils’ hits, all singles. The final Phil run came in on a wild pitch. The Phils also had four walks (Young, Dom Brown, Erik Kratz and Jonathan Pettibone) and a hit batter (Rollins), in the game.

The Phils (9-11, 4th East) continue their four game series with the Pirates (10-9, 4th Central) with a night game tonight, already in progress.

The Phils are unable to overcome a five-run first as they drop one to the Pirates, 5-4.

The Phils are unable to overcome a five-run first inning as they end up splitting the series with the Pirates, losing 5-4.

The Pirates took the lead in the first as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Garrett Jones hits an RBI single, knocking in Drew Sutton, who had started the game off with a single, moved up to second base on Neil Walker’s walk, then went to third on Andrew McCuthen’s fly out to right, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead, while sending Walker, who had earlier walked, up to second base. The Pirates then took a 4-0 lead as Casey McGehee hits a three-run home run, his fifth home run of the year, knocking in both Walker and Sutton. The Pirates then made it a 5-o lead as Pedro Alvarez followed with a solo home run, his fourteenth home run of the season. Phils’ starter Kyle Kendrick would then settle down, and keep the Pirates off the scoreboard for the next six and two-thirds innings, while the Phils tried to chip away at the Pirates’ lead. The Phils made it a 5-2 Pirates’ lead in the second as, with one man on, and with two men out, Erik Kratz hits a two-run home run, his second home run of the season, knocking in Ty Wigginton, who had earlier singled. The Phils then cut the Pirates’ lead down to 5-3 in the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Placido Polanco hits into an RBI force out, 5-4, scoring Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, then went to third base on Hunter Pence’s single, as Pence, who had just singled, is forced out at second base for the inning’s second out. The Phils then made it a 5-4 Pirates’ lead in the eighth as Pence hits a lead-off home run, his fourteenth home run of the season. That would end up being the final score as Joel Hanrahan collected his twentieth save of the season by pitching a scoreless ninth.

Kyle Kendrick (2-8, 5.35) took the lost as he pitched seven innings, giving up five runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out six. Brian Sanches and Jeremy Horst combined for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Sanches) and three walks (Sanches (1), Horst (2)) between them, while striking out two batters (one batter each). A.J. Burnett (9-2, 3.31) got the win as he pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Juan Cruz collected his thirteenth hold of the season as he threw a third of an inning, walking a batter. Jason Grilli received his eighteenth hold of the year as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, striking out two batters. Joel Hanrahan recorded his twentieth save of the year as he pitched a scoreless ninth, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Shane Victorino (Singles) and Hunter Pence (Single, Home Run, RBI) leading the ballclub with two hits each. Jimmy Rollins (Single), Juan Pierre (Single), Ty Wigginton (Single), Mike Fontenot (Single) and Erik Kratz (Home Run, 2 RBIs) had the other nine hits, as the offense was unable to get the key hit to either tie or win the game. The Phils also had three walks and two stolen bases (Pierre (18), Rollins (13)) in the game.

The Phils (36-42, 5th) will go on the road to start a series with the Marlins (35-40, 4th), starting with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Marlins Park and will start at 7:10 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cliff Lee (0-4, 3.72), who is coming off a lost against the Rays on June 24, as he went seven innings, giving up five runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out nine, in the Phils’ 7-3 lost. Lee will be out to finally end his long winless streak. The Marlins will counter with Josh Johnson (4-5, 3.96), who is coming off a no-decision against the Blue Jays on June 23, where he went seven innings, giving up a run on two hits and two walks, while striking out seven, in the Marlins’ 7-1 lost. He’s be trying to even up his record. The Phils will be out to win their first game since Chase Utley’s return to the line-up.

The Phils’ bullpen ruin Chase Utley’s return, as the Phils lose to the Pirates, 11-7.

The Phils’ bullpen spoil Chase Utley’s return to the club as they can not hold down the Pirates, as the Phils lose to the Bucos, 11-7.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with two men out, Chase Utley hits a dramatic solo home run, his first home run of the season, as well as his first hit of the year, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then took a 2-0 lead as Carlos Ruiz followed with a solo home run of his own, his eleventh home run of the year. The Pirates took the lead in the second as, with two men on, and with two men out, Michael McKenry hits a three-run home run, knocking in Neil Walker, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on Jose Tabata’s single, and Tabata, who had just singled, giving the Pirates a 3-2 lead. The Pirates added to their lead in the fourth as Casey McGehee hits a lead-off home run, his fourth home run of the season, giving the Pirates a 4-2 lead. The Pirates then took a 5-2 lead as, with runners on the corners, and with two men out, James McDonald hits an RBI single, scoring Walker, who had earlier doubled, then reached third base on Pedro Alvarez’s ground out, 4-3, while moving McKenry, who had just been intentionally walked, on to third base. The Pirates increased their lead in the fifth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Walker hits an RBI single, knocking in Drew Sutton, who had lead-off the inning with a walk, then moved up to second base on Andrew McCutchen’s single, giving the Pirates a 6-2 lead, while sending McCutchen, who had earlier singled, up to third base. The Pirates then made a 7-2 lead as Tabata hits an RBI single, scoring McCutchen, while sending Walker on to third base. The Pirates then took an 8-2 lead as McKendry hits an RBI single, scoring Walker, while sending Tabata up to third base. The Phils started a comeback in the sixth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits an RBI double, knocking in Ruiz, who had been safe at first as Utley, who had reached first base on an infield single, is wiped out at second base on a 6-4 force out, cutting the Pirates’ lead down to 8-3. The Phils then made it an 8-4 Pirates’ lead as Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, knocking in Pence. The Phils cut the Pirates’ lead down to 8-5 in the seventh as, with a man on first, and with nobody out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI triple, knocking in Hector Luna, who had started the inning off by reaching base on third baseman’s Alvarez’s fielding error. The Phils then made it an 8-6 Pirates’ lead as Juan Pierre hits an RBI single, scoring Rollins. Two batters later, with runners on the corners, as Utley send Pierre to third base with a single to right, and with still nobody out, Ruiz hits an RBI single, scoring Pierre, cutting the Pirates’ lead down to 8-7, while sending Utley up to second base. The Pirates then increased their lead in the eighth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Sutton hits an RBI double, scoring pinch hitter Alex Presley, who had started the inning off with a walk, giving the Pirates a 9-7 lead. The Pirates then made it an 11-7 lead as McCutchen hits a two-run home run, his fourteenth home run of the year, knocking in Sutton. That would end up being the final score as Joel Hanrahan pitched a scoreless ninth.

Raul Valdes (2-1, 3.24) took the lost as he only pitched two innings, giving up three runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out two. Joe Savery pitched two and two-thirds innings, giving up five runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out two. Michael Schwimer pitched an inning and a third, giving up four hits, while striking out three. Jake Diekman pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Chad Qualls pitched an inning, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk. Antonio Bastardo pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk. James McDonald (7-3, 2.44) got the win as he pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out three. Jared Hughes pitched a third of an inning, plus two batters, giving up two runs, one of which was earned, on a hit and a walk. Tony Watson pitched to three batters, getting none of them out, as he gave up a run on three hits. Brad Lincoln collected his first hold of the year as he threw a scoreless inning. Jason Grilli pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Joel Hanrahan pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Chase Utley (2 Singles, Home Run, RBI), leading the team as he played in his first game after coming off the dl, followed by Jimmy Rollins (Single, Triple, RBI) and Carlos Ruiz (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs) with two hits each. Juan Pierre (Single, RBI), Hunter Pence (Double, RBI) and Shane Victorino (Single, RBI) had the other three Phils’ hits. The Phils also had four walks and two stolen bases (Pierre (17), Victorino (19)) in the ballgame.

The Phils (36-41, 4th East) conclude their series with the Pirates (39-35, 2nd Central) with an afternoon game at Citizens Bank Park, already in progress.

The Phils increase their winning streak to two games as they hold on in a close game to defeat the Pirates, 5-4.

The Phils hold on to win a close game with the Pirates as they increase their winning streak to two game, winning 5-4.

The Pirates tried to take the lead in the first as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Vance Worley, after catching Garrett Jones’ grounder back to the mound, threw the ball home for a fielder’s choice out, as Jose Tabata, who had started the game by being hit by a pitch, then moved up to second base on Neil Walker’s walk, before going to third on Andrew McCutchen’s ground out, 6-3, is tagged out by Carlos Ruiz for the inning’s second out, while Walker, who had earlier walked, and went to second base on McCutchen’s ground out, would move up to third, while Jones would be safe at first on the play. Worley then got out of trouble by getting Casey McGehee to hit into a force out, 6-4, wiping out Jones at first base. The Phils then took the lead in their half of the first as, with a man on third, and with two men out, Ruiz hits an RBI single, scoring Hunter Pence, who had just tripled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Pirates would tie the game up at one-all in the second as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Michael McKenry hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Pedro Alvarez, who had started the inning off with a double, then moved up to third on Clint Barmes’ ground out, 6-3. The Phils retook the lead in their half of the second as, with two men on, and with two men out, Placido Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Mike Fontenot, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Worley’s sacrifice bunt, 1-4, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, before Jimmy Rollins, who had just walked, is thrown out trying to go to third base, 7-5-3, for the inning’s final out. The Phils added to their lead in the third as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ty Wigginton hits a two-run home run, his eighth home run of the season, knocking in Ruiz, who had earlier singled, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. The Pirates would get a run back in the sixth as, with a man on third, and with two men out, McGehee hits an RBI single, knocking in McCutchen, who had earlier doubled, then moved up to third on Jones’ ground out, 3-unassisted, making it a 4-2 Phils’ lead. The Pirates then cut the Phils’ lead down to 4-3 in the seventh as, with two men on, and with nobody out, pinch hitter Drew Sutton hits an RBI double, knocking in Barmes, who had started the inning off with a walk, then stopped at second base on McKenry’s single, while McKenry, who had just singled, would stop at third base. After Michael Schwimer replaces Worley on the mound, the Phils would get out of further trouble as Tabata grounds out to the pitcher,  1-3, after Schwimer looks McKenry back to third, for the inning’s first out, then Walker flies out to left for the inning’s second out, before John Mayberry, Jr. throws a strike to home plate, as McKenry tries to score on the fly out, but is tagged out by Ruiz for the inning’s third out on a fly out-doubleplay, keeping the score 4-3 Phils. The Phils added to their lead in the eighth as Ruiz hits a lead-off home run, his tenth home run of the season, a career high, as he gives the Phils a 5-3 lead. The Pirates would get a run back in the ninth as, with one man out, McHenry hits a solo home run, his fourth home run of the year, making it a 5-4 Phils’ lead. But that would be the final score as Jonathan Papelbon would record his eighteenth save of the season by getting out the next two batter, as he got Tabata to end the game by striking out, swinging.

Vance Worley (4-4, 2.92) gets the win as he pitched six inning, plus three batters, as he gives up three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out five. Michael Schwimer collected his first hold of the season as he pitched a scoreless inning, getting out the two men that he would face, thanks to a fly out-doubleplay. Antonio Bastardo collected his fifteenth hold of the season as he threw a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon received his eighteen save of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit, while striking out two. Erik Bedard (4-8, 4.27) took the lost as he went six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out three. Juan Cruz pitched an inning, plus three batters, giving up a run on two hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Tony Watson pitched an inning, getting out all three men whom he would face, striking out one.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz (2 Singles, Home Run, 2 RBIs) leading the team with three hits, followed by Placido Polanco (Singles, RBI) and Ty Wigginton (Single, Home Run, 2 RBIs) with two hits apiece. Hunter Pence (Triple), Shane Victorino (Single) and Mike Fontenot (Single) had the other three Phils’ hits. The Phils also had three walks and a stolen base (Victorino (18)) in the ballgame.

The Phils (36-40, 4th East) will continue their series with the Pirates (38-35, 3rd Central) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and is to start at 7:05 pm. The Phils will send to the mound Raul Valdes (2-0, 1.84) who will be making a spot start, as the Phils plan to use the bullpen tonight. Valdes last pitched on June 23, throwing two innings in relief against the Rays, giving up no runs on a hit, while striking out four. Valdes hopes to keep the Phils in the game. The Pirates will counter with James McDonald (6-3, 2.19), who is coming off a complete game win against the Twins on June 21, as he gave up a run on six hits, while striking out five, in the Pirates’ 9-1 blow out. He will be trying to stop the Pirates’ present losing streak. The Phils will be going for the series win, while hoping that Chase Utley will be ready to go both on the field and at the plate.

A four-run first starts the ball rolling as the Phils sink the Pirates, 8-3.

A four-run first inning, helped along by several Pirates’ errors, starts the ball rolling for the Phils as they crush the Bucos, 8-3.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits a single to right, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Juan Pierre’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3, as he beat the throw to the plate, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then took a 2-0 lead as, with Pence on first, and with still one man out, Carlos Ruiz hits a single to right, which would send Pence to third base, beating out right fielder Jose Tabata’s throw to third, which would allow Ruiz to move up to second base, as third baseman Pedro Alvarez throw the ball into right field for an error, which would allow Pence to score, and Ruiz to reach third base, as Tabata committed his own throwing error. The Phils then made it a 3-0 lead as Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, scoring Ruiz. The Phils then added to their lead as, with one man on, and with still only one man out, Placido Polanco hits a single to right, sending Victorino to third, before scoring on Tabata’s throwing error to third, his second error of the inning, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead, while Polanco would move up to second base. The Pirates got a run back in the third as, with one man out, Tabata hits a solo home run, his third home run of the year, making it a 4-1 Phils’ lead. The Phils would get that run back in their half of the third as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Ruiz, who had earlier singled, stole second base, then went to third on Victorino’s ground out, 4-3, giving the Phils a 5-1 lead.  The Pirates would cut the Phils’ lead to 5-2 as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Clint Barmes hits an RBI single, knocking in Neil Walker, who had started the inning off with a double. The Phils increased their lead in their half of the fourth as, with one man on, and with one man out, Rollins hits a two-run home run, his eighth home run of the season, and his fourth home run in five games, knocking in Mike Fontenot, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Jeff Karstens’ wild pitch, giving the Phils a 7-2 lead. The Pirates would get a run back in the fifth as, with a man on second, and with one man out, Andrew McCutchen hits an RBI single, knocking in Tabata, who had earlier reached base on Polanco’s throwing error, ending up on second base, making it a 7-3 Phils’ lead. The Phils got that run back in the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Ruiz, followed by walks to Victorino and Polanco, and with nobody out, Ty Wigginton forced in a run with a walk, forcing in Ruiz, giving the Phils an 8-3 lead, while moving both Victorino and Polanco up a base, leaving the bases loaded. That would be the final score as Chad Qualls pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Joe Blanton (7-6, 4.87) got the win as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned, on seven hits and a walk, while striking out eight. Jake Diekman pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter. Chad Qualls pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Jeff Karstens (0-2, 6.35) took the lost as he went five innings, giving up seven runs, only six of which were earned, on eleven hits and a wild pitch, while striking out four. Doug Slaten pitched two innings, giving up a run on a hit and three walks, while striking out three. Jared Hughes pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter.

The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz leading the ballclub with three hits, all singles, raising his average back to .354. Jimmy Rollins (Double, Home Run, 2 RBIs), Hunter Pence (Singles, RBI), Placido Polanco (Singles, RBI), and Mike Fontenot (Singles) all followed with two hits each. Shane Victorino had the final Phil hit, a single, knocking in a run. Ty Wigginton had the other Phil RBI, via a walk, as the other two runs came in on a pair of Pirates’ errors. The Phils also had three walks and a stolen base (Ruiz (3)) in the ballgame.

The Phils (35-40, 4th East) will continue their series with the Pirates (38-34, 2nd Central) with a  night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and is to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Vance Worley (3-4, 2.78), who is coming off a lost to the Rockies on June 21, as he pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out two, in the Phils’ 4-1 lost. He is still looking for his first win since coming off the DL. The Pirates will counter with Erik Bedard (4-7, 4.13), who is coming off a no-decision against the Twins on June 20, as he went six innings, giving up a run on four hits and two walks, while striking out seven, in the Pirates’ 2-1 lost. He will be trying for his fifth win of the season. The Phils will be trying to gain some momentum from last night’s win as they get ready to reactive Chase Utley.

An error and a leaky bullpen allows the Pirates to win their second straighth walk-off victory against the Phils as the Phils lose, 5-4.

An error on a strikeout, and a leaky bullpen allows the Pirates to pull off another walk-off win against the Phils as they lose in the bottom of the ninth, 5-4.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with one man on, and with one man out, Hunter Pence hits an RBI double, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Jimmy Rollins’ ground out, 3-unassisted, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils added to their lead in the fourth as, with one man out, Pence hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Pirates got a run back in the fifth as Pedro Alvarez hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the season, making it a 2-1 Phils’ lead. The Phils increased their lead in the seventh as, with two men on, and with two men out, Juan Pierre hits a two-run single, knocking in Ty Wigginton, who had earlier walked, then went to second base on Freddy Galvis’ sacrifice bunt, before going on to third as second baseman Neil Walker committed a missed catch error on pitcher Jared Hughes’ throw, and Galvis, who was safe at first on Walker’s error, before going on to second base on the error, giving the Phils a 4-1 lead. The Pirates got a run back in their half of the seventh as, with a runner on first, as Alvarez reaches first base on a strikeout,  as Wigginton committed a fielding error on Brian Schneider’s throw for the out attempt, and with two men out, Casey McGehee hits an RBI double, scoring Alvarez, making it a 4-2 Phils’ lead. The Pirates then made it a 4-3 Phils’ lead as Alex Presley hits an RBI single, knocking in McGehee. The Pirates then tied the game up at four-all in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, pinch hitter Matt Hague hits an RBI single, his first major league hit, scoring Andrew McCutchen, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, while sending pinch hitter Yamaico Navarro, who had earlier walked, on to second base. The Pirates then won the game in the bottom of the ninth as, with a man on third, and with two men out, McCutchen hits an RBI single, scoring pinch runner Josh Hamilton, who was pinch running for McGehee, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Presley sacrifice bunt, 2-4, giving the Pirates a 5-4 walk-off win.

Vance Worley received a no-decision as he went six strong innings, giving up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out five. Michael Stutes collected his first hold of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up two unearned runs on two hits, while striking out two. Kyle Kendrick picked up his first hold of the year as he went a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Antonio Bastardo received his first blown save of the season as he went two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out two. David Herndon (0-1, 13.50) took the lost as he went two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while he struck out a batter. James McDonald also received a no-decision as he went six innings, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks, while he struck out three. Jared Hughes pitched an inning, giving up two runs on a hit and two walks, while striking out a batter. Evan Meek pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out one. Joel Hanrahan (1-0, 0.00) got the win as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two.

The Phils had just five hits in the ballgame, with Juan Pierre (Singles, 2 RBI) and Hunter Pence (Double, Home Run, 2 RBIs) both leading the ball club with two hits each. Shane Victorino (Single) had the other Phil hit, a single. The Phils also had two stolen bases as Pierre and Victorino were involved in a double steal. The offense is performing some early small ball. Sadly it is not translating into runs, as they are presently leaving too many men in scoring position.

The Phils (1-2, 3rd) will start their first home stand of the season with a three-game series with the Marlins (1-3, 4th). The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and it will start at 1:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound for their home opener Cole Hamels (0-0, -.–) who ended 2011 with a 14-9 record with an ERA of 2.79 and a WHIP of 0.99. He pitched in 32 games, all but one of them as a starter, throwing a total of 216 innings, in which he struck out 184 batters, while walking only 44. Cole will be trying to continue where he left off last year, while trying to end the Phils present losing streak. The Marlins will counter with Anibal Sanchez (0-0, -.–), who is coming off a 2011 season with a record of 8-9, with a 3.67 ERA and a WHIP of 1.28. Sanchez started in 32 games, for a total of 196.1 innings, striking out 202 batters, while walking just 64. He will be trying to stop the Marlins early slide. The Phils will be trying to end their first losing slide, after spoiling two straight quality starts with so-so offense.

The Phils swept the Pirates in extra-innings off of a walk-off double by Raul Ibanez, as they win in ten innings, 6-5.

A walk-off double by Raul Ibanez, knocking in Hunter Pence, gives the Phils a three-game sweep as they defeat the Pirates in ten innings, 6-5.

The Phils took the lead in the second as, with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits a solo home run, his fifteenth home run of the season, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Pirates took the lead in the fifth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Xavier Paul hits a two-run single, knocking in Brandon Wood, who had earlier singled, stopped at second base on Eric Fryer’s single, then went to third on Jeff Karstens’ sacrifice bunt, 1-4, and Fryer, who had earlier singled, then stopped at second base on Karstens’ sac bunt, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead. The Phils regained the lead in their half of the fifth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Jimmy Rollins hits an RBI single, knocking in Brian Schneider, who had earlier doubled, then stopped at third base on Michael Martinez’s single, and Martinez, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Vance Worley’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3, giving the Phils a 3-2 lead. The Pirates retook the lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Lyle Overbay hits a two-run home run, his eighth home run of the year, scoring Neil Walker, who had earlier singled, giving the Pirates a 4-3 lead. The Pirates added to their lead in the seventh as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Garrett Jones hits an RBI double, scoring Fryer, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on Karstens’ second sac bunt of the game, giving the Pirates a 5-3 lead. The Phils would tie the game up at five-all in the eighth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ibanez hits a two-run home run, his sixteenth home run of the season, and his second of the game, scoring Hunter Pence, who was safe at first on a grounder that he had hit deep into hole at shortstop, that was grabbed by shortstop Wood, who then threw to third, where third baseman Pedro Alvarez tagged out Ryan Howard, who had earlier doubled, as he made a base running blunder, as he thought the ball would get through, for the inning’s second out, 6-5. The Phils then won the game in the tenth as, with a runner on second, and with one man out, Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in Pence, who had just doubled, giving the Phils the 6-5 walk-off extra-inning win.

Vance Worley pitched six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits, as he struck out seven. Brad Lidge pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out one. Juan Perez pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. David Herndon pitched a third of an inning, striking out the only man that he would face. Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. Antonio Bastardo (4-0, 1.34) got the win as he pitched a 1-2-3 tenth, striking out a batter. Jeff Karstens also received a no-decision  as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks, while he struck out five. Joe Beimel received his seventh hold of the year as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Jose Veras blew his fifth save opportunity of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on one hit. Chris Resop pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out the two batters that he would face. Tony Watson (0-2, 1.99) took the lost as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on two hits.

The Phils had eleven hits in the game, with Raul Ibanez leading the team with three hits, two home runs and a double, as he knocked in four runs. Jimmy Rollins followed with two hits, both singles, knocking in two runs. Chase Utley (Single), Ryan Howard (Double), Hunter Pence (Double), Brian Schneider (Double), Michael Martinez (Single) and Vance Worley (Single), had the other six Phils’ hits.

The Phils (68-39, 1st East) will start a three-game series with the Rockies (51-56, 3rd West) tomorrow night. The game will be played at Coors Field and will start at 6:40 pm MDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (12-6, 2.61), who is coming off a lost to the Giants on July 27, as he went seven and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs on six hits and a walk, while he struck out six, in the Phils’ 2-1 lost. He will be trying to win his thirteenth start. The Rockies will try to counter with Jhoulys Chacin (8-8, 3.50), who is coming off a lost against the Dodgers on July 2. as he went six innings, giving up three runs, only one of which was earned, on three hits and a walk, while striking out two, in the Rockies’ 3-2 lost. He hopes to end the Phils’ present winning streak. The Phils will be out to start off their latest road trip on a good note.

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.